HOW I SEE IT: How healthy will you be when you hit 100?

I was driving to Richmond on U.S. 522 doing my normal 9 mph over the speed limit, when what happened? Someone pulled out in front of me — very slowly, of course. In fact, the car in question had its trunk wide open, but it slammed shut when the car went over a bump.

I was just about to be upset and let some mental expletives fly when I saw that the person driving was somewhere between the ages of 70 and 300.

Curiously, Mrs. Methuselah was on her cell phone, which I found a tad disconcerting in and of itself, but my ire dissipated immediately, as one of my pet peeves is the act of being rude (even if in thought only) to an older driver.

My epiphany came while driving with my grandfather in North Carolina, where he was steady at 10 mph under the speed limit, and all kinds of folks would get behind him, honk, pass him and often provide him the middle-fingered salute.

Because he was older, I thought this was unnecessary, inappropriate. (Not sure if I am endorsing this behavior for those of us without AARP membership or not!)

I loved my grandfather very much. Granddad passed away in December; he was 97.

For years, we had discussed his 100th birthday party, and while there was some relief in his passing (he had declined mentally and physically), there was great personal sadness that this party would never happen.

The amazing thing about this, that is not personal, but relates to all of us, is this: When my grandfather died, he was 97; born in 1911. At that time, when a child was born, a doctor would hold him up and state, "I hope you live to the ripe old age of 60."

So at 97, my grandfather had almost doubled his life expectancy. This begs a question: How many centenarians are living in the U.S.?

Would you be surprised to know it is about 75,000?

This is a staggering number when you consider that all these folks essentially have come close to doubling their life expectancy; and it begs another question: Are they ready?

Are they able to enjoy their life; garden, walk, swim, fish, enjoy grandkids, great grandkids? Or the unfortunate alternative — wheelchair-bound, dementia or Alzheimer’s, unable to even be cared for in an assisted-living setting, instead having to be in a nursing home.

My grandfather began exercising later in life; in his late 50s. He walked three miles a day and did some classes.

Exercise has been shown to decrease the chance for both dementia and Alzheimer’s. Not a cure-all, but it lowers the chance of you getting it.

A good fitness program emphasizing resistance training, cardiovascular training, core training and stretching can help you enjoy 100; allowing you to garden, walk, swim, fish, enjoy grandkids, great grandkids, life.

You have a decision to make, an important one: How do you want life to be at 100?

Research shows that the number of centenarians in the U.S. will increase to between 4 million and 5 million by the year 2050. That means many of you readers will be in that group. So, how do you want 100 to be?

You can prepare for it now.

I loved my grandfather. I wish I would have had that 100th birthday party. We got close; and we got close thanks to his exercising.

I hope you will get there.

Get ready. Exercise.

Dail owns Gold’s Gyms locations in Virginia and Wisconsin.