Health
Three women — ages 41, 55 and 64 — share their secrets to better health and longevity
For an increasing number of women over 40, age really is just a number.
It may not be possible to stop the passage of time — but certain healthy habits can help slow down biological age, experts say.
“As we age, our abilities to perform certain physical and cognitive tasks decline, while our risks for disease and ultimately death increase,” Chris Mirabile, CEO and founder of NOVOS, a longevity supplements company in New York, told Fox News Digital.
“Although these changes are correlated with chronological age, biological age is a more accurate predictor, because it looks at individuals and how well – or poorly – they are aging.”
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If a 40-year-old woman has a biological age of 35, it implies that she is biologically in the same place as an average 35-year-old, Mirabile said – which means a significant reduction in risk for disease and death, plus an increased capacity for activities associated with a high quality of life.
Left to right, Julie Gibson Clark, Amy Hardison and Lil Eskey shared the lifestyle habits that help them slow down biological aging. (James Lee; Amy Hardison; Lil Eskey)
For Women’s Health Month, three mothers at three different stages of life shared how they are defying age through simple lifestyle practices and interventions.
The women all participated in a six-month-long trial of NOVOS Core and Boost, supplements that are designed to slow down the aging process. Over the course of the study, they took three epigenetic tests, which analyzed DNA via a small blood sample to measure their “pace of aging.”
Lil Eskey, 41 years old, still has young kids
Lil Eskey, 41, is a stay-at-home mom and former fitness instructor in Phoenix, Arizona.
Growing up, she frequently had allergies and a constant sore throat.
“The way that my mom handled it was to put me on antibiotics so many times when I was a kid,” she told Fox News Digital.
Lil Eskey, 41, pictured with her son, is a stay-at-home mom and former fitness instructor in Phoenix, Arizona. Maintaining a more youthful energy level is important to Eskey, as she is still raising young children. (Lil Eskey)
“I also had gut issues most of my life, so my path into health and wellness stemmed from trying to figure out what was going on with my body.”
Prioritizing her sleep is the biggest thing Eskey does for her health, she told Fox News Digital.
“Good sleep is so underrated,” she said.
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“Having a consistent bedtime and wake-up time is so important for overall wellness. Everything works so much better when you’re well-rested, including any stressors in your life or anything going on with the mind.”
Eskey also tries to incorporate movement into her life wherever possible.
“When my son goes to preschool, I pull him on a bike trailer. The same goes for anything that’s a few miles away, like grocery shopping.”
“I want to be completely present for my kids and maintain a level of energy and vitality in life.”
After dinner, the family often goes out on bike rides or jumps on the trampoline.
“We do anything to make it fun,” she said.
When it comes to mental health, Eskey has made the decision not to use social media.
Pictured on a hike, Eskey said she incorporates movement into her life wherever possible. (Lil Eskey)
“I hear about anything that’s super important, and I’ll check the news occasionally to see what information I need, but to me, social media just seems like an additional stressor on the body,” she said.
Eskey and her family often experiment with different health practices, she said.
“I listen to different podcasts on health and fitness to hear about new science or new ideas, and then we’ll test it out to see what works,” she said.
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“For example, I realized I feel way better when I have a couple of hours between having my last meal and going to bed.”
She’s also experimented with using a continuous glucose monitor to track her blood sugar.
“We’re always just doing different experimental things to see what makes the biggest change,” Eskey said.
Prioritizing her sleep is the biggest thing Eskey does for her health, she told Fox News Digital. “Good sleep is so underrated,” she said. (Photo Illustration by Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images)
She has also been using anti-aging supplements from NOVOS. During the course of the study, Eskey’s biological pace of aging was reduced from .99 to .77.
“The time we’re here on this earth doesn’t always have to reflect the cumulative stress on our bodies. Rather, it’s stress that causes aging,” she said.
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“It’s more important now than ever, with all the toxins and stressors we’re facing.”
Maintaining a more youthful energy level is important to Eskey, as she is still raising young children, she said.
“The biggest thing is being able to keep up with my kids and be totally active,” Eskey said. (Lil Eskey)
“The biggest thing is being able to keep up with my kids and be totally active,” she said.
