To keep one's mind & memory working well through old age, learn poems by heart.
1
I'm more concerned about not living too long.
It once was a concern about out-living one's savings.
Now it's a concern about living into the Mad-Max future that seems ever more likely.
What good will my savings do then?
3
Adopt some dogs and cats from the pound. Go for long walks daily, preferably with the doggies. Eat sweet red peppers and beans. Take deep breaths.
4
After you brush your teeth start each morning with a glass of cold green tea. This is before you drink your first cup of coffee. There are several other pointers:
The more colorful the vegetables and fruit the better... Indulge and eat meat sparingly if none at all.
Appreciate and cherish positive energy and Karma.
Stay away from negative people because they take a toll on your life.
Surround yourself with a selected few who truly are invaluable and have human value. Life is too short...
3
Nice piece, and sound thoughts. But: how can everyone omit healthy teeth and biologically based, biocompatible dental care? As people with pets know, teeth are God's plan for mortality. Putting things in the mouth that the body doesn't like over time, and ignoring, low-grade, hard-to-detect infections that rile up the immune system, is Man's plan for morbidity.
2
Go vegan for optimal health and aging well! I think you should, but so do the WHO and Harvard Medical School :)
5
@N
There is no actusl settled science on whet you say
There are millions of years of carnivore evidence however
4
@N 100% agree
2
@Neil To start with, humans are biologically omnivores and always have been, so right away your comment is wrong.
2
Most of my grandparents and my Mother died in early 60's so I have resigned myself to thinking I may do the same. So I am trying to go travelling, enjoying life and exercising when I can (I'm 50 now) because I may only have 10 more years or so. If I live longer well that will be a bonus won't it!
1
@Clare Both of my parents died at 57. I have watched my weight a bit, exercised, and I will be eighty on Saturday. I still do the Beijing Form Taiji every day at least once.
3
Average lifespan in USA is 78.69 years. The report here saying 70 years in Minnesota as the highest in America which is wrong.
The actual statement is “average length of healthy life expectancy,” which doesn’t mean simply “life expectancy.”
1
Minnesota has the longest life expectancy at 70.3 years? Can that be right? What is America doing wrong? In Scandinavian countries both men and women average 82.
4
"May you live a hundred years!" a common Indian blessing. Ayurveda says, the human body is engineered for a healthy long life.
Diet, sleep and self-mastery constitute pillars
“Food is a synonym for life. Food nourishes more than the body. It determines the quality of your very consciousness, your overall health, and, ultimately, your life span”.
Ayurveda believes that disease and disorders develop as the result of accumulated ama (toxins), in the body leads to disturbed digestion a breeding ground for disease, mental ama can impact resistance to day-to-day stress. Lack of good-quality sleep is a major factor in generating high levels of mental ama. Nature intended sleep as a nightly ritual of rest and rejuvenation. A good night's sleep is considered vital life force.
Best Detoxification is called Panchakarma wonderful way to cleanse and detoxify the body.
Few days ago I met an elderly lady recovering fully from Cellulitis caused by bacteria streptococcus and staphylococcus, entering through a crack or break in the skin. She made a remarkable recovery through Panchakarma detoxification which included Leech bloodletting which sucks the blood from affected area. A clinical and hematological study of cellulites treated with leech therapy suggests positive results in terms of efficacy and non toxicity.
@N.G. Krishnan I hope that works well for you. The kind of air pollution emergency majority of Indian cities are facing today, is going to drastically reduce quality of life and health of millions - just wanted to bring this to the conversation.
1
My 86th birthday is on the horizon. I'm 100% active, running a small successful business that requires a quick mind and lots of stamina. I also work regularly as a stage and video actor. Yes, I have the secret to a long, interesting life.
Get up every morning. Rinse, Repeat.
10
If you aren't exercising what's the point?
1
As the button some young friends of mine gave me years ago (I'm 75 now), "I'm not old, I'm a recycled teenager!"
