Humans have searched for the secret to immortality for thousands of years. For some people today, that quest includes things like sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, experimenting with cryotherapy, or blasting oneself with infrared light. Most aging experts are skeptical that these actions will meaningfully extend the upper limits of the human life span. What they do believe is that by practicing a few simple behaviors,
many people can live healthier for longer, reaching 80, 90, and even 100 in good physical and mental shape. The interventions just aren’t as exotic as transfusing yourself with a young person’s blood.
“People are looking for the magic pill,” and the magic pill is already here.”
Below are seven tips from geriatricians on how to add more good years to your life:
1. Move more.
The No. 1 thing experts recommended was to keep your body active. That’s because study after study has shown that exercise reduces the risk of premature death. Physical activity keeps the heart and circulatory system healthy and protects against numerous chronic diseases that affect the body and mind. It also strengthens muscles, which can reduce older people’s risk of falls. If we spend some of our adult years building up our muscle mass, our strength, our balance, and our cardiovascular endurance, then as the body ages, you’re starting from a stronger place for whatever is to come. The best exercise is any activity you enjoy doing and will stick with. You don’t have to do a lot, either — it is recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, meaning just walking a little more than 20 minutes a day is beneficial.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
The experts didn’t recommend one specific diet over another, but they generally advised eating in moderation and aiming for more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods. The Mediterranean diet — which prioritizes fresh produce in addition to whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, and olive oil — is a good model for healthy eating, and it has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia. Some experts say that maintaining a healthy weight is important for longevity.
3. Get enough sleep.
Sleep is sometimes overlooked, but it plays a major role in healthy aging. Research has found that the amount of sleep a person averages each night is correlated with their risk of death from any cause and that consistently getting good quality sleep can add several years to a person’s life. Sleep appears to be especially important for brain health: A 2021 study found that people who slept less than five hours a night had double the risk of developing dementia. As people get older, they need more sleep rather than less. Seven to nine hours is generally recommended.
4. Don’t smoke, and don’t drink too much either.
This goes without saying, but smoking cigarettes raises your risk for all kinds of deadly diseases. No dose of cigarette smoke that is good for you. We’re starting to understand how bad excessive alcohol use is, too. More than one drink per day for women and two for men — and possibly even less than that — raises the risk for heart disease atrial fibrillation, liver disease, and seven types of cancer.
5. Manage your chronic conditions.
A high percentage of adults have high blood pressure, 40% have high cholesterol and more than one-third have prediabetes. All the healthy behaviors mentioned above will help manage these conditions and prevent them from developing into even more serious diseases, but sometimes lifestyle interventions aren’t enough. That’s why experts say it’s critical to follow your doctor’s advice to keep things under control. It’s not fun to take the medications; it’s not fun to check your blood pressure and check your blood sugar. But when we optimize all those things in a whole package, they also help us live longer, healthier, better lives.
6. Prioritize your relationships.
Psychological health often takes a back seat to physical health, but it’s just as important. Isolation and loneliness are as big a detriment to our health as smoking because it puts us at a higher risk of dementia, heart disease, and stroke. Relationships are key to not only living healthier but also happier. According to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, strong relationships are the biggest predictor of well-being.
7. Cultivate a positive mindset.
Even thinking positively can help you live longer. Several studies have found that optimism is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, and people who score highly on tests of optimism live 5% to 15% longer than more pessimistic people. That may be because optimists tend to have healthier habits and lower rates of some chronic diseases, but even when accounting for those factors, the research shows that people who think positively still live longer. If you had to pick one healthy practice for longevity, do some version of physical activity. If you can’t do that, then focus on being positive.
Adapted from: ST
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