Question 15 of 433
What is the “Centenarian Decathlon”?
The short answer
It is Attia’s exercise for the imagination. Decide what you want to be able to do physically in the last decade of your life, then train backward from that list starting now.
He calls that final stretch the “marginal decade.” His point is that strength and fitness decline every year, so if you want to lift a suitcase into an overhead bin at 85, you must be able to lift a good deal more than that at 55.
I use my own version with patients, and I call it the Last Good Decade list. Take a sheet of paper. Write ten things you want to be doing at 85. People write things like walking to services, carrying a grandchild up a flight of stairs, traveling without a wheelchair, and getting up off the floor without help. Then ask what each one requires: leg strength, balance, grip, wind, a clear mind. That list becomes your training plan. It is far more motivating than a number on a scale.
“This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship.” From the book’s medical disclaimer. Full disclaimer
PLANNING TOOL — Older-age functional goals; this named exercise has no demonstrated mortality effect.Evidence grade (draft mapping)JClinical judgment / author synthesisPart 2, Q15 · Part sources
From Longevity Unmasked by Afshine Ash Emrani, MD, FACC. Medical disclaimer. This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship. Nothing here is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Medicine is personal: a test, drug, supplement, or exercise plan that helps one person can harm another. Do not start, stop, or change any medication or treatment because of something you read in these pages. Talk with a licensed clinician who knows your history first. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911. The author disclaims responsibility for any loss or harm arising from use of the information in this book.