What will you choose: healthspan or lifespan?

When we think about our lives, we often ponder how long we will live. But the question I wish more people asked is: “What will the quality of those years look like?”

This is the difference between lifespan – the number of years you’re alive – and healthspan – the number of years you get to live with energy, independence, and vitality.

What I want for you is not just a long life, but a healthful one.

You want to be able to bend down and tie your own shoelaces for years to come. To keep up with your grandchildren at the park. To remember the names, faces and stories that matter to you. To wake up with the energy to do the things you love, not just the things you have to do.

Australians are living longer than ever, with many of us reaching our 80s and beyond. But while lifespan has stretched, healthspan has not kept up.

On average, Australians will spend 12–16 years of their lives in poor health, often managing multiple chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, or dementia. That’s more than a decade of living with limitations. For me, that is not acceptable – not when so many of the factors that influence our healthspan are within our control.

Your daily choices are far more powerful than most people realise. Movement is one of the strongest predictors of healthy ageing. This doesn’t mean running marathons – it could be walking, stretching, swimming, or dancing in your kitchen. What matters is that you keep your body moving so your muscles stay strong, your balance steady, and your heart and brain well supplied with oxygen.

Food is another critical piece. Nutrients from whole, real foods don’t just give you energy – they also protect your brain, steady your mood, and reduce your risk of disease.

A groundbreaking study recently showed that brains affected by Alzheimer’s disease had significantly lower levels of protective nutrients like lutein (in leafy greens and eggs), zeaxanthin (in pumpkin, corn, and eggs), lycopene (in tomatoes), and vitamin E (in nuts and seeds). That’s just one example of how profoundly what you eat shapes how you age.

You want to still be able to cook your favourite meal, remember your neighbour’s name, and enjoy the taste of a fresh tomato in summer. These little joys depend on nourishing your body, not depriving it.

Resilience in ageing isn’t just physical – it’s emotional too. Research shows that isolation increases the risk of dementia and early death as much as smoking.

Staying connected – through friendships, volunteering, or community groups – is medicine in its own right.

And then there’s stress. Carrying guilt, pressure, or an overloaded nervous system into later years takes its toll. It’s essential that you have the tools to calm your stress hormones, to soften into rest when your body asks for it, and to know you don’t have to keep running on empty.

It helps to practise nervous-system resets: ten long, slow belly breaths, a short walk outside, or a moment of stillness with a cup of tea. These small pauses send powerful signals to your body that it’s safe to rest.

So rather than asking, “How long will I live?”, I encourage you to ask: “How well can I live, for as long as I’m here?”

Healthspan is about keeping your independence and your energy. It’s about making choices today that not only help you live well today but also help you stay vibrant tomorrow.

That might mean adding an extra serve of green vegetables to your plate, choosing water over another glass of wine, or calling a friend when you feel like a chat rather than not communicating.

What I want for you is not just a number of years – but years filled with presence, joy, and possibility. You deserve to live not just long, but well. And the choices you make today can help make that a reality.