101-Year-Old Man Reveals the Secret to Long and Happy Aging
Paul Snyder maintains that relationships keep him going.
The odds of living to 100 are extremely low with less than one percent of Americans making it to the triple digits. This is why it is so fascinating when someone manages to make it past the milestone. Paul Snyder, 101, is one of the lucky few. He recently revealed his secret to a long and happy life in an interview with The Washington Post.
Snyder, who wears a hat that says "MADE IN 1921," is almost 102 and lives in Kensington, Maryland in the same house he moved into in 1951. He maintains his life is very full.
He claims the secret to a long and happy life is simple: It all boils down to making new friends, he reveals.
He makes friends everywhere he goes, including the grocery store, the doctors' office, church, the nail salon. His nickname around town? Grandpa Paul.
"At 101, most of your close friends have gone by," said Snyder. "But you can keep making new ones."
Snyder grew up in Pennsylvania, and spent time in the military during World War II, serving as a master sergeant in the Army. After his service he spent decades working as assistant secretary of the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association.
He was married to his wife, Kay, for over 60 years. She died in 2005 and he has lived alone ever since. They have two sons together — Dave, 76, who lives in California, and Mike, 72, who lives in Texas.
Every day he wakes up and exercises in bed. "I'll do the bicycle exercise, then I'll do the bridge exercise, and I'll do a partial sit-up and hold it," he said, noting that he does the bicycle exercise 225 times. While he uses a walker to assist with balance, he says lucky to be healthy. "I don't have any medical complaints."
After his workout he makes eggs — poached, hard-boiled or scrambled. Sometimes he'll make French toast or pancakes with a side of sausage or bacon. "Breakfast is my best meal," Snyder said.
He fills his day with friends and family. Every Tuesday and Friday he enjoys a three-way FaceTime using his iPad with his sons. "That's another thing that keeps me going. My boys," Snyder said.
He also attends church services virtually at the Silver Spring Church of Christ, where he has been a member for 72 years.
While he maintains "strong ties" with friends and family he also stresses the importance of having daily interactions with other people, like the people who give him pedicures, and others in the community.
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His other piece of advice? "You just got to look at the bright side," Snyder said. "If you have a problem, deal with that problem. But don't let the problem deal you."
