Health Is the New Flex
zack@zacklabadie
+1.6%
since Oct 1
The idea
I believe health, longevity, and time offline have become the new status symbols, and that spending shift plays out over the next couple of years, not a decade. This basket owns it across five layers: longevity science and drugs, fitness and recovery brands, wearables and diagnostics, healthy food, and travel built around disconnecting. Drugmakers anchor the mix but don't dominate it, no single name runs too heavy, and I keep 10% in cash to add if things dip.
What it owns
- Weight-loss drugs and early-detection tests are where health spending shows up first and biggest. · Eli LillyIt dominates the GLP-1 drug market where longevity spending shows up first, with growth dependent on sustained prescription demand and pricing power., Hims & Hers HealthIt distributes weight-loss and wellness subscriptions to people seeking lower-cost access, spreading health-as-status beyond the wealthiest buyers., Novo NordiskIt makes Wegovy and Ozempic, the drugs that anchored weight loss as a status purchase and remain central to the GLP-1 spending trend., NateraIt runs a fast-growing testing business that already shows spending on early detection in its quarterly results., Tempus AIIt applies AI to testing data for early disease detection, part of the quieter but real shift toward preventive health spending., Guardant HealthIt offers blood tests for early cancer detection, the kind of preventive biology spending that drives the longevity trend.31%
- Premium gyms and performance gear are where people publicly spend on looking after themselves. · Life Time GroupIt operates premium wellness clubs where expensive memberships and recovery amenities signal status and affluence., On HoldingIts performance running shoes embody the shift toward premium athletic gear as a status marker, with growth rates reflecting demand strength., Planet FitnessIt captures the broader shift toward gym membership as a health priority, with membership growth signaling that the spending inflection is real., Lululemon AthleticaIt sells athleisure apparel priced as a wellness signal, with comparable sales showing whether affluent consumers sustain this spending category.20%
- The status symbol is the number itself, and these companies sell the devices that produce it. · GarminIt leads the premium end of fitness tracking where runners and cyclists treat their data and devices as status signals., DexcomIts glucose sensors are moving from medical devices into over-the-counter wellness products, so growth depends on whether non-diabetic health-conscious consumers adopt continuous monitoring at scale., AppleIts watches have become the mainstream device for continuous health tracking, with expanding health features that drive upgrades., Abbott LaboratoriesIts continuous glucose sensors put biology tracking on healthy people's arms, with sensor sales showing whether biowearable adoption is accelerating.19%
- Eating clean is the daily, repeatable version of the same spending shift. · Sprouts Farmers MarketIt sells cleaner groceries where same-store sales growth already demonstrates that consumer spending is moving toward health-conscious food., Celsius HoldingsIt produces better-for-you beverages that replace sugary drinks for consumers focused on what they consume.10%
- Time unreachable is the scarcest flex, and it gets bought as travel and wellness resorts. · AirbnbIt enables longer, remote stays where bookings and spending on restorative travel time are growing as a new priority., Hyatt HotelsIt owns wellness resorts where affluent travelers buy the experience of being unreachable and restorative.10%
- Cash10%