It’s been a minute since I published an article here. The last couple months have been busy and introspective. I took an awesome ski trip to Chamonix. It was my first time skiing in Europe and all I can say is the French Alps are completely mesmerizing. It was one of the most jaw-dropping, beautiful places I’ve ever been. And this from a guy who spends a lot of time in and appreciates the Colorado mountains. I literally couldn’t stop taking pictures.
I started addressing and taking care of a lingering knee issue I’ve been dealing with for over a year. I wasn’t able to run or ski for over a month after a PRP injection. I’m finally back running again, but that time being forced to sit on the sidelines reminded me to not take the things that improve your health, well-being and mental state for granted. I think it’s a good thing to get knocked down every once in a while to reset that perspective. And I’m loving the process of ramping back up and feeling strong again. That can easily get lost in the daily grind of day-to-day training. The little things that promote health, well-being and a positive mindset can easily get lost in the day-to-day grind of life as well.
And unfortunately, we said goodbye to my father-in-law.
Albert Shaw was a great man. He loved his family, was very generous, never had a bad word to say about anybody, liked to joke around (sometimes at your expense) and never hesitated to chat it up with a total stranger. He said he just liked to make people smile.
Over the years, dementia took over and his quality of life really started to decline. You don’t often think about your own decline when you’re in your 20s, 30s and early 40s. But seeing the decline of a loved one, either cognitively or physically, makes you start to wonder what you can do to prevent it from happening to you.
The reality is we’re all going to age. It’s inevitable. We’re all going to feel our physical abilities start to fade. We’re all going to have a harder time learning new skills, retaining information and recalling memories. Hell, I'm 44 and if I don't write something down or do it right away, damn good chance I forget to do it...
But are there things you can do to push off that cognitive and/or physical decline? Are there things you can do now to give yourself a better chance to have an awesome quality of life when you’re 70, 80, 90 or, dare I say, 100 years old?
Science says yes.
Besides the very obvious of not smoking and consuming alcohol in moderation, here are a few areas to consider for yourself:
1. Sleep - "The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life." Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley, is one of the world’s leading sleep experts and author of “Why We Sleep”. Walker has an excellent TED Talk that’s worth the 20 minutes to watch. In his talk, Walker highlights that during daylight savings in the spring when we lose an hour of sleep, there’s a 24% increase in heart attacks the following day worldwide. Subsequently, in the fall when we gain an hour of sleep, there’s a 21% reduction in heart attacks the following day.
Another highlight is how lack of sleep increases your risk of cancer. What’s the correlation? Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of white blood cell and they attack and eliminate cancer and virally-infected cells from forming and spreading. Getting just four hours of sleep in a given night reduces NK cell activity by 70%, decreasing your immune system's ability to fight off disease.
2. Exercise - One of the world’s leading longevity experts, Dr. Peter Attia, said “Never in the history of human civilization has a 90-year-old said, 'I wish I had less muscle.'” Aerobic efficiency, anaerobic performance, flexibility, stability and, most importantly, strength are all critical to longevity. Muscle mass begins to decrease around 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline increases after 60 years of age. Later in life, muscle mass will help you carry your groceries, climb up stairs, play with your grandchildren and prevent you from falling and potentially breaking a bone. Maintaining a regular strength training regimen can help push off the involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength and function. It’s literally never too late to start lifting weights.
Cognitive decline is also almost twice as common among adults who are inactive compared to those who are active. Daily exercise is also a key factor in helping to maintain a healthy weight, which will reduce the impact on your joints over the long-term. For every one pound lost, you remove four pounds of pressure off your knees.
But please consult your doctor or a certified strength and conditioning coach before starting or making any significant changes to your exercise regimen.
