Healthspan Versus Lifespan
HEALTHSPAN VERSUS LIFESPAN: What is the difference?
(Note: This is an older article that I have updated and edited.)
There’s a lot of talk about longevity – increasing our lifespan would afford us extra time on this planet. Just as important though is healthspan, the time I am healthy before age-related illness kicks in.
The average lifespan is around 80 years. According to the National Institute of Health the average healthspan is around 66 years, the age when people start experiencing later-life health problems. No doubt this difference of 14 years is linked to the average age of heart attacks, 65; the average age of cancer diagnosis, 66; and the average age of dementia diagnosis, mid-sixties. The outlier is type 2 diabetes, which makes its presence known at age 45 to 50. (That early outlier is a big hint that all these conditions have a similar source; increased inflammation and metabolic malfunction due primarily to unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles.)
One would hope that healthspan and lifespan are linked, that increasing the time I stay healthy will increase my longevity. We certainly know the opposite is true.
I want to spend those 14 years with as little medical intervention, illness, and physical decline as possible. I want to spend those years in strength and energy, not frailty and fatigue. This time of life is precious. For me these are the most important, curious, and meaningful years I have ever experienced, even after enjoying an active, fulfilling career.
My Reasons to Stay Healthy
The reasons for me to stay healthy are a no-brainer:
1) More time available to live as I choose, not in declining health, under treatment, and always subject to one medical condition or another.
2) Less dependency on others to take care of me, in health as well as illness.
3) Less medical care, drugs, and cost.
4) Less chance of accidental injury (by working on strength and balance).
5) More time on this wonderful planet to fully experience the wonder and awe of simply being alive and to be with my children and others who matter to me.
Take a moment to consider this question: What are your reasons to stay healthy?
So, what are the biggest risk factors to developing conditions that might lead to illness? I have found them to be some of the same culprits that Dr. Peter Attia describes in his valuable book, Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. The “Four Horsemen,” as he calls atherosclerosis, cancer, dementia, and diabetes, are still the predominant causes of later-life illness and premature death.
Personally, I have found that misconceptions about the possibilities of this time of life are also big contributing factors. For some, the resignation of the “just getting old” attitude contributes to their reluctance to take care of themselves instead of actively digging in to train and practice for a healthy later life.
Good News: There Are Fixes for All These Conditions
The good news is that all these conditions have common sources. Having a defeatist attitude along with too much processed food, too much food in general, and not enough movement all lead to lower immune function and our body’s inability to fight the root causes of these major diseases. Address these conditions, and you have a much better chance of defeating the “Four Horsemen.”
I would add that I previously didn’t appreciate myself and the wonder of my health enough to take care of myself the way I do now. There is much more in my book, A Life Yet to Live: Finding Health, Vitality and Joy After 60, and in this website’s weekly posts.
At 74 years old, I am right in the middle of those 14 extra healthspan years, having lived the first seven (and more before that) in vibrant health, strength, and vitality. And yes, I have more wrinkles and my skin is starting to sag, and I feel some extra inflammation in my muscles and joints after I train which require some extra recovery, but I am disease free and have the same strength and flexibility I’ve always had. I would love to live this way past 80, and I am practicing health in ways to achieve that.
My goal with this website is to become part of the conversation about what is special and possible at this stage of life and the years leading up to it. My aim is to engage with like-minded people and fellow travelers and to offer more possibilities and hope to those who are resigned to “just getting old.”
What is life all about? Why are we here? Does my life have meaning? What can I do to be healthier and embrace life? What matters? These are the questions I ask myself all the time, and I am actively seeking the answers. Life is a great ride, hop aboard.
