A Holiday Shopping List for Longevity and Wellness
What to buy when you’re serious about adding years to your life
This week is Thanksgiving. I’m sure you don’t have much time, as most of us are stressed out preparing dinner and getting ready for guests. Given all that, I don’t want to take too much of your time.
I do want to remind you that nurturing, expanding, and deepening your social connections should be part of your longevity and wellness journey. The evidence on their importance is overwhelming.
Expressing gratitude should be part of this practice, too. Recent research published in JAMA Psychiatry found that women who experienced the highest levels of gratitude had a 9% lower risk of dying from any cause over three years. Gratitude has been linked to better sleep, reduced inflammation, lower blood pressure, and improved cardiovascular health.
Since I want to be still helpful to you this week, I’ll offer a practical shopping list related to longevity and wellness. If you’re fortunate enough to have some money to spend, and you want to follow the long American tradition of getting excited about Black Friday or holiday shopping, this may be your starting point.
To avoid any doubts about my impartiality, I want to emphasize that I have no financial conflicts of interest related to the list discussed below. I have no commercial affiliations, and I will not be providing you with any links to shopping sites. Do your own research.
Wearable Devices
Smart watches, rings, pendants, and other wearables have become invaluable tools for tracking health metrics. I’m a big proponent of measuring and monitoring exercise activities, sleep, and heart rate. Seeing my progress motivates me immensely.
I use a Garmin Forerunner 965. I love it now, but the first two months I had it, I disliked it; there was a lot to learn. Before that, I used an Apple Watch for many years but eventually got tired of its meager battery performance.
Do your own research on wearables; there’s a lot to consider when choosing the right device for your needs.
Resistance Bands
These inexpensive, portable tools are perfect for maintaining strength-training routines, especially when traveling or unable to get to a gym. Resistance bands allow you to perform exercises that load your muscles progressively, which is crucial for preventing sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength that affects mobility, increases fall risk, and contributes to frailty.
Free Weights
Dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells remain the gold standard for building and maintaining muscle mass. While resistance bands are excellent, free weights provide the progressive overload necessary for optimal muscle and bone adaptation as we age. You can easily hide them under your bed if space is limited.
Yoga Mats
A quality yoga mat opens the door to flexibility work, balance training, and bodyweight exercises, all essential components of healthy aging. Balance training becomes increasingly important after 50, as falls are a leading cause of injury and disability in older adults. Yoga and floor exercises also promote joint mobility, which tends to decline with age and contributes to functional limitations.
Beyond the physical benefits, yoga practices have been associated with stress reduction and improved mental well-being,both of which influence longevity outcomes.
Foam Rollers and Massage Tools
Acupressure devices and foam rollers for self-massage should be part of your recovery toolkit. These tools aren’t just for athletes; they’re valuable for anyone experiencing muscle tension, soreness, or reduced mobility.
Research on foam rolling shows it substantially reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and improves recovery after exercise.
One study found that 20 minutes of foam rolling immediately post-exercise and every 24 hours thereafter reduced muscle tenderness and performance decrements. Foam rolling has also been shown to increase flexibility, improve range of motion, enhance vascular response, and facilitate muscle recovery.
Gym Membership
A gym membership might seem like an obvious item. Still, it’s worth highlighting because the social and motivational aspects of a gym environment can be just as valuable as access to the equipment.
Remember what I said about social connections at the beginning? Working out with others or even just being around people pursuing similar health goals creates accountability and community, both protective factors for longevity.
Additionally, gyms provide access to a variety of equipment and often offer classes that introduce you to new forms of movement, keeping exercise engaging and preventing plateaus that come from repetitive routines.
VO2 Max Testing
Performance evaluations in sports labs that measure VO2 max provide invaluable data about your cardiovascular fitness. As I mentioned earlier, VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise) is recognized as one of the most reliable predictors of both lifespan and healthspan.
Knowing your baseline VO2 max allows you to set specific training goals and track improvements over time. The lab data is more precise and actionable than subjective fitness assessments or data from your wearable device.
DEXA Scans
DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans provide detailed information about three critical metrics: bone mineral density, muscle mass, and visceral fat. Longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia considers these among the most vital measurements for predicting future health outcomes.
Bone fractures become dramatically more likely with low bone density. Yet most people don’t have their bone mineral density checked until age 65 for women and 70 for men, by which time they may already be at significant risk.
DEXA scans can identify osteopenia (the precursor to osteoporosis) and osteoporosis early, when interventions are most effective.
The muscle mass data from DEXA scans is equally valuable. Research confirms that age-related declines in muscle mass and strength are associated with reduced physical performance, mobility limitations, diminished quality of life, and increased mortality risk.
Regular DEXA scans let you track whether your resistance training and nutrition strategies are actually preserving or building muscle mass.
Diet Tracking Apps
Apps that help you track your nutrition provide accountability and education about what you’re actually eating. Many of us think we’re eating well until we start logging meals and realize our protein intake is too low, our added sugar intake is too high, or our micronutrient profile is inadequate.
For those over 50, protein intake becomes especially critical for maintaining muscle mass. Apps make it easier to ensure you meet your daily protein targets. They also help identify patterns, such as emotional eating or unbalanced macronutrient ratios, that may be undermining your health goals.
Supplements
The supplement landscape is vast and often confusing, which is why I’ve listed it here without specific recommendations. The right supplements for you depend on your individual health status, medications, diet, and particular deficiencies.
That said, certain supplements have robust evidence for supporting healthy aging. Vitamin D, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and creatine are among those with strong research backing for various populations.
However, supplementation should be based on actual need, ideally determined through lab testing rather than marketing claims. Work with a knowledgeable healthcare provider to identify which supplements, if any, make sense for your situation.
Boot Camps and Group Training
Boot camps and group fitness programs combine the benefits of structured workouts with social connection and external motivation. These programs typically incorporate both cardiovascular and strength training elements, providing well-rounded fitness benefits.
The group dynamic creates positive peer pressure, making challenging workouts more enjoyable. For many people, the scheduled nature of group classes provides the structure needed to maintain consistency. The latter is far more important than intensity for long-term health outcomes.
Final Thoughts
As you gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, remember that the conversations, laughter, and connections you share around the table are themselves longevity interventions. The research tells us that the strength of our relationships predicts our health outcomes, along with traditional medical risk factors.
If you choose to invest in any of the items on my list, think of them as tools that support a broader commitment to vitality, independence, and quality of life as you age. However, they are not necessary items to pursue a path of wellness and longevity.
Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, good food, and meaningful time with the people who matter most to you.