5
Drink clean High PH Water, Exercise, Wash your face, Brush Teeth, don't overeat, think happy thoughts, have close friends, and act on items you can control. Above all, turn to the Bible - I had a horrible manager that went to great lengths to fire me, but all that negativity really did me in health-wise. Depression hit me, I scarfed down Doritos and coke, isolated myself from others. Then one morning in a stinky bed, I opened up the Bible and was assured that everything was gonna be ok. The Word was written in my heart and I walked in to work on Friday afternoon, the Boss wasn't there, I collected my things, called a friend (who offered me a job for Monday, said goodbye, and walked out of the job. Since then, the Word has inspired me, to lay everything at His feet, and do His will as He intended us to do in this world.
4
@Mark
I think trusting in an invisible, loving creator can be done in a variety of ways. Seeking to know thst creator's will and trying to carry it out also can be done jn a vsriety of ways.
My approach to life sounds very similar to yours except i do not read the bible or consider myself a Christian.
10
At the beginning of next month I will become 93 and the best advice I have is to not give anybody any advice. I have the general outlook of a 12 year old when I was most confused about how most humans spend their lives and the current state of the human world more or less confirms my general state of mind that to remain confused is the most useful approach. Aside from a broken left arm that I acquired just before last Christmas when I slipped on the ice and which has regained full utility this last week, I am in good physical shape and live alone and shop and do my own cooking and baking. Here in Helsinki, where the health care is excellent and affordable and quick to respond, things go well. My tentative recommendations on life are not to pay too much attention to other people's opinions about what is good or bad, be kind to small children and animals, stay away from most people as they carry diseases, but a few good friends can be useful, and be rather lucky. As a former New Yorker I left the country when fear and incompetent politicians took over after the WTC tragedy did very odd things to the country. I delighted in the city back in the 1930's and 1940's but them days is gone forever.
17
@Jan Sand Can I come live with you?
I'm afraid the political environment here in the US is causing me to age prematurely.
1
I'd say old age begins between 40-45.
That is after all the age when athletes are no longer able to compete at the highest levels.
All this hiding from being old is rather amusing.
4
Stephanie Wood
For a start, leave the US for a country that has less stress and a better healthcare system.
Please tell us when you leave.
12
@R. R. Living in Spain currently. First time I had real health care in my 70 years was when I moved here. You can't consume 24/7 but quality of life is better (possibly because you can't consume 24/7). I just walked about 5 miles today going to town, strolling along for the pleasure of it, and then back home. Food taste way better for some reason.
2
Eat less.
6
This is all great advice. But what I found for myself is that the secret to aging well is to have something to look forward to everyday. Even just a cup of coffee. Keep it simple, be grateful for your life and be kind to others. And do not spend time in fear of aging. You cannot do anything about it, so you might as well go with the flow.
18
My father is 91. He drank (a little) too much) until he was 70, when he laid off completely, never smoked, but has never, or hardly ever, over-eaten. He lifted weights every-other day from the time he was 16 to the present, when he uses half the total weights as before. He confesses to some unsteadiness on his feet, irregular bowel movements, which is corrected by drinking tons of water, and often has to push himself to get off the couch,
take a walk around the block or get back to reading a book, although he reads the Times every morning. He rehearses healthful attitudes every day and says he feels that he, over-all, didn't do a bad job in life.
9
Want to age well? In Minnesota many have found the secret. It is Nordic Cross-Country skiing. Many, many Minnesotans Cross Country ski well into their 80's, even 90's. Along with this beautiful sport comes- friendships, warm joyful Hygge gatherings for smorgasbords, wine, craft beers, saunas, wood fires and of course stories. Many old school skiers still even ski race. Best of all, you can pick up Nordic skiing AT ANY AGE. Skol and get out there people!!!
13
hear hear +1
Being young was not so great. I recall being young and stupid.
I will turn 79 this month and found my seventies to be liberating. Who cares what others think is a wonderful feeling.I see that those that exercised have the most wrinkles. Tennis, sailing, running in the sun is very damaging. Genes matter, I had the right mother who died at 94 with no wrinkles. I have no wrinkles either. Her secret? An uncluttered mind.
