July 7, 2025

MYTHBUSTER:
Cognitive decline is genetic, and therefore inevitable

Raise your hand if you’ve heard someone say “my mom, my grandmother and my Great Aunt Fanny all had dementia, so I’m in for it, for sure.” It is true that genetics plays a role in cognitive decline, but it is a myth that genetics are destiny. Environment and habits both play a role in accelerating or impeding cognitive decline, and there are many things that you can do to improve your chances to stay mentally sharp for as long as you live.

Let’s start with sleep: good sleep habits  have been shown to reduce your risk of developing dementia by almost half. In one ongoing study, researchers followed more than 2800 participants for 5 years, at the average age of 77. They discovered that people who reported having 7-8 hours a night had half the risk of developing dementia as someone who slept only 5 hours a night had double the risk of developing dementia, than people who slept 7-8 hours a night.

Eating well is an essential part of healthy longevity, and we’ve long preached the value of healthy foods for maintaining long-term health. And it is not just physical health—it’s cognitive health as well. Eating high-quality foods (those that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including things like fatty fish, blueberries, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, and even dark chocolate) actually nourishes the brain, and protects it from oxidative stress. Think about it: your brain is always "on," meaning, it takes care of your thoughts and movements, your breathing and heartbeat, your senses— even while you're asleep. This means your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain.

And one more essential tool for maintaining brain health is not just about what you do, it’s about how you connect with your community. Research is increasingly showing that strong social ties are crucial to brain health. Socializing can stimulate attention and memory, and help to strengthen neural networks. You may just be laughing and talking, but your brain is hard at work, and this increase in mental activity pays off over time. Scientists have found that people with strong social ties are less likely to experience cognitive decline than people who spend most of their time alone. In fact, one large study, which included some 12,000 participants, suggests that when people are lonely, their risk of dementia rises by as much as 40%. Which is, of course, a perfect excuse to share this article with your loved ones over a cup of coffee or a meal. 

The list certainly doesn’t stop there. Check out some of the resources below to see how you can take charge of your brain health today. 

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July 3, 2025

Do yourself (and your health) a favor, and say thanks. 

Gratitude has been in short supply around HT100 World Headquarters lately. Ascribe it to whatever you want – the turmoil in the Middle East, climate change, the decline in the global bee population – but our feelings of good will have been replaced by a sense that not all is right in the world. That is a shame, as research consistently shows that experiencing gratitude can have a positive impact on health and life expectancy.

Last year, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health released the results of a new study that found that gratitude has a specific, measurable effect on longevity. The research drew on data from 49,275 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study, one of the longest on-going health studies in the United States. The average age of the participants in this particular group was 79. In 2016, the participants completed a six-item gratitude questionnaire in which they ranked their agreement with statements such as, "I have so much in life to be thankful for", and, "If I had to list everything I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list".

Four years later, researchers combed through participants' medical records to determine who had died and who had not. Even after controlling for relevant factors such as physical health, economic status, and mental condition, the researchers found that participants with gratitude scores in the highest third at the study's start had a 9% lower risk of dying over the period than participants who scored in the bottom third.

It's a meaningful difference, and it reflects the fact that gratitude can affect everything from emotional to social well-being to sleep quality to depression risks.

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July 2, 2025

Forget the crossword – it’s time to keep a journal

Some diminishment of the ability to retain memories is a normal part of aging, but there are things you can do to slow or perhaps even stop the decline in memory capacity: maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, get sufficient sleep, and journal before you go to bed.

That’s right: New research out of the University of Bristol has revealed that working on a journal before bed may work as a powerful memory-boosting tool in older adults. Researchers asked participants in a memory study to write down five events from the day and then tested their recall of a list of words given to them the night before.  Subsequently, the participants were given a similar recall test without journaling the night before and the researchers found that memory consistently improved when journaling was involved.  It seems likely that the act of journaling and thinking through the events of the day stimulated parts of the brain involved in memory retention, leading to improved memory performance the next day.

There have been studies that have shown how playing brain games, board games or even video games can improve memory function in older adults—yet this study stands apart in how it presents a cost-effective and time-effective habit to add to your routine. 

