6 Super-Agers' Secrets to Keeping Your Brain Sharp

Exercise, healthy eating and maintaining friendships help some seniors keep their cognitive abilities sharp.

A couple sitting outside and smiling together
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If you’re reading this while pedaling a stationary bike, sipping a blueberry smoothie and chatting with your gym buddies, congratulations: You just might become a “super ager.”

Super agers are seniors who have cognitive abilities comparable to people decades younger. And a growing body of research suggests that we can all boost our odds of joining their ranks by tweaking our daily habits and rethinking our views on aging.

Physical exercise, intellectual challenges, strong friendships and a healthy diet can all help protect an aging brain, studies show. But it’s not just about crossword puzzles and leafy greens. Read on to discover the secrets of the super agers.

Eleanor Laise
Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Retirement Report
Laise covers retirement issues ranging from income investing and pension plans to long-term care and estate planning. She joined Kiplinger in 2011 from the Wall Street Journal, where as a staff reporter she covered mutual funds, retirement plans and other personal finance topics. Laise was previously a senior writer at SmartMoney magazine. She started her journalism career at Bloomberg Personal Finance magazine and holds a BA in English from Columbia University.