17
@Luz Damron Even if you did pick the right parents with good genes you need to take care of those genes with exercise and proper diet.
2
Tara Parker-Pope's statement: Getting older is inevitable (and certainly better than the alternative) stuns me.
We are afraid of death. It's coming. Facial exercises are simply a way of kidding yourself.
The New York Times will never publish this because it will maintain that I am not following the status quo, and am, in fact, uncivil.
Because I embrace death.
I will be in charge. Not old age.
Even in a culture of greed, death comes for everyone. Even the rich. Death does not discriminate.
You can temporarily hold it back, but why.
I am old, diseased, and decrepit. I am poor. I own nothing but the clothes on my back. No stocks. No bonds. No investments. No vacation homes. No Rolls Royce. It's a cycle of sleeping rough in front of storefronts, and eating out of dumpsters. Forget health insurance. I have no address. I am typing this in a library. Without an address, forget Social Security. There is no hope for any social security. It is a pipe dream. Medicare wants an address as well.
Shoplifting food is my Social Security. I have never been arrested.
I go to emergency rooms because the frostbite on my feet is growing worse.
Hospitals have food.
The pain and toxicity I live in would kill most people. I can't seem to die quickly enough. I keep facing the end. But life hangs on tight even to those of us who want to die. Wanting to die is a crime. It is not mainstream. It scares the comfortable.
I watch the comfortable, but they cannot see me.
I am invisible.
32
@Tim Barrus That had to be the saddest comment I've ever read.
It only verifys that I need to leave the US. I need to go to a country that at least gives its citizens healthcare.
1
The secret for aging well and have a long life is this: have financial security.
22
Living well is the best revenge. I have found that there are basically three tracks, presuming food and shelter:
1. Move it! The physical body must be as well as possible. This includes stretching, exercise, and laughter.
2. Community: Life is not good without others to enjoy it with. This can be family, friends, or people you help or mentor.
3. Aspirations for tomorrow: continued growth and mental action, at any age. This includes expressing opinions and interfering in other peoples lives.
14
I owe much to the NYTimes and the various writers of these articles. So I say to them and all others, thank you and Happy New Year.
As an old man, I started building up my exercises about 7 years ago though I have always kpet pretty trim. The 7 Minute exercise and getting away from the US really did it for me. Being black and very physically active can cost you your ife too easily in the US.
Now, I exercise everyday, even today with a good rain failling. I do not do any light exercise as I want the muscle mass to be there. Japan and many other affluent countries let their elders court suicide by not stressing real strength training. Just living longer is NOT it. Living STRONGER longer is closer to it. I am physically & martial arts trained well enough to teach the bullies that all old people are not to be considered an easy target. I avoid altercations with a passion but I never run away.
Do some pullups/chinups/pushups and buff out.
14
@WorldPeace2017 I agree getting away from the US is a very important step to good health.
Where did you move to?
Use resistance bands every day for upper and lower body muscle training. Four times a week, try a thirty minute walk/jog with occasional high intensity bursts.
Avoid face and wrist plants on pavement; so do the cardio on a fall-friendly surface. Learn how to hit the deck without breaking yourself by building muscle and flexibility referenced in first paragraph.
Never miss a short opportunity to help your body improve its condition.
Vastly improve flexibility and balance by learning four or five basic yoga poses and holding them daily for a minute or two.
23
Get & use a hard foam roller.
8
The number one thing you can do to age well is stop eating vegetables and eat the natural human diet - meat, water, salt.
The multifariously nefarious toxins that vegetables produce to ward off predators are responsible for the chronic disease epidemic.
Google it.
2
With all due respect, every dietary choice has the google-able list of horrors it brings upon the human body and the cures it bestows. No need for me to start in on the gross mismanagement and dubious ethics of meat production via CAFOs; I hope you’re sourcing your meat choices responsibly, sustainably, and ethically.
6
@Fourteen:
If you want to know what "the natural human diet" consisted of for eons... look at our genetic adaptations: our teeth.
