PrefaceChapter 1:Ageless- keys to health and longevity Part 1: Common age-related changes and what you can doChapter 2:Your brainChapter 3:Your sensesChapter 4:Your heart and lungsChapter 5:Your bones, muscles and jointsChapter 6:Your digestive healthChapter 7:Your urinary healthChapter 8:Your immune healthChapter 9:Weight, sleep, skin and sexual healthChapter 10:Cancer riskChapter 11:Frailty and recovery from injuryPart 2: Living better and living longerChapter 12:How are you doing, and what's your plan?Chapter 13:The power of connections, relationships and purposeChapter 14:Improving your physical health with exerciseChapter 15:Eating well to live wellChapter 16:Holistic health to nurture your mind, body and spiritChapter 17:Vaccinations and screening testsChapter 18:Planning ahead for what comes nextChapter 19:Some inspirationAdditional resources Index

An easy-to-understand yet comprehensive guide to help people live longer and more purposeful lives. Healthy aging isn't simply a roll of the dice. How people age is a choice.Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging discusses the biology of aging - why we age and how to slow the aging process. It delves into common health and lifestyle concerns and outlines steps that readers can take to enjoy longer and more purposeful lives. Researchers are finding that genes play a smaller role in overall health than most individuals realize. More often, the life people lead in their later years is a culmination of personal attitudes, decisions made, and actions taken beginning in young adulthood.The book covers a variety of topics including: responding to personal risks how to challenge the brain and body healthy diet physical activity resiliency retirement planning living a fulfilling life Readers also will find practical tips to keep their minds, bodies, and spirits in top shape. Think of this book as an instruction manual that provides the tools needed to live life to its maximum - ensuring that the later years are some of the best years. The advice comes from a wide range of Mayo Clinic specialists, including staff of Mayo Clinic's Kogod Center on Aging. Discoveries being made by scientists at the Kogod Center suggest that aging may be a modifiable risk factor - a process that can be controlled. The Center's efforts are focused on the goal of increasing human "health span" - the number of years individuals spend living independently and remaining free of age-related diseases and disabilities.