Aging is inevitable. But how you age? That’s largely up to you.
The difference isn’t just genetics. It’s habits, mindset, and lifestyle choices compounded over decades.
If you’re over 70 and can still do the things on this list without struggle, you’re in rare company. You’re aging better than the vast majority of your peers.
These aren’t about running marathons or doing CrossFit. They’re about fundamental markers of physical, cognitive, and emotional health that predict longevity and quality of life.
So let’s dive into the eight things that separate exceptional aging from typical aging.
1) You can get up from the floor without using your hands
This one might sound simple, but it’s actually a powerful predictor of longevity.
There’s even research on this. A study published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention found that the ability to sit down and rise from the floor without support is strongly associated with mortality risk.
Why? Because it requires strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination all working together.
Most people over 70 need to use their hands, knees, or furniture to get up. Many avoid sitting on the floor entirely because they know getting back up will be difficult or impossible.
But if you can lower yourself to the ground and stand back up smoothly, using minimal or no support, your musculoskeletal system is in exceptional shape.
This isn’t just about looking good. It’s about independence. It’s about not being afraid of falling because you know you can get back up. It’s about having the physical capability to handle whatever life throws at you.
If you’ve maintained this ability into your 70s and beyond, you’re doing something right.
2) You still learn new things regularly
I’m not talking about consuming information. I’m talking about actually learning new skills.
Can you pick up a new technology? Learn a new language? Master a new hobby?
Neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to form new neural connections, doesn’t disappear with age. But it does require use.
People who age well maintain intellectual curiosity. They’re still figuring things out. Still challenging themselves. Still comfortable being beginners at something.
The people who struggle with aging are often the ones who stopped learning years ago. They’ve settled into routines, avoid unfamiliar things, and see new challenges as threats rather than opportunities.
If you’re over 70 and you recently learned how to use a new app, picked up a musical instrument, or started studying something that interests you, you’re keeping your brain young.
And that matters more than most people realize.
3) You can hold a conversation without bringing everything back to yourself
This is about emotional and social intelligence, and it’s rarer than you’d think.
Many older people fall into a pattern of conversational narcissism. Every topic becomes a springboard to talk about their own experiences, their own opinions, their own past.
Someone mentions they’re planning a trip, and immediately it’s “Oh, when I went there in 1987…”
Someone talks about their work challenges, and it becomes “Let me tell you how we used to handle that…”
If you’re still genuinely curious about other people’s lives, if you ask follow-up questions, if you can listen without immediately relating everything to your own experience, you’re aging exceptionally well socially.
This matters because social connection is one of the strongest predictors of healthy aging. And real connection requires the ability to be interested in others, not just interesting yourself.
People who maintain this ability stay connected. They have meaningful relationships. They don’t become isolated or irrelevant.
They remain part of the world instead of becoming spectators to it.
4) You sleep well most nights
Sleep architecture changes with age. That’s normal.
But if you’re over 70 and you still fall asleep relatively easily, stay asleep most of the night, and wake up feeling rested, you’re ahead of the curve.
Most older adults struggle with sleep. They take forever to fall asleep. They wake up multiple times. They’re up for good at 4am. They rely on medication just to get a few hours.
Good sleep at any age requires good habits. A consistent schedule. Physical activity. Stress management. Limited caffeine and alcohol. A proper sleep environment.
If you’ve maintained these habits and your sleep is still solid, you’re giving your body what it needs to repair and regenerate.
Because here’s the thing: sleep is when your brain clears out waste products, when your immune system recharges, when your body does its maintenance work.
Poor sleep accelerates aging. Good sleep slows it down.
If you’re sleeping well, you’re aging well. Period.
5) You have genuine friendships, not just acquaintances
This is huge, and it’s where a lot of people struggle as they age.
By 70, many people have lost touch with old friends. Work colleagues are gone. Kids have moved away. The social structures that used to provide connection have disappeared.
What’s left are often surface-level relationships. People you chat with but don’t really connect with. Acquaintances, not friends.
But if you’re over 70 and you still have real friendships, people you can be vulnerable with, people who know you deeply and still show up, you’re incredibly fortunate.
And probably intentional about it.
Because maintaining friendships in later life requires effort. It requires showing up. It requires being the one who reaches out. It requires being willing to be vulnerable and ask for help.
Social connection is one of the most important factors in longevity and quality of life. More important than exercise. More important than diet.
People with strong social connections live longer, stay sharper, and report higher life satisfaction.
If you’ve maintained or built genuine friendships into your 70s, you’re doing something that most people fail to do.
