Never before has Sweden had so many centenarians and one of these is dancing Stig Mårtensson – who steps at home in the living room. “I learned when I was 15,” he says.
The Swedes are getting older and the group that has increased the most in terms of percentage is people aged 90 and over. There are more than twice as many now as there were 50 years ago! And Sweden has never before had so many centenarians. In 2020, a whopping 1,563 people turned one hundred years old according to Statistics Sweden, which is a Swedish record.
The centenarian who steps
One of these centenarians, or more precisely 99-year-olds, is Farmer Stig Mårtensson from Tollarp, who turns one hundred tomorrow. Stig has lived in the same place for 95 of his hundred years and has strong memories of helping refugees during World War II. Above all, Stig goes dancing as often as he can and steps to dance band music – at home in the living room.
Stig learned to step on the dance floor together with ten others when he was only fifteen years old and they did it for two or three months before they learned.
– It’s important to follow the music and finish exactly when it’s time, he says.
There are several lifestyle tips if you want to maximize your lifespan and one of them is regular exercise. Research shows that exercise is good for well-being and prevents chronic diseases, including cancer. There is no magic limit to how often or how long you should exercise, but many studies have examined the effect of 30 minutes of exercise a day and anything is better than nothing. The important thing is that you get a little breathless and sweaty and that you reach a regularity and a certain intensity in the training. So Stig’s stepping may have contributed to his hundred years of life.
Going to celebrate the birthday with the family
Tomorrow, Stig will celebrate his hundredth birthday with a nice gathering with children and grandchildren, and Stig’s grandson Christian Mårtensson tells us that grandpa Stig is and always has been a great idol. In response to the question of how to become such a happy centenarian, Stig replies that you should be positive, easy-going and be able to talk to people.
– I have lived a very happy life, he says.