Ask HN: What to do to be healthy when old?

65 year old, very healthy for my age, apart from the damage to my body as a young man.<p>Your heart is a muscle just like your bicep.<p>Exercise your heart with cardio exercises and it will grow bigger and stronger just like doing weights to increase your muscle size and strength. I used to cycle 15 miles every morning and at 55 years of age I had a resting heart rate of 50 bpm.<p>I have a huge heart both physically and metaphorically.<p>I have been eating a Keto diet since before it became fashionable.<p>Excess carbohydrates, the modern phenomena of fast foods and obesity, leading to a slow death.<p>I changed to a keto diet when one of my therapy clients had terminal cancer and I wanted to learn more about cancer. I read a research paper back in the late 90&#x27;s that mentioned how cancer feeds on sugars and carbohydrates which are in fact sugars. Simple really, No food for cancer no cancer. Our brains prefer to live on fat (ketosis) not sugars.<p>Avoid hard labour jobs.<p>Before I trained as a psychotherapist I worked in the building trade for 20 years. I spent half my life on my knees and humping heavy stuff around all day. Now I have painful knee problems and lower back problems.<p>Keep reading, learning new stuff and doing human things.<p>Avoid the likes of zoom and any digital screen forms of communication. We, as humans, cannot read and engage with another human being through a screen. We miss all the wonders of micro-expressions and bodily expressions in our fellow humans.

1) learn break falls from Judo. I&#x27;ve avoided breaking limbs twice in my life because of break falls - face planting on to concrete with a 60lb backpack, and walking off the top of two stairs into space over a marble floor.<p>Either one of those could have been a life-changing injury and I walked away with minor bruising. Seldom has anything in my life paid off that well.<p>2) Figure out the dental care thing early: correct tooth care - the right electric toothbrush, the right toothpaste, structural issues like tooth grinding.<p>3) Sleep issues - deviated septum, sleep apnea, anything like that. Fix it young.<p>4) Get tested for food allergies. I was over 40 before I discovered I was gluten intolerant, and this is common for the non-celiac gluten intolerances. I wound up in hospital with a very specific skin rash, and they diagnosed me on sight. 40 years of allergy behind that. Bad news.<p>When you&#x27;re young fundamental structural stuff can be fucked up and your body will just power through it without noticing. Catch it before you age into it.<p>Good luck!

People miss one of the most important ones. Have a healthy social life. That includes having a partner that you can grow old with. You have to learn that people aren&#x27;t perfect, that includes you, and that you have to be realistic and adjust your expectations of others and you.

Every &quot;thing&quot; you do to improve health has a <i>marginal</i> benefit attached to it.<p>There is so much crap out there which claims to have a huge impact, but at the end of the day, we have to compare the [cost and time] against marginal benefit.<p>The following provide the greatest marginal benefit:<p>1. Body-weight: this is going to have downstream impacts on cardiovascular function and sleep, so I&#x27;ll go ahead and claim this is probably the most impactful variable. Simply being a healthy body-weight has an ENORMOUS positive impact on overall health. Likelihood of cancer and other non-communicable disease are tightly linked with bodyweight.<p>2. Diet: tied to bodyweight, sleep, and cardiovascular function as well. Diet is not complicated, at least in terms of gaining a large marginal benefit. Sure, you can optimize, but rigid fad diets are often a sham and will rob you of liberty, time, and money. Just eat a recommended diet of mostly whole foods. Keto, carnivore, low carb, low fat... it&#x27;s all just product differentiation. Maybe one is better than another, but what is the marginal benefit of giving up the liberty of what you put in your stomach?<p>3. Sleep: Practice good sleep hygiene. Get as much as you need. Don&#x27;t lay in bed unless you&#x27;re actually sleeping. Get out of bed immediately upon waking up.<p>4. Exercise: for longevity, focus on moderate cardiovascular function. Overdoing it can be as bad as none. Strength training is important as well. Grip strength is a leading indicator of whether or not an elderly person will recover from a fall.

Prioritize peace. Avoid stress and anything which stresses you out.<p>Prioritize sleep. Allow as much sleep as your body demands today, today.<p>Intermittent fasting, cold showers, reasonable exercise.<p>Take good care of all your constituents, including your microbiome.<p>Practice intentional gratitude and positive thinking.<p>Remember mental and emotional health as well. Invest time and effort into personal relationships and experiences which bring you joy.<p>Think for yourself and err on the side of caution. Imagine, for a moment, living in the 1950s and 1960s. You may have heard that cigarettes are unsafe, but then there are other opinions who say that&#x27;s nonsense. Do you smoke cigarettes because it&#x27;s the thing to do? There are all sorts of newfangled food technologies that your ancestors have never experienced. Are they as safe as their creators say they are? Do you drive a car, even though it makes you go faster than your ancestors have ever gone, and one split-second lapse in attention can ruin you for the rest of your life? Now, transpose this mental exercise onto today&#x27;s world. Is there something you may be testing in production, so to speak, that you may later regret?

