Reaching your 60s, 70s, and later decades often brings noticeable changes in the body and mind. Balance may not feel quite as reliable as it once did, strength can decline, and remembering names or other details may sometimes take longer. Although some changes are a normal part of aging, healthy habits can help reduce their impact and support physical health, mental sharpness, and mobility.
The choices people make later in life can significantly influence how they age. While aging itself cannot be reversed, research suggests that adopting healthier habits can be beneficial at virtually any age. Even people who have spent much of their lives being relatively inactive can improve their fitness and overall well-being by gradually increasing physical activity.
Experts generally recommend* focusing on several areas of improvement in your 60s and 70s, including strength, balance, nutrition, cognitive and social engagement, and preventive health care. Together, these habits have the potential to help people maintain independence and quality of life well into their later years.
Build Strength and Power to Maintain Independence
Exercise becomes increasingly important with age, not simply for physical fitness, but for maintaining the ability to perform everyday activities. Making sure that, as you get older, you’ll be able to stand up from a chair without assistance, carry groceries, or quickly regain balance after stumbling can greatly affect your ability to live independently.
Muscle strength can decline more rapidly with age, and periods of inactivity may accelerate losses in strength and mobility. The good news is that regular movement and resistance exercise can help older adults preserve physical function.
Current U.S. physical activity guidelines* recommend that adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking, along with muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days per week. Comparable combinations of moderate (and vigorous) intensity exercise can also meet these recommendations.
Strength training does not necessarily require lifting heavy weights at a gym. Exercises such as chair squats, wall push-ups, and resistance-band movements can help maintain muscle strength and everyday function. Lighter weights can also provide meaningful benefits when you do enough repetitions to adequately challenge the muscles.
For people who have difficulty with more complicated exercises, a simple sit-to-stand movement can be useful. This involves repeatedly standing up from a chair and sitting back down, perhaps 10 to 15 times. As strength improves, you can make the exercise more challenging by relying less on your hands for support or using a slightly lower chair.
Walking is another valuable form of activity. Research* suggests that accumulating around 7,000 steps per day can provide substantial health benefits for many older adults. Some evidence indicates that longer periods of continuous walking may provide additional cardiovascular and longevity benefits, but studies* also show that shorter periods of activity accumulated throughout the day can be beneficial.
For people who find a long walk intimidating or physically difficult, several shorter walks spread throughout the day may be a more manageable way to stay active.
Practice Balance and Gait Training to Reduce Fall Risk
People do not have to feel frail to start working on balance. The 60s and 70s can be an important time to develop and maintain balance skills because falls are a major cause of injury and loss of independence among older adults.
Research* has also found an association between the ability to balance on one leg and better health outcomes among middle-aged and older adults. While a simple balance test should not be treated as a guarantee of health or longevity, it highlights the importance of maintaining balance and physical function as people age.
Simple exercises can help. One option is a single-leg stand performed near a sturdy countertop or chair for support. A person might aim to balance for 10 to 20 seconds, switch legs, and repeat several times on each side.
Another option is practicing balance in a safe corner of a room, where walls can provide support in multiple directions. Balance exercises can gradually become more challenging as ability improves, but safety should always come first.
Experts* recommend practicing balance regularly rather than waiting until noticeable problems develop. Linking balance exercises with an existing daily habit, such as brushing your teeth, can make them easier to remember and incorporate into a routine.
Optimize Nutrition as You Age
Good nutrition becomes especially important later in life. The goal is not necessarily weight loss. Instead, nutrition can help preserve muscle, bone strength, energy, and independence.
As people age, the body generally becomes less efficient at building and maintaining muscle. At the same time, some older adults consume fewer calories overall. This combination makes the nutritional quality of those calories particularly important.
Research* suggests that many healthy older adults may benefit from approximately 1.0 to 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. For someone who weighs 150 pounds, that works out to roughly 68 to 88 grams of protein per day.
One practical approach is to include approximately 20 to 30 grams of protein at each meal. Protein can come from foods such as poultry, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, beans and other nutrient-rich sources.
Beyond protein, research* consistently supports eating patterns similar to the Mediterranean diet. This approach emphasizes minimally processed foods, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and lean sources of protein. Studies* have associated Mediterranean-style eating patterns with lower risks of several chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline.
