I have two grandmas in their 90s. I’m lucky and I know it.

(Maybe that’s why I strive to eat and live so healthily – don’t want to mess up the longevity track record we’ve got going in my lineage. 😉 )

In many eastern cultures the grandparents and great-grandparents often live with the family — helping out with the grandkids and doing other family tasks, and it’s in these multi-generational families that people live the longest. Apparently, it’s because the senior citizens have purpose — a reason to live. People in the west, on the other hand, often dismiss the wisdom of elders, shipping them off to nursing homes, and seeing them more as a burden than a blessing. (Btw, there’s a brilliant movie about happiness and longevity that discusses this called Happy – I couldn’t recommend it more.)

Anyway, as I’m on vacation in the States, yesterday I found myself in the particularly fortunate position of being able to interview one of my “wise elders”, 94-year-old Grandma Gladys. One can glean a lot from a matriarch, and today we young whippersnappers are going to learn a thing or two on how to stick around on this planet a long time.

1. Exercise.

“I golfed a lot — from age 54 to 85. You gotta get outside in all kinds of weather!”

2. Keep busy.

“You have to find something interesting that you enjoy doing!”

3. Build a loving family.

“Having children keeps you busy and happy.” 

4. Find an easy-going spouse.

“My husband was always slow to anger — ‘you’ll feel better tomorrow,’ he’d tell me. And I did!”

6. Find a satisfying job with nice people.

“Working with nice people makes a big difference.”

7. Keep a tidy home.

“If you keep a tidy home, you’ll feel relaxed.”

8. Eat at home.

“We didn’t eat out very much — and I ate very little junk food. And everybody liked my cookin’!” (Ann’s note: I corroborate this claim.)

9.  A good attitude.

Ann: How do you maintain a good attitude?
GG: You gotta stay busy!

10. Don’t hold grudges.

“I didn’t hold grudges. Just let things go.”

I think we can all agree, Grandmas know a thing or two about life. (Thanks, Grandma. I know you’re not online, but maybe that’s another hint on longevity? 😉 )

P.S. Interested in reading more about how to live long and prosper? Perhaps from a source other than my grandmother? Check out this article from National Geographic.