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For the vast majority of human history, the average life expectancy has been a fraction of the 7-plus decades it is today. In fact, as late as the 1700s, infants born in the U.S. lived an average of only about 40 years. But as living conditions began to improve advances in sanitation, the availability of clean water, more abundant food, development of vaccines that number has sharply risen.
According to the CDC, babies born in the U.S. today can expect to live an average of 76 years. And as more and more of the population lives comfortably into and well past middle age, the more opportunities there are for the last decades of life to be a time not just to survive, but thrive.
Over 50, Lively, and Thriving
"Older adults are no longer a little part of the population; they are the real consumer," says geriatrician and epidemiologist Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD, scientific director at the National Institute on Aging, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Progress in medicine over the years has paved the way for a less painful and disabling path to older age, Ferrucci says. So instead of giving up, people are taking better care of themselves in their later years.
"More people are exercising and being conscious about what they eat," Ferrucci says. "There's a very strong desire to be healthy and active in old age and enjoy everything that life is offering to you."
The Gift of Growing Older Gracefully
When Carlene Davis turned 50 in 2016, she approached the milestone not with dread, but with a spirit of celebration. She surrounded herself with friends and loved ones from all phases of her life. She had always considered aging an honorable process and leaned into her increasing years with gratitude.
"In African American culture which is a lineage of African culture we revere elders," Davis says. "So the concept of growing older is a desirable thing. It's your time to be revered."
Being a caregiver also shaped her views on healthy living in older age. When she was in her 30s, Davis stepped into that role for both her parents, who lived with various chronic illnesses. That gave her a front-row seat to the impact health has on the aging process and daily life. That led her to co-found the organization SAGE Sistahs, "Sistahs Aging with Grace and Elegance," for Black women 50 and older. It addresses the risk factors African American women face as they get older, providing them with information, resources, and support.
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Health, Wellness, and Graceful Aging
There are some exceptions, but in general, the formula for overall health is universal for everyone: exercise, eat well, reduce stress, and take preventive steps like vaccines and screenings. But as you get older, the way you approach these key elements of wellness may need to shift.
Here's how to care for yourself and help your body, mind, and soul be their best:
Make sure your nutrition meets your needs.
There's no one perfect diet that prevents all disease. But research shows the Mediterranean diet which focuses mostly on plant-based foods like veggies, fruits, and whole grains, along with healthy fats like olive oil can help stop several issues, including diseases that affect your heart and blood vessels. It may also be linked to a slower pace of aging, Ferrucci says.
"We don't quite understand the matrix that describes the ideal combination of food that will eventually improve your health, but the Mediterranean diet seems to capture it," he says.
Davis says she eliminated pork and beef and is working her way toward the Mediterranean way of eating. She's also listening more to her body and paying attention to how it reacts to certain foods.
"I finally accepted that I'm lactose intolerant," she says. "For a long time, I would just take a lactose pill and 'enjoy' my dairy, but then I finally told myself, 'Carlene, if you have to take a pill to eat something, maybe you should just not be eating that thing.' That was my growth and acceptance of my body for how it is."
As you fill your plate at meals, think about not only how the foods you're choosing will make you feel, but also how they support your aging body. Protein-packed foods such as salmon, eggs, nuts, seeds, and Greek yogurt can help you keep muscle mass, which begins to decrease after age 30. They also give you energy. A great time to have protein is right after physical activity, Ferrucci says.
"Try to eat your protein in the 30 minutes after you exercise," he says. "During that time, your muscles are more receptive to take those amino acids and transform them into [new] proteins."
Antioxidant-rich foods like broccoli, almonds, tomatoes, and blueberries protect your cells against free radicals. Those are unstable atoms that cause damage. Some studies have shown that blueberries may even help delay age-related decline in mental skills.
There are some things you need less of as you age, too. After 50, doctors suggest you lower the amount of sodium in your diet, especially if you deal with high blood pressure. But foods don't have to be bland. You can pump up flavor with herbs and citrus instead of salt.
