healthy you c
FOREVER YOUNG
LET STRESS ROLL AWAY
While it’s important to be busy, it’s
equally vital not to be. From more
than a century of experience, Mattie
Francher knows when to slow down.
“People today don’t eat together and
are always rushing around to do
nothing,” she says.
“Centenarians manage their
stress, rather than letting it manage
them,” Peris says. “They don’t
internalize stress, which can lead
to heart disease and high blood
pressure. Of the centenarians we
have tested, they all scored low in
neuroticism, meaning that they
tend not to dwell on things.”
Or as Mattie puts it: “I just say what
I think. I don’t hold anything in.”
Some people are born with an
easygoing disposition, but most of
us have to cultivate it through
activities such as yoga, meditation,
prayer, and exercise.
BE A SOCIAL BUTTE RFLY
Gladys Lipton, 89, prides herself on
her ability to listen. When she and
her husband owned a supermarket in
Pleasantville, New York, she
connected with customers by
listening to the stories of their lives.
Now living in the Seacrest Village
Retirement Community in Encinitas,
California, Gladys, often chats with
friends and shares stories. She also
frequently talks with family on the
phone and writes them letters. She
credits her extensive network of
social connections for a speedy and
complete recovery from serious
heart problems a few years ago.
“Strong social support lowers
the risk of hypertension and heart
disease, along with the chance of
depression, and can even lower
mortality rates,” Jeste says. ‘You
can talk not only with those who
are close physically, but also with
someone you know on the phone
everyday. These friends can offer
support when you need it.”
AS YOU TH IN K, SO YOU ARE
As Natasha Josefowitz tends to her
whirlwind of daily activities, she
often reminds herself of a mantra
that has kept her feeling young: Be
with positive people and always
remember to have fun.
Such a sunny disposition may
mean more to your health than you
realize. Dutch researchers found that
optimists had a 55 percent lower rate
of death overall and a 23 percent
lower chance of heart failure.
However, Jeste warns against
unrealistic, pie-in-the sky optimism.
“The right kind of optimism is based
in reality, which will help you change
your life for the better by believing
you can do things such as quitting
smoking or starting to exercise,” he
says. “Especially as you age, being
realistic and optimistic means you
find ways to live with changes in
your life.” And that means for as
long and as well as you can.
M y W ay
How a vivacious
70
-year-old
New York businesswoman
finds herself getting
younger year after year.
I remember the very first morning I looked
in my bathroom mirror and saw wrinkles.
Not crow’s feet or the marionette lines
plastic surgeons talk about. Wrinkles.
Honest-to-goodness signs of old age.
And then in my typical way, I forgot about
them until months later when I noticed that
even more had somehow formed. I wish I
could say I just shrugged them off but, like
most women, I went after those wrinkles
with a vengeance. Why, just this morning I
found myself searching for my $i20-an-
ounce tube of the latest miracle cream. The
problem was that it was too small to find
without my glasses. “Nuts,” I said to myself,
“I can’t find my glasses without my glasses.”
Then I laughed hard enough to give myself
a few more smile lines.
So what does being “forever young”
mean to me? Simply, it’s living in and
treasuring the moment. Funny moments,
like this morning. Or unexpected moments,
such as when I see something beautiful on
vacation—a small painting or a soft and
luxurious wrap—that I can take home
and delight in.
And then there is love. I was introduced
to a man last New Year’s Eve. Soon
afterwards we had our first date, and not
long after that our first kiss. His comment
was “yummy!” Being desirable enough to be
called “yummy” is pretty darned invigorating
I promise you.—KATIE DEGENHARDT
W IL L YO U L IV E T O BE 10 0 ?
There’s an easy way to estimate
how many rings will be in your internal
tree: Visit
livingtoioo.com
and answer
40 questions about your diet, family
history, health (you need to know your
cholesterol levels and blood pressure),
and lifestyle. You can also find out
how your answers influenced your
projected longevity so you can make
changes if you so choose.
1 7 0 AUGUST2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
