Living to 100 is your God-given privilege, but it’s something that you must want. The will to live a wonderful, abundant life will see you through!
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YOUR God-Given Privilege!
Living to 100 and the secrets to a long life are not as untouchable as you may think. Historically, Moses from the Bible was 120 when he died. And Caleb was in his prime when he said,
I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.(Joshua 14:10-11)
According to a report published by The Centenarian, Centenarians, people who live to 100, are the fastest growing group of the population across the globe. Current estimates place roughly 450,000 people in this age category worldwide and the numbers are only expected to increase as modern medicine advances.
In the words of one reader,
“My grandmother is 104 years young and lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. Born in Guangdong province, China. Never ate processed food, grew her own vegetables, boiled her water and always active. Never touched alcohol or smoked…That’s the secret! Congrats to all Centenarians!”
Is this the trick? Is it that simple?
Is clean living, eating a nutritious diet, and enjoying an active lifestyle the recipe to living to 100 years old?
“And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he also is flesh; yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.‘”~ Genesis 6:3
After the flood, God set in motion a physiological limit to human life: 120 years old. This is the reason why we’re seeing such a rise in centenarians today. Modern medicine is simply capitalizing on the natural boundaries of nature, and scientists are exploiting new ways to enable people to live to their God-given age potential in spite of harmful diet and lifestyle decisions.
For millennia, people regularly lived to 100 years (1). Moses died at 120 years old, Caleb at 85 was as vigorous a warrior as he was at 45 (and we have every reason to believe that he died well into his 100s) and the list goes on. It wasn’t until people deviated from the natural lifestyle God outlined in Scripture that life expectancy started to drop on a mass scale. In fact, “Modern” civilization became so destructive that the average lifespan in the 19th century was under 50. What a far cry from the 120 years God set in motion!
3 Secrets to Living to 100
At this point, everything is against those of us who want to live our God-given Abundant Life potential. I call them the 4 Abundant Life Killers:
- Toxic Living – You must eat fresh food, drink pure water, and breathe unpolluted air if you want to avoid toxins that will rob you of precious years. See a favorite water filter for clean water and a favorite air purifier for safe air.
- Lack of Movement – As the world economy continues to evolve, lifestyles demand that people sit down all day at work, which is the antithesis of the constant motion our bodies were designed for. Exercise and body movement is part of our body’s design.
- No Community – A growing number of people live relatively isolated and no longer live in symbiotic communities that ease the burden of raising a family and living a sustainable lifestyle. We are designed for community.
- Broken Relationships – Lifelong relationships are becoming rare and people are increasingly becoming disconnected with the Earth.
Yet, there is hope. There is ALWAYS hope!
In addition to doing you best to remedy these 4 abundant life killers, here are 3 secrets to help you and your family live to 100 and beyond!
1. Live a Life Worth Living!
Believing that living a life worth living past 100 is possible is absolutely foundational. According to USA Today, a survey was conducted last year that tells us something shocking: people do NOT want to live more than 100 years!
- Just under 70% of interviewed Americans 18 and older said that they’d like to live somewhere between 79 and 100 years.
- The ideal (median) age is 90.
- Only 38% would utilize medical interventions to extend their life to 100 years old +.
Unfortunately, there is very little information out there explaining (2) why people don’t want to live past 100 years, but I deeply suspect that it is because people don’t see aging as a glorious process. Who wants to grow old in a nursing home sick, tired and unable to care for themselves?
And you can’t blame them!
2. No Retirement in the Abundant Life
“The first 25 years of my life are something I would rather forget, but the contrary has taken place. The older I get the more alive those years have become…. My 90s were the most productive years of my life.” ~ Harry Bernstein
In 2004, the British-born American writer Harry Bernstein first started his book when he was 93. Three years later, when The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers published, he gained almost immediate fame. He died at 101 after writing 4 books.
Remember, most people in the world do not even understand the concept of “retirement.” They simply work till it’s time to pass on like our ancestors have done since the beginning of time. If you’re privileged to retire, take advantage of this time and focus on staying productive as your best years are still ahead!
Remember: in the words of George Eliot: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
3. Stay Active
Jim ‘Pee Wee’ Martin, a 93-year-old WWII veteran who parachuted into Normandy 70 years ago, celebrated this years D-Day’s anniversary by taking one more leap out of a plane! And why did he do it?
“A little bit of ego, because I am 93 and I can still do it. Also, I just wanted to show all the people that you don’t have to sit and die just because you get old.”
Well said, point taken!
Studies have shown that most centenarians don’t exercise, nor do they stay inactive for long periods of time. They’re definitely not couch potatoes and keep busy with life. Don’t worry about a gym membership – Our Bible Health Academy includes the home workout class by Mama Z, Fit40 & Beyond to get you started.
Bottom line: The key to living to 100 years old is to stay active and keep your body and mind strong and constantly stimulated. This will keep you looking and feeling younger, longer! This will not only help you live a more enjoyable life, it will help prevent muscle atrophy and dementia well into your golden years!
References:
- http://www.thecentenarian.co.uk/how-many-people-live-to-hundred-across-the-globe.html
- http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/06/aging-longevity-lifespan/2620855/