Lift weights. Just don&#x27;t overdo it and injure yourself. Don&#x27;t sit or stand for long periods; get up, get a drink, give your eyes a rest too.<p>As you age, strong legs will keep you walking longer. Run and jump; loading your bones with more than 1x your body weight is crucial for maintaining bone density and avoiding those broken hips later in life. Leg strength has even been correlated with brain health.<p>Source: a Zoom seminar with a doctor that I watched a while back at my company.

There is a huge amount riding on the invisible hand you have already been dealt. All you can do is to some extent improve or worsen the outcome. Some old people take credit for their survival and fitness but the dead ones who did the same don&#x27;t speak.

I am 51 and lost 80lbs over the last two years walking 3 miles everyday. I have a lot of porridge&#x2F;fruit for breakfast, vegetable curry etc at lunch and dinner can be pretty much anything, including some ice-cream. I drink a lot of coke zero. I think the takeaway is routine. Walk and don&#x27;t eat a lot of sugar, bread. I generally eat bread once a week in what I call my Scooby Doo sandwich.

To get metaphysical, realize that time is a construct of the mind. &quot;You&quot; in your 50s in an entirely different person. The only connection you have with that person is the story in your head.<p>Then the question become &quot;what should you be doing to be healthy now&quot;.<p>Make the most of today, everyday.

Don&#x27;t smoke, don&#x27;t drink, do exercises regularly, try to keep learning and challenge your brain. Find one or more hobbies that relax you and good, honest friends who like you for who you are.

If you live in the USA, pick a good health insurance plan. Don&#x27;t trade Medicare for a managed care plan if you can avoid it.<p>Find a good MD to be your primary care provider.<p>If you lose confidence in your MD, find another one. Until that happens, don&#x27;t try to be smarter than your doctors (you will probably have several before too long), and do what your doctors say. Let all your doctors know that you trust them, follow their advice, and respect and rely on them.<p>Find a good dentist and give them the same treatment that you give your MD.<p>Do balancing exercises -- broken bones reduce your mobility and vitality; they are often the cause of a downward spiral in health. Don&#x27;t shun using a cane, walking stick, or walker when there is any chance you might fall, but scrupulously avoid riding around on one of those damned electric carts if you are lucky enough to be able to walk, however slowly.<p>Have friends and enjoy life.<p>Exercise as much as you can; eat as little health-damaging food as you can; get 8 hours good sleep every night if you can.

The easiest approach is probably to avoid or reduce obviously harmful habits and behaviors that result in chronic diseases (eg: cardiovascular disease, diabetes) - Avoid smoking and hard drugs<p>- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption<p>- Avoid fast food, excessive salt and sugar, deep fried dishes<p>- Avoid excessive stress and worrying<p>Besides that, focus on the basics:<p>- Consistent and restful sleep<p>- Healthy, balanced diet<p>- Regular exercise<p>- Novel and mentally-stimulating activities, continuous learning<p>- Strong social connections (not just online social networks, but actual friends and family you can hang out with in-person)<p>If you want even more, there have been studies about 5 blue zones where inhabitants regularly reach ages of 100 or more, and 9 habits they follow: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bluezones.com&#x2F;2016&#x2F;11&#x2F;power-9&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bluezones.com&#x2F;2016&#x2F;11&#x2F;power-9&#x2F;</a><p>1. Move naturally: build exercise into your daily life<p>2. Purpose: a reason to wake up in the morning<p>3. Downshift: Routines that shed stress<p>4. Only eat until you are 80% full. Consider occasionally fasting.<p>5. Plant and bean-based diet<p>6. Moderate (1-2 cups&#x2F;day) consumption of alcohol<p>7. Faith<p>8. Close family connections<p>9. Social circles that support healthy behaviors

Adventist 8 laws of health.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.faculty.umb.edu&#x2F;alexandrine_noel&#x2F;AlexINFO&#x2F;newstart.htm" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.faculty.umb.edu&#x2F;alexandrine_noel&#x2F;AlexINFO&#x2F;newsta...</a><p>If you&#x27;re looking for books, search for Adventist health books, there are a lot of free resources online.

Healthy 50 year old here.<p>I see a lot of good advice in the comments but the one I don’t see which has had an amazing effect is an annual (or perhaps once every 2 year, if you’re still in your 20s) physical exam with a good physician.<p>My physician is an accomplished runner and we geek out on things during my physicals. He goes the extra mile on stuff like blood tests as indicators and whatnot.<p>Aside from that I’ve traditionally been into extreme endurance sports and while I wouldn’t change a thing, except perhaps doing more when I was younger, I’m questioning whether that’s wise or sustainable (injuries and wear-and-tear) for my ongoing health at this point.<p>It used to take a day or two to recover, but as I get older, it’s in terms of weeks not days.

