14 DAY TRIAL // This Thursday, March 5, Misao Okawa, an elderly woman living in a retirement home in Japan, held a well-deserved big party to celebrate her 117th birthday.
According to Guinness World Records officials, the woman, featured in the photos accompanying this article, is the absolute oldest person still alive anywhere in the world.
Come to think about it, she is way older than Bilbo Baggins was when he threw that outrageously big party to celebrate having made it to the respectable age of 111.
Misao Okawa has been the oldest person in the world for years
Although this March 5 marked her 117th birthday, Misao Okawa has actually been holding on to the title of the world's oldest person for quite a while now.
Daily Mail tells us that it was back in 2013 that Guinness World Records officials paid the woman a short visit and, after having had a look at her birth certificate, recognized her as the oldest person in the world.
It could happen that Misao Okawa's children will one day snatch this title from her. Thus, this woman has a surviving 94-year-old son and 92-year-old daughter who, despite their age, are in pretty good shape health-wise.
Relaxation is the key to longevity, Misao Okawa says
Last year, when she celebrated her 116th birthday, Misao Okawa was asked what the key to longevity was and she plainly responded that it was relaxation, coupled with eating a proper diet and getting enough sleep.
“Eat and sleep and you will live a long time. You have to learn to relax,” her exact words were. Yes, the woman still abides by these principles. She eats three large meals a day and makes sure to sleep a full 8 hours each and every night.
Other than the fact that her hearing is not quite as sharp as it used to be and she does have some trouble getting around, Misao Okawa is in good health condition. In fact, it is understood that she went on doing squats until she turned 102.
Specialists say that, relaxation aside, the secret to Misao Okawa's longevity must surely be the fact that, like plenty of other Japanese men and women, she has maintained a healthy and active lifestyle all throughout her life.
