Hi friends,

This week I want to talk about healthspan. Oxford defines it as “the part of a person’s life during which they are generally in good health.” It is essentially how long you can remain free from disease or injury.

All too often in my work as a Physical Therapist, I see people in their 60s and 70s requiring the use of an assistive device or needing someone to help them complete activities of daily living like cooking, getting dressed, using the bathroom, etc. Occasionally, there is a medical cause outside of their control that forces their decline, but other times, their debilitation is based on the lifestyle choices they’ve made throughout their lives.

To get the most out of the last decades of our lives, we better be able to walk on our own, climb a flight of stairs, do laundry, and get off the floor without assistance. If we can’t do these basic tasks when we get older, what quality of life will we have?

To perform these tasks in our last decades, we need to take steps now toward improving our health. Exercise is something we all know we should be doing, but typically fall short in getting adequate amounts each week. Exercise is one of the most efficacious things we can do to improve healthspan and longevity.

The most important predictors of longevity are VO2 max (how well your body is able to utilize oxygen) and strength. Both VO2 max and strength can be improved with exercise. I believe that everyone, regardless of age or ability, should be doing cardiovascular and resistance training most days of the week. You can see my specific training plan for longevity and healthspan here.

Another aspect of healthspan that goes overlooked is protein intake. In humans, muscle mass and strength start to decline around age 30. Resistance training coupled with adequate protein intake lessens the decline in muscle mass and strength with older age and allows us to have independence in our final decades.

A general recommendation is to consume 1 gram of protein per body weight in pounds per day. I’m currently 215 pounds, and I find each day a battle to eat 215 grams of protein. This is equivalent to eating 5 chicken breasts daily! I’ve found that having one or two protein shakes a day helps me reach this goal consistently.

Finally, you need to be training specifically for what you want to be able to do later in life. If you want to be able to play catch with your grandkids, you better start throwing more frequently now. If you want to be able to go for a 3-mile hike when you’re 80, you need to practice hiking longer distances and hiking more frequently now. If you want to play golf till you’re 90, you better work on building core strength and a swing that you’ll be able to perform at that age.

Most people start thinking about the quality of their lives in their last few decades when they’re already in them and it’s too late to improve their healthspan. If you start planning now while you’re relatively healthy, you’ll be better able to stave off losses in strength, muscle mass, and cardiovascular fitness that often lead to a decrease in quality of life. Start asking yourself, “What steps can I make today that will allow me to keep my independence in my last few decades?”

Until next week,

Kevin