If you are in your twenties, read Starting Strength [1].<p>If you are in your fifties, read both Starting Strength and The Barbell Prescription [2].<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0982522738" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Train...</a> [2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Barbell-Prescription-Strength-Training-After&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0982522770" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Barbell-Prescription-Strength-Trainin...</a>

Peter Attia [1] has a great podcast about many aging&#x2F;healthspan issues. I listen to the free version but there is also a paid version of the podcast with more info.<p>The book Lifespan [2] from David Sinclair is also a fantastic source. Finally, if you can wade through some of the questionable statements and claims, the book The Longevity Paradox [3] from Steven Gundry does have some useful info.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;peterattiamd.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;peterattiamd.com&#x2F;</a> [2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Lifespan-Why-Age_and-Dont-Have&#x2F;dp&#x2F;1501191977" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Lifespan-Why-Age_and-Dont-Have&#x2F;dp&#x2F;150...</a> [3] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Longevity-Paradox-Young-Ripe-Plant&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0062843397" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Longevity-Paradox-Young-Ripe-Plant&#x2F;dp...</a>

I&#x27;ve heard it described this way: In terms of physical health&#x2F;conditioning&#x2F;training, from 20 to 40, the question is how much can you get. From 40 to 60, the question is how long can you keep it. After 60, the question is how slowly can you lose it.<p>You may say, sure, I care about physical health, but why do I care about conditioning or training? Because when you&#x27;re 30, conditioning is whether you can sprint or run marathons or play sports. When you&#x27;re 80, it&#x27;s whether you can walk without pain.<p>Note: By &quot;conditioning&quot; here, I don&#x27;t mean that you have to reach 10% body fat or 20 inch biceps or elite VO2 levels or anything like that. I don&#x27;t mean obsessive levels - those can cause injury and&#x2F;or result in shorter life span. I mean, though, that you make some effort to work on your body&#x27;s condition (strength, aerobic, or both) in a consistent, long-term way.

I would definitely recommend riding a bicycle. Nothing too hard, just regular aerobic exercise. It gives your mind a break too because you&#x27;re focused on doing one thing. Bonus points if you can ride in nature or somewhere beautiful.

The hardest thing is learning how to relax.<p>You will die eventually so facing that honestly is good but how does it affect your assessments? Are you going to give up and hedonist? or are you going to try-hard and conservatist? My 2c is to find some balance between the two and find stability in the habits that you enjoy.<p>Key idea though is to find relaxation, the less you regret or worry, the quicker you can calm down. The more rest you can grab during intermissions the more comfortable you will be. Don&#x27;t idle on your phone, find peace in boredom.

The book &quot;Jellyfish Age Backwards&quot; is very good and covers as well as sorts modern science in anti-aging and health. Definitely recommend this book.

Here is my list<p>1) Minimize stress 2) Good sleep 3) Eat home cooked meals mostly (by this i don&#x27;t mean microwaving stuff). Even in my late twenties i would proudly boast that the only thing i can cook is an egg. Now i can cook for myself, stuff i enjoy eating and stuff that doesn&#x27;t take too long. 4) Reduce alcohol intake to no more than 3 beers once in a while. 5) Exercise 2-3 times a week. 6) Have a healthy social life, whatever that means for you.

In my opinion any activity that requires flexibility, force, coordination and speed is necessary for aging well. It can be acrobatics, martial arts, dancing, yoga, many sports. It is important to find something that you enjoy it by it self. That’s why I avoid plain running or plain weight lifting, unless they are meant to support another activity. And from experience, flexibility and speed really make living in my body enjoyable.

My plan is not to get old.<p>Staying healthy is not the goal here, it&#x27;s simply one of the methods to reach the actual goal, which is ensuring that you are not a burden to others when you get old. One other method is making so much money that you can pay someone to take full care of you. Those are all valid methods; so is not getting old in the first place.

&gt; Finally, is there a good book on this topic?<p>&#x27;The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity&#x27;:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;gp&#x2F;product&#x2F;B06X6LPQH9&#x2F;ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;gp&#x2F;product&#x2F;B06X6LPQH9&#x2F;ref=dbs_a_def_r...</a>

I exercise daily. Transcendental meditation is a good choice for improving my mental health. I practice twice a day. Regarding health books, good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health by Gary Taubes is a great book for being healthy when you are older.

