Part five of our seven-part series

Aging begins at birth. Even so, the way we age changes with each successive decade of life. What health and lifestyle goals should you have when you are in your sixties? The following tips can help you adopt habits that will maximize your health now while preparing you for a better future.

Seek meaningful activity

People this age typically become increasingly concerned with having a life that provides value to others and leaves a legacy. The key is to make conscious choices to seek meaningful activity now so that you’ll feel more satisfied with your life as you grow old.

For some, this may mean retiring early to spend more time with family and friends or to volunteer in the community. For others, it may mean making a contribution by continuing to work. Meaningful work and activities can help you to stay active physically and socially. They can also help you to avoid depression from losses that inevitably occur with age.

Know your medication and medication options

By this age, many people have chronic conditions, such as hypertension or high cholesterol, which are managed with medication. If this is true for you, learn all you can about your prescriptions.

• Are you taking the drug that’s best for you, or simply the one that’s most aggressively promoted?
• Does your medication interact with other drugs, alcohol, or food?
• Can your condition also be managed through changes in diet or exercise?

Talk about these issues with your primary care doctor.

Build muscle strength

Muscle strength and flexibility naturally decline with age, but they can be maintained through exercise. Consider joining an exercise class designed specifically for seniors. Yoga, swimming, golf, and walking are also great ways to stay strong and active.

Check out our health tips for your twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties to see healthy habits, like cancer screenings, that you can still start now. And look ahead to your seventies, and beyond on our Healthy Findings blog.