4 ways women can make the most of their ‘longevity bonus’

“You hit 30, 35 at the latest, and if you didn’t make it big, you just weren’t going to make it,” Dychtwald says. wealth.

Fast forward 50 years, Dychtwald is now the author of a book called Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing health, brain and life span. She and her husband Ken Dychtwald, co-founders of the decades-old research and education platform Age Wave, are at the forefront of the age inclusion movement. Their work profoundly changed Dychtwald’s perspective on aging, and she takes pride in proving her younger self wrong.

Reframing aging makes life more rewarding and plays an important role in how well people age physically and mentally.

For millennia, women have lived longer than men and have a unique opportunity to maximize their “longevity bonus,” says Dychtwald, now 74. wealth. In Aging without ageshe points out how women can take advantage of a long life.

“The science tells us that women have really won the longevity lottery,” she says. “Aging is an opportunity to reinvent yourself and try new things and have more energy than you had when you were younger.”

Despite living longer, women spend at least a decade at the end of life in poor health more than men due to financial inequities, disease risks and other factors. Because of this, Dychtwald says, there’s a pressing need to help women bridge the gap between life expectancy and health — how long you live versus how long you live in good health — so they can thrive in their longevity bonus. .

“There was this belief that genetics is our destiny in terms of our health and well-being,” she says. But now, “we have agency that we didn’t think we had before. We make 80% of all health care decisions for our families and ourselves. We have the power, I think, to really change the game for ourselves.”

Here are four tips Dychtwald outlines in her book to empower women as they age.

Embrace the potential for more happiness

Embracing the advantages of a long life is the first step to making aging more exciting, especially for women who tend to encounter more stereotypical messages about the need to maintain a youthful appearance. Positive thinking about aging can also influence how well you age by reducing chronic stress and the risk of chronic conditions.

“Recognizing and appreciating the many advantages of aging is an essential ingredient in approaching longevity with a more positive mindset, which we know can influence our health and lifespan,” Dychtwald writes.

First, recognize the gifts of living a long life, Dychtwald says, which include self-awareness, wisdom, and the ability to engage with broader perspectives.

Another advantage? Dychtwald highlights the U-curve of happiness, which shows how people’s happiness peaks as they get younger and older. She writes that the “sweet spot for happiness” is between 50 and 75, when people on average have fewer caregiving responsibilities and feel more confident in their careers, according to a 2023 study by Age Wave. It’s a time Dychtwald’s team considers the “freedom zone,” and many women embrace the growth mindset of trying new and exciting opportunities.

But, women don’t have to seek out another degree or make a massive life pivot to feel like they’re embracing their bonus.

“In fact, from the studies we’ve done at Age Wave, we’ve found that the number one place where people find a sense of purpose is spending time with their family. And the first thing people are willing to try to have a sense of purpose is to adopt a pet,” she says.

Lean into the domino effect of lifestyle changes

There is no magic pill for living a long and healthy life. However, we know more than ever that lifestyle factors – more than genetics – can influence how well we age and how long we live. It’s time to be “the CEO of our own health service,” Dychtwald writes Aging without age.

Instead of making radical lifestyle changes, Dychtwald says to take advantage of the domino effect of healthy habits. Yes, it’s a combination of eating well, moving your body, having strong relationships, reducing stress and getting quality sleep, but it’s also about trusting that one will lead to the other.

“There’s this holistic bouquet or set of ingredients that work together,” she says, especially for women going through perimenopause, menopause and hormonal changes. “If you start sleeping better, you’ll have more energy and vitality to do the various tasks you want to do during the day, including exercise. You can see this cascading effect it can have.”

Look at aging role models

There is no better place to look for the wisdom of aging than women who age in positivity. “Aging is something to be embraced, not something to fear or run from,” says Dychtwald, who notes that Toni Morrison wrote her first novel at age 40, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer was 52 when he had his own show on air show.

In a recent YouTube interview series titled “Moments That Make Us,” Melinda French Gates, who just celebrated her 60th birthday, interviewed Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey about the benefits of a cold.

All three women exemplified the benefits of aging.

“Women used to not talk about their age as if we should be ashamed of being our age. But I’m very proud that I’m about to turn 60,” French Gates said in the interview. “Shouldn’t we be celebrating? I hope by this age we have some wisdom, right?

As for CBS anchor Gayle King: “Aging is another word for living. I think if we’re all lucky, we can get to that stage.”

Extend your brain power

Women are twice as likely to suffer from cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. While fate is not entirely in your hands, “there are steps we can take to prevent and delay cognitive decline,” says Dychtwald.

While lifestyle factors play a role in brain and physical health, there are more precise ways to strengthen your memory and brain power.

This includes being a lifelong learner who continues to challenge the brain, connect with others, which can help reduce the risk of dementia, and practice gratitude and mindfulness.

These tips are a place to start, but Dychtwald acknowledges that financial, socioeconomic and social inequities don’t give everyone the same opportunities to reap the benefits of the longevity bonus.

For more, here’s a recap of four ways women can get the longevity bonus: