Want to live a longer, healthier life?

Avoid these common habits.

Were all going to age, and were all going to die, saidDr.

A person wearing glasses and a sporty outfit is standing indoors with eyes closed and palms together in a prayer-like gesture. The background features plants and indoor decor

Joshua Septimus, a primary care doctor at Houston Methodist Primary Care Group in Texas.

Its also important to focus on habits that will help you keep doing activities you love.

Its not just adding years to your life, but adding life to your years, saidDr.

A person with short gray hair stands by a lake, flexing their muscles while facing the water and distant hills

Aileen Pangilinan, a geriatrician at the UConn Center on Aging in Farmington, Connecticut.

So how do you increase your healthy years and keep doing the things you love?

First, you avoid some common mistakes people make as they age.

A woman lifts two dumbbells on her shoulders during a workout session at a gym

Below, doctors share what they avoid for the sake of healthy aging:

1.

They never discount the importance of exercise.

In geriatrics … theres nothing that I prescribe more commonly than exercise, Pangilinan said.

An older man with glasses and wearing a sweater looks out the window thoughtfully, resting his head on his hand

Pangilinan specifically recommends prioritizing aerobic exercise.

And … thats the goal, you dont jump from zero to that goal in one day.

We always recommend to have a go at increase slowly toward that target.

A doctor wearing blue gloves examines a mole on a woman's shoulder using a magnifying tool. The woman appears concerned and wears a tank top

When it comes to healthy aging, exercise helps you maintain muscle mass and strength.

These combine to help you maintain physical function and aid in disease avoidance as you get older.

it’s possible for you to start exercising any time and still experience the benefits.

People at a gathering clinking plastic cups of beer in a toast. The faces are not shown clearly

Michael Danielewicz, the Director of Pride Care at theJefferson Center for Healthy Agingin Philadelphia.

They also dont discount the importance of strength training.

Strength training allows you to maintain your mobility.

A 3D illustration of a pink brain with thin arms and legs lifting a heavy barbell, symbolizing mental strength and exercising the brain

One of the pillars of healthy aging when I counsel patients is muscle mass.

Falls are the biggest fear Septimus has for his patients once they reach their 70s.

There isnt one right way to strength train.

Instead, itll depend on your age and abilities and what you enjoy enough to actually keep doing regularly.

They try not to isolate themselves.

This is one of the harder ones and I want to qualify this before I say it.

We know that social isolation has an impact on health.

Danielewicz said he wouldnt directly tell patients not to isolate themselves, since thats not a reasonable demand.

Its not exactly black and white.

What I would say, though …

They dont skip their cancer screenings.

They dont use tobacco or drink too much alcohol.

Whether youre 20, 40, 60 or 80, its never too late to quit using tobacco.

In line with this, you should also avoid drinking too much alcohol.

For the sake of your longevity and overall health, the less you drink the better.

They dont stop challenging their brain.

Your cognitive abilities depend on keeping your brain stimulated, which requires learning new information and having novel experiences.