Many people in their 50s are engaged in healthy aging, eating well, and competing in extreme sports. Have you seen Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Lopez, and Brad Pitt lately? They’re in incredible shape for anyone, not just for 50-somethings.
Compare that with Wilfred Brimley, who was only 49 when he starred as a geriatric in 1985’s Cocoon. The goalposts have moved and will continue to with advances in longevity science.
Right now, hundreds of millions of dollars are being poured into longevity research and a variety of medical treatments to eliminate aging-related diseases and is expected to become a $200 billion industry.
Separately, billions are aimed at defeating cancer, and we seem on the verge of a solution — for example, chemotherapy-free treatments for breast cancer. This flurry of effort and optimism has a simple explanation. The Baby Boomers don’t want to die, and plenty of companies would love to get their hands on all that Boomer cash. It’s a perfect storm for getting some really hard problems solved.
What are Senescent Cells?
While aging itself isn’t “officially” a disease, it is a gateway to disease and decline. The older you get, the more you accumulate senescent cells, which don’t reproduce or divide naturally and cause inflammation and tissue dysfunction. These so-called “zombie” cells release a variety of lethal substances that infect healthy cells — making you a frail, easy target for age-related illnesses.
So, on the longevity front, one of the most promising approaches that’s been in the works since 2011 involves going after senescent cells. Flush them out, and you also eliminate the age-related diseases that largely cause us to die. At least that’s the idea.
A handful of heavily funded companies are pursuing this track with a new class of drugs known as senolytics. The leader of the pack, Unity Biotechnology, backed by high-profile investors like Peter Thiel and Jeff Bezos, took a hit in 2020 when its lead drug candidate — the first novel “senolytic” agent ever to enter clinical testing — failed to beat a placebo.
Still, more than two dozen startups are forging ahead with strategies that range from senescence prevention through cell destruction and containment, all the way to reversal. So despite the Unity setback, there are several studies with promising results for age-related illnesses affecting the kidneys, lungs, brain, and bones (among others). A couple of studies are even looking specifically at a senolytic therapy’s potential to alleviate COVID-19 related complications. And new research out of China shows that polyphenolic extract from grape seed can selectively kill senescent cells in various tissues and organs, enhance physiological function, and extend the lifespan of mice.
So, we have the technology, but there’s still a lot of work to do in this emerging field. Plus, what’s exciting about longevity research isn’t the development of magic pills, necessarily. It’s about better understanding why age-related diseases happen in the first place, which could lead to radical life extension therapies.
In the meantime, doing the work the old-fashioned way is required for now. And there are all sorts of collateral benefits to exercising, getting enough sleep, and improving your nutrition, specifically when it comes to your brain health and maintaining cognitive function.
You Are What You Eat
This one is common sense: eat less in general and more plants than anything else. (We’re paraphrasing author Michael Pollan here.)
But don’t take our word for it — here’s what happened with a couple of notable Gen Xers who tend to set standards… and break athletic records.
When Venus Williams had to withdraw from competition due to an autoimmune disease in 2011, she not only changed up her entire training regime, she also became a vegan. The very next year, she won a Wimbledon title, an Olympic Gold Medal, and reclaimed her #1 world ranking.
Can’t give up eggs and cheese entirely? (Us either.) Tom Brady’s “plant-centered” diet of around 80% vegetables seems to be keeping him vibrant and collecting Super Bowl trophies.
That’s just the basics. When considering nutrition in relation to healthspan, you must look at what you put into your body in terms of its impact on your overall well-being and fortitude.
Thanks to the pandemic, immune health has become its own lane of wellness — which has an added benefit as we age because a robust immune system is your suit of armor against illness.
If you’re looking for an extra edge, here are some things you can consider:
- Metabolic health: What you’ve been putting in your body may have been the difference between whether you got sick during the pandemic or not. It’s not just about healthy body weight. You need a sensible, science-backed diet that doesn’t spark inflammation.
