Healthy aging and longevity Archive

To optimize cardiovascular health, the best strategy may be a workout that combines three types of exercise: moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, and strength training. Moderate activity burns calories and boosts metabolism, which helps control weight. Moderate-to-vigorous exercise also helps dampen the body's "fight or flight" response, which plays a role in chronic stress and anxiety. Aerobic exercise in general also helps the heart to become more efficient and blood vessels to become more flexible. Strength training makes the body more efficient at burning fat for energy and helps improve insulin sensitivity.

Women receive less information about perimenopause compared with the earlier milestones of puberty and pregnancy. Some women deal with an array of symptoms they don't connect to perimenopause and aren't aware that lifestyle changes can offset them. The menopause transition often involves weight gain from both shifting hormones and aging. Regular exercise and strength training can mitigate weight gain. Healthy eating habits and sounder sleep can also offset perimenopausal symptoms.

Wearing nail polish does not harm nails. However, doing so for long periods can dry out the surface, prompting chalky, white patches to form. Removing nail polish with acetone-based products can also dry out the nails and surrounding skin.

Nearly one in five hospitalized adults is harmed or dies each year due to a diagnostic error. Diagnostic errors include a delay in diagnosis, a wrong diagnosis, or unclear communication about a diagnosis. Tricky-to-diagnose conditions include pneumonia, heart attack, stroke, sepsis, blood clots, and lung cancer. Women, minorities, and older adults may be more vulnerable to diagnostic mistakes. People can lower their risks of diagnostic errors by telling the doctor about their medications, taking a trusted companion to appointments, and seeking second opinions in cases of doubt.

While there are limited studies about the health benefits of cold-water immersions, a 2025 analysis found regular ice baths or cold showers may help reduce stress levels, improve sleep, and increase quality of life.

Walking is one of the best ways for older adults to get the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. But to ensure people get the most from their walking workouts, they need to focus on intensity. One way to do this is with target heart rate. A typical target heart rate for moderate-intensity exercise is between 65% and 75% of a person's calculated maximum heart rate. Improving walking form and doing interval workouts can help increase speed and thus intensity.

A 2025 study suggested that people with sedentary jobs are at higher risk of developing insomnia, which can persist for many years.

Spending time alone with energetic young grandchildren can be physically challenging. It puts grandparents at risk for falls and injuries. It will benefit grandparents to improve their balance and do some muscle strengthening so they can lift or carry squirmy children and also get up and down from a chair or the floor while playing with kids. If children run off while in a grandparent's care, the grandparent should be wary of obstacles in the path to catch up to them, such as footstools or toys indoors and uneven terrain outdoors.

A 2025 study addressed the role of genes versus lifestyle habits and life circumstances in influencing a person's health. Researchers found that genes seemed to have a stronger influence than lifestyle and life circumstances for some diseases, including dementia, macular degeneration, and certain cancers. For other diseases, such as atherosclerosis involving arteries of the heart and brain, rheumatoid arthritis, and diseases of the lung, heart, and liver, lifestyle and life circumstances had a stronger influence than genes.

In a 2025 study of about 2,000 people (average age 80) who were followed for seven years, about a third developed dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Being socially active seemed to delay that diagnosis for about five years.