Photo by Donna Svennevik/ABC
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Newsmakers
Barbara Walters
By Gabrielle deGroot Redford, March & April 2008
The TV legend is boning up on the science of longevity
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The next Barbara Walters Special bears the provocative title “How to Live to 150.” We spoke with the 76-year-old news icon about how slowing the aging process changes everything.
150? Are you kidding? “Listen, this is not just pie in the sky. There are some scientists who say that it will be possible, within our lifetime, mostly through the replenishing of organs. But there are things we can do now that will enable us to live longer.”
Such as? “Of course, there is diet and exercise. And it’s very important to be able to do squats. As a matter of fact, one day on The View, I made everybody get up and do squats. The most difficult thing for older people is getting out of the chair and not having to hold on.”
Do you exercise? “I’m very bad. I have a treadmill, which I hang my clothes up on. I do some stretching exercises, and I walk some.”
Did you look at any fringe theories? “We went to Alcor in Arizona, where people have paid upwards of $150,000 to be frozen when they die because they feel that there will come a time when they can be revived and cured. I found that weird, to say the least.”
Would you want to live to 150? “The trick is, what is your quality of life? If I could be the way I am now, I would, yeah.”
Isn’t longevity really genetic? “People say, ‘It’s all in the genes.’ That’s not the case. In fact, only 25 percent of it is genetic, although I must say, I’m fairly fortunate, because whatever the value of genes, I have good ones!”
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What about wisdom? “It would be lovely to feel that the older you got, the wiser you got. But I don’t think that’s necessarily so. It can make you very angry, very bitter. You can look back on your life and say, 'I’ve accomplished nothing.' Or you can say, ‘I’m alive, and I’m well, and I’m going to try to do something.’ ”
So, attitude counts? “Yes, science suggests that it helps to have an optimistic point of view. It is the ability to accept loss. It is the ability to move on. Also, those who live to be very old aren’t necessarily religious, but they are spiritual. In my case, I make sure my daughter calls me every Sunday: ‘Call me, or I’m gonna stress.’ I need her for my longevity!”
The Barbara Walters Special “How to Live to Be 150” will air on ABC in March.
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