How long do I want to live?

Why is healthspan a better term than lifespan? I did some binge watching over the long holiday weekend on the topic oflongevity. If an important journalist/billionaire like David Rubenstein can produce a show on the topic, there must be a big audience concerned about the last decades of life. Some say it’s after 65, some say after 70. And what David and another resource person, Dr. Peter Attia, believe is that longevity is about enjoying your last decades free from disease.

Disease can also mean loss of strength, loss of balance and any other condition which makes us dependent on others, being a burden to family and being fragile and frail. So what can we do to ensure our last decades make us productive members of society ?

Strength training is one of the common tips given by Dr. Attia, who has made a career out of coaching the elderly. He only takes a maximum of 75 patients, all of whom want to make their final decades the best years of their lives. Because what use is it to live long, but be dependent on mobility and hearing aids and, most of all, attention and care of others (like caregivers and nurses)? We need to do resistance training and keep as much muscle as we can.

Sleeping well is another tip Dr. Attia gives. If you do not sleep well, find out the reasons why and address them. Repair of tissues only happen when we sleep.

Eating well is another obvious tip both personalities and their professional guests share. If we know what food helps the body more than destroys it, we are off to a good start in our journey to longevity.

Exercise is another common advice and this can be as simple as walking even just 5,000 steps a day, doing cardio workouts and for some, rehab after medical procedures to keep our hearts and muscles talking. Moving our muscles, especially the leg muscles, is of prime importance.

People pay to hear these bits of information from coaches like Dr. Attia because most doctors these days address the symptoms of disease but sadly are not consulted before the disease is discovered. In fact, Dr. Attia says he as a student of Medicine was never even taught about exercise and nutrition or had zero units of study in these two most important tips to longevity. But these are most important as “an ounce of prevention is of course better than a pound of cure,” as the famous saying goes.

I think the formula I share with him is combining strength training, nutrition coaching and mental wellness. Another doctor guest said you could be an expert at Sudoku if you keep doing the word game daily but you need to stretch the brain and keep it thinking, not with routine but with different challenges. Travel is one such challenge because a new place stimulates your brain in a different way. Traveling also means adaptation to new surroundings, language and cultures that are unfamiliar.

Another longevity tip is engagement with other people or socials. We can choose the people we want to connect with and discuss ideas with. You can join a group or organization or simply meet up with old friends to connect and socialize, rather than staying home to count the days.

It is healthy to meet up with friends who discuss intelligently and not get further depressed with discussions of health issues and family challenges. Choose your friends wisely. Avoid the stressors who discuss politics and religion. I regularly meet with college sorority sisters who are lawyers and doctors, and I get mentally stimulated without the stress of dissenting opinions. Just intelligent discussions on life.

You can join groups with a particular focus: management, directorships or socio-civic work. I know of someone whose comfort zone is belonging to a village association – it may be her fishpond but if it stimulates her mentally, then it serves a purpose. While in our management organization, there could be people younger and much older, sharing ideas and professional advice like a big ocean of diverse interests, which stimulates brain activity without unwanted stress.

What we should not do as we age is to be reclusive. We need stimulation from conversations, and we need to be able to engage in fruitful and meaningful discussions with others. No discussions of who is better or wiser, but just healthy discourse about life itself.

Another tip mentioned in all these shows I watched is learning to play a musical instrument even in your 60s and 70s. This stimulates different areas of the brain they say. I was introduced to Sunshine Place when I took my older sister to try chair dancing as she is wheelchair-bound. This wonderful seniors’ haven offers courses in piano, guitar and voice. Who cares if you cannot carry a tune? You can pay to sing and be coached to discover and nurture your much-hidden talents.

We had an event at Sunshine Place for our organization where we had the privilege of watching demos of Ikebana flower arrangement, painting on sandpaper and even dancing. If you are looking for stimulation of mental and physical faculties, this is the place to visit.

In the meantime, do make an assessment of your physical strength and start there. Read about sarcopenia and why you do not want it to happen to you. No one is too old to start a health program – not in rehab where everyone is in post-operative stage, but in a nice gym where you can also get young nutritionists, physical therapists who are also young and goal-centered and fitness coaches to guide you in making a better you.

Start moving, eating well and sleeping soundly.

Longevity is what we all desire but it should be with good health in mind. After all, why stay alive longer in pain and distress? Everyone must enjoy the last decades of life like it was their first.