Beating the Loneliness Epidemic: How ACE's Dr. Cedric Bryant and Dr. Sabrena Jo Help Us Add People to Our Years

Live Long Better: Not Old Better and American Council on Exercise

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If I told you there was a health risk that could quietly raise your chances of early death by roughly 25 to 30 percent… and it wasn't diabetes, blood pressure, or cholesterol… you'd probably lean in.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of premature death by 26% and 29%, and lacking social connection can be as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. HHS+1

So here's the question for all of us over 60: we count our steps, we count our meds… who's helping us count our people?

Welcome to Live Long Better. I'm your host, and today we're tackling the loneliness epidemic head‑on—with movement and community as the prescription

Joining us are two leaders from the American Council on Exercise, or ACE.

First, our ongoing member of the team, Dr. Sabrena Jo, Senior Director of Science and Education, whose work focuses on how pro‑aging, inclusive fitness and community‑based movement can turn a lonely workout into a welcoming social circle.

And we're also joined by Dr. Cedric Bryant, Chief Executive Officer at ACE. Cedric spends his days at the table with organizations like the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, championing physical activity as essential public health. ACE Fitness He's authored more than 300 articles and over 40 books, holds a doctorate in physiology from Penn State—where he received the university's Distinguished Alumni Award—and he lives the ACE mission personally with regular exercise, pickleball, golf, and even coaching youth sports. ACE Fitness

Cedric often says, "Some activity is better than none, and more is better than some. Every little bit counts." ACE Fitness+1

We'll talk about how that simple idea scales up—from one older adult taking a short walk with a neighbor, to ACE's 40 Forward initiative, a 40th‑anniversary effort to "shape the future of fitness together" by building more inclusive, community‑driven opportunities to move in every kind of neighborhood. ACE Fitness+2ACE Fitness+2

If your contact list has gotten smaller while your pill organizer has gotten bigger, this episode is for you.

Because today, we're not just talking about adding years to your life…
we're talking about adding people to your years.

Stay with us—Dr. Sabrena Jo and Dr. Cedric Bryant are coming up next.