What do you think helps people to age well?

My ex used to garden for a fella who was over 100 and his daughter (who was in her early 80s!) lived with him. It marveled me at the time. He also still did some of the gardening himself,just was a bit too frail to operate the ride-on mower any longer.

I don’t think height is a thing.

Very tall people have a small increased risk of developing many types of cancer compared to shorter people.

You can't go on height alone when other factors come in to play, the Japanese diet is pretty healthy compared to the West, it's low in saturated fats and lots of fish, I don't think they're a nation of smokers or vapers either so all these things help..

yes, & heart issues but you have to be tall tall as opposed to just tall

And my arthritic knee would love a bungalow!

DF is 92, takes himself for three walks a day, probably half a mile plus each time. In the afternoon he's often doing half a mile each way. He doesn't use his stairlift, has a fall alarm bracelet, does his shopping and cooking, though has a cleaner and gardener every few weeks. Until 6 years ago he and DM were driving over 200 miles to visit me, four times a year! I know all this could end with one nasty faĺl.

Social class is a huge covariate there though. If you can afford to horse ride or were a dancer, chances are that you're not on the breadline.

I suspect if you work in a job where you aren't forced into retirement (by physical inability to work) then youre better off. Retirement is generally a bad thing.

My mum is 94 this month. She would say having a baby (me!) at 42 kept her young but I’m not convinced that’s a great rule to follow!
She’s always been very active both physically and mentally - walked a lot, did a lot of gardening, although no ‘exercise’ as such. She still watches a lot of quiz programmes, knits, crochets and reads. She lives in our family home so has to negotiate stairs, and this has kept her more mobile. She had a spell in hospital earlier in the year and became very ‘old’ due to lack of mental stimulation but soon got herself back to normal when she came home. She’s also extremely stubborn and very much has a ‘get on with it’ attitude. Luck and genes must come into it as well - two of her brothers lived
to 90.
I do believe in the adage ‘use it or lose it.’ My MIL is 10 years younger but has made no effort to stay mobile as she’s aged and is now reaping the consequences of that.

I’m not sure if it’s already been mentioned but decent & accessible healthcare makes a huge difference. I dread to think what it will look like in the next few years.

It's usually down to the genes. My mum was going on overseas coach trips with me until she was 93. I hope I've inherited them.

Personal one here - listen to your kids, eventually they will know best.

E.G when they tell you that you'll fall and break your hip if you don't use your walking aid but you ignore their insistence and 2 days later fall and break your hip (resulting in ending up in a care home).

Money.

Dancing cost money to learn.
Large houses cost money.
Foreign Languages cost money to learn and to use.
Keeping houses instead of selling up to buy bungalows needs money to own a house in the first place.
Travel costs money.
Retirement means income.
Getting hearing tests and decent hearing aids as soon as necessary (rather than relying upon a busy GP in an area without good NHS funding) requires money to get them or to live in an area where it's easier to be seen and better ones are prescribed in the first place. Also makes it less likely to develop hearing loss from working in noisy environments with little regard to hearing protection for many years if the job wasn't one of those in the first place.
Having hobbies, a social life, sport, gym, all require money.
Eating well and having a home with sufficient facilities to store and cook requires money.

My parents died in their 90s and in both cases, they seemed ageless and like they might go on forever until very short illnesses saw them off.

They both kept really active, walked for an hour each morning, played golf, did all of their own gardening and housekeeping. My dad did the Telegraph cryptic crossword every day. They both were still driving, as sharp as tacks and had good hearing.

I think their attitude fuelled them. There was no way they were going to end up in care homes and sheer bloody mindedness paid off for them. Now I see friends with frail and demented parents in their early 80s, I feel very lucky.

Research into the FOX03 gene shows bearers ( who are short) live long lives.

Scandinavian research comparing the life span of their basket ball players v their cross country skiers ( 6'' shorter) showed the latter lived 7 years longer.

The fact that women live longer than men may also be because they are on average 5 inches shorter? Or maybe because they have 2 X chromosomes?
The longest living woman ever, Jeanne Calmant, 122 years 164 days was 4' 6''.

