There’s no denying it: We live in a youth-obsessed society, largely because of our collective fear of aging. But what if, somehow, we could see getting older as a blessing instead of a curse? After all, as the wise philosopher Pitbull once said, “Every day above ground is a great day.”

While we can’t control everything about how we advance towards and eventually experience our golden years, there are several scientifically proven steps we can take to improve our chances of staying as healthy and happy as possible as we age.

That’s why we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, the co-hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast — recently chatted with Dr. Parul Goyal, a geriatric medicine specialist at Vanderbilt Health, to learn as many secrets as we can about thriving past the age of 65.

Goyal told us that regardless of how old you we are right now, there are ways to adjust your diet, level and quality of physical activity and even your sex life that will help you set yourself up for success later down the road. She also revealed an unexpected approach to aging that can act as a fountain of youth — and it’s absolutely free.

“Research has indicated that individuals that have a positive mindset tend to experience improved cognitive function, better physical health, and enhanced emotional resilience,” Goyal told us. In other words: Optimism is the key to aging like Paul Rudd.

She pointed to a study that came out in 2019 from Rockefeller University, which talked about how optimism was associated with exceptional longevity in two different cohorts. And another study that came out of France found positive perceptions of aging were key predictors in a person’s quality of life, she said.

So how can we supercharge our optimism?

“Keep a gratitude journal to use at night, practice positive affirmations, practice meditation, and spend time with positive thinkers,” Goyal said. “Because you are who you spend your time with.”

We also discussed other ways to take care of yourself (and your loved ones) to guarantee aging is more pleasurable than stressful, including tips for keeping your brain sharp and why some kinds of naps are better than others.

After you’ve had a listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” so you don’t miss a single episode, including our investigations of the ins and outs of tipping, how to score the best deals on airline tickets, how to apologize or vanquish your credit card debt, how to find love online or overcome anxiety, tips for online shopping, taking care of your teeth and pooping like a pro, the shocking truth about doing your laundry, secrets to booking and staying in a hotel, how to deal with an angry person, and more.

Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com, and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.

One time, when I was getting Botox from a new provider, the injector smiled as she stuck the needle into my forehead.

“I can tell you’re good about using sunscreen,” she said. “The needle is going in smooth as butter.”

She was right. I diligently apply SPF 30 or higher every day. And the insight made me wonder what else a cosmetic injector or aesthetic nurse could assess just by looking at or touching a patient’s face.

We interviewed three cosmetic injectors who revealed what they could tell about a person’s skin care and lifestyle habits from a single visit.

Skin and health experts agree that protecting your skin from the sun with SPF on a regular basis is vital for maintaining healthy skin and decreasing your risk of skin cancer — and if you’re not keeping up with your sun protection, a cosmetic nurse can tell.

“Patients that are using sunscreen and retinoid diligently typically have very clear skin,” said Ginille Brown, a registered aesthetic nurse and the founder of Ginille Beauty Aesthetics in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, if a patient has “copious amounts of fine lines, [it] usually means they do not use a retinol or sunscreen,” added Denisse M. Serrano, an aesthetic physician’s assistant with SkinSpirit in Park Ridge, New Jersey.

If a patient’s skin has a “leathery” look to it, that could be a sign that they’ve made a habit of using UV tanning beds or tobacco, noted Serrano.

If you’re slacking on your skin care practices or if your skin care routine isn’t well-suited for your skin’s particular needs, there are signs a cosmetic nurse can spot.

A patient with “very dry, flaky skin” may not “adequately moisturize and hydrate their skin,” said Marina Sominsky, a registered nurse and owner of Capital Aesthetics in Ottawa, Ontario. “Additionally, someone with dehydrated skin may be moisturizing, just with a product that does not have the right ingredients.”

“If someone is peeling a lot on their face, looks inflamed, or has redness, they may be using too many active or harsh ingredients, which is drying them out,” Brown added.

However, it’s important to note that these signs are clues and not definitive answers. “Skin appearance is also genetic,” Sominsky said, adding that “it is hard to say if a person’s skin condition is directly related to their skin care practices” or if it’s a result of their genetic predispositions.

Looking at a patient’s skin can give a cosmetic injector a good idea of how old that patient is. “Usually in the late 20s and early 30s, people start seeing early signs of aging, where fat pads on the face start separating and sinking,” Brown said. “Quite often, people start noticing a line from their under-eyes that extends through their cheeks, smile lines or nasal labial folds.”

And if a patient’s age doesn’t match the visible aging signs on their face, it may be an indicator of lifestyle habits, including exercise and cosmetic treatments.

“If a patient looks a lot older than their age, they may have had recent significant weight loss or a very active lifestyle. When we lose weight, we also lose fat in our face. A fuller face typically shows signs of youth,” Brown said. “Usually, if a person 30-plus years old has no etched forehead lines and their forehead looks relatively smooth when they are talking and animating, that is a good sign that they’ve had Botox injected.”

Though Botox and fillers can get a bad rep for making it look like a person has had “work done,” well-placed Botox and fillers by a skilled, licensed professional can actually be quite tough to spot with the untrained eye. A cosmetic nurse, however, knows exactly what to look for.

“A person who has little expressive facial movement in the forehead and around the eyes when talking may be suggestive that they have had Botox treatment to combat fine lines,” Sominsky said, adding that “this is not necessarily a bad thing and is usually undetectable to the untrained eye if the treatment is well done.”

She also noted that because neither of these treatments is permanent, “if a patient had the treatment many years ago, it would be much more difficult to detect at first glance.”

Bad Botox or bad fillers, on the other hand, stand out like a sore thumb. “With filler specifically, someone’s face may look ‘blown up’ while the rest of their body is more thin,” Serrano said. “Someone who is using filler may have overfilled lips or under-eye troughs, both of which are things I see daily.”

“If just the cheeks and lips are more youthful than the lower face, that discrepancy can be a sign that someone has done injectables on just a certain part of the face,” Brown added. “It’s for this reason that I tell patients to consider their entire face when getting cosmetic treatments. If we just spot treat areas, things can look ‘done’ or a little off.”

Even if fillers can’t be seen, they can be felt in the form of nodules or lumps under the surface of the skin. “Sometimes, patients have filler in their face that was done several years prior. I am not always able to see that, but if I touch certain areas of the face, sometimes I can feel it,” Brown said.

“Filled lips are easier to spot [than other injectables], as it is common for the cupid’s bow to flatten out when the upper lip is filled,” Sominsky said. “Additionally, the lips will appear closer to the same size when, naturally, our bottom lip is more prominent.”

Brown even said she’s often able to guess the specific brand of lip filler a person has been injected with based on the texture and hydration of their lips. (She declined to provide further details as to which brands coincide with which visible features.)

Even if a cosmetic nurse can’t see well-placed lip filler with the naked eye, they can typically detect its presence through touch. “When done properly, [lip filler] may not be visibly detected, but I may be able to feel it with my fingers,” Serrano noted.

Along with feeling a patient’s skin for signs of lifestyle habits, cosmetic nurses say that the ease with which a needle enters a person’s skin is another giveaway.

“I can also tell if someone has acne scarring if I am having trouble introducing the needle,” Serrano said. “If you don’t have scarring on your face, that means your skin is supple, hydrated and healthy.”

“If there is difficulty putting the needle in a patient’s skin, it may be due to scar tissue or previous filler in an area,” Brown added.