What you should know about Longevity: Living a Longer, Healthier Life.

This is the first in a series of blogs I plan to write on health and longevity – exploring all aspects of how to live a longer and healthier life from exercise and nutrition to sleep and stress management.  I hope it serves as a guide to protect your future self from succumbing to the “dwindles” (as some doctors call it) or joining the ranks of the “frail elderly.” I hope, instead, that you feel empowered to become like the centenarians of the Blue Zones, vibrant 100+ year-olds living full lives in their communities, rather than living out your last days in a nursing home because you are no longer able to care for yourself.  It doesn’t matter if you are twenty or eighty, you can make changes in your lifestyle today that will make you stronger and healthier tomorrow.

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading”

(Lao Tzu, 6th century BC)

According to the CDC, chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality for Americans – accounting for 70% of all deaths. Six out of every ten Americans has at least one chronic disease and 40% have two or more.

The good news is that lifestyle is responsible for about 80% of chronic diseases, which means you can do something about it. By making healthier choices, you not only improve your lifespan but also how well you live it. Healthspan refers to the number of years a person has a good quality of life – in other words, is not suffering from chronic pain or debilitating disease and is living a full, satisfying life. If you’ve witnessed a loved one suffering at the end of life, you understand the importance of the distinction between lifespan and healthspan. Not surprisingly, healthspan is often significantly shorter than lifespan. In fact, for many the gap between these two is around ten years – a decade of life not enjoying what previously brought pleasure or, in the worst case, nearly a decade of life wishing for an end to it.

The goal, therefore, is not just to live longer, but to make your healthspan equal to your lifespan by aging purposefully – paying attention to your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It’s about setting intentions to make lifestyle changes that are evidence-based to reduce chronic illness and improve your quality of life. In an era of nationwide impending physician shortages, it should be reassuring that you don’t actually need a doctor, medication, or technology to achieve lifestyle changes (although it certainly can be helpful to have the guidance of a professional). What you really need is to shift your focus toward wellness – make yourself your priority.

Photo by Sinan Serin on Pexels.com

If you have no idea where to start, though, I’ll offer some suggestions in upcoming blogs as well as list some resources here. A Lifestyle Medicine (LM) doctor is a physician trained specifically in using evidence-based lifestyle intervention to prevent and treat chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. LM healthcare providers focus on six pillars: a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections. For more information (or to find a provider near you), check out: American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

If you are more of a do-it-yourself type, I recommend reading Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia or listening to Huberman Lab Podcasts where neuroscientist Andrew Huberman of Stanford School of Medicine interviews experts in their fields, often about current health and fitness trends. Regardless of where you choose to start, I recommend you start making changes now. Today.