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Today’s septuagenarians are different from the ones who came before. “Many transitions that are happening now at 70 are the types of transitions people in previous generations might have experienced in their early 60s,” says Jeffrey Stokes, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston who studies ageing.
People in this group are becoming grandparents and retiring later, Stokes explains. They can also expect to live longer.
“Seventy is a great time for somebody to try something new,” Stokes says. “There can be a lot of unseen benefits.”
We spoke with experts about health in the 70s and how to achieve those benefits.
What are normal signs of ageing in your 70s?
Dr Mark Lachs, chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, explains that certain medical conditions and functional problems – challenges like decreased mobility and impaired balance – become more common as people age. However, he also notes, there can be wide variability regarding health and appearance among people of the same age.
“You can see 70-year-olds who look like they are 50 and 70-year-olds who look like they’re 90,” says Lachs. “It’s very individualized.”
Genetics, lifestyle choices and the conditions in which a person lives can affect how they age. It’s also possible for your chronological age – how many years you’ve been alive – to differ from your biological age – how old your body appears – based on biomarkers and how well your body is functioning. Even your organs can age at different rates.
How does the body change in your 70s?
While there is no “normal” way to age, certain health challenges can be more common during your 70s. By age 75, people typically receive, on average, between two to three medical diagnoses, explains Lachs; these might include arthritis, hypertension and hearing loss.
Lachs says that people in their 70s can remain independent and generally healthy, depending on factors such as economic background, genetics, psychosocial environment and motivation to commit to good habits.
The likelihood of hearing loss increases with age, says Lachs, though to what extent depends on the individual. About one in three people between 65 and 74 and nearly half of people older than 75 have hearing loss.
It’s also possible that your reaction time may slow down, says Lachs, but not to a concerning extent.
People in their 70s might also experience sleep issues. Research suggests sleep quality decreases as age increases; one study found adults older than 60 had a 70% loss of deep sleep compared with people between 18 and 25.
However, compared with other decades, the 70s can be a pretty stable time for health, says Dr Deborah Kado, a professor of medicine and co-director of the Stanford Longevity Center. This is especially true for women, the majority of whom already experienced swings of change when they went through menopause. There will always be unforeseeable health hurdles, but these can happen at any age; what’s key, she says, is committing to healthy behaviors before you turn 70 and sticking with them after.
Which health tests should you get regularly in your 70s?
Many health screenings recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US and the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK for older adults are framed as guidance for adults aged 65 and older. The free NHS health check concludes at age 74. In part, this lack of guidance explicitly aimed at older ages is due to limited research on the effectiveness of these tests, says Kado. A Harvard Medical School article on screening after age 75 also observes that it can be difficult to provide general recommendations because individual needs at this stage can vary.
Screenings become more complicated as we age, and knowing when to stop screening can be challenging, Lachs explains. If you have a family history of a disease, it can be helpful to speak with your doctor about what’s right for you and discuss the costs and benefits. For some, a screening could lead to preventative care that increases quality of life. For others, incidental findings may primarily cause anxiety and lead to invasive, minimally helpful procedures.
One screening Lachs does recommend for people in their 70s is a bone mineral density test, which measures bone strength and thickness. This test is a tool for early intervention in osteoporosis, which becomes more common as people age. While men typically lose bone density more slowly than women, both groups lose bone mass at about the same rate by age 65 to 70.
He also supports screening for functional limitations, which often involve physical performance tests. If, for example, a screening like this suggests a person is at risk for falling, Lachs can recommend that they work with a physical therapist to decrease that risk.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a volunteer group of national experts, does recommend men and women be screened for colorectal cancer regularly from age 65 to 75 and for lung cancer between 50 and 80. The USPSTF also observes that mammograms “work best” at finding cancer in women aged 40 to 74, and it’s not clear how helpful these tests are for women 75 and older.
The NHS offers bowel cancer screenings for everyone aged 54 to 74. It also provides lung cancer screenings to people who have smoked between the ages of 55 and 74. The NHS also invites women aged 50 to 71 to have a breast cancer screening – though women over 71 can still make appointments to screen.
Which vaccines should you get in your 70s?
Lachs strongly recommends people stay up to date with their vaccines. He speaks with his patients about the increased importance of vaccinating as an older person; unvaccinated older adults are at a greater risk of experiencing severe illness; as we get older, it’s harder for the immune system to fight off infections.
