Longevity: Lifespan, Healthspan & aging

Let’s start with a few key pieces of information:

• Maximum human lifespan is not a fixed number

• Healthspan is the duration lived free of the diseases of old age

• We all age at different rates, according to our lifestyle, environment and genetics

When I use the term longevity, I am referring to all three of the following concepts at once:

1. Extending one’s maximum lifespan.

2. Expanding the healthspan within that life (the percentage of it free of disease).

3. Slowing or even reversing the ageing process itself.

Rapidly Emerging Longevity Technologies

Over the past ten years, annual investment figures in longevity boosting technologies have grown from pretty much zero to hundreds of millions of dollars per year. I predict that number will exceed $1B per annum by 2020, and quickly grow to tens of billions by the middle of next decade.

Why does that matter? Because it will mark an important turning point, where humans began to use technology to change the limits to longevity that biology has imposed upon us.

Money is now flowing into technologies that will remove senecesent cells with new pharmaceuticals, regrow cartilage through stem cells, preserve muscle mass through genetic therapy and much, much more. This heavy stream of investment into proven rejuvenation techniques marks the beginning of halting or even reversing the things that make us get ‘old’.

This transition will prove to be nothing short of miraculous, exciting and maybe perhaps even a bit ‘scary’ as we encounter the uncertainty the coming step-change in human longevity will bring.

Human longevity reaches a Turning Point

The point I want to make here is this - I believe it is clear that humanity is at a turning point with respect to our longevity and the resulting changes over the next few decades will be so profound, that they will transform our economy, relationships, careers and more. However, navigating the ever-faster pace of such changes and figuring out what or how we might implement them in our own life will be very challenging.

This is where I hope to help with the resources on this webpage.

Navigating the change: Longevity Blog

I’ve spent thousands of hours researching longevity technologies, including the fundamentals of the ageing process itself, and am continuously refining and adapting what I’ve learned to my own life. Some of these longevity technologies will arrive in the near future, others in the coming decade, and others are actionable right now.

Among the actionable tips and tricks are sage advice we’ve heard time & time again, while others are less well known (such as resources for protecting your health while you wait for the next-generation of longevity technologies to arrive).

But sorting through all of the changes in longevity technologies not only involves learning a whole new vocabulary (e.g. what did I mean by ‘senescent cell’ earlier?), it also takes time, money and perhaps a bit of courage and initiative to make it all happen. So I’d like to volunteer myself to you as a bit of ‘Guinea Pig’, who is biohacking his way to a long and healthy life.

Not Just Another Blog: A Biohacker’s Adventure

Through the A Longer Life, we’ll go on a bit of an adventure. A biohacker’s adventure to be precise. If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘biohacker’, you’re not alone, and perhaps you could kick off your time engaging with the A Longer Life on my post discussing a definition of ‘biohacker’. In short - I define it as a processes of being proactive in one’s health journey by (safely) using one’s own mind and body as a source of continual experimentation, whose ultimate goal is to optimise wellness.

I have always enjoyed the process of treating my life as a continual optimisation experiment, and through the Longevity Blog I will share select parts of that process with you. I’ll continue to dive deeply into longevity technologies and research, pursue new experiences with those technologies, expand my longevity toolkit over time, and share with you what I learn to support you in generating your own longevity strategy.

Sounds Exciting! What Should I Do Next?

If I’ve managed to catch your interest, then your next action is clear. Subscribe to my A Longer Life, and I’ll keep you up to date on all of my latest adventures in all things “Longevity” (maximising lifespan, extending healthspan, and slowing ageing).

You should also check out the Resources page for more Longevity related content and materials you might enjoy. I’d also like to hear from you, so feel free to reach out on Twitter or Instagram.

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