Old age was supposed to be the golden years when you finally stop giving two hoots about other people’s opinions.
But now, aging is referred to as a disease that can be cured by lifestyle medicine. You can live youthfully in your 80s with the vigor of a 40-year-old.
Dr. David Sinclair, a renowned Havard Geneticist is teaching people how to defy aging by making integral lifestyle changes.
Here are the top four lifestyle changes he had made in his life to live a long healthy life.
1. The best longevity-boosting exercise
The short period makes this exercise easy but the torturous intensity level will kick your butt.
You will be sweating like a roasted pig in just mere minutes. HIIT is a vengeful exercise that will make you want to hurt your trainer.
But it is the most effective exercise if you want to boost your lifespan and health span.
Adding HIIT to your regular workout will boost your health and vitality. Two 20-minute sessions every week is enough to garner its great benefits.
This study found that HIIT performed better than moderate-intensity exercise to lower all-cause mortality for people in their 70s.
In the 5 years of research, 3% of HIIT participants died as compared to 6% of the moderate intensity group. So, short bouts of intense exercise are the secret to longevity.
HIIT is intimidating for a beginner but it's a high-reward exercise as it fires up your metabolism but bad form can lead to injuries.
So, you have to be extremely careful when you begin your HIIT journey. There is a wonderful loophole for beginners that will help you transition easily.
According to this study fast walking can be classified as HIIT exercise. So, add a power walk to your exercise routine now.
Then gradually move on to more intensive workouts. You can find thousands of beginner HIIT workouts on youtube easily.
SIT(Sprint Interval Training) is by far the best HIIT practice. Sprint for 30 seconds followed by 2–3 minutes of slow running or power walking. Do this circuit 5 times.
2. Your meal timings matter more than you think
Diet is the primary factor for a healthy life. Your longevity won’t thrive on a shitty diet.
But your meal timings also matter when it comes to longevity. Turns out fasting is just as essential for longevity as a healthy diet.
According to this
study
, intermittent fasting can protect you from the two most dangerous chronic diseases — Diabetes and Heart disease.
It can also lower oxidative stress which is a biomarker for longevity.
Intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight. You eat your daily calories in a pre-defined window of 8/10 hours and then fast for the rest of the day.
In the beginning, you will have to experiment with multiple fasting variations to finally find your footing.
Alternate day fast can also help you improve longevity, but it is extremely difficult to fast for 24 hours straight.
So, start small by observing a 12-hour fast daily for a week. Then extend your fast to a 14-hour fast, which is my sweet spot as I can do them quite easily.
Once you are comfortable with a 14-hour fast try fasting for 16 hours.
3. The only restriction you need to make in your diet
Dr. Sinclair admitted that he never eats red meat. According to him, most blue zones have a heavily plant-based inspired diet, with exception of fish.
He believes that eating a modified version of a plant-based diet that includes a little meat and fish will help you boost longevity.
This study found that one serving of red meat daily increased the risk of death by 13%, this risk shot to 20% if it was processed meat.
He is adamant about his stand against red meat. It can help athletes bulk up but it's non-beneficial for longevity.
In a 2022 interview , he came out as vegetarian and many studies found that vegetarians live longer than non-vegetarians.
It has been proven again and again that red meat can shorten your life, so cut back on your red meat consumption to boost longevity.
Choose healthier options like fisk and white meat instead.
4. Cold temperature is your friend
Wim Hoff’s cold therapy can help you boost longevity. Exposure to cold temperatures helps you activate brown fat which is known as an anti-obesity treatment.
Moreover, cold therapy can reduce inflammation which can help you reduce oxidative stress.
Cold therapy has an anti-inflammatory effect on your health and can decrease the damage caused by chronic stress.
You can even slow down brain aging with cold therapy. It can repair and regenerate neurons and prevent cognitive decline.
Cold therapy is the ultimate solution for avoiding chronic diseases, maintaining a stable weight, and preventing cognitive decline.
Cold showers are terrible but over time you will get used to them, dare I say even enjoy them.
Dr. Sinclair advises taking an ice bath once a week. He also advises to not take it after a workout, as it can lower the effects of the workout.
Conclusion
Longevity can be achieved easily if you follow a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy, working out, and doing cold therapy is the secret to a long life.
But you need to start this quest by giving up your bad habits first. Cold therapy won’t do jack shit if you smoke like a chimney.
A good diet won’t help you if you drink like a fish. And exercise won’t make you happy if you don’t take your mental health seriously.
So, start by giving up your vices if you want to live a long healthy life.