Longevity Lessons From A 91-Year-Old

None of us want to end up rolling down a nursing home hallway in a wheelchair, right?

If that’s how you feel, it raises a question…

What are you doing about it?

The reality is that the decisions you make now have a direct correlation with the odds of you ending up in that wheelchair. Are you making conscious decisions to improve your longevity, while you still can?

Today, I’m presenting Longevity Lessons from an impressive 91-year-old.

The guy you’re about to meet is fit, and a long way from rolling around in that dreaded wheelchair.

What can we learn from him?

More importantly, what can we apply in our own lives to improve our chances of being as healthy as he is in our 9th decade?

For those lessons, and others I learned while doing research for this article,

Read on…

If you want to maintain your mobility in old age, the key is to make the right decisions now. Today, longevity lessons we should all heed… Share on X

Edward Thorpe (NOT the man in the photo above) is 91 years old and can do 2 pull-ups and 15 push-ups (can you?).

I get motivated by seeing “old” people doing things that many people (often decades younger) struggle to do, and I wonder “What’s their secret?”  Is it purely genetic, or are there longevity lessons we can learn from older role models living the lives we hope to live when we reach their age?

I came across Edward in this article in Fortune (paywall, article summarized below), shared by my friend Joe Casey of Retirement Wisdom. In studying Edward and the longevity lessons he’s learned, I’ve realized the importance of applying those lessons now to reap the rewards in my later years.  I also recognized their value for you, the reader, so I wrote this post to share the lessons for your benefit.  Summarized below are the longevity lessons from Edward Thorpe, followed by some additional findings from my research on the topic.

1. Set A Goal For Longevity: In his own words, “The goal is to have a long life that’s also a healthy, productive one. As opposed to being in assisted living somewhere.”  Edward has a goal that I can relate to.   

2. Exercise Regularly:  Edward states that “exercise is one of the magic bullets”, and “jogs and works out at the gym regularly.”  He points to the benefits of exercise not only on lifespan (living longer), but on healthspan (healthy years).  He focuses on aerobic (walking, short jogs), strength (particularly core strength), and flexibility (reduces your risk of falls, and “old people die from falls at a very high rate.”)  

3. Study The Topic:  “He analyzes scientific literature and manages his regimen carefully” (I found this impressive for a 91-year-old).  His focus on flexibility, for example, comes from his research into the loss of flexibility and the resulting increasing risk of falls.  He urges people to “think for themselves” and focus on things with a “preponderance of evidence in favor of them.”  He tries to “be his own doctor” as much as possible (a related lesson I’m learning is the importance of listening to your body, you’re the only one who can truly “hear” it).

4. Diet: In his own words, “What one eats makes a huge difference. And the typical American diet is not very good.”  He’s proud to point out that he weighs only 2 pounds more now than he did as a 17-year-old. 

5. Minimize Risks: Edward speaks of going “through the list of main killers and seeing which things require the most attention.”  He tries to “eliminate weak links” by focusing on the risks that can negatively impact life and doing everything possible to reduce them.  Risks he’s identified include alcoholism, accidents, cardiovascular disease, and health-related issues.  He has regular physical exams to catch any of the potential killers as early as possible.

6. Nutritional Supplements: Edward had a bone density test done in his mid-60’s, and discovered he had osteopenia (bone density loss).  He’s reversed that loss by taking Boniva for three years, then shifting to Fosamax. He also takes calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, vitamin D supplements, and has solved his bone density issue.  In addition, he takes Finasteride, a supplement for enlarged prostates.

7. Buy A Wearable Fitness Tracker: Edward uses an Apple Watch and Oura Ring and loves the statistics they provide.  (On a related note, I wear a Fitbit and also love all of the stats!).

8. Read: Edward highlights a book I recently reviewed, Outlive, by Dr. Peter Attia.  Again, I agree with his recommendation to read books and educate yourself on the importance of fitness and longevity. 

He speaks of having both an “Offensive” (exercise) and “Defensive” (minimize risks) approach to longevity and focuses effort on both areas.  It’s an interesting way to think about longevity, and it’s something that I’m applying to my life as a result of reading his profile.

When asked if he had an “edge” in his thinking about health, he responded with a great quote, which I’ll use to conclude this section (bold emphasis added by me):

“So if I have an edge, it’s that I try to think things through for myself, look at the empirical evidence, manage risks and work hard at making the necessary changes.”

The Role of Genetics vs. Lifestyle

Reading the profile on Edward got me thinking, so I did a bit more research on the topic of longevity.  One of the first questions I wanted to answer was whether longevity is driven by genetics. If so, how much impact can we have by focusing on our lifestyle?  

