Secrets to longevity: 50s, 60s, 70s [Infographic]

As we hit our milestone birthdays, we get wiser, we earn the right to call young people hoodlums, and we even get nifty Gold Cards that make things cheaper (but not for the first few years when so many Kiwis would rather pay full price than admit they have a Gold Card).

The downside is that we are also more likely to encounter various negative health outcomes, from higher blood pressure to creaky, aching knees.

It’s unfair and utterly unwelcome, but as much as it’s tempting to bury your head in the proverbial sand, it is somewhat more constructive to take a proactive approach to health concerns.

That’s why we’ve put together a short cheat-sheet of the common ailments that often affect those in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond. This list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it a strict guideline that should replace any advice your actual doctor gives you, but it can offer an indication of some of the issues that can arise during these decades.

Rather than simply trying to frighten you, there is actually a purpose to all this – to prepare you. Ageing itself is inevitable, but the negative health outcomes don’t always have to be.

There are things you can do to avoid and minimise those unwelcome problems, and ideally maintain your good health for many years to come. Generally speaking, it all comes down to looking after yourself and getting on really good terms with your trusted health professionals, but we do suggest considering getting a dog at one point, so it’s not all salads and sudoku.

So in order to combat these uncalled-for signs of ageing, there are a few tips and tricks you can try throughout the years to look and feel closer to your mental age than your physical one.

Take a look at our infographic for the secrets to immortality*.

*please take this hyperbole with a grain of salt, but no more, because we’re keeping our sodium intake down.

24 Dec 2021