Layers of Protection: Nutrition, Exericse, and Stress Reduction

A New Year and a Few New Layers of Protection

Last year, I filmed a podcast episode with Dr. Sajad Zalzala, M.D. of AgelessRX. His company is focused on providing patients with top-of-the-line medications, compounded supplements, and medical devices aimed exclusively at helping them defy aging. Dr. Zalaza’s approach to longevity mirrors my own thoughts on how to increase healthspan and longevity, be it the creation of a multilayered strategy that targets a broad range of age driven damage pathways. For example, the drug Metformin, a gold standard in managing patients in the early onset type II diabetes, has been researched for its potential links to extending longevity and offering anticancer benefits in animal models. Whether Metformin’s potential benefits outweigh its recorded side effects in humans (one side effect being a decrease in the efficacy of exercise), the concept of using a combination of drugs similar to Metformin is intriguing. Could someone use a systemic dosing regimen of longevity drugs to target the multiple mechanism of human aging? Although drugs are indeed an area of interest, sticking to a well-rounded regimen of exercise, nutrition, and stress reduction is the baseline everyone should consider for maintain optimal long term health.

Soukas, A. A., Hao, H., & Wu, L. (2019). Metformin as Anti-Aging Therapy: Is It for Everyone?. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM, 30(10), 745–755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2019.07.015

Over the past few months, I’ve worked to establish for myself a somewhat manageable routine while balancing medical school academics, Redox, and teaching night classes (while I wait for military pay benefits to kick in). During this period of time, my own “longevity training” took a hit due to the sheer volume of work each of my responsibilities required. Long gone are the days of multi-hour gym sessions. Due to the mental demand my days require, I’ve had to modify my training plans in almost every way. Although I still exercise daily and prioritize my nutrition, I’ve shortened my routines by focusing only on high yield outcomes. Now that the dust has settled, I’ve had a chance to reconfigure my upcoming spring schedule to all for more time prioritized for optimal long-term health training. Below, I’ve created a few concepts and strategies I plan to integrate within my daily routine to help me create a new layer of health protection. Some of these concepts are drawn directly from Alexi Turchin’s “Map of Currently Available Life Extension Method”. You can find my video with Alexi Turchin below.

1. Increase Mental Performance and Decrease Stress through targeted training, supplements, and nutrition.

This concept is fairly straight forward, I want to implement into my life a series of protocols aimed at maximizing my cognitive abilities, mental performance, and mental wellbeing. From my experience in medical school so far, I can attest to the sheer volume of work placed on each student.

• Maximize sleep – aim for 9 hours a night
• Daily practice of meditation, journaling, and self-reflection
• Create a targeted supplement list (based on scientific / peer review literature) that supports cognitive function
• Focus on establishing mutually beneficial friendships in multiple areas of my life
• Consider some form of talk therapy on a monthly basis

 Although mentioned briefly above, improving my diet should positively impact my mental performance. Although I currently eat what most would consider a stringent diet, I found that my meal timing, caloric intake, and food quality have become drastically disordered throughout the initial months of medical school. Due to the amount of food, I burn through on a daily basis as a result of my calorie needs has impacted my monthly budget more than any of variable.

• Creating a sustainable routine for grocery shopping and meal prep. I started out medical school strong, meal prepping with newly purchased glass wear from IKEA, packed in an ice cooler. However, as the days rolled on, I found myself less motivated to pack meals, resulting in more frequent stops to Wawa, Walmart (for a day’s worth of groceries), and Aldi’s (a convenient place to pick up a piece meal lunch). My goal for the next year is to prioritize the time and energy needed to meal prep to ensure that my food is driving me forward.
• Develop a Super Food Smoothy – The best wellness coaches I know usually rely on a super food smoothy to power through their busy morning. Ben Greenfield has his anti-aging slurry, Dr. Rhonda Patrick has her micronutrient version, and Dr. Peter Attia has his blood sugar stabilization shake he has explained on his podcast. The easiest explanation for this trend is that packing high nutrient foods into something portable and satiating can save time, increase your daily nutrient intake, and help you cut back on meal frequency.

My New Years exercise goal is simple, create an efficient and sustainable exercise routine that will help me reach my fitness goals without subtracting time from my schedule.

• Set Clear Objectives When Strength Training. Over the last years, I focused my strength training primarily on muscle gain (hypertrophy) and strength. As a result, I’ve added roughly ten pounds of muscle to my frame while maintain relatively lean. Throughout this process, I realized that at some point you can have to much muscle. Unless you are working a job that requires maximal strength, finding a balance between aesthetics, functionality, and body composition is a better way to train.
• Decrease Workout Time by Increasing Intensity. I plan to increase my intensity, aiming to complete a workout in ¾ the time while still reaching 90% of the benefits. How is this possible? Simple planning workouts with agonist / antagonist super sets, super setting more often, and increasing nutrition mid workout are all possible solutions.
• Increase Non-Specific Exercise. Walking on an incline treadmill for 30 minutes while watching an educational video has become a staple in my life. I plan to consistently increase my daily caloric output by adding in extra activities that burn calories. For example, riding a bike at a relativity low intensity while watching a 30-minute video can burn an additional 300 calories. Adding more exercise into your life allows for more leniency when it comes to daily caloric intake.