Random Health & Wellness Experts Who Lived the Longest (20 items)

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  (#1) Zheng Ji

  • Dec. at 110 (1900-2010)

  When the world's oldest professor of nutrition and the founder of nutrition studies in China lives to the age of 110, you know he's doing something right. Zheng Ji died in 2010 of a lung infection, leading us to ask: if he hadn't gotten the infection, how long could this pioneer of nutrition have lived for?
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  (#2) Indra Devi

  • Dec. at 103 (1899-2002)

  Though her teacher, Krishnamacharya, is also on this list, this actress-turned-yoga-and-health master actually outlived most other yogis in history. As a health guru, she worked in the United States as well as Mexico and South America. She died in 2002 in Buenos Aires, at the ripe old age of 103.
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  (#3) Alice Hamilton

  • Dec. at 101 (1869-1970)

  If you've never heard of this lady, it's about time you learn. We wouldn't have occupational health experts if it was not for her, nor would we know about many toxic materials in the industrial workplace. One major thing she studied was how bad lead was for us, and eventually became the only woman on the League of Nations Health Committee. She died in 1970 at age 101 in Hadlyme, Connecticut.
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  (#4) Tirumalai Krishnamacharya

  • Dec. at 101 (1888-1989)

  Yogi, healer, scholar, and health expert, Krishnamacharya is sometimes called the "Father of modern Yoga." If you need more evidence of that, you can look to the fact that he was one of the pioneers of vinyāsa, which is the art of combining breathing and movement. Even up to his death in 1989, he was still lucid and continued to teach his health wisdom whenever he was able.
   
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  (#5) Norman W. Walker

  • Dec. at 99 (1886-1985)

  If you've heard of any diet that involved vegetable juicing, then you've heard, at least indirectly, of Norman Walker. This man was the first to advocate juicing vegetables and fruit for health purposes, and even wrote books on the subject. He was a proponent of vegetarianism, and he invented a mechanical juicer that's still sold today. Living by his own advice, Walker lived to the age of 99.
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  (#6) Olga Kotelko

  • Dec. at 95 (1919-2014)

  If you ever find yourself saying that you're too old for something, perhaps you need to take a look at Olga Kotelko. Olga was still a track star right up until the time of her death, competing in many different activities. She has 37 standing athletic records to her name, and always took the opportunity to speak out about health, even in books and videos. She died in 2014, and was still competing in the same year she passed. 
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  (#7) Jack LaLanne

  • Dec. at 97 (1914-2011)

  Fitness buffs may often be known as dumb muscleheads, but this was not the case for Jack LaLanne. Jack had a fitness career that spanned over 70 years, in which he studied human physiology, did exercise videos, broke athletic records, and opened gyms around the country. When he finally did pass in 2011, it was from pneumonia, at home with friends and family. 
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  (#8) Linus Pauling

  • Dec. at 93 (1901-1994)

  This scientifically brilliant man had a focus in biochemistry, peace activism, and much more. One major part of his career, however, was his advocacy for the benefits of vitamin C. He researched the vitamin, found the many benefits of it, and advocated its use for a variety of health problems, including the common cold. His book, How to Live Longer and Feel Better, is still in publication. He died in 1994. 
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  (#9) Joe Weider

  • Dec. at 93 (1920-2013)

  Not all bodybuilders achieve this sort of longevity, but Joe Weider certainly managed it. He published many magazines on health and fitness and funded many health products, such as Tiger's Milk, as well as exercise equipment. He passed away in 2013 of heart failure. 
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  (#10) Jean Nidetch

  • Dec. at 91 (1923-2015)

  Though a business entrepreneur, Jean Nidetch is also something of a health guru. This woman went out of her way to lose weight by experimenting with numerous fad diets and eventually created her own. She then founded weight-loss support groups, which eventually morphed into her business: Weight Watchers. She died in Parkland, FL, in 2015 at the age of 91. 
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  (#11) S. Daniel Abraham

  • 94

  Though you might not have heard of S. Daniel Abraham, you've probably heard of Slim-Fast, which he founded in the late 1970s. Still alive at 91, Abraham continues to sell his weight-loss shakes in powder and liquid form and people are definitely still buying. It's no wonder he's worth $2.1 billion and climbing!
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  (#12) John Harvey Kellogg

  • Dec. at 91 (1852-1943)

  If you've heard of Kellogg's cereal before, then you know well of this man's legacy. However, what you probably didn't know is that he originally made corn flakes as a health food, and was a huge proponent of physical wellness. He was an avid vegetarian and had strict nutrition and exercise routines, which he taught others at his sanitarium at Battle Creek. He died in 1943 at age 91. 
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  (#13) Gypsy Boots

  • Dec. at 90 (1914-2004)

  Besides having a really cool name, Gypsy Boots was an actor, a writer, and a complete health nut. He believed that yoga and a healthy diet is all you need to live well for a very long time, and gained a bit of a following in these beliefs. Say what you like, but living by his own such rules, Boots lived until between the ages of 89 and 91, depending on who you believe.
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  (#14) Elmer Verner McCollum

  • Dec. at 88 (1879-1967)

  While this scientist may not be one you've heard of, he has shaped the way you live your life and how you eat. McCollum studied the influences of diet on health and was a proponent of lacto-vegetarianism way back in the 1910s. It's also worth mentioning that he discovered vitamin B in food, so the fact that he died at the proud age of 88 is not all that surprising. 
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  (#15) Bernarr Macfadden

  • Dec. at 87 (1868-1955)

  Back when "physical culture" (now sometimes known as gym or bodybuilding culture) was still brand new, Macfadden was one of its early pioneers. He wrote on the subject and trained later experts such as Jack LaLanne. He also owned restaurants and hotels and helped spur a fitness craze in the early 1900s. Though he died in 1955, the effects of his work are still felt today.
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  (#16) Ruth Westheimer

  • 90

  Any doctor who says that sex is good for your health and an integral part of life is pretty cool in our books. The fact that Dr. Ruth is still around and still speaking about mental and physical health, especially when it comes to sex, just goes to show that sometimes love is the best medicine. She's still going strong at age 87. 
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  (#17) Edmond Desbonnet

  • Dec. at 86 (1867-1953)

  Though he may not have been a strongman in front of the lens, Desbonnet was a master behind the camera and helped spread the word about fitness and health through his photography and health centers. He made physical fitness and education popular and trendy in France in the late 1800s, and later opened up a chain of exercise clubs. He also created a rulebook for the sport of weightlifting, so we have him to thank for that. 
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  (#18) Mila Rechcigl

  • 88

  What doesn't this guy do? He's worked in biochemistry, nutrition, cancer research, history, genealogy, and more. His work, particularly in food science, is still changing the way we eat, exercise, and live. The number of books he's published on the subject is impressive, and he's still kicking at 85. Who knows what he'll do next?
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  (#19) Gustav Zander

  • Dec. at 85 (1835-1920)

  Have you ever used an exercise machine? Good, then you have Gustav Zander to thank for that. Even back in the Victorian era, he was building machines for exercise and health ailments, some of which birthed machines we still see in gyms now. Of course, some of them were complete bunk, but he lived until age 85, so he had to have been doing something right. 
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  (#20) Hippocrates

  • Dec. at 83 (459 BC-376 BC)

  One of the greatest Greek physicians of all time, Hippocrates was pretty revolutionary. He was the first to suggest that what you ate had an impact on your health, and was sometimes quoted as saying "Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food." There are no exact dates for his birth and death, but he might have lived until 90. Considering he did this in the BC era, that's pretty impressive. 

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