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Just like any other industry, the health and wellbeing industry has its trends, and right now longevity is the buzzword.
Leaders are obsessing over their biological age, tracking their HRV scores and discussing sleep optimisation as much as their company numbers.
Data is a critical tool in ensuring executives and entrepreneurs not only lead better but also live better. However, we strongly believe the longevity conversation needs a reframe.
In essence, we think longevity shouldn’t be a goal per se, it should be the inevitable byproduct of doing the right things in the present.
Just as importantly, adding years to your life means nothing if you haven’t added life to your years – the quest to live longer is a hollow one without a sense of purpose and meaning.
Fundamentals over fads
The lure of quick fixes is seductive for time-poor leaders, but the reality is that nothing beats the fundamentals.
How you sleep, eat and move will have a massive impact on your performance and wellbeing. Nail the basics consistently and you’ll not only be adding years to your life, you’ll be showing up better in the present – more energy, greater focus and feeling on your A-game.
Technology can help, but far too frequently leaders get fixated with the lure of cutting-edge tech and try to build on a foundation that hasn’t been properly constructed.
Data relating to factors such as sleep quality, heart rate variability, Vo2 max and grip strength can be hugely insightful in terms of determining healthspan and longevity, and the simple fact is that these can be positively influenced simply by doing the basics right on a consistent basis:
- Sleeping seven-eight hours nightly with sufficient deep and REM sleep, which is where the glymphatic system clears metabolic waste and tau proteins from the brain, critical for preventing cognitive decline
- Eating a balanced, whole foods diet rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
- Exercising with both strength and cardiovascular training, as each triggers different neuroprotective pathways
What is frequently overlooked in the longevity conversation is the profound impact these fundamentals have on cognitive performance. For leaders operating in high-pressure environments, your brain is your primary asset (think of it as the CEO of the body!), yet to date it’s often the most neglected.
Consider what happens when you prioritise the fundamentals:
- Quality sleep enhances your memory and decision-making.
- Regular movement increases a protein called BDNF, which acts like fertiliser for your brain, it promotes the growth of new neurons (neurogenesis), strengthens existing neural connections, and protects brain cells from damage.to the brain.
- Proper nutrition provides the building blocks for neurotransmitter production, directly affecting your mood, focus and energy.
- Crucially these aren’t separate benefits. Better cognitive performance in the present naturally extends your healthspan because you’re maintaining the very organ that regulates and synchronises with every other system in your body. You’re not choosing between performing now and living longer – they’re the same investment.
Another hugely overlooked factor in determining longevity is social connection. The adage that ‘it’s lonely at the top’ isn’t just metaphorical, there are now a wide range of studies proving that loneliness literally kills.
Our provocation is that if longevity is your goal, taking active steps to build those connections outside of the workplace will constitute a far better return on your investment than jumping on board the latest trend. And as with all our recommendations, they have significant mental and physical benefits in the present as well.
So the great news is that all the evidence for significantly improving your healthspan and longevity is out there and you don’t need to be spending tens of thousands of dollars in that quest.
What’s the point?
But here’s where the conversation needs to shift fundamentally: what’s the point of living to 100 if those years lack meaning?
You may think of this as a philosophical question, but the evidence tells us that if you have a sense of purpose in your life you will literally live longer.
Research from Rush University Medical Center found people with a strong sense of purpose had a 44 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Another study published in JAMA Psychiatry showed that individuals with greater purpose in life had significantly lower mortality rates, even after controlling for other factors.
The bottom line is that it’s become increasingly clear that our sense of purpose literally affects our biology.
Yet the modern longevity movement rarely addresses this. We’ve become obsessed with the mechanics of extending life while ignoring what makes life worth extending.
As philosopher Viktor Frankl observed after surviving the concentration camps: “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.”
For leaders, this distinction is crucial. You’re already carrying the weight of decisions that affect others. You’re already operating under pressure. If longevity is just about adding more years of that same grind, why bother?
We advocate flipping the equation: clarify your purpose first, then optimise your health to give you more time to pursue it. Longevity becomes the vehicle, not the destination.
Your roadmap to living better (and longer)
So what does our version of a longevity roadmap look like in practice?
Firstly, switch off the auto-pilot and reflect on your relationship with purpose. Not the LinkedIn version where every leader claims to be making an ‘impact’, but the honest question: if you’re looking back in years to come what do you want your story to be? What do you have to do to close that gap?
If you’re struggling to capture this, one of the tools we use with our clients may help, which is the Odyssey Plan from Stanford’s Life Design Lab. It asks you to map out three different five-year scenarios: your current path, an alternative if that path disappeared, and a ‘wild card’ version if money and status weren’t factors.
The exercise isn’t about choosing one path – it’s about recognising you have agency, that your identity isn’t locked into a single narrow definition, and that there are multiple ways to create a meaningful life. The plan reflects what we can’t stress enough – that life is about the journey, not the destination.
Simultaneously, it’s about making those foundational changes that allow you to show up in the present as the best version of yourself.
The irony is that by letting go of longevity as a goal, you’re more likely to achieve it. By focusing on living well now, you’re essentially making deposits in a longevity account without obsessing over the balance.
Because here’s what the research ultimately shows: the people who live longest aren’t the ones frantically optimising every biomarker. They’re the ones who’ve found something worth living for, who maintain deep connections with others, who move their bodies naturally throughout the day, who sleep well because they’re at peace with their choices.
They’re not trying to live longer. They’re just living better and leading better.
Jason Leavy is the founder and chief executive coach, and Samira Cutts, PhD, is a cognitive neuroscientist and chief performance coach, at Prime Performance Labs.
Read: Wellness isn’t what it used to be – and that’s a good thing. Here’s why
