5 Powerful Healthy Habits That Can Dramatically Slow Aging

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Aging well isn’t just about genetics; what we eat and how we live also make a difference. We explored the best foods for looking and feeling younger and examined how lifestyle choices like exercise and socializing can impact aging.

Here are five healthy habits you can adopt to help slow down the aging process.

1. Regular exercise

Regular exercise is often seen as the best way to stay youthful. It benefits our bodies in many ways. Aerobic activities, like jogging, help keep our hearts strong, make our arteries more flexible, lower blood pressure, and improve blood flow to the brain. Strength training helps maintain muscle and bone mass, which naturally decreases with age.

A study from 2018 found that people who exercised the most (equivalent to a 30-minute jog, 5 times a week) had longer telomeres, a sign of slower aging. This effect is thought to be because exercise reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.

2. Intermittent fasting

It might sound unusual, but studies on lab animals suggest that reducing calorie intake by 20 to 50%—even just sometimes—could lead to longer lifespans and better health. Although the exact reason isn’t clear, one idea is that eating less reduces the number of harmful free radicals that cause inflammation.

Alternating between fasting and eating might also boost the activity of sirtuins, enzymes that help repair damaged DNA and keep cells healthy. A human study found that even a 12% reduction in calories was linked to a lower risk of age-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

David Sinclair, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and author of Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To, follows a form of intermittent fasting by skipping one meal a day. However, intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone, and more research is needed to confirm these benefits for humans.

3. Plenty of sleep

Everyone needs different amounts of sleep, but most adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours each night. Not getting enough sleep can increase inflammation in your body and speed up aging. A review of 72 studies found that sleep issues are closely linked to higher levels of inflammatory markers, like C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, in the blood.

4. Cultivating social connections

Human connections are important for our health, just like they are for our cells. A study in Psychosomatic Medicine found that older adults with less social support—fewer friends and more feelings of loneliness and stress—had shorter telomeres.

In contrast, strong social networks are common in “blue zones,” areas with many centenarians. Dan Buettner, who discovered these blue zones, suggests making time to build or strengthen friendships with a few people you can rely on during tough times.

5. Managing Stress

Researchers at UCSF studied blood samples from mothers who were very stressed while caring for a child with a chronic illness. They discovered that these stressed moms had much shorter telomeres compared to moms with healthy children.

The longer a mom cared for her sick child or felt stressed, the shorter her telomeres were. While it’s impossible to completely avoid stress, managing it can help reduce its impact on aging. Techniques like meditation have been linked to longer telomeres and lower signs of aging.