During an appearance on Today on Tuesday, alongside weatherman Al Roker, Winfrey spoke about the life lessons she learned from growing older.
When Roker — who was celebrating his 70th birthday — asked how the talk show host felt when she turned 70 earlier this year, she said she was “excited to make the number.”
“I’m excited to make every number. I remember many, many years ago as a young girl, I had always thought that I would never make it to the 60s or 70s,” Winfrey said, referencing her difficult childhood growing up in poverty.
She’s grateful that she came much further than she ever thought she would, and her focus now is on aging healthily and gracefully.
“There is a sense of knowing that there isn’t as much time left and I am at peace with that knowing,” Winfrey said. “There’s a sense of urgency for me about living well.”
She went on to share that the importance of being well really hit home when she had knee surgery in 2021.
“I had been becoming more and more debilitated to the point where it was hard to walk down even two steps just to get into the car. You know that pain,” she said to Roker, who has had two knee replacement surgeries. “When I finally went to the knee doctor and I said, ‘I don’t know, is it time?’ He goes, ‘It’s time if you want to continue walking. You like walking? It’s time.'”
Winfrey shared that she’d never had surgery before and was “intimidated” by the thought of it, although the procedure turned out to be “the best thing” she’s ever done.
“I really felt like I’ve had a new opportunity to live inside my body in a way that I hadn’t been able to for years because being overweight, causing the knees to be even worse,” Winfrey said.
She also told Roker to not “be scared” of growing older, and to embrace every day that comes.
“My great gift is being able to live in the present moment. I think it’s the thing that brings me the greatest joy, because no matter what’s going on in your life, you can compartmentalize and be just right here right now,” Winfrey said. “So I’m not a worrier. I will worry about the thing when the thing shows up.”
Like many other countries in the world, the US is experiencing an aging population. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to increase from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050.
The average life expectancy in the US is 80.2 years for females and 74.8 years for males, per the CDC.
However, there are regions in the world where people are believed to live longer and healthier lives. These places, known as Blue Zones, share common lifestyle habits — such as avoiding processed foods and having strong social connections — that can be adopted elsewhere.
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