Forget the flight to Snowbird states, Minnesota seniors: It turns out that the healthiest place to grow old is right here. For the second year in a row, Minnesota came in first in the United Health Foundation ranking of healthiest states for senior citizens.
Many people find midlife to be a great time to tackle new challenges: a job, a hobby, a sport, or a cause. That's because people in their 50s and 60s are often experiencing life changes that can serve as motivations to try something new.
A gene variant that scientists already knew to be associated with longer life also seems to make people smarter, and may help offset the effects of normal cognitive decline in old age.