Tanja McMaster Healthspan

Morning walks are so good for so many reasons... I used to be too tired to think about getting up early... Now I love it.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of “healthspan”.
Not just lifespan — how long we live — but how well we live.
For me, healthspan means:
🌿having energy
🌿staying mobile and strong
🌿maintaining muscle as we age
🌿supporting metabolic health
🌿thinking clearly
🌿being able to keep doing the things we love for as long as possible
The older I get, the less interested I am in quick fixes and the more interested I am in sustainable habits that support long-term health.
I think many people are exhausted by extreme wellness culture:
constant restriction, perfection, guilt and all-or-nothing thinking.
Real life doesn’t work that way.
I’m much more interested in practical changes that people can realistically maintain while still living full lives:
🌿walking more
🌿improving sleep
🌿building muscle
🌿eating enough protein
🌿managing stress
🌿understanding cravings and behaviour
🌿creating supportive environments and communities
I’m still learning every day, but one thing I know for sure is that health is about far more than a number on the scale.
It’s about building a life where your future self has the best chance possible to stay healthy, capable and engaged with life. 🌿

Years ago, a friend and I did one of those very restrictive weight-loss challenges where we ate around 500 calories a day for several weeks.
I did lose weight.
But I also remember feeling miserable, constantly hungry and completely preoccupied with food. Even while doing it, I knew it wasn’t something I could realistically maintain long term.
When my friend suggested doing it again the following year, I realised something important:
I didn’t want another “weight loss challenge”.
I wanted a sustainable way to improve my health.
Over time I became much more interested in:
🌿metabolic health
🌿satiety and cravings
🌿behaviour change
🌿muscle preservation
🌿gut health
🌿sustainable habits
The older I get, the less interested I am in extreme approaches and the more interested I am in what people can realistically maintain for years.
I think many people struggling with weight and health aren’t lacking willpower.
Often they’re exhausted, overwhelmed, stressed, under-muscled, sleep deprived and surrounded by environments that make healthy habits difficult to sustain.
Real health change is rarely about perfection.
It’s usually about building systems, habits and support that work in real life. 🌿

A few years ago, during COVID and menopause, I suddenly found myself struggling with my health in ways I never had before.
Like many people, I went from being active and energetic to sitting at a computer for hours every day teaching online, studying for my Master of Science, attending Zoom lectures and barely moving enough.
I had previously been around 64kg, but my weight gradually climbed to 80kg. More than the weight itself though, I felt exhausted all the time.
I tried one of those very restrictive diet challenges where we ate around 500 calories a day for weeks. I lost weight… but I hated every minute of it and knew I couldn’t live like that long term.
That experience changed how I think about health.
Over time I became increasingly interested in metabolic health, sustainable behaviour change, the gut microbiome, muscle preservation, menopause and the science of long-term healthspan.
I’m still learning every day.
This page is a place where I’ll be sharing practical, evidence-informed ideas around sustainable wellness, healthspan and real-life behaviour change.
If you’re interested in improving your health in a realistic and sustainable way, welcome. 🌿