An 83-year-old doctor who does triathlons got fit in his 40s. Here are his 4 longevity secrets aside from exercising and eating well.

• Dr. Joseph Maroon is an 83-year-old practicing neurosurgeon and triathlete, who got fit in his 40s.
• He has made many changes to improve his longevity and health, aside from eating well and exercising.
• These include avoiding stress, alcohol, and tobacco, and being spiritual.

An 83-year-old doctor and triathlete who got fit and healthy in his 40s told Business Insider what he believes are his longevity secrets, aside from just exercising and eating well.

At the age of 40, Joseph Maroon, a neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was so unfit that he struggled to walk up a flight of stairs. After he got divorced and his dad died — meaning he had to temporarily quit neurosurgery to take over the family truck stop — he found himself struggling mentally, too.

So by the time a friend reached out and encouraged him to go for a run, Maroon was willing to try anything to feel better. It worked — and kickstarted a decadeslong fitness journey. Now, aged 83, Maroon has completed eight Ironman Triathlons since he signed up for his first one thirty years ago.

Maroon, who recently took part in Aviv Clinics’ Global Aging Consortium, has previously shared his key diet principles and his fitness advice with BI, but he also swears by the four tactics below for staying healthy.

Avoid stress

For Maroon, a huge part of living healthily is preventing stress.

Maroon always tries to balance his four priorities in life: work, family and friends, spirituality, and exercise. He considers the chunk each one takes out of his day, and plans his time so that he can fit in all four.

Chronic stress keeps the body in fight-or-flight mode, he said. This can in turn lead to a range of symptoms from depression and anxiety to poor sleep and headaches. Long-term stress is also thought to be a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Find room for spirituality

“I bring spirituality into all things that I do,” Maroon said, including how he cares for his patients, his relationships with his family, and his everyday ethics.

By spirituality, he doesn’t just mean being religious. “I mean spiritual beliefs that are unfolded in rituals and in various ethics, or a belief in a higher being or that there's something bigger than us. It can be in nature or whatever you choose,” he said.

Research suggests that spiritual practices and beliefs can provide purpose in life and help build psychological resilience, which are linked to longevity and improved life satisfaction in older people.

One 2016 study, for instance, found that attending a religious service one or more times a week was associated with a 33% lower mortality rate.

BI previously reported that Latin American supercentenarians, people who live to 110 and above, tend to be very religious.

Don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs

Everyone seems to have a story about a 100-year-old relative who drank and smoked until the day they died, such as Agnes Fenton, who drank a shot of whisky and smoked three cigarettes every day, and died at the age of 112.

But the facts show that alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs are not good for longevity. Tobacco, according to the World Health Organization, kills more than 8 million people each year, and over 106,000 people died from drug overdoses in the US in 2021.

Although some research suggests that drinking wine may be beneficial, it’s important to note that the World Health Organization maintains that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.

Get enough sleep

Consistently getting enough sleep is also important for longevity, Maroon said.

Quality sleep is known to have a variety of health health benefits. It’s linked to a healthier metabolism, which can help ward off obesity, a stronger immune system, and a lower risk of coronary heart disease, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, among other things.

Sleeping well can also help you stick to your diet and exercise goals, BI’s Gabby Landsverk previously reported.