We all eat with our mouths, which contain teeth, which are essential for eating.
Our teeth have evolved for eating an omnivorous diet, consisting of grindable fibrous pulpy foods and some meats. We have few sharp canines necessary for ripping meat, and many "flat topped" teeth like molars, needed for grinding and breaking down/chewing mostly vegetarian foods.
The shapes of our teeth have remained relatively constant for over 50,000 years, indicating our teeth have been eating mostly vegetables, fruits, grains, and seeds with some meat.
The notion that vegetables contain toxins generated intentionally to prevent their consumption is false. Vegetables (and fruits, seeds, etc.) are the reproductive and energy-storage mechanisms for plants - holding their seeds. Plants have evolved to prefer their "seed pods" be eaten - so their seeds get spread and fertilized by animals who consumed them. Fruits have a desired sweet taste exactly for this reason.
The chronic disease epidemic is due more to an inability to think critically and from our food industries supported by bad politicians. The web contains more false information than good sources.
Let's not forget there is little chronic disease outside the U.S., possibly because education/critical thinking skills are better in other countries. Even our Canadian and Mexican neighbors are much healthier.
16
Why do so many want to live longer? I am now old. So what. In youth, the odds are in one's favor, or not. Sometimes I look forward and often times the reverse. Sometimes there is still a smattering of gratification, but often there is remorse (luck of the draw). I am not looking to set a record for longivity even though I work out pretty often so that I decrease the odds of having someone else having to "take care of me" before I die. My hope rests in faith and a promise. If both are warranted, great. If not, then what lies ahead is incomprehensible.
11
So there was this world famous medical clinic in Switzerland .....
And one day the top doctor in the place called three of his patients into his office for a meeting.
One was an Englishman, one was French and the other was an American who was Jewish.
And the doctor said: "I have bad news and good news for all of you."
"The bad news is I have evaluated your cases thoroughly and unfortunately there is nothing more I can do to help you. All of you will die within a month."
"The good news is that I can grant each of you one wish and this can be anything you desire."
Hearing this, the Englishman immediately began to describe a month-long series of elaborate meals that he wished to have prepared for him by the most famous chefs in Europe.
Not to be outdone, the Frenchman asked that the ten most beautiful women in Europe be brought to the clinic so that he might be suitably entertained by them in the last month of his life.
Finally, the doctor turned to his Jewish patient and asked, "And what sir, may I do for you?
To which the Jewish man replied, "Well to tell you the truth, I'd like to see another doctor."
77
@A. Stanton I needed a joke this am. Laughing more has to be my medicine.
6
Dance and flexibility is key for having an emotionally healthy happiness for many reasons. I am constantly reminded by my experience working with dancers is that they have joyful spirits and never age. It is never too late to start a dance or movement class. I remember from my art design student years that the best drawing models were always dancers, no matter their age. I started to take dance classes in my mid thirties and now that I am in my forties, I continue to dance and I still feel 32 going on 33. I have met quite a few of older couples (60 ) who found the love of their lives at the ballroom, salsa and tango dance classes. The love and happiness that I saw in them, speaks volumes. The trust you built with a dance partner is a beautiful connection. Beginners grow and get better, even with two left feet, keep moving!
17
Having to come into this world in 1969, there is a part of me which would very much like to live into the 22nd century (and beyond). Of course, I would prefer to be generally healthy at this advanced point in my life. Whether or not this might happen will depend on several variables, only a few of which will be under my control.
As to why I would like to live so long, or indefinitely, has to do less with a fear of dying, but rather more with wanting to do so many things: travel (to the moon or Mars), exploration, developing a third, fourth or fifth “career,” etc.
Will this be possible? I am confident it will. Furthermore, the development of anti-aging technologies will likely be exponential, meaning that one would only have to “hang on” until the next major breakthrough to carry you through to the next, greater development. Whether or not these treatments will be accessible to masses at a reasonable price is the more challenging question.
The bottom line is that, whatever life has in store, I would like to be physically and mentally healthy, and that starts now.
