Article originally appeared on Business Insider
People are living longer than ever before.
A recent study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that global life expectancy for both men and women increased from 65.3 years in 1990 to 71.5 years in 2013.
Senior citizens with big personalities — for example, 87-year-old grandma Baddie Winkle, who’s earned more than 1.6 million followers for her hilarious posts on Instagram — are slowly changing the stereotypes surrounding those over 60.
The United Nations has even designated a day in October to honor the older people who have made contributions to our world. Dubbed the “International Day of Older Persons,” October 1 is a day when we “recognize that older persons are an enormous asset to society and make a significant contribution to global development,” UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon writes.
The following senior citizens are definitely still living life to the fullest — following the famous quote attributed to Mark Twain: “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
These two are staying in shape while they exercise at Pineyro del Campo, a home for the elderly in Montevideo, Uruguay.
REUTERS/Andres Stapff
100-year-old Peggy McAlpine is definitely not afraid of heights. Here she gives a thumbs up as she paraglides off a 2,500-foot mountain peak in Kyrenia, in northern Cyprus.
REUTERS/Stringer
69-year-old Ruth Flowers is a grandma and a DJ. Here, she’s mixing music at a recording studio in Paris, France.
REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
You don’t have to be in your twenties to be a yogi. Retirees in Sun City, Arizona participate in a yoga class.
REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
The cheerleaders of “The Sun City Poms” squad rehearse in Sun City, Arizona.
REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Bowling will always be a staple activity. Here, retirees bowl in Sun City, Arizona.
REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Robert Harker, 73, and his wife Nancy, 70, square dance in Sun City. There are 38,500 residents in the community, with an average age of 72.4 years.
REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Here’s some more dancing — this time in the streets. Elderly people get down during the International Day of Older Persons in São Paulo, Brazil.
REUTERS/Nacho Doce
Japan’s “Respect for the Aged Day” promotes the health of elderly and middle-age people. Here, a group exercises with wooden dumbbells.
LATA 65 is an organization based in Lisbon, Portugal, that supports urban art for the elderly. Since 2012, the group has introduced the world of graffiti to over 100 senior citizens.
REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
Residents at the Ter Biest house for elderly persons dip their feet in a swimming pool during a heat wave in Grimbergen, Belgium.
REUTERS/Yves Herman
A nursing home in Tel Aviv, Israel, hosts a sports competition for its residents. Categories including swimming, weight-lifting, shot put, and running.
REUTERS/ Baz Ratner
Women practice a traditional dance with swords during an early morning training session in a park in Qingdao, Shandong province, China.
REUTERS/Nir Elias
An elderly woman takes a penalty kick during a training session in Nkowankowa Township, outside Tzaneen in the Limpopo province of South Africa.
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
A contestant dances next to relatives and friends during a beauty contest for elderly women held in honor of Mother’s Day, in São Paulo, Brazil.
REUTERS/Nacho Doce
Dr. Funshine, aka Caroline Meeks (center) leads a laughter therapy session with Wanda Boyce (left) and Richard Trask (right) at the Clairmont Friendship Center in San Diego, California. Dr. Funshine teaches “laughter yoga,” an hour-long, mind-body exercise class that combines yogic breathing with simulated physical laughter and silly banter.
REUTERS/Mike Blake
