Dear Reader,

Healthy aging doesn’t happen by accident. It isn’t simply a roll of the dice. How we experience aging is a choice.

Clearly, we’re all beholden to some extent to the genes we’ve inherited. However, genes play a smaller role in overall health than you may think. More often, the life a person leads in their later years is a culmination of personal attitudes, decisions made and actions taken beginning in young adulthood. In other words, you control what can be the most enjoyable and meaningful years of your life.

In Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging, we discuss what we currently know about the aging process and what you can expect to experience as you get older. More importantly, we outline ways that you can remain healthy as you age, so that your later years can be some of your best years.

Inside you will find the following and more:

Common age-related changes
How to slow the aging process
How to challenge the brain and body
Retirement planning and living a fulfilling life

Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging provides expert advice from a wide range of Mayo Clinic specialists, including staff of Mayo Clinic’s Kogod Center on Aging. Think of it as an instruction manual that gives you the tools you need to live life to its maximum — ensuring that your later years are indeed your golden years.