Story | Leslie Yip Boucher-Harris
Longevity has become a buzzword, it is not mainly about lifespan and how long we live, it’s about health span: how many of those years are lived with energy, mobility, independence and a body that still feels capable.
That distinction matters because modern medicine is increasingly good at helping people survive illness. But how well do we live in the decades that follow? How long can we remain functional enough to do what we love, care for the people who matter to us and move through the world without constant limitation?
Canada now has fresh national data that brings this idea into sharper focus.
Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy: A National Reality Check
In January 2026, statistics Canada released updated figures on health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE), a measure that estimates not only how long people live, but how many of those years are spent in good health. In simple terms, it reframes longevity as quality of life—not just survival.
The data highlights a long-standing pattern: women in Canada consistently outlive men. Because women live longer overall, they also tend to spend more years in poor health than men.
In 2023, at age 65, females could expect to live another 22.3 years, with 15.8 of those years in good health; males at the same age had a remaining life expectancy of 19.7 years and a HALE of 14.7 years. The takeaway is not about who “wins” longevity. It is that extra years do not automatically equate to healthy years—and that is precisely why longevity deserves closer attention.
If You Do Annual Bloodwork, Is That Enough?
Many Canadians see a family doctor, run basic lab tests, and wait for a red flag. That approach is important, but it often answers a limited question—is anything clearly wrong right now?
Health-span thinking starts earlier and looks for patterns rather than crises. Are blood sugar markers creeping upward? Is inflammation consistently elevated? Are cholesterol ratios shifting in ways that increase cardiovascular risk? Are nutrient deficiencies recurring year after year? None of these signals are diagnoses on their own, but together they can suggest whether future healthy years are being protected—or quietly eroded.
This is where consumer-facing longevity testing programs are beginning to fill a gap: offering greater visibility into biomarkers linked to long-term health, along with guidance on what those results may mean.
How Fast Are You Aging? Get Tested!
One program gaining attention is the Felix Health Longevity testing program, which goes well beyond typical annual bloodwork. It measures up to 39 biomarkers linked to metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, inflammation, nutrient status, and organ function, and is currently available in Ontario, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.
The program was developed in partnership with Dr. Melody Hui, an Ontario physician trained in longevity and functional medicine. In addition to lab testing, participants complete a lifestyle questionnaire covering activity level, supplements, alcohol use, smoking, and other daily habits— essential context for interpreting the data.
Dr. Melody Hui
I signed up and completed the questionnaire one evening after dinner, and by the next morning I was connected with a health practitioner who arranged my lab requisition. I was able to schedule a home blood draw within days, the appointment itself took less than 15 minutes.
What stood out most was the speed and clarity of the follow-up. My results arrived quickly, and the practitioner walked me through them—what looked strong, what needed attention, and where relatively small lifestyle adjustments could make a meaningful difference.
For many people, the appeal is the clarity the test provides. The panel examines markers such as blood sugar control (including Hba1c), fasting insulin, cholesterol and lipoproteins, inflammation markers like CRP, vitamin levels, and core kidney and liver measures. Viewed together, they form a health map—showing not only where you are today, but where you may be heading if nothing changes.
Felix also provides an estimate of “biological age.” The idea is straightforward: it compares how your body is functioning internally with what is typically seen at different ages. If your biological age is higher than your actual age, it may suggest increased physiological strain; if it is lower, it may indicate you are aging more slowly than average.
This number is not a diagnosis, nor is it destiny. Its value lies in context and continuity—a snapshot you can revisit over time. For anyone who wants to move beyond guesswork and understand their health trajectory, this kind of testing can be an invaluable starting point.
Felix Health’s Longevity testing program has found that 89% of participants present with one or more health risks, ranging from relatively common issues such as vitamin deficiencies to more complex conditions, including endocrinological disorders that may require medical treatment. Treatment plans may include prescribed pharmacological therapies, supplements, and lifestyle modifications, or a combination of one or two of these approaches. As Dr. Hui explains, “Each participant receives a tailored treatment plan.”
