Longevity Lifestyles: How to Live Longer — or Not

‘Even though tennis makes my knee flare up, it doesn't stop me because I love it so much and have gained an exercise that I love, friends that I enjoy being with and energy I get from that type of workout,” Pisanic told AARP Experience Counts.

Pisanic has held off on knee surgery “because of the time I will have to spend away from tennis to recover.”

“My surgery will take place in late fall or winter (of 2024), so I don't miss too much tennis,” she said.

Not everyone is up for tennis or cycling (which can add 3.7 years to your life, according to the same study). Still, if you want to extend your years, Darnell Cox, a gerontologist and healthy aging coach, suggests adapting your exercise plan to focus on mobility, strength and flexibility.

“Not only does maintaining mobility affect our heart, lungs, bones, and brain, it also affects anxiety, depression, isolation, loneliness, and pain,” she said.

I Still Do

A healthy, committed marriage is one way to extend your life. Studies show that married couples, including same-sex couples, fare better than unmarried people, living on average two years longer.

But when faced with health challenges, married men are better off than married women. Some variables that may account for this disparity include the generality that women are better caregivers than men. Women may also fare more poorly because they internalize hardships more than men.

Thank God

Studies have found that people who attend religious services live an average four years longer than those who do not. That number increases depending on sex and marital status.

The key to success for religiously observant people isn’t just more social interactions, volunteer work or healthier lifestyle habits.

“We’re not compartmental beings. If something impacts my soul, chances are it also impacts my body,” Bill Fiala, PhD a licensed psychologist and professor in Asuza Pacific University’s Department of Higher Education, told the school’s Office of University Relations.

Of course, measuring your relationship with God is pretty hard to quantify, but prayer, meditation and spirituality are reported to reduce stress and lower blood pressure.

“Stress is directly linked to inflammation — the root cause of all age-related diseases,” Cox noted.

Driving Miss Daisy

It may seem counterintuitive that driving as a senior is a life-extending activity. While fatalities from crashes may be more likely in the older population due to the frailty of older adults, older drivers tend to have fewer crashes, in part because they drive fewer miles and obey driving laws.

A study of American drivers aged 70 and over found that males aged 70-74 who were driving at the start of the survey had a total life expectancy of 18 years, and women had a life expectancy of 21 years. These seniors are expected to drive for another 11 years before having to give it up due to cognitive and physical ailments.

A corresponding survey showed that people who drive later in life report fewer incidences of depressed mood, likely due to the ability to live independently and maintain social interactions.

AARP’s free online seminar called We Need to Talk helps families determine an older adult’s driving skills and whether driving is an activity to continue in later years.

Share your experience: What lifestyle change, if any, have you made to extend your years? Tell us in the comments below.