What we can learn from Japan having more than 100,000 people who are 100 or older?

 

This year, the number of people ages 100 or older in Japan surpassed a record of 100,000.

Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7,914 from the previous year and exceeding the 100,000 mark for the first time. Nearly 88% of them are women.

Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto was recently recognized as the oldest Japanese woman at age 114. Japan’s oldest man is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto in southern Japan.

 “I’m very pleased that many people are living long, healthy and active lives,” Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said, citing progress in medical technology, healthy lifestyle and diet as contributing factors.

But more important, how to ageing gracefully?

When Mieko Nagaoka was 100, she published her book entitled: "I'm 100 years old and the world's best active swimmer" before going on to set the first world record for her age group, swimming 1,500m in a 25m pool. At 105 years old, she still enters Masters competitions and currently holds 18 world records.

 Another beloved centurion was Master class sprinter Hidekichi Miyazaki, who passed away in 2019 at 108 years old. Nicknamed “Golden Bolt” after the Olympic Gold medalist Usain Bolt, Miyazaki made headlines at 105 years old when he set the world’s first record for 100m sprint for the 105-and-over age category.

Asked about his performance he replied, “I’m not happy with the time,” echoing the competitive mentality that drives Nagaoka to swim.

Thus this “never losing the competitive spirit” (a healthy rivalry, whether against a near-aged competitor or your younger self), combined with the hope of achievement, seem also to play an important part.

Other attributes include:

Older Japanese adults strongly avoid the meiwaku (being a nuisance) mentality—the desire not to be a burden or cause trouble for family or society, i.e. being self-reliance.

Over 60% of people over 65 stay in the labor force, viewing themselves as productive community members - a strong incentive to keep working as a cog in the social wheel for as long as possible.

According to the Cabinet Office’s Annual Report on The Ageing Society, a staggering 70% of people aged 60-69, and about 50% of people aged 70 and above are either working or engaged in volunteer activities, community activities and hobbies. Seniors are participating in local community centers, group exercise, and peer networks like moai (support circles).

Having a social life that does not rely on young family members is a major factor in engaging in hobbies. Aside from active sports such as swimming (a very popular sport with the senior community due to its rehabilitative benefits), elders are engaged in various activities from traditional calligraphy, flower arrangement, sewing, to taking up musical instruments and dancing.

Moreover, low-impact physical habits like walking, gardening, and stretching are seamlessly woven into everyday routines.

According to Yuko Oguma, associate professor in Health Management Research at the Keio Sports Medicine Research Center, athletic ability has been linked to higher cognitive ability.

“Light exercise, whether stretching, walking daily, working out at the local community center, is effective,” says Oguma. “Not only for cognitive functions but from a social aspect as well. Compared to 10 years ago, the Japanese seniors are healthier, and have a higher quality of living. This is thought to be a combination of better medical aid and understanding of our bodies. Recently, there has been evidence that muscles can continue to strengthen, even in old age, which is contrary to what we believed in. We believed muscles deteriorate with age, but research is finding that not only can we still train and strengthen our muscles, but that it is important.”

Oguma also believes that having so many peers within the society that look out for one another, is an understated factor in ageing gracefully. “Often it is the senior citizens themselves that put together programs within the community. They work among themselves to provide activities, to be more fit or to be included socially. It is this proactiveness that strengthens them.”

Now, Japanese policy makers, companies and communities are focusing more and more on improving the quality of life of their senior citizens. 

Your Exercise Should Change With Age

 

When you get older, your muscles, joints, hormones and recovery all change:

• Muscle mass begins to decline (a process known as sarcopenia), metabolism slows and joints become stiffer.
• Hormonal changes: impacting everything from your energy levels to bone density.
• Females often have more rapid changes than males due to a decline in estrogen during menopause. Decreased estrogen speeds bone and muscle loss.

Thus certain types of exercise become more valuable than others as you age. An older adult may focus more on balance and strength to prevent falls.

Preventing falls is crucial for older adults because falls are a leading cause of severe, life-threatening injuries and loss of independence.

Falls can cause serious health problems, including broken bones (fractures) of the hip and spine, leading to long-term complications and hospitalizations. Severe impacts can also cause dangerous brain injuries or internal bleeding. Moreover, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in individuals over 65.

Balance, Stability and Control

Balance is your ability to maintain control of your body’s position, whether standing still or moving. It relies on coordination between your muscles, joints, vision, inner ear and nervous system.

Balance is particularly important as you get older since it is an area of function that begins to decline. Having good balance helps reduce fall risk, improves body awareness, and assists with everyday tasks like stepping over an obstacle, walking on uneven ground, or turning quickly. 

Stability is your ability to control your body and joints during movement. It helps you maintain body alignment and transfer force efficiently when moving. It also helps your muscles support your joints through different positions, which can reduce unnecessary strain and make movement feel more controlled.

Building control alongside balance can help keep your body aligned and joints stable, which is important for completing everyday movements safely and with confidence. For example, good knee stability helps you perform squats safely or climb stairs without excessive movement or strain on the knee joint. Core stability helps protect your spine when lifting or carrying, and good shoulder stability helps you reach, push, and pull with control.

Moreover, stability also helps reduce compensations, which can place extra stress on nearby joints and muscles.

Controlled movements like single-leg stands can improve stability and prevent falls.

Strength and Power

Strength is the ability of your muscles to produce force. Maintaining muscle mass supports your independence, joint stability, bone health, joint function, posture and metabolism. Maintaining muscle is especially important as you get older, because muscle mass and strength naturally decline with age. 

Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve strength using body weight, free weights, or resistance bands to build muscle mass, increase power and improve bone density.

Having strong muscles helps you lift, push, pull, carry, climb, and support your body through daily activities.

Aim for 2-4 sessions per week and focus on the major muscle groups.

Besides strength and balance, a well-rounded, balanced fitness routine should also include endurance and mobility.

Endurance

Endurance training involves continuous physical exercise to strengthen your aerobic system, heart, and lungs, allowing you to sustain activity for longer periods

A few examples of aerobic endurance exercise include activities like walking, jogging, sprinting, cycling and swimming.

All these activities will raise your heart rate and support heart health, blood pressure, blood sugar regulation, sleep, mood, stamina and overall energy. It also makes everyday activities feel easier, from climbing stairs to walking long distances.

Mobility and flexibility:

Flexibility refers to your muscles’ ability to lengthen passively, i.e., how far a muscle can stretch when you are not using it to produce movement.

Mobility goes a step beyond flexibility, it is the ability to move a joint actively through its full range of motion.

Good mobility helps you squat, reach overhead, rotate, bend, walk, and perform other movements with better form.

Regular mobility training reduces stiffness, prevents injuries, and supports everyday movements, from bending to tie your shoes to performing advanced yoga poses.

Having said these, a balanced fitness routine does not require separate workouts. Although each pillar trains a different physical quality, many activities train multiple pillars at once. For example, strength exercises like weighted lunges can build strength, stability and balance simultaneously.

The key is to train facets of all pillars to maximize your fitness. Together, they create a well-rounded approach to movement that supports health, performance and longevity. The more time you spend doing exercises, the more fit you will become.