Don't just live longer, live better!

We live in a time when the medical world is getting better and better at extending our lives. We can get older than ever, but what good is a long life if you spend the last twenty years mostly on the couch with joint pain, fatigue and a body that no longer cooperates? The real challenge of our time is not to extend our lifespan (the total length of life), but our healthspan, the period during which we feel strong, vital and mentally sharp.

Therefore, I always try to move clients toward training for life and less for purely looking nicer. Workouts that increase your quality of life by increasing muscle strength, power and mobility are therefore preferred.

Lifespan vs. Healthspan: what’s the difference?

Lifespan is about quantity: how many years do you live?
Healthspan is about quality: how many years are you truly healthy, mobile and energetic?

Most people spend the last 10 to 20 years of their lives with chronic diseases, pain, reduced mobility or cognitive decline. According to research published in The Lancet (2018), the average European lives nearly 20% of their life in poor health. That means that someone who turns 80 spends an average of 16 years in an impaired physical or mental state. That’s shocking, but the good news is that we do have an impact on it. Through proper nutrition, doing strength training and fitness training, we can extend not only the lifespan, but also the healthspan.

Peter Attia: the doctor redefining longevity

One of my favorite books of the past year is the bestseller Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. In it Dr. Peter Attia explains that modern medicine is far too reactive. We wait until something goes wrong and then try to fix it. His approach, which he calls Medicine 3.0, revolves around prevention rather than treatment. Attia makes a clear distinction between lifespan and healthspan. He says, “The goal is not to live to be 90. The goal is to live to be 90 with the fitness of someone in their 50s.” His message is clear: Those who want to grow old must start doing so now. Because aging is not a sudden process, it is something that starts decades earlier. This is also the approach I take in my training sessions.

Muscle strength and fitness: the true life insurance policy

One of the strongest predictors of a long and healthy life is not diet or a pill, but muscle strength. Dozens of studies show that people with higher grip strength (the force with which you grip something) and strong leg muscles have a significantly lower risk of early death. A large study published in The Lancet (2015) found that each decrease of 5 kg of grip strength increased mortality risk by 16%.

Muscle strength is literally your “spare capital” for old age. Strong legs allow you to keep getting up, climbing stairs and moving around, all basic skills that determine whether you can continue to live independently. In addition, cardiovascular fitness plays a crucial role. Peter Attia calls high VO₂max (your maximum oxygen uptake capacity) “the most powerful biomarker for life expectancy that we know of.” People with high VO₂max not only live longer, they stay fit and functional longer.

In other words: Strong muscles and a fit heart are not a luxury, but the building blocks of a long and valuable life.

Healthy aging is more than exercise

Physical fitness is the foundation, but mental and emotional health are just as important. Chronic stress, poor sleep and loneliness are silent killers that accelerate aging. I may no longer be the most sociable woman in my friend group, but I really try to get at least seven, but preferably eight hours of sleep every night. But having social contacts also contributes to healthier aging. A Harvard study (the longest-running study on happiness and health ever) also shows that people with strong social relationships not only live longer, but are also significantly happier and healthier.

The art of longevity: build your future self

Imagine yourself as the 90-year-old version of yourself.
Will you:

Be able to get up from your chair by yourself?
Still able to go for a walk?
Lifting your (grand)children without pain?
Have a clear head and a healthy heart?

That vision of the future is what Peter Attia calls the “Centenarian Decathlon,” a set of physical goals that will allow you to live life to the fullest as a centenarian. And the great thing is: You don’t have to be an elite athlete to live to a healthy old age, but you do have to train like someone who takes his future seriously. Strength training at least two to three times a week is essential. You don’t have to immediately think about 100-kilo squats, but a good training program that fits your age and goals is essential.