Longevity

What’s your mountain to climb?

In 2024, I answered the call to improve my health-span. I plan on being an older parent and I have an older partner. As a 20 year old, I never thought this would be my life’s path. Adapting to those plans involves maximizing our health-span, the length of time without disease. This isn’t just for us, health span can allow anyone to not only increase the time they have with their kids and grandkids, but also improve the quality of that time. Imagine life without the ability to move around in the way you do right now, without the ability to take a breathe effortlessly without the use of oxygen supplementation? Being able to travel like you want! If you can make small changes now, it will pay dividends in how you experience life in the future.

Here are a few topics to consider investigating:

Nutrition. Have you struggled to lose weight? Me too. Consider buying a food scale. Weighing what we eat, gives us a keen look into caloric intake. Most of us, including me, are terrible at estimating portions and calories. Start with moderating your calories. Next step, consider how many of those calories come from fat, protein, carbohydrates and micronutrients. Learn how these categories play into your overall health and specifically how they impact you. We are all different and what works for one likely will not work for all. Be your experiment of one.

Movement. The highest risk factor for metabolic and cardiovascular disease is a sedentary lifestyle. Movement can come in many forms: dancing, walking, gardening, or playing with your kids. What moves you? Time spent moving matters. Our phones track our steps. Consider buying a wearable (watch, chest strap) that monitors your heart rate and aim for 10 minutes per day at 120bpm. Once this is easy to do, learn how to maximize your cardiovascular health, focusing on flexibility, muscle mass, and stability. For a closer look at stability, Google ‘toe spreaders Peter Attia’.

Sleep. Our body utilizes sleep to learn and heal. 7-9 hours is what most people need each night to optimize our sleep. Stimulants like caffeine can get us through in a pinch, but inevitably lack of sleep manifests as physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. If you have trouble sleeping, consider meditating, increasing exercise and avoiding caffeine after 12noon. Those same wearables that track your movement can often track your non-movement, AKA sleep.

Mental Health. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness means regulating our emotional energy throughout the day. Learn to control your emotional focus and unlock a cognitive superpower called ‘compartmentalization’. Choose when and where to experience sticky emotions and empower yourself to set intentional focus. Evidence suggests this focus can decrease our risk of cognitive diseases later in life. Emotional dysregulation has similar inflammatory markers as chronic inflammation. If your emotions go unchecked, they can lead to depression and social isolation. Twenty years ago, talking about mindfulness may have made you appear strange. Today, the stigma on mental health and well-being has lifted, allowing society to live their best life.

I am on a journey to live my best life with my partner, family and friends. I hope sharing mine, inspires you to create your own!

Stephanie R. Ganter, DDS, MS

Dr. Ganter is a graduate of the Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Co-host Between Two Teeth.

Disclaimer:

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your healthcare provider prior to starting on your own health journey.