How to live to 100: Longevity lessons from 103-year-old Dr Gladys McGarey

We can learn a lot from the 103-year-old medic

Dr Gladys knows longevity. Image: @begladmd via Instagram

The medical pioneer, best-selling author and global internet sensation with more than 67,000 social media followers knows a thing (or two) about living a long and fruitful life. And the health and happiness principles she’s sworn by for decades may surprise you.

On November 30, Dr Gladys McGarey turned 103. And there’s a reason this Arizona-based trailblazer is considered the OG wellness pioneer and widely referred to as the mother of holistic medicine.

When she first started studying in 1941, women weren’t even permitted to have their own bank account. Raised in India until the age of 15, Dr Gladys was one of the first physicians in the US to use acupuncture when treating patients.

She survived two bouts of cancer – one in her 30s and one in her 90s – along with a devastating divorce from her husband of 46 years (and fellow doctor) at the age of 70.

But rather than let these events define her, she’s used them to hone her perspective on what really matters – something she’s made it her mission to share with others.

The accidental rockstar of the health world (who only retired at 86 but still offers telephone consultations) now has her own Instagram account, a car sporting a number plate with the four-letter word that’s become her signature (GLAD), gave a TEDx talk at the age of 100 and is the author of several books.

In her latest, The Well-Lived Life, the spritely centenarian reveals the surprisingly simple secrets to longevity she’s learnt over the course of a groundbreaking career.

First, eat healthily, but don’t let it rule your life. Dr Gladys is an omnivore, so fills up on meat, vegetables, carbs and proteins. She avoids processed foods where possible but has been known to enjoy the occasional hamburger with one of her 10 grandchildren.

“Generally, I start the day with a cup of black coffee and a bowl of raisin bran with three or four stewed prunes,” she told The UK Times in a recent interview. “I often eat a large salad at lunch with some chicken on it. Today I had chicken curry at lunchtime. I will also often eat a smaller meal at dinner, like soup or a small sandwich or scrambled eggs, topped off once or twice a week with a tiny ice-cream cone.”

Having grown up in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dr Gladys has long lived an active lifestyle. Nowadays, she aims for a daily step count of 3800 with her walker, prioritising gentle movement around her sunny cottage garden over strenuous sweat sessions.

“If you don’t move, you get stuck. It’s part of the energy that’s essential to life,” she adds. “I still go up and down the stairs in my home several times a day. I’ve never been interested in using exercise machines like they have in the gym, but I do enjoy riding my tricycle, and now that the weather has cooled down I’ve been getting out pretty much every day.”

But while food and fitness is one thing, this powerhouse believes living a long, happy life has way more to do with how we choose to view the challenges we face than reps, sets or supplements. 

The three mindfulness essentials this powerhouse preaches most? Tap into your true life’s purpose and choose to see the humour in difficult situations. But, most importantly, take lessons from absolutely everything you do – even the biggest trials, tribulations and curve balls.

“If I could distil my life’s work into one sentence,” writes Dr Gladys in her book, “it’s this: to be fully alive we must find the life force within ourselves and direct our energy towards it.”

But that doesn’t have to involve quitting your job or moving to a desert island. It just means finding what she refers to as your “juice”.

“Most of life isn’t that dramatic. It’s more often day-by-day, minute-by-minute, engaging with the world around you. Really living in that present moment and feeling purpose in the things you’re already doing. You can get ‘juice’ from gardening, sport, activism or any number of activities that aren’t your official job.” Now that’s some life-changing advice we can absolutely get behind.

Find the full piece inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland), Sunday Mail (SA) and Sunday Tasmanian (Tasmania).⁣⁠

Originally published as How to live to 100: Longevity lessons from 103-year-old Dr Gladys McGarey