Interactive tool

Plus-years habit selector

Nine habits, each with the plain-language reason it earns its place, drawn from public guidance and published research. Choose the three you will actually champion, and leave with a plan: one concrete starter per habit and a trusted place to go deeper.

Your selections stay on this page and are never sent or saved.

Choose three habits to champion

Read the why before you choose. Three kept habits beat nine intended ones.

Daily movementWHO guidance points to 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week. Regular movement is associated with lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, several cancers and cognitive decline.WHO guidanceStrength twice a weekThe same WHO guidance adds muscle-strengthening work on two or more days a week. Muscle is what keeps later years independent: carrying, climbing, getting up unaided.WHO guidanceA whole-food plateWHO healthy diet guidance recommends at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day and less free sugar and salt. Whole-food patterns are associated with lower risk of the major chronic diseases.WHO guidanceSeven-plus hours of sleepSleep medicine consensus advises seven or more hours a night for most adults. Consistently short sleep is associated with poorer heart, metabolic and mental health.Published researchReal social connectionThe WHO Commission on Social Connection links loneliness and isolation with higher risk of early death, heart disease, stroke and dementia. Connection is a habit, not a personality trait.WHO guidanceA smoke-free lifeWHO reports tobacco kills up to half of users who do not quit, and that stopping at any age brings substantial gains. Support and preparation roughly double the chance of quitting for good.WHO guidanceAn engaged mindThe Lancet Commission on dementia lists education, cognitive engagement and social contact among the modifiable factors associated with lower dementia risk across the life course.Published researchA reason to get upA meta-analysis of prospective studies found a stronger sense of purpose in life associated with lower all-cause mortality and fewer cardiovascular events.Published researchKnowing your numbersBlood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol move quietly for years. Periodic checks, discussed with a professional who knows you, catch drift while it is still a habit-sized problem.WHO guidance

0 of 3 chosen.

Sources

Physical activity fact sheet World Health Organization, 2024
Healthy diet fact sheet World Health Organization, 2020
Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society, 2015
WHO Commission on Social Connection World Health Organization, 2025
Tobacco fact sheet World Health Organization, 2025
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission The Lancet, 2024
Purpose in life and its relationship to all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events: a meta-analysis Psychosomatic Medicine (Cohen R, Bavishi C, Rozanski A), 2016
Noncommunicable diseases fact sheet World Health Organization, 2024

Last reviewed: 2026-07-16