On Aging well.

When you learn something new, your memory center lights up like a Christmas tree...stimulating it, creating a loop of new information. That stimulation is like a workout for the hippocampus. (The elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain, thought to be the centre of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system).

The hippocampus plays important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory, and in spatial memory that enables navigation. In humans and other primates the hippocampus is located in the archicortex, one of the three regions of the allocortex.

Humans have two hippocampi, one in each hemisphere of the brain. They are located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain. In this lateral view of the human brain, the frontal lobe is at the left, the occipital lobe at the right, and the temporal and parietal lobes have largely been removed to reveal one of the hippocampi underneath

Enjoy your life, live it as if happiness is the glue to a long and healthy living.

Take part in activities that matter to reduce your stress level, lessening inflammation in the body which is associated with health problems such as cardiovascular disease.

Being healthy should be a lifelong commitment, but it becomes more pressing when people reach their 50s.

Loneliness is a public health crisis in the world, social isolation is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression and dementia.

People with a strong support system are happier, healthier and live longer.

People with deep social connections increase their chances of survival by 50 percent.

There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert and being content with living alone. But having strong social connections is a key pillar for a long life.

We are not all extroverts, but we are humans. None of us is an island, and we do need each other in different ways.

Those living alone should aim to reach out to at least one friend or family member daily.

Keeping in touch is particularly important as people reach retirement and no longer have access to a ready-made social circle of colleagues at work.

Have strong social connections...being conscientious and eating well helps. Keeping a positive outlook on life is also important, as is being conscientious.

Genetics plays a role, but people's behaviors and attitudes can also influence how well someone ages.

Aging well means more than just being physically healthy.

Here is a checklist for people in their 50s to see if they are aging gracefully based on the latest science.

1. You have strong social connections

Older adults are more at risk of loneliness caused by living alone, no longer working, and being less mobile. More than a third of adults aged 45 and older are lonely, and a quarter of adults 65 and over are socially isolated.

2. You are physically active

People who are physically active and have exercise naturally incorporated into their lives are more likely to age well.

This could be gardening, walking or playing pickleball.

It doesn't just keep your muscles, joints and heart healthy. It can also boost your mood and help ward off chronic illness, including dementia, diabetes and heart disease, as well as increase your life expectancy.

Physical activity is connected to a lower risk of death, even in those who are deemed unlikely to live a long time based on their genetics.

Lengthy periods spent sitting can raise your risk of death.

A recommended half an hour of exercise five days per week, can help make a difference.

Exercise with a friend to increase accountability and make it more fun. 'The buddy system really works'.

3. Follow a Mediterranean diet.

A huge amount of research has designated the Mediterranean diet as the gold standard eating regime. It involves mainly vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats. Swapping to a Mediterranean diet from the normal Western diet can help you live longer, and the earlier in your life you start, the better.

But even if you don't start eating the Mediterranean diet until age 60, you can expect to live an additional eight years, hopefully.

And even adopting the diet at age 80 still boots life expectancy by around three years.

4. Take part in meaningful activities

People aged 50 and over who have a sense of purpose are in better spirits and live longer.

One doctor, over 59 years old, said she recently began relearning the flute and joined a flute choir in San Francisco.

She said: 'Suddenly, I have to go someplace new. I have to learn new music, and we know that learning new things is important as we grow older.

Meeting new people...engaging in a community activity that results in community service, it pulls everything together. Figure out what is important to you and what you enjoy doing and then putting time aside for it in your routine.

5. Sleep for at least seven hours per night.

Sleep is an incredibly important part of aging well, and not getting enough can heighten your chances of conditions such as obesity, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. There is a link between time spent sleeping and the risk of dementia and even death.

Sleep offers the body time to get rid of toxins in the brain and fix damaged neural connections. If we don’t have enough sleep, we don’t get that repair.

Think about all the good antioxidants you get from vegetables and fruits. They can't do their job if you don’t get seven hours of sleep.

6. Have a positive outlook

People with a positive mental attitude tend to live longer and healthier lives than people with a negative outlook.

Age is just a number, but how you feel about it is very important.

There are folks who feel old in their mid- or late 60s, while others in late 80s feel young. Having a positive outlook, having things to look forward to, really promotes wellbeing and quality of life.

Having a positive outlook on aging has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia and lengthen your lifespan by around seven and a half years.

It is thought that embracing negative ageist stereotypes can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Look to older people in your life whom you admire and notice positive portrayals of senior adults in the media.

7. Be conscientious

Diligent people tend to keep up with doctors' appointments, take their medication on time and steer clear of harmful habits such as smoking.

People who were conscientious were 22 percent less likely to become cognitively impaired.

Some people may naturally be more diligent than others, but you can help yourself by keeping track of things in a calendar and setting reminders.

8. Maintain brain health

Losing cognitive abilities may not be inevitable in old age.

'When you learn something new, your memory center is lighting up like a Christmas light. You’re stimulating it and creating a loop of new information, and that stimulation is like a workout for the hippocampus.'

(Brain Wellness and Lifestyle Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California).

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