When you think of a long life, you probably think of living to 90 or 100. But how much of that time is spent in a healthy state and how much is spent battling diseases? If you really want to worry about living a long and happy live, you should probably consider your healthspan equally or more than your lifespan.
Healthspan, according to the American Heart Association, is the number of years a person can live free of disease. There are many things that can potentially extend ones healthspan, ranging from healthy diets to plenty of exercise, and the video below explores how senior skiers are proving that an active lifestyle can keep you healthy and thriving for years to come.
As the video explains, studies have shown that just 15 minutes a day of exercise can add three years to your healthspan. That’s not that much, and consistent skiers tend to do a lot more in a single day (obviously they aren’t skiing every day, but still). Hiking, biking, resistance training, and everything else that skiers tend to do in the off-season are also beneficial to extending one’s healthspan.
The second subject the video covers is diet, discussing how research shows that people who eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains while limiting red and processed meats can see a massive extension to their healthspan and lifespan.
Of course, avoiding risky behaviors, both on and off the slopes, can be equally as important as having healthy habits. Skiing at your fitness and skill level and knowing when to call it a day on the slopes reduces the risk of injuries. Off the slopes, these risky behaviors include smoking, drinking, eating bad food, and being inactive.
Unfortunately none of these guarantee a longer healthspan, but they can certainly help.
