With Caroline Lee Wilds, MD, Tryon Medical Partners
The question of how to live longer lives has always been a cornerstone of human ambition. From ancient alchemists searching for the elixir of life to modern scientists unraveling the mysteries of cellular aging, we are fascinated with extending the human lifespan. Today, as medical advancements and improved living conditions push average American life expectancy to new heights, researchers are delving deeper into the biological, environmental, and genetic factors that influence how long we live. This exploration not only promises to unlock the secrets of longevity but also raises important questions about the quality of those extended years, known as healthspan.
Tryon Medical Partners internal medicine specialist Dr. Wilds shares information on what healthspan is and how you can use this framework to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Whether you are 20, 40, or 70, our goal is to live a long and healthy life. The idea of “healthspan” is to not only increase the length of life but to improve the quality of those additional years, by decreasing the possibility of becoming frail or infirm. The three areas of healthspan focus are healthy body, healthy mind, and healthy mood.
Healthspan vs. Lifespan
Healthspan refers to the period of life during which a person remains generally healthy and free from serious or chronic diseases. It focuses on the quality of life and the ability to maintain good physical and cognitive function as one ages.
Lifespan, on the other hand, simply refers to the total length of time an organism lives, from birth to death, regardless of health status or quality of life during that time. We have typically thought in terms of lifespan, focusing on metrics such as average American life expectancy.
Dr. Wilds summarizes a quick rule of thumb: “The key distinction is that healthspan emphasizes living well, while lifespan only considers living long.”
How Can You Increase Your Healthspan?
The three key areas of healthspan focus are: body, mind, and mood. Dr. Wilds has several tips on how to improve healthspan in each of the areas:
Body.
Dr. Wilds recommends placing a strong emphasis on regular physical activity with a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week. Regular physical activity can:
- Lower blood glucose levels for up to 24 hours after a workout. Because of this, it’s best to break down workouts to smaller chunks several days per week, like 30 minutes five days per week to get the maximum benefit.
- Regulate hormones that contribute to the development of cancer and help the immune system stay healthy.
- Help to maintain a healthy weight. It’s ideal to mix in strength training with aerobic exercise specifically for weight management to maintain muscle mass and metabolism. Being overweight or obese is considered a factor in 14-20% of cancer deaths in the U.S.
- Improve cholesterol by increasing levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol) and moves LDL (“bad” cholesterol) into the liver where it can be removed.
- Strengthen the heart, improve blood vessel function, and improve the body’s ability to respond to stress. All of this helps to lower blood pressure.
“Consider different options and do a variety of exercises that are easy to build into your everyday life,” Dr. Wilds advises. “Do counter push-ups or planks while watching TV. Yardwork and vigorous household chores count. Go for a walk at lunch or try a yoga class or pickleball game. You have to enjoy what you are doing to make it a lifestyle change.”
Mind.
Dr. Wilds is quick to point out that a healthy body is nothing without a healthy mind. As we age, our risk for dementia increases. We cannot change our age or our genetic predisposition to developing dementia. But there are opportunities to lower risk, such as:
- Increasing cognitive reserve, or brain activity. Lifelong learning, like taking classes as an adult, learning a language with a free online app, doing sudoku puzzles or crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, or trying brain games online can help to keep the mind sharp.
- Socialize more. Social isolation over your lifetime can increase your risk for dementia, so consider how you can more frequently socialize with loved ones.
- Reconsider lifestyle factors. Smoking and heavy alcohol use can also increase your chance of developing dementia.
- Prevent chronic disease development. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight and/or physically unfit, and type 2 diabetes. Prevention of these disease processes is important in so many ways.
- Maintain healthy hearing. Hearing loss is also a risk factor for dementia. Hearing aids may not be an exciting concept but can be a real improvement in cognitive health.
Mood.
Emotional health is arguably one of the most important parts of quality of life, Dr. Wilds emphasizes. This can affect individuals at any age and significantly affect physical health, including symptoms of fatigue, digestive issues, insomnia, immune health, and concentration/memory.
To help with your mood, Dr. Wilds recommends:
- Regular exercise, which has been shown to significantly improve mental health.
- Treatment. If you do not have a healthy mood, discussing options for treatment, including therapy, supplements, and medication with your primary care clinician, is extremely important at all ages.
The role of preventative healthcare in promoting healthspan.
No matter what decade of life you are in, it’s never too late (or early!) to start thinking about your healthspan. Preventative medicine early in life is the key to avoidance of disease, so see your primary care clinician regularly, especially if you are young and healthy. If you have developed any medical conditions, work with your Tryon doctor to keep them under good control. If you are just starting out with an exercise routine, talk to your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough to do so, and start slowly to avoid injury.
“Physical activity and a positive attitude can be exponentially helpful in the treatment of chronic illness,” says Dr. Wilds. “But preventative healthcare will be the key to making sure you have many high quality years of life ahead.”
Don’t wait – get started on promoting your lifespan today by using MedChat or calling Tryon Medical Partners.
Tryon Medical Partners is an independent medical practice dedicated to maintaining trusted patient-doctor relationships, providing excellent and personalized care, and giving you the choices in healthcare that you deserve. With eight convenient locations throughout Charlotte, Tryon Medical Partners specializes in primary care as well as cardiology, dermatology, gynecology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, pulmonary, rheumatology and sleep medicine.
