There is no single secret to longevity, but rather a group of lifestyle habits that contribute to a long, healthy life.
“I would never say, ‘Do this one thing,’ because that isn’t true — that’s not how it works,” says Allison Aiello, PhD, the James S. Jackson Healthy Longevity Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University in New York City.
Rather, says Dr. Aiello, longevity depends on a complex interplay of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors — some of which are largely or totally out of a person’s control.
“Adopting a healthy lifestyle is important for both public health and personal wellness,” says Xuan-Mai Nguyen, MD, PhD, one of the authors of the study and a health science specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. “The earlier the better, but even if you only make a small change in your forties, fifties, or sixties, it still is beneficial.”
Below, learn about key longevity tips, including which habits two longevity experts incorporate into their own lives.
1. Setting Aside Time Every Day for Exercise
“We know that exercise improves health and longevity,” Aiello says. “In an ideal week, I try to get an hour a day of moderate-to-vigorous exercise.”
2. Making Some of That Exercise High Intensity
“I’ve made particular effort to maintain high levels of vigorous activity,” says John Beard, PhD, professor of health policy and management and epidemiology and director of the International Longevity Center at Columbia University. “I don’t think it’s necessarily right for everyone, but just reading my own body, I feel that high-intensity training is really good for me.”
Dr. Beard says that he tends to swim in the summertime and ski in the winter. “But when I say swim, I mean I do a couple of kilometers that include very high-intensity laps, not just a gentle swim,” he says. “When I ski, I ski hard off-piste and really push myself.”
When he can’t ski or swim, Beard says he will do a light weight workout with dumbbells. “I think it’s all helped me to maintain good muscle mass, and I’m physically in pretty good shape,” he says.
3. Eating More Vegetables and Less Meat
“I eat differently than I used to,” Beard says. “I eat a lot of Japanese food these days — a lot of seafood — and I have a higher vegetarian intake than I used to.”
“I think my diet does tie into the evidence on health and longevity, but I also do it because I think eating more vegetables and less meat makes sense from a planetary perspective,” he adds.
4. Meditating
Beard says he used to meditate for an hour every other day. While he’s since given up his regular practice, he still feels that the experience has done him good. “I think even now I’m able to maintain a more focused and relaxed attitude to the rest of life,” he says. “I think I’ve become less stressed and more accepting, and meditation contributed to that.”
5. Prioritizing Social Get-Togethers
“Research has been uncovering the detrimental impacts of social isolation on healthy longevity, and research has also shown that social connections are protective of longevity,” she says. “So I think more about social connections than I used to.”
6. Eating More Berries and Plant-Based Fats
7. Sticking to a Consistent Sleep-Wake Schedule
“I try to be very consistent about when I go to bed and when I get up,” Aiello says.