100-Year-Old Woman Credits Stock Trading and Poker Playing for Long Life

Do you want to live to 100? If the answer is yes, you should start paying attention to the health and lifestyle habits that those who make it into the triple digits swear by. Shirley Bernstein, 100, claims to know a few secrets to longevity. According to her, it all comes down to a healthy lifestyle, surrounding yourself with friends and families, and playing the stock market. 

Bernstein, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 1, 1923, now lives in Boynton Beach, Florida. She maintains that longevity runs in her family, with one of her grandfathers living to be 104 and her parents living into their 90s.

One of Bernstein's top health habits? She isn't a big drinker. She says she limits her alcohol intake to family gatherings, celebrations or special occasions.

Bernstein also maintains that moving her body helps keep her young. While she does "very little" regular exercise, she enjoyed walking when she was younger.

According to her family, Bernstein has a positive outlook. "She is very funny," Judith Goldstein, her daughter, said. "I have had a wonderful sense of humor," Bernstein agrees, claiming she's an optimist.

Bernstein keeps her mind active by playing the stock market. "That's what keeps me going," she said. "I watch the market every day. I don't always trade, but it's a very important part of my day. … It has made my life very interesting." She added: "It's like a lot of other things — you've got to be lucky. I've had my losses, but fortunately my gains have been larger."

Bernstein also encourages finding hobbies you love. She has been playing poker for years, joining games three times a week "with some guys she met at the place she lives," her daughter says.

Bernstein enjoys food. "I love everything. … I eat everything," Bernstein exclaims. "I love sweets." That includes eating ice cream, cake and candy.

Bernstein enjoyed working in her younger years. "I spent most of my life as a working lady in addition to being married and a mother," she said. She didn't retire until her 70s. "I loved (working). I did very well," Bernstein says.

Bernstein claims she is "very lucky" in her family life. She had two children, but her son died six years ago in an accident. She has two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was also married for 45 years until the death of her husband in the 1990s.

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Unfortunately, her siblings were heavy smokers and died younger. "I've been lucky — I'd never smoked. That was a big thing," Bernstein told Today.