From A to Z: What You Need For Healthier Aging
From A to Z: What You Need For Healthier Aging
February 12, 2020
So maybe you’ve finally found your way to the gym (congratulations!) though you pick up a doughnut on your way home. Or maybe you’ve finally cut out sugar from your diet though you’re still munching on corn chips while binge-watching tv in the evening. In your head, you may know what you need to do but somehow you still need to be convinced: To get and stay healthier as you age, there’s a range of adjustments you’ll need to make in order to sustain your physical and mental health. So while starting off in one area is admirable, ultimately it’s best to be fully on board with all systems involved.
And there’s lots of advice and resources out there to help you get with the program. Podcasts seem to be the most prevalent source of news and inspiration on healthy aging these days. So while you’re hitting that treadmill, listen to the series of podcasts from Harvard Health, in the series Living Better, Living Longer. (You can also find the series on Spotify here.) And The New York Times recently weighed in with a list of health-oriented podcasts focused on fitness, diet, mental health, and outdoor living, to name a few. So pull out your headphones and take a look at the list here.
In addition, aging experts are touting their research and personal findings about what components add up to a healthier and better older age. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin (author of the new book Successful Aging) was recently interviewed on PBS about the keys to aging well. To research his book, he spent countless hours interviewing iconic older adults, including Jane Goodall and the Dalai Lama to find out secrets to success as you get older. His advice includes avoid complacency, forget about retiring (or make sure your next act engages your passions) and use good habits to overcome genetic limitations. Most critically, he says, “You can look at your life when you’re 75 and say I’m going to do something different and do it.” So rev yourself up and watch more here. And to balance this advice with some healthy aging diet recommendations, take a look at this recent interview (and there’s also a podcast) with Harvard geneticist and aging expert David Sinclair on what he has found are the best things to eat as he gets older.