Top Ten Tips For Staying Young

Are you looking for a secret to staying young— the real way? But are you sick of all the craziness on the Internet? Well, we caught up with Dr. Amy Shah— a double board certified MD and nutritionist to get the real deal. 

She has trained at Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, and spoken on some of the biggest stages in the country. She has done amazing talks on this topic at the Bal Harbour shops as well New York, Miami and LA.

She recently did a talk at the Bal Harbour shops in Miami and at the Milken Institute global conference in Los Angeles. She has written two by selling books called “I’m So Effing Tired” and “I’m So Effing Hungry”. She travels the world speaking on the importance of gut health, nutrition and women’s health

But before we get started tell us about you and your work?

 “I’m a double board-certified MD and nutritionist— but a lot of what I share today comes from my clinical practice, what I see women struggling with, and my own personal journey. I hit a breaking point one day, I was constantly exhausted, overwhelmed, and felt like I was losing myself, even though from the outside, everything looked “successful.” I hated the person in the mirror. I realized I needed to make serious changes to my lifestyle—physically, mentally, and emotionally.”

How did you get started? 

“I started writing simple blog posts, mostly just to process it all and share with anyone who might relate. That small step turned into something so much bigger: a wellness platform that’s now reached people all over the world. (@dramyshah on Instagram) I’ve since written two bestselling books, I’m So Effing Tired and I’m So Effing Hungry, and I have a new book coming out in early 2026.”

What drives you in your work today, and what do you hope people take away from your approach to health?

“Now, my mission is to help others feel empowered to take control of their health—not through extremes or quick fixes, but by making realistic changes in nutrition, movement, and lifestyle. I believe medication has its place, but it should be a last resort. My goal is to encourage you to save yourself, so you can find your own path to feeling better—starting from the inside out.”

So Dr. Shah, please let us know what we should be doing to actually slow aging?

Walk 10-15,000 steps a day. 

Walking is a great low-impact exercise. Regular walking can help prevent cognitive decline associated with aging. There are studies that show that age related diseases like dementia, can be decreased up to 50% by walking 8,000-12,000 steps a day. If you can’t walk, do a version of movement where every 20 minutes would translate to 20,000 steps.

Eat 30-30-3 

30 grams of protein at breakfast, 30 grams of fiber throughout the day, and 3 probiotic foods daily. This should be your goal at least 3 times a week. This helps prevent age related muscle loss as well as age related gut microbiome changes. 

Sleep 7-9 Hours 

Getting 7-9 hours of sleep can help with cell repair, skin health, and hormone balance. A few years ago, when I was first starting my wellness journey, I sent out a twitter message to all the popular health and wellness people at the time. I asked what the one thing is above all else you recommend and they unanimously replied “sleep.”

Aim for 1 hour of sunlight 

Getting 1 hour of sunlight a day boosts vitamin D production, which supports skin health and improves mood. The biggest benefit of getting sunlight is improving your health. We have reports connecting eye and brain centers and by tuning these centers through light you can have better health and slow aging.

Cut down on smoking and drinking 

Limiting your alcohol intake and smoking will prevent inflammation and support better overall health. If you want to age well you have to get control over your alcohol consumption and quit smoking, and that’s smoking of all types by the way. New studies show that up to 3 drinks a week is all you can have without it affecting long term health. 

Find 3-5 good friends 

Want to improve aging by 50%? Having a small number of good friends can foster a sense of belonging which can boost mental health and longevity. Get yourself a few social connections and every week schedule 2-3 walks with friends or something similar.

Listen to a podcast or read a book 

Listen to a podcast or read a few pages of a book every week. Your inputs become your outputs and when it comes to aging what you listen to and who you spend your time with becomes you.

Add hot therapy to your routine 

Add a hot therapy session every week, this can include sauna, steam room, or hot pilates/yoga. We have so much data from the Finnish population that shows how hot therapy can reduce the diseases of aging. It’s something that I’ve added to my regimen in the last year and a half because of this data and that is why I’m sharing it with you.

Do one sprint a week 

Adding a sprint can improve cardiovascular health and promote metabolic health. There’s a study that shows that a workout program that is 5 days and includes 1 sprint, can anti-age the heart by 20 years. The way I do it is by sprinting for 1 minute and then taking a 1 minute or more rest. I repeat that 4 times. This can be done on a treadmill, on a bike, in a pool etc. The point is to get the blood flowing and the heart beating.

Do one form of mindset training 

Incorporate a mindset training like prayer or meditation into your daily routine. Pick something you love. This is something I’ve added in the past 2 years, and I’ve recently been taking walks w/out my phone and talking to the universe but do what works for you

We love catching up with Dr. Shah on some of these science backed things that can really change your life, especially with the summer coming up— these are things we can incorporate for a better life today and will help us for the next few decades.

https://amymdwellness.com/