A 77-year-old who does yoga and goes on daily walks shared three things that she believes have helped her stay healthy and active with Business Insider.
Chris Curle and her husband, Don Farmer, were anchors on CNN for a decade. When they retired in 1997, they moved from Atlanta to Florida to be close to her aging parents and nature. Farmer died in 2021, and Curle now lives at the Vi at Bentley Village senior living community in Naples, Florida.
Curle does yoga classes twice a week at the community’s fitness center and walks at least a mile every day, she told Business Insider. Bentley Village is set over 150 acres of land, some of which is a reserve, so she sees all kinds of animals, including alligators, bears, coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons, on her walks.
Shai Efrati, a doctor specializing in longevity and an associate professor at Tel Aviv University, previously told BI that staying active is one key to healthy aging, alongside other basics of longevity such as limiting ultra-processed foods.
Here are Curle’s other simple tips.
Go on field trips
“You have to have a lot of curiosity and maintain that your whole life,” Curle said. To do this, she goes on lots of “field trips” — half or full-day excursions to local attractions similar to the ones she used to do at school.
“Every community has something interesting nearby or something to do or something to learn,” she said. She’s been to local botanical gardens, museums, nature reserves, ranches, and festivals. She often takes friends along with her — although she’s never afraid to go alone, she said.
Staying curious was a common trait among centenarians who participated in a 2023 study by researchers at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Stay mentally active
“Staying active and keeping your body and your brain working, that seems to be the formula the experts provide” for longevity, Curle said.
Curle learns new skills, including Tai Chi, and attends lectures at a local university on topics such as history, entertainment, and tech.
Keeping the mind active and learning new skills is thought to be one of the keys to longevity, Heidi Tissenbaum, a professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School who researches healthspan, previously told BI. This is because doing new things creates pathways in the brain, which keeps it active and healthy.
You’re only as old as you feel
“When you’re 77, the mirror says something entirely different from how you feel inside,” Curle said. “But go with whatever your brain thinks your age is. And celebrate every birthday because it’s better than the alternative!”
A 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open found that adults over 50 who thought more positively about aging had a 43% lower risk of dying of any cause than people who were less satisfied by their aging. They were also more likely to do frequent physical activity and less likely to be lonely.
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