Lifespan vs Healthspan
How often do you perform regular car maintenance? Do you make sure to change the oil, correct the alignment, and replace the brakes? Why do you even bother doing it? It goes without saying that if you take proper care of your car, it should undoubtedly function much better and be more reliable for daily use.
I’ve always found it interesting that people tend to take better care of their cars than they do their own bodies. It’s especially odd considering you can always replace your car, but you only have one body to use for life. Despite this, we all understand the importance of regular car maintenance, but don’t always help our own bodies to function at a higher level and stave off the effects of aging.
When it comes to health, there’s a fair amount of focus on lifespan, which is specifically how many years you ultimately live. While there is focus on living longer, there’s not as much attention on “healthspan”, which is the quality of those lived years. In other words, are you living to 90 as an active and healthy person who takes part in your favorite hobbies? On the other hand, did you make it to 95, but twenty of those years were plagued by illness, surgeries, medication, and chronic pain? I’m willing to bet that everyone reading this would prefer that their retirement years are filled with fun, travel, and active experiences, as opposed to feeling broken and depressed. But how do you make that happen? Is it simply a roll of the dice or do you have control over your reality?
The more I’ve worked in my profession, the more I see age being used as a scapegoat. I think people ultimately look at the effects of aging as inevitable, which makes it easy to give up and not be more proactive in health. While it’s true that aging it inevitable, the effects of aging vary widely from person to person and it’s all because of how people have treated their bodies. By being proactive in your health, your body will function at a higher level and you’ll find you can do so much more as you age. This translates not only into better physical health, but better mental and emotional health as well. Sadly, I think a lot of people miss this concept, but it’s never too late for you to start.
If I really wanted to simplify it down to the key concepts that everyone should follow, here they are:
Stop eating junk (processed food and sugar) and start eating whole foods
Take part in regular, well rounded exercise (strength, cardio, flexibility, and balance) 3-4 times per week
Get 8 hours of sleep every night
Hydrate (with water), roughly 64 ounces each day
Identify your typical emotional stressors and figure out a way to eliminate or manage them. Exercise, hobbies, and mediation are a few common strategies
Of course, I could dive so much deeper into each category, but this is a good starting point. It’s also important to get your regular physicals and screenings and to address any injury before it gets worse. The more proactive you are against injuries and chronic illness, the better off you will be.
To summarize all of this, I’m simply encouraging you to treat your body like you do your car. Actually, treat your body BETTER than your car. Think about your future and how you want it to look. Like I said, even if you feel you’ve fallen behind and are already struggling with your health, it’s never too late to start. Your body has a tremendous capacity to heal and following my 5 key concepts will be a good way to get the ball rolling. And as always, let me know if you need any help.
Rob Liguori, DC