Try some of these tasks before bed, and see if they help you feel sharper in the morning: 

  1. Write down five events from the day. Think about: what you did, who you interacted with, your thoughts and feelings about the day's events, and any specific details that stood out to you. Try to describe how things felt, looked, and sounded.  Engaging your senses can help make the memories more vivid and easier to recall later.

  2. Try your recall. This cognitive training task involves remembering visual and auditory stimuli sequences, and has been found to enhance working memory capacity. Give it a try here.

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July 1, 2025

Pass the potassium chloride!

Hot dogs are typically high in salt content, which means that come July 4, Joey Chestnut may be consuming north of 1200% of the daily recommended limit. We’re not sure that salt is the biggest health risk associated with eating almost 80 hot dogs in 10 minutes but experts like Dr. Michael Gregor, a nutritionist and best-selling author of “How Not to Die”, has told us that salt is the single biggest culprit in heart disease and stroke in this country.  

That’s a challenge for a lot of people, including us since we love our hot dogs (preferred brand: Sahlen’s) and that family-sized bag of Tostitos doesn’t last long around here. But fortunately, there are plenty of substitutes, starting with Potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is a mineral salt compound that is commonly used by the food industry as an alternative to common table salt. It offers consumers flavor without increasing their daily sodium intake, while at the same time increasing their potassium intake—a win-win.

Even small reductions in sodium content can help protect against heart attack and stroke — which are both considered leading killers in the United States. Just ask Dr. Gregor:

 
 

So what does that mean for your diet? 

The good news is that potassium chloride can be found not only in salt substitutes (available online or in many stores) but also in these foods:

  • Snack bars

  • Soups

  • Cereals

  • Electrolyte replacement drinks

  • Condiments

Balance is the key, so we won’t feel guilty about eating not quite 80 hot dogs on July 4 and sprinkling our french fries with potassium chloride. 

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June 30, 2025

MYTHBUSTER: Fasting is the best way to age healthfully. 

With Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on the horizon, perhaps this is not the best time to promote the longevity value of restricted diets— but bear with us for a moment. Research, mostly on lab animals, has long suggested that eating less, or less often, will increase longevity. But it has been unclear what type of diet and caloric profile is best for healthy longevity.

Now, a long-awaited study from researchers at Jackson Laboratory has shed some light on the question. In a study of 1,000 mice, the researchers found that calorie restricted diets worked better than intermittent fasting. Mice that were given 60% of the calories of their baseline diet lived 20% longer than the mice on a fasting based regimen. The researchers observed however, that there was considerable variability within each test group, suggesting that diet was only one of many factors at work.

Intriguingly, the researchers noted that the mice that lost the most weight were not the longest lived—leading the team to conclude that a more moderate level of calorie restriction might be the way to balance long-term health and lifespan. 

Similarly, the research into calorie restricted diets on humans has shown promising results: previous studies indicate that eating fewer calories can improve cardiovascular health and cognitive function. 

So all that said, it might make more sense to stick to one or two hotdogs this year— instead of Joey Chesnut’s mindblowing 83 dogs in 10 minutes. 

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June 27, 2025

The Peanut Butter and Jelly Effect: Nutritional Synergy 

If you’ve ever felt like some foods are destined to be eaten with another food – think spaghetti and meatballs or bacon and eggs, or, if you are Elvis, peanut butter and bananas  — there’s actually a scientific reason for that. 

When you pair some foods together, you actually create a dish that has more nutritional benefits than the individual ingredients on their own. This concept is called nutrient synergy, and refers to when two or more nutrients work together to have a greater physiological impact on the body compared to when each nutrient is consumed individually. Certain food combinations can help increase the absorption of important nutrients, or boost the effectiveness of their antioxidants—and, of course, make a dish more delicious. 

Some combinations can also target specific nutrient needs as well. For example, for heart health, our friends at the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Program recommend combining olive oil (healthy fat) and vegetables (vitamin K and antioxidants). Vitamins K and E are beneficial for cardiovascular health, and are better absorbed when they’re paired with a healthy fat source. You’ll find these nutrients in green leafy and dark green vegetables, orange, red, and yellow fruits and vegetables. Vitamin E is also present in avocados, nuts, and seeds. It’s important to combine these foods with an unsaturated fat source, such as olive oil.

Or, you can focus on bone health with the help of Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Calcium. Vitamin D helps the body absorb dietary calcium, which keeps our bones healthy and strong, while Magnesium plays a key role in Vitamin D metabolism and regulating blood levels of vitamin D, while helping maintain the structure of the bone.

