Centenarian shares her simple formula for living a long, joyful life

The chance to live to 100 becomes more common as medical breakthroughs and better nutrition become the norm for more people across the world. However, a recent centenarian shared her surprise that she reached the milestone and revealed her tips for living a happy life.

Kathleen Belling became the newest member of Bolton Clarke’s Centenarian Club on February 19 and while she didn’t think that there was a secret to hitting a century, she revealed her tips to stay in shape.

“I didn’t think I would live to 100, even when I was 99!” Kathleen said.

“My advice would be to accept the things you cannot change and look after your health by eating well.”

Kathleen credits much of her health to the lessons she learned growing up on a farm.

“I grew up in the Berry area on a farm and I was one of nine kids – I was probably a little brat but there was no trouble to get into because we were out of town,” Kathleen explained.

“We had no lights, no phone, nothing – just candles and kerosene lamps.

“It was the war time when I finished school and I was in the land army doing things like growing potatoes and sewing, then I worked at a guesthouse for essential servicemen.”

Kathleen also emphasises the importance of staying connected with family in contributing to her long life.

“I have one surviving sister, five children, 15 grandchildren and three great grandchildren,” Kathleen said.

“Support at home means a lot to me because I can stay close to my family.

“I get help with the lawn and it enables me to continue to move around and work in the garden, even though I’m much slower than I used to be.”

Her advice echoes findings from recent research in China, which suggests that regular socialising can contribute to a longer life.

The study examined over 28,000 individuals and indicated that socialising on a daily basis appears to be the most advantageous for increasing longevity.

Compared to individuals who reported never socialising, those who socialised occasionally had a 42 per cent delay in time to death, those who socialised at least monthly had a 48 per cent delay, those who socialised at least weekly had a 110 per cent delay, and those who socialised nearly every day had an 87 per cent delay in time to death.

Overall, the study found that more frequent social activity was associated with longer survival. The greater the frequency of social interactions, the greater the likelihood of living longer.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.