9
I’m 72 and have post polio syndrome. Any exercise that fatigues me damages me and makes it worse. I’ve always been a walker and this is very hard on me. I can currently walk about a mile in a day but not all at once and not every day. The two things that have helped me most with aging are 1) taking female hormones since I began menopause and 2) moving to New York ten years ago. I live in a doorman building with an elevator and a live-in super. I live 2 blocks from the 6 train, and of course have taxis readily available. There is also plenty to keep me intellectually stimulated here. I have no family, and lived in a house in Portland, Oregon and would have felt bored and isolated if I still lived there. I have long term care insurance should I need it. Three doctors in New York over several years told me I didn’t have PPS (I was hospitalized for polio in 1954) but I finally got a diagnosis and am getting the occupational therapy I need. I went through a period of depression this summer after my fatigue got worse after a perhaps ill-advised European vacation, but I’m adjusting and working on accepting what lies ahead. I believe that successful aging is a combination of acceptance and doing what you can for yourself. For me, the best part of being older is the knowledge, memories, and wisdom.
36
Old is when doing it twice in the same day becomes virtually impossible physically and unfathomable psychologically.
4
Doing what?, we the Team Balanitis ask.
1
Wequery: Do what "thing" twice daily???
1
@terry brady
and quite probable because you forgot you already did it.
6
i've been playing pickleball for three years. It's great fun, a very social game and a terrific workout Give it a try. Pickleball requires quick thinking, good eye/hand coordination and flexibility. I know that if you give it a try, you'll get hooked.
8
Keep disabling the elevator.
6
2019 is the year I will turn 60. Born with congenital heart defects, I am not concerned about aging well. I am grateful to be aging period. My youthful appearance is fading, but advances is medicine may help me avoid another open heart surgery for my unrepaired defects. Survival is my focus because I have faced death.
My aging is a victory. I embrace it with open arms. Very wrinkle, very gray hair, the sagging skin and all the rest is just an reminder I have made it another revolution around the sun and beaten death one more day.
Aging is a gift every part of it. Why do we fight it so as if we can reverse the process? Our society is so wrapped up in fighting the physical and mental affects of getting old. It's as if everyone forgets the antithesis of aging is not youth; it's death. I will continue embrace aging and all affects over death any day. This is how I age well.
25
Aggggh. I feel such angst. Can we just stop with this anti aging preaching and make aging FUN? Good lord, life is too short for guilt inducing, fear mongering articles. Write about all the cool things of getting older.....like no more birth control, freedom from bosses and institutions, getting to plan a fun day however you want, traveling with no time constraints, ETC.!
92
@Hortencia I agree completely! Every day is a fun day, even those with doctor appointments. Perchance lunch with a friend, or a walk with the dog? Everyday is different and an opportunity to enjoy.
9
AGREED
4
@Hortencia I agree completely. While I do have some health issues that keep me somewhat limited in the things I can do, I am thoroughly enjoying my retirement especially indulging in cooking all sorts of yummy things to eat, even if I cook certain foods for others that I cannot otherwise eat myself. The joy of eating delicious homemade food and seeing the delight on the faces of friends and family who enjoy my food brings a happiness that warms every part of my being. I am so grateful to have been able to retire and do the things I love when I want that the numerous aches, pains, surgeries, dietary restrictions, etc. of old age are a part of life that I deal with. I wish these problems would go away, but many do not. But I’ll be damned if I’m not going to find wonderful things to do according to my abilities, whatever they may be.
3
I was 85 in May and want to be around longer; haven't read article yet but one thing I'm doing lately and enjoying is doing the daily NY Times spelling bee/puzzle. Makes you use your brain to figure out the words. And you get a congrats along the way when you figure out a word; each word has to have one specific letter in it which is what makes it challenging. Different from the crossword puzzle which I do sometimes, the mini, but really love the spelling bee/puzzle. And my younger landlord just got a new puppy and that is a joy for me to watch him puppy.
29
these are great references. thanks;
3
I stopped counting birthdays in my 50s. It’s amazing how NOT thinking about your age works wonders on your outlook.