Here is a nutrient synergy meal idea from our friends at the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine program to get started: 

Heart-Healthy Salad Recipe: 

  • Leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, romaine, which contain vitamins K and E, folate, and carotenoids.

  • Other colorful vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes, which also contain carotenoids and act as antioxidants in the body.

  • Add beans and lentils for a plant-based protein, magnesium, and fiber.

  • Top with nuts and seeds, which also contain protein, healthy fats, magnesium, and fiber.

  • Avocados or olive oil-based salad dressing contain healthy fats that help the body absorb carotenoids, vitamins K and E.

And if you’re still hungry, here are more ideas for bone healthy meals: 

Bone Health Meal Ideas: 

  • Foods offering Vitamin D: such as salmon, tuna, egg yolks or fortified foods like milk and non-dairy beverages such as soymilk and orange juice. 

  • Combine these with a variety of calcium-providing foods: including collard greens, broccoli, dried figs, oranges. 

There are many other ways to get these delicious nutrients, though. Check out the resources below to learn more.

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June 26, 2025

Make your day, and share a dinner

Since 2005, Gallup has annually conducted its World Poll to measure the attitudes, beliefs, and well-being of people across the world. The poll covers 140+ countries, is conducted in more than 145 languages, and reaches more than 150,000 people. It’s a treasure trove of data on the human experience.

The poll often leads to important insights about human flourishing, and this year, the people at the World Happiness Report have studied the relationship between sharing meals and human happiness and sense of well-being.  And perhaps not so surprisingly in an era when we are increasingly aware of the importance of social connection, the researchers found a significant, positive relationship in almost all regions. Not only do countries where meal sharing is more common tend to report higher levels of wellbeing, but this is true even when comparing people who live in the same country. The statistically significant relationship between communal eating and well-being holds true even after holding constant for characteristics such as gender, age, income, and living alone.

There is good news and bad news for Americans. The good news is that eating together brings immediate benefits. Americans who eat at least one meal with others report higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress, pain, and sadness on that day. But the number of people who eat with others here in the US is in rapid decline. In 2023, roughly 25% of Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day – an increase of more than 50% since 2003. Dining alone has become more prevalent for every age group, but especially for young people. Today, 18 to 24-year-olds in the US are 90% more likely to eat every meal alone on a given day than they were in 2003.

Americans live increasingly isolated and disconnected lives. Check out the drive through traffic jams at Chik-Fil-A or the number of people in public spaces with their heads down on their phones. 

It’s undoubtedly lonely, but not inevitable: if you’re looking for new pathways to personal happiness, push aside that TV dinner and belly up to the table next to someone you love, or like, or even just tolerate. It all builds social connection and supports human happiness.

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June 25, 2025

Stress Begone: Tips for Better Mental Wellness


When the world seems to be falling down around you, the idea of finding gratitude may seem a little remote. But in fact, it’s one of the most important things you can do for your health. Research shows that practicing gratitude — 15 minutes a day, five days a week — for at least six weeks can enhance mental wellness and possibly promote a lasting change in perspective. Gratitude and its mental health benefits can also positively affect your physical health.

The good news is that there are proven practices — as well as endless tips on the Internet — on how to be grateful even in uncertain times. Here are a few of them, from our friends at the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Program:

  • Stanford’s Bruce Feldstein recommends spending 10 minutes at the end of each day contemplating four questions:

    • What surprised me today?

    • What touched me today?

    • What inspired me today?

    • For what am I grateful?

And if these ideas don’t do it for you, just google “gratitude practices”, and you will have an internet full of choices, including the gratitude garden, the gratitude jar, the gratitude flower, and even the gratitude rock.

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June 24, 2025

Put down the phone, and step away slowly.

Yesterday, according to the app on our much beloved iPhone, we picked it up a mere 188 times. Perhaps it was feeling lonely, since the day before, we picked it up over 202 times.

What would it be like if we didn’t pick it up at all? That is a question considered in a recent study led by researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada. In the study, participants agreed to block Internet access to their phones for two weeks so that the researchers could assess the impact of a digital holiday on mental health, subjective well-being, and sustained attention.

