What is longevity?
I recently got the question: “What actually is longevity?”
So I thought I’d write a newsletter about it.
When we talk about longevity, we’re talking about two things:
Lifespan and healthspan.
Lifespan is the number of years you live. If you live to 90, your lifespan is 90.
Healthspan is the number of those years you’re actually healthy. If you stay healthy until 80, your healthspan is 80.
Most of us want to be healthy.
But not everyone wants to live a long life - and to me, that’s no surprise.
Living to 90 doesn’t sound that exciting if the final decade is spent in pain, on medication or without energy.
And here’s where longevity comes in.
Longevity isn’t just about more years.
It’s about healthier years.
One activity I love is hiking. Here’s me at the top of Åreskutan, 1420 meters above sea level. This is one of those things I hope to be able to do for as long as possible. Maybe one day, I’ll hike like this with my grandkids. And who knows, maybe even my great-grandkids. What’s something you love that you want to be able to do for as long as possible?
During my last presentation on longevity, I asked this question:
“Who here wants to live to 70?”
Everyone raised their hand.
“80?” Still most.
“100?” Fewer.
“140?” Almost no one.
Then I asked: “But what if I told you I found your birth certificate and that you’re actually 140 years old right now - would you want to die this very second?”
People laughed surprised and shook their heads.
This shows that it’s not the number we fear.
What we really fear is losing ourselves - our health, our happiness, the people we love.
But if we still have all of that, most of us would probably want another day.
And another after that.
So maybe the question isn’t “How long do you want to live?”
Maybe the real question is: “Would you want to live one more day if you felt healthy, happy and full of energy and love?”
If the answer is yes, then longevity starts to make sense.
It’s about loving today - and wanting tomorrow too.
Sadly, most of us probably have someone close to us who lives with pain or disease.
At least I have.
And I think all of us would love to magically cure that person if we could.
Right now, there's so much research happening that some of the diseases we take for granted today might soon be treatable or even curable.
And to me, that's the essence of longevity.
What if we don’t have to be victims of disease and decline?
200 years ago, we thought certain things - like infections or childbirth complications - were just natural parts of life.
And now they’re not.
And no one would ever wish to bring them back.
So what if some of the things we see as “normal” today - like heart disease, cancer or Alzheimer’s - one day aren’t normal anymore?
That gives me hope.
There’s so much more I’m excited to share on this topic but for now, I’m curious:
What are your thoughts on longevity? Would you want more healthy years if it were possible?
Just hit reply to this email, I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you so much for being part of my newsletter!
/Vendela ❤️