Secrets Of The Super-Agers

Sarah Marinos Meet Seniors Who Just Don’T Seem To Grow Old And Asks How They Stay So Physically And Mentally Fit

- Sarah Marinos

Almost four million Australians are now aged 65 or over, and by 2056, that number will hit around 8.7 million. About three-quarters of older people rate their health as good, but some seniors seem able to stop the clock. They’re the ‘super-agers’ – women and men whose physical and mental wellbeing matches that of people decades younger. Researchers around the world are studying these youthful seniors to find out what keeps them fit and well.

“As a society, we have an idea that as people get older, their body and mind will fail them,” says Jo Robertson, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne. “We’re interested in what we can do to prevent some of the decline that doesn’t happen to everybody so [obviously] isn’t inevitable. [We know] having a healthy cardiovascular system is important – healthy heart, healthy brain. If your cardiovascular health isn’t good, you’re susceptible to strokes or your brain accumulates damage and it compromises your cognitive skills. Diet is important, and so is staying active. Having interesting conversations and doing things you find challenging but enjoyable also matters.”

Here, some super-agers explain how they stay young…

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Anne Lang, 75, lives in Adelaide. She’s a keen athlete who has won running events at the World Games and works full-time at her own fitness centre.

“I look forward to getting older because I run competitively, and I’ve just jumped to the 75-79 age group. Now I’m at the younger end, I’ll have more chance of winning!