Ep. 356: How Well Do You Want to Age? with Scott Fulton
PLANTSTRONG Podcast
Rip Esselstyn
4.8 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 4 June 2026
⏱️ 63 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if the real goal isn’t simply living longer… but staying healthy, capable, sharp, and independent for as long as possible?
In this fascinating conversation, Rip sits down with researcher, educator, and author Scott Fulton to explore the rapidly growing world of healthspan and longevity. Scott is the author of Whealthspan and his newest book, Function: Turn Your Blind Spots Into Strengths, where he challenges the way we think about aging, movement, purpose, brain health, and everyday function.
Together, Rip and Scott unpack why America continues to lag behind the rest of the world in life expectancy, how our daily habits quietly shape our future independence, and why your “blind spots” may matter more than your strengths.
They also dive into the overlooked role of hearing, vision, balance, grip strength, community, movement, and fiber in protecting long-term brain and body health.
This conversation is practical, hopeful, deeply motivating — and a reminder that healthy aging starts long before old age.
You’ll Learn:
- Why healthspan matters more than lifespan
- The hidden predictors of dementia and cognitive decline
- How hearing and vision loss impact brain health
- Why balance and grip strength matter as you age
- The five pillars of “Whealthspan”
- Why movement is medicine
- The connection between isolation and longevity
- Why fiber may be one of the most important nutrients for long-term health
- The danger of “everything in moderation”
- How small daily habits compound over time
- The importance of purpose, curiosity, and meaningful moments
- Why most people don’t recognize their biggest health blind spots
- How to build a body and life that supports independence later in life
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Ray Besselston, and you're listening to the Plan Strong podcast. There is a big difference |
| 0:07.4 | between simply living longer and actually living well longer. And as you know, my parents |
| 0:15.9 | and an Essie are shining examples of this. My guest today, Professor Scott Fulton, is here to help us understand exactly how to close that gap between lifespan and health span. |
| 0:33.0 | Scott is the author of two fascinating books, WellSan, and his brand new book, Function, |
| 0:39.7 | Turn Your Blind Spots into Strengths. |
| 0:42.4 | And this conversation is packed with all kinds of practical, eye-opening insights about aging, |
| 0:48.9 | longevity, movement, brain health, purpose, balance, nutrition, and why so many people unknowingly |
| 0:58.1 | sabotage their future health. We're going to also talk about the hidden predictors of dementia. |
| 1:05.4 | Why function actually matters more than fitness. The importance of hearing, vision, balance, grip strength. |
| 1:15.4 | Hello, Ann Estleston, community, and yes, why fiber may be one of the most powerful tools that we have for longevity. |
| 1:25.6 | This episode is not about chasing perfection. |
| 1:29.7 | It's about stacking the deck in your favor |
| 1:31.9 | so you can keep showing up for the people and the moments |
| 1:35.7 | that matter most in your life. |
| 1:38.3 | Let's meet Professor Fulton right after these words from Plan Strong. |
| 1:47.8 | Thank you. right after these words from Plant Strong. I invite you to take three minutes and flip over whatever happens to be sitting in your pantry. |
| 1:55.6 | And if you find added oils, refined sugars, or other ingredients that read like a chemistry exam, that is the |
| 2:06.2 | gap that our food line was built to close. Plant Strong Foods, it's real food made to a much |
| 2:13.9 | higher standard. We care more about the shelf life of our customers, meaning you, |
| 2:20.0 | than extending the shelf life of our products. And they are absolutely delicious. They're simple, |
| 2:26.6 | satisfying, and they're fast, and they're easy. We are ultra real, never ultra-processed. |
| 2:33.6 | Head on over to planstrong.com and use the code Podcast 10 for 10% off your order. |
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