A Promise That Sounds Too Good to Be True
As we age, we worry more about our long-term health.
We know that we’re more susceptible to health issues, and we’re afraid of losing our independence and our mobility.
The Longevity Movement promises to keep us young and healthy forever—or at least longer. But how much of it is science—and how much is marketing?
Are there steps we can take to increase our chances of living long and healthy lives?
Join me as I answer your questions.
Longevity for Sale
The Longevity Movement has become a booming business.
It’s characterized by heavy marketing, glossy photos of ultra-healthy people, celebrity endorsements, and bold claims.
There are online newsletters, magazines, and blogs. Many of the articles are three-step solutions to whatever health span problem you’re worried about.
“Take these three steps to reduce your risk of cancer” or “Eat these four foods to extend your life.”
Much of the advice is based on dubious, “one-study-found” type of evidence, which is insufficient.
Vendors offer retreats and both online and in-person courses.
One four-day course at a luxury longevity retreat center in New Mexico offers a four-day “science-driven program” that promises to “extend your healthspan—adding decades of vitality, strength, and good health.”
The cost? $20,000 a person.
Along with retreats and courses, you can purchase special longevity nutritional drinks, bars, vitamins, and supplements online.
Longevity is for sale.
The deeper I look, the more I realize that much of what’s being sold isn’t science—it’s hope in a bottle.
The False Promise of Forever Health
The hyped-up promises of the longevity movement can lead to unrealistic expectations and false hope.
The fact is, you could do everything you read and still contract a terminal disease or sickness and die younger.
Dr. Susanna Sullivan, writing in The Age of Diagnosis, says,
“An expectation of constant good health, graceful ageing and an obedient body and mind has left people unprepared for those ordinary bodily declines that affect us all.”
I was participating in a small group breakout at a retirement coach’s conference a month ago. One of the participants stated that by following the advice in the longevity movement, you could definitely extend your health span and longevity. I responded that it may or may not be true, that health and longevity were based on probability, not certainty. He responded angrily that he planned to be healthy and active when he was 100.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t things that you can’t do to influence your health, but we also have to be realistic. As retirement experts Roberta Taylor and Dorian Mintzer wrote,
“And the truth is, no matter how often we exercise, how many body parts are repaired or replaced, how much we spend on special vitamins that promise longevity, how well we eat, or how much cosmetic surgery we have, we are still going to get old and eventually die.”
The Couple’s Retirement Puzzle
What We Can Do To Increase Our Life and Health Span
We can influence our health span and longevity as we age by the choices we make and the attitudes we have.
But there are no guarantees. We can increase the probability of a longer, healthier life, but there is nothing we can do that is 100% effective.
1. Food: The Most Powerful Longevity Tool
In our culture, obesity results in multiple health problems. Dr Michael Greger, a dietary expert, wrote in his book How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss ,
The adverse health consequences of obesity are an established scientific fact…Researchers found ‘convincing’ or ‘probable’ evidence linking obesity to twenty different disorders.”
Dr. Greger argues that the scientific evidence proves that obesity is primarily due to diet:
“The rise in the number of calories provided by the U.S. food supply since the 1970s is more than sufficient to explain the entire obesity epidemic…When it comes to obesity, the power of your genes is nothing compared to the power of your fork.”
Obesity puts tremendous pressure on our joints and leads to premature loss of mobility. It’s also been proven to be the cause of many other serious medical issues, including diabetes.
What you eat can help you feel better right now and increase your odds of avoiding disease. As Dr. Greger writes,
“There is convincing evidence that increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of…heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure…and probable evidence it helps protect…from cancer.” How Not to Diet.
But let’s move from theory to practice. Here’s what I’ve found in my own life.
My wife and I have been on a diet since last February, consisting primarily of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts.
My blood pressure has lowered to a point where I’ve halved my high blood pressure medication (that I’ve been on for 30 years) and hope to eliminate it. I have better digestive tract function (I won’t go into detail about that!). I’ve lost over 20 pounds, and I eat my fill while maintaining my weight.
Eating a healthy diet can significantly increase your chances of living longer and reduce your risk of serious illness.
Best of all, it’s something we can control.
And you don’t have to pay $20,000 for a four-day retreat in New Mexico to gain these benefits.
2. Movement: The Best Anti-Aging Medicine
Not getting exercise as we age can accelerate aging. As noted Gerontologist Dr. Louise Aronson wrote in Elderhood,
“Nothing hastens old age more than idleness.” (quoting André du Laurens)
When I was a child, I remember family members encouraging Grandma to stay seated in her chair while others did things for her. We thought we were being kind, but we were actually harming her by not allowing her to move.
Exercising regularly can help us to age well. Robert Greene, writing in The Laws of Human Nature, explains,
“Those who age well continue to engage in physical activity, only moderately adjusted. You have wellsprings of energy and health you have yet to tap into.”
Exercise can also have a positive effect on our mood and emotions:
“The body you move through life in needs a bit of daily maintenance… exercise releases hormones that make us feel happy.” — Héctor García & Francesc Miralles,
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
We need to exercise to maintain our balance as we age. For seniors, falls can result in broken hips, which lead to a downward spiral of medical issues that hasten death.
3. Attitude: The Mindset That Shapes How We Age
There is definitely a mind-body connection that we don’t really understand.
However, doctors recognize that attitudes can affect the body, even causing healthy individuals to become ill. Dr. Suzanne O’Sullivan wrote in her groundbreaking book, The Age of Diagnosis,
“Diagnostic labels have the power to create illness in the absence of disease because thoughts, ideas and emotions are enacted through the body.”
Geriatric physician Dr. Louise Aronsen wrote in Elderhood,
“Beliefs about aging are self-fulfilling prophesies… attitude, behaviors, relationships, and culture shape health and well-being.”
In the template I use in my journaling app, I have the following statement: “I intend to live a vigorous, purposeful, healthy life well into old age.” (I obtained this from the book The Seven Graces of Ageless Aging: How To Die Young as Late in Life as Possible , by Jason Elias)
It’s not a guarantee, but rather a daily reminder to myself of the importance of keeping a positive attitude about aging.
Think, Eat, Move, and Be Positive
Use critical thinking when evaluating the marketing promises of the Longevity Movement: Don’t be taken in by its marketing hype, and don’t accept poorly supported claims.
Do those things proven to increase the likelihood of a longer health span and lifespan:
- Eat properly
- Move our bodies
- Have a positive attitude toward life.
Keep in mind, there are no guarantees. All we’re doing is increasing our probabilities, not making promises.
The goal isn’t to live forever—it’s to live well while we’re here. Longevity without vitality or gratitude isn’t much of a gift.
AI Note: I wrote this blog post myself, using my own words and thoughts for the initial draft. I used AI only to suggest headlines, section headings, images, and text improvements.
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