Thirty minutes of exercise a day, protein at every meal, a circle of friends: it is possible to stay healthy until age 100. The Journal offers you simple and realistic tips for fending off illness and the secrets of centenarians about their longevity.
An elder from Alma, in Lac-Saint-Jean, celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by her 9 children, 21 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. A big family who watches over her and keeps her healthy.
“It’s a Canadian thing,” breathes Brigitte Tremblay, on the emotion and pride she felt blowing out 100 candles in front of more than 80 members of her family last September.
Brigitte Tremblay
Courtesy Richard Tremblay
“They take care of me a lot,” she said. Those who live closer often come to share meals with her, for example, and she stays in touch by FaceTime with those further away.
“I didn’t expect to live to be 100, but after I turned 95, I thought maybe I’d be good,” she laughs.
Resilience
Her son, Bertrand Côté, praises his mother’s unifying side. But also the resilience and resourcefulness that she has always shown, in the face of the pitfalls that life has put in front of her, such as the loss of a young child.
Her son also praises the way his mother was able to adjust during a century where the world was constantly changing.
“We can’t imagine all the events she saw happen. We read about history, but she lived it,” says the septuagenarian, while his mother reminds him that she lit with oil lamps in her first house.
Learn to drive
At 50, Brigitte Tremblay learned to drive to gain independence. “I was proud of myself,” she remembers.
Then, for her 100th birthday, she took her very first ride in a convertible car, aboard a neighbor’s racing car.
Widowed for several years, Brigitte Tremblay also celebrated her platinum wedding anniversary with her husband, 70 years of marriage.