Try and stay in shape so you CAN do the things you want to do until you just can’t do them anymore. Don’t let some “number” decide when that time is.
I’m doing more now than I did 20 years ago and for the purposes of this NY Times comment I will tell you that I’m 73. But I don’t dwell on it...EVER!
19
Whatever age you are, and you’re fortunate enough to have avoided the ailments that are taking down all of those you know who have succumbed, keep a happy disposition from day to day. Keep busy, giving yourself some reasonable tasks to perform each and every day. Take a nap if required and exercise lightly. Keep on trying to live life in a tempered pace. Bathe regularly, brush and comb your hair, shave and care for your skin.
Eat foods you enjoy, all the while avoiding sugar, especially if eating those foods are taxing your body to the limit. See your doctor or clinic, even if there’s nothing wrong.
If on the other hand disease has come your way, keep a positive attitude knowing that there are others who are worse off than you. Don’t hide yourself away. Meet with friends, especially making friends with younger people.
Look to the future. Keep your mind busy.
Even with all of that, we all know there is a limit to length of life. Severe diseases are always lurking.
Age and feeling old have nothing to do with it.
These words are my secret to living longer and feeling younger.
21
Stop angsting about aging and focus on enjoying whatever life you have left. Problem solved.
50
Perhaps we should let go of most of the external advice (there are one or two gems out there) and worry, and live our own lives.
Being our authentic selves might just be enough. Mid-last year my 81 year old father had a quad bypass. He went back to work at the beginning of the month and has decided that his being now involves a little more exercise. He is still the same social family man he always was and luckily had not lost any of his mental capacity.
He has had advice to stop work, lose lots of weight and walk a lot further. But at the end of the day it is his quality of life to manage. All the externals pushing him to conform to their idea of what an 81 year heart patient should be will not improve his experience or make him happier.
Here is the one gem from Dad's heart attack; my father loves a gadget and that probably saved his life. 3 years ago on a whim he bought himself an oxometer (finger cuff that measures the concerntration of oxygen in your bloodstream) he already had a panic button (that simultaneously called an ambulance and my sister). On the day of his heart attack he felt weak, took an oxygen reading saw it was 92% and pressed the panic button, he was in hospital within 40 minutes. Probably saved his life, definitely saved his mental capacity.
So if you are old or in poor health (and want to live a bit longer), get yourself a panic button and an oxometer.
7
@Johnson
Unfortunately panic buttons are not free and prescribed medications have to take the forefront Paying rent and utilities are necessity too. Then of course paying for the medical services you will encounter in and when you leave the hospital. A person who has been warned about the hazards he faces if continuing his risky behavior costs us all. So advise your dad if he fortunate to be able to afford medical services, listen to medical advice. It is not too difficult.
3
@Johnson this is great advice and so glad your father is doing so well. Don’t worry about Mk...likely just having a bad day;)
2
The number one best way to health and longevity is to choose your parents properly. Only pick parents who are healthy. And while you’re at it, pick parents who are rich!
54
@Cooofnj My parents each died at 66. I'm 20 years older than that. They were much wealthier than I have ever been but I've had a much richer life than either of them.
1
@Cooofnj too late for me. :'(
Added to the list of excellent suggestions: adopt a loving, grateful adult dog who’s approximately the same age in dog years, and experience the transitions of later life together.
36
@NYCtoMalibu The same holds true for older cats. I volunteer at the SPCA and work mainly with cats. It's heartbreaking to see so many beautiful and loving cats 7 years old and up still waiting for someone to take them. I'm 76 and my husband is 78 and if we adopted a cute little kitten, it would probably outlive us and that would mean one more lonely old cat at the shelter! Think about that when considering adopting your next pet.
21
@NYCtoMalibu dogs often trip older people leading to fractures that can easily make your life end quickly. If you do get one, get a very small one...or an extremely well behaved one.
And those dog years will move past you so fast they will be dead in no time. Better to time the end of life together. If you are going to live 10 more years, a young dog is just fine.
