Longevity is more than hacks and trends. For women, healthy aging starts with the big basics: sleep, recovery, physical activity and sustainable lifestyle habits.

Longevity is a very trendy word these days – and why not? It means living a longer and healthier life, with special focus on how to add healthy, active years to the later years of life. This is a great goal to have. The trouble is that when something becomes “trendy”, all kind of hacks get attached to it, and before long, it’s easy to get lost as to what’s relevant – what’s a worthy investment of my time and/or money and what’s not?

An all-conclusive answer to this question doesn’t exist, considering how different we are as individuals, with different realities affecting our health and well-being. In this blog, I’ll reflect on the topic from a woman’s viewpoint, with a few science- and data-based findings and practical takeaways. My focus is on the “big basics” – proven strategies and habits that most of us can realistically adopt. Of course, many want to go beyond the basics and explore other strategies or technologies, and that’s fine, as long as you don’t wear yourself out trying every trick in the book in your attempt to “over-optimize” all aspects of your life.

How does Menopause Affects Women’s Longevity?

Research shows that the aging process speeds up during the menopause years. The decline in oestrogen levels causes an average 6% acceleration in biological, cellular-level aging, such as changes to skin (loss of collagen), bone density (osteoporosis risk), and metabolic health (a few references to this in the end). These changes, if not counteracted in any way, result in biological age increasing faster than chronological age. I’ve noticed this myself during the last 10 or so years, with changes to my neckline, waistline and skin tone, despite fighting back with good lifestyle, nutrition, and other habits. I’ve come to accept the changes as part of aging, although admittedly, it’s not always easy…

Oestrogen therapy, in addition to helping with common menopause-related symptoms, has been shown to actually counteract many of the above-mentioned changes and slow down biological aging. It’s good to discuss this option with your gynaecologist – weigh the pros and cons and then make an informed decision.

For those who are not eligible for oestrogen therapy, it’s important to keep in mind that natural, lifestyle- and nutrition-related strategies have also been shown to be very valuable and helpful during this period – and are available to most women. Some of these strategies are listed at the end of this blog – or check out our earlier blog (and webinar) focusing specifically on perimenopause and menopause.

What Firstbeat Big Data Reveals About Women’s Recovery, Sleep and Fitness

Firstbeat’s big data, collected from tens of thousands of women around the world, as part of their daily life, shows that certain wellness-related metrics have a negative trend with age. For example, the percent of women with poor quality of physiological recovery during sleep increases with age, even if women start following better sleep habits, such as regular sleep rhythm and earlier bedtime, as they get older. Despite the good habits, many women struggle with good sleep quality. The trend continues to worsen after the busy child-raising years (after the age of 40-45; see Fig. 1 below), and it’s reasonable to speculate that menopause-related hormonal changes – in addition to aging itself – play a significant role here.

Fig. 1. Recovery during sleep becomes more challenging with age. The percent of women with poor recovery during sleep increases as we get older, with over 40% of women over 45 showing poor recovery.

Another finding from Firstbeat’s big data shows that women’s aerobic fitness (VO2max) drops steeply with age, even when calculated relative to one’s age group (Fig. 2). The result is based on Firstbeat’s 30-min fitness level walk from 23,000 women. It’s common knowledge that, on average, VO2max and muscle mass decrease with age, but the trend holds even when we look at the percent of women in good fitness in their own age cohort. Our data (as well as many larger health databases) shows that the prevalence of overweight increases during the menopause years, and since VO2max is calculated as ml/kg/min, increasing body weight is a factor in the declining VO2max values. Another factor behind the declining fitness level seems to be reduced amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity among older women, shown also by our data.

Fig. 2. Women’s aerobic fitness declines with age: The percent of women in good fitness, relative to their own age group, decreases steeply with age.