- Personalized nutrition: It’s becoming clear from research that the same foods can have drastically different effects on individual metabolic health and microbiomes (the gut, where 70% of your immune system resides). Consult with your physician about blood and genetic testing for indications.
- Intermittent fasting (IM): IM has been scientifically shown to provide profound weight loss and even longevity benefits. Research also indicates immune system regeneration from forms of fasting, so now there’s even more reason to consider it.
Other vital bits of advice to enhance your health:
- Consume mega-3 fatty acids for your brain.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Take B vitamins.
- Eliminate unhealthy vegetable oils (i.e., canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, safflower, soy, and sunflower).
- Avoid processed foods.
- Keep your blood sugar and hormones balanced.
Using diet as a core tool to ensure good health as you age is a way of life, not a quick fix — and fortunately, it’s a byproduct of living the optimal life you already want.
Let’s Get Physical
Hand in hand with diet is exercise, although be careful about how you look at this — fit and thin are two different things. And it turns out, not only can you be fit without being thin, you should prioritize fitness over thinness if you want to live a long, happy life … by a lot.
A recent research review from the lab of Arizona State University professor of exercise Glenn Gaesser that looks at the relationships between fitness, weight, heart health, and longevity suggests that you can be healthy at any weight. The study shows that sedentary, obese men and women who begin to exercise and improve their fitness can lower their risk of premature death by as much as 30% or more, even if their weight does not budge.
Contrast that with dieting to lose weight without exercise. Studies show this only drops your statistical risk of dying young by about 16%, and in some cases, not at all.
So, the two go hand-in-hand, like chocolate and peanut butter. (A plant-based choice! But only as a treat, of course.)
The key is to move your body every day. And even though it’s probably intuitive, science confirms the harder you go, the better your results. Bouts of moderate to vigorous exercise — working out with more intensity than, say, walking 10,000 steps over the course of a day — is shown to drastically improve a person’s fitness compared to milder forms of exercise.
For some of us, extreme athleticism is routine and maybe even its own kind of midlife crisis. (Fun fact: Today, almost a third of all triathlon participants in the United States are between the ages of 40 and 49, according to the U.S. Triathlon organization. That’s the largest age demographic by decade and one of the most competitive.)
But for most of us, the biggest challenge isn’t doing the work to reach that moderate-to-vigorous exercise benchmark. It’s motivating in the first place. And unfortunately, the external rewards like being trim and fit aren’t necessarily enough to get our act in gear.
This is where mindset comes in. It all boils down to:
- Process not results
- Approach not avoid
- Mastery not performance
The trick is to make working out a habit — transform it into something intrinsically rewarding until it becomes a habit that feels wrong to break.
How do we “trick” ourselves into enjoying this particular form of hard work?
There is a research-backed approach that actually works, which we’ve synthesized for you into the three essential components:
1. Start Fast and Slow: The reason exercise can be a tough habit to form is that we experience unpleasantness long before we get any external rewards. Research shows that we can develop a more positive association with exercise if we put the intensity of our effort upfront and then taper off toward the end. So, don’t start slow and end with a sprint. On the other hand, the idea of incremental change applies here. Your overall starting point should be slow and somewhat easy for your fitness level while increasing in intensity gradually and consistently over time.
2. Identify and Remember: You don’t want to push yourself to the max at the end of your workout because that’s what you’ll remember when trying to get yourself to show up for the next session. Instead, put yourself in the position to experience the things that make you feel good about the workout. Fortunately, unless we overdo it, most everyone enjoys a positive rush of endocannabinoids, endorphins, and dopamine that makes us feel good, reduces stress, and increases mental clarity. Find as many positives as you can, and more importantly, remember them.
3. Ride the Cue: Now, when you’re faced with the thought of doing the work, and all the reasons you don’t want to, focus on remembering those good things as positive cues. Sure, you can also focus on the rational concept that this is simply good for you and the extrinsic benefits of looking great and fitting into those old jeans, but you’ve got to go beyond that stuff. Appeal to the good things that you felt last time, and your subconscious will allow your rational mind to win until the habit is formed.
