Ask people if they want to live to 100 if they could stay physically and mentally healthy, and most will probably raise their hands.
It’s possible, as the incredible centenarians profiled by TODAY.com continue to show. Many are living on their own, working out and driving a car. Some are still working.
They also have lots of simple longevity tips, which anyone can follow.
In honor of Healthy Aging Month in September, we’ve 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:
Day 1: Take Time to Move Your Body
At 108 years old, Susan Young Browne credits daily exercise as a big factor in her longevity.
She starts every morning by getting down on the floor and doing a 10-minute stretching, strengthening and balancing routine.
“Then I get up and stand against the wall and exercise my legs. I make sure my legs are exercised,” Browne says.
The centenarian also does chair dancing 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.
Susan Young Browne in her car.Courtesy Lynnette Overby
Regular physical activity is associated with an increase in life expectancy by up to seven years, studies have found. Move your body every day, whether it’s walking, dancing, climbing stairs or cleaning your home, doctors say.
Day 2: Create a Ritual to Maintain Warm Social Connections
For 101-year-old John Carroll and his wife, Jerry, 100, it’s breakfast at McDonald’s every Friday.
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.
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.
Jerry and John Carroll at home.Courtesy Carroll Family
An analysis of 148 studies found people who had strong social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival than their lonelier peers.
Social connections can reduce inflammation, lower the risk of serious health problems and boost mental health, the World Health Organization notes.
“Just don’t isolate yourself,” Jerry Carroll says.
Day 3: Eat Your Greens
Dominick Critelli, 105, has consistently eaten dandelion greens throughout his life.
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, which features lots of leafy greens like dandelion, spinach and kale.
“That’s what I’ve been having all the years,” Critelli says about dandelion greens. “Who knows, maybe that makes you live longer.”
Dominick Critelli plays the national anthem on his saxophone.Steven Ryan / NHLI via Getty Images
Dandelion is a “strong source” of vitamins A, C, E, K and B, plus minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, silicon, zinc and manganese, research has found.
Eating green leafy vegetables protects against premature death from any cause, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, researchers note.
Eating one serving of green leafy vegetables a day may help to slow cognitive decline with aging, a study found.
Day 4: Think Positive
“I’m a very positive person, and I don’t let anything bother me,” says Elaine LaLanne, 100.
“If people could get rid of negativity, they would be a lot happier.”
The widow of famed fitness guru Jack LaLanne says her husband encouraged that mindset, always reminding the family, “We do not talk negative in this house,” she recalls. He was also a believer in visualizing a positive outcome before it happened.
Elaine LaLanne flexes her muscles.
Optimism — the expectation that good things will happen — is a trait associated with “exceptional longevity,” studies have found. Optimism is also a “modifiable characteristic” that can be boosted with writing exercises and therapy, so increasing it may be a way to extend lifespan, researchers note.
Day 5: Find a Purpose in Life
For Anne Angioletti, 101, it’s her jewelry store in Cresskill, New Jersey. She’s been running it for decades.
“It 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’s all pleasure,” she says.
She also likes staying busy and the social aspect of talking with people who come into her store.
Anne Angioletti at her store.Courtesy Alison Rubach
Other centenarians have told TODAY.com that skipping retirement and continuing to work in a job they love helps to keep their brain and body active.
But a sense of purpose doesn’t have to involve work. It can be volunteering, mentoring, creating a garden, adopting a pet, taking a class, building something or traveling.
Day 6: Have Something to Look Forward To
When TODAY.com profiled Ruth Kundsin, she was 103 and still working out with a personal trainer at the YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts.
She said a key part of her longevity was always having something fun in the works.
“It’s very important to have something to look forward to. If you don’t 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’t anything, I make it, like I throw a party,” Kundsin said.
“I know that no matter how bad I feel, in a little while, I’ll be feeling pretty good.”
Anticipating a fun event is “uniquely able to induce positive emotions,” studies have found. This practice offers hope, boosts mood and provides purpose.
Day 7: Stop Sweating the Small Stuff
JoCleta Wilson, 101, says she feels decades younger than her age. She became famous for being Home Depot’s oldest employee in the U.S.
Her life philosophy is to not take everything so seriously.
“I always say, don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t worry. Don’t let everything make you angry. Anger takes a lot of muscle and a lot of good out of your life,” Wilson says.
This approach to life minimizes chronic stress, 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’s stressors such as exercise and time in nature.
For a full 31-Day Healthy Aging Challenge, plus meal plans and workouts designed for every fitness level, download the Start TODAY app!