Where science meets everyday wellness—expert analysis and actionable guidance to help you age smarter and stronger.
The Healthspan Report
Recovery Is Where Healthspan Is Built
Most of us believe healthy aging comes from doing more—more steps, more workouts, more discipline. But strength, resilience, and longevity are built during recovery, not stress. Sleep, rest days, and proper nutrition aren’t optional extras—they’re essential tools for preserving muscle, brain health, and independence as we age.
Your Year-End Financial Reset: Start 2025 Strong With Updated Savings Limits and a Clear Plan
As the year wraps up, it’s the ideal moment to pause and take stock of your financial life — starting with an honest snapshot of your net worth. This simple number isn’t about judgment; it’s about clarity. It shows whether your financial decisions over the past year moved you closer to your values, or whether it’s time to course-correct.
This week’s Wealthspan post explores why your annual net worth statement is one of the most powerful tools for behavior change, how it reveals your true financial trajectory, and why end-of-year timing gives you the cleanest picture. We also review the updated 2026 retirement and HSA contribution limits — including the Roth-only catch-up rule for high earners — so you can adjust your savings strategy with confidence.
If you want to build financial wellbeing rooted in awareness, intention, and alignment with what matters most, this week’s guide is a perfect place to start.
Stress, Cortisol, and Aging: How Chronic Stress Accelerates Aging — and What You Can Do About It
Stress doesn’t just affect your mood — it shapes how your body ages. When cortisol rises and falls the way it’s supposed to, it protects you. But when stress becomes constant, cortisol becomes dysregulated, inflammation rises, and biological aging speeds up. This week, we break down the science in simple terms and share easy, realistic habits that help restore healthy stress rhythms and support your long-term healthspan.
Year-End Wealth Checkup: Why Your Annual Net Worth Statement Matters for Wealthspan
The end of the year is the perfect time for a financial reset. And the best place to start is with an annual net worth statement. By tracking your assets and debts each year, you gain clarity, strengthen financial habits, and ensure your money aligns with your values. This week’s post walks you through why net worth matters—and how a year-end financial checkup can set you up for success in the year ahead.
Metabolic Health & Healthy Aging: Why Improving Insulin Sensitivity Matters
Improving your metabolic health is one of the most powerful ways to extend your healthspan. Emerging research shows that better insulin sensitivity—through nutrition, movement, and evidence-based medications—can slow biological aging and reduce inflammation. In this week’s post, we break down the science in simple terms and share practical, achievable steps you can take today to support long-term vitality.
Cash Flow 101: Spend in Alignment With Your Values
Aligning your spending with your values is one of the most powerful steps you can take toward improving your wealthspan — the years of your life spent financially secure, independent, and purpose-driven. When you spend intentionally, your money starts working for you, not against you. This week’s post breaks down the evidence, psychology, and practical steps behind value-based spending so you can reduce financial stress and build a more meaningful financial life.
Metabolic Health & Healthy Aging: Why Blood Sugar Matters More Than You Think
Metabolic health plays a powerful role in how well—and how long—you age. From diet to movement to sleep, even small habits can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce biological aging markers. This week’s Healthspan post breaks down the science behind metabolic health and offers simple strategies you can use during the holiday season to support long-term well-being.
Wealthspan 101: Building Financial Health That Lasts a Lifetime
Just like healthy aging requires daily habits, long-term financial well-being depends on a few essential behaviors practiced consistently over time. Wealthspan 101 introduces the foundational steps—like spending intentionally, building safety nets, and investing early—that support financial security for life. This week’s post lays the groundwork for all future financial wellness topics in this series.
Building Strength for Longevity: Muscle, Aging, and the Truth About Hormones
As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass and strength—a process called sarcopenia—but the decline isn’t inevitable. Regular resistance training started early and continued over time is one of the most powerful ways to protect mobility, bone health, and long-term independence. In this week’s Healthspan post, we break down what really works—and what you should know about hormone therapy amidst all the online misinformation.
