Wellness And The Modern Day Search for The Fountain of Youth

Joyspan should replace Healthspan as we Age

I’ve been reflecting a lot about the terms longevity and healthspan. It’s becoming quite in vogue to speak about maximizing longevity and healthspan. These are terms I use frequently with my patients and when I travel across the country giving talks to business organizations.

Because of these terms, there is an appropriate shift in how we think about long term health. Not what you do for the next five years but what you need to do over the next 20-30 years to stay healthy and live with vitality as we age. Because of this, there is a whole industry that has been created around supplements, cold plunges, longevity infusion centers, even shamans that have the secret to unlock your optimal long term health.

In many ways, it is the modern day version of the search for the fountain of youth. 

Meanwhile, I read an article recently (from the NY Times) that spoke of 'joyspan,' and put into words what I have been internally struggling with recently. Perhaps it has been my turning 60 or my recent shoulder surgery and the limitations we will all face as we age. The old adage to ‘age gracefully’ keeps bouncing around in my head.

Joyspan is a term coined by Dr Kerry Burnight, who was a professor of geriatric medicine and gerontology at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine for 18 years and recently wrote a soon to be released book: “Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half”.

The issue isn’t living the longest or, as Dr Peter Attia posits, to prepare yourself for the centenarian decathlon by maximizing VO2 and grip strength (although these are worthy endeavors) but to actually enjoy the life you have as we experience the inevitable physical decline of old age. 

In Dr Burnbright’s opinion, our focus should be in four areas:

1. Grow: pursue curiosity and a willingness to learn

2. Adapt: to the changing challenges we WILL encounter as we age 

3. Give: shift from how can you help me to how can I help you mindset

4. Connect: continue to build social connections and put yourself ‘out there’

To me this seems like a much more holistic approach to the issues of aging and life. While we should all focus on what I call the ‘Four Pillars’ of nutrition, movement, sleep and mental resiliency, in many ways these are simply tactical things to do.

To be fair, I do stress the importance of your ‘tribe’ as well as a spiritual practice to understand your why as part of mental resiliency. I do, however, appreciate the framing Dr Burnbright uses to think about the second half of our life.

In my conversations with my patients, and on self-reflection, the most emotionally charged and meaningful discussions occur when we discuss life goals, meaning, purpose, and relationships to your tribe (both family and friends). How should we approach transitioning from your current full time job? What happens as we become empty nesters? How do you deal with recovery from cancer as you look at the next 20 years? The mindset to address these and similar questions are really the crux of aging successfully. 

There will always be those chasing (and selling) the next Fountain of Youth.

There are no shortage of advertisements and websites offering you hormone treatment to make you feel (and look!) 20 years younger. Take these anti-oxidants and mitochondrial boosters to turn back the aging clock. Follow these blood markers every six months to ensure you are able to manage and manipulate those critical lab values to maximize longevity. Buy this $1,000 cold plunge to decrease inflammation and increase vagal tone. In isolation, all of these are legitimate to evaluate as part of an overall longevity plan. But is that where we should be focusing the majority of our efforts?

In focusing on the individual tactics we lose the whole point of doing this: to enjoy the life you’re living regardless of limitations.

My Mom provides a good example for me to follow. My Dad, her husband of over 50 years, passed away seven years ago. She recently sold our childhood home to move into an apartment. She has her own health challenges. She also recently celebrated her 85th birthday. One of her favorite things to do is go out with her friends, sit at the bar to have a cocktail and appetizer, and strike up a conversation with the stranger sitting next to her. Can she do a pull-up? Nope. Can she walk a mile? Nope.

Is she enjoying and living the life she has with all its limitations? Yes (with some caveats).

My mom's 85th birthday, with grandkids and kids

While we all want to live to 90 and die in our sleep, that is usually not the reality. All of us will experience some physical and mental challenges as we age. Should we try and do things that will minimize the risk of these challenges? Absolutely.

We should also be putting more effort into accepting these will eventually come and enjoying the life we have instead of continually chasing the fountain of youth. Prepare for vitality combined with gracefulness as challenges occur seems like the perfect combination to approach that second half of our life.