Finding the Balance Between Recovery and Fitness

Drawing on personal experience as well as discussions with many menopause-aged women, I can only state that reversing these two trends is not a simple matter of “let’s do better”… In many ways, it can seem like a vicious cycle. If we sleep poorly and are not well recovered, it’s harder to have the energy to go out for vigorous exercise. And if we listen to our bodies, a gentle walk in nature in a fatigued state might seem like a better idea – and probably is! – than a hard run. However, if we keep doing that for many years and start skipping all those heart rate -increasing exercise sessions, it will speed up the decline in our VO2max. There is a meaningful balance to be found here – and this is a topic that should be raised in many coaching discussions.

Declining fitness and muscle mass is partially inevitable with age, but the trend can be slowed down by following good exercise habits and preventing excessive weight gain. It can be difficult to prevent weight gain during the menopause years, so sensitivity is crucial here. I prefer to emphasize the importance of staying active and eating healthily, instead of worrying about a few extra kilos, but also making sure the weight trend is not ever climbing.

In addition to moderate aerobic activity, current research highlights the importance of resistance training, especially for menopause-aged women – both to prevent loss of muscle mass and help with musculoskeletal issues, but also to help with some of the menopause-related symptoms (a few references in the end). This is another important topic to bring up in coaching discussions with women in this age group. Walking is great for us but should be complemented with some form of strength / resistance training for optimal benefits.

Where to Start With Women’s Longevity: Sleep, Exercise and Nutrition

An overview of “all” available strategies and technologies related to longevity is obviously way beyond the scope of this blog, but below are the Big 3 that I’d start with, also recommended in many longevity-related articles and podcasts that I’ve read or listened to recently. Sure, they might sound rather basic, but good health starts with basic steps! After the big 3, I listed some additional things to keep in mind as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

1.        Prioritize sleep!

1. Do all you can to give yourself the chance to sleep enough and as well as possible, but don’t expect perfection or hold yourself to unrealistic standards as you get older. Good sleep cannot be forced.
2. We’ve listed some concrete sleep tips in an earlier blog. Accurate physiological data from your real life can be a very helpful tool in learning to better understand your sleep because the strategies are individual and the key is to find out what works for you.

2.        Stay active!

1. Build regular movement and physical activity into your days, with 1-2 more vigorous, heart rate -increasing sessions per week, if you want to improve your aerobic fitness. HIIT-type training is especially beneficial for younger women.
2. Strength / resistance training, preferably at least 1-2 times per week, is especially important for menopause and post-menopause-aged women!
3. Avoid overdoing it with high-intensity training. Excessive training has been shown to advance the aging process. Good balance between easy and hard is key at all ages – and especially important as we get older.

3.        Eat healthy.
Increase the amount of whole, plant-based foods, rich in nutrients and fiber, such as fruit, berries, vegetables, greens, seeds, nuts, and high-quality proteins.

If you are considering supplements to support a many-sided diet, many nutrition experts and studies recommend starting with Vitamin D, Omega 3s, and Magnesium.

In addition to the Big 3, it’s worth checking in with yourself with the following key components of healthy living – “how am I doing with that”?

• Healthy stress management – don’t be afraid of stress, but make sure you also have the capacity to recover. This is an area where the kind of data that Firstbeat Life provides can help you see under the surface and understand your personal stress profile.
•  Social connections – powerful research supports the importance of social connection for happiness and longevity. Make time in your busy life to spend with friends, colleagues, and family!
• Avoid smoking and minimize alcohol use.

Only after the basics are in order, if you are so inclined and have the resources for it, would I expand your quest for longevity to other “alternative” therapies, supplements, or technologies. I’ve not had the time or resources personally to go too much beyond the basics, with the exception of regular cold exposure, and as a Finn, sauna naturally belongs to my routines. I really believe that the basics are where the evidence truly lies – and are available for people on a larger scale. That’s not to say that I’m not open to other options and I have done my share of experimentation … perhaps a topic for another blog! I’m also keen to hear your experiences and continue discussion on this fascinating topic.

A few references:

Hormone therapy and aging: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2822953

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/menopause-sleepless-nights-may-make-women-age-faster

Resistance training and menopause:

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/why-exercise-is-essential-during-menopause

https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-health-and-life-sciences/first-of-its-kind-study-shows-resistance-training-can-improve-physical-function-during-menopause/

General about longevity:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK587297/