I came across this article in The Guardian, which states a “healthy lifestyle may offset genetics by 60% and add five years to life.”  In addition, “people with unhealthy lifestyles have a 78% increased chance of early death, regardless of their genetic risk.”    Further, “participants with high genetic risk could prolong approximately 5.22 years of life expectancy at age 40 with a favorable lifestyle.”

Sure, genetics matter.  But there’s nothing we can do about our genetics, whereas there is a lot we can do about our lifestyle.  Focus on the things you can control, which includes your lifestyle.  Based on The Guardian article, the “optimal lifestyle combination” for a longer life was found to be:

• Never smoking,
• Regular physical activity,
• Adequate sleep duration and
• Healthy diet.

The Bottom Line:  Lifestyle matters, and it’s within your control. Think of yourself at age 85, and ask yourself how much you’d value five more years of healthy living.

Start focusing on your lifestyle now. 

Your future self will thank you.

9 Longevity Lessons From The Blue Zone

As my research continued, I came across a great article from Peter Diamandis titled “9 Lessons From The World’s Oldest People.” In the article, Peter summarizes the findings of researcher Dan Buettner, author of the famous Blue Zone books (Amazon affiliate link), which analyzes regions of the world where folks routinely live beyond 90.   The findings are relevant for today’s article, so I included them below:

1. Incorporate Physical Activity into Daily Life: You can gain 3 years of life expectancy by simply going from zero to 20 minutes of physical activity a day. Building and maintaining muscle is crucial for folks over 60.  

2. Find Your Purpose:  “Having a purpose in life can add up to 7 years of extra life expectancy.”  There’s a reason I focus so much on Purpose in my writing here on The Retirement Manifesto (and in my book).  I’ve discovered Purpose in my retirement and have experienced how much it enhances my life.  The added life expectancy is a bonus.

3. Downshift:  “Downshifting means finding ways to unwind and reduce stress daily.” For me, spending time in the woods walking my dogs is a great way to unwind.  What’s yours?

4. Aim to Be 80% Full: “This principle comes from an Okinawan adage to stop eating when your stomach is 80% full.”  It’s based on the reality that there is a time delay between when you eat versus feeling full.  (I’ll admit I need to work on this one…)

5. Eat a Whole-plant Diet:  In studying Blue Zones, Buettner found residents consume about 20 pounds of meat annually (vs. 240 pounds for the average American). They also eat a cup of beans daily.  Combined, making these changes in your diet “is associated with living about 4 years longer.”

6. Alcohol Intake: This one is interesting.  While there are contradicting opinions, the research found that Blue Zone residents often drink 2 glasses of wine per day.  Others feel the known risks of excessive alcohol consumption are too significant to risk.  Make your own call, but keep it moderate if you choose to drink.

7. Spirituality:  “Participation in faith-based services 4 times per month is associated with 4 to 14 extra years of life expectancy.”  Yes, there’s more to Spirituality than attending church, but there is hard evidence of the value of worshiping with other believers. 

8. Keeping Family Close By:  In Blue Zones, folks don’t send their parents to nursing homes.  Sure, it may be more convenient to the children, but living in a retirement home can lead to “a 2 to 6-year drop in life expectancy.”

9. Importance of Community:  It’s important to choose your friends wisely.  As Buettner states, “We know that if our three best friends are obese or overweight, there’s about a 150% better chance that you’ll be overweight.”  Foster your relationships, and choose people who are as interested in their longevity as you are in yours.

In closing, Diamandis writes about the importance of having a “Longevity Mindset,” which he defines as “having a positive motivator stronger than the immediate gratification of unhealthy choices.” That reminds me of the same mindset we used while saving for retirement.   

Finally, Diamandis adds that in a study of over 70,000 people, it was found that “optimistic people live as much as 15% longer than pessimists.”

Further Reading:

Conclusion:  What About You?

You’ve read a lot of articles about the importance of fitness and diet.  Today, you read another one.  The findings are clear.  Having a positive mindset and keeping a Longevity Mindset as you make daily decisions to live a healthy life WILL increase your lifespan.

The one question for you is this…

Are you making longevity an area of focus in your life?  Are you making changes to your lifestyle to improve your odds of a longer and healthier life? I hope I don’t come across as “preachy,” but the reality is that I feel strongly this topic is too important to ignore as we age.  Let’s face it…

…It’s time to stop making excuses.  (after all, we don’t have THAT much time left)

The one thing worse than being in that wheelchair is rolling down that nursing home hallway with regrets, knowing you could have done something about it…

While you still had time.

Your Turn:  Are you thinking more about longevity as you’re getting older?  I’ve made it a focus in my life (especially in retirement) and I’m proud of the steps I’m taking to keep myself as healthy as possible.  How about you?  What lessons most resonated with you?  What changes are you planning as a result? Let’s chat in the comments…