0. Priorities – Make Your Own Time

Well, let’s repeat again. There is no such thing as not enough time. It’s just a matter of priorities. If you want a good chance to live an extra decade, and spend in good health you have to make it your priority today. 

It’s like a rubber band, the more life you have in front of you,  the more you can stretch it.

Waiting for when you are old or sick, is not the winning strategy.

Think about it as an investment. Spend some time now, gain 20 years of active life in the future.

Yes it’s a game of chance, but let’s try to bend the rules in our favor to avoid any potential regrets in the future.

1.Sleep – Foundation of Health

Sleep is your base and foundation. If you think about life as the process of dying through stress, wear and tear and external assaults, sleep is the only thing that reverts this process and undoes the damage.

You become stronger when you sleep, you become smarter when you sleep (all your daily memories get transferred from hippocampus(short) to neocortex(long) term memory), emotional balance gets restored, brain gets cleaned up.

Sleep is a triple whammy transferring you into the future. During the 8 hours of sleep you undo most of the damage accumulated through the day and shield yourself at the same time.

Unfortunately the effect tapers off around there, but there are some studies going on about inducing deep sleep. We’ll update this article and appraise you if something interesting happens.

 

2. Diet – You are build from what you eat

Well, this topic has been beaten on and off from all directions. Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Carnivore… but the truth of the matter is that all diets work weight loss wise, as long as you can stick with them.

A year-long randomized clinical trial (DIETFITS) has found that a low-fat diet and a low-carb diet produced similar weight loss and improvements in metabolic health markers.

Long dive: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/the-truth-about-insulin-carbs-and-weight-loss

You can be in a keto and calorie deficit. It’s easy because you are not hungry in ketosis.  You can eat vegan and be in a calorie deficit. It’s not too hard either, fiber makes you feel full.

Just follow your blood markers and see what works the best for you. 

But what they all agree on is that you should eat organic, local and minimally processed food. 

So have a structured meal plan, eat during light hours to be in sync with circadian rhythm, avoid anything that spikes blood glucose and you should be OK.

Blue zones note: they mostly lean towards the low calorie vegan side, with beans and nuts as the main source of protein and meat being consumed on average once a week. 

Is it optimal? It’s hard to say,  food studies are almost impossible to conduct, so longevity studies, together – even less likely. But that is what works for them. (Keeping insulin and growth hormones under control)

image curtesy of Precision Nutrition 

3. Exercise – we are built to move

 

TLDR; Just do it.

Ok, long story is that muscles are the best glucose sinks. Whatever you develop today will protect you against frailty later. It’s one of those investments the sooner you start the better.  Plus exercise will make you sleep better now, will make you more energetic and more productive now, and will improve brain function through BDNF now.

That’s what you can call “sharpening the saw”.

From the point of direct longevity you need to include regular zone 2 training in the regiment, resistance training and some bouts of HIT.

Training in the fasted state seems to provide a boost to the mitochondria performance.

Taking a hot sauna, right after, or separately from exercise moves the needle in the same direction as well.

Mobility/stability training. 

To be socially active, physically independent and be able to keep up with kids, mobility is as important as strength. 

You won’t be magically able to improve it “later”. Best time to start is, you guessed it, today.

For the minimal effective dose you can do the following:
– 3x weekly Zone 2 training on the lactate threshold (barely enough oxygen to speak)
– 3x weekly resistance training, preferably with compound movements and elements of stability and balance (one legged squats, bridges etc)
– 1x weekly VO2 Max training like sprinting, stairs or any other for of HIT at near the maximum heart rate

https://youtu.be/_CTQqR3VG4s

4. Stress Control – this can’t be stressed enough!

There is a direct correlation between stress and disease.  There is also a connection between stress and general happiness. But we like triple whammies, right? Well, keeping stress under control improves creativity and as result, your income.

If you like a perspective of being healthier,  happier and richer, meditation or some other sort of spiritual practice has to become a part of your life. 

Good news: there is no need to spend an hour a day at it. 

Just do a 5 minute session before sleep to calm the mind. And maybe another 5 minutes in the morning (before checking the phone!!!) to jump start your day. Keep it for a month and you’ll be absolutely surprised by the amount of positive changes.  

Seriously, there is a reason why everyone recommends it.

Here’s 3 daily meditation types you can try:
https://youtu.be/QQdGu3eMx94  

5. Supplements – Know your weak points

Let me ask you.  Are you going outdoors each day without sunscreen, eating a ton of green leafy vegetables, organ meats and drinking real unfiltered spring water? 

If not, you might have to supplement some minerals and vitamins.

As with many things in biology they follow a U curve, so make sure to test and supplement only where needed. And don’t forget supplements are here to supplement, rely on them only as a last resort. 

Vitamin D – Immunity

It’s involved in immunity, mood, bones and many more functions. Definitely not something you want to be in the short supply of.. 

All cause mortality according to Serum 25(OH)D

There are no controlled studies showing benefits of keeping the levels above minimal.. but all associative studies point to  ~50 ng/m as an optimal level, which not surprisingly matches the natural levels you’ll be at if spending a lot of time outdoors. 

So the best strategy is to get vitamin D from all sources, to not miss on the possible confounders.

Magnesium – Nerves 

As vital as vitamin D for bone health and nerve functioning and as commonly deficient.

Magnesium is found in the center of the chlorophyll molecule or can be found dissolved in water, but we usually don’t eat enough greens or drink hard water any more.

So feel free to supplement and do blood tests now and then to check the levels. You want to stay at a higher range for optimal health.

Vitamin K  – Heart Health

Vitamin K is the main counter-balancer for vitamin D.  The latter facilitates calcium absorption in the gut, while the former sends it to where it’s mostly needed – to the bone matrix.

