What do you think helps people to age well?

Getting enough sleep.

My mum is the last of many and it makes her very sad. It’s hard being the last one! Dad has lost three and that also makes him sad.

What everyone said already about keeping body and mind active.

Also: regular dental care, hearing checks, wearing hearing aids, visiting the hairdresser regularly, and wearing clean clothes. All basic things but really important to health and wellbeing IMO

My gym is full of retired people. They’re so disciplined and I’m in awe. Sometimes they need to take a bit of time off for a new hip or new knee, but they come right back again. The older people I chat to at the gym have led interesting lives and have interests and a real passion for life.

My parents are in their early 80s, tech literate, physically active and intellectually curious. They are both absolutely fine. They’ll pay people to do the awkward stuff around the house and garden - hedge cutting, decorating, plumbing/electrical work. But general maintenance and cleaning inside and out they are all over. They also go out for coffee / lunch / dinner with friends or family 2 or 3 times a week, and go out of the house every day even if that’s just to the local village to get a paper or whatever. And they still go on plenty of holidays / breaks, although more of those are UK based now…though they did go to Australia last year. So I intend to take the same approach :)

Drinking plenty of water.

for my mother, it is sheer bloody-mindedness. Determined to outlive siblings: 3 down, 1 to go

Keeping mind and body active

Keep walking, keep seeing people, keep doing stuff.

Embracing Technology and having an. Interest I other people and the world around

Of course mobility and strength can be maintained into the 80s and 90s but people have to make an effort. My mother is 89, widowed 5 years ago.

She lives alone in her 5 bed house with large garden which she maintains herself, she gardens most days and doesn't have a cleaner. She climbs ladders, prunes trees. She cooks from scratch, eats 3 healthy meals a day, 1 glass of wine a day. She walks 2 miles every morning, rain or shine.

She also believes that people should make themselves continue to do things for themselves and that once you start sitting down and getting other people in to do things then the decline starts. There may be something in that.

Keep active. Not necessary hard stuff, just walking etc. my gran is 89 and still walks daily. Slightly overweight but everything in moderation. Always been very social and looked on the bright side

I should add that the horse-riders only age well if they survive the horse riding 🫣 and aren’t injured in accidents or falls! 😬😆

Other than that it’s very good for you as it exercises the entire body. So do many of the tasks involved in looking after horses.

I imagine the latter applies to regular swimmers too?

My grandma is about to turn 101 and her short term memory has started to go in the past few years but other than that she's been incredibly healthy and with it. She puts it down to continuing to play piano and read in a foreign language regularly. I remember her saying something about touching her toes 100 times every day but I don't think she still does that! She was very active when she was younger but for my whole life her main exercise has been walking and gardening. Her diet is very simple but not at all low fat, just sensible old school food in moderation. I think genes have a massive part to play as well.

Horse-riders and dancers usually age well.

Exceptionally intelligent people with brilliant intellects and enquiring minds seem to to do well despite their physical condition.

People with regular, modest habits.

People who walk briskly, daily.

Watching with interest; coming from a family who are basically infirm well before 80, I've seen my possible fate and don't want to head down that road..