Longevity is the new black

With the advent of new discoveries in medical biotechnology, finding cures for terminal diseases and better products to control cholesterol and obesity, it is looking like people will now live longer. There is also a slew of information on social media, YouTube and similar channels of podcasts and reels showing steps to a healthier life. There are interviews featuring learned authors of best sellers – all leading to longevity.

This has made healthy living the trend and has led to decrease in alcohol use and increase in enrollment for wellness clubs, popularity of new sports like pickleball where entry is easy. Getting into strength training and powerlifting where entry is easy but keeping it up is a challenge. I did not even know powerlifting was a sport, and it is. So is Olympic weightlifting. And then there is Hyrox and HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training.

But why do people want to live longer, you may ask? Many claim they want to see their grandchildren, a very self-serving thought but acceptable to be a most important incentive to live longer. Some want to be able to work beyond our legally-set retirement age which currently is (by social security standards) 60-65 years old. And a 65-year-old these days is able to still work because of better health conditions and willingness to still be active, say in a family business. I say only for family because other big companies and conglomerates do have a “retirement age” where people who hit the mark are retired and kicked up to the Board of Directors level. It may be part of company policy to keep the C-suite within the 60-65 years range. So the B-suite or Board level is soon populated by grey-haired seniors, which today is also being studied as unhealthy for a company’s sustainability, but that is a topic for another time – board diversity. They now want a mix of old, young and gender diverse and expertise from different fields in a board.

When you look at people in their 60s and 70s today, many want to still be active at work and earn not just a pension, but extra income from board directorships, a side business or a private corporation where seniors are still welcome. Or it could be that they founded the company and thus should not be forced to retire. After all, when you turn septuagenarian, you feel like you have so much experience to share, though the sad news is there is nowhere to practice. This is why there are studies now to maybe increase mandatory retirement age, or to have a re-employment opportunity for those who have officially retired as far as the Social Security System (SSS) is concerned. You can still get your pension but be allowed to work, maybe part time or in a consultant capacity.

Now, let’s check how people are living longer and what they do to ensure they are around much longer.

Availability of healthier food choices. People eat less salt, less sugar and choose healthier versions of what they used to binge on.

People enroll in fitness programs. I see more people do strength training in the gym, not to compete, but just to stay fit and prevent sarcopenia (bone loss).

There are dance classes, painting and piano sessions in senior hubs like The Sunshine Place.

People travel despite their advanced age, and this is why there are many seniors availing of airline discounts (PAL has a senior discount). And some hotels do extend senior discounts, too.

In many meetings, like our health committee in MAP, we talk about aging and the new ways to achieve longevity. In casual discussions with friends who are about to turn senior along with those who already have senior cards, sharing always will revolve around diet tips, calorie-counting and building muscle. Yes, building muscle at a later age is a good idea not just to combat sarcopenia, but to get ready for independence in your senior years. Caregivers are hard to come by and one would not want to burden children or grandchildren with ordinary everyday things like going to the grocery or the doctor.

A 50-something friend who lives alone in Las Vegas got the wake up call when he was fixing something under his kitchen sink. After bending down, he could not get up. That was his wake up signal to get into shape. He enrolled in a wellness program and has a health coach who he talks to weekly. He has reduced his alcohol intake and makes sure he gets enough sleep. This is 180 degrees from what I used to know of his habits. And companies now offer health coaches to keep their people physically and mentally well.

Why do we have to wait for such a wake up call? Someone else got alarmed upon getting the results of a bone density exam. She already had osteopenia and could still avoid making it worse by building muscle. Off to the gym she went to get into a strengthening program.

Some go for home care, where a physical therapist (PT) can come and visit to start you off on mobility exercises. I know of a 94-year-old who can lift 5-lb dumbbells and who looks forward to her twice a week PT sessions. I have many more stories of people who have awakened from their “sleep” and are now physically active because they want to live longer.

Longevity is indeed the new black. Even millennials are going back to weightlifting and are drinking less alcohol. The Gen Z are doing Hyrox, which is a very intense fitness challenge, now the hottest trend in wellness. The Gen Alpha are dancing, rock climbing and being active because of peer pressure. For seniors, it does not have to be peer pressure but simply wanting to stay healthy while on extended stay here on this Earth.

Why do you want to live longer? Well, you must be a happy person to want to stay just a bit longer than what has been planned for us. Find your purpose to stay longer and you surely will.