And it’s probably adding years to your life.
6) You can adapt to changes without spiraling
Life changes constantly. But the older you get, the easier it is to become rigid.
Your favorite restaurant closes. Your neighborhood changes. Technology evolves. Your routine gets disrupted.
Some people handle these changes with relative ease. They adapt. They find new favorites. They learn new ways of doing things.
Others become bitter. Every change is an attack on how things “should” be. Everything was better before. The world is going downhill.
If you’re over 70 and you can still roll with changes, if you’re not constantly longing for “the good old days,” if you can find things to appreciate about the present moment, you’re aging with psychological flexibility.
This is a key component of resilience. And resilience is what determines how well you handle the inevitable losses and changes that come with aging.
People who stay mentally flexible stay engaged with life. People who become rigid disengage and decline faster.
If you’re still adapting, you’re still growing. And that’s exceptional.
7) You move every day without it being a battle
I’m not talking about structured exercise, though that’s great too.
I’m talking about natural, daily movement. Walking. Gardening. Playing with grandkids. Doing household tasks.
If you’re over 70 and movement is still a normal part of your day, not something you have to force yourself to do or something that causes pain, your body is aging well.
Most older adults become increasingly sedentary. Movement becomes harder, so they move less. Which makes movement even harder. It’s a vicious cycle.
But people who age well maintain an active lifestyle not through willpower, but through habit and capability.
They can walk a few miles without planning their day around recovering from it. They can carry groceries. They can play with kids. They can do yard work.
Their bodies still work the way bodies are meant to work.
This doesn’t happen by accident. It requires decades of consistent movement, strength maintenance, and taking care of your joints and muscles.
If movement is still effortless for you, you’ve been investing in your physical health for a long time.
And it’s paying off.
8) You can laugh at yourself
This might seem less important than the physical markers, but I’d argue it’s just as crucial.
Aging comes with indignities. You forget things. You make mistakes. You’re not as sharp or capable as you used to be in certain areas.
People who age well can acknowledge this with humor. They can laugh when they forget why they walked into a room. They can make jokes about needing reading glasses. They can admit when they’re wrong without it being a crisis.
People who age poorly become defensive. They can’t admit limitations. They take everything as an attack on their dignity. They’re constantly trying to prove they’re still who they used to be.
The ability to laugh at yourself requires secure self-esteem. It requires accepting that you’re human and imperfect. It requires not taking yourself too seriously.
If you’re over 70 and you can still laugh when you mess up, when you don’t know something, when you’re not at your best, you’re aging with grace.
And grace matters more than almost anything else on this list.
What these things have in common
Look at this list again.
These aren’t random markers. They’re all indicators of someone who’s been taking care of themselves, physically, mentally, and emotionally, for decades.
The 70-year-old who can do these things didn’t start at 69. They’ve been building these capabilities their entire adult life.
They stayed active. They stayed curious. They maintained relationships. They developed emotional maturity. They built resilience.
And now, in their 70s, they’re reaping the benefits.
Because here’s the truth about aging well: it’s not luck. It’s the compound interest of thousands of small decisions made over decades.
Every time you chose to move instead of sitting. Every time you learned something new instead of staying comfortable. Every time you maintained a friendship instead of letting it drift. Every time you adapted instead of resisting.
All of those choices added up.
If you’re younger and reading this
Pay attention to this list.
This is your preview of what matters. These are the capabilities you want to maintain.
You might be 30 or 40 or 50 right now. You probably don’t think about aging much. But the choices you’re making today are determining how you’ll age tomorrow.
Are you staying physically active? Are you maintaining strength and flexibility, not just cardio?
Are you keeping your brain engaged? Are you learning new things, or have you settled into comfortable routines?
Are you investing in your relationships? Are you the friend who maintains connection, or are you letting friendships fade?
Are you developing emotional flexibility and humor about yourself? Or are you becoming more rigid and defensive?
The 70-year-olds who are aging exceptionally well started preparing decades ago. Most of them didn’t even realize they were preparing. They were just living intentionally.
You have the same opportunity.
Final thoughts
If you’re over 70 and you can do most or all of these things, celebrate it.
You’re not just lucky. You’ve earned this through choices you’ve made over a lifetime.
You’re aging better than the vast majority of people your age. And that’s worth acknowledging and appreciating.
Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep moving. Keep learning. Keep connecting. Keep adapting. Keep laughing.
Because the goal isn’t just to live longer. It’s to live well for as long as you live.
And based on these markers, you’re absolutely crushing it.