“When my kids want to play at the park, it’s important to me that I’m not just sitting on the bench watching them. I want to be completely present for my kids and maintain a level of energy and vitality in life.”
Julie Gibson Clark, 55 years old, focuses on movement
A recruiter who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, Julie Gibson Clark said she focuses on seven key areas to help slow down biological aging.
The first is movement, both strength and cardio. “I focus on full-body strength training twice per week and a mix of zone 2 and Vo2Max training the rest of the week,” she told Fox News Digital.
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In her diet, Clark focuses heavily on veggies.
“I mix cooked greens and veggies, about 1 pound total every day,” she said. “I started small (about 4 ounces) and added about 1 ounce per week.”
Clark also prioritizes 90 to 100 grams of healthy protein each day: a mix of vegan protein, collagen and healthy, pasture-raised meats and eggs.
Julie Gibson Clark, a recruiter who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, said she focuses on seven key areas to help slow down biological aging. (Julie Gibson Clark)
Sleep is also a big priority for Clark. “It’s hard to perform well at anything without proper sleep,” she told Fox News Digital.
Saunas and cold showers are another part of Clark’s regular routine. “This is my natural antidepressant and helps with focus during the day,” she said. “For anyone struggling with low mood or stressful times, I highly recommend trying this.”
Clark also began meditating in 2019, which she described as “a game-changer for stress and sleep.”
“I like to think of longevity practices like a braid with three strands — exercise, eating right and prioritizing sleep.”
“Twenty minutes every afternoon improves my sleep and allows me to recalibrate stress levels during the day,” she said.
Clark also takes NOVOS supplements, which she credits with increasing her energy levels and slowing her pace of aging by 8%, according to the study results.
“When you start moving, you’ll likely be more motivated to eat well, and your sleep will be better. When you sleep, it’s easier to stay on track with your diet and fitness plans,” Clark said. “They all work together.” (James Lee)
“I like to think of longevity practices like a braid with three strands — exercise, eating right and prioritizing sleep,” she told Fox News Digital. “And there’s an extra colorful strand in there: supplements. Each of these works together to help the others.”
She added, “When you start moving, you’ll likely be more motivated to eat well, and your sleep will be better. When you sleep, it’s easier to stay on track with your diet and fitness plans. They all work together.”
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Clark said she adheres to the motto, “It’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years.”
“I want all the years I have to be full of mobility, vibrance and vitality.”
Amy Hardison, 64 years old, makes exercising fun
A writer and grandmother of 11 in Mesa, Arizona, Amy Hardison has always had consistent health and exercise habits.
“I have exercised aerobically an hour a day, six days a week for 50 years and have rarely missed a day,” she told Fox News Digital.
“I always listen to an audiobook while exercising, making it even more fun.”
Amy Hardison’s favorite exercises include swimming and working out on the elliptical. “I love working out at home — other people love going to a gym and having a trainer. Do whatever works for you and then do it consistently,” she advised. (Amy Hardison)
Hardison’s favorite exercises include swimming and working out on the elliptical.
“I love working out at home — other people love going to a gym and having a trainer. Do whatever works for you and then do it consistently,” she advised.
Regarding nutrition and exercise, Hardison’s philosophy is to find something you love that you can stick with long-term.
“Aging will take you places you have never been.”
“Some people totally cut out sugar from their diet, often because they tend to eat too much once they start,” she said. “Others, like me, eat small amounts each day.”
Hardison had never been into vitamins and supplements until she got involved in the NOVOS study.
“I really liked that the study included bloodwork at the beginning, middle and end of the year-long trial,” she said.
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“My bloodwork revealed that at the beginning of the study, I was aging at .86 biological years for every chronological year. At the end of the study, I was aging at .74. That is compelling empirical data.”
Although Hardison does what she can to stay physically healthy and mentally sharp, she acknowledges that there is a limit to what she can control.
“Life is to be lived and enjoyed,” said Hardison, pictured hiking with her husband. (Amy Hardison)
“There is even a limit to how much I am willing to invest in longevity,” she said. “Life is to be lived and enjoyed.”