Historically however, being short often meant that you were poor and had a bad diet etc. Manchester eg had a bantam Battalion in 1914 for men between 5" and 5'3.

Anecdotally however my longest living uncle at 93 was 6ft 4''.
My great grandfather who died at 97 was short. So anybody's guess.....?

My paternal grandmother never exercised - never even wore trousers, in fact! She was overweight and very hard of hearing (but had a hearing aid that whistled) and left school at 13 (in 1911). She was one of the most interested and interesting people I've ever known, always up to date with the news, had a huge social circle of friends and relatives and was pin-sharp mentally right to the end (at 94, when she died after a very short illness). She moved into a retirement home in her 80s but had to leave because "it was full of old people just waiting to die" and getting her down. She bought a little flat and lived in that for a few years, before going back into the home when she felt a bit more frail. But I think she really only did it because my father and uncle worried about her living on her own. She played the piano for decades, including for the silent movies in the little town where she lived, but didn't speak any other languages or play chess or bridge or any of the other things that we are all apparently supposed to do to stave off decline. So I do think it's mostly genes and I really hope I've inherited hers.

I’m not sure I want to live into my 90s tbh

Same! There is already a massive shortage of nurses and carers in the UK. People are increasingly living longer with more complex health needs than ever before.

My grandad was exceptionally active until 90 when he unfortunately got cancer but things that he did included a long walk almost daily, very little processed food, read the newspaper every day, kept socially busy.

I remember going on holiday to Malta in August with him, he was 86 then and it was almost 40 degrees. He was absolutely fine, loving sight seeing, never once complained about the heat.

He was a young adult during the war and was extremely resilient, i think his mind set helped. Genes also played a part. My great nan and great uncle also lived well in to their 90s.

This is my take on it too. My Mum died in her mid 60s which was completely unexpected yet my Dad who rigorously abused his body and had a chaotic life lived 20 years longer. My maternal grandparents who both smoked, and drank quite heavily, made it to their late 80s with full faculty. I genuinely believe that whilst living a healthy life is good, there is no recipe for longevity and a lot of it is luck of the draw.

I do! As I said upthread, my parents lived long, happy, healthy, independent lives well into their 90s. Why wouldn’t anyone want that?

DH is 82 and I'm 79: We mix socially a lot, DH exercises a vast amount (in my estimation) and I do as much as I can. Neither of us are dependent on family or carers (very lucky) and enjoy our life to the fullest extent. We do have health issues that are not particularly life limiting. We do regard ourselves as very fit considering our ages.

Some people might just get to a point where they are tired of life.

If fit and healthy avoid retirement properties or moving away from friends.

Get out and about, go for coffees, walks. Only give up driving when it feels right to.

@ClaudeHopper it would very much depend on my health, the state of the world & how my family and friends were doing

I’ve been wading through this all weekend; it turns out that very vigorous exercise (eg playing with a dog, running to the bus) anything that raises heart rate to about 85% max is very healthy and one minute is worth somewhere between 7 to 10 times as much as low intensity exercise (the type they say to do 150-300 mins a week of.) varies depending on what they’re measuring; cardiovascular fitness, cancer reduction, diabetes etc

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/foundmyfitness/id818198322?i=1000740244045

(I was interested as had cancer and never understood how many minutes “vigorous” was. As it’s bloody hard to reach 75 vigorous per week! Turns out that about 20 is great. And can be in tiny ‘snacks.’)

Other info I’m aware of is maintaining strength which is harder as you age and you need to consume more protein as you age to support this.

random tips I’ve heard is to be able to carry your own body weight in a farmers carry for a minute and maintaining planks for as many seconds as you are old. Being able to squat and get out of chair etc.

Maintaining mobility and balance- Obviously someone who can save themselves when they stumble or is able to navigate going to the loo in the middle of the night without an injury is going to live longer.

Beyond this, life long learning and engagement in wide ranging social activities are key.