They also have lots of simple longevity tips, which anyone can follow.<\/p>\n
In honor of Healthy Aging Month in September, we\u2019ve compiled some of their top healthy habits into a fun, one-week challenge. Here are seven tips, one for each day of the week, that centenarians credit with keeping them healthy, happy and independent:<\/p>\n
Day 1: Take Time to Move Your Body<\/p>\n
At 108 years old, Susan Young Browne<\/a> credits daily exercise as a big factor in her longevity.<\/p>\n She starts every morning by getting down on the floor and doing a 10-minute stretching, strengthening and balancing routine.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I get up and stand against the wall and exercise my legs. I make sure my legs are exercised,\u201d Browne says.<\/p>\n The centenarian also does chair dancing<\/a> at a local center for older adults. She walks without the need for a cane or a walker, lives independently in her own house in Dover, Delaware, and still drives a car.<\/p>\n Regular physical activity is associated with an increase in life expectancy by up to seven years, studies<\/a> have found. Move your body every day<\/a>, whether it\u2019s walking, dancing, climbing stairs or cleaning your home, doctors say.<\/p>\n Day 2: Create a Ritual to Maintain Warm Social Connections<\/p>\n For 101-year-old John Carroll and his wife, Jerry, 100<\/a>, it\u2019s breakfast at McDonald\u2019s every Friday.<\/p>\n The weekly morning meal at the fast-food restaurant has become a ritual that lets them meet friends of all ages, catch up with acquaintances and enjoy relaxed conversation over coffee and eggs.<\/p>\n The couple has been married for 80 years and live independently in their own house in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, but maintain an active social calendar and wide circle of friends.<\/p>\n An analysis of 148 studies<\/a> found people who had strong social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival than their lonelier peers.<\/p>\n Social connections can reduce inflammation, lower the risk of serious health problems and boost mental health, the World Health Organization notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cJust don\u2019t isolate yourself,\u201d Jerry Carroll says.<\/p>\n Day 3: Eat Your Greens<\/p>\n Dominick Critelli<\/a>, 105, has consistently eaten dandelion greens throughout his life.<\/p>\n The World War II veteran, who plays the saxophone and lives independently in a house that he built on Long Island, New York, grew up eating the famously healthy Mediterranean diet<\/a>, which features lots of leafy greens like dandelion, spinach and kale.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve been having all the years,\u201d Critelli says about dandelion greens. \u201cWho knows, maybe that makes you live longer.\u201d<\/p>\n Dandelion is a \u201cstrong source\u201d of vitamins A, C, E, K and B, plus minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, silicon, zinc and manganese, research has found.<\/p>\n Eating green leafy vegetables protects against premature death from any cause, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, researchers note<\/a>.<\/p>\n Eating one serving of green leafy vegetables a day may help to slow cognitive decline with aging, a study<\/a> found. <\/p>\n Day 4: Think Positive<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a very positive person, and I don\u2019t let anything bother me,\u201d says Elaine LaLanne<\/a>, 100.<\/p>\n \u201cIf people could get rid of negativity, they would be a lot happier.\u201d<\/p>\n The widow of famed fitness guru Jack LaLanne says her husband encouraged that mindset, always reminding the family, \u201cWe do not talk negative in this house,\u201d she recalls. He was also a believer in visualizing a positive outcome before it happened.<\/p>\n Optimism \u2014 the expectation that good things will happen \u2014 is a trait associated with \u201cexceptional longevity,\u201d studies<\/a> have found. Optimism is also a \u201cmodifiable characteristic\u201d that can be boosted with writing exercises and therapy, so increasing it may be a way to extend lifespan, researchers note<\/a>.<\/p>\n Day 5: Find a Purpose in Life<\/p>\n For Anne Angioletti<\/a>, 101, it\u2019s her jewelry store in Cresskill, New Jersey. She\u2019s been running it for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives me a reason to get up, to shower, to dress, to (put on) makeup, to try to look presentable, and to enjoy my business. It\u2019s all pleasure,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She also likes staying busy and the social aspect of talking with people who come into her store.<\/p>\n Other centenarians have told TODAY.com that skipping retirement<\/a> and continuing to work in a job they love helps to keep their brain and body active.<\/p>\n But a sense of purpose doesn\u2019t have to involve work. It can be volunteering, mentoring, creating a garden, adopting a pet, taking a class, building something or traveling.<\/p>\n Day 6: Have Something to Look Forward To<\/p>\n When TODAY.com profiled Ruth Kundsin<\/a>, she was 103 and still working out with a personal trainer at the YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n She said a key part of her longevity was always having something fun in the works.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important to have something to look forward to. If you don\u2019t have anything to look forward to, life is bleak and dull. But it seems like I always have something to look forward to and if there isn\u2019t anything, I make it, like I throw a party,\u201d Kundsin said.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that no matter how bad I feel, in a little while, I\u2019ll be feeling pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n Anticipating a fun event is \u201cuniquely able to induce positive emotions,\u201d studies<\/a> have found. This practice offers hope, boosts mood and provides purpose.<\/p>\n Day 7: Stop Sweating the Small Stuff<\/p>\n JoCleta Wilson<\/a>, 101, says she feels decades younger than her age. She became famous for being Home Depot\u2019s oldest employee in the U.S.<\/p>\n Her life philosophy is to not take everything so seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cI always say, don\u2019t sweat the small stuff. Don\u2019t worry. Don\u2019t let everything make you angry. Anger takes a lot of muscle and a lot of good out of your life,\u201d Wilson says.<\/p>\n This approach to life minimizes chronic stress<\/a>, which can have a serious impact on health. Let things go, focus on the big picture and look for healthy ways to cope with life\u2019s stressors such as exercise and time in nature.<\/p>\n![\"Susan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/susan-browne-108-driving-mh-04-07212026-a8c7d5.jpg\")
Susan Young Browne in her car.Courtesy Lynnette Overby<\/p>\n![\"Jerry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/centenarian-couple-mcdonalds-mh-04-08112026-93f65e.jpg\")
Jerry and John Carroll at home.Courtesy Carroll Family<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/man-104-saxophone-01-mh-021026-a3dde3.jpg\")
Dominick Critelli plays the national anthem on his saxophone.Steven Ryan \/ NHLI via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Elaine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/elaine-lalanne-100-mh-06-04142026-051290.png\")
Elaine LaLanne flexes her muscles.<\/p>\n![\"Anne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/anne-angioletti-lm-251030-1-6bac3d.jpg\")
Anne Angioletti at her store.Courtesy Alison Rubach<\/p>\n