Discover the Shocking Secret to Staying Fit and Youthful in Your Golden Years!

He focuses on abs and cardio three days a week, the other days he’s lifting light weights for high reps.

Dorfman says he wanted to get serious about sports after a hiatus during dental school that left him in frequent pain. That’s when he realized his fitness had taken a back seat after years of swimming and gymnastics in high school. “I found that the more I exercised, the better I felt,” he says.

Outside of the gym, he credits his daily Words With Friends habit with keeping his mind sharp. He also makes plans to have dinner with various friends one night to keep in touch.

Dorfman’s wellness habits underscore that a fitness program is key to living longer — but one that also includes mental and emotional fitness.

“We really need to look at the life of an older adult from a holistic perspective—whether they’re truly happy, healthy, and whole,” says Dor Skuler, co-founder and CEO of Intuition Robotics and an expert on loneliness in aging adults.

Here are four ways to focus on total-body fitness as you age.

Movement for body and brain

Staying physically active can prevent injuries and help the body heal faster when they do occur. In addition, it is also closely linked to good mental health and brain function.

dr Kirk Erickson, Director of Translational Neuroscience AdventHealth Central Florida, where he studies the plasticity and modifiability of the brain system, has found that physical activity is one of the best ways to maintain the brain The brain stays healthy throughout life.

Erickson’s research shows that as people age, brain is shrinking, especially the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory formation. Exercise can help maintain, and in some cases even enlarge, this part of the brain. There’s still a lot to learn about how and why this is, but Erickson says the longer you practice these habits, the better the effects, so it’s good to start at a young age.

Of course, you can benefit from it even if you start later in life, he says. You might find that over time you can recall memories and information more easily and have better executive functioning and longer attention spans when your brain is in peak condition, he says.

He recommends moderate exercise, e.g go5 days a week for 30 minutes.

Aside from walking, Dr. Gary Small, Chair of Psychiatry Hackensack Meridian Health says strength training helps fight age-related muscle wasting and may lead to longer lifespans. In addition, balance exercises can help prevent slips and falls — the leading cause of injury in adults aged 65 and over.

Jasmine Marcus, a physical therapist at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, where she works with patients of all ages and physical activity levels, recommends starting on tiptoe if you’re new to it. She suggests starting with some sort of group fitness class like Zumba — anything that gets your heart rate up. It also helps when you have a partner who holds you accountable, she says.

Strive for mental fitness

Small also recommends activities that keep the brain in shape. A study showed the simple process of reading articles online and searching for topics Google provided valuable intellectual stimulation. Solving crossword puzzles, reading books, playing games, pursuing hobbies, and daydreaming all contribute to mental acuity.

Managing stress is also a crucial part of maintaining mental fitness. Just 10 minutes of meditation a day can improve mood and cognitive agility, rewire the brain, and strengthen neural circuits, according to Small.

“You don’t have to go to a retreat in Nepal or India to meditate, but you can learn the skills,” he says.

stay social

The US Surgeon General issued a recommendation this year Warning about the country’s loneliness epidemic, which negatively affects health. In one study, lack of social connection was equated with smoke up to 15 cigarettes a day. Other studies show that social contacts reduce the risk of premature death. It is clear that social and emotional fitness is the key to aging well.

Skuler, whose company makes AI-powered social companions for older adults aimed at keeping them active and engaged, says major life changes like the death of a spouse often trigger loneliness.

“This is by far a turning point,” he says. Suddenly no one asks how you slept or what you have planned for the day. A similar problem occurs with asynchronous aging, for example, when a spouse has dementia. Other events, such as retirement or children’s school attendance, could have similar impacts on social well-being, says Skuler.

ElliQ, the robotic companions that Skuler’s company makes, are one way to help older adults stay connected, but he encourages all people to keep it up friendships and relationships with family members. Volunteering, he says, can also add meaning and connection to your life.

Develop good sleep hygiene

There is a myth that seniors need less sleep when they get olderbut dr Jamie Zeitzer, consultant and scientific reviewer at Rise Science, says that’s the reality sleep becomes more difficult with age. As a result, many seniors go to bed later and wake up earlier.

“Humans are programmed to stay awake 16 [hours] and sleep 8 hours,” he says. “An older person’s ability to do this decreases, so they have to try a little harder.”

The causes of poor sleep can be both social and physical. As we age, we become more sensitive to noise and temperature, says Zeitzer. The garbage truck that never woke you up on its weekly route might now wake you up at 6 a.m., he says. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can also make it difficult to sleep.

As we age, we also become more sensitive to caffeine. So if you were able to drink a cup of coffee earlier in the evening, you may have problems falling asleep hours later.

There’s also a big shift as we retire and the social constraints around sleep are suddenly lifted. Seniors who don’t have early morning social commitments may be less inclined to sleep at typical hours. A nap during the day, for example, can “exploit sleep at night,” says Zeitzer.

Older adults may find that insufficient sleep or a disrupted night’s sleep can lead to acute problems with cognition the next day, Zeitzer adds. Long-term poor sleep has been linked to health problems such as depression, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

A good routine can solve some sleep problems. First, avoid caffeine later in the day. And be sure to adjust the temperature in your sleeping environment to promote rest.

And he recommends finding a way to wind down before bed. While some experts warn against using electronic devices before covering your eyes, Zeitzer says watching a TV show can help if it leaves you feeling more relaxed and ready for bed.

“It’s always good to strive to close your eyes and fall asleep, but other people need more relaxation routines,” he says.