Healthspan coaching is about investing in the quality of our lives, so not just about adding years to your life but about adding life to your years.  It's a holistic and evidence-based approach that focuses on improving the quality of your life by promoting overall well-being.  We'll explore personalised strategies to optimise your physical health, mental well-being, and lifestyle choices.

We’re lucky in the UK to have the NHS, and primary care is there for us should we fall ill.  But our NHS services often don’t have the resources to focus on primary prevention.

The UK national statistics estimate that the last 15-20 years of our lives will be spent with some limitation or disability due to compromised health... I don't want to fall in line with that statistic, and healthspan coaching is about beating those odds!  Primary prevention takes a proactive approach to preventing illness and extending healthspan.  We may not be able to prevent everything forever, but I bet you can do more to lower your risk, improving your odds, than you realise.

Your Goal?

How do you want to be when you're in your 80s, 90s, or 100s?

Currently, there isn't strong evidence for reliable ways of increasing our lifespan, that is, the total number of years we live (the maximum, based on history, is around 120).  There is evidence that we can improve our healthspan in the years that we have - however many there will be.  So, the question is, what do you want to be able to do when you're in your final years?

According to Harvard Health, after the age of 30, we lose 3-5% of our muscle mass per decade, and strength drops off even faster.  Are there older people you know who struggle to open jars, climb stairs, or live independently?  I hope you know older people who are spritely and full of vigour - and if you do, ask them how they remain so vital.  I suspect you'll find they are doing multiple things.

In the Blue Zones, five parts of the world in which there are higher than average numbers of centenarians (people aged 100 or older), those that age well move regularly, eat well, and have strong relationships, as well as have supportive genes.  But, you'll note, most of us don't live in a Blue Zone!

Peter Attia, MD, introduced the idea of the Centenarian Decathlon.  Not that you should be able to complete an athletics decathlon when you're 100 years old, but more helpfully, what are the ten or more things you would like to be able to do during the last ten years of your life?

How about the most basic of things, able to:

• Play with grandchildren or great-grandchildren (get down on the floor, pick up a child)
• Drive safely
• Do your own shopping (travel to a supermarket, walk around the shop, operate the payment tech, carry shopping bags)
• Walk in nature
• Climb a set of stairs
• Do your own housework
• Live independently

These things don't sound particularly difficult, but it's surprising how many of our older citizens aren't able to do one or more of these things.

And perhaps your desires are a little more adventurous than this!

• Do you have a hobby that requires you to be in good shape? Are there any hand-gliding pilots out there?
• Do you want to be able to travel around the country or the world?

Having some idea about what you would like to be able to do so that you can enjoy your final years is a brilliant start - with that, we can step back and look at what capabilities you need to be building now.

In an assessment, we want to explore your current health status.  This isn't for medical purposes, such as when a medical doctor is involved in diagnosis; we're doing it so you can combine it with your healthspan goals and make choices about where you'd like to invest your time and energy.

It's entirely up to you what you include and exclude in the assessment as some elements, such as your blood level of apoB particles, aren't usually included in a standard UK lipid profile (a 'cholesterol test'), so if you wanted that information, you'd pay for a private blood test (we can tell you where to go to get it).  We'll work with whatever you are able and happy to provide!

In an ideal world, what information would we gather in an assessment?

Basics

• Sex and age
• Relevant family history

Body measurements

• Height
• Weight
• Waist measurement
• Build
• Lean and fat mass

Typical day:

• Diet
• Exercise
• Alcohol
• Smoking
• Sleep

Cardiovascular and metabolic

• Blood pressure
• Lipid profile ('cholesterol test'), ideally including apoB and triglycerides
• Blood sugar measures
• Inflammation
• Kidney function
• Liver function

Nutrition impact

• Levels of Omega 3 and Omega 6
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12
• Iron

Fitness

• Strength
• Cardiovascular fitness
• Resting heart rate

Stress and mood

• Detailed stress and recovery data
• Stress management and recovery skills

Oral health

You may already have some of this, or it is easy to get (like your waist measurement).  Some may require 3rd party services or additional services I can provide, such as a blood testing laboratory, detailed stress and recovery recording and analysis, DEXA scan, and formal VO2Max measurement.  You're always in charge - you choose what we'll work with.

An assessment is intended to help prioritise your investment in your health and to measure progress - but it's not the only way to do it, so although it's preferred, it's not required.  If you know which elements of health you want to invest in, then that's where we'll focus.

We use the five pillars of Healthspan, supported by an overall environment, such as pollution and weather and an individual environment, such as our bedroom for sleep.  These pillars provide areas where we can intervene in our day-to-day lives to support improved healthspan.

We're often asked about age - am I too young to work on healthspan?  Am I too old to work on healthspan?

In reality, the earlier we start, the easier the overall process - but most of us are not thinking about our investment in healthspan when we're in our teens and twenties - but that's not to say there's no value investing in it, there is!  For example, bone mineral density is much easier to build when we're young.  So, we could invest in our twenties to ensure we have plenty in the bank by the time we reach the age where it's depleting, which is helpful for men and women, though particularly helpful for women who will at some point reach menopause.

But perhaps we're in our 80s.  Is it worth starting now?  Yes!  We can always do something to improve our wellness odds by improving our healthspan.