First off you may be wondering what exactly is my health span? I would define health span as the number of years of your life you spend in good health, free from disease and free of any disabilities normally associated with aging. In simple terms, it means not just counting the years of your life, but actually the quality of those years. My goal is to live to 100 or 110, but I want to be vibrant, healthy, and able to enjoy those added years. I don't want to spend the final years of my life fighting against a disease or just waiting to die, you feel me?
If we want to live long and healthy lives, then we need to know what should we be doing in our 30's, 40's, 50's, and beyond to improve our healthspan. How much do our genes play a role in how long we live and how we may or may not encounter the big three: diabetes, heart disease, or cancer? As someone who has studied genetics for the past 25 years I can tell you they play a role, but probably not as much as we used to think. There is a saying that your genes are the gun, but your lifestyle is what pulls the trigger. We have control over what happens, we can control our environment, and lifestyle factors are way more important than our genetics. In this post, I talk about how to understand your 23andme data and use it to improve your health and lifespan. In this post, I am going to give you my top ways to improve your lifespan regardless of your genes.
What I’m about to share with you is going to be surprisingly simple. The paradox is that the more we’ve grown to understand our genetics, epigenetics, and microbiome- the basics of human biology, the more we come to find out that it really isn’t our genes that dictate how we age and our future health ststus. It’s actually the lifestyle mediations that play an important role in turning on the function of our genes. What I am going to share with you is simple in the fact that these are all steps that anyone can take at any time in their life and actually turn on genes that reverse aging. The bottom line is your genes are not your destiny. You hold most of the power and making simple lifestyle changes can have a huge impact on how well we age. So, let's go!
Nutrition
Nutrition is number one for a reason. It is the single most impactful thing we can use to improve the quality of our life. We have to eat every day, and at each meal, you are choosing health or you are choosing disease. We have incredible power and control over our health in preventing chronic diseases and increasing our longevity simply by what we choose to fuel our bodies. Literally, the food and drink we put in our mouths have the ability to lengthen telomeres, enhance our longevity, and prevent disease. You have a pharmacy in your grocery cart- so choose wisely.
Here are some dietary characteristics that will aid in improving your lifespan:
Focus on adding a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. In a week, it is ideal and fun to aim for 30+ different plant varieties. Make a game out of it and see how many you can add. Choose organic whenever possible or at least the dirty dozen.
Avoidance of processed foods and refined sugars. Processed foods are the enemy, point-blank. This is not how humans are meant to eat. It may seem convenient now, but in the long run, you are doing major damage to your health. It's not worth it. Invest in a cooler bag, take a few hours a week to meal prep and make a few meals you can grab to-go or grab an apple, banana, or some nuts for those times when you can't make it to the next meal. Better yet, sit down and eat your meals, savor and enjoy them- this is the part of life we are meant to enjoy. But whatever you do avoid anything that comes in a package, even the ones that claim to be healthy. Don't buy it! Think about all the money that is spent by food manufacturers to make these foods addictive to humans, literally billions of dollars to get you to buy these things. Who benefits? Not you, not your health. But we have a choice and we can easily avoid those things. It may take a little more effort at first, but soon it will become second nature.
Think about eating a bag of potato chips. Pretty easy to eat the whole bag right, but could you eat 8 baked potatoes (the whole food version), probably not. I bet after 2 you would be pretty stuffed and not want to eat anymore. How is it we can eat the whole bag of chips, the same amount of potatoes, and even more calories with the added oils? Whole foods always win. Start where you can and then keep adding to your habits. If you can't avoid the convenience when you are running around with the kids, at least do it at home. Then find simple ways to make the switch, grab an orange instead of the bag of chips to snack on during the soccer game. Over time you can switch out all the junk for whole foods and you won't even miss it. Your tastebuds will actually change to prefer real food.
