Longevity, what is it and why should I care?

Longevity is not about living forever, it’s about living well for as long as possible.

And that applies to everyone, young or old.

It’s about still being able to do all the things that make life worth living at any age, but particularly the word is associated with those who are at the more mature end of the spectrum.

Because lets face it, unless you have a disability most people in their twenties, thirties and forties have no problem getting out of chairs or carrying a load (be that shopping, television, bag of sand or simply a rock – whatever floats your boat). But ask someone in their seventies and eighties to do it and the prospect can be daunting, if not impossible. And as for those in their fifties and sixties, the prospect is seen as problematic and requires careful consideration.

But it should not be the case.

The practice of Longevity means we should prepare for our older years. That we do not become so infirm that we cannot get out of a chair unaided, let alone the other stuff, until we’re so close to the end of life.

So, like everything in life, older age needs to be planned for and Longevity is a word that sums up what is required – that to be strong enough to carry a heavy bag of shopping from the car in your seventies you must be able to carry four times that in your thirties.

To be able to walk up a hill for a scenic view in your eighties you must be able to walk up a mountain in your twenties with your backpack laden with rocks.

And so on, you get my gist.

But not many of us plan for our old age this way. We’re not taught anything about growing old; certainly I wasn’t. But most of us are acutely aware of it, by inference and observing those who have gone before; namely our grandparents and parents. You could say it’s the last lesson they have to teach us before they pass – the art of growing old.

In my view you can either do it with gusto or you can wither away wishing you could do more. I personally have chosen the “gusto” method.

Because to age well you need to prepare, the same way to have enough money when you  retire you must put money into a pension. And both benefit from you starting as soon as possible.

Imagine if you were given a new car when you passed your driving test, aged eighteen. The paintwork gleams, it’s fuel efficient and is all clean inside and out and there’s no dents, scratches or issues of any kind? But there’s a catch, this can be the only car you’ll ever own for the rest of your life.

In that scenario wouldn’t you want to make sure your car isn’t damaged, that you put the right fuel in it, that you follow the handbook and get regular checkups to keep it running and you do as the Service Mechanic suggests. Yes you would.

Now swap out the car for you, your body.

Your heart, lungs, skin, brain, skeleton and all the rest that make you, you.

No doubt like me you were told how to look after it. And when you were ill or had damage either a parent or doctor stepped in to help. But also, I suspect, like me, bad habits have crept in.

Until you’re no longer sure how long your body will last…

So where does that leave us?

It depends on your age. For although this website of predominantly aimed at the older mature generation the young can also benefit – because as with saving for a pension the earlier you start looking after your body and mind the better prepared you are for your older years.

But for a moment lets assume, like me, you’re starting from a mature position of sixty, maybe  fifties, or older. I firmly believe even no matter what age, and to me sixty is no longer old, you can still do a lot to help yourself and turn the tide of time and improve your position.

The more you do now, right now, starting this year, this month, week – in fact now - the better.

And if you think it’s too late, I would say that’s rubbish. Many people go on to perform incredible feats in their later years – YOU JUST HAVE TO WANT TO DO IT!

As I write this, at the start of 2026, I am sixty-one years old. I go to the gym five times a week, attending two HIIT classes, run at least 5-kilometres and do weight-training. Last year I took up running – completing a Half Marathon and the infamous 10K Leeds Abbey Dash.

None of these things are easy, but I’ve come to realise that “easy” doesn’t cut it. Easy will have you struggling in your eighties to get out of your armchair or being unable to get up off the toilet without help and wishing you’d done something about it twenty years previously.

Well, for me it is twenty years previously and I do intend to do something about it. And furthermore I’m willing to document and share my journey so others can benefit.

So join me on my journey. But don’t do it for me, do it so your future self says “thank you”.

Now is the time to take control of your own health.

Most of the time, unless you have a medical condition, most of us only interact with the medical profession when we’re ill or suffer an accident.

Not that that’s a bad thing, but it leaves a lot of time when no one is monitoring your health.

It seems to me that as a child you see the doctor with regard your progress through various ailments, vaccines and so on. Then if you have the good fortune not to need too much attention, or female, the next time you get regular appointments is when you hit sixty and get an annual Health Check-up – an MOT for your body, if you will.

But unfortunately that leaves about fifty years of life when you’re not really been monitored at all. And if you’re a bloke who denies the need to go see a doctor even when you should, that’s a long time without feedback.

And a lot can go wrong in those years. For a start they are often the most stressful; be that family, work or bereavement based.

And things do go wrong as bad habits creep in; such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol as well as vitamin and nutrient deficiency.

So, knowing doctors are busy and are primary concerned with fixing problems, what can you do about it?

Quite a lot in fact.

I know from my own experience of shockingly high blood pressure. That although I ate healthy and exercised that I was at risk of serious illnesses, including dementia.

So what to do?

Start your own health monitoring regime.

Because once you know a problem exists you can fix it.

And health monitoring need not be  costly, but it will require you to be honest with yourself, disciplined enough to do the measurement regularly and of course act on your findings.

Here are a few monitoring devices I use:

• A blood pressure monitor, ensuring I have a quiet calm 5-minutes to myself before I use it.
• A set of smart weighing scales. These pair to my iPhone so I can get various readings: weight, fat and muscle percentage, etc
• A grip-strength monitor, with a digital readout.
• Tailors-tape measure, for waist measurement.

The majority of the time I perform my health monitoring checks weekly. This is two fold:

1. I get a measurement I can track in a spreadsheet so I not only know the actual result but I can see the trend (hopefully for the better) over weeks and months.
2. I use it as a reminder to eat and drink healthily. For example, because I get weighed on a Monday morning I’m careful about what I eat at the weekend (when I do minimal exercise) and that stops me over-indulging and helps me keep my weight where I want it.

The monitoring is not invasive; maybe takes ten minutes a week.

Of course there are other facilities available: watches, rings and so on that track your sleep, heart performance and so on. I’m not against them as the technology is fantastic (as a runner I’d be lost without the feedback my Garmin watch gives me) but they are a serious financial outlay and I advocate you get into a monitoring routine first.

Because taking control of your own health is a lifestyle commitment. And more often than not going back to the basics could be all you need to kick-start the new you.

These include:

• Eating healthy; more self-prepared vegetables and fruit instead of highly processed foods
• Exercise; from brisk walking to an hour+ in the gym several days a week.
• Seven to eight hours of quality sleep a night
• Multiple social connections; don’t be a loner.
• Stress reduction.

Each of these are topics of interest in their own right and I hope to tackle them in due course.

But for now I’d say Take Control, be your own health champion!