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Secrets to Longevity: Health and Happiness Tips from 100-Year-Olds
As 2025 comes to a close, and a new year looms on the horizon, health, resolutions, and manifestations are top of mind.
But what about the people who have lived more than a century of life? What do they have to say about longevity?
Well, TODAY spoke with several men and women, all over 100 years of age, who are still running businesses, working out in the gym, and even getting married.
JoCleta Wilson, who recently turned 101, is Home Depot’s oldest employee in the U.S., working two mornings a week as a cashier in a Louisville, Kentucky store.
“I retired three different times — 10 years each time in retirement, and it is not what it’s cracked up to be. I got so tired of myself,” Wilson shared with Today. “I had to get out of the house and come back to work and see what was going on in society. … I have a lot of fun.”
In July, 100-year-old John Glomstad married his 87-year-old bride in a waterfront ceremony in Bremerton, Washington.
“Who knew that there would be life after 100?” Glomstad told Today. “I’m just an eternal optimist.”
Jimmy Hernandez celebrated his 100th birthday by skydiving in August, according to Today. “It wasn’t scary,” the World War II veteran, who lives independently with his 91-year-old wife in San Luis Obispo, California, recalled. “It came out pretty smooth.”
For Anne Angioletti, 101, it’s her jewelry store in Cresskill, New Jersey, which she’s owned for decades and still runs full time, Today shared.
“It gives me a reason to get up, to shower, to dress, to (put on) makeup, to try to look presentable, and to enjoy my business. It’s all pleasure,” she said. “I don’t have anything to do if I were at home. So that’s not good.”
Ruth Lemay, 100, recently went viral when her workout was featured online. She goes to the gym in Virginia Beach, Virginia, three times a week, riding a stationary bike for an hour, then walking more than a mile on the track.
“I’ve always exercised,” said Lemay, who once worked as a model, according to Today. “I feel fine. I might be a little bit tired after riding the bicycle and the walk, but that’s OK. I don’t expect not to feel tired.”
Mary Coroneos, 100, does a full-body resistance workout three times a week with her trainers at a gym in Norwalk, Connecticut. The exercises that are designed to strengthen her arms, legs, and core, and improve her balance, are a challenge, “but then you feel good afterwards,” she said.
“You’ve got to exercise. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep moving,” said Joseph Caminiti, 100, who does cardio and weightlifting five days a week at a gym in Bristol, Connecticut.
Every Friday, after Lemay gets her hair done, she enjoys two hot dogs with chili, mustard, and lots of onions at a local eatery. “That’s my one treat a week,” she said.
Wilson keeps a chocolate cake in her freezer, Today reported, and takes a slice about once a week. Coroneos loves tiramisu.
Such treats make life sweeter, the centenarians said. “Dessert, I’ve got to have that,” Hernandez noted. “We always have coffee and pie. I like peach pie and apple pie. A donut once in a while.”
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