27/04/2026
A new report from the Health Foundation made for uncomfortable reading today. It found healthy life expectancy in the UK has fallen by around two years over the past decade, with men now spending around 60.7 years in good health and women 60.9 years. In more than 90 percent of local areas, healthy life expectancy is now below state pension age, and in some of the most deprived places it is below 55. In Blackpool, healthy life expectancy for men is around 51. I turned 51 last week, so that really made me pay attention!
There is also around a twenty year gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest communities. That is extraordinary, and it says this is not just a personal health story, but a conversation about inequality, prevention and ageing well.
Healthy life expectancy is not how long we live, but how long we can expect to live in reasonably good health before illness or disability starts to significantly affect daily life.
One thing it made me reflect on is how often strength training is still seen as something for younger people, when arguably it matters even more as we get older. Preserving muscle, strength and movement quality is not just about fitness, it can be about staying capable, mobile and independent for longer.
I was in a commercial gym on holiday recently and realised I was probably the oldest person there by fifteen years. That really stayed with me. If healthy ageing matters, maybe we still have some catching up to do in how we think about strength and fitness as we get older.
The report also points to obesity as part of the picture, but what interested me just as much was inequality, because environment, stress, food quality, healthcare access and opportunity all shape long term health.
For a more in-depth breakdown, visit my blog at:
https://www.simongpt.co.uk/uk-healthy-life-expectancy-falls-by-two-years/
In the blog, I also touch upon where weight loss injections may fit into this conversation, and whether they risk widening inequality if access remains uneven.
New figures show UK healthy life expectancy has fallen by two years. A coach’s take on strength training, obesity, ageing and prevention.