Riffing on the Book, “Outlive”

I recently came upon a Linkedin post by Colin Keeley summarizing the points made by the author, Dr. Peter Attia. Below, I share Colin’s take on Attia’s work as well as my own comments that I want to emphasize to you, my lovely readers whom I adore and welcome ongoing conversations with regarding the following:

Keeley writes:

Peter Attia is the #1 longevity doctor.

He charges $150,000 a year to be his patient. (Imagine having him as your MD, right on!)

His 13-steps for a long healthy life:

1. Our Goal

Lifespan is the number of years you live.

Healthspan is how long you’re healthy enough to do the things that matter to you.

Longevity means maximizing healthspan and lifespan. Our goal is to live longer and live better.

It all starts with prevention...

2. Avoid Icebergs

Medicine 2.0 (medicine today) deals with problems after they present themselves.

Medicine 3.0 focuses on prevention over cures.

We are trying to avoid icebergs in the distance.

It is better and easier to avoid the first heart attack than treat it after.

3. The 4 Horsemen

There are four major killer diseases:

1. Cardiovascular disease

2. Cancer

3. Neurodegenerative disease

4. Type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction

Metabolic health is the common thread

In my opinion and vast knowledge of myriad forms of exercise, the above photo of Gyrokinesis exercise demonstrates one of the best and most satisfying examples of Zone 2 Exercise.

Exercise is our best prevention. What I offer to you and my beloved monthly clients every day is Zone 2 sessions.

Delivered at your convenience to your inbox, daily. 

What is the BEST prevention for Killer diseases, you guessed it, exercise!

That has been my obsession since I was two years old, and what I know and believe in with all my heart…really! Ask my Mom!

4. Exercise

Exercise is "by far the most potent longevity drug”.

Weekly:

- Weight training 3 days

- Zone 2 training 3 hours /week (Zone 2 training to stimulate mitochondrial function)

- VO2 max training 1 day

Get as fit as possible to prepare for natural decline with age.

What is Zone 2 training you ask?  Zone 2 typically refers to training at a moderate intensity, where the heart rate is around 60-70% of the maximum heart rate. This zone is often considered the "aerobic zone" or the "fat-burning zone." Training in this zone helps to improve the body's ability to utilize fat as a fuel source and builds a strong aerobic base.

During Zone 2 training, the exercise intensity is relatively comfortable, allowing individuals to sustain the effort for a longer duration. It helps improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and overall efficiency of the cardiovascular system. This type of training is commonly used in endurance sports such as cycling and swimming. This is definitely the type of exercise I recommend and Do with each and every class client I have. You could benefit from Zone 2 training now by trying out one of my Free Classes next month.  Just contact me for more details.

To determine your Zone 2 heart rate, you can use various methods such as calculating a percentage of your maximum heart rate, using heart rate reserve, or relying on perceived exertion. It's important to note that individual variations in fitness level and overall health may influence the specific heart rate ranges for Zone 2 training.

Consulting with a fitness professional or coach can provide personalized guidance and help tailor Zone 2 training to your specific fitness goals and needs.

5. Marginal Decade

You want to intentionally train for the activities you care most about continuing into your later years. Build up the strength and stamina while young to combat the predictable decline as you age. Want to ski at 80? You better be in the top 1% condition at 50.

Go for the Protein

6. Diet

Avoid fads. Attia recommends, (I do too!!) Keto (hard) or Mediterranean diet (easier). More monounsaturated fats & less carbs.

Avoid Standard American Diet:

- Highly refined carbohydrates

- Processed oils

- Added sugar

Eat more:

- Real food

- Avocados

- Olive oil

- Protein

- Nuts

7. Diet Questions

Are you undernourished or overnourished?

Are you undermuscled or adequately muscled?

Are you metabolically healthy or not?

Most have poor metabolic health, are over nourished, and are undermuscled.

You want to reduce energy intake while adding lean mass.

8. Sleep

Poor sleep impacts everything. It gives even seemingly healthy people "old-man blood": hormone and inflammatory levels of someone decades older.

Sleep tips:

- Cold room (64 degrees)

- Same bedtime daily

- Blacked-out room

- No alcohol

9. Heart Disease

Everyone 18+ has some degree of heart disease accumulating every day.

Get your ApoB and Lp(a) tested. Those matter more than cholesterol.

Goal: ApoB 20-30 (baby level)

Impossible to get there with diet & exercise alone. 80% of his patients take statins.

10. Cancer

Cancer is closely linked to metabolic dysfunction. Get healthy to avoid it.

This chronic inflammation creates an environment that induces cells to become cancerous.

Otherwise aggressive early screening is our best defense. Late detection is a death sentence.

Thank you to Colin for inspiring this post and especially to Dr. Attia for what I’ve heard was a long and laborious process in research and writing, taking him yrs to put Outlive together and make this information available to all of us.

This has inspired me to write the next post to come, Crack the Code to living beyond 100!

Link to Colin’s Linkedin post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/colinkeeley_peter-attia-is-the-1-longevity-doctor-activity-7078348879104004096-yTxD?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop