Living & Moving Well in The Second Half of Life

I just turned 56 last month, so while I’m not thinking about dying quite yet, I am thinking about longevity and living the second half of my life well. If you’re in the same boat, I have some exciting news for you. A new review of 85 studies just came out in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and the takeaway was loud and clear:

If you move your body regularly, you lower your risk of dying from any cause by up to 40%.

And here’s the best part… Even if someone had been mostly sedentary for decades, just starting to move more later in life was still linked to a 20-25% reduction in the risk of early death.

We’re not talking about elite workouts or perfect routines here, either! We’re talking about real-life movement. Things like:

• Walking
• Gardening
• Dancing in your kitchen
• Strength training a couple of times a week
• Cleaning your house with music blasting

It all counts!

How To Make It Happen

All movement matters; even movement below the recommended guidelines shows meaningful benefits. Consistency matters most, though…The more regularly you move, the bigger the payoff! Here's what the experts recommend to get the most benefits: 

 👉  150 minutes of moderate movement (aka ~30 minutes, 5 days/week)

👉  Plus 2 strength sessions a week to protect your bones and muscles

Not only are there longevity payoffs, there are more immediate benefits: more energy, better mood, feeling stronger, and renewed confidence.

To motivate myself, I always go back to the more immediate payoffs. 

Some Inspiration

Last week, I was riding my “gravel bike” in a fairly remote area with my husband, when we came across a 72 year old man on an electric mountain bike. He was super nice, told us about some trails we didn’t know about, and showed us some, too! It was great to see someone older (than us) enjoying the outdoors and we made a social connection, too!

I think there’s bonus points if you can bring a friend along with you to get some movement, so make a plan and get out there. 

REFERENCE: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250711224321.htm