You’ve likely started this new year renewing promises from past years: commitments to eat better, exercise more, stress less, and take care of yourself. And there’s plenty of available information and insights to remind us that the older we get, the more important it is to keep these commitments if we want to live a longer and healthier life. For some starters, look at the Medline overview on Healthy Aging and all the content on agebuzz we’ve posted about healthy aging. Or listen to some words of wisdom on healthy aging from the director of the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Richard Hodes.

While you may think you know it all (even if you don’t necessarily adhere to all of the advice), it’s possible to feel overwhelmed and at the same time under-motivated when it comes to healthy aging habits. So it’s helpful to break down the advice into actionable, easy-to-follow nuggets that you can gradually integrate into your regular routines. No drastic immediate changes are necessary- just some ongoing tweaks to put you on the path to better physical and cognitive health. Hopefully, before much time goes by, these new habits will feel natural and welcome. That would be especially good news given that the United States doesn’t even rank among the top ten countries for healthy and successful aging (Japan ranks first, along with several European, Scandinavian, and other Asian countries). But a recent Pew Research Study showed that the overwhelming majority of New Year’s resolutions (79%) focus on diet, exercise, or health, and that an even larger majority of people (87%) report having kept at least one of these resolutions as the new year progressed. So there’s hope for us all!

First, some relatively common and expected suggestions: Regarding your diet, you’ll want to try to insert more fish and plant-based proteins, along with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, while limiting your intake of sugars and heavily processed food. This sort of diet should also help with weight control, which will also benefit from less sitting and more physical activity. Just basic guidance for healthy living. More specifically when it comes to exercise and physical activity, the advice is to shore up your balance, include strength and resistance training for your muscles, and make sure you break up periods of sitting, even if that means a 10-minute “exercise snack” before you head back to the couch. For a test to see how “fit” you are for your age, grab a dumbbell and click here.

Healthy aging also includes healthy habits for your head and brain. Dr. Annie Fenn, the founder behind Brain Health Kitchen, recently blogged about some of the new brain health habits she adopted this past year that have already proven themselves with game-changing results. Among those she highlighted? Prioritizing sleep, starting her day with 25-35 grams of protein, and upping her strength training to 3x/week. Find out more by clicking here, and even better, subscribe to her Brain Health Kitchen substack to get ongoing and easy-to-adopt tips on better brain health for this year. You may also want to listen to the recent podcast from Medical News Today, “Brain health, sleep, diet: 3 health resolutions for 2025,” for some additional healthy habit ideas.

Finally, there are some quick and quirky ideas that touch upon actions that are already a part of your daily routine but perhaps with a bit of an adjustment can boost your health even more. For example, The Washington Post published a list of 5 health changes you should try, including a better idea for teeth brushing, a suggestion when it comes to shampooing, and some recommendations for beverages you should and should not be drinking this year. And if you’re feeling ambitious, take a look at The Guardian’s recent post, “101 ways to get healthier and happier – in just five minutes.” Among the easiest to immediately adopt? Smile, smell something nice, and start a 30-second dance party. Simple ideas for healthier living in 2025. What could be easier?