What if ageing wasn’t something to fight, but a process to embrace? Sabrena Jo, PhD, Senior Director of Science and Education at the American Council on Exercise, challenges the traditional “anti-aging” narrative, highlighting the powerful role of exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress management, and social connection in healthy ageing. In this Q&A, she explores the growing shift towards pro-aging and why building resilience and wellbeing may be a more empowering approach to ageing.
1. Why is “anti-aging” language harmful, particularly for women?
“Anti-aging” language sends a subtle but powerful message that getting older is a problem that needs to be fixed. That can be particularly harmful for women, who often face intense cultural pressure to maintain a youthful appearance as they age.
The problem is not that women shouldn’t care about how they look or choose products or treatments that help them feel good about themselves. Those are personal choices. The problem arises when youthfulness becomes the standard against which women are expected to measure their value.
Aging is a normal biological process, not a personal failure. I would much rather see us focus on helping women maintain their health, strength, confidence, independence, and sense of purpose throughout their lives.
2. How does the way we talk about ageing influence how we feel about ourselves?
Language helps shape our expectations. If we repeatedly hear that aging means becoming weak, unattractive, irrelevant, or incapable, it is easy to begin internalizing some of those beliefs. That matters because our beliefs about aging can influence how we approach our own health and capabilities. For example, if someone assumes that becoming weaker is simply an unavoidable part of getting older, they may be less likely to challenge themselves physically.
We can acknowledge that our bodies change with age without defining those changes entirely as losses. A more constructive conversation asks, “What can I continue doing, what can I improve, and what can I do now to support the life I want in the years ahead?”
3. What does “pro-aging” actually mean?
Pro-aging means recognizing aging as a normal part of life while actively supporting health, function, well-being, and quality of life throughout the process. It does not mean pretending that aging is always easy or celebrating every physical change that comes with it. There are real physiological changes, health challenges, and transitions that can occur as we get older.
The difference is that a pro-aging perspective doesn’t begin with the assumption that aging itself is the enemy. It asks how we can support people in continuing to grow, adapt, participate, connect, and pursue what matters to them at every stage of life.
4. How can we shift from fighting ageing to embracing it?
I think we can start by changing what we measure. Instead of asking, “Do I look younger?” we can also ask, “Am I strong enough to do the things I enjoy? Do I have the energy to participate in my life? Can I move confidently? Am I taking care of my health? Do I feel connected to other people?” That shifts the focus from trying to preserve a younger version of ourselves to investing in the person we are becoming. It also gives us goals we can actually influence through our everyday behaviors.
5. What role does exercise play in healthy ageing?
Exercise is one of the most powerful practices we have for influencing how we experience aging. Regular physical activity supports cardiovascular health, muscular strength and power, bone health, balance, mobility, metabolic health, cognitive function, and psychological well-being.
Those benefits translate into everyday life, whether that means climbing stairs, traveling, playing with grandchildren, carrying groceries, participating in sports, or continuing to live independently. Exercise doesn’t stop aging, and we shouldn’t expect it to. What it can do is help preserve and improve many of the physical and psychological capacities that contribute to a healthy, engaged life.
6. What types of exercise become particularly important as we get older?
We need a combination. Aerobic exercise supports cardiovascular health and endurance. Resistance training helps maintain and build muscular strength and power. Balance training can help maintain stability and reduce fall risk, and mobility and flexibility work can support our ability to move comfortably through the ranges of motion we need in daily life.
I also encourage people to choose activities they genuinely enjoy. The “best” exercise program on paper has limited value if someone dislikes it so much that they won’t continue doing it. Walking, dancing, swimming, cycling, resistance training, group fitness, yoga, recreational sports, and many other activities can all have a place in an active life.
7. Why are strength and mobility so important for ageing well?
Strength gives us physical capacity, and mobility allows us to use that capacity effectively. Think about everyday activities such as getting out of a chair, climbing stairs, lifting a suitcase, getting down to the floor, or reaching overhead. These tasks require different combinations of strength, balance, coordination, and mobility.
Maintaining those abilities helps preserve independence and gives us more physical options. The goal isn’t necessarily to perform impressive feats in the gym. The goal is to build enough capacity so that the activities of daily life remain manageable, and hopefully enjoyable.
8. How do nutrition, sleep and stress management support healthy ageing?
Healthy aging is about much more than exercise. Nutrition provides the energy and nutrients needed to support health, maintain muscle and bone, and recover from physical activity. Quality sleep supports physical recovery, cognitive function, emotional regulation, and many other aspects of health. Effective stress-management strategies can support both physical and psychological well-being.
These behaviors also interact. Poor sleep may make exercise feel more difficult. Regular physical activity can support sleep and stress management. Nutrition can affect energy and recovery. Rather than thinking about any single behavior as the secret to healthy aging, I prefer to think about building a collection of sustainable habits that support one another.
9. Why does the wellness industry focus so heavily on appearance rather than overall health?
Appearance is visible, emotionally powerful, and relatively easy to market. A promise to erase a wrinkle or change the shape of a body is much easier to package into a dramatic before-and-after image than improvements in cardiovascular health, bone density, sleep quality, confidence, or physical function. There is also a long history of marketing products to women by first creating, or amplifying, dissatisfaction with their bodies and then offering a solution.
I don’t think the answer is to tell women that appearance shouldn’t matter to them. Instead, we can broaden the definition of what it means to care for ourselves. Looking the way you want to look can be one consideration, but it doesn’t have to overshadow being strong, healthy, capable, connected, and engaged in your life.
10. What role do social connection and mental engagement play in ageing well?
They are incredibly important. Human beings need connection, belonging, purpose, and opportunities to remain engaged with the world around them. Social connection can support emotional well-being and provide encouragement for healthy behaviors. Mental engagement, whether through work, learning, hobbies, volunteering, creative pursuits, or other meaningful activities, can help people remain curious and connected to a sense of purpose.
This is another reason I think we need a broader conversation about healthy aging. It isn’t simply about maintaining a healthy heart or strong muscles. We want people to have the physical capacity to participate in lives that feel meaningful to them.
11. How can women develop a more positive relationship with their changing bodies?
One strategy is to intentionally expand the way we think about our bodies beyond appearance. Our bodies allow us to work, move, hug people we love, travel, learn new skills, participate in our communities, and experience the world. Paying attention to those capabilities doesn’t mean a woman has to love every physical change she experiences. It simply creates room for appreciation alongside whatever complicated feelings she may have about those changes.
I also encourage women to replace comparison with curiosity. Rather than asking, “Why doesn’t my body look or perform the way it did 20 years ago?” we might ask, “What does my body need from me now, and what would I like it to be capable of doing next?”
12. What is one message you would like every woman to hear about ageing?
You do not have to spend the rest of your life trying to become a younger version of yourself. Your body will change as you age, but change does not mean that growth has ended. You can become stronger. You can learn new skills. You can improve your health. You can discover activities you love. You can build new relationships, pursue new goals, and develop greater confidence in what your body can do. Aging is not the opposite of living. It is part of living, and there is tremendous value in investing in the person you are becoming.
