How To Extend Your ‘Peak Span’ Beyond Your 20s And 30s

You might have heard about people’s “healthspan,” or the part of their lives in which they’ve not been affected by disability or chronic illness.

But speaking to HuffPost UK, Dr Dominic Greenyer, a GP and director at The Health Suite, said that “peak span” is a new important way to measure a person’s quality of life.

Here’s what it means, and how the expert recommends improving it:

In broad terms, Dr Greenyer said, our peaks pan “refers to the time when our bodies are in or near to ‘peak’ condition.”

More specifically, “A peak span looks at physical, cognitive and metabolic performance and shifts the focus away from just being free of disease and more towards the period of time where we can reach our best – which researchers have determined to be at least 90% of peak function.

“It’s about striving for more than just being free of disease.”

The GP said that while it’s not necessarily more important than other metrics of wellbeing, a person’s “peak span” is becoming increasingly relevant as populations age.

“People worldwide are living longer, so it’s important we look at different ways of measuring how well we live.

“I wouldn’t say it’s any more important a measure than healthspan, but it’s interesting to look at rates of decline and put a focus on preserving and extending our potential,” he told us.

For most of us, research says our “peak span” is limited to our 20s and 30s.

“We usually stay just a few years at our peak,” Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, who helped to write a paper about “peak span,” said.

But it doesn’t always have to be that way, says Dr Greenyer.

“To extend peak span, it’s important to look at the foundations of health and wellness,” he said.

Per the GP, that includes:

1. Eating a healthy and varied diet,
2. Prioritising movement throughout the day,
3. Focusing on strength training, especially as we get older,
4. Reducing chronic stress, “as stress hormones can accelerate biological ageing”,
5. Getting enough sleep, which is a “key pillar of wellness and longevity”,
6. Maintaining close connections through “strong friendships as this drives purpose and can help to delay cognitive decline”.