Live Longer — And Better
A personalised, consultant-led plan to keep doing the things that matter — playing with your grandchildren without running out of breath, getting back on the golf course or the hills, travelling without worry, simply keeping up with your own life. Built on evidence, not trends.
What do you actually want?
Not a battery of tests for their own sake. What most people actually want is simpler: to still be capable, active and independent in ten, twenty, thirty years — not just alive, but able to do the things that make life worth living. Playing with grandchildren. Getting back on the golf course, the tennis court, the hills. Travelling without wondering what might go wrong while you’re away. Simply keeping up.
That’s what this is built around. A personalised, consultant-led plan — using the same evidence I rely on with my NHS and private patients every week — aimed at keeping you capable for as long as possible, not just running tests to generate data.
There’s an overwhelming amount of “wellness” content online. As a practising NHS Consultant Cardiologist with an additional medical research degree, I use evidence-based medicine alongside practical lifestyle strategies to help you extend both healthspan (years in good health) and lifespan.
Dr Chris Critoph — Consultant Cardiologist | Sports Cardiology | Health Optimisation & Longevity
“Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits daily to attain better physical and mental health — so that instead of just surviving, you’re thriving.”
We only get one life.
I take care to practice what I preach. I’m passionate about exercise — particularly strength training and smart endurance training — and I pay close attention to nutrition in my own daily life. This page is a prompt to focus on what matters most, based on science. There’s plenty of misinformation; my aim is to steer you in the right direction with clear, actionable steps that improve how you feel and reduce long-term disease risk.
Prevention is better than cure.
Who this is for
- You want to still be doing the things you love in your 60s, 70s and beyond
- You’re active now and want to protect and extend that, not just maintain it
- You’ve got a family history of heart disease or stroke you’d rather get ahead of than wait for
- You’ve noticed things aren’t quite what they were, and you want a proper look — not just reassurance
- You simply want a clear picture of where you stand, and a plan to act on it
Patient stories
I am 72 years old with a few problems. One having a leaky heart valve and a few creaky aching joints. For years I have suffered with an achy lower back on rising from my bed in the morning which usually but not always subsides as the day goes on. I have always kept myself fit by gardening, walking and swimming but several months ago I suffered with sciatica which was very painful and I was unable to walk for a few weeks. Dr Critoph has always recommended doing weight exercise to strengthen my core, and stretches to maintain movement as I age. It was something I was always going to do but didn’t get around to it.
— Joyce, 72
After I visited an osteopath for a few weeks to sort out my sciatica I enrolled with a physiotherapist. He tested my body for strength and organised a schedule of exercises starting gently and increasing using weights. After instructions on how to use and position my body were explained I am feeling so much better and do not get up each morning with an aching back and can do gardening with more confidence.
My core strength has increased and I am more stable.
I do wish I had started the exercises years ago but it certainly isn’t too late to start.
What goes into building your plan
Nothing here is “one-size-fits-all” — we choose what actually changes decisions, not just what creates data. Tailored to you, this can include:
- Cardiovascular health: examination, blood pressure, ECG, echocardiogram (as indicated)
- Advanced lipids: ApoB, Lipoprotein(a), triglycerides/HDL, hs-CRP — the markers that matter most for risk, which routine NHS blood tests don’t usually include
- Metabolic health: HbA1c, fasting glucose/insulin where useful
- Fitness & body composition: VO₂-max or exercise testing, DEXA if desired, balance assessment
- Strength & power markers: grip strength, sit-to-stand, loaded carries — arranged where relevant through the trainers I work with (this will move fully in-house once my new clinic opens)
- Genetic risk: polygenic risk scoring and family pedigree review when appropriate — this is my own specialist territory, as someone who set up and runs a dedicated inherited cardiac conditions clinic; genuinely clinically validated tests, not generic ancestry-style consumer panels
- Imaging: CT coronary angiography (CTCA) if indicated, to see the actual state of your arteries rather than inferring it from risk calculators alone
How I tailor exercise & nutrition
Your plan is bespoke — not just to your goals, but to your age, sex, training history, injury history, preferences, and available time.
- Strength training: progressive overload for major movement patterns (squat/hinge/push/pull/carry), with volume and intensity adjusted to training age and recovery capacity
- Endurance: a foundation of Zone 2 work for mitochondrial health, with VO₂ intervals for performance and longevity benefits when appropriate
- Power & balance: especially important as we age; incorporated safely and progressively
- Nutrition: pragmatic protein and fibre targets, lipid-lowering patterns when needed, and strategies you can actually implement — no fads
- Recovery: sleep, stress management, and micro-habits that make consistency easier
This approach reflects a simple, well-evidenced principle: we all decline with age, but the rate of decline is profoundly modifiable. Train now for the capabilities you want in your 60s, 70s and beyond — so you can still do the things that make life meaningful.
Your plan — what you’ll leave with
- A clear risk map and priorities specific to you — and what they mean for what you can still do, not just what they measure
- Exercise prescription (strength, Zone 2, VO₂ intervals, power/balance) aligned to your goals and cardiac findings
- Nutrition strategy you can sustain (protein/fibre targets; lipid-lowering patterns; CGM where helpful)
- Sleep & recovery optimisation; stress strategies; alcohol/tobacco harm-reduction
- Medication advice when indicated — including, where appropriate, lipid-lowering options such as PCSK9 inhibitors/inclisiran, blood-pressure optimisation, and GLP-1 weight-management; where a specific medication isn’t routinely funded by your GP, I’ll always flag any extra cost before prescribing
- A concise written report and follow-up plan
Why this isn’t “longevity medicine” as usually sold
Search “longevity medicine” online and you’ll mostly find supplement stacks, peptide protocols, and hormone therapies with little or no clinical trial evidence behind them — often sold by practitioners with no medical training in the condition that actually kills more people than anything else: cardiovascular disease. No unproven supplement stacks here. No hormone or peptide protocols without trial evidence. No promises about “reversing your biological age.” Just a rigorous, personalised plan from someone whose entire career has been spent managing cardiovascular risk — built around what it actually takes for you to keep doing what you love.
Why choose Coastal Cardiology
- Consultant-led care — you see Dr Chris Critoph personally
- Expertise across sports cardiology, advanced lipids, genetics, and CT coronary angiography
- Precision-prevention that’s healthspan-focused and practical, not testing for its own sake
- Calm, private environment at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital
- Clear explanations and actionable advice; ongoing support
I’m not only a Consultant Cardiologist — I’m an expert in sports cardiology, health optimisation, and longevity medicine. I integrate the latest evidence in cardiovascular prevention, exercise physiology, nutrition, and metabolic health to improve both lifespan and healthspan.
Fees and transparency
The fee for an initial consultation is £285 (history, examination, and strategy discussion). Any further investigations (bloods, DEXA, exercise test, CTCA, etc.) are charged separately. No tests are performed without full discussion of costs in advance, so you can decide exactly what’s right for you.
Get the free guide & email tips
I’ve made my Wellness / Healthspan Guide free, with short email tips alongside it. Fill out the form below to receive your copy. You can unsubscribe at any time — though I recommend reading the first few emails; if the guide interests you, the emails will too.
Further reading
- Healthspan over lifespan: why living well matters more than living long
- How long should we sleep?
- Dementia part 3
- Consistency Over Intensity: The Key to Sticking With Exercise
- Medications that can spike blood sugar
- Cold exposure – how to and why?
- Intermittent fasting and exercise
- Why You Can’t Exercise Away a Christmas Dinner
- GLP-1 Drugs and Dementia Risk: What We Know So Far
- Weight Loss, Weight Regain, and Why Habits Matter More Than Headlines