Mum & Dad’s Healthy Aging Regimen in their 80s

Ever since I began sharing my parents’ strength-training journey in Rebuilding Mum & Dad, you’ve asked what else they do to age well.

Here’s a detailed look at the everyday habits, foods, supplements, and simple tools that—together with lifting—help my mum Rhoda and dad Michael (both in their early 80s) feel their best.

A recent health screening put their metabolic health closer to people in their mid-60s, and I think their decades of good habits deserve much of the credit.

A Mediterranean-style diet of whole foods cooked from scratch

  • Breakfast: Dad enjoys a sugar-free muesli base with extra oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, Greek yogurt, blueberries, and a splash of milk—protein, fibre, and antioxidants in one bowl. Mum often skips breakfast because her appetite has diminished with age.
  • Lunch: A fresh salad of lettuce, tomato, carrot, and sometimes beetroot, always with protein such as hummus, tuna, chicken, and cheese. Sides like couscous with chickpeas and feta, or coleslaw, round it out. They finish with an apple and sometimes oatcakes with cheese.
  • Dinner: Staples include pasta dishes, stews, chicken, and plenty of vegetables. Fish appears at least twice a week, often oily fish for omega-3s.
  • Treats & alcohol: A dessert at the weekend, often made healthier but sometimes just enjoyed as is. Alcohol is now occasional rather than weekly, as they realised they felt better with less.

Supplements they find helpful

Over time, they’ve tried different supplements and settled on a few that seem to make a difference for them:

  • Vitamin D with K2: Mum noticed fewer colds since starting a higher-strength dose.
  • Vitamin B12: Life-changing for Mum after a deficiency diagnosis; she now receives injections every eight weeks. Dad takes an oral version.
  • NMN (+ TMG): Both feel it improves energy and reduces joint pain, though scientific evidence in humans has so far not yielded hugely impressive results.
  • Collagen peptides: Mum takes these as she’s noticed stronger hair and nails.
  • Creatine: A small daily dose for Mum to support strength training.

You’ll find the particular supplements they use in the carousel shown below along with any discount codes we have been able to source.

Simple tools that support them

  • Hair support: Dad uses the Calecim growth-factor serum with microneedling weekly, which helped restore coverage at his crown.
  • Red-light therapy: Both share the HigherDose red light cap for 10 minutes each evening while watching TV. Mum credits it with fuller, stronger hair.
  • Cardio equipment: A climber machine helps keep joints mobile—especially for Dad’s knees. Mum has used rowing machines in the past, but weightlifting has been the biggest breakthrough for her back pain.

Mum’s capsule skincare routine

My mum has always had beautiful skin and she gets so many compliments from kind viewers. We’ve also had a lot of questions about what she uses on it and the simple answer is, very little!

  • Cleanser: Micellar water.
  • Night: Medik8 retinald serum, strength 6
  • Day: Medik8 Day Cream with SPF 50+.
  • Barrier cream: Mum uses Atopalm cream every night to strengthen her skin barrier.

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