A 100-year-old ballet teacher shares the secrets of a long life: diet, exercise, optimism



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At the age of 100, Henry Danton is still the center of attention of the ballet studio, now filled with students a fifth of his age.

The former dancer once did spins on the biggest stages of the world, and then became a master teacher, training new generations of ballet dancers. He continues to teach today and says he has no intention of retiring.

The centennial of British origin stated that he had a healthy body and mind, that he lived alone, that he loved his smartphone, that he did not feel like he was a man. had not consulted a doctor for 10 years and that he was still traveling around the world, with trips to London and in the fall this autumn. .

He has just completed a residency at the dance department of Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, and teaches ballet in the state, where he resides in a small town on the outskirts of Hattiesburg.

When a journalist called him incredible, he was quick to disagree.

"No wonder you have to take care of yourself," said Danton TODAY. "This body is the only thing you have. You have received this wonderful instrument, you must take care of it. "

He also bristled at the idea of ​​stopping work.

"I see people who are retiring and who are so bored that they do not know what to do with themselves," said Danton. </ P> <p> It's from that moment that their Health is starting to deteriorate.I like to teach, I do not want to stop.Children are my vitamin. "

His own love of ballet started with ice skating. At an ice rink in Brighton, England, he skated with a 13-year-old girl who had a "dancing mother," Danton recalls. It's his mother who took him for the first time to a dance studio.

After dancing and teaching in Europe, North America, South America and Australia, Danton moved to Mississippi in 1996.

"Sir, Danton's expertise is unparalleled in our state," said Krista Bower, director of the dance department at Belhaven University, "We have been looking forward to working with our students."

Danton taught ballet at the school, and last month he also organized and conducted daily rehearsals of ballet pieces that will be part of the autumn dance concert at Belhaven University in November.

Here are the factors that Danton attributes to his long life and his well-being:

Diet:

Danton said he became a vegetarian more than 50 years ago after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, the same illness that had cost his brother his life.

"I almost died, I think everyone can do it," recalls Danton. "I am well healed by holistic means … I was very lucky."

He stopped eating red meat, fish and poultry at age 49 and has not eaten any animal flesh since, he said.

Danton enjoys "living with seeds and nuts", enjoys organic vegetables, drinks lots of carrot juice and consumes dairy products, including cheese and milk. He also occasionally eats chocolate, but stays away from other sweets from his usual diet.

He likes beer – "like a good Englishman" – but avoids other alcoholic beverages.

Exercise:

Danton considers that the constant movement of dancer is one of the main factors that kept him healthy and helped him to reach the age of 100 years.

"I really believe, absolutely, that exercise is the answer to everything," he said.

Swimming is the best workout after ballet, said Danton.

He still draws some of his exercises by teaching and composing his class for the day. He also has a long morning routine centered on a deep tissue massage that he gives himself before getting up. Starting with her scalp, then down to the neck, shoulders, arms, legs and feet, massage for an hour or more stimulates blood circulation, noted Danton.

Danton says it's absolutely possible to have a healthy body and mind at 100 years old.Courtesy of David Sprayberry / Belhaven University

"With your thumb, you go as deep as you can into the muscle," he said. "It works because my body is in incredible shape for my age."

Because he massages every part of the body a number of times, what he must rely on, Danton said he had to focus in ways that help his mind stay active. Another part of his morning routine is stretching with a band of elastic resistance.

After all his morning exercises, he said that he never had breakfast before 11 o'clock.

Positive outlook on life:

Danton is an optimist, whom he called "very important" in his longevity.

"It's absolutely useless to make your life miserable," he said. Your mood affects you physically, absolutely. I have never been a depressed person – I feel so sorry for people with depression. It must be awful. "

Danton remains curious about the world and says that he is still learning. He has a computer and an iPhone, immediately suggesting that a caller goes to FaceTime during a recent conversation. And he loves the virtual assistant of his phone.

"Siri is amazing. She answers you immediately, he says. "The internet is absolutely amazing, anything you want, you can have it instantly … that's what makes me go, you need to know everything."

Way of life:

In all his life, Danton said that he had only smoked a cigarette.

"When I came to the United States in 1949, everyone smoked," he recalls. "I told myself that I had to smoke, so I bought a pack of cigarettes, went to a park, got a cigarette and said," This is n '. is not for me. " I was so lucky. "

Danton has not been to a doctor for a decade, he said, but he only met his family doctor a few years ago when he was getting a flu shot. The doctor has since retired.

He lives alone and always drives a car. His sister recently passed away at the age of 92 and he has no other family than distant cousins. In addition to teaching ballet, Danton devotes his days to writing – he wrote most of his memoirs, but stopped on 32 chapters – and to travel.

It's quite possible to be healthy at age 100, he says, provided you take care of your body. "It's a gift from God and you have to deal with it."

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