At our Gutwell Medical, we are deeply passionate about preventative care and longevity. Longevity is not only about living a long life. It is about healthspan, the number of years you are able to live with vitality, independence, and joy. When patients think about getting older, they generally want the same things. They want to feel well enough to enjoy their days, travel, spend time with the people they love, move comfortably, and maintain their independence. What we sometimes forget is how much the decisions we make today are shaping the body we will inhabit decades from now.

Healthspan vs. Lifespan

Lifespan is the number of years you live.
Healthspan is the number of years you live well.

We believe healthspan is the true goal. It is the quality of your daily life. Can you pick up your children or grandchildren? Can you travel without pain? Can you get up off the floor? Can you carry your own groceries? These abilities determine how fully you get to participate in your life, which is why we emphasize proactive, whole body preventive care long before the later decades arrive.

Aging, Muscle Loss, and Why It Matters

One of the most predictable changes in the human body is age related muscle loss. If someone does nothing to counteract it, the average adult loses about 10 percent of their muscle mass per decade after age 50. That affects balance, mobility, independence, metabolic health, and recovery from illness or injury.

Here is the good news. Skeletal muscle is the one organ system you have tremendous control over.

We recently listened to a presentation by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at a longevity conference, where she emphasized something incredibly empowering. She said, “Skeletal muscle is the organ of longevity.” It supports glucose regulation, inflammation control, metabolic health, immunity, and physical stability. And unlike many organs, muscle responds beautifully to focused training, even late in life.

In other words, you have the ability to build and protect one of the most important determinants of how well you age.

What Is Longevity Medicine?

Longevity medicine focuses on extending not just lifespan but the number of years you remain strong, mobile, sharp, and independent. It includes:

Preventative screening
Early detection of metabolic issues
Strength training
Nutrition that supports muscle and mitochondrial health
Stress and sleep optimization
Targeted lifestyle strategies based on your goals

This approach is proactive rather than reactive. It asks, How can we create the conditions today that allow the future you to thrive?

Enter the Centenarian Decathlon

Dr. Peter Attia is a physician, longevity expert, and author known for his evidence-based focus on extending and improving healthspan through strength, metabolic health, and proactive lifestyle strategies. In his book, Outlive, Dr. Attia outlines a concept called the Centenarian Decathlon, which invites you to create a personal list of physical tasks you want to be able to do when you are 80, 90, or even 100. The list is more meaningful when it connects to things you love. Instead of saying, “I want to be strong,” say:

I want to pick up my grandchildren.
I want to travel to Europe and climb stairs with my luggage.
I want to put my suitcase into the overhead bin by myself.
I want to hike on vacation to see beautiful places.
I want to get up and down from the floor with ease.
I want to carry heavy grocery bags into the house.
I want to cook meals for the people I love.
I want to snowshoe, garden, or play tennis without fear of falling.

Your list should reflect your life and your values, not arbitrary fitness numbers.

Examples from Peter Attia, MD:

Hike 1.5 miles on a hilly trail
Get up off the floor using a maximum of one arm for support
Pick up a 30-pound child from the floor
Carry two five-pound bags of groceries for five blocks
Lift a 20-pound suitcase into the overhead compartment of a plane
Balance on one leg for 30 seconds with eyes open (Bonus: eyes closed for 15 seconds)
Climb four flights of stairs in three minutes
Open a jar
Do thirty consecutive jump-rope skips

These are not gym goals. They are life goals.

How to Create Your Own Centenarian Decathlon List

Take a few minutes and brainstorm. Think about:

Adventures you want to have
People you want to be active with
Daily tasks you want to do independently
Hobbies you never want to give up
The lifestyle you want your future self to enjoy

Examples include:

Lift my grandchild safely and comfortably
Put luggage into an overhead bin
Hike five miles on uneven terrain
Snowshoe two miles
Walk up a long hill without stopping
Kneel on the floor to garden and get back up without help
Carry all of my groceries inside
Load and unload a suitcase from the car
Get down on the floor to play with pets or children

Make it personal. Make it meaningful. This is your life vision.

Translating the List Into Training Today

Once you know what you want to do at 80 or 90, the question becomes: What do you need to be capable of today to make that possible?

Because muscle loss is expected with age, you need reserve capacity.
For example:
If your goal is to lift a 20 pound suitcase in your 90s, and you are currently in your 60s, you cannot train to lift only 20 pounds. You might need the capacity to lift 35 to 40 pounds today so that natural age related decline still leaves you strong enough to meet your future goal.

Attia explains that you should train for the version of yourself that is decades older. Build extra strength, endurance, stability, and muscle now so you can coast gently into later decades with resilience.

A Hopeful Closing Thought

We love this idea because it helps you connect today’s training to the life you truly want. You are not working for numbers on a gym chart. You are training for memories, freedom, independence, and joy.

Try writing your Centenarian Decathlon list this week. Share it with us if you would like guidance on how to turn your vision into a personalized plan.

Your future self will thank you.

Reference:

Attia, Peter, and Bill Gifford. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. Harmony Books, 2023.

The Centenarian Decathlon: Why Your Future Health Starts Today