Several vaccines are recommended for older adults, though it’s important to speak with your care provider about what is right for you. In the US, the NIH recommends getting vaccinated for Covid-19, flu, pneumonia and shingles, and getting the Tdap; the latter is the vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, and all adults are advised to get one dose and then a booster every 10 years. The CDC recommends RSV vaccines for adults 75 and older, as well as for 60- to 74-year-olds at an increased risk for severe RSV.
In England, the NHS recommends people over 65 be vaccinated for flu, shingles and pneumonia, and those between 75 and 79 for RSV.
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What are the keys to longevity?
Movement is key, says Lachs, but one mistake older people make is thinking this means extreme exercise. Instead, any type of cardiovascular exercise at modest levels will do, including actions like dancing, walking and climbing the stairs. He’s especially a fan of yoga because it helps with balance and flexibility while providing a social outlet.
Positive, enriching relationships also strengthen physical and cognitive health, which promotes longevity, says Stokes.
As people hit 70, they tend to put less effort into casual relationships and invest more into their already closest and most rewarding connections, he explains. Often retired, they focus more on their marriages, kids and grandkids. Being a grandparent who helps out can be especially rewarding because research suggests strong relationships that provide a sense of purpose are even likelier to imbue health benefits, Stokes explains.
But while people in their 70s are good at focusing on their most rewarding relationships and repairing the benefits, they’re less skilled at creating and fostering new relationships, Stokes says. Targeting this area “can go a long way in reducing some of the loneliness and isolation” that can affect people’s oldest years, he explains. Close ties are great, but it can be even better to have a rich and diverse social network that can support you – especially because bereavement can become more common as we get older.
Lifespan can also be improved through diet – less meat and more plants, advises Lachs. A 2025 study found a combination of consuming foods or supplements rich in omega-3 oils and vitamin D, combined with exercise, is a recipe for slowing biological ageing.
Sleep is important, too. The National Institute on Ageing (NIA) and the NHS recommend that older adults get seven to nine hours each night.
“There’s no drug I could prescribe that is better than a good night’s sleep,” Lachs says.
Is it too late to get fit after 70?
Studies suggest that by adopting healthy lifestyle choices, you can “reverse a lot of damage and physiologically even appear younger than you did before you implemented those changes”, says Kado.
“This is true for your 70s and beyond,” she says. “You can be in a nursing home in your 90s, start high-intensity interval training, and see over 170% increase in your thigh muscle.”
According to the NIA, research shows that exercises that support endurance, balance, strength and flexibility help older adults maintain muscle mass and stay healthy and independent for longer. The NIA also emphasizes that almost anyone at any age can exercise and offers recommendations for people with chronic conditions. A 2009 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that adults who started exercising between the ages of 70 and 78 were more likely to live longer and be less lonely than adults of the same age who did not.
But the reverse is also true. If people don’t engage in behaviors like exercising, their health will likely decline, Kado says. Some studies suggest that about 30% of adults over 70 have trouble with walking, climbing stairs and getting out of a chair. These results can be mitigated by exercise.
“If you don’t use your muscles, you’re going to lose more muscle and be more likely to lose your mobility,” she says. “This can impact your mood, independence and cognitive ability.”
How do you stop worrying about getting older?
Thoughts about ageing are often plagued by ageism, says Stokes. This viewpoint causes us to hyperfocus on the negative aspects of ageing, and incorrectly predict what getting older will be like.
“There’s an overemphasis on decline,” he says. “People in their 70s often say that they don’t feel old, and the reason for it is that they don’t meet the definition of old we often use.”
Further, research suggests people with more positive views of ageing are the ones who live longer. Kado describes a more positive view of ageing as a “type of resilience” that helps a person deal with life’s challenges.
“Generally, my older patients who are doing super well beyond their 70s have that resilience factor,” says Kado.
We can also combat fears of getting older by embracing the positive aspects of ageing, says Stokes. For example, when it comes to mental and emotional health, people in their 70s tend to be happier and more satisfied than people in their 40s and 50s, he explains. The stress of child-rearing and work is likely gone, and they have a greater capacity to enjoy the good and ignore the bad.
“The ultimate irony about ageism is you become the object of your discrimination,” says Lachs. “Find older role models, people in their 80s and 90s, and learn from them.”