If you’re looking at this on your phone, perhaps you’ve already jumped ahead to read the study or listen to an NPR story on it, but if you haven’t, here is the bottom line: between 70 and 75% of participants reported better mental health and better sense of well-being after taking time away from their digital companions. And, perhaps most intriguingly, the break also improved participants’ attention span, as measured by a computer test. Attention span typically declines with age, but the researchers found such a large improvement in attention that they characterized it as the equivalent of shedding ten years of age.

So how do we stop using our phones so much, and what are the specifics? 

  1. Start with one hour a day per week. Studies have shown that a reduction in smartphone use by one hour per day for one week resulted in reduced depression and anxiety and improved physical activity.

  2. Limit social media use to 30 minutes per day. Another study found that limiting social media use to 30 minutes per day led to a significant improvement in well-being. You can even set time-use limits in your iPhone so that even when you’re tempted, you can’t access your favorite social media sites. 

  3. If you’re feeling brave, try a complete detox. In the same University of Alberta study, researchers found that taking just two weeks away from their phones boosted well-being, mood and attention scores in 91% of participants.  

  4. And if you’re feeling really, really brave, get rid of the smartphone altogether. Read about one former influencer who gave it up for good—and has never looked back. 

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June 23, 2025

MYTHBUSTER:
I can’t learn new things as an older adult.

You can’t teach old dogs new tricks, as the saying goes. And along with it is the implication that it is harder to teach older adults new things as well.

Both are wrong. Old dogs can learn new tricks—and so can older adults. 

It’s commonly believed that it becomes harder to learn as you age, as memory declines and learning pathways lose their integrity. And there is some truth to that: as you age, learning takes longer, as there is a natural loss of receptors and neurons. However, even though your brain may be slower to learn and recall new information, your ability to make sense of what you know and to form reasonable arguments and judgments remains intact and sometimes even improves with age. What’s more: the more you make an effort to learn and stay engaged, the healthier your brain will be. Your brain has an amazing capability called neuroplasticity, which allows it to adapt and change throughout your life—even as you age. Learning new things strengthens existing neural pathways and helps create new ones, promoting this flexibility.

So learning new things is something we can (and should!) do throughout the entirety of our life. Research even shows that cognitive and physical activities can help reduce the risk of Alzhimers. But where do you find ways to explore new things? 

Aging expert Ken Stern offers these three tips for lifelong learning in his upcoming book, Healthy To 100: 

  • Learn in person. Not only does learning in person help you stay focused and retain information better, but it exercises your social muscles as well. Although virtual learning will always be a great option for increased flexibility, learning in person has marked benefits. 

  • Save your money. Public universities in California, Maine, Connecticut and Louisiana offer tuition waivers or discounts for older adults, while other states like Delaware, Utah, Viirginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Florida have laws requiring public institutions to provide free education for seniors. It’s even a right in the Georgia state constitution! Check out your local universities for options available to you.

  • Start early. Learning isn't something you should abandon early in life; it’s a muscle that should be exercised throughout all stages of life. But it’s never too late to start. 

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June 20, 2025

Black Bean Burgers for Better Health:
Red Meat & Dementia Risk

It’s not exactly a news flash that red meat, especially processed red meats like bacon and sausage, is bad for your physical health. A Harvard study in 2010, for instance, linked processed meats with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, and the World Health Organization labeled processed meats as a carcinogen in 2015. But if you’re still on the fence about eating processed meat, here is a study published this past winter that might tip you off.

The study, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, has found that people who eat more red meat, especially processed red meats like bacon, sausage and bologna, are more likely to have a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia, when compared to those who eat little red meat. The researchers followed a group of 113,771 people with an average age of 49 for over four decades, with about 10% of the study group reporting dementia or cognitive decline. In assessing the impact of eating red meat on cognitive health, the researchers found that people who consumed processed red meats had about a 15% higher risk of dementia than those who did not. Even consuming unprocessed red meat was associated with faster brain aging in global cognition, with 1.61 years for each additional serving per day, and in verbal memory with 1.69 years for each additional serving per day.

We’re a little sad about this—we love our pepperoni pizza here at HT100. So here are some healthy protein alternatives that won’t increase your dementia risk: 

  • Fish

  • Chicken and turkey

  • Nuts

  • Beans

  • Low-fat dairy products

  • Whole grains

In one study, replacing one serving a day of red meat with one of these options reduced mortality by 7% to 19%. 

