Stacking the cards in your favor as you age: Maximizing health span and life span

Aging gracefully starts with a focus on health span and life span—the quality and quantity of your years. While life span measures the total years you live, health span is about maintaining vitality and independence throughout those years. The key is aligning these two through intentional choices, like prioritizing strength training, proper nutrition, and daily movement. By doing so, you can ensure that the later years of your life are as fulfilling and active as possible.

Life span vs. health span: what’s the difference?

Life span refers to the total years of life, while health span measures how many of those years are spent in good health. While modern medicine can extend life, it doesn’t always ensure those extra years are spent in good health. This is where the distinction between a long life span and a shorter health span becomes important.

A long medically supported life span, combined with a short health span, can result in spending years battling chronic conditions, loss of mobility, and dependence on others for care. While a longer life is often desirable, the goal should be to live as many of those years as possible in good health and independence.

Physical activity: strength, power, and VO2 max

To increase your health span, one of the most controllable factors is physical activity. The type of exercise you focus on becomes increasingly important as you age, particularly in maintaining strength, power, and cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max). CrossFit, which combines elements of weightlifting, high-intensity interval training, and functional movements, is an excellent way to address all three components and keep your body healthy for the long run.

Strength and muscle mass

As we age, maintaining muscle mass is critical for overall health. Muscle mass refers to the amount of muscle in the body, while strength is your ability to exert force. Increased muscle mass helps protect your joints, improves your metabolism, and allows you to continue performing daily tasks independently. Without sufficient strength, everyday activities such as climbing stairs, lifting groceries, or even standing up from a chair can become challenging.

To maintain or improve strength, focus on resistance training. This can include lifting weights, using resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges. The goal is to work all major muscle groups—legs, back, chest, arms, and core. Ideally, strength training should be performed at least two to three times per week, with progressively heavier weights to encourage muscle growth. In CrossFit, you’ll often work on strength in a structured, scalable way that fits your level of fitness, regardless of age.

Power and why it declines first 

Power refers to your ability to exert force quickly—think of jumping, sprinting, or even getting out of a chair rapidly. Unfortunately, power is one of the first physical abilities to decline with age. As power diminishes, your ability to react quickly (e.g., catching yourself if you trip) also fades, increasing the risk of falls and injuries.

To maintain power, incorporate **explosive movements** into your workout routine. This might include exercises like box jumps, kettlebell swings, or medicine ball throws. These movements require quick bursts of energy and help maintain fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are essential for power.

VO2 max and cardiovascular health 

VO2 max is a measure of your body’s ability to take in and use oxygen during exercise. A high VO2 max is associated with greater cardiovascular health, stamina, and endurance, which are all crucial for a long health span. Higher cardiovascular fitness reduces the risk of heart disease, helps maintain a healthy weight, and keeps you energetic and resilient.

To improve VO2 max, you’ll need to engage in regular aerobic exercise. Activities like running, cycling, swimming, and rowing are excellent for building cardiovascular fitness. High-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is often incorporated into CrossFit workouts, can also boost VO2 max by alternating short bursts of intense activity with periods of rest.

The unique challenge of aging for women: decreased estrogen and bone health

Aging presents specific challenges for women, particularly with the onset of menopause, when estrogen levels decline. Estrogen plays a crucial role in maintaining bone density. Without it, women become more susceptible to conditions like osteopenia (reduced bone mass) and osteoporosis (a more severe form of bone weakening).

Strength training for bone health

The good news is that strength training is not only important for muscle health but also for bone health. When muscles contract against bones during resistance training, it signals the body to fortify the bones, thereby maintaining or improving their density. Weight-bearing exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, and overhead presses are particularly effective for building bone strength.

Impact exercises for osteoporosis prevention

In addition to resistance training, activities that involve impact are highly beneficial for preventing osteoporosis. These include walking, jogging, jumping, and activities like tennis or pickleball. The impact from these exercises stimulates bone remodeling, which is key for maintaining bone density.

Women, in particular, should aim for a combination of resistance and weight-bearing exercises to counter the effects of declining estrogen and maintain bone health throughout the aging process.

Controllable factors for a longer health span

In addition to physical activity, there are several other factors that contribute to increasing your health span:

1. Nutrition 

A diet rich in whole foods—vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats—supports overall health. Aim to consume a variety of micronutrients that promote muscle growth, bone health, and reduce inflammation. Vitamin D and calcium, in particular, are crucial for bone density.

2. Sleep 

Adequate sleep is essential for recovery, cognitive function, and hormone regulation. Poor sleep is associated with a host of health problems, from impaired memory to a weakened immune system.

3. Stress management 

Chronic stress can accelerate aging and lead to many health issues, including cardiovascular problems and weakened immunity. Incorporate stress-reducing activities like meditation, yoga, or simply spending time in nature into your daily routine.

4. Social connections 

Maintaining strong social bonds is key to mental and emotional health. Isolation is a risk factor for cognitive decline and mental health disorders. Stay connected with friends, family, and communities that bring you joy.

5. Avoiding harmful habits 

Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle significantly shorten health span. By avoiding these habits, you can improve your chances of living a long and healthy life.

Conclusion: living well as you age

Aging is inevitable, but how you age is largely in your control. By focusing on maintaining strength, power, cardiovascular health, and bone density—whether through CrossFit or other structured exercise programs—you can significantly extend your health span. Combined with a nutritious diet, stress management, and positive social connections, you can stack the cards in your favor and live a vibrant, independent life well into your later years.

• Saara

About the coach:

Meet Saara, a master athlete and a multifaceted professional with an impressive array of qualifications. With a commitment to promoting sustainable fitness and health, Saara balances her role as a business owner, business mentor and mother of three, emphasizing the adaptable and enduring nature of CrossFit training that aligns with her life’s demands and aspirations.