Here are 6 smart strategies
Walter Smiley Jr. plays golf often. Rather than take a cart, the retired Army field artillery officer always walks the course. “There’s nothing I can do about aging,” said Lt. Col. Smiley, 53, now a government contractor, “but I can stay healthy, active, and involved.” The former MOAA board member is president of his college alumni fraternity and serves as a mentor to middle and high school students. “There’s a lot I can impart to them, and I learn about music, culture, or what they’re doing,” Smiley said.
Smiley’s approach to aging — exercising, savoring relationships, being curious, taking care of himself, and being positive about the future — combines many of the ways scientists have found help people grow old happily and healthfully.
“When I was growing up, science told us that our genetics are our destiny,” said Maddy Dychtwald, author of Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan and co-founder of Age Wave, a research and consulting firm focused on aging and longevity. “But the most recent science says that 80% to 90% of our health and well-being is within our control. This is a total game changer. We are the CEOs of our own health and well-being.”
There is more good news: Doing one thing can have multiple benefits. For instance, pickleball is great exercise, but it’s also an easy way to meet people, making it good for your mental health. Getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours) helps brain health, such as memory, and your physical and mental health.
Aging well needs to be a multipronged approach. As Debra Whitman, executive vice president and chief policy officer at AARP and author of The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond, puts it: “A lot of us are familiar with the five healthy habits — eating right and exercising, no smoking or drinking, and having a healthy weight — but it’s as important to nurture your relationships and have a sense of purpose as to eat your microgreens and count your steps.”
Here are six smart strategies for aging well:
Be social
Recent studies, including one released in 2024 by Penn State University researchers, show loneliness in later life can weaken the immune system. It has also been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, anxiety, and depression.
At the Florida State University College of Medicine, 21 longitudinal studies involving 600,000 people found feelings of loneliness increased the risk of dementia by 31%.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General until January this year, says loneliness is a public health epidemic. He has spoken of the shocking estimate that loneliness is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day and can shorten life span by up to 15 years.
Unfortunately, being lonely is not unusual. A 2024 American Psychiatric Association survey found 30% of adults feel lonely; 10% said they felt lonely every day.
What you can do: It can be hard to meet people when you’re older. Get involved in neighborhood or town issues or events. Take a class such as pottery, current events, crafts, or art history, for example, at a local college, or find out what’s happening at your local senior center. It’s not all bingo. Many offer varied activities, including ping pong, book clubs, choruses, social hours, and bridge.
Volunteering is another way to expand your social circle. It can make a difference not just in others’ lives but in your own, too. Helping offers a sense of purpose, sharpens a skill, or provides a new interest — and don’t forget the fun factor.
That’s not all. The physical and mental health benefits of volunteering can be significant. Most importantly, it can reduce stress and the issues stress creates.
Strengthen your physical and mental health
If you want to be able to travel, or go for walks with your dog, bike, garden, or play with your grandkids, you’ve got to work on staying able to do so.
Boston personal trainer Keith Colby, whose clients are mostly over age 60, advises focusing on three areas of the body: your feet and ankles, hips, and upper back and shoulders.
“You want to make sure you’re incorporating flexibility, mobility, and strength exercises, including weight training, in these areas,” Colby said. “They are places that often get too tight, limiting your strength and making it harder to balance and move efficiently,” he said.
Of course, reducing stress is also critical to mental and physical health. Meditation, yoga, or enjoyable breathers, from lunch with a friend to reading or watching a movie — making time for you — can rachet down tension and worry.
What you can do: There’s new research touting the value of “exercise snacks,” brief spurts of exercise, usually one to two minutes, performed throughout the day. This might involve climbing and descending stairs, doing chair squats, or pedaling hard on an exercise bike.
Look for a physical outlet you enjoy. Any amount of movement during the day can be beneficial. Be sure to check with your doctor before taking on a new exercise program.
To find a meditation or yoga class, ask around, contact your local senior center, or search online using the phrase “meditation classes near me.” Or do the same kind of search for yoga classes. Some classes are free.
There are also phone apps such as Headspace with guided meditation and mindfulness courses to calm your brain.
Theresa Larson understands stress. She had been in the Marine Corps for three years before she was sent to Iraq in 2007 and served as a platoon commander.