Dogs can be a lot of work. Cats are easy as long as they are fixed. Though if you buy a pet you need one with a good personality.
Pets can also make travel difficult. So get all those bucket list places visited first.
1
Aging isn't for wimps...
11
I haven’t even read it yet and I’ve saved it
6
The evolving goal: 1) longevity 2) health span 3) maximum health and happiness span.
3
@hb I'm sure that I am plagiarizing: someone to love, something to do, something to look forward to. Some of us have been fortunate to have been blessed with these, and should remember to be grateful. Tennis, riding a bike, workouts help to keep you fit enough to enjoy old age. Read a lot and do crossword puzzles. Remember to smile so others feel happy to be near you.
8
be wealthy, buy organic fruits and vegetables, live in a school district with high property taxes and good schools and low gun violence, have access to healthcare, have a good education, have a good job, don't be a minority subject to structural racism
62
@true patriot Excellent advice! A little late for me, but still a good plan.
5
Daily power walking and daily reading of the NYT are a good start. A fit body keeps the mind and memory sharp. Regular comments keep all parts of the body and mind in good working order.
22
@Stephanie Wood Do not blame the NYT. Blame Trump.
29
All this advice is always predicated on the person being totally healthy. There are actually very few such people by the time they reach their 70's. Most of our population has high blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, heart problems, chronic respiratory problems. Many have had knee and hip replacements.
Some of these conditions are the result of poor choices made over a lifetime; some are just plain bad genes or bad luck.
In the end, one does what one is capable of doing and what is safe for them. All the rest of this is just blather...
23
Seems like the common element to slowing aging is to have enough money that you can use for leisure activities (tennis anyone?) to distract you from worrying about getting old.
38
select and nurture a compassionate life partner
work just enough to get what you really need
at least like what you do at that work
your body is chemistry- so understand what it really needs-the right food/fuels
your body is a mechanical system- keep it tuned
your brain has spiritual components- keep it stimulated and guide its thought to be positive
60
@ZEMAN Really great advice!
1
If you want to age well and live in your own home live in Minnesota? So who’s gonna drive you to the doctor? To the supermarket? To worship or the senior center for socializing? Or does Minnesota have a cadre of 80 year old drivers on those icy roads? No Jane as you well know New York City with it’s vast public transportation system, lousy as it may seem is really the best place to age at home.
44
@NYCSANDI Um, St Paul and Minneapolis have an efficient light rail and bus system...in other words, public transportation. We also have Uber, Lyft, taxis, that kind of thing out here in the sticks. Oh, and our feet and bicycles.
13
Dear New York Times writers
This article on aging is one of the most shallow and obvious I have read.
Maybe a Christmas fill in when everyone is away.
Reminding ourselves to exercise, eat healthy and be involved with friends is great, but not thought provoking.
It does motivate people to brag about climbing Mount Everest in their nineties and then skiing down, or playing tennis on the way down.
19
@pamela mercier, however, so few heed the pieces of advice. It seems they should be repeated from time to time...
9
@Ademario
suppose so but there is so much more to ask about and ponder regarding aging.
The times can- and does- do better.
I think they were all out to Christmas lunch.
Thanks for your comment, though!
People are out there.
Best
Pamela
- skiing down the Himalayas AND posting at the same time.
3
Number 8- Impeaching and removing Trump or, at least, removing him from Twitter. We may have some money left when the whirlwind settles and a newfound national contentment.
109
@Peter
Agree. This would go a huge way towards the whole country getting more sleep and not feeling terrorized every second of every day and night. The level of anxiety has reached red alert status and we need relief from this 24 hour a day nightmare.
39
@Peter Dumping Trump would be the healthiest remedy for so MANY ailments. Let's do it!
19
@Peter
Indeed , trump is taking a toll on our body and mind .
Day in and day out of this obsession on the wall , federal workers are not getting paid , seeing good friends suffer is detrimental to health.
5
Old is when the second digit exceeds the first, then you can start all over in the next decade of life. I heard that the Chinese start celebrating birthdays backwards once they reach 60. If that's just a myth it's a great idea for forever being or at least thinking, young.
