A 102-Year-Old MD Shares The 3 Longevity Tips She Swears By

We talk a lot about longevity at mindbodygreen. But that's the thing—we're talking about longevity. We're hypothesizing what works, whereas Gladys McGarey, M.D., is living proof of what longevity actually looks like. McGarey is 102 years old, and she has no plans to retire any time soon: She's a practicing integrative medicine doctor, and she recently wrote a book titled The Well-Lived Life, which chronicles all of her tried-and-true secrets for longevity. 

And guess what? Her tips are simpler than you think. You won't hear anything about NAD infusions, mTOR, telomere length, or any other "trendy" longevity topic during our conversation on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast.

No, McGarey prizes only the essentials—see below for some of her need-to-knows: 

"If you stop moving, you die," McGarey declares. "Your body needs to move. The life force within your whole being has to keep reaching." 

There's a reason research shows having a sedentary lifestyle is associated with double the risk of premature death compared to being physically active: Physical activity helps you live a longer and healthier life. That doesn't mean you must spend hours at the weight rack every single day—in fact, many experts claim short, frequent bursts of exercise (like walking or jumping rope) can yield greater benefits than an hourlong gym session, anyway. 

According to McGarey, we could all benefit from strengthening our spirituality muscles. See, you can do all the "right" things for your health—like eating well and exercising—but if you don't have a sense of purpose and belief in something bigger than yourself, you will miss out on a critical piece of well-​being.⁠

Again, says McGarey, if you stop moving, you stop living. And while it's important to move your physical body, it's just as crucial for your life itself to move forward. "Life has to move," she notes. "If you lose your purpose, you have nowhere to go." 

Now, McGarey has a broad definition of spirituality—and it doesn't have to involve a religious practice. "Start looking for what makes you want to sing, what makes you want to smile, or what makes you want to look further than where you are," she notes. "It might be a baby's smile for crying out loud; there are things that are just divinely in our presence, and they're there if we're looking for them."

We’ve discussed physical well-being and spiritual well-being—consider emotional well-being the final piece of the puzzle. "Love really is a great healer in the long run," McGarey explains. It's quite the refreshing take on longevity, especially with so many "hacks" and gadgets in the zeitgeist. 

One study on elderly individuals has even shown that those who provided emotional support to others ended up living longer lives1. Another found that women who practiced lovingkindness meditation (which focuses on unselfish kindness and warmth toward all people) had longer telomere length2 than the control group. 

The bottom line? Love really may be the answer to a longer, healthier life—and according to McGarey, it starts internally. "When you really learn to love yourself, that's when you learn to love other people," she adds. 

At the end of the day, the best longevity tips don't include any fancy gadgets or treatments. Just take it from a 102-year-old doctor: When it comes to living a happier, healthier life, you really just need the fundamentals—love, movement, and a sense of purpose.

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