Overall, nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, antioxidants from berries and leafy greens, protein from nuts and legumes, and B vitamins are crucial for maintaining and enhancing cognitive health. 

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June 18, 2025

Walk A Mile (Or Four) In My Shoes:
The Myth of 10,000 steps

Movement is critical to healthy aging, and for many people, that means hitting the goal of 10,000 steps per day, every day. But why 10,000 steps? It’s certainly a big round number, easy to remember, which is why a Japanese company picked the figure as part of its roll-out for a new pedo-meter Manpo-kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter.”  No scientific research backed up that number, but it has become deeply ingrained in our culture as the benchmark for how much we move every day. Chalk one up for marketers.  

Research in recent years has found that a more logical target is closer to 6,000 - 8,000 steps for many older adults. Last year, a meta-analysis — that is a review of some 15 credible scientific studies on the topic — revealed that, for adults aged 60 and older, walking in the 6,000 to 8,000 step range every day reduces the risk of death by 50 to 70 percent. More steps isn’t necessarily bad for you but it doesn’t reduce the risk of death any further.  

It’s a good thing too because 10,000 steps, roughly the equivalent of five miles, can be daunting for some people. But you might be surprised how quickly you can get to 6,000 or 8,000 just by squeezing just about any kind of stroll into our busy schedule and emphasizing movement throughout your day. It will help you live a longer, healthier, happier life.  

Of course, not everyone is going to be content to stop at 8,000. Take for instance 80-year old Judy Benjamin who is walking 2,500 miles across the United States to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s. Roughly speaking, that’s 5 million steps. That may not have a direct impact on her health but it is still quite an achievement at any age. 

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June 16, 2025

MYTHBUSTER:
I need less sleep the older I get.

It’s a commonly held belief that the older you get, the less hours of sleep you need each night. While that is true from ages 1-18, the amount of sleep you need past age 18 actually doesn’t change. Mayo Clinic classifies 7 or more hours of sleep a night to be considered a good range of time for all ages past 18. 

While sleep requirements don’t change, sleep quality often deteriorates with age. This is because older adults have less consistent access to natural light—which helps maintain circadian rhythm—and because reduction in production of hormones such as melatonin and cortisol can impede restful sleep.

Complaints about sleep quality are one of the most common problems faced by older adults, but there are many things you can do to improve sleep quality. Here are some tips to achieve quality, uninterrupted sleep:

  • Stick to a sleep schedule.

  • Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Don’t go to bed hungry or stuffed, and avoid caffeine or alcohol. 

  • Create a restful environment. Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet.

  • Limit daytime naps. Long naps can interfere with your regular sleep.

  • Include physical activity in your daily routine. Regular physical activity promotes better sleep.

  • Try to get regular access to natural light, particularly in the morning within one hour of waking up.  

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June 13, 2025

It’s Getting Hot In Here!

If you’re planning to go for a weekend to Las Vegas, you’re probably ok—just don’t get caught up in it all and stay more than 140 days. Research published this winter found a link between prolonged exposure to high heat and faster aging. Across 3600 adults over the age of 55, those who lived in climates with more than 140 days of 90-degree heat evidenced 14 months more of aging.

This is important because many US cities – Phoenix, San Antonio, and Orlando to name a few – already meet the criteria for 140 days of frying pan heat, and it will be increasingly relevant as more cities are entering into that territory in an era of global warming. To make matters more complicated, Arizona and Florida rank among some of the most popular retirement destinations in the country. 

So what does that mean for you? Well, it opens a new way of thinking about the impact of heat on older adults, and could influence retirement living decisions. Rather than setting down roots somewhere that you’ll have to battle year-long, intense heat, check out alternative destinations that have more moderate climates. And if you’re planning on visiting some of these warm weather spots, just make sure to cap your trip at 139 days. 

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June 11, 2025

Sense of Purpose Found to Have Strong Links with Older Adults’ Cognitive Ability

If you’ve ever felt like making time for your pottery class or prioritizing your volunteer work is actually helping you stay sharp and motivated in other areas of your life, you’re not alone. In fact, new research is revealing that remaining purposeful in the second half of life is an important indicator of maintaining your cognitive ability as you age. 