Water is the beverage of choice, we need water for all of our metabolic processes to happen efficiently. Nothing will age you faster than being dehydrated. Try to consume at least half your weight in ounces per day, more if you are active. This is the bare minimum, I like to aim for 3-4 liters a day. You can include plain water, carbonated water, infused water, and herbal teas in your daily tally. Don't count the smoothie, fruit juice (which is really just liquid sugar), or your cup(s) of tea or coffee. But eating water-rich vegetables and fruits or broth-based soups is also a great way to ensure you stay hydrated throughout the day. I love cucumbers, gazpacho and watermelon in the summer, these are full of great hydration and come along with some added vitamins and minerals. Follow my instagram @drinkwildair for more tips on how I stay hydrated and make it fun.
Protein, we need it and we can't make it. There is a lot of confusing information here so I going to try to make it simplified. At a minimum, you should be eating at least half your body weight in grams of protein per day. I emphasize this is a bare minimum. If you are trying to put on muscle, and we will discuss why that's important later, then you will need to aim for 0.8-1 g of protein per pound of body weight. We need more as we get old too, so getting in the habit of building meals around protein is a great thing to do when you are younger. Think about it like this, your body builds all of the things it needs (hormones, enzymes, hair, skin, muscles) out of the protein you eat. If it doesn't have enough protein it can't build the things it needs. What goes first are the non-essentials like hair, eventually, you will find your hormones going out of balance. For women getting pregnant, the body will choose to shut down reproduction if it doesn't have what it needs to thrive, this is a basic survival function.
What types of protein do we need? We want to be consuming high-quality proteins, like wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, organic free-range chicken, and eggs. And yes, plant-based proteins too, like beans, quinoa, peas, soy, and hemp. And you can make a complete protein by combining different plant sources, but the issue with relying solely on plants is that you would have to consume a lot of volumes (extra calories) to get your protein requirements met. Animal protein is by far the best bang for your buck, and if you don't want to be consuming food all day and all the added calories that come with it, then including the right amount of animal protein is key. Building each meal around protein (say 30-40 grams per meal) and then filling your plate with a variety of plants- especially non-starchy vegetables and leafy grees, will get you there without a whole lot of effort. This approach is also great for balancing your blood sugar, for satiety (ie. keeping hunger at bay), and staying lean throughout your life.
Sleep
In Professor Matthew Walker’s highly acclaimed book, Why We Sleep, he notes that “The shorter you sleep, the shorter your life span." Therefore, the old saying: ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You may be dead sooner and the quality of that life will be shorter and worse.
The catch-22 is that as we age, we have more trouble sleeping, while we need a good quality of sleep to live longer and healthier lives. As we age, our sleep patterns are disturbed, especially in the deep sleep stages. Unfortunately, we don't need less sleep as we age, we just have more trouble getting a good night's sleep. In this post, I talk all about the benefits of sleep, my top sleep tips, and sleep hygiene habits. I like using the Oura ring to track and monitor my sleep and stages and then use lifestyle modifications to improve sleep quality. One of the best improvements for me has been quitting drinking. I drink occasionally, but cutting out the daily glass or two of wine has made a tremendous improvement in my sleep quality and restored my deep sleep within weeks of quitting. Exercise, especially resistance training can also improve sleep quality, along with a slew of other benefits that it provides.
Optimal sleep characteristics of those that live long lives include maintaining strict and consistent sleep-wake schedules and retaining optimal levels of slow-wave (deep) sleep.
Many studies have shown that sleep is a major cornerstone for health and wellness. Optimal sleep may be the single most essential thing for resetting and restoring our body, while insufficient sleep affects nearly every physiological function in the body and is associated with the development and evolution of disease. You can begin to harness the power of sleep by following sleep hygiene tips and making it a non-negotiable priority for your overall health, wellness, and longevity.
Movement
I like to say "you have to use it or lose it." The best way to not lose it is to keep moving. At the very least we know we need to be making daily movement part of our life, and we know we should be getting at least 30 minutes a day, but what is the best form of movement. The best form of movement is anything that you will do regularly, if that means walking your dog, taking a hot yoga class, or going on a hike in nature, then go for it. All movement counts, anything that gets you up and ideally gets the blood pumping and elevates the heart. But start where you are and build from there. If you've been ill or injured, maybe just start by taking a walk to the mailbox and add on as you get stronger. If you need a suggestion, why not take your coffee and walk 15 minutes from your house, then turn around and come back. This gives you the added benefit of fresh air and a little vitamin D from the sun.