It’s simple:<p>1. Reduce your consumption of carbs (not just sugar) as much as possible (below 50g a day).<p>2. Increase your consumption of fibre.<p>3. Eat real unprocessed food as much as possible (eat the apple instead of drinking apple juice).<p>If you do that you will dramatically improve your health compared with most people.

Do cardio and never lift weights. Lift weights but never do cardio.<p>Go vegan. Go keto.<p>Privatize your personal relationships. Find meaningful work.<p>Honestly, just do whatever you want. If it works you’ll feel satisfied that you were right. If you’re wrong, you probably won’t care that much either.

You already know what you need to do, you just need to do it.<p>In most people it involves prioritising health over other goals to some extent, e.g. if you&#x27;re doing an 80 hour job, find a 40 hour one with less stress, hit the gym and cook proper meals.

Exactly the same things you should to be healthy when young. Get exercise, eat healthy.

Ignore most of what you read on the internet on the subject, including here.

No book needed, just common sense:<p>* no alcohol * no sugary drinks and sweets * drink water * eat fruits, mostly berries * eat salad and vegetables * eat less meat * walk every day * get enough sleep

Move to higher altitude<p>Marry someone way younger<p>Be religious<p>Walk a lot<p>Fast sometimes or often<p>Be close to parents relationship wise<p>Use moisturizer even in 20s<p>Donate blood or plasma<p>Keep carbs very low<p>Always be learning something mental and something else physical<p>Eat organic<p>Reduce omega-6 (grass fed meat has less of it AND AVOID all vegetable oils)

Eat well, work out, try and be reasonably active day to day, don&#x27;t smoke, don&#x27;t drink much, gets lots of sleep, drink lots of water.<p>That&#x27;s it.

Stretch. By all that anyone anywhere might hold holy, STRETCH!<p>You can be strong or you can be weak, so long as you&#x27;re flexible, so stretch.

Move your body often.

i started riding a bike on a regular basis. also i lift some mediocre weights once a week. never felt better.

Testosterone replacement therapy - your testosterone starts to decline when you hit 30 by about 1% a year. TRT replaces it to where it would be if you were a healthy twenty year old. This will allow you to train harder and recover quicker.<p>Stretch every day to maintain mobility. Look at something like GOWOD for a personalised program. Down Dog yoga app is brilliant as well.<p>Exercise:<p>Don’t do the same exercise two days in a row. Choose several low impact cardio exercises you enjoy and cycle between them such as:<p>- Rowing<p>- Swimming<p>- Cycling<p>- Rucking<p>- Aqua Jogging<p>- SkiErg<p>Do some form of resistance training. Do little and often rather than long sessions. Look at swapping traditional exercises out for more ergonomic alternatives. The aim of the game is to get volume on the muscles whilst avoiding stress on the nervous system. For example:<p>- Belt squats instead of back squats<p>- Trap bar deadlifts instead of conventional<p>- Swapping barbell movements for dumbbell movements<p>- Using sand bags and kettlebells instead of metal and rubber counterparts.<p>Train your explosivity. This is the first thing to go as you get older. Old men can still be insanely strong but they’re rarely as explosive as in their youth. TRT will help with this.<p>If your job is computer based, invest in some ergonomic office equipment. I recommend the Hag Capisco as a chair. If you get one, make sure you get the foot ring as well, it’s madness that it doesn’t come as standard. Get a split keyboard such as a ZSA Moonlander. If you get one, get a “ZSA Platform” to mount it on as well, makes it a million times better. Be prepared for a frustrating learning curve with it. I’ll post my layout for it here at some point or check my comment history where I already posted it somewhere else.<p>I also recommend purchasing a standing desk, such as a YoYo or Jarvis desk. Another cheaper alternative if you only need an area for a mouse and keyboard is something like the “Lifeline Cycling Table”.<p>The way I have found standing desks to actually work and not just get abandoned is to have the desk permanently set to standing height, and to have your chair set up at standing height too. That way you can easily switch between standing and sitting without any messing about. I used to recommend standing desk mats but don’t anymore as they often interfere with whatever chair you’re using. You end up having to faff and move them out of the way if you want to sit down and then get them back again if you want to stand. Same with the treadmill desks. Just invest in some carpet or a nice soft rug that way you get the cushioning benefits for your feet but can also move the chair around on it freely.<p>Eat healthy as other people have said. Invest in meal prep containers and make it as easy as possible for yourself.<p>Buy a Garmin or smart watch to monitor health metrics.<p>Journal to keep your mind healthy.<p>Spend time in nature.

Sauna, apparently.

Eat a lot of veggies<p>Avoid overprocessed and junk food (yes, you know what is junk and what isn&#x27;t)<p>No smoking. No harmful drugs. Low to no booze.<p>Exercise regularly.<p>Avoid social media - mental and physical health are related