Gut Health and Longevity: Why Fiber Matters More Than You Think
Your gut does more than digest—it shapes how you age. A balanced microbiome helps control inflammation, boost immunity, and support brain health. Yet most adults don’t get enough fiber to keep it thriving. This week, we’re exploring how simple shifts—like eating more plants, cutting back on red meat, and limiting processed foods—can strengthen your gut and extend your healthspan.
The Power of Social Connection in Healthy Aging
Social connection isn’t just a feel-good bonus—it’s a vital ingredient for healthy aging. From boosting brain function to protecting emotional health, meaningful relationships and daily routines play a powerful role in extending healthspan. In this post, we explore practical ways to stay engaged, introduce Social Rhythm Therapy as a tool for stability, and help develop a personal rhythm tracker to help you build connection into your everyday life.
Keep Your Mind Sharp with Mental Stimulation
Keep your mind sharp with mental stimulation. Discover how puzzles, creative hobbies, language learning, and digital brain-training apps boost neuroplasticity—and find practical tips for tailoring activities to every ability level.
Prioritize Sleep to Protect Brain Health
Sleep is more than downtime—it’s when your brain clears toxins, consolidates memories, and regulates mood. In this post, discover evidence-based sleep hygiene habits, safer insomnia treatments, and top sleep apps (like Sleepio and Sleep Cycle) to help you get the 7–8 hours your mind needs for optimal brain health and healthy aging.
From Lifespan to Healthspan: 8 Strategies to Age Well
Learn how to improve your healthspan—the years you live in good physical and mental health—with eight proven strategies for aging well. This post covers evidence-based tips on nutrition, exercise, sleep, preventive care, and more. Discover how lifestyle habits like not smoking, limiting alcohol, and staying socially connected can add up to 14 years of healthy life.
Longevity vs. Healthspan: What’s the Difference—and Why It Matters
Longevity tells us how long we live. Healthspan reveals how well we live. In this post, we break down these two vital concepts in aging—and why shifting the focus from lifespan to healthspan could transform the way you think about getting older. Learn how to extend not just your years, but the quality within them.
Prior Authorization Is Coming to Traditional Medicare: What You Need to Know
Big changes are coming to Medicare in 2026. For the first time, Traditional Medicare will begin requiring prior authorization for select outpatient services—starting with a pilot program in six states. In this post, we break down what prior authorization really means, why it's being introduced, which procedures are affected, and how this could impact access to care for older adults. If you live in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Ohio, Washington, or New Jersey, this is a change worth watching.
Medicaid Cuts and the Future of Health Access for Older Adults
As Congress pushes through sweeping cuts to Medicaid, the impact on older adults is already casting a long shadow. From shuttered rural hospitals to longer waitlists for home care, the consequences could reshape how millions age in America. Here's what the One Big Beautiful Bill means for health care access—and why the fight for healthy aging is far from over.
What Does Healthcare Really Cost in Retirement?
Healthcare is one of the biggest—and least predictable—costs in retirement. Even with Medicare, most older adults face expenses for premiums, prescriptions, and services that aren’t fully covered. This post explores the average costs retirees can expect, what Medicare includes (and leaves out), and how to plan ahead for long-term care—one of the most significant gaps in coverage. If you haven’t factored healthcare into your retirement strategy, now is a good time to start.
Understanding the Cost of Healthcare as We Age: A Guide to Medicare’s Four Parts
As we age, understanding healthcare costs becomes essential. Medicare offers a foundation—but with four distinct parts, it’s not always easy to navigate. In this post, we break down the basics of Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D, explore what they cover, and outline what older adults can expect to pay. From hospital stays to prescription drugs, knowing how each part works can help you better plan for the road ahead.
Healthy Aging: The Importance of Screening Tests
Aging well isn’t just about staying active—it’s about proactive health screenings that help detect diseases early and improve long-term outcomes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) outlines essential screenings, from bone density tests for osteoporosis to colonoscopies, lung cancer screening, and abdominal aortic ultrasounds for smokers.
While some screenings, like breast cancer and colorectal cancer tests, have clear benefits, others—such as prostate cancer screening—remain uncertain in effectiveness. This guide walks through the latest recommendations to help older adults take charge of their health. Have you scheduled your routine screenings this year? Summertime is a great time to catch up!