100-year-old woman reveals the key to a long life

You know what? I'm looking forward to being old. I will be living rich after an enjoyable and fulfilling career, the world will be a much better place where everyone drives zero-emission cars, and people will just be nicer to each other. Plus I plan on having a hundred grandkids around to play Mariokart with on the Wii, or whatever other crazy virtual gaming technology there is by then (but seriously, nothing can beat Mariokart). So, yes – if someone could tell me how to do it then I would very much like to live to 100.

Luckily for me, one woman has let her secret out and it turns out the thing that's kept her kicking for so long is something I'm doing a lot of already. You know, a glass with dinner or (ahem) a bottle or four shared with friends. Yep, this woman's secret to longevity is wine.

Credit: WLBZ

Florence Bearse celebrated hitting the big 1-0-0 at her care home in Bangor, Maine, and when she was asked about how she had lived to the ripe old age, she told local TV station WLBZ: "I like my wine. Don't take it away from me."

Celebrating her birthday with balloons, cake, gifts and – of course – wine, the centenarian sat with friends and family, laughing and pulling faces in her usual humorous, no-nonsense manner. Florence used to own a restaurant and so spent most of her life serving others.

Another pearl of wisdom that the 100-year-old had to give to anyone with the same interest in hitting the triple digits was "Don't take any baloney.”

Credit: WLBZ

But while a lot of research does say that a glass of wine a day reduces the risk of early death, these kinds of findings and Florence's success story can't guarantee anything (oh, but one can dream). It's different for everyone, and other people who've lived well past 100 have shared their own "secrets", and everyone seems to have something different that they swear by.

Adele Dunlap, who died aged 114 last year, was reportedly never interested in jogging or leading a particularly lifestyle. But she did swear by a bowl of porridge every single day, according to NorthJersey.com. Spaniard Ana Vela Rubio, on the other hand, said it was compassion for others and a positive attitude that kept her going for 116 years.

Credit: WLBZ

Misao Okawa, who lived to an incredible 117, told The Japan Times that she also believed it was a relaxed attitude to food that kept her going, believing that "eating delicious things" is the key to longevity. The Japanese diet is very healthy with its high consumption of fish and fermented vegetables anyway, but Misao was particularly fond of hashed beef and ramen. And for Italian Emma Morano, who also lived to 117, she said staying single her whole life was what did it.

By the sounds of it, it seems your attitude to what's good or bad for you and whether you choose to care or not is what really counts – as Florence says, "don't take any baloney". So go on and don't hold back from ordering a glass of red as soon as you get a chance today. Here's to living to 100!