Lately, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time learning about longevity and healthy aging. These topics are certainly having a moment—and for good reason.
As part of this endeavor, I’ve read books such as Unbreakable by Dr. Vonda Wright and Plant-Powered Plus by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, and I recently attended a three-day workshop on the Horstmann Coaching Program with Fritz Horstmann. There is plenty of interesting (and some not so interesting) advice in these approaches. But as I explored them, I kept coming back to the same concern:
They don’t always take a truly holistic view of wellness.
You can spend hours at the gym and become incredibly strong following a demanding strength-training program, like Dr. Wright recommends. You can carefully structure your diet around the right amount of protein, plants, and fiber, like Horstmann suggest. These things can absolutely be valuable. But they primarily address one dimension of our wellbeing: the physical. Physical health is undoubtedly the foundation, but it is not the whole picture. Feeling good as we age requires more than a strong body; it calls for attention to the other dimensions of our well-being, too.
What about our intellectual wellbeing? Our mental and emotional wellbeing? Our occupational wellbeing? And what about our social lives, especially when a health plan becomes so demanding that it starts competing with time spent with the people we love? In fact, Horstmann even acknowledged that your friends might start thinking you’re a little obsessed once you get going. That made me stop and think.
In my view, structured programs like these can be useful temporary interventions when you have a specific goal in mind. But I’m not convinced they necessarily give us the sustainable habits we need to support our wellbeing over the long term, and across all dimensions of our lives.
So, what if we took a gentler approach? One that still takes care of our physical health, but also makes room for our minds, relationships, purpose, work, rest, and joy?
Here is my version of a sustainable recipe for healthy aging.
1. Have a purpose, or something that motivates you
If I had to choose just one, this would probably be the most important: have something to look forward to. Something that gives your days meaning and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.
It could be attending your grandson’s performance, passing an important exam, getting married, earning a promotion, caring for someone you love, starting a new personal project, traveling somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit; or simply becoming better at something you enjoy.
Your purpose doesn’t have to be permanent. Our interests, priorities, and circumstances change throughout life. The thing that motivates you at 45 may not be the thing that motivates you at 65. That’s not a failure; it’s part of being human.
2. Eat food, not too much, mostly plants
This quote by Michael Pollan is one of my favorite mantras.
Eat mostly whole and minimally processed foods rather than simply focusing on whether something is technically “edible.” Make plants a big part of your meals, including nutritious protein sources such as beans, lentils, soy, nuts, and seeds. And, of course, how much we eat matters too. Our energy needs change depending on our bodies, our activity levels, and our stage of life.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s a way of eating that is nourishing, enjoyable, flexible, and realistic enough to maintain for years, not weeks.
3. Make natural movement part of your day, and add some targeted exercise
Movement doesn’t have to happen only in a gym. Walk to the stores when you can, instead of ordering online. Do the groceries yourself and carry those heavy bags. Take the stairs. Fold the laundry. Work in the yard. Walk while talking on the phone. Get up regularly throughout your workday. These little movements add up more than one may think.
On top of that, it’s worth making room for more intentional exercise: regular aerobic activity and a couple of strength-training sessions each week can help us maintain cardiovascular fitness, muscle, strength, and function as we age. Maybe we can fit in a morning walk that gives us energy for the day, and a 20–30 minute strength session three times a week that gives our muscles the stimulus they need.
And here is an important caveat: your workout shouldn’t make you so exhausted that you spend the rest of the day sitting. This is where sustainability becomes the key word.
Exercise can (and sometimes should) be challenging. But we also need to find that Goldilocks zone: challenging enough to stimulate adaptation, but not so challenging that it interferes with the rest of our lives. Find our edge.
And remember: the edge will move over time. It won’t always be upward. Some weeks, you may be able to do more. Other weeks, your body may need less. And that’s OK! The goal is to keep moving for the rest of your life, not to “beat yesterday”.
4. Stay mentally active
Our brains need exercise too! Make room for creative activities: knitting, cooking, painting, gardening, writing, playing music, building things, solving puzzles; or whatever makes you curious and engaged.
You don’t have to become an expert. The point is to keep your brain involved, challenged, and interested in the world around you.
5. Never stop learning
Read a book. Take a class. Attend a seminar. Learn a language. Visit a museum. Take a course just because the subject fascinates you.
Learning keeps us curious and engaged, and it can help us develop new perspectives and continue building our knowledge and critical-thinking skills.
And there is something particularly wonderful about learning something simply because you want to—not because you need another credential.
6. Stay connected
This means to find your community. It could be a local book club, a running group, a professional association, a volunteer organization, your neighbors, or simply a few close coworkers.
We are social creatures. We need other people; not necessarily lots of people, but meaningful connections.
And yes, introverts need connection too. The amount and type of social interaction we enjoy may differ, but relationships remain an important part of wellbeing.
7. Find some joy in your work
I know, this one can be complicated. Not everyone has the luxury of choosing their perfect job, and work can be a significant source of stress.
But if you can, try to identify what makes your work meaningful or enjoyable. Maybe it’s the people you work with. Maybe it’s the flexibility, the location, the intellectual challenge, or the feeling that you are contributing to something worthwhile.
And if there is genuinely nothing about your work that feels good or meaningful, perhaps that is information worth paying attention to. Sometimes the healthiest choice is to start looking for something different.
8. Remember that rest is not a luxury
Rest is part of health. That includes the little pauses throughout the day: a real lunch break, a few minutes away from your screen, a quiet cup of coffee, a walk outside. It also includes longer periods of recovery, such as an evening spent with your family or a proper vacation.
And sleep matters. For most adults, that means aiming for around 7–9 hours a night.
Rest is not laziness. It is not wasted time. Resting is smart, because it allows us to recover, think more clearly, regulate our emotions, and show up with more energy for the things that matter.
9. Make room for leisure
Go out with friends. Take a hike. Listen to live music. Go to a concert. Watch a movie. Sit in the park. Travel. Read a novel that has absolutely nothing to do with personal development.
Leisure is not something we need to earn after being productive enough. It is part of a healthy life. These moments give our minds and bodies a chance to recharge, and often help us return to our routines with more energy and motivation.
10. Connect with something bigger than yourself
This is the spiritual dimension of wellbeing. For some people, that connection comes through religion or faith. For others, it may come through nature, humanity, community, art, philosophy, or a strong connection to their own values and principles. There is no single formula.
What matters is having a sense of connection to something larger than the day-to-day details of our lives; a sense of meaning, perspective, or belonging.
And that’s it.
Nothing drastic. Nothing that requires you to spend three hours a day at the gym, obsess over every gram of protein, or turn down invitations because they don’t fit your health plan.
To me, that is the sustainable road to wellbeing.
Not perfection. Not optimization at all costs. Not a life organized entirely around physical health. A healthy life should still feel like a life, with room for flexibility, rest and enjoyment.
How do you actually start?
If this list feels like a lot, don’t try to change everything at once. Instead, choose one or two areas that resonate with you and set one or two small SMART goals every couple of weeks. Then build from there.
For example:
For the next two weeks, I will take a 5–10 minute break after every 60–90 minutes of work during my workday.
Small, specific, achievable actions are much easier to turn into habits than sweeping lifestyle changes.
If you’d like more guidance on setting SMART goals, have a look at my previous article. And if you would rather not do it alone, working with a health coach can provide structure, accountability, and support.
Being healthy doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t necessarily have to cost a penny. You already have many of the ingredients you need: in yourself, in your relationships, and in the world around you.
Be well. Age well.
