Top 5 Habits for Increasing Your Health Span
Practical Steps for First Responders
Move Every Day
Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
Include both cardio (for your heart) and strength training (to prevent injury and support longevity).
Fuel with Whole Foods
Build meals around lean protein, colorful vegetables, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
Minimize processed meats, sugary snacks, and fried foods.
Remember: food is information for your body.
Manage Stress with Mindfulness
Practice 12 minutes of mindfulness or focused breathing daily (Jha, 2017).
Stress resilience is medicine—reducing risk for heart disease, depression, and burnout.
Invest in Authentic Connections
Spend intentional time with family and friends.
Research shows loneliness increases risk of death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Holt-Lunstad, 2015).
Vulnerability and trust aren’t weaknesses—they’re lifelines.
Know Your Numbers
Get annual bloodwork (lipid panel, A1C, Vitamin D, thyroid, CRP, etc.).
Catching risks early is the single most effective way to add healthy years to your life.
Quick Reflection Prompt
Ask yourself:
“Am I just surviving the grind—or am I building the future I want?”
Choose one habit above to begin this week.
Small steps done consistently are how you extend not just your life, but your health.
Life Span vs. Health Span: Living Longer and Living Better
Chief Steve Petrilli
Most of us think about how long we’ll live.
But here’s the real question:
How long will you live well?
Your lifespan is the total number of years you’re alive.
Your health span is the number of years you’re living free of chronic disease, with strength, energy, connection, and purpose.
As Dr. Peter Attia emphasizes in his book Outlive, the goal is not just to add years to your life, but life to your years.
And for first responders—who face some of the highest risks of stress-related illness, heart disease, and early mortality—this isn’t theory. It’s survival.
Why Health Span Matters More Than Lifespan
You already know this job takes a toll. The stats prove it:
Law enforcement officers live, on average, 7–10 years less than the general population (Violanti, 2014).
First responders have significantly higher rates of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and sleep disorders than civilian populations (Zimmerman, 2020).
Up to 75–90% of doctor visits in the U.S. are for stress-related conditions (American Psychological Association, 2018).
That means that while you may push hard through your career, your quality of life after retirement—or even in your later career years—may be severely compromised unless you act now.
The Four Core Drivers of Health Span
Optimizing your health span isn’t about one thing. It’s about all 11 Rings of Wellness working together, with these four as the foundation:
1. Physical Health
Your body is your most important piece of equipment.
Exercise regularly: Both cardiovascular training and strength training are crucial. Attia recommends focusing on maintaining strength and balance into later life, since falls are a leading cause of disability.
Eat whole foods, not processed junk: Prioritize lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and complex carbs. Dr. Mark Hyman reminds us: food is information—you’re coding your biology with every bite.
Get regular blood tests: As we covered in Chief Petrilli’s other video, know your numbers early.
2. Mental Health & Stress Resilience
Stress is the invisible killer in public safety. Chronic stress floods the body with cortisol, raises blood pressure, disrupts sleep, and literally shortens telomeres (the protective caps on your DNA linked to aging).
Mindfulness practices as short as 12 minutes per day have been shown to improve attention and resilience (Jha, 2017).
Stress management is not optional. It’s medicine for your health span.
3. Spiritual Well-Being
This doesn’t mean religion. It means connection to meaning, purpose, and the courage to face both light and dark in life. Research shows people with a strong sense of purpose live longer and healthier lives (Hill & Turiano, 2014).
4. Social Connection
Dr. Brené Brown’s research makes it clear: the happiest and healthiest people are the most socially connected.
Loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes per day (Holt-Lunstad, 2015).
Authentic, vulnerable relationships buffer the effects of stress, protect heart health, and improve resilience.
Stress, the Silent Saboteur
For first responders, unmanaged stress is one of the biggest threats to both lifespan and health span.
Chronic stress contributes to heart disease, diabetes, depression, and anxiety—the very conditions that shorten careers and lives.
And yet, cultural norms in policing and emergency services still push professionals to “tough it out.”
The reality: ignoring stress doesn’t make you stronger. It makes you sicker.
Mindfulness, breathing practices, physical fitness, and peer support aren’t luxuries. They are the tools that keep you in the fight for the long haul.
Reflection: Investing in Your Life and Health Span
Take a pause.
Ask yourself:
Am I just grinding through the day-to-day—or am I investing in a future where I can thrive?
What is one small change I could make today that would lengthen both my lifespan and health span?
Maybe it’s committing to a 20-minute walk after shift.
Maybe it’s starting a simple mindfulness practice.
Maybe it’s calling a friend instead of isolating.
Maybe it’s swapping processed food for a whole-food meal.
Remember: the quality of your tomorrow depends on the choices you make today.
Call to Action: Choose One Investment in Your Future
This week, choose one action that will help extend both your lifespan and health span.
Schedule a checkup.
Move your body.
Practice 12 minutes of mindfulness.
Have a real, authentic conversation with someone you trust.
Because the truth is, it’s not about how long you live.
It’s about how well you live—for yourself, for your family, and for the mission.
Works Cited
American Psychological Association. “Stress in America.” APA.org, 2018.
Attia, Peter. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. Harmony Books, 2023.
Hill, Patrick L., and Nicholas A. Turiano. “Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood.” Psychological Science, vol. 25, no. 7, 2014, pp. 1482–1486.
Holt-Lunstad, Julianne, et al. “Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 10, no. 2, 2015, pp. 227–237.
Jha, Amishi P., et al. “Short-form mindfulness training protects against cognitive vulnerability to stress.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 114, no. 37, 2017, pp. 9978–9983.
Violanti, John M. “Police Mortality: The Next Generation.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 37, no. 4, 2014, pp. 839–851.
Zimmerman, F. H. “Cardiovascular disease and risk factors in law enforcement personnel: a comprehensive review.” Cardiology in Review, vol. 20, no. 4, 2020, pp. 159–166.