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The fun thing about longevity secrets is that there are so many of them. Some of them are fun and silly – such as always eating bacon and never getting married – while others are quite serious, such as filling your plate with color at every meal or making a point to get outside and breathe fresh air every day.
Eating a healthy diet, exercising on a regular basis, keeping all your doctor appointments, using a personal alarm button, and taking medications on time can all contribute to a healthier lifestyle. But there are plenty of other things seniors can do to improve health and add to longevity.
1. Make Friends of All Ages
Keeping an active social life is one of the keys to success in older age.
Make a point of surrounding yourself with those who are vibrant, hopeful, and living their best lives. Many swear by having a lot of younger people in their friend group. Others draw inspiration from those who are decades older. But also remember that age is really just a number – you can be more healthy and active at 80 than you were at 40!
Giving advice to others and watching them succeed can bring a true sense of purpose. Consider mentoring a few members of the younger set. Perhaps there’s a young person just starting out in your chosen profession, and they can use some guidance. Or maybe someone isn’t sure where their life is going and they are looking for advice. Sharing your life experience can help both them and you.
2. Set Healthy Goals and Habits
There’s never a bad time to set a new goal or start a healthy habit. And it doesn’t take all that long to make a good habit stick.
A study in the European Journal of Social Psychology looked at 96 people over the course of 12 weeks. Each person chose a habit they wanted to build. For some, it was as simple as drinking water with lunch, while for others, it was embarking on a new daily exercise routine. Each person reported back to the researchers on a daily basis about the habit, how well it was going, and whether it felt automatic or not.
The research found that it took about 66 days for a person to form an automatic habit. But the time it took could be longer – up to about 8 months – if the habit was a more difficult one that required the person to do something well out of their comfort zone.1
Choose a habit you want to build and stick with it. Give yourself at least three or four months for that habit to become a routine part of your day. Once you master that habit, look for another you can add to your living-longer arsenal.
3. Choose the Right Exercises
Exercise is an absolute must to staying fit and healthy into your golden years. But many seniors get discouraged when they try to do the more traditional exercises they might have been able to do with vigor in their youth, such as classic pushups or pull-ups. For most aging bodies, those things don’t come easily anymore.
This is when it’s important to acknowledge your physical limitations and look for ways to exercise anyway. Many seniors find that swimming and water aerobics are some of the best exercises they can engage in, as swimming still gives you a good cardiovascular workout but the buoyancy of the water is easy on your joints. And simply walking has been found to benefit both health and longevity.
It’s okay to slow down as you get older. No one would expect someone in their 70s to perform the same exercises as someone in their 30s. The goal should be to enhance your mobility, improve your flexibility, and keep your body strong.
As you find the proper exercises for you, listen to your body. Though it’s perfectly normal to feel some aching and soreness after a good workout, it’s not normal to feel pain. If you do feel pain, that indicates a part of your body that needs attention. When your body speaks to you, take it seriously.
Protect yourself with a medical alert bracelet or wristband. The hope is that you will never have to press the button for an emergency, but having that option can provide incredible peace of mind. Keep the panic button with you at all times, no matter where you are, so that you can reach out for help the moment you ever need it.
4. Invest in Your Mental and Emotional Health
One of the silver linings of the COVID pandemic was that mental health issues surged to the forefront. Everyone was in the same boat with lockdowns and fears, and that made everyone equally vulnerable. Suddenly, getting mental health counseling was a good thing, and reaching out to friends to simply say “I’m not okay” became an acceptable thing to do. It’s still not only acceptable, but it’s the right thing to do for your overall health and happiness.
According to the CDC, one in five individuals aged 55 and older faces some sort of mental health issue. Depression and anxiety are at the top of the list.2 Some seniors might also find themselves socially isolated, especially those who have mobility issues or a small circle of friends and family. Loneliness can creep in, and that can lead to health problems serious enough to rival the consequences of smoking or obesity.
In other words, don’t wait to get your mental health needs met. From talking to a counselor to opening up to empathetic friends, there are several ways to reach out. And remember, it is never “too late” to work on things that compromise your health.
5. Create a Healthier Diet
You already know that avoiding junk food can help you live longer, and so can loading up your plate with fruits and veggies. This is a good habit that can be made much easier with an incentive to follow through.
You can create that incentive in a few ways. Accountability with a “diet buddy” can ensure that you eat healthier. Some might find the same benefits from a food-tracking app that allows you to set goals and reach them on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Signing up for a farm share membership, usually known as a CSA, makes sure you get plenty of farm-fresh veggies.
6. Challenge Your Mind
The potential for cognitive decline is a very real concern for seniors. Playing “brain games” every day is a good habit to build. This can be something as simple as doing the crossword or Sudoku puzzle in the daily paper or online. It might be as elaborate as writing a book and spending every day penning at least 500 words. Or it might be creating a recipe book or scrapbook to pass down to younger generations.
But you won’t keep up with those things if you aren’t passionate about them or look forward to doing them. Therefore, get creative and find what suits you best. When you stumble upon something you truly enjoy, you’ll feel a rush of happiness when you start to do it – whether it’s cooking, gardening, painting, or simply reading a book.
Not sure what “the thing” might be? Don’t rule out learning about things you haven’t even considered before. Look to your local community college or your senior center to find an introductory class that teaches something new that you might really enjoy.
7. Never Underestimate the Value of Good Sleep
Getting quality sleep does amazing things. It boosts your energy levels, evens out your mood, improves your immune system, and gives you a layer of protection against stress. Try to get at least seven hours of solid sleep, and don’t hesitate to nap if your body needs more rest.
If you have trouble with falling asleep or staying asleep, talk to your doctor right away. The cumulative effects of sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems, and getting help quickly can nip those problems in the bud. Getting more sleep might be as easy as adjusting when you drink caffeine or what you do in the hour before bedtime.
8. Stay as Safe as Possible
As we get older, it’s important to stay realistic about health and safety. For instance, seniors face a higher risk of falls. Those falls can lead to serious physical damage, including hip fractures and traumatic brain injury. Once a senior suffers a fall, they are twice as likely to fall again within the year.
Having a way to summon help right away can help to avoid the consequences of lying on the floor after a fall. A medical alert system with fall detection gives peace of mind that if something bad does happen, help can be reached with the simple press of a button.
Now is also a good time to implement aging in place home modifications. Simple changes like grab bars, better lighting, and non-skid flooring can make a world of difference in your safety and security. Make those changes before you need them to help ensure a seamless transition into your older years.
9. Keep Everything in Perspective
Perhaps one of the best secrets to aging well is the way you approach the golden years. If you see growing old as a burden, you are less likely to enjoy the ride. But if you see it as a wonderful opportunity – and recognize that growing old is a privilege that many will never experience – you can change the way you age for the better.
Whenever you notice another ache or see another gray hair in the mirror, whisper a mantra of gratitude. Every new wrinkle is testament to a life well-lived. Changing your mindset about age and embracing the wisdom the years have given you can make a significant difference in how you look at the world and how you feel.
Do you want to share your own secrets to a long and happy life? NPR has asked listeners and readers to share what they’ve learned over their lifetime. Since December 2023, they’ve received over 1,000 responses. Go here for the form and share your wisdom with others.3 Here’s to aging well!
