Living a long and healthy life is a popular goal, but it’s not easy to achieve. It’s common for people to develop conditions like dementia and chronic pain, in addition to mobility issues and cardiovascular problems, as they age.
While uncontrollable factors (like genetics) play a major role in many of these issues, everyday habits can also contribute to less-than-ideal aging. And some of the habits you probably follow every day or week are actually getting in the way of healthy aging and a long life.
Here’s what they are, according to doctors:
1. Skipping preventive care.
Neglecting to stay up-to-date on preventive care — including things like mammograms, colonoscopies and vaccines — isn’t good for your long-term health, according to Dr. Heather Whitson, director of the Duke Aging Center in North Carolina.
“It’s like not taking your car to the shop,” Whitson said. “It probably won’t last as long if you don’t keep up with routine maintenance.”
You can discuss with your doctor which preventive tests are right for you.
2. Failure to cultivate social relationships.
“We know that socialization is good for the brain and it’s good for longevity,” said Dr. Lee Lindquist, chief of geriatrics at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. The more time you spend interacting with other people, the more it can benefit your life expectancy.
“I always joke that you have to be around happy people because we all have toxic people in our lives,” she said. Toxic people can cause anxiety and sadness, which won’t help you age well.
“The more you socialize with people who bring you joy or happiness, the more those things will definitely help you age healthily and improve your longevity,” Lindquist said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were all confined indoors, many people’s cognitive functions were damaged due to isolation, she noted. “So we know that social isolation is detrimental to aging and the longevity process.”
“Some of my favorite patients, who are in their 90s and 100s, wake up every morning and try to find someone new to talk to,” she added. As you age, it’s normal for your social circle to shrink, which means continuing to get out and meet new people is essential if you want to age well, Lindquist noted.
3. Not adjusting your medications as you age.
“We see people very often taking medications that they started taking in their 40s or 50s that they may no longer need in their 70s or 80s,” Lindquist said. “And some of these medications are not ideal for older people.”
Some medications can make you more vulnerable to falls and cause impaired thinking, she added. Some anti-anxiety medications can contribute to memory loss, according to AARP, and some prescription sleeping pills are known to increase the risk of falls, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
“So talk to your doctor to see if you still need some of these medications,” Lindquist said.
4. Not exercising.
This probably comes as no surprise, but it can’t be said enough: not exercising will hurt your longevity.
“Exercise is a great thing. To be able to offer it in pill form would put a lot of health care providers out of business because it’s really good for mood, it’s good for weight control, it’s good for bones, it’s good for the heart, it’s good for the brain,” Whitson said. “And it’s really the only thing that you can recommend that has overall benefits.”
“Exercise is very important, and not doing it or not getting enough daily activity is something that will definitely hurt your longevity,” Lindquist said.
When asked how much exercise she recommends people get, Lindquist simply replied, “More.”
“When you get too comfortable and do the same activity three times a week, once a week, or not at all, it really hurts your body,” she said.
So, if you walk every day, try adding a Zumba class a few times a week. If you’re a die-hard Peloton fan, sign up for personal training classes as well.
“Even if you ask your doctor for a prescription for physical therapy to help you move more, it’s very important,” Lindquist said.
If you’re looking for a starting point, you should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, according to the American Heart Association. And, again, more minutes means more health benefits.
5. Smoking.
Smoking cigarettes is linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, stroke, and many other diseases. But smoking is highly addictive, making it difficult to quit altogether.
According to the American Lung Association, it can be helpful to identify your reason for quitting smoking so you can use it as motivation during the tough times along the way. You can also ask your doctor for resources to help you quit smoking.
Klaus Vedfelt via Getty Images
6. Eating an unhealthy diet.
According to Whitson, prioritizing healthy eating is another way to improve your chances of living a healthy life.
Whitson suggested that “a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fish…and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, with only a few rare processed food treats, is probably best for most people.”
It’s never too late to change your diet, but it may be easier to do so when you’re younger.
“It’s very difficult to change your diet in your 70s, 80s, 90s. If you can start eating well earlier, it’s going to be easier on you and it’s going to affect you better in the long run,” Lindquist said.
7. Not getting enough sleep.
“There is growing evidence that sleep deprivation has long-term consequences,” Whitson said. These include an increased risk of dementia and heart disease, as well as higher levels of daily stress and poorer mood overall.
It’s normal to experience age-related changes that affect your sleep, so you don’t need to worry if your sleep habits change as you get older. But some conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea, put you at risk for some of these negative effects if left untreated.
“If you notice really excessive daytime sleepiness, if their partner tells them they snore or have apnea episodes (where they stop breathing) that wake them up at night,” it’s important to let a doctor know, Whitson noted.
Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night. If you’re having trouble getting enough sleep, it’s a good idea to cut down on caffeine and alcohol, and to have consistent sleep and wake times each day.
8. Let stress take over.
“It’s really hard not to feel stressed about work, family and whatever else is stressing us out, but keep in mind that as humans, we have a very physical stress response to things that aren’t a physical threat to us,” Whitson said.
Many animals respond to stress in emergencies, such as being chased by a predator or searching for water. Typically, once the need is satisfied, the stress disappears.
“As humans, we are capable of stressing over things that pose no physical threat to us, but by chronically activating that stress response, it causes all sorts of things,” Whitson said. “It reduces the ability of our immune system to fight off the real pathogens and the things that are our real stressors.”
Stress also affects our metabolism, sleep, blood pressure, and more. It’s important to do what you can to reduce your stress, whether that’s talking to a mental health professional (if possible) or removing things from your life that are causing you problems.
9. Not planning for your future health.
“We talk a lot about end-of-life planning. You know, what are we going to do? Do you want CPR? Do you want advanced care planning? Who’s my proxy? Where’s my will?” Lindquist said. “But a lot of times people don’t ask themselves, ‘What am I going to do in the 10 to 20 years before I die?’”
Lindquist calls this period the “fourth quarter of life,” because that’s when health problems are most common. She adds that people in their 70s, 80s and 90s are more likely to need hospitalization and have worsening memory loss.
In addition to deciding who will inherit the lake house, your golf clubs or your engagement ring, you should start thinking about your plans for the last 10 to 20 years of your life, Lindquist said. Do you plan to move in with family? Will you have in-home care? Will you move into a senior living community? Will you live near a hospital?
“These are conversations that people should be having, especially when they’re thinking about longevity and living longer,” she noted.
Talking to your loved ones can help ensure that your voice is heard as you age and that you don’t have unchecked expectations. To help adults plan for every aspect of their future, Lindquist and her team created Plan Your Lifespan, a free website funded by the National Institutes of Health.
10. Not planning for your financial future.
“It’s great that people have a goal of increasing their active longevity and healthy life expectancy … (but) they need to know that they need to plan financially for that,” Whitson said. “One of the saddest things I see as a geriatrician is that more and more often, people are outliving their savings.”
Many of Whitson’s patients in their 90s and older tell her they never thought they’d live this long and didn’t expect to have to support themselves for another 30 years after they retire. “It happens, and it’s real,” she said.
“I worry about some people I see in their 40s who expect to retire at 65 without really considering that if they live 30 healthy years after that, they better know where their money is going to come from,” Whitson said.
“I think a lot of people dream of traveling and having a luxurious retirement because they’ll have made the right health choices and will be in great health, which is great,” she said. “But it’s also important to think about cash flow for that chapter of their life in their 50s.”
So, as you focus on your physical and mental health as you age, it’s important to remember that your future financial health plays a major role as well.