The One Thing You Should Never, Ever Do if You're Over 60 and Want To Stay Healthy

Emily Laurence
·5 min read

Woman over 60 aging gracefully, drinking a cup of tea

Changes in both physical and mental health as we age are inevitable, to a certain extent. But gerontologists (people who study aging) have found that if you want to stay healthy in your later years, it’s important to abide by several key healthy habits. In fact, there’s one habit they say people over 60 should never do if they want to stay healthy—and it has nothing to do with diet or exercise.

Related: This Is the #1 Sign That Someone Is 'Aging Well,' According to a Geriatrician 

The One Thing To Avoid if You Want To Stay Healthy Over 60

Diet and lifestyle, of course, play crucial roles when it comes to healthy aging. But Dr. Marilyn R. Gugliucci, MA, PhD, AGHEF, GSAF, AGSF, NAOMEF, a Professor and Director of Geriatrics Education and Research in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, says that there’s something that’s even more important: mindset. She says that the most important thing people 60 and older should avoid doing is thinking negatively about aging.

“According to the World Health Organization, ageism for older adults—either about oneself or from others—is associated with a shorter lifespan, poorer physical and mental health, slower recovery from disability, and cognitive decline,” she says. To this point, the WHO reports that ageism is associated with dying an average of 7.5 years earlier.

Dr. Gugliucci says that ageism reduces older people’s quality of life, increases their social isolation and loneliness (both of which are associated with serious health problems), restricts their ability to express their sexuality, and may increase the risk of violence and abuse against older people.

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Other studies back up the connection between a positive mindset and healthy aging. One Harvard study taking into account more than 14,000 people over 50 found that people more satisfied with the aging process were at a lower risk for diabetes, stroke, cancer and heart disease.

How To Develop a More Positive Attitude About Aging

Perhaps you are someone who is struggling to see the benefits of aging. Maybe you are experiencing very real physical or mental challenges that stem simply from getting older and wish that you were decades younger than you are right now. If you find yourself in such a position, Dr. Candace S. Brown, PhD, FGSA, an Assistant Professor of Gerontology in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, says to seek out others who have successfully overcome the obstacles you are facing. “Often we feel like we have to ‘go at it alone,’ as if there is nobody in the world who has faced what you have. This couldn’t be further from the truth,” she explains.

For example, Dr. Brown celebrates the rise in more information about menopause, a stage of life that was once considered taboo to discuss even though half the population experiences it. Blogs, podcasts and social media posts about menopause not only provide tips on how to ease the symptoms associated with it, but also show women that they are very far from the only ones experiencing its symptoms—even if no one they know is talking about it with them directly.

Related: The #1 Habit That Can Reduce Your Biological Age, According to a Geriatrician 

Dr. Gugliucci says that another way to develop a more positive attitude toward aging is to pay attention to how you talk to yourself. “Our self-talk is so important regarding how we view our own aging and how we age,” she says.

While you may not be able to control everything that happens to you as you age, you can control how you talk to yourself. Some examples of affirmations for healthy aging are “My body can do amazing things,” “My body is perfect the way it is,” and “I deserve to live a long, healthy life.”

Related to having a healthy attitude toward aging, Dr. Gugliucci says that it’s also important to ensure your life has purpose—something that each person gets to define for themselves. “Having hobbies, providing volunteer services and helping out in your community are good ways to build purpose,” she says.

Not sure where to start? Dr. Gugliucci says the first step may be writing down what gives you purpose. Then, identify a few goals. “What are those things in your life you would like to adjust and possibly change? Writing things down or even sharing your thoughts in writing or through conversation with another person can help raise your own consciousness about what you are thinking and possibly feeling,” she explains.

Dr. Sandi Petersen, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, GNP-BC, PMHNP-FAANP, the Senior Vice President of Health and Wellness at Pegasus Senior Living, also says that identifying one's purpose in life is important for healthy aging. "Don't isolate and give up on your purpose in life," she says. "The brain-body connection is real. Staying connected keeps us alive. Maintaining purpose in life is critical to healthy aging."

Connecting with others is often an important part of living a life of purpose. "Humans were not created to live alone—connecting with others is vital to appropriate neurotransmitter function in the brain. When isolation occurs, brain function declines and quickly leads to exacerbation of other illnesses in the body," Dr. Petersen says.

Aging is inevitable and, yes, it can also be hard. But by changing your mindset to seeing aging as a beautiful privilege and reminding yourself of your purpose in life, you are automatically increasing your likelihood of being both healthy and happy in your later years. Mindset is powerful—science has proven it!

Next up, learn about a simple tweak that could add 7.5 years to your life.

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