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Healthy aging and longevity Archive

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Try this: Play dead

Spending several minutes lying on the ground in a resting supine pose can help people feel grounded by calming their body and mind.

Reaching the climax

As they age, men can face obstacles to achieving orgasms during sex, such as anorgasmia (the inability to achieve an orgasm), delayed orgasm (where it takes 30 minutes or longer to climax). Sometimes, lack of arousal is an issue. Men can take steps to help achieve orgasms, such as introducing strategies in the bedroom, such masturbation, using sexual toys, and reading erotica.

The big chill

Many professional athletes and celebrities swear by the therapeutic benefits of ice bathing, which involves briefly immersing one's body in cold water. The science around possible health benefits is thin. Still, fans say the practice makes them feel mentally and physically invigorated and reduces muscle soreness. People can try ice baths by filling their tub with cold water and immersing themselves as completely as possible for several seconds to a few minutes.

Taking the Presidential Physical Fitness Test

The original Presidential Physical Fitness Test consisted of five exercises: a one-mile run, pull-ups or push-ups, sit-ups, shuttle run, and sit-and-reach. The test gauged upper-body and core strength, endurance, flexibility, and agility for America's youth. Still, with some modifications, older adults can use the test to assess a baseline of their fitness and identify areas where they need to improve.

When walking becomes a pain

Walking may be hampered for a number of reasons, such as arthritis, a joint sprain, or muscle strain. Most often people already have pain from these conditions even before they begin walking. But individuals who are pain-free and then experience pain when walking that gets worse as they walk faster or longer could suffer from one of three conditions: peripheral artery disease, sciatica, or lumbar spinal stenosis. Ironically, the best strategy for any of these is to keep walking and staying as active as possible.

The pleasure dome

A professional head shave done by a barber is an easy, no-fuss way to maintain a shaved head. But do-it-yourselfers can get a clean shave by following these simple steps: cut the hair close to the scalp with an electric trimmer; rinse with warm water; cover the head with shaving oil, gel, or foam; then shave in the direction of hair growth with an electric shaver or a cartridge or safety razor, or both for a close shave.

Spouse's heart disease linked to higher risk of depression

The spouses of people who have heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure may face an elevated risk of depression, according to a 2024 study.

Sitting less may help lower blood pressure

Older adults might be able to lower their blood pressure by reducing their sitting time by as little as 30 minutes per day, according to a 2024 study.

More than 2,200 steps a day might help you live longer

While the best health outcomes are linked to taking about 10,000 steps per day, people who walk as little as 2,200 steps may lower the odds of developing heart disease or dying early compared to those who walk fewer steps.

Menopause and long COVID: What's the connection?

Two-thirds of Americans with long COVID are women. Women approaching menopause who have long COVID seem to experience worsened symptoms of both conditions. Women's sex hormones appear to contribute to this phenomenon. Hormone therapy is becoming both a treatment and a diagnostic tool to determine driving factors behind affected women's symptoms. Because symptoms overlap, some women may have trouble being correctly diagnosed with perimenopause or long COVID.

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