1. Family First
Aguirre is happiest when she’s with her children and grandchildren. “When we spend time with family—especially face-to-face communication, as opposed to digital—it significantly reduces the occurrence of depression, anxiety, and other mental illness,” says Dr. Todd Thatcher, DO, CMRO. “Being physically present with loved ones creates a strong emotional support to buoy you up through life’s challenges. When we spend time with family it is fun, but it can be difficult, too. When conflicts arise, you can’t just walk away for good. You’re in this together, so you have to work together to solve the issues that come up. Spending time with family teaches interpersonal communication skills including healthy, constructive ways to discuss, debate, and solve problems.”
2. Salsa Dancing
Salsa dancing is one of Aguirre’s favorite hobbies. "Dancing is accessible to everybody,” says Dr. Lauren Elson, a former professional dancer who specializes in sports and rehabilitation medicine at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. “People who can't stand can use the rest of their body while seated, people who have lost movement in their arms can dance with their torso and legs. It's a way to connect to your own body, to music, and to other people. It just depends on whatever your goals are. But we know that there are so many benefits of dancing — cognitive, physical, and social — that it merits consideration by everybody."
3. Dining Al Fresco
Aguirre loves cooking breakfast on the weekend and enjoying it in her garden, which experts say is great for your health. "The research that I carry out is in a clinical environment with NHS patients – so I hear a lot about their lifestyles and diet," says Sunderland Clinical Exercise Physiologist Dr Paul Innerd. "Of all outdoor activities, eating outdoors is an activity that many of my patients report to be most relaxing... Going outdoors, enjoying food and having conversation reduces your cortisol level quite dramatically. And if you make it a regular lifestyle choice this will reduce inflammation and increase your immunity."
4. No Dating Apps
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Aguirre refuses to use dating apps, which is one of the reasons why she went on The Golden Bachelor. “Why is it harder to find true love on the apps? Human beings evolved as social animals,” says Jon Birger, author of Make Your Move: The New Science of Dating and Why Women Are in Charge. “We bond through shared experience. It's why jokes always seem funnier with friends than alone. Those shared experiences become part of us—the stories we love to tell and retell to those closest. They become the foundations for deeper emotional connections.”
5. She Plays Golf
Aguirre enjoys playing golf in the sunshine. “Golf can provide health-enhancing physical activity,” says Andrew Murray, co-director of Edinburgh University’s Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Group. “It can also be an effective treatment for anxiety, depression and dementia.”
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