Experts* also recommend limiting ultra-processed foods, which tend to contain large amounts of added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat. Healthy eating does not have to involve complicated meal preparation; convenient options such as prepared fresh vegetables, salads, and minimally processed frozen foods can make nutritious choices easier.
A practical whole-food, plant-forward eating pattern can include these priorities:
- Fill about half the plate with fruits and vegetables.
- Include a source of lean protein at each meal.
- Choose whole grains instead of highly refined carbohydrates when possible.
- Favor sources of unsaturated fats, including olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados.
- Consume adequate calcium and vitamin D to support bone health.
- Limit highly processed foods, particularly those high in added sugar, sodium and saturated fat.
Keep the Brain Active and Stay Socially Connected
Cognitive decline and dementia become greater concerns as people enter their 60s, 70s and later years. Genetics contribute to risk, but research* indicates that several potentially modifiable factors also matter, including physical activity, diet, sleep, cardiovascular health and stress management.
Mental and social engagement may also help support cognitive health.
Activities such as crossword puzzles, reading, taking classes, learning a language, playing an instrument, writing in a journal and developing new skills all provide mental stimulation. Meaningful conversations can also exercise cognitive abilities by requiring people to listen, interpret information, remember context and formulate responses.
Studies* generally find an association between continued mental engagement and better cognitive function, although much of the evidence comes from observational research. This means mentally stimulating activities should be considered one component of healthy aging rather than a guaranteed method of preventing dementia.
Social connection may be particularly important. Research* has linked stronger social relationships and greater social engagement with better cognitive function and memory, as well as improved emotional well-being. Maintaining friendships, participating in community organizations, volunteering, joining clubs or groups, and spending meaningful time with family and friends can provide both social and cognitive stimulation.
Social activity naturally engages the brain. A conversation, for example, requires attention, memory, language processing, and emotional awareness. Staying connected with others therefore supports several aspects of healthy aging at the same time.
Make Preventive Care and Health Monitoring a Priority
Preventive health care becomes increasingly individualized as people get older. Some routine screenings may become less necessary, while others become increasingly important. Screening decisions often depend not only on chronological age but also on overall health, medical history, family history, and life expectancy.
For example, a healthy person in their 80s with a strong family history of a particular disease or previous abnormal screening results may still benefit from certain screenings. Someone younger who has several serious medical conditions may face a different balance of potential benefits and risks.
Preventive health recommendations* for adults in their 60s and 70s commonly include monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar or diabetes risk. Bone-density screening for osteoporosis is also recommended for certain older adults, particularly women beginning at age 65, depending on current clinical guidelines and individual risk factors.
Vision and hearing evaluations can also become increasingly important. Problems in either area can affect communication, independence, quality of life, and the risk of falls.
Keeping recommended vaccinations current is another important part of preventive care. Older adults should discuss vaccines, including seasonal influenza and updated COVID-19 vaccination, with their health care providers, along with other age-appropriate immunizations.
Regular primary care visits provide an opportunity to review changes in health, medications, screening needs and personal health goals. People managing chronic health conditions may need appointments more frequently, such as every three to six months, depending on their individual circumstances.
Monitoring certain health measurements at home can also be useful. Someone with high blood pressure, for example, may benefit from regular home blood-pressure readings that give their health care provider a clearer picture when making treatment decisions.
However, more health data is not necessarily better for everyone. Some people find regular tracking motivating and useful, while others may become anxious or overly focused on small fluctuations. Health monitoring should therefore be tailored to the individual and used in a way that supports well-being rather than adding unnecessary stress.
Healthy Aging Is About Consistency, Not Perfection
Healthy aging does not require completely transforming your lifestyle overnight. Research suggests that meaningful benefits can come from relatively modest changes made consistently over time.
Regular walking, strength and balance exercises, nutritious meals, meaningful social relationships, mentally stimulating activities, and appropriate preventive care can all help maintain independence and quality of life.
Most importantly, healthy habits can still make a difference when they are adopted later in life. Rather than focusing on what you did or did not do in previous decades, the more useful question is what manageable steps you can begin taking now to support your health in the years ahead.
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*Source: Stanford Medicine