Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

Who lived longest in your family or extended family,
and what did they do to further their longetivity,
or what did the ascribe their advanced years to?

In my family two men lived to be 98/97

One told me his secret was that he took an enema every day for more than 40 years. He was never critically ill, only a slight case of arthritis and didn't particularly eat healthily, unless you consider TV dinners sustaining.
He did have a great sense of humor and also was a musician, a pianist. Supposedly playing and listening to music adds years too. He also was a
gold bug. :D

The other went against the sheeple back in the 1930's and decided he wanted to eat "whole foods". To the ridicule and dismay of his family, he bought his whole grains at the animal feedlot. Yes he lived longer than anyone on his side of the family. He was also a musician, a violinist...
and for what it's worth, an arrogant SOB.

I know there is a lot of "info" out there about who lives longest, but I'm not sure I believe much of anything except personal accounts, so let's hear them. I'm aiming for 100.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

My grandfather lived till 91 - drank a bottle of whiskey every day yet was never drunk, smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day until he died. He had 9 heart atacks in his 60's, all minor. And he was a doctor, hehe. Remained sane right up until his death, which he attributed to reading. He used to read vast volumes of history, even built a little "shelf" that would sit across the arms of his armchair, with a book holder and clips to hold the page where he wanted it. He had a foul mouth, but never in the company of a lady. His last words to me (I was at uni when he died) were "Tell them to f*ck themselves until they go blind", referring to a particular (very large) company.
For happy ending, I did actually sue the company, and they are now no more. After my solicitor took his fees, all the "winnings" went to the USPCA, an animal charity. I don't want their dirty money, but the dogs and cats do...

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

Your grandfather sounded like he had a tremendous will to live, tempered by his insatiable curiosity of the foibles of mankind, as well as a healthy distrust of some of them, experienced enough to know that it is difficult at times in life to know who to trust. He certainly didn't pull any punches.

He was well educated in medicine and politics (foibles) and knew them for what they are, a vast swamp field of bvllsh*t semantics, traps too well set in time and politics/law to miss. There is certainly legitimacy in learning medicine, as long as you understand the politics, and do not allow the cold hard green reality to get too comfortable. Hypocrisy reigns, and your grandfather knew it.

Thanks for the story of your grandfather.

My family is not long lived AFAIK. I certainly do not expect to be long lived given the current political and economic climate, although I'm grumpy enough to want to.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

I had a grandpa who lived to be 95, only recently he died but I learned a lot from him. First off, he was the one who brought me to the idea that silver was a good way to save. Back in the day when silver was 4-6/oz I would go around the neighborhood and ask people if they wanted their lawn to be mowed. Any money I got from doing that I would go to the coin store and buy silver. He told me that gold/silver was real money and he was right.

He also lived a simple life. He lived in a small log cabin near a small town and grew a garden. I believe this is one of the reasons he lived so long. For the most part he avoided any industrial food toxins and the hard work was good for his body.

I plan to live a similar life.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

the meanest woman ever to walk the face of the earth, my grandma on moms side, she had polio from the age of 6 and lived an other 90 years after that. survived the depression and so many other things a person can not imagine today
nothing but pure mean nature kept her alive and going till the last day.
pure determination I suppose.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

Determination is a critical survival skill.

Genes are important, but not as critical as determination, resolve and strength of will.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

Reviver - the other side of my family is quite the opposite! It was my mum's dad who lived to 91. My dad's side - not one of the men lived past 54. In roughly chronically order - my grandad ate the barrel of a 12-bore Purdey at 48 (If you're going to blow your brains out, at least do it with class!). His dad drowned at sea at 42, while drunk. His dad fell off the back of a ship (again, while drunk), and became propellor material, at 51. His dad fell in front of a tram and was cut in half, at 40. His dad was run over by a horse and buggy, died 4 days later - at 38. His dad was trampled to death by a horse stampede at 45 years.
I'm sort of hoping my fate will fall with my mother's side of the family - but I have every characteristic of my father, so I'll take it as it comes and live life to the fullest!
If I live another 24 years (I'm 32) before dying in an unusually gruesome way, then I will decide that I have escaped the family curse!
Oh, my own father died at 54 - had a heart attack while driving to the rifle range, pulled over and stuffed his Landrover into a hedge. At 9AM on a busy road. Not one b*stard stopped to wonder why he was slumped over the wheel, engine still running, with the landy parked half way into a field. The farmer found him 3 hours later, stone dead by then of course.
That's why any time I see a car pulled over or off the road, I stop to see if everything is OK. If someone had thought to do that for my dad, he may well have lived. But sh*t happens, I suppose.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

My grandfather on my father's side lived to 91 and my uncle (father's side) lived to 92. My grandfather was a hardworking dairy farmer. He loved lard sandwiches and the last time I saw him, he was drinking a beer and teasing a nurse (he had moved in-town to a convalescent home). My uncle was a business man. I didn't know him well enough to know his habits, other than he was a meat and potatoes kind of eater, like everyone in my father's family (if there's no red meat, it's not a meal). My paternal grandmother died in her 60s, a few days before I was born. I have no idea what she died of, as no one in the family seems to know other than to say her health wasn't good.

My mother's parents both lived into their late 80s, but heart disease runs in my maternal grandfather's family, and his mother died at 41 of a heart attack, as did one of my mother's brothers (at 41).

It's not really my family, but my brother-in-law's (sister's husband) grandmother lived to 108 and died at home. She smoked a lot, drank a lot, and cussed a lot, and was her irrespressible and opinionated self right up to the end.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

The best way to assure a long life is to choose two parents and four grandparents whose ages at death total more than 500 years.

Second best is to have been a skinny baby. They live much longer than fat babies.

My own observation is that you can live longer if you stay out of hospitals. It's remarkable how many people die in hospitals.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

:applause_ great story! Great last words! COngrats for winning the lawsuit.
and what a perfect place for the funds, with animals who don't know where it came from.
I wonder if a lot of reading helps to prevent alzheimers? (would reading on the internet count?)
Incidentally the two people in my story had all their marbles up to the end too.

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

I was adopted

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes
 

Never really thought about it until now.
Had a skinny baby....
Gparents all dead, but went old and tough.
Parents still VERY much alive and I half-joke when I say they'll outlive me. Given that crap non-GMO, organic fair trade, home grown stuff they eat, it's no wonder.....

Re: Longetivity prep - our relatives and ancestor's successes