She adds, “Since launching the program, we’ve seen that 89% of participants are five years younger than their chronological age, and 48% are ten years younger.” While these results are not representative of the broader population—and likely reflect the fact that early participants tend to be more health-conscious and proactive—Dr. Hui believes they nonetheless signal the beginning of a shift. Canadians are increasingly interested in understanding how to take control of their health outcomes and are beginning to act more deliberately in doing so.
Knowledge Is Power: The Longevity Summit-Canada Goes from Niche to Mainstream
Longevity once sounded like a fringe internet obsession, reserved for biohackers and early adopters such as Bryan johnson, a tech millionaire known for his extreme, $2 million-a-year anti-aging project where he follows a strict diet, supplements, and daily regimen with a team of doctors to reverse his biological age. Whilst there are always people pushing boundaries today it is increasingly part of everyday wellness conversations, driven by a universal desire: fewer years constrained by pain, fatigue, and preventable decline.
Brendan Coates, founder of Longevity summit Canada, says the event emerged from years of experimenting with wellness practices and emerging technologies and the realization that the online landscape had become overwhelming. Too many products. Too many claims. Too little clarity. His aim was to create a space where people could experience the tools firsthand, speak directly with practitioners and founders, and learn how to separate substance from hype.
What has surprised him most is how quickly longevity thinking has moved beyond niche circles. He points to visible shifts across multiple sectors: hotels rethinking amenities as travelers seek wellness-focused destinations, home builders replacing formal dining rooms with wellness rooms, corporations investing in mental health and wellness spaces for employees and even breathwork gaining recognition in schools. These changes, he suggests, signal a broader cultural recalibration around health and resilience.
Coates also notes a shift in language. Instead of “anti-aging” as a narrow, appearance-driven goal, longevity now encompasses something far more holistic and all-encompassing: sleep quality, stress regulation, mobility, strength, nutrition, and the ability to measure progress rather than rely on guesswork. What is often missing, he adds, is purpose—because the most sustainable health habits are those anchored to a life people genuinely want to keep living.
The Muscle Factor: Strength as a Health-Span Multiplier
If there is one longevity lever that is both unglamorous and deeply practical, it is muscle heath. not bodybuilding, but muscle as an organ system that influences metabolism, balance, mobility, bone density and independence as we age.
This is where good intentions often collide with reality. Most people know they should strength train, yet time is scarce, fatigue is constant and joint pain or past injuries can make traditional workouts feel daunting. The gap between knowing and doing is why time-efficient training concepts are gaining attention.
One such approach is Electrical Muscle stimulation (EMS). Rachel Leung, founder of Iron Bodyfit in Richmond Hill, describes EMS as a short, fully coached session using lowfrequency electrical impulses to stimulate muscle contractions across the body. The focus is efficiency: in about 25 minutes, multiple muscle groups are activated simultaneously with an intensive iron Bodyfit session equating to roughly four hours of conventional strength training.
Rachel Leung, founder of Iron Bodyfit in Richmond Hill.
Leung links muscle health directly to longevity. Maintaining muscle mass supports metabolic health and blood sugar regulation. Stronger muscles protect bone density, posture, and joint stability. Improved strength and balance also reduce fall risk, one of the most common triggers of rapid health decline later in life. She also notes how everyday habits such as long periods of sitting, inadequate protein intake, chronic stress, poor sleep, and excessive alcohol can quietly accelerate muscle loss.
Viewed through a longevity lens, EMS reframes strength training as something achievable and sustainable—key ingredients for protecting health span over the long term.
Why This Should Matter to All of Us
Longevity, at its best, is not an identity or a trend, it is a practical framework for protecting your most usable years. years when you can travel without fear of a fall, lift groceries without pain, sleep deeply, think clearly and show up for work and family with energy to spare.
For those who feel overwhelmed the starting point does not need to be extreme. As Brendan Coates often reminds people, longevity is built on fundamentals that are both achievable and meaningful: nourishing the body with real food, prioritizing sleep and digestion, maintaining strength through movement, and allowing space for recovery. just as important is purpose, having something that makes staying healthy feel worthwhile. Seen this way, longevity is less about chasing youth, and more about protecting the full range of life, for as long as possible.
