Guinness World Records
At 97, Al Blaschke briefly considered skydiving. But that would be silly, he thought.
Why would he skydive at 97 when he could wait until he was 100?
So that's what he did, completing his first dive on his 100th birthday.
In 2020, Blaschke, from Texas, did another skydive at the age of 103. He jumped out of an airplane 14,000 feet in the air to celebrate his grandsons' college graduations, earning him a Guinness World Record as the world's oldest person to tandem skydive.
Last year, Blaschke did it again. He wanted to reclaim his record after Swedish Rut Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson broke it in 2022 at the age of 103 and 259 days, according to Guinness World Records.
So on 27 November 2023, in Fentress, Texas, the former tool and die maker once again became the oldest skydiver in the world at the age of 106 years and 327 days.
Blaschke told Business Insider he doesn't know why he's "lasted this long." He just has "a real good body" that's "just as good as a 70-year-old's," he said.
It's a question more Americans may be asking themselves in coming decades, as by 2054, 14 in every 10,000 will join Blaschke in the centenarian club, according to Pew Research's interpretations of US Census Bureau data.
While Blaschke doesn't have the secret to longevity (genes and his environment likely played a role) a few habits could have helped him stay active enough to break world records into his 100s. He shared them with BI.
"One of the things that probably keeps me going even today is drinking water. My wife made sure I got all the water I should have every day with a chart on the wall to check off," he said. "It's the most important liquid in the world, and it's the best thing for your body."
Research suggests he's on to something: a 2023 study of more than 11,000 adults published in eBioMedicine suggested that well-hydrated participants were less likely to develop chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and more likely to live longer.
"One reason I think I'm still around is because I've been active all my life," Blaschke said. He said he was a "damn good tennis player" and also played golf for years.
Keeping your body active is key for longevity, and any movement is better than nothing, aging researcher Dr. Heidi Tissenbaum previously told BI. But research since the 1980s has consistently shown that the more exercise a person does, the better their chances of living longer, Dr. Marwa A. Ahmed, wrote for Harvard Health Publishing.
Blaschke has always loved to dance. He used to go to big group dances with his wife, sometimes with up to 600 people on the dance floor, he said.
Even now, he has a dance partner he does the polka with.
A 2024 review of studies published in PLoS One suggested that dancing can improve the quality of life for older adults, as well as physical functions such as posture and balance.
Like dancing, singing has also been linked to a better quality of life in older adults. One 2020 study on older people in Norway published in the Journal of Research in Nursing suggested it could reduce anxiety levels.
"I love music, and I love to sing, and I think everybody should do some singing. It puts you in a good mood," Blaschke said.