You may not realize it, but you become less sensitive to thirst as you get older. Staying hydrated is important, especially because your body makeup changes with age. It means you have less water in your body to begin with. You need water to lubricate joints, pump your heart, and flush toxins. If drinking plain water feels like a pain, spruce it up with some fresh fruit for a flavor boost.
Make daily movement a habit.
When it comes to exercise, any amount counts toward sustaining healthy living and counts a lot. And don't let the word "workout" scare you off.
"When we talk about exercise to a middle-aged or older person, they don't listen because they think they need to get up at 5 in the morning, run 5 miles, join CrossFit, etc., and it frightens them," Ferrucci says.
But studies actually show that just changing from being completely sedentary to moving even just a little bit can have a huge impact on your health.
"Even if you start walking 15 minutes a day around the block, that's an enormous effect on cardiovascular health," Ferrucci says.
Davis says that in her younger years, getting exercise meant running. But as she's gotten older, she's shifted to hiking, tennis, and deep stretching. And for her, physical activity is another opportunity to build community.
"Hiking became one of my favorite pastimes, for a number of reasons, but mainly because it was also social," Davis says. "I didn't go hiking by myself. I went hiking in community."
Build mental health support.
Living longer can come with loss and grief more often, as friends and loved ones grow older and die. But it's important to know that though loss may be unavoidable, depression isn't. Older adults are often misdiagnosed and undertreated for depression, but the condition isn't a normal part of aging. It's a medical condition you can get help and treatment for.
Signs you may be depressed include:
- Sadness and anxiety that last for a while
- Feeling hopeless, worthless, cranky, or restless
- Losing interest in activities you usually enjoy
- Decreased energy
- Trouble concentrating
- Getting too much or too little sleep
- Aches, pains, and digestive issues that don't seem to have a medical cause
- Thoughts of suicide
If you have several of these signs and they last for more than 2 weeks, talk with your doctor. Therapy, medications, and other treatments can ease your symptoms and get you back to feeling like yourself.
Davis says she thinks of counseling as a necessary tuneup for the mind and soul, much like an oil change for your car.
"Therapy is a constant in my life. It's not necessarily that I do it every week, or even every month. But I have the structure in place and a counselor who knows me so that when it's time for therapeutic intervention, it's there."
She also builds mental health-focused talks into SAGE Sistahs' programming to raise awareness about the importance of prevention and intervention.
"We have Black female psychologists come and talk about mental health, what that means, and what to look for," Davis says.
Sometimes, there can be confusion between changes due to aging and those due to declining thinking skills, mental health issues, and social isolation. Davis says it's important that the community knows and understands the signs and symptoms for all those situations in themselves and in each other. In a sense, she says, it's at the heart of what they do at SAGE Sistahs.
"We come together in community to say to each other, 'How are you doing?' Whatever else is going on in your life, you're going to come in this space, and we are going to love you up. That, in and of itself, is a mental health intervention."
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Focus on prevention with screenings and vaccines.
Once you reach 50, it's more important than ever to keep up with regular, routine wellness exams. Not only will it allow a medical professional to keep tabs on your vitals (blood pressure, urinalysis, blood sugar, cholesterol), but it will also be a springboard for other screenings you need to help prevent infection and disease.
The earlier you identify an issue, the more likely you can treat it and live a longer, healthier life. Ask your doctor how often you should have cancer screenings. Vaccines are equally important.
Between 70% and 85% of the deaths from the flu each year are in people 65 years of age or older. Getting your flu shot every year lowers your risk of serious illness and even death from the virus. The CDC suggests a higher-dose flu vaccine if you're over 65.
Ferrucci says that historically, the role of vaccines has been solely to prevent a serious infection event, but now doctors have started to suggest them for other reasons, too.
"There is emerging evidence that people who have severe infection are much more likely to develop dementia," he says. "Very strong evidence shows that there's a strong association between developing dementia and history of infection."
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Learn More About Healthy Aging
Ways Life Can Get Better After You're 50
Mental Health Check for Older Adults
Share Your Healthy Lifestyle With Others