Uncovering the Keys to Longevity
by Jeri Penrose
I’ve been interested in longevity ever since I hit my 40s. There’s something about midlife that makes you think about where you’re headed and how you’re going to get there. Whenever I see a headline about a centenarian, I just have to read the article! I need to find out their secrets. One woman in Italy said she ate two raw eggs daily. Another woman said it’s all about faith, family and football. One article suggested eating green apples. Another mentioned staying curious as the key to living longer. So when I saw there was an OLLI class on longevity, I was all in!
The class, titled “Growing Old in an Age of Longevity,” took place on Zoom in March of 2025. The professor, Andrea Gilats, clarified something from the beginning. She said we must think in terms of “health span” over “life span”. She added that the two main keys to a long healthspan are preserving our cognitive health and our mobility. This requires attention and effort.
“We must try to keep our minds sharp and our bodies moving!” Gilats said.
According to Gilats, once you reach older adulthood, genes affect roughly 30 percent of health outcomes, while lifestyle affects a whopping 70 percent of health outcomes! “Health is not so much the absence of disease influencing longevity as it is well being,” said Gilats. She mentioned four lifestyle choices that can enhance our health span.
The first lifestyle choice is intellectual engagement. If you are an OLLI member, taking classes when you can is a first step! The key is to keep learning. “Build novelty into your life”, said Gilats. And don’t ever stop reading. It enlarges and enhances vocabulary and even combats loneliness.
The second choice to make is to engage in creative pursuits. Gilats encouraged the class to remember that creativity is like a muscle–use it or lose it! This can involve doing the things you’ve always enjoyed. For me, this means writing, reading, exercising and cooking. What is it for you?
Third, we must choose to get physically active. That means moving every day! Whether it’s housework, walking, gentle yoga or pickleball–anything is better than nothing! One of my favorite ways to keep moving is walking and playing with our adorable Boston Terrier, Tobie May. She lights up my life!
Last but not least is social engagement. A great example of this is volunteering. I volunteer monthly at Mom’s Pantry, our church’s food pantry in Phoenix. Whenever I leave at the end of a shift, my cup is overflowing and I feel absolutely incredible. Other examples of social engagement include joining a book club, getting involved in groups within your community, and regular church attendance. We need each other and this is the number one way to combat loneliness.
The best tip of all, in my opinion, was to be sure and tell or write your life story, according to Gilats. “The listener learns from the teller’s experience in a rehearsal of life’s challenges,” she said. We all have something to teach the younger generations. Why not get started on that book you’ve always wanted to write today? In the meantime, let’s raise a glass to all the centenarians out there! It’s what I aspire to be someday.
If you want to learn more, Gilats has a book titled, “Radical Endurance: Growing Old in an Age of Longevity,” available on Amazon at the following link: Radical Endurance
Jeri Penrose is a wife and mom of two wonderful young adult children and one adorable Boston Terrier named Tobie May. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona and has been an OLLI member since the fall of 2024.
Andrea Gilats, Ph.D., is an award-winning writer, educator, artist, and former yoga teacher whose books are RADICAL ENDURANCE: Growing Old in an Age of Longevity (2024), AFTER EFFECTS: A Memoir of Complicated Grief (2022), both published by the University of Minnesota Press, and RESTORING FLEXIBILITY: A Gentle Yoga-Based Practice to Increase Mobility at Any Age (Ulysses Press, 2015). After serving for twenty years as the founding director of the University of Minnesota’s legendary Split Rock Arts Program, Gilats created and directed two pioneering lifelong learning programs for older adults, LearningLife and Encore Transitions: Preparing for Post-Career Life, which received national recognition for its holistic approach to envisioning life after work.
