What’s on your Centenarian Decathlon list?
A centenarian decathlon list? What’s that? In case you’ve been living under the longevity rock and haven’t heard about Dr. Peter Attia, author of Outlive and host of the excellent podcast “The Drive,” who popularized the concept, this refers to ten physical activities you want to continue to do during the last decade of your life.
Obviously, none of us knows when that decade will be, but it’s never too late to think about how we want to age. Making a list forces us to think about what movement and exercise to include now so that we’ll have the mobility, flexibility, and strength for our later years. Here’s what’s on my list:
Sit on the floor and playing with grandkids and/or nieces and nephews
Squat to ensure I reach the toilet and have control over my bowels
Walk the dog, ideally on rugged terrain, perhaps with a few hills
Chop vegetables and meat, so I can prepare home-cooked meals
Climb over the rim of my bathtub so I can soak on cold nights
Roll over into child’s pose. This is my first stretch every morning. I tend to sleep on my side, so rolling seamlessly is key.
Grip a doorknob and open a jar
Paddle my canoe or Standup Paddle Board (SUP), even if it means I’m sitting down
Carry a purse or backpack for a day’s outing
Move through my daily activities pain free: towards this end, I continue to integrate the Gokhale Method skillset, everything from stacksitting to stretchlying to glide walking, that I learned in my Elements class back in 2020, when I was suffering from sciatica and unrelenting back pain. Now, nearly five years later, I remain pain free! I’d very much like to keep it this way!
What’s on your list?