“Aging will take you places you have never been,” Hardison continued.
“There is so much to learn and experience. Embrace the normal and natural decline with humor and perspective. Thank your body for taking you on the journey.”
A biohacker’s 5 quick tips for healthy aging
Melanie Avalon, health influencer, entrepreneur and host of The Intermittent Fasting Podcast and “The Melanie Avalon Biohacking Podcast,” agreed that women can take proactive steps to slow their pace of aging.
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“The ever-growing online bloodwork and genetic platforms allow women access to personal data, providing a deeper view of their aging on a cellular level, including monitoring their biological age, which may differ from their chronological age,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Women can then make dietary and lifestyle choices to optimize these markers.”
1. Optimize sleep
One of the biggest issues aging women experience is restless sleep, often characterized by tossing, turning and hot flashes, according to Avalon.
One of the biggest issues aging women experience is restless sleep, often characterized by tossing, turning and hot flashes, according to Avalon. (iStock)
“Women can implement a ‘sleep sanctuary’ to best support a restorative night, including sticking to a consistent wind-down routine and sleep schedule, in a cool, dark environment,” she advised.
Using a cooling mattress, avoiding late-night blue light exposure, and finding the optimal sleep position are some ways women can achieve better sleep quality, Avalon advised.
2. Seek hormonal support as needed
“Women often dread the perimenopausal years for their seemingly inevitable rollercoaster of hormonal issues,” Avalon said.
“Women can support healthy hormonal levels and natural transitions into the menopausal years by nourishing their bodies with micronutrient-rich whole foods, getting ample sleep, addressing stress levels, and reducing their exposure to toxins.”
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For some women, hormone replacement therapy may be an option.
“Many women may find that the benefits outweigh the risks,” Avalon noted.
3. Optimize muscle mass
Maintaining muscle mass is crucial for healthy aging, according to Avalon.
“Declines in muscle mass and strength are intrinsically tied to mortality, playing a causative role in falls and metabolic issues,” she said.
The maintenance of muscle mass is crucial for healthy aging, according to one expert. (iStock)
“Aging typically leads to reduced muscle protein synthesis,” Avalon noted.
“Women should pay careful attention to getting ample protein as they age, with a particular focus on the amino acid leucine, which stimulates muscle protein synthesis.”
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Aging women should aim for a gram of protein per pound of body weight, Avalon recommended.
“Women can also engage in strength training to further support muscle growth and maintenance,” she added.
4. Monitor essential markers
“Aging women should embrace the agency to take their health into their own hands,” Avalon said.
Women should work with conventional doctors to regularly check key health metrics, such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and bone density, along with other markers of disease, an expert advised. (iStock)
She recommends working with conventional doctors to regularly check key health metrics, such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and bone density, along with other markers of disease.
5. Achieve proper glycemic control
Poor glycemic control is linked to a myriad of degenerative diseases, from prediabetes and diabetes to cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline, according to Avalon.
“Aging women can implement an unprocessed, whole-food-based diet, low to moderate in carbs, depending on their tolerance,” she said.
Women can also opt to wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to monitor their blood sugar levels.
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A young woman who started vaping at the age of 15 has been given just 18 months to live — after being diagnosed with lung cancer in her early 20s.
Kayley Boda, 22, of Manchester, in the United Kingdom, was engaging in heavy vaping on a regular basis when she started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in it in January 2025, news agency SWNS reported.
The retail assistant said doctors turned her away eight times, telling her she had a chest infection — until she began coughing up blood.
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After seven biopsies, Boda was diagnosed with lung cancer. She underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy — and in February 2026, got the all-clear, the same source reported.
Two months later, though, doctors said the cancer had come back in the pleural lining. Now she’s been given 18 months to live.
Kayley Boda, 22, is shown in the hospital. She started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in January 2025, she said. She had been vaping since the age of 15. (SWNS)
The young woman has now issued a warning to others to be aware of the dangers of vaping.
Boda said she smoked a bit as a young teenager. She took up vaping after that.
Then, “a few months after I switched from reusable vapes to disposable ones, I started coughing up brown, grainy mucus,” as SWNS reported.
