- Blank Space
- Posts
- daily reflections: exercise actually helps you live longer and better
daily reflections: exercise actually helps you live longer and better
The most powerful thing you can do for your health (and life)
Joesurf
November 06, 2024
I was travelling, hiking up one of the most beautiful mountains in Korea when it suddenly hit me: I’m in such bad shape - I’m overweight and crazy unfit. Other than the physical repercussions we’re all quite familiar with (firsthand or not), being out of shape doesn’t feel good. And it will only go downhill from here.
The Challenge
That day and many others gave birth to a new challenge: get in the best shape of my life.
For this 100 days, I’ll be working to improve my fitness, nutrition, and overall health. But it’s not going to be just the usual exercise and diet.
I’ll be reading up and learning as much as I can about improving our health and sharing it with you in the form of a usable template.
Notes about Living Longer and Better
Outlive by Peter Attia, M.D.
Here’s a quick overview of the book:
Lifespan + Healthspan = (Accumulated Damage Over Time / Metabolic Function)^Time
Your body suffers from accumulative damage as you age, resulting in chronic illnesses and eventually death, due to a combination of genetic and environmental influences.
Your best bet to improve your quality and duration of life is to slow it down by maintaining or improving your metabolic function through nutrition, exercise, sleep, emotional health, and exogenous molecules.
The Four Horsemen
Or top diseases that make you miserable down the road
The main point here is that these diseases are cumulative and strike once a certain threshold is crossed, although that threshold is not always clear and is probably different from person to person.
You can think of this threshold as the combined damage done to your body over time, whether through the nature of aging, your genes or your actions.
The objective, therefore, is to minimise the damage done, so that you can delay these diseases as much as possible - by decades.
Atherosclerotic Disease | Cancer | Neuro-degenerative Disease | Metabolic Dysfunction |
|---|---|---|---|
This encompasses cardiovascular conditions like heart disease and stroke, primarily caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries, leading to reduced blood flow and potential blockages. | A group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues. Cancer can develop in almost any part of the body and is a major cause of mortality worldwide. | Diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's that result in the progressive degeneration of nerve cells, leading to cognitive decline, memory loss, and impaired motor functions. | This includes conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity, often resulting from insulin resistance. |
The Five Defenders
Or things you can do to live longer and better
Exercise more.
Eat better (and maybe less).
Sleep well.
Improve your emotional health.
Consume exogenous molecules (body-boosting substances).
Based on the observations Peter made, the most important one of all in achieving the above goal is exercise.
If you haven’t been doing any exercise at all, simply starting now will make a huge difference to your long-term health.
Recommended Types of Exercises
Doing a combination of the exercises below will give you the best chance at living longer and better.
Just remember this simple rule: do the kind of exercise that you will want to do when you’re older (and weaker).
Want to carry your grandchild? Lift weights in those direction to maintain your strength. Want to travel to multiple places during retirement? Jog frequently and climb staircases.
Type | Endurance | Intense | Strength | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Indicator | Distance / Duration | VO2 Max | Lifting Weight | Flexibility, Mobility, Balance |
Role | Ability to workout for a long duration at elevated heart rate | Ability to manage intense activities | Ability to generate force | Ability to harness, decelerate or stop force safely |
Exercises | Jogging, Cycling, Swimming | Sprints, HIIT | Farmer’s Carry, Kettlebell Swings, Deadlift | Breathing, Toe Yoga, Cat/Cow |
Notes | Workout at about 70 - 80% of max heart rate i.e. you will be able to hold a conversation but struggle slightly | Focus on increasing the rate which you can utilise oxygen | Focus on grip, concentric and eccentric loading, hip-hinging movements, pulling motions | Focus on feet, spine and shoulders |
Remember…
These chronic illnesses—caused by metabolic dysfunction—are the leading causes of death. And here’s the kicker: we’re all on this path, whether we realize it or not.
Metabolic dysfunction is like rust forming on a car. It happens slowly, quietly, until one day, the engine gives out. And unless something else gets to us first, this is what we’ll face too. No matter how healthy you think you are now.
But here’s the good news: exercise can slow down this “rusting” process. It’s not just about burning calories or building muscle—it’s about improving the way our body manages nutrients and energy, delaying the onset of these diseases.
You can find more technical details and reasoning for the above in Peter’s book Outlive. Try to get it at your local library.
Follow the journey
And so that’s what I’ve learnt so far. Stay tuned as I continue sharing my journey.
The next book on my list is The 4-Hour Body. Maybe I’ll stop finding excuses for a lack of time?
An hour a day for decades away,
Joesurf
#compounding