It’s a wrap. We’re excited to share that Big Retired Life’s “Top Priorities” section now features a comprehensive series on the seven predictors of longevity that are within your control. This series is based on findings from Harvard’s Study of Adult Development and provides actionable tips to help you incorporate them into your life. WhetherContinue reading “Seven Predictors of Longevity Within Your Control”
Top Priorities: Data-backed insights for a long, active retirement
Breathe Easy
You’ve heard the phrase ‘smoking kills’ one too many times, but it’s true. Non-smokers live longer and healthier lives. Actually, not smoking is one of the seven dominant predictors of successful aging within some personal control. But it’s not just cigarettes: vaping, smoking marijuana, and even exercising in poor air quality can all have detrimentalContinue reading “Breathe Easy”
Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight
By Stella Taylor Bergan, Health and Human Performance Coach Maintaining a healthy body weight after retirement is an important concern for many people as they enter a new phase of life. As daily schedules change, you may or may not spend more time engaging in habits to keep mentally and physically at your best. HealthyContinue reading “Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight”
A Workout Program Designed for Longevity
“If exercise could be packaged in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.” This quote, attributed to Robert Butler of the National Institute on Aging, reinforces the benefits of exercise as one of seven dominant predictors of successful aging that’s within your control. Yet, with myriadContinue reading “A Workout Program Designed for Longevity”
Coping Skills Lead to Better Health and Longer Life
Data show that how you respond to life’s ups and downs can predict long-term health. Your response, known as a defense or coping mechanism, is a skill you can develop. Learn the benefits of mature defense mechanisms as well as seven ways to strengthen them. Dr. George Vaillant, former director of Harvard’s Study of AdultContinue reading “Coping Skills Lead to Better Health and Longer Life”
The Hard Truth About Alcohol and Aging
Falling into heavy drinking or even alcoholism is a real problem during retirement, no matter how much you may welcome that final workday. So before you pour that glass of wine or savor that martini, here’s some information you should know. A 2017 JAMA Psychiatry article released the results from the National Epidemiologic Survey onContinue reading “The Hard Truth About Alcohol and Aging”
Cultivate Your Social Power
There are seven dominant predictors of successful aging that are within our control, with stable long-term relationships being the single most important one. This finding was proven by the 80-year plus longitudinal Harvard Study of Adult Development that tracked 268 Harvard students and 465 disadvantaged boys from Boston. Robert Waldinger, the study’s fourth director, presented itsContinue reading “Cultivate Your Social Power”
The Power of Purpose
Everyone hopes for a happy, healthy retirement. But how, exactly, do you start on this path — especially when you may have 30-plus years to fill with … what? That will likely be the first major question even for the best-planned, long-anticipated retirements. Then there are the traps and quagmires — including depression, alcohol abuse,Continue reading “The Power of Purpose”