Master the art of aging

Key insights:

Matter: Your ‘why:’ Thinking about the skills you want to be able to do later in life—like walking up steps or lifting a heavy box—will help you identify how to train your body today.

Mindful medication use: Take only necessary medications and supplements that are proven and have a positive impact on your health.

Successful aging with the 4 M’s

With May being Older Americans Month, we are launching a two-part series focused on building a roadmap for successful aging.

It is based on the 4 M’s of healthy aging—a proven public health strategy developed by Terry Fulmer, PhD, president of the John A. Hartford Foundation and a geriatric nurse practitioner.

The 4 M’s offer a clear, actionable blueprint to giving you more years of good health—what experts call healthspan—and vitality.

Join us as we break down each principle—Matter, Medications, Mobility, and Mind—and share practical steps that can extend your life. Today, we are starting with Matter and Medication.

Matter: Your “why”

What is your intention for your life? In other words, what matters to you? 🏆

What do you want to be physically and cognitively able to do when you turn 80, 90, or 100 years old? Climb stairs, dancing, the New York Times daily crossword puzzle…

“What matters really drives the plan of care,” Fulmer tells Fortune. This begs you to dig deep, define specific goals, and find the right support for your journey.

How to start

Get specific: Vague goals, like “work out [x] minutes,” might not cut it. Providers and health experts can give you more precise and actionable recommendations to achieve long-term health if you specify what you exactly want to be able to do.

Your future goals can help determine what actions you take today. 

The Centenarian Decathlon

🏃 Peter Attia’s Centenarian Decathlon describes 10 physical tasks you want to be able to do in the last decade of your life.

This practical framework can help to uncover what will matter most to your future self.

On Peter’s list: walk a few blocks with bags of groceries, open a jar, jump rope, and get off of the floor with one arm.

Thinking about your own decathlon can be motivational to take steps today which align with these goals.

Share goals: Share your long-term goals with your family, provider, mentor, coach, etc…casts a wider net of people to support you, according to experts. 

The merits of sharing goals:

• 💪 Better commitment: Sharing goals holds you accountable for your actions. Sharing them with a “higher status” individual (such as a doctor or person you look up to) proves even more motivational, according to research from the University of Ohio.

• 🫂 Longevity: Sharing goals is a form of social connection. Social connection can boost longevity by 50%.

• 😃 Dopamine: Positive feedback creates a dopamine rush that keeps you motivated on achieving goals. It also reduces stress and improves well-being.

Coming soon: Club Livelong

We’ve been working on something new, built for those of you who’ve asked for more. More depth. More guidance. More clarity. More connection.

If you’ve ever wanted to go beyond the headlines and get direct access to trusted tools and real experts, this is the place for you.

Save the date! Membership opens June 2

Mindful medication use

Nearly 90% of older U.S. adults rely on prescription medications to manage chronic conditions, reports AARP.

Some of the most common risks of medication and supplement use include:

😵‍💫 Medication overload: Juggling too many medications can be overwhelming and unnecessary. 

🦘 Missed doses: Complicated regimens can lead to missed doses and non-adherance that makes the medication less effective.

🤢 Side effects: Taking unnecessary medications, or an incorrect dose, can contribute to side effects that outweigh the benefits. 

➕ Dangerous drug combos: Taking multiple medications can increase the risk of drug interactions or make medications less effective.

• NSAIDs (e.g. ibuprofen and aspirin) for arthritis and heart disease are fairly benign on their own, but lead to gastrointestinal bleeding if taken alongside blood thinners, blood pressure medication, and alcohol.

🌫️ Sketchy supplements: Supplements do not have to be FDA-tested for quality or effectiveness. Many also lack sufficient evidence that shows the can be safely taken with medications, or used in lieu of proven traditional medications.

Tips for mindful medication management

As we age and our health risks go up, it’s crucial to only use medications and supplements that are proven to be safe, effective, and absolutely necessary for your current and future health and well-being.

Open dialogue: This is the #1 most important thing. Be transparent with your provider about the side effects, mental well-being, and symptoms.

At the end of the day, it’s about you and your health.

Consider asking your provider:

“I want to make sure [medications are] safe, that I’m not taking too many, that I’m taking the right dose, [and] that there aren’t any interactions.” — Fulmer

The Beers Criteria (American Geriatrics Society): It red flags common medications to avoid, use with caution, or adjust, according to Fulmer. 🚩

Thoughtful supplementation: Be mindful of supplements, vitamins, and compounds that you are taking for your well-being and longevity. Popular options are often not approved for longevity, backed by limited science, or come with serious side effects.

• Rapamycin, a popular anti-aging drug, can lead to serious kidney conditions and impair glucose tolerance.

• NAD supplements, used by Mark Hyman and other longevity experts to preserve NAD+ (a molecule for cellular energy and healthy aging), might not have the supposed benefits, according to new research.

Talk with a functional medicine expert or provider when considering supplements to promote health span and longevity, and read The Livelong Newsletter for smart supplementation practices.😉

Going forward

By setting the right goals, surrounding yourself with trusted and expert resources, and using medications and supplements in a way that wholly supports your long-term physical and cognitive health, you can put yourself on a path to healthy aging.

Get ready for next week, as we break down the importance of mobility and mind.

Livelong shares—What’s in your decathlon?

Reply to this email with your response. We want to share your wisdom in an upcoming newsletter.

What is something you want to add to your Centenarian Decathlon, and what does it mean to you?

📊 Poll results

Last week’s discussion was about mouth taping. We asked: Would you try mouth taping? 48% of you are interested in trying it, and 33% would consider it.

Until next time,

Erin

_{The information provided about wellness and health is for general informational and educational purposes only. We are not licensed medical professionals, and the content here should not be considered medical advice. Talk to a doctor before trying any of these suggestions.}

Longevity Media LLC

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