Daily Habits This 103-Year-Old French Woman Swears By

These are the three daily habits Charlotte Chopin swears by for healthy ageing.

Credit: New York Times | Youtube

She started doing yoga when she was 50 and now, at 103, Charlotte has been teaching yoga in the rural French town of Léré for more than four decades. Recently she revealed to the New York Times the daily habits that keep her moving well and staying healthy. She says that her morning routine is the same every day. "I wake up, I have breakfast - I eat a lot of honey with coffee and a large toast." Coffee has numerous health benefits (including heart health and warding off Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s) and several studies have suggested that honey’s benefits could go beyond simply tasting good, including cardiovascular health benefits and warding off colds.

Once breakfast, her favourite meal, is over, it's time to get on with the day. Charlotte says, "Most of the time, I go for a walk outside," before she tends to her plants (she grows black grapes, figs, and has a small peach tree) until about noon, which involves lots of moving around and reaching. Indeed, a study by Princeton University shows that digging, weeding and planting improves happiness and 'emotional wellbeing' as much as more obvious physical exercise. This, of course, will come as no surprise to gardeners.

Then, it’s often time for a yoga class, as Charlotte still regularly teaches yoga classes; around three times per week in the former police station in Léré. Naturally, this keeps her balancing ability in good shape and helps keep her strong and supple. As well as learning from her, Charlotte says the students have also become her friends, "and that’s what comforts" her. Socialising with friends and family is another powerful force in maintaining good health into old age.

According to James Goodwin, a professor of physiology and former chief scientist at Age UK, says that human brains are hard wired to socialise and that social isolation is as bad for your brain as smoking or drinking too much alcohol. Any and every social activity helps.