A large, decade-long study of older adults has found that those with a strong sense of purpose tend to show better cognitive functioning and less cognitive decline over time. Over a ten year period, study participants who started out with higher levels of well-being also tended to have higher levels of cognitive function, while those who experienced steeper declines in wellbeing also tended to show steeper cognitive declines. So the relationship goes both ways: if your well-being is suffering, so too does your cognitive ability. 

The research supports longevity experts’ long-preached idea that staying active and motivated is doing a world of good for your health beyond the short term benefits. We know that the brain operates on “use it or lose it” principles—but this study and others support the idea that even if you have started to experience some decline, your brain can bounce back from periods of inactivity, even in older age. 

So if you’ve been on the fence about signing up for that writing class or joining that singing group, this is your sign. Keep challenging your brain as you age, and the benefits will follow. 

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June 9, 2025

MYTHBUSTER:
I can’t drive now that I’ve hit a certain age.

While it’s certainly more common to experience cognitive and physical changes as you get older, your age by itself should not define when you stop driving. According to the CDC, in 2022, there were almost 52 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States—representing a 77% increase since 2004.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it’s actually young drivers (ages 16-24) that are responsible for the highest percentage of crashes—while 60-69 year olds are safer than any other group. Overall, people become safer drivers as they age, becoming the safest as they enter their 60s. However, driving risk increases slightly for drivers ages 70 and older.

And as you weigh the choice of continuing to drive as you age, it’s important to also think of it in terms of your own mobility, wellbeing and independence. Many studies have found that driving cessation later in life can contribute to declines in health, physical, and cognitive functions. In fact, driving cessation has been found to almost double the risk of increased depressive symptoms in older adults, among many other negative health effects.  

The question of whether or not to drive should come from your cognitive and physical ability to do so, not the birth date on your driver’s license. So, what are some signs you should look for when considering if you are capable of safely driving? Here’s what the National Institute on Aging has to say on things that can influence driving skills:

  • Stiff joints and muscles

  • Trouble seeing

  • Trouble hearing

  • Medication that can make you feel drowsy

  • Certain medical conditions that make it unsafe to drive

Learn more about safe driving as you age, and the benefits of staying on the road into your later years, below. 

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June 6, 2025

Get Lifting:
The Relationship Between Strength Training & Healthy Aging

We’re celebrating National Older Adult Health and Fitness Day the best way we know how: by speaking the praises of strength workout routines. 

Of course, all forms of moving your body are good for your healthy longevity—but there seems to be a special sauce in focusing on strength training. Not only does it increase your endurance, mobility, and physical resilience, but research has shown that it’s the best way to slow and even reverse age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia. That’s because strength training focuses on stimulating muscle growth, and thereby improving muscle function.

What’s more: studies have shown that people who do resistance training have a 10% to 20% lower risk of dying, specifically from cancer and heart disease, compared with those who did no strength training. 

And if that wasn’t reason enough, we heard it firsthand from Marily Oppezzo, Instructor of Medicine at Stanford University, at the Healthy Aging conference 2025: 

“Muscle is the most important thing all of us can invest in for lifelong independence. The best hedge fund to invest in for that? Resistance training. We can get stronger all the way up until we die. The two most important things are effort, and progressive overload. Progressive overload means you have to keep pushing yourself. You need to inspire your muscles to get stronger.” 

So, how do you inspire your muscles to get stronger? Here’s one of our favorites, from SilverSneakers: 

  • Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, toes pointing forward. Hold your arms straight out in front of you for balance. 

  • From here, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat, keeping your chest up as you do. If you can, lower until your quads are parallel to the floor; if not, go as low as you comfortably can. Pause, then push through your heels to return to standing. That’s one rep. Do 10 reps, or as many as you can with good form. 

  • Make it easier: If you’re struggling with balance or can’t seem to get very low in the squat, try a sit-to-stand exercise instead (also known as a chair stand or chair getup). See a video demonstration here.   

  • Make it harder: Add weight by holding dumbbells, a medicine ball, or a kettlebell while you squat. You can also increase the time your muscles are under tension by taking three full counts to lower down, pausing at the bottom and then slowly pushing up. 

Or, check out the resources below to explore some strength training exercises today:

June 3, 2025

Cheese for Longevity?
The Surprising Health Effects of Pentadecanoic Acid 

Good news for cheese lovers: recent research is highlighting the benefits of Pentadecanoic acid (sometimes called C15:0) found most commonly in some varieties of cheeses.

