Actively work on increasing your conscientiousness, a trait linked to stick-to-itiveness, reliability, and doing what you say you’ll do, as it’s the number one factor for aging well and can be improved at any point in life.
Develop and maintain curiosity, as it is the second most important trait after conscientiousness for doing better in life and is neuroprotective.
Embrace gratitude for what you have, rather than focusing on what you lack, as it is a secret to happiness and prevents your brain from entering a fear mode that releases detrimental stress hormones.
Cultivate resilience, defined as the ability to adapt and bounce back from adversity, rather than feeling easily defeated by challenges.
Believe that you can actively influence your health and well-being, even through small daily actions like five minutes of meditation, to change your perception and outcomes.
Focus on maximizing the quality of healthy years (healthspan) and minimizing years of disease, rather than solely aiming to increase the total number of years lived.
Recognize that a significant portion of your health and aging outcomes are under your control, primarily through your mindset and healthy practices, rather than solely genetics.
Address sleep deprivation, as chronic lack of sleep can contribute to Alzheimer’s development; improving sleep not only makes you feel good in the short term but also helps protect your brain long-term.
Actively maintain and expand your in-person social networks, especially by associating with new and younger people as you age, as this is crucial for brain health and happiness.
If you can only do one thing, prioritize moving outdoors, but also consider adding other activities like elliptical training or high-intensity interval training to elevate your heart rate.
Follow a moderate, varied diet, prioritizing what you don’t eat (e.g., heavily processed foods) over strict adherence to specific named diets, as no single diet has proven superior.
Seek a ‘Goldilocks zone’ of stress: avoid chronic stress which is detrimental, but also avoid too little stress, as a moderate amount is neuroprotective, kickstarts the immune system, and encourages engagement in life.
Engage in learning new skills or subjects, such as music, sports, or a new language, throughout your life to promote neuroplasticity and build cognitive reserves, which is neuroprotective.
Participate in activities that involve eye-hand coordination or body intelligence, like playing a musical instrument, tennis, ping pong, or walking on uneven trails, as these experiences help your mind grow and are neuroprotective.
Engage in resistance training, such as using weight machines 4-5 times a week for about 40 minutes, to combat sarcopenia and maintain muscle mass as you age.
Regularly walk on uneven outdoor trails to engage your vestibular system, feet, ankles, and legs in micro-adjustments, which is hugely important for physical and cognitive health.
Actively work to combat loneliness, which is a major predictor of fatalities in old age, by fostering genuine connections rather than just being in the presence of others.
Initiate brief, casual conversations (micro-communications) with strangers in daily settings, like on a bus or in a checkout line, as these small interactions can effectively combat loneliness.
Dedicate time daily for activities like yoga, musical practice, learning new things, or simply playing, and ensure you have alone time, as these contribute to well-being and productivity.
Engage in self-care activities like going to the gym, even if it feels like a time loss, as it can significantly boost your productivity and help you accomplish more later in the day.
Apply conscientiousness by finishing tasks, striving for the best possible quality, and continuously learning and growing in all areas of life, from gardening to cooking, as this is neuroprotective.
Understand that your interpretation of pain can significantly alter your experience; reframing a painful sensation as beneficial (e.g., muscle release during massage) can change how you perceive it.
Refrain from excessive rumination and worry, as these behaviors flood your body with stress hormones that are detrimental to both memory and overall healthy aging.
Manage stress to protect your gut microbiome, as stress hormones can damage it, and a healthy microbiome is crucial for serotonin production and immune function.
Eat at the same time every day to align with your biological clock, which helps your metabolism digest food more completely and draw out nutrients more effectively.
Recognize that significant memory decline is not an inevitable part of aging for most people; while retrieval might slow, actual memory deficits are rarer than commonly believed.
When experiencing a memory lapse, avoid stressing or obsessing about it, as this releases cortisol and adrenaline that further impair memory; instead, attribute it to factors like lack of sleep or being busy, as younger people do.
Be mindful not to over-assist individuals, especially the elderly, as excessive help can lead to ’learned helplessness’ and diminish their independence and well-being.
