Barcelona congress spotlights longevity, shifting fitness toward healthspan and prevention

Barcelona’s fitness and wellness market is getting a longevity reset. At the Auditori CosmoCaixa on June 2, LongevitIA put healthy habits, aging science and healthspan at the center of the conversation, making clear that the city’s premium gyms and wellness brands are now selling far more than appearance or short-term performance.

The first edition of the congress gathered more than a dozen specialists and filled two auditoriums at CosmoCaixa, drawing more than 400 people after being framed in advance for 300 invited guests with streaming access. Its program cut across prevention, brain health, exercise, sleep, nutrition, emotional health, medical innovation and artificial intelligence, a mix that reflects how longevity has moved from academic language into mainstream consumer culture.

Ana María Cuervo opened the event and anchored the science side of the pitch. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine professor in New York argued that the point is not to eliminate aging, but to reduce the loss of function that comes with it, and she highlighted autophagy, the cell’s cleanup-and-recycling process, as a key mechanism tied to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes. That framing is what gives the longevity trend real commercial weight in fitness: the message is no longer just leaner or faster, but stronger, more resilient and better prepared to age well.

The exercise session reflected that shift directly. Marcos Vázquez, creator of Fitness Revolucionario, appeared with Andorran Olympic skier Joan Verdú in a conversation about training for future health, not just current performance. In the same room, the broader longevity agenda linked exercise to sleep, nutrition and emotional health, making recovery and consistency feel as important as intensity.

The demographic case for the change is hard to miss. Spain’s population aged 65 and over already makes up 20.4% of the total, and the Instituto Nacional de Estadística projects that share could reach 30.5% around 2055. SegurCaixa Adeslas director general Jaume Masana said a large share of health outcomes depends on habits and personal decisions, which is exactly why gyms, coaches and medical-wellness operators are leaning harder into prevention, strength conditioning, screening and data-driven personalization.

CosmoCaixa, with its role as a Barcelona venue for exhibitions, conferences and public learning, gave the congress a scientific setting that reinforced the message. LongevitIA did not read like a niche wellness talk. It looked like a sign of where the market is going, with longevity becoming a practical category and the Longevity channel behind it reaching 4.5 million monthly readers.