It is an association, but with well understood mechanism and dose dependency

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15514282/

If a 57% lower risk of dying from heart disease seems like a good idea to you, make sure to include vitamin K2 sources in your diet or(and) add supplements.

Omegas – Brain Health

EPA and DHA  are vital for proper brain function.  Aquatic hypothesis of evolution might be controversial, but fatty fish and shellfish consumption is directly linked with cognitive decline prevention by multiple studies.

The only catch is that the daily dose is quite significant: 2 or more grams. So as usual it is better to stick to the natural sources.

B12 – Energy

Vitamin B absorption falls with age.  But it is absolutely crucial to have a good amount of energy. 
Test yearly and supplement if needed.

Bonus: Salt

Salt has received bad rep in the past, but unlike sugar it is absolutely essential for health. There is no need to go crazy, but make sure to include some sea salt into your daily ration to avoid headaches and low energy.

6. Test – you can’t improve what you don’t measure

Hopefully you are already doing the tests below, if not – don’t forget to ask your doctor next time you go for a check up.

Vitamin D 
You need to gauge your supplementation, so it has to be tested anytime you adjust it.

ApoB
Shows actual cholesterol carrying particles traffic, which are directly responsible for the arteries damage(unlike very inaccurate  LDL-C tests)

Lp(a) 
Lp little a is the particle, which gives heart disease it’s bad name, significantly increases the chances of CVD. 

It’s mostly genetic, so everyone should test it at least once and follow with a cardiologist in case it’s elevated

Homocysteine
Marker of methylation, which is the key to every process in the organism.  5.0 to 7.0 mmol/L is the optimal range.

A1C

Approximation for the average blood sugar. You don’t want your “plumbing” to be stressed with gooey  liquid, so it’s good to keep it under 5%
Wearing a CGM device might be a better, more accurate approach.

 cRp

Inflammation marker. If you are not actively sick, it should be vanishingly low.  Inflammaging is a thing and is as bad as it sounds.

If you have an active “war” going on inside – all organs suffer. So keep an eye on it.

Additional tests:

Uric acid, thyroid and sex hormones.

Cancer Screening:

These can get expensive very quickly, but the earlier cancer is caught the better your chances. So don’t skimp on colonoscopy (or yearly blood inclusion), mammograms and 4kscore. 

It’s better to be false positive than sorry.

7. Finding the best doctor – do your best

All the tests above and more are very hard to do and interpret, if you do not work with a good healthcare practitioner.

How do we define good? It is someone, who doesn’t cover symptoms with the pills, but investigates the root causes. Someone who pays attention to you as a person and replies to emails. Someone who keeps up with the latest research and doesn’t blindly follow guidelines. 

Yes, it’s almost impossible to find this rare breed anymore outside of the concierge service, but here are 5 tips to get you on the right path:

-TBD (scheduling interview rn)

8. Know How’s – Small secrets and hacks

This is a fairly large subject, which is hard to fit into this guide.  It covers everything from being able to read and understand scientific data on a basic level and differentiate things like causation and correlation. The fact that animal data quite often doesn’t translate to humans. 

That there are such things as law of minimum (cover weak links first), pareto principle (spend effort where it matters) and normal distribution (ignore outliers)

That dose makes the poison and most things in biology follow a U curve: even clean water has a toxicity level.

That curcumin goes with black pepper and broccoli with mustard seeds to 10x the bioavailability.

So, don’t stop learning and make sure to follow our channels, where we cover all these things on a regular basis 

9. IKIGAI – The art of happiness 

This is the meaning of life times gratitude on steroids.

Try to see it from the point of evolution for a minute:

If this gene carrier is not doing anything to further its tribe, it’s just hogging the valuable resources and better be eliminated.

What it means is that your body on some level is programmed to self destruct, if it doesn’t find itself valuable to society. 

If you don’t get positive dopamine hits from creating something new or gratitude from others.. that’s where overeating, alcohol and drug abuse starts. 

Now please welcome the Japanese framework to happiness, gratitude and the small, daily meaning of life: IKIGAI.

First you go low and high, wide and narrow to find all the things which you love or can learn to love to do. 

( It doesn’t mean that you have to nail it from the first attempt, keep trying!)

Then you examine these things and find one, which you think the world needs the most. 

And then you just go at it. Developing your skill, part or full (if you are lucky) time, and receiving back the ever widening flow of gratitude. 

Science shows that gratitude of others is great at boosting immunity, mood and energy. Some experts even think that all by itself it’s more powerful than diet and exercise at predicting a long life.

Final (and optional) step of ikigai development is to get so good at what you do, that you start generate income from that activity. 

Yes,  that one which you love to do anyway, which also generates amazing health and mental benefits and which now you can do full time.

10. Community – don’t be an ass, be an asset.

Family members, friends, extended community – they all matter. Humans have evolved to live in groups and get emotional and physical support from the group. 

Yes, it takes a bit of effort, but It plays into every aspect of everything listed above: health, stress, finding right and quick solutions.

Nobody can know or do it all alone, we are not excluded.

If you find anything, which needs correction or addition in this article or site – please don’t keep it to yourself. Any exciting research – please email it to us. Any questions – ask them below. 

You get the idea, don’t be a stranger.

Final Words – Start today.

First time in the human history we have a chance to significantly increase life and health span. 

But the only way to see it happen during our lifetime is to work together. 

Which means You personally have to get involved. Because if we all hope “somebody else will do it” we all are going to lose.

The biggest challenge – is the learned helplessness in the face of aging, which halts all progress and important decisions.

Do your best to break that: share this article, follow and engage with our social channels. The more people we get on board the better are chances for everyone. 

YOU ARE IMPORTANT, YOU ARE NEEDED

v. 2023.06.15