Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity - Peter Attia with Bill Gifford

How brave of Peter Attia to share about his history of abuse and to close the book on such a personal note. The truth is that I am as guilty as anybody of projecting impossible ideals onto the experts that I read, when I equally believe in stoic philosophies and the vicissitudes of life. None of us are immune. If anything, the challenges of these authors and leaders should remind me that it truly can be that the depths of your sorrows are linked to the heights of your joy. Let me apply what I’ve learned from my coach and put that in my own voice. I am determined to take the depths of my pain today and transform them into my next soaring heights. 

I have not yet fully healed from the events of January 1st, but I know that they have freed me from the doubts I had before, the fake ideas that I imagined the abuse heaped upon me, the degree of abandonment, the unrealistic expectations that I took, believed and made my own. My eyes are clear and my heart is full.

I love that the same advice is given in books for longevity, fertility and peak performance. Peter Attia’s book is a useful assemblage of these concepts. I summarize the useful points for myself with personal insights for my own future reference.

There are two types of death: fast death and slow death, i.e. accident vs. disease/aging.

Strategy vs. tactics. Lifespan vs. Healthspan. I want strategy and tactics to improve my healthspan, my quality of life for as long as I can.

The older you get, the healthier you’ve been. If you assume a percentage decline by decade, then you better start at a peak at your current age. For me, I’m in my 40s and I need to increase my health indicators to a degree that I can afford their gradual deterioration and still end at my desired level of health in my 90s and 100s. 

Personally, I had 3 grandparents who lived into their 90s, and only one who died from a tragic accident. Genetically, I am less worried. I do believe my mother’s breast cancer, which she survived, was linked to the degree of stress. For me, that means that the emotional health component is incredibly important. From a diet perspective, I am grateful for my struggles in the US standpoint because it forced me to clean up my diet in a way I may not have done so early in any other location. Unfortunately, I do think I have higher exposure to potential carcinogens and other, and possibly unknown, long-term killers. I also know that I have not always made the best health choices, so I am focused on my recovery to make back the years and health that I lost. 

The Four Horsemen: cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative conditions, and type 2 diabetes and related metabolic dysfunction. 

Framework of Principles: exercise, nutritional biochemistry, sleep, emotional health, exogenous molecules

Barry’s is great for improving cardio health, lung health, and pushing up my max VO2 levels. It works on stability and strength. 

I think I finally understand how much I’ve avoided cardio because of my lifestyle choices. I hid behind my natural physical gifts and prevented myself from seeing how much damage I was doing. 

Too much repetition of any activity, physical or mental, just improves your performance at that activity, not necessarily lending as much benefit. I must continue to be open to other activities, and to do things like hiking and piano that introduce flexibility.

Training 101: aerobic efficiency zone 2, maximum aerobic output VO2 max, strength

Strength training: grip strength, attention to concentric and eccentric loading for all movements (muscles shortening and lengthening; lift weight and place it down; go up hill and down hill), pulling motions, hip-hinging movements

Alcohol as its own category of macronutrient because it is so widely consumed, it has such potent effects on our metabolism, and it is so calorically dense at 7 kcal/g. 

90% of male rage is helplessness masquerading as frustration.


Tactics to Play With:

- major physical testing

- intermittent fasting, just less hours eating

- switch up routines from time to time

- yoga to maintain and build flexibility, stability, mental wellness

- hiking and beach for mental wellness, paddle boarding, time outdoors with Q, stability

- running with Q occasionally, maybe a jog once a week?

- grip strength, hand strength - does weight training and piano, playing instruments, do enough here?

- Concept of Centenarian Decathlon: physical tasks with different ranges of motion, need for stamina, stability, flexibility

- add practice of hanging, or a pull-up

- more endurance Zone 2 aerobic training, in the can talk but don’t really want to, for prolonged periods, could be jogging with Q, zone 2 maximum level of effort that we an maintain without accumulating lactate

- dance could be endurance Zone 2 training

- maximum VO2 training, probably Barry’s good for this

- the balance evaluation, like Su found in Culver City, so that I can see how balanced I am

- careful with phone, computer posture, to prevent bad posture from work habits

- sleep: temperature, screen time at night, stress levels, wind down routines






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