Whenever I ask someone if they would like to live to be 100, it really surprises me the answers that I receive.  More often than not people say, "I could not image wanting to live that long. Just think of what I would look and feel like."

Living to be 100 years old and feeling and looking good is not as hard as you might think. 

I watched my grandmother live to be 95 with all of her physical and mental faculties intact. She soldiered on with all of her own parts and certainly without artificial hips, knees or pacemakers. 

Her mental faculties matched her physical ones. Her memory was scary sharp. She could remember her teenage years clearly as well as what she had for breakfast the day before. 

At an early age, she helped me realize that it was not only possible to age gracefully but to get older both fully functional and vibrant. So people ask me all the time, "How did she do it? What special diet did she follow? Did she abstain from alcohol? How many vitamins and minerals did she take each day? Was she a vegetarian? 

Here is the real kicker and where I generally blow everybody's mind by saying, "She did nothing special in traditional terms that I can remember" and to that they look bewildered. However, if I were to single out her strengths, I would say what she did have was an extremely positive attitude towards life. My grandmother stayed engaged with her genealogy work and enjoyed many social interactions. 

She also lived at a slower pace than the rest of the world. It helped my grandmother enjoy life while keeping her from feeling as if she had to get "everything" done today. I also know that she was a kind person, first to herself and then to others. And finally, my sense is that she was a deeply spiritual women believing strongly in the existence of God and a greater good. 

All of these qualities allowed her to live, what some might say, was a charmed life.
I think the reality of it all was that she lived the life we all are capable of if we make sound choices and take full responsibility for our lives. 

Click Here to read my full newsletter article Aging Gracefully that can help you live more like my grandmother.