Provide opportunities for individuals, particularly the elderly, to have responsibilities and a sense of agency, even with simple tasks like caring for a plant, as this significantly improves health outcomes.
Help loved ones, especially the elderly, engage in activities that bring them joy, pleasure, and a sense of meaning and agency, as these contribute significantly to aging well.
Actively seek out and learn new, complex skills that tax your brain in novel ways, even if they push you out of your comfort zone, as this promotes brain health and a sense of agency.
Encourage self-directed learning by focusing on asking questions and empowering individuals to discover answers themselves, rather than simply providing information, to cultivate lifelong learning, agency, and curiosity.
Encourage children and others to learn by doing and experimenting themselves, rather than just memorizing facts, to foster a deeper understanding and the ability to teach themselves.
Increase your resilience by reducing stress, strengthening social networks, engaging in physical exercise, and finding meaningful and purposeful activities in life.
Engage in face-to-face conversations, especially with new people, as it is the most complex brain activity, activating many regions and requiring empathy, unlike digital communication.
Surround yourself with friends and family who encourage and remind you of your goals, as strong social support networks are crucial for motivation and well-being.
Overcome initial shyness and initiate social interactions, as most people are wired for connection and will likely welcome the human interaction, combating widespread loneliness.
Get to know your neighbors and engage in regular chats with them, as this simple act can significantly increase your happiness.
Challenge the narrative that aging inevitably means increasing pain; evidence suggests that while aches and pains may worsen for a time, they often become manageable or even disappear around ages 75-80.
Actively work to combat ageism and treat older adults with dignity and respect, avoiding complacency or fostering learned helplessness, to potentially extend the happiest years of life beyond 82.
Implement relatively simple changes like walking around the block a couple of times a day, and paying more attention to diet and sleep without being obsessive, to positively influence how you age.
Don’t get obsessive about every new health study or headline, as science evolves with contradictions; instead, focus on what is reasonable and proven over time.
Allow yourself occasional treats like French fries or ice cream, as enjoying life is important for long-term adherence to healthy habits and overall well-being.
Listen to your body as a guide for what to eat, avoiding strict denial of liked foods to prevent gorging, and focus on smaller portions.
Consider lifestyle interventions as a powerful tool for preventing illness and significantly improving symptoms when sick, rather than relying solely on medication.
Recognize that daily habits that make you feel good are often the same ones that contribute to aging well, creating a synergistic benefit.
Select forms of exercise that you genuinely enjoy, as the immediate pleasure and quality of life gained can outweigh the potential longevity benefits of disliked activities like jogging.
Seek out scientific information to understand trade-offs and choices, then make personal decisions about your health and life, as it’s a very individual journey.
Explore Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a practical tool to improve symptoms of depression and conscientiousness, as it has been shown to be effective, sometimes more so than medication alone.
Find inspiration for personal change from various sources like meditation, yoga, literature, art, or role models, to motivate yourself to adopt new behaviors.
Cultivate conscientiousness by focusing on finishing tasks and dedicating effort to perfecting them, demonstrating stick-to-itiveness in your endeavors.
Even if mobility is limited, seek visual stimulation from nature, as it is neuroprotective; if possible, actively move yourself (e.g., push a wheelchair) for added benefit.
Develop a strong work ethic and dedicate extensive, deliberate practice to master complex skills, even if it means breaking down tasks into tiny segments and practicing them slowly over months.
Write down and recite things you are grateful for every morning and night, as a consistent practice can foster gratitude and contribute to positive personal change.
If you’re struggling to recall a word, don’t stress or beat yourself up; instead, let it go, as stressing will only make it harder to retrieve.
Recognize that pain is subjective and influenced by cultural, environmental, historical, and cognitive factors, meaning your experience and expression of pain may differ from others.
Refer to a standardized pain scale, like the Melzack pain scale, to describe your pain using terms doctors expect, which can improve communication and treatment.
Ensure access to education and learning opportunities for all, regardless of socioeconomic status, as intellect and ability are not confined to the wealthy.