“I got good at taking care of everyone else but not myself,” the former officer recalls. She was suffering from anxiety, depression, and acute bulimia.
“I hid everything and came to Iraq at a time when I had my own demons. I’m highly competitive and didn’t get help right away because I didn’t want to be seen as weak,” she said. “I had to let go of my ego.”
Larson flew back to Camp Pendleton, Calif., to receive help. Now the former professional softball player still goes to counseling. She makes sure to get enough sleep, which she knows impacts her mood. She exercises five days a week, moves around continually (even when on the phone), and practices mindfulness, meditation, or visualization every day.
She went on to earn a doctorate in physical therapy and write a memoir called Warrior. Today, Larson runs Movement Rx (www.movement-rx .com), a company that teaches business leaders and their employees how to make health their priority so they can perform better at work and in life. “Well-being has to be my priority every day,” said Larson, 43, the mother of two boys.
Concentrate on cognitive health
There’s no doubt that challenging your brain can reap payoffs. That challenge can take many forms: cracking word games or puzzles, learning another language, or doing brain health exercises.
What you can do: Cognitive fitness apps can help with problem solving, processing information, and memory, among other things. These include Lumosity, Dakim BrainFitness, CogniFit, and Brain Trainer Special.
BrainHQ (www.brainhq.com) is a brain training program designed by neuroscientists to improve memory and attention, speed up processing of information, and help with real-world activities such as driving safety and living independently.
According to the website, the program has been used by SWAT teams and others in law enforcement and emergency response, NASA planners, athletes such as Tom Brady, and military Special Forces. The app is available through some Medicare Advantage plans and at some residential communities for older adults. Anyone can try out brain training exercises on the website to see if they want to go further with the program.
Be strategic
It’s expensive to grow older. If you haven’t already, figure out how much money you might need for the lifestyle you want. Take into account potential caregiving and health care costs, how long you want or need to work, and what you’d like to do now and in the future.
What you can do: Understand your finances. Does it make sense to hire a financial advisor, if you don’t have one now, or get advice from money-savvy friends?
Plan ahead. In five to 10 years, do you want to stay in your house or move closer to adult children, friends, or others who are like-minded? Would you consider a long-term-care community? If you’re thinking of living in another area, spend at least a week there as a dry run to see if its’ a good fit.
Do you want easy access to doctors, stores, public transportation, parks, or people you can meet? AARP has a livable communities tool at https:// livabilityindex.aarp.org that shows services and amenities in towns and cities across the country.
MOAA maintains a Military State Report Card and Tax Guide to show you what military retirement and benefits dollars are subject to taxes in each state. Members can access the guide at www.moaa.org/statereport.
Be positive
Growing older is challenging. Did you know that how you think about aging can impact your well-being? Research shows a positive mindset has health benefits. These include increased longevity. A Yale University study found positive perceptions of aging can extend life by seven years or more.
One study published in the journal Psychology and Aging found negative attitudes about aging may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. And another study published on the JAMA Network (The Journal of the American Medical Association) showed participants most satisfied with aging had a 43% less chance of dying within a four-year follow-up period than those who weren’t as satisfied.
Those more satisfied with growing old showed a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke. Their cognitive functioning was also found to be better. In the study, participants with a positive mindset about aging tended to exercise more, sleep better, were less depressed, and showed a stronger sense of purpose.
It can be challenging to feel good about aging in a society that glorifies youth, does a brisk business in plastic surgery, and can be outright discriminatory. Unfortunately, many older adults internalize this attitude, too. A study published on the JAMA Network that found 80% of people ages 50 to 80 subscribe to ageist stereotypes.
What you can do: Be aware of negative stereotypes and fight against them by changing your attitude and challenging these stereotypes. Look around at the creativity and accomplishments of seniors, and see what you’re capable of doing.
Change what isn’t working
How can you change to get the most out of your stage in life? How can you change your behavior so you’re healthier? Is it a better diet (consider a diet buddy), more exercise or travel, taking time for friends and fun activities, learning something new, talking to a therapist, being smarter with money, working on a difficult relationship, or having a plan for the future?
What you can do: Approach what you want to do thoughtfully. Choose one thing to work on at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed, lose your focus, or burn out. Stay focused on your goal, and be your own cheerleader. You’ve got this.
Sally Abrahms is an award-winning writer focusing on 50+ issues.