The story of C15:0 doesn’t actually begin with its positive health effects on humans—rather, the nutrient can be traced back to its effect on the health of dolphins. Back in the beginning of the century, veterinary epidemiologist Stephanie Venn-Watson was hired by the US Navy to take care of its pods of aging dolphins. The Navy’s dolphins tend to live longer than dolphins in the wild – often to 40 or 50 years – but some of the dolphins were living that long in good health while others were suffering from chronic diseases. Venn-Watson determined that differences in diet (the dolphins in Florida ate different fish from those in the California pods) was the principal explainer, and once the less healthy dolphins were given access to fish rich in C15:0, their health improved dramatically.

What’s good for Flipper may not be good for us, but it turns out that C15:0 has significant anti-inflammatory benefits for humans as well. Among other benefits, the fatty acid can protect cardiometabolic, immune, and liver health—and no, you won’t have to go diving for your dinner to enjoy its health effects. One of the best places to find C15:0 is in certain cheeses, including Pecorino, Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta, Cheddar, Mozzarrella, Neufchatel and Cottage cheese. So roll out the grater and fire up a pot of water—as it turns out, spaghetti for dinner might actually be good for your healthy longevity.

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June 2, 2025

Longevity Heroes:  
Dancing Through Life

Millions of Americans dance, mostly for the sheer joy of it. But dancing is also remarkably good for your physical health – everything from cardiovascular health to muscle mass to balance – and for brain health as well.

And if you dance every day for 80 years, good health may very well follow. That’s the story of Robert “Bobby” Barnett,, the artistic director emeritus of the Atlanta Ballet, who turned 100 on May 6. Barnett discovered his love for dancing while serving in the US Navy during WWII and became hooked on ballet after seeing a performance of the American Theatre Ballet in Los Angeles in 1945. He joined the Atlanta Ballet in 1958, becoming its artistic director in 1962, and serving in that capacity until his retirement in 1992.

But Barnett has never retired, at least not in the ordinary sense of the word. For the last 33 years, he has continued to teach, coach and dance. In July, Barnett is flying to Hawaii to work with Ballet Hawaii to teach one of his own dances to the company.

Barnett attributes his remarkable good health and vitality to his passion and purpose in life. We are all left feet here at “Healthy To 100”, but even we can recognize the health benefit of doing what you love, with the people you love. We learned about it from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which over the course of eight decades of research has connected health most closely with purpose and a strong relationship with the “person next to you.” But you don’t have to be a Harvard researcher to figure that out. Just ask the late, great Whitney Houston:

May 28, 2025

Breakthrough:  

New blood tests can help detect Alzheimer's

Cases of Alzheimer’s and dementia are increasing rapidly in the US, and the rest of the world.   According to US Against Alzheimer's, currently about 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, a number that is projected to almost 13 million by 2050. Alzheimer’s and dementia are highly correlated with age, and the increase in cases largely reflects the increase in life expectancy in the US as well as the rapid growth in the number of people over the age of 65. 

Alzheimer’s is the only top-ten cause of death in the US without a known cure, but that doesn’t mean that progress isn’t being made against this terrible disease. Just in the last year, researchers have been able to develop – and get to market – new blood tests that can detect early indications of Alzheimer’s. And just weeks ago, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Lund University in Sweden revealed a newly developed blood test for Alzheimer’s disease that not only aids in the diagnosis of the neurodegenerative condition but also indicates how far it has progressed. These new blood tests supplement existing brain scan technologies that are much more expensive and therefore often less accessible.   

Watch Frank Longo, a professor of Neurology at Stanford, discuss these new tests: 

Early detection of Alzheimer’s is critical, as the two existing FDA approved Alzheimer therapies are not cures—but are able to slow progression of the disease, if it is detected early enough. 




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May 26, 2025

Longevity Heroes:
Sally’s Iron Mustangs

Maintaining muscle mass is one of the most important things you can do to support healthy aging. After age 30, people naturally lose roughly 3% of muscle mass each decade, and studies show that 30% of adults over age 70 have trouble with walking, getting up out of a chair, or climbing stairs. Loss of muscle mass puts older adults at greater risk of everything from decreased mobility, to increased risks of falls and fractures.  