3
Let's talk about physical activity, which includes exercise. For example, JudyB in NC, her physical activity happens around her household, not in a gym.
3
I will be 75 in February. I have a large home, 3 horses and 3 big dogs to care for. My right hip and knees are arthritic. If I didn't need to feed, water, exercise and care for all those animals, I think I'd be in much worse shape.
47
As a child besides being a lefty I had astigmatism and amblyopia in my right eye and still do. A helpful summer camp counseler and tennis player who tried to help me play had to suggest I try something else because anything involving moving targets weren't going to be my strong suit. I did manage to hold my own to a degree with table tennis and badminton, but never made it to the quarter finals in the camp tournaments.
I always was good at climbing trees, but that doesn’t seem to figure in longevity studies. Croquet is not the answer, either. I was losing first round games to seven year olds when I was ten.
5
It all depends on where you are. When 90 is close, 95 is old. 102 is old old. All of the advice could be calibrated to these ages. At 85, I finally took the advice to be a serious exerciser, hour a day for five or more a week. Upper body one day, lower another day, Tai Chi two days and stationary bike two or three a week with interval training. Now at 87, feel great and rarely use any pain meds.
So my advice. Start where you are and work up to an hour a day doing many things, 6 days a week. Eat moderatly, drink occasionally, and live each day fully. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow never comes. All opportunity is right NOW.
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@Monty Brown
This is the smartest advice I have ever read - I mean it - and I am a physician practicing for the last 30 years.
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@Monty Brown
The Minnesota thing is overblown. I lived there for 39 of my 65 years. It’s not that great and all the sick and infirm people move away. This falsely raises the stats on the average age of those who stay and die there
18
@bananur raksas put it in the ACA
Skiing is an excellent activity for older people. A lift carries you up and you slide dowm. It keeps you limber and strong and social. We belong to a seniors ski club for people 50+ years but our oldest member just died at the age of 94. My husband still skis at age 82 and me at 75. Being in nature with fresh air and mountainous beauty is uplifting. The congeniality in the most important. Conversations around a fireside with people who had really LIVED full lives.
28
I’m 69 and ski regularly all winter and bicycle in summer. Both are fabulous activities. I sometimes ski with a guy who is mid eighties and still goes down an expert trail right next to me at 35-40 mph. He never falls.
This year I plan to bike my age and do 69 or 70 miles in one day. Never slow down and you never grow old.
19
@Kristina Ruehli Only if your knees can take it. I'm in my late 50s but skiing is no longer an option for me, due to ligament trouble. But being in nature, enjoying company and walking is still possible, and good enough.
15
@Noley Be careful... geezers do not heal quickly and if you do fall, it's gonna hurt. Don't ask me how I know!
I figure I have 12 years left +/-... if I damage my shoulder, it takes about 1.5 years out of that. That's like 20% of what might be left.
Do what ever you want though!
9
As usual with any of these types stories, you have the good, the bad and I don't think the ugly. (I have not read all the articles).
I can summarize the whole story by saying if one wants to live longer they should stay away from wine, women(men) and song.
Much of the detail you go into is obvious and has been known since the Stone Age. Some is new like controlling sugars, Hi BP etc. and others are pretty close to old wive tales like tennis.
The ugly?, don't know if it has been covered but our de facto criminal health care system is one of the factors, worse than any other peer countries with some of the lowest longevity of life indicators among our peer countries.
33
@Paul I think ageism in the US indirectly causes the most deaths and emotional and physical decline. But people are so ageist that they don't seen or question their own attitudes.
46
@Paul RIght ON! I believe they need to change the name from "Health Care" to "Sickness Treatment, maybe". If "health care" were actually offered, "health insurance" rates would plummet.
We will know when "health care insurance" becomes available because that's when exercise becomes a treatment option that's covered.
Sitting is the new Smoking.
9
@Paul yeah no, that is absolutely wrong: wine, women and song indicate social interactions, which have been shown to lengthen life and increase joy.
34