HTSI editor’s letter: a health and fitness special
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Hello, and welcome to our second health and fitness special. It’s a combination of adrenaline, teamwork, dedication and bionic bodies starring, among others, the artist and acrobat Isabelle Wenzel, whose self-portraits find her magically suspended from doors and ceilings; Shepherd’s Booters FC, a modern expression of women’s football in west London; and Los Leones, the Spanish rugby sevens players proving that they are much more than a social media meme.
As long as man has been around there’s been an industry to sell him the elixir of a longer, more productive life. Longevity has become a sexy buzzword – but haven’t we always been susceptible to its promise? Cleopatra bathed in asses’ milk to help ward off the wrinkles, and people have been visiting geothermal waters for centuries to soothe away aches and pains. Now, with the help of AI diagnostics, health trackers that measure our every move (and monitor our heart rate), and gene mapping, the business has reached another level; the global longevity economy is predicted to be worth some $33tn next year.
The claims are bewildering, bamboozling and, very often, total bullshit. So who better to investigate its breakthroughs, advantages and limitations than a fiftysomething smoker, drinker and cultural sybarite who seems to care very little for the idea of eternal life? In a new series, The Longevity Project, Alex Bilmes will explore the tenets of longevity – as we are sold it – in a quest to see if he can reverse his biometric age. He will be looking at what really matters when it comes to living longer, and which supplements, hacks or exercises might actually prolong your life. First, we sent him to a medical spa to kick-start his wellness journey. In the meantime, we’ve also devised a longevity quiz for readers, with advice from a dozen scientists, doctors and experts, each of whom have suggested small, manageable changes to your lifestyle that may encourage a longer, fitter and more enjoyable older age.
I find my health levels plummet every time I travel – jet lag messes with my sleep patterns, my heart rate and my digestive health. In a recent conversation with Ōura, the health tracker company, I discovered it can take up to 15 days after a long flight to get the body back on track. Having access to a good gym while away, therefore, can make a massive difference – especially when it’s furnished with the latest recovery technology and natural light. Grace Cook and Maria Shollenbarger have rounded up their pick of the world’s best hotel gyms, while Divya Bala has selected the most stylish exercise equipment for those who like to flex their style credentials while they do their tricep dips.
Lastly, we visit Felippe Dal Piero, founder of Mahalo Experience, a travel operator that specialises in finding the best surf spots on earth. Using state-of-the-art equipment, Dal Piero can all but place his client in the barrel – all they need is money (and lots of it) and the willingness to drop everything as soon as they get the call. The best breaks usually only last a few short hours, which just makes it all the more exciting: a cat-and-mouse game that, if successful, results in the most exhilarating ride.
This article has been revised to state that the global longevity economy is projected to be worth $33tn by 2026, rather than the global longevity market
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