Audio of Elsa Hoffman at growingbolder.com

Posted on October 9th, 2010 at 5:25 am

Living to 100 used to be a longshot for the very few. But now, there are almost 90,000 centenarians in the U.S. today and within a few decades, there could be a million people over the age of 100.

So, what does it take to not only live to 100 but to still be vibrant? Elsa Hoffman is a shining example of how aging can be.

As she prepares to celebrate her 103rd birthday, Elsa says she feels decades younger. She says part of the reason is that she doesn't fight her age, she embraces it.

"My golden years are like sparkling diamonds and they're still going today," she says.

In 2007, she was featured in a Barbara Walters special on longevity. She said she heard all these people moaning and groaning about getting older and she just wanted to tell people that getting older isn't a bad thing.

"Your life can be beautiful at every stage of life," she tells Growing Bolder.

Elsa people always want to know her secret to living to 100. She says it's so simple -- do things for others as you would like them to do for you. Every day, Elsa says she tries to do one thing for someone that's going to make them feel better. In turn, it brings her so much joy and purpose in life.

Elsa also has no plans of slowing down. She's just written a book, "Elsa's Own Blue Zone," and she's busy making plans for her 103rd birthday -- a cruise with 40 of her closest friends.

Find out Elsa's other secrets for a long and happy life, including her philosophy on eating, drinking, and making new friends.

Her lessons can be adopted by anyone, at any age, and they may just be the secrets to happiness.

Click on the Related Media tab to listen to our interview with Lynn Adler, who featured Elsa in her book, "Centenarians: The Bonus Years." Lynn is waging a one-woman war against ageism.

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