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“Doctors turned me away eight times with a chest infection. … Then I started coughing up blood, so they did an X-ray and found a shadow on my lung,” she added.
“They told me they were 99% sure, [since I was] so young, that it wasn’t cancer, so not to worry about it. When I got the results back, and they told me it was lung cancer, it felt so surreal.”
Boda said she was “very naive” before her diagnosis and thought that “something like this would never happen to me.”
She said that she had surgery to remove half of her right lung.
“After the surgery, I started chemo and I had a terrible reaction to it. I couldn’t lift my head up. I was throwing up blood. I was urinating blood. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep.”
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She said that when she got the “all clear [in Feb. 2026], it felt amazing, but just two months later I was told the cancer had come back, and I have 18 months to live.”
She added, “I’m 22. This isn’t meant to happen to somebody my age.”
“Stay off the vapes because they will catch up with you.”
She blames her cancer on vaping, she said.
“My symptoms started a few months after I started disposable vapes, and there’s no lung cancer in my family,” she said. “I haven’t vaped for three months, I’ve made my partner stop, I’ve made my mom stop, I’m urging all my friends to stop. Stay off the vapes,” she continued, “because they will catch up with you.”
When doctors did an X-ray, they found a shadow on Boda’s right lung. She was later diagnosed with lung cancer and has undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy. (SWNS)
She said she’d been using reusable vapes since the age of 15 and began using disposable vapes a few months before her cancer symptoms started.
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In November 2024, when she developed a rash all over her body, doctors said it could have been due to shingles, chicken pox or scabies, she told SWNS.
‘Nothing worked’
“I got treated for all three, and nothing worked,” Boda said. “It got to the point where I was cutting myself from scratching so hard.”
A few months after that, she began coughing up a dark brown mucus, with “grainy bits, the consistency of sugar, in it,” she said. When the coughing continued, she visited the doctor’s office, but was told it could be scarring from pneumonia or a chest infection, she also said.
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It wasn’t until March 2025 that she began coughing up bright red blood. At that point, doctors gave her a chest X-ray and told her they’d found a shadow on her lower right lung.
Over the next four months, she had seven biopsies as doctors took samples from the “shadow.” In August, when she went to get the results, she was told she had stage one lung cancer.
Boda is shown in the hospital. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and had surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy. (SWNS)
In September 2025, she had surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, and the surrounding lymph nodes. During the surgery, doctors upstaged her cancer from stage one to stage three after finding cancer in six surrounding lymph nodes, she said.
Following the surgery, Boda was unable to breathe properly and had to learn to walk all over again.
“The oncologist said this is so rare.”
After finishing chemotherapy in February 2026, Kayley was given the all clear, leaving her feeling elated.
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However, just a month after that, she began experiencing extreme chest pains and was told by doctors she had a pleural effusion — a build-up of fluid in the lungs. She had the fluid removed, but when doctors tested it, they discovered her cancer had returned to the pleural lining of her lungs, giving her 18 months to live.
“The oncologist said this is so rare, and usually something they see in patients that are 80 years old,” she said, as SWNS reported.
Increasingly, vacation hot spots are enforcing strict bans on the use of e-cigarettes in public venues. (iStock)
Boda claimed that doctors were unable to pin her cancer to a specific cause — but told her that smoking and vaping definitely didn’t help.
Since her diagnosis, she has stopped and is urging others to stop, too.
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She’s hoping to raise the thousands of dollars needed for treatment to try to prolong her life, she said.
Last year, Fox News Digital reported on the case of a Pennsylvania woman, 26, who said she vaped for just one year before her lungs collapsed. She was 22 when she took up the habit, she said in an interview.
“Everybody warned me about it, but I didn’t listen — I wish that I did,” she said.
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Dr. David Campbell, clinical director and program director at Recover Together Bend in Oregon, told Fox News Digital at that time that signs of collapsed lungs include sharp chest or shoulder pain, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
Lung issues are just one of the many health issues linked to vaping, he warned. The habit can also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as exposure to harmful heavy metals.
Melissa Rudy of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
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“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
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Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
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“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
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Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
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That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
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Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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