As I helped celebrate my grandmother’s 99th birthday, I overheard her talking about next year’s plan for her 100th, as if this was without question. On the inside, I smiled and I got a huge warmth and respect for her attitude.

There’s been a million studies on why people live as long as they do, as healthy as they appear to be, both mentally and physically, and happy. Some of the studies that I refer to are the Blue Zones, which you’ve heard me refer to in the past, but trust me, if you have not explored Dan Buettner’s books on the Blue Zones and Thrive, I highly encourage you to read these books.

In addition to all of that, having been at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for our personal journey with Dan’s health, I continue to get their news and updates, and I will share these with you throughout as I feel that there are so many things we can do for ourselves. Their most recent e-newsletter has information on how weight affects your risk for cancer. Here it is for your reference. In our local area, we have Sheree Clark, Fork in the Road, which you can refer to as well. Very holistic, reasonable, very attainable goals for your personal health. The Healthiest State Initiative also ties a lot of these same components together.

I think there’s a lot of things we can do for ourselves that don’t cost money, it’s a matter of making it a priority. My grandmother attributes her longevity to “don’t tell lies and don’t carry weight”, which I found to be very humorous!