Worried about getting old? Here are 25 practices to adapt today for a happier old age

For many, getting older can be a concerning factor. However, aging is a natural process that is inevitable and has its own benefits. That being said, it is essential to recognize the significance of preparing for this phase of life. Just as a well-maintained garden yields beautiful flowers, adequate preparation for growing old ensures a more fulfilling and comfortable existence during the later years. There are several aspects such as financial stability, physical well-being, emotional resilience and maintaining social connections.

In an effort to stay proactive and prepare for getting old, a Reddit user took to the platform to ask people for their insights regarding habits that one should adopt as one crossed the halfway line and entered the second half of life. They inquired, "I'm getting older (late 40s) and starting to wonder what I can do now, proactively, to better prepare for old age... socially, financially, health-wise, etc. I know the usual (eat healthy, move more), but any great tips? What might I regret in my old age not starting when I was in my late 40s?" Other individuals on the platform were quick to contribute and the post has accumulated over 2.2K comments. Here are 25 of the best pieces of advice that the platform had to offer on preparing for old age: 

1. Dental hygiene 

Taking very good care of your teeth —justadrtrdsrvvr

2. Maintain a healthy social life

Staying in touch with the people you care about/who care about you. I’m only in my 30s but have had a lot of loss. It is easy enough to forget that time does run out.
Plus, social contact (within healthy context) is great for mental health and well-being. —ephemeral_dreamscape

3. Don't forget to stretch 

4. Keep the volume down

5. Consistently engage in high heart-rate activities 

Establish a daily habit of getting 30 minutes of heart rate raising activity.Daily. No need to be fancy. I suggest walking if nothing else. No need for equipment or to go anywhere, just one step in front of you. It’s the habit that’s important and it gets harder and harder to establish over time as your body ages. Very much a feedback loop. —stealthdawg

6. Start doing yoga 

Yoga. As we age it makes such a difference to maintain good posture, stay flexible, have good balance, body awareness and move with ease. —braddic

7. Enjoy the small things 

27F, but from the outside looking in, I see a lot of older people denying themselves simple pleasures because it’s not “age-appropriate”. I think it’s totally fine to do whatever you like, without worrying about being too old for it. That includes clubs, bars, fashion, etc. Just do what makes you happy. Anything can be done fabulously at any age. —cuppa-confusion

8. Use sunscreen 

9. Maintain your body 

10. Stay hydrated 

Drinking more water. Saving up, even if you feel it's too late. Making small changes to diet that has big impact 10 years from now. Work harder at staying in touch with distant friends, there is less and less reason to not reach out via technology even if you have nothing to talk about. —a_hopeless_rmntic

11. Take care of your mental health 

Go to therapy and/or take care of your mental health. Just recently started to truly appreciate what that ripple effect really looks like and how it touches everything physically, consciously, and unconsciously. —wiggie316

12. Be a good parent (for those who have kids)

Got kids? Get close to them if you are not. —karthanok

13. Indulge in mobility exercise 

14. Use Sensodyne toothpaste 

Sensodyne toothpaste. You'll thank me later. If you're anything like me and you grew up with a horrible soda addiction, your enamel's probably seen better days. Even if you quit soda, your teeth are still gonna hurt pretty bad from it years after. Save yourself a dentist bill or two and just buy the expensive old people toothpaste now. —elponchogigante

15.  Start weight-training 

Lift weights. Heavily. Regularly. Muscle mass will prolong your life more than anything else. Meaning, injury late in life is inevitable, but getting injured (breaking a hip or arm or something) when you are frail is usually people's downfall. —neildmaster

16. Health is wealth

I’m a nurse who works with old folks, so my opinions come from this experience, but I’d say your later years are nothing without good health. We see 65 year olds who need to be placed into long term care (nursing homes), and we see some people linger in our care for years and years because their body is slowly giving up. On the flip side, I see 90 year olds who are still active in the community (and driving!). Take care of your body, eat well, stay active, and KEEP YOUR BRAIN ACTIVE. Read, do puzzles, take up a hobby that involves brain work (yarn crafts, woodwork, word puzzles, hell even video games might do it). Regret-wise, most of these people don’t say they regret missed opportunities to travel or anything. They regret they way they treated their body and their loved ones. But that also includes some people who regret that they let others stay in their lives for so long, so make sure to prioritize your mental health and remove toxic people from your life. So many of my patients spend days now watching tv or looking out the window, just wasting away. We try to make it fun and happy for them while they’re here, but small changes and habits you make NOW will have great impact in a few decades. —Mokelachild

17. Consistency is key 

Consistent health habits. Progressive weight training, cardi, stretching, diet, supplements. Muscle loss and overall physical capacity drastically decrease as much as 1-2% per year. You need to fight against it so you maintain muscle, bone and elasticity. It changes everything and you can still massively impact your current baseline. -—gnissut

18. Go for a swim 

19. Make good investments

20. Floss regularly 

21. Be financially prudent 

22. Do your bucket list 

23. Learn compound interest

24. Maintain core strength

25. Keep saving money