You don’t have to tell that to the women of Sally’s Iron Mustangs, a group of women in their late 50s, 60s and 70s from Lancaster, Pennsylvania who train together and compete in weightlifting competitions. Most of the women were novices when they joined the group, but that hasn’t stopped them from vastly increasing their strength and running the tables at local competitions.    

Earlier this month, many of the members participated in the Lancaster Senior Games, which combines traditional track and field events like running and javelin, with a rather eclectic group of competitions that include everything from cornhole to bocce to billiards to frisbee golf. 

Basically, there is something for everyone, a characteristic of the event that we admire enormously. For the women of Sally’s Iron Mustangs, the Senior Games offered deadlift, bicep curl, and bench press contests, all of which produced hordes of medals for the squad, among them a gold for 74-year-old Deb Lindemuth who deadlifted 250 pounds. And a special shout out to Ethel Depue, though not a member of Sally’s Iron Mustangs, but still deserving of recognition for winning all three weightlifting competitions in the 95+ category, and to Charles Zerphey, who won 12 gold medals in various men’s age 95+ events, including all three weightlifting challenges, as well as shot put, soccer penalty kicks, the football throw, and billiards, among many others. Take that, Michael Phelps.    

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May 21, 2025

A Sauna So Good You Could Sing About It: 
The Surprising Relationship Between Mental Health and Body Temperature

 
 

“Bara Bada Bastu,” sing KAJ, in the title of their Eurovision-featured song. Translating roughly to, “just take a sauna,” KAJ represented Sweden in this year’s Eurovision contest—but the three members of the band hail from Finland, a nation where there are an astonishing number of saunas (3.3  million) for a relatively small population (5.5 million).

“It’s a thing I really endorse,” says Jakob Norrgård (AKA the “J” in KAJ). “It’s good for people. It is good for me, for both my mental and physical health, and (it’s) also a very social event.”

Jakob may not be a scientist but he is definitely onto something about the health benefits of steam and heat. According to Ashley Mason, Associate Professor In Residence at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, there is a strong correlation between body temperature and mental health. 

Since people with depression tend to have higher resting body temperatures, Mason believes that “one of the ways we think that heat treatments might be working, is that they might be helping people cool down, and that might be important to mental health.” 

It is a bit counterintuitive to think of a sauna as a way to cool the body, but that is what it does. 

“The important thing to know is after you heat your body up a whole lot, your body temperature actually drops … When you go into one of these heating elements, what do you do? You start sweating a lot. That’s your body’s way of cooling itself down. So it’s turning on this thermoregulatory system and giving it a workout, so to speak,” said Mason earlier this month at the Healthy Aging 2025 Conference at Stanford University. 

She went on to underscore how our dependence on temperature-controlled environments (think: air conditioners set to 72 Fahrenheit) might actually be negatively affecting our body’s ability to fight back against depressive symptoms. According to Mason, editing “thermal stress” out of our lives actually creates an increase in temperature dysregulation for those suffering from depression. 

Even though it was a pre-contest betting favorite (Austrian singer JJ won a nail-biter), KAJ didn’t take home the win. But we hope that all of Europe is now singing about saunas—and that KAJ will continue to sing the praises of what a warm, steamy environment can do for your health.

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May 19, 2025

MYTHBUSTER:
Blue light from phones doesn’t interfere with sleep 

If you want to get a good night's rest, beware the blue light from your phones and other communications devices. Any type of light can throw off your circadian rhythm but “blue is the worst.” That’s been the conventional wisdom, passed around the Internet for at least the last decade, and has even spawned an entire mini-industry built around blue light filters for phones.   

But save your money: more recent research has shown that blue light from phones, iPads and other screens are not a risk to your sleep. That’s likely because these devices throw off a quantity of light that is trivial compared to natural outdoor light and not likely disruptive of sleep patterns.   

Here is Jamie Zeitzer, a professor of Sleep Medicine at Stanford:   

So does that mean it’s safe to curl up in  bed with your best iPhone and doom scroll to your heart's content? Sadly no. It’s not the light. It’s the content. Many apps are now engineered to be both addictive and stressful, two things that are decidedly not conducive to sleep. The best advice is still to chill out before bedtime – yoga, meditation, whatever relieves the stress of the day for you – and to leave that phone behind. 

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