3. Personal Relationships - The Harvard Study of Adult Development started in 1938 when it started tracking 268 sophomores at the university and was expanded to 456 inner-city residents in 1970. According to the study, the people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80. Relationship satisfaction was a stronger predictor of mental and physical health than cholesterol levels. And this is not exclusive to marriage. The study found that having strong friendships and social connections also help delay the onset of mental and physical decline. So call that friend you haven't spoken with in a while and meet up for coffee. Hang on to those people that make an effort to stay in touch.
4. Gut Health - I’ve written before about the connection between your brain and your gut. It’s literally true that a healthy mind helps create a healthy body and a healthy body helps create a healthy mind. Proper gut health, along with stress management, is key in the absorption of nutrients and minerals.
A 2019 study found that a positive mindset can lead to a 11-15% increase in lifespan and greater odds of living to 85 years of age and beyond, and is independent of things such as health conditions, health behaviors and social integration. A healthy gut helps create the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) that enhance our feelings of well-being, motivation, pleasure and happiness that lead to positive thinking.
5. Keep Learning - The more you use your muscles, the less they will atrophy. The brain works in similar ways. The more you use your brain, the more oxygen it requires. Your body increases blood flow to the brain, and the health of your brain benefits from this higher demand.
Learning something new, or even simply reading for 20 minutes, every day improves brain connectivity and can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. I’ll always advocate for activities that will reduce screen time, but even apps like Lumosity and Elevate provide brain exercises to work on memory and cognitive strength.
6. Nutrition - I put this last for a reason. Generally speaking, if you eat lots of fruits and vegetables (preferably organic), drink lots of water (target half your body weight in ounces - ex. If you weigh 150 lbs, target 75 ounces of water per day), reduce or eliminate sugar and stay away from processed foods as much as possible, you’re pretty much there. The truth is there is no specific diet that works for everyone. Everyone’s biology and circumstances are different. My diet even changes throughout the year. I take in more carbs when I’m in race season and training hard, and back off of carbs during the offseason when when my fueling needs aren't as high. Nuts and seeds are often considered superfoods because they're packed full of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, but they could kill someone with a nut allergy. So nutrition is highly personal, and the best person to help dial in the perfect diet for you is a registered dietician.
Now I know your head may be spinning right now with everything you need to account for to have a great quality of life down the road. Relax. Don’t boil the ocean. Addressing even just one or two of these could have a profound impact on your quality of life, both now and decades from now. Obviously the earlier you start to incorporate some of these into your daily life, the better. But just know it’s NEVER too late to start.
And this isn't about being perfect. I've said before that perfection is a myth and should never be a goal. It's just about building and maintaining healthy habits. If you get poor sleep one night, or you miss leg day at the gym, don't beat yourself up. It will be ok.
If there are areas in your daily habits that you feel you can improve, START SMALL. Just pick one area, and make one small change that you can commit to for the next three weeks. That’s it. Just one thing.
Need some ideas?
Commit to going to bed and waking up at the same time, even on the weekends
Commit to getting 10 minutes of sunlight within one hour of waking up
Commit to lifting weights 2x times per week
Commit to stretching for 10 minutes every morning
Commit to drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages
Commit to walking 30 minutes every day
Commit to reading 20 pages of a book every day
Commit to keeping your phone out of your bedroom at night
Commit to meditating for 5 minutes every day
Again, these are just a few ideas. Brainstorm on your own for other things that you can incorporate into your daily or weekly routine and stick to it for at least three weeks.
Now, it will probably take around two months of consistency for a new behavior to become an automatic habit, but 21 days is roughly the minimum amount of time needed to adapt to a new behavior. According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, it can take anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for habits to become automatic, with the average at 66 days.
Now, none of this will guarantee that you won’t experience some sort of decline. Again, physical and cognitive decline is inevitable. But being proactive earlier in your life will help push that decline off by years, or perhaps decades. And if you want help with prioritizing and building healthy habits, let's chat.
Rest in peace, Big Al.
Note: This information is meant to provide you with some insight to improve your long-term health and well-being. Always consult with your doctor or a licensed healthcare professional before making any major changes to your diet or exercise regimen.