The buzzword dominating the wellness world over the last couple of years is undoubtedly "Longevity." And since living longer is not just a passing trend, longevity is gaining attention for a significant reason—we're focusing not just on extending life in terms of years but on enhancing the quality of those years. The conversation has shifted towards ensuring a healthy, mobile, strong, and mentally alert life that we can truly love. Personally, I want to maximize my best years, which means being intentional about my choices in movement and nutrition right now.
There are key pillars in our lives that require nurturing to achieve a long and vibrant life: nutrition, movement, and community. While these are straightforward concepts, they take consistent effort and dedication. Simple, not easy. One good meal and one great workout are building blocks to help you reach your overall goals but won't be enough (sadly) if you stop after one time. Just like a single conversation with a friend won't fill your connection bucket for the year. We have to prioritize a regular workout routine, be consistent about choosing quality foods and put the work in to stay connected with our friends and family - even with our busy daily schedules. Simple, not easy.
While we could argue that nutrition might be our number one factor for keeping us healthy, I'm not going to touch on nutrition in this conversation, except to say one thing: that modern food options offer convenience but sacrifice nutritional value and can lead to potential long-term health risks. The food choices we make today are making the decision for how we will live later. Choose foods that are closest to their original form as possible and if you don't know it's original form, it's probably not a great choice. Read labels and if you don't know what something is, you probably should skip it. Or ask about it, anytime I can get into a food-related conversation, I'm in!
Focus on moving
What comes to mind when someone mentions a person who is 100 years old or more? If you think of someone with round the clock care, assistive devices to help them get around and a conversation on a loop because their memory is questionable, you're not alone. I have plenty of clients, friends and family who say things like, "Nope, I'm good, I don't want to grow "old" why would I want to live a life but no longer really be living?" But what if it doesn't have to be that way? What if we can train now for the life we want to live when we're 90 and above?
I think we can. Number one: walk more. Get out and move. Then, ensure your workouts are well rounded by incorporating sessions like strength training, mobility and flexibility training and move fast every now and then - just in case you need to later on!
I could go on forever about exercise and nutrition but for today's purpose, let's just get started: we've come up with a little challenge. How well can you perform these four simple, but not easy, movements that give you a hint about your overall strength, mobility, flexibility and balance? No joke, the Vos crew incorporates these movements into our daily life and our workout routines and it's been a great indicator of what kinds of things we need to work on.
For a serious deep dive (that's totally worth it!) check out Dr. Peter Attia's book Outlive, where he discusses the need for "a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we take action now, rather than waiting."
If you haven't checked out "Live to 100" about the Blue Zones on Netflix? definitely add it to your watch list! It's incredible to see what "age" looks like in different parts of the world.
The bottom line, we are in control of how we feel and move. An ache will likely turn into a pain and then an injury if you ignore it. Poor food choices over and over for months and years will become unwanted weight and will deteriorate metabolic health. Combine those two things and we have a recipe for feeling 'old' way before our time. We can control these things right now by creating a habit of moving more, eating tasty, good quality food and by spending a little more time connecting with our community.