Centenarian Decathlon
‘Exercise may be the most potent longevity intervention that we have.
It turns out that peak aerobic cardiorespiratory fitness, measured in terms of VO2 max, is perhaps the single most powerful marker for longevity (VO2 max represents the maximum rate at which a person can utilize oxygen).
There’s a strong association between cardiorespiratory fitness and longevity….and it might surprise you to learn that muscle may be almost as powerfully correlated with living longer.
The book Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity written by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford took the world by storm, and for good reason! One of the focuses in the book is the centenarian decathlon, a framework that Attia uses to organize his patients’ physical aspirations for the later decades of their lives, especially their Marginal Decade.
What is the centenarian decathlon? Here’s how it’s described in Outlive:
“Of all Olympic athletes, the decathletes are most revered. The male and female winners of the gold medal are declared the ‘World’s Greatest Athletes.’ Yet they are not the best at any of the ten individual events in which they compete; they likely would not even medal. But they are still considered the greatest because they are remarkably good at so many different events. They are true generalists—yet they train like specialists.
Each of us needs to be training for the Centenarian Decathlon. What in the world is the Centenarian Decathlon?
I’m not talking about an actual competition among hundred-year-olds, although similar events do already exist: the National Senior Games, held every other year, brings together remarkable older athletes, some of them in their nineties and beyond. The record for the hundred-meter dash for women ages one hundred and up is about forty-one seconds.
The Centenarian Decathlon is a framework I use to organize my patients’ physical aspirations for the later decades of their lives, especially their Marginal Decade. I know, it’s a somewhat morbid topic, thinking about our own physical decline. But not thinking about it won’t make it any less inevitable.
Think of the Centenarian Decathlon as the ten most important physical tasks you will want to be able to do for the rest of your life. Some of the items on the list resemble actual athletic events, while some are closer to activities of daily living, and still others might reflect your own personal interests. I find it useful because it helps us visualize, with great precision, exactly what kind of fitness we need to build and maintain as we get older. It creates a template for our training.
I start by presenting my patients with a long list of physical tasks that might include some of the following:
• Hike 1.5 miles on a hilly trail.
• Get up off the floor under your own power, using a maximum of one arm for support.
• Pick up a young child from the floor.
• Carry two five-pound bags of groceries for five blocks.
• Lift a twenty-pound suitcase into the overhead compartment of a plane.
• Balance on one leg for thirty seconds, eyes open. (Bonus points: eyes closed, fifteen seconds.)
• Have sex.
• Climb four flights of stairs in three minutes.
• Open a jar.
• Do thirty consecutive jump-rope skips.“
• Pick up a young child from the floor.
• Carry two five-pound bags of groceries for five blocks.
• Lift a twenty-pound suitcase into the overhead compartment of a plane.
• Balance on one leg for thirty seconds, eyes open. (Bonus points: eyes closed, fifteen seconds.)
• Have sex.
• Climb four flights of stairs in three minutes.
• Open a jar.
• Do thirty consecutive jump-rope skips.“
Podcast Episode with Bill Gifford
Watch by clicking play below. To listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify, click the blue buttons below.
In our never-ending quest for the fountain of youth, people will try all sorts of gimmicks and products that promise eternal vitality and radiance.
However, true longevity isn’t about chasing fads – it’s about understanding the science of how our bodies age and making lifestyle choices that promote healthspan as well as lifespan. My guest on today’s NEW podcast episode is Bill Gifford, an author who has dedicated years to researching this fascinating topic.
I first interviewed Bill 7 years ago when he wrote his New York Times best-selling book Spring Chicken: Live Forever or Die Trying.. At that point, he told me a story about how when he turned 40, he was given a cake. On it were the words “Rest in Peace My Youth.” And, that prompted him to go on a quest to find a way to slow down, or even reverse the aging process.
Now, Bill has teamed up with Dr. Peter Attia to author the runaway hit called ‘Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity’ – a manifesto that has sold over a million copies by redefining how we approach healthcare and pursue wellness over merely treating diseases.”
One of the book’s central theses is that “The way we approach healthcare must undergo a fundamental shift from Medicine 2.0 to what they’re calling Medicine 3.0. Medicine 2.0 is about diagnosing and treating illnesses, while Medicine 3.0 is about preventing disease and promoting wellness, ultimately extending not only lifespan, but also healthspan.
Here are a few terms that you’re going to hear today… “centenarian decathlon”, “marginal decade”, and becoming an “athlete of life.” Get ready to take some notes, because today’s conversation will be a roadmap for taking charge of your longevity.