That should give you an excellent jumping-off point to get into a habit of working out often and vigorously. On your “off” days, consider taking a walk. While it’s not necessarily a cardio-inducing activity, it has loads of other vital benefits, like helping you sleep better, boost your creativity and solve work problems, and experience the wonder of the outdoors (aka lindy walking).
And a final note: Don’t forget to stretch. Even 20 minutes a week can help you recover from damage caused by repetitive motions, and it also improves blood circulation, mobility, flexibility, and even helps you sleep better. Bonus points if you get your stretch on doing yoga. The age-old practice is scientifically proven to have anti-inflammatory and anti-stress effects.
After all, if you put in the fitness work necessary to increase your lifespan and healthspan, you need your rest.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Sleep is essential for a healthy immune system and cognitive function. It helps safeguard your system from chronic illnesses (i.e., heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, depression, and obesity). And for those of us over 50, better sleep duration decreases the risk of dementia.
In other words, consistent sleep is critical for both lifespan and healthspan.
And yet, for many of us, sleep deprivation is a significant issue. The American Sleep Association (ASA) says that 50 million to 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder. Among that group, insomnia is the most common.
When you don’t sleep enough, your neurons lose some of their ability to encode information and translate visual input into conscious thought. This can have dangerous consequences when encountering the unexpected, such as a pedestrian stepping in front of your car.
Worse, essential areas of your brain are dozing to compensate for the fact that you haven’t. So although your brain is technically up and running, you suffer significant mental lapses.
For our generation, in particular, stress and anxiety are what keep us awake. We swap sleep aid suggestions, from melatonin to CBD and ancient remedies like Ashwagandha and valerian root, like the Wacky Pack stickers we traded as kids.
So, what makes our stress special?
According to journalist Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can’t Sleep, there are some clear causes of the angst that plagues today’s 40+ year-old-women (and most of it applies to Gen X men, too), including:
- Sandwich generation woes; caring for kids and aging parents simultaneously
- Job instability, courtesy of a variety of factors from COVID-19 to corporate downsizing and the rise of the gig economy
- Financial pressures of the skyrocketing cost of living, especially on essentials like housing
- Marital pressure and divorce
- Decision fatigue
- The compare and despair culture created by social media
- Hormonal changes, including perimenopause, menopause, and “manopause” (a natural decline of testosterone in men)
The good news is there are numerous ways to tackle sleeplessness. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Use cognitive-behavioral inspired techniques.
That is, make choices that address underlying causes of restlessness, specifically anxious or negative thoughts. So, for example, use the 25-minute rule: if you can’t fall or stay asleep for 25 minutes, get up and do something relaxing, like read a book in low light, meditate, do a light breathing exercise, or listen to a soothing song or podcast. - Try the kinds of sleep-inducing things other people find helpful, but experts may not embrace.
For example, streaming a favorite TV show can calm you, even though device screens’ blue light generally disrupts sleep. Others resort to reading technical non-fiction or having a bland, carb-rich midnight snack. - Take a walk.
This isn’t a lazy stroll we’re talking about. You’ll need to achieve moderate-to-vigorous intensity, which means a fairly brisk pace (i.e., you shouldn’t be able to you can’t sing or whistle while you’re moving). Ideally, go in the late afternoon to early evening — close enough to bedtime, but not too close. And be consistent: walk every day for 25-30 minutes to promote restful sleep on a regular basis. - Get help:
A good therapist; an accountant who understands your needs and goals; an estate planner to help with your parents’ and your financials; hormonal support; the works — whatever it takes to alleviate persistent stresses. - Ditch the unrealistic expectations, accept what is, and stop being so hard on yourself.
To the first point, about getting help, keep in mind that just because you’re a capable juggler doesn’t mean you’re supposed to keep every single ball in the air. Reframe your narrative by focusing on what a great job you’ve done managing all that life’s thrown at you and also how curveballs can take you in interesting directions.
As Frankie once said, Relax. You’ve got what it takes to improve your longevity. Now, let’s move on to how you’ll pay for all those extra, healthier years.