by I just had another birthday, and anyone over 50 will tell you that once you cross that particular milestone, it’s common to start thinking about ways to ensure the back nine of your lifetime will be fulfilling and not spent in doctor’s offices. And because it’s a part of my professional life, I thought about it long before my 50s.
Here’s the sad truth, though: most people these days, according to the stats, are going to have a tough time with the second half of their lives unless they start the fight. The best time to start that fight was years ago, but the second-best time is now. Today.
I just finished reading the book I wanted to write (and I may still write my version if I can only find the time): Outlive, by Dr. Peter Attia. In Outlive, Dr. Attia outlines “the four horsemen of chronic disease”: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. These four broad categories lead to the death of 80% of non-smokers over 50.
Attia’s approach to the four horsemen is prevention. And as I said above, the best time to start is years ago. I don’t want to rewrite his book here, but some of the highlights involve exercise, both cardio and strength training. He’s also big on the prevention and maintenance of orthopedic injuries (such as back, neck pain, and knee pain) that lead to our moving less, which in turn leads to deconditioning and, eventually, frailty. Of course, I’m here to help with the ortho injuries.
Here’s the sad truth about muscle: we need it badly. We lose it as we age at the rate of 3-5% per decade of life starting at age 30. The average octogenarian has about 30% less muscle than they did in their youth. That muscle loss can lead to falls, often deadly to older adults.
The good news is that the literature is replete with studies showing that strength training can help you build muscle for decades and maintain what you have even longer. And you can get much stronger than you think. But that’s not what’s happening to our society as a whole. Grip strength, for instance, has been steadily declining for decades. And grip strength and mortality are closely connected.
Another thing Attia talks about is “molecules” that can help fight the rising tide of aging. Many of the molecules in question are cholesterol-lowering drugs. He doesn’t get into supplements much, but a quick search reveals several articles detailing what he takes and why, which almost mirrors my list (that link will take you to my brand new online dispensary, Fullscript, where you can see my list and order other supplements, too. As always, feel free to message me with questions).
As I’ve mentioned, one of the significant changes/additions to my exercise program was the addition of the Peloton bike. I love how data-heavy the app is. It’s motivating to see the constant adaptations happening, and as I type this, I had another personal best just yesterday.
I swore I would add more (ok, any) cardio to the routine when I turned 50, but that event went down in 2020, and I found plenty of excuses not to do it that year. And 2021 could have been better, too. I found a lot of reasons to drink too much that year, though.
And that leads me to one of the most significant decisions I made to improve my health going into 2022–I decided to take a year off from drinking alcohol. And I haven’t looked back. I will write about that soon, as a profound change of that magnitude deserves its own post.
Here’s the bottom line with all of this: you’ve got to fight. Only you can fight the battle against the aging process for yourself. You can learn strategies from doctors and coaches, but you must do the work. You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t have fitness, you don’t have the one thing money can’t buy.
You should buy Attia’s book and start your journey.
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