Assumed/Intended Audience:
This post assumes the reader is interested in improving his/her overall health and wellness, especially how we can live long and health lives.
Author Background/Experience:
The author is not a medical professional but a public health expert with years of experience in physical activity and coaching athletes.
I listened to Dr. Peter Attia discuss his book “Outlive” on Andrew Huberman’s podcast and was immediately intrigued. The book’s goal is to maximize both the length and quality of our lives. “Outlive” serves as a comprehensive guide to healthy aging.
Despite its considerable size, “Outlive” is not a dense academic read. It delves into essential topics such as diet, exercise, sleep, blood markers, and mental health. Dr. Attia introduces the “four Horsemen” of disease, threatening a long, healthy life.
The specific diseases he identifies as the “four horsemen” are:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD): This includes heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, which are the leading causes of death worldwide.
- Cancer: Various forms of cancer, which can affect almost any part of the body, are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.
- Neurodegenerative diseases: This category includes diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, which affect cognitive function and independence.
- Diabetes mellitus (Type 2 diabetes): A metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period, leading to numerous health complications.
Attia focuses on these conditions because they are largely preventable through lifestyle changes, such as diet, exercise, sleep optimization, and stress management. Outlive provides detailed strategies to combat these threats, forming the book’s core.
Three Quotes - Outlive
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
“Another, related issue is that longevity itself, and healthspan in particular, doesn’t really fit into the business model of our current healthcare system. There are few insurance reimbursement codes for most of the largely preventive interventions that I believe are necessary to extend lifespan and healthspan. Health insurance companies won’t pay a doctor very much to tell a patient to change the way he eats, or to monitor his blood glucose levels in order to help prevent him from developing type 2 diabetes. Yet insurance will pay for this same patient’s (very expensive) insulin after he has been diagnosed. Similarly, there’s no billing code for putting a patient on a comprehensive exercise program designed to maintain her muscle mass and sense of balance while building her resistance to injury. But if she falls and breaks her hip, then her surgery and physical therapy will be covered. Nearly all the money flows to treatment rather than prevention—and when I say “prevention,” I mean prevention of human suffering.”
“I am increasingly persuaded that our 24-7 addiction to screens and social media is perhaps our most destructive habit, not only to our ability to sleep but to our mental health in general. So I banish those from my evenings (or at least, I try to). Turn off the computer and put away your phone at least an hour before bedtime. Do NOT bring your laptop or phone into bed with you.”
Three Takeaways - Outlive
Importance of Strength Training
My first takeaway involves the critical importance of strength training. It seems that most athletes either prefer cardio based activies or strength training. For over a decade I’ve been an avid runner so you can go ahead and put me in the “prefers cardio” group. Because of this, I underestimated strength training’s value, especially as we age. Dr. Attia highlights that aging leads to loss of muscle mass and strength, essential for preventing falls and maintaining independence. Inspired by “Outlive,” I’ve now incorporated strength training into my fitness routine.
The Impact of Mental and Emotional Health
The second takeaway concerns mental and emotional well-being. I used to overlook this aspect until the COVID-19 pandemic tested my resilience. “Outlive” encouraged me to embrace mindfulness and yoga, enhancing my physical and mental health. Dr. Attia shares his very personal journey with dealing with mental health challenges and some techniques he uses regularly to be the best version of himself. Like our physical well being, our mental health is not something we can simply check off and move along. It requires daily care, patience, and practice.
The Centenarian Decathlon
Lastly, Dr. Attia’s concept of the “centenarian decathlon” profoundly impacted me. It prompts us to envision the activities we wish to perform at 100. Do we want to be able to walk to the mailbox, cook dinner for ourselves, or pick up a grandchild (or maybe great-grandchild if we are actually 100!)? The ability to perform these simple takes at age 100 will be dependent on the actions we take now in our 30s, 40s, or 50s.
Of course, our genes and a bit of good fortune are necessary as well for a long and healthy life. These are things that are out of our ability to control.
Therefore, it is all the more important to control the actions and behaviors that we can control. Following the path laid out in Outlive is a significant first step.
Pick Up A Copy for Yourself...
And let me know what you thought.
