5 min read
It’s no secret that today we can expect to live a much longer life than someone born several generations ago. Thanks to modern medicine and other advancements, we can stay healthy much further into adulthood. But have we really given enough thought to what the longer second half of life might look like?
In his new book Longevity Nation, magazine publishing executive and entrepreneur Michael Clinton ponders ways in which the world can better support people as they age. Clinton is the former president and publishing director of Hearst Magazines, the author of ROAR, and founder and CEO of ROAR Forward, a joint venture with Hearst focused on the new longevity movement.
“If someone is 50 and healthy, they will probably live another 40 or more years,” he says. “It opens up a second half that can be reset in a relationship, a career, and much more. I call it the midlife opportunity to reimagine.”
The book includes insights from longevity experts around the world on the present and future of aging, including how artificial intelligence is rapidly changing career opportunities and advancing precision medicine.
Clinton also explores how people can support their own healthy aging process. If there is just one tip that he hopes readers walk away with, it’s “the importance of movement and exercise as natural medicine for healthy longevity. The goal should be at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise and two sessions of weight training for strength,” he says.
Here are other surprising takeaways from Longevity Nation.
It’s not too late to go back to college, even in your 70s.
You don’t have to formally go back to school to be a lifelong learner, but for some people, going back to college in their 70s, 80s, or even 90s is an option for building on their experience or learning something new. Clinton discusses how many people’s college education becomes obsolete by the time they reach the second half of their life, and this opens the door for new educational and career opportunities.
Clinton uses the term “Re-Imagineer” to describe people who are actively redesigning what the second half of life can look like. In the context of pursuing higher education later in life, he uses the example of an airline pilot who enrolled in Columbia University’s Wealth Management program as he prepared for retirement to set himself up for a new career after he reached the required retirement age of 65.
Other Re-Imagineers take similar steps through executive education or university certificate programs, using them to translate existing expertise into new professional directions or second-act roles. Clinton says education can be a tool for reinvention in later life, helping people extend both their careers and their sense of purpose beyond traditional expectations for retirees.
The future of health care is personalized.
Clinton describes today’s medical breakthroughs driven by AI-enabled technology as “one of the most exciting times in history.” According to several longevity medicine researchers, the future of health care is precision medicine.
The term “precision medicine” refers to individualizing treatments based on a person’s unique biology. When health care providers are able to combine individual biological data with data on social determinants of health and environmental factors, they can deliver personalized, holistic solutions.
For example, predictive tools may one day allow people to receive detailed assessments of their long-term vulnerability to cancer or heart disease decades before symptoms appear. Artificial intelligence is accelerating this possibility by creating the capability of analyzing large datasets across populations and matching individuals with personalized treatment or prevention strategies.
Clinton also discusses a broader transformation in how researchers understand aging itself. As scientists gain a better grasp on how aging changes our DNA, he proposes that longevity medicine may shift away from managing specific diseases toward targeting the biology of aging itself.
GLP-1 medications are longevity medicine game changers.
In the book, Clinton shares how GLP-1 medications have “completely changed the game” for managing obesity and related conditions, including sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. As affordability and access to these medications increase, more people will be able to live longer, healthier lives, he says.
With these advancements in obesity medicine come new challenges, which Clinton addresses by talking to cutting-edge researchers like Dr. Steve Dayan, a facial plastic surgeon who is studying how GLP-1 drugs are linked to rapid facial aging. Dr. Dayan is researching how GLP-1s may interact with nutrient-rich cells in the thin layer of fat below the skin to develop solutions for people who experience changes in skin elasticity.
Muscle loss, another side effect of GLP-1 drugs, is another consideration for longevity medicine. Clinton spoke with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, creator of Muscle-Centric Medicine, who proposed that the proliferation of GLP-1 use may lead to “another type of epidemic of frailty and osteoporosis,” requiring solutions to protect and preserve muscle tissue in older adults.
Funding a 100-year life requires a mindset shift.
Most modern financial systems were designed around a much shorter lifespan, when retirement might last 10 to 15 years rather than several decades, Clinton explains. Less than a quarter of Americans believe that they will have enough retirement savings to live to 100, and economists who spoke to Clinton about their concerns that many people, particularly those who rely on Medicaid, will not be able to finance long-term care later in life.
Especially considering rising health care costs and inflation, planning for a 100-year life requires a mindset shift from short-term retirement savings to long-term, flexible financial strategies that account for multiple income phases and potentially multiple careers, Clinton explains.
Clinton introduces the idea of financial longevity literacy, which encourages people to think in longer planning horizons and build financial strategies that can adapt over time. It highlights the growing role of private-sector innovation, including retirement products designed for extended lifespans, new insurance models, and investment approaches that shift attention from saving alone to managing assets through later life. He warns against expecting to rely solely on Social Security payments, as there may be potential decreases in benefits in the future.
He notes that longevity gains are not distributed evenly, and financial preparedness varies widely across income and education levels. This creates a risk that longer lives could deepen inequality unless policies shift and access to financial literacy tools and education broadens, according to Clinton.
Taking deep breaths might add years to your life.
Clinton discusses how alongside diet and exercise, sleep hygiene and stress reduction are key components of healthy aging. He notes that mindfulness expert Manjit Devgun recommends taking deeper, longer breaths to expand lung capacity and support the immune system. Devgun says that practicing deep breathing can add seven years to your life expectancy, and even just three minutes a day of deep breathing can reduce anxiety.
Guided meditation and breathing exercises, Clinton says, are among many ways to regulate your sleep schedule and reap the longevity benefits of a calm life. He also advises keeping a regular sleep schedule, avoiding using technology in bed, exposing yourself to light in the morning and dusk, and keeping your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark to promote healthy sleep.
Clinton emphasizes that addressing sleep issues at a younger age has a compounding effect that will benefit people as they get older, as long-term sleep problems are linked to a higher risk for dementia and a shorter lifespan.