There have been studies showing that frequent movement throughout the day is even better, bonus is if these can be after meals as this helps to balance blood sugar by allowing your muscles to soak up any extra glucose that may be in your bloodstream after a meal. If you can't get in a 30-minute workout every morning, you can still get benefit from taking three 10-minute walks throughout the day. Stack these with meals and it's a no-brainer.
While walking and regular movement are important, we also need to be building strength. Strength training is a real longevity booster if you ask me. There are so many benefits, aside from the obvious that it makes you stronger, it also helps your body to burn calories more efficiently- muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so it can help use up any extra calories you consume and just burn more calories while you are sitting at your desk. Hello, free fat loss! Having lean muscles also improves posture, mobility, and bone density, it lowers your risk of injury, improves heart health, and helps manage blood sugar. Plus you may enjoy the added bonus of looking better in your clothes and in that bathing suit on your next trip to the pool or beach. All of these benefits have been proven in multiple studies and are backed by science. The single best thing you can do for yourself at any age is to start lifting weights. You can start even with bodyweight exercises and make sure to add resistance after you can hit 12 reps for 3-4 sets with ease. You know it's time to add weight when the last 2 reps feel easy. Add in 5-pound increments and if necessary start with a lower rep range like 8-10 reps. Once you get back to doing 12 reps with ease (for 3-4 sets) then add more weight.
Here are ten benefits to bringing weight lifting into your training program
Improved fat loss.
Enhance your mood and reduce stress.
Gain strength
Look and feel younger
Reduce your risk of injury, back pain and arthritis.
Improve your athletic performance.
Reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes
Reduce inflammation
Improve cognitive ability
Lowering blood glucose levels
Stress Management
I know we hear this one all the time and inevitably things come up, life gets busy and sometimes we just take on more than we can handle, so how do we prioritize stress management on top of an already busy schedule?
Ask for help
Carve out 5 minutes a day for breathwork or meditation, make this non-negotiable. It can be before you even get out of bed. It can be as simple as putting on hand on your belly and feeling your breath moving in and out. I like to remind myself that I deserve to slow down, that it is all ok, and that just for these 5 minutes everything really is ok. You'd be amazed how powerful this can be, especially when it is a regular daily habit. Set a timer on your phone or habit stack it with something you already do, like going to bed, waking up, brushing your teeth, or waiting for your coffee.
I have a self-care list on my phone and if things get crazy and I need to check out for a little while I pick on thing from this list and do it.
I also have a list of my non-negotiables, all the habits and things that I know make me feel good. Since adding this list I haven't had to use it, but the idea is that if sometime in the future, my life gets hectic and I fall off track, I will re-read this list to remind myself of the things that I need to do to feel better and get back on track. This is me looking out for my future self. Here is my list:
Community
As I'm sure we all learned during the pandemic, spending time with friends and family is key to mental health, it is also an essential component of longevity. Studies have shown that having close relationships and having a sense of connection and community are important predictors of long life. This can be challenging when we were in lockdown (hopefully those days are behind us) or during the winter months in colder climates. Whenever we can we should prioritize spending face-time with friends and family, but FaceTime and Zoom are great tools for when live interaction isn't possible. But if you do feel lonely maybe try to join a local club to meet people with similar interests, like golfing, tennis, knitting, reading or try a new fitness class. Scheduling something regular will keep you committed, and engaged with your community and gives you something to look forward to.
In the next post, I will talk about some extra credit in the form of supplements that you can take to give you added support. Some of these, well three to be exact, I find essential, the rest are supplemental, but amazing nonetheless. As my coach says "a peak performance lifestyle requires supplementation". Subscribe to stay tuned and learn more.
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