At 100, Ruth Lemay goes to the gym more often than many people a fraction of her age. She’s there three times a week, riding a stationary bike for an hour, then walking more than a mile on the track.
The centenarian lives in her own house, she enjoys cooking, drove a car until she was 98 and once worked as a model.
“I’ve always exercised,” Lemay, who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, tells TODAY.com. “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.”
Born in June 1925, she credits physical activity and a good diet for her health and longevity.
The great-grandmother has become a star on social media after a video of her working out was featured by evrydayclub, an Instagram page that focuses on health content.
The clip, in which the centenarian explains her exercise routine, has almost 600,000 likes.
The account is run by Evynn and Ryan O’Leary, who say they noticed Lemay because of her bright pink sweater and because she was one of the older people actively working out in the gym that day.
“We were genuinely surprised to learn she was 100 years old, as she looks incredible for her age,” Ryan O’Leary, 31, tells TODAY.com. “The biggest longevity lesson we’re taking from her is the importance of staying active.”
The centenarian loves all the attention, says her daughter, Annette Parker, who lives with her mom as a caregiver and exercises with her. Parker, 78, knows it’s rare to have a parent living at her age.
“I probably take it for granted because we’ve had her for so long and we just do everything together,” she tells TODAY.com.
Here are Lemay’s tips for a long life:
Move Your Body
The centenarian exercises every morning at home with stretches, knee raises, leg kicks and light weight lifting. She also walks around her home on days when she’s not at the gym.
For her gym workout three times a week, Lemay rides a recumbent bike for 30 minutes, rests for five minutes, then rides 30 more minutes. She also walks for over a mile on the indoor track.
“One of my favorite exercises is walking,” Lemay says, noting she walked 4 miles a day when she was younger. “That always made me feel better.”
Lemay’s late husband of 56 years encouraged her to walk when she got home after work.
“He said, ‘You just take the dog and go for a walk and I’ll fix dinner,’” she recalls. “It was wonderful.”
Eat a Healthy Diet
Healthy food is “very, very important” in Lemay’s life, her daughter says.
“She’s always been very conscious of her diet and what she eats,” Parker notes.
The centenarian’s menu includes non-fat yogurt, walnuts and oatmeal with banana and milk or a scrambled egg with toast.
Her protein is usually chicken, turkey or seafood — she eats very little beef or pork.
Lemay’s diet is filled with fruit, including red grapes and blueberries, and vegetables including string beans, corn on the cob, cabbage, pickled beets, tomato, lettuce, squash and onions.
“I love vegetables. I grew up in the country, and my dad grew all kinds of vegetables, and they were wonderful for you,” Lemay says.
She still cooks for herself, but avoids salt for heart health. She doesn’t drink alcohol and has never smoked.
“I’m in pretty good health for my age,” she says.
Enjoy a Favorite Treat
Every Friday, after the centenarian gets her hair done, she enjoys two hot dogs at a local eatery.
“That’s my one treat a week. I like hot dogs, and I get two hot dogs,” she says.
“They have chili on them, mustard and lots of onions. And that’s the kind that I like.”
Genes Aren’t Everything
Lemay doesn’t know of anyone in her family who has lived as long as she has. Her mother had colon cancer and died at 65; her father had a heart condition and lived to 74.
But other than a heart valve replacement, the centenarian hasn’t had to deal with major health complications.
“I have been luckier that way,” she says.
Be Independent
The great-grandmother worked for decades for the corporate headquarters of a grocery store chain. She was a credit union manager and an analyst, successfully negotiating a higher salary as her career progressed.
At one point, the company paid for her to go to modeling school and occasionally promote new products in the store.
Lemay still lives in her own house, which she’s had for 57 years. She drove a car until she was 98.
Be Social
Good mental health is a big part of Lemay’s longevity, her daughter says.
“She’s very, very social and very receptive, and people are very receptive to her,” Parker notes.
“When she walks outside, the neighbors will stop in their car and talk. So she probably really does more talking than walking, but it’s OK.”
The mother and daughter attend birthdays, celebrations and holiday get-togethers in their circle of friends and have visits planned every weekend this fall.
“We’re very social people,” Parker says.
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