Heat, Cold & Other Stressors For Longevity

We need to induce adversity & stress in our lives: ancestrally, we’re built to withstand stress to survive – now, our society is built on comfort, so we aren’t expending energy to live anymore
“80% of your future health is in your hands – it’s modifiable, 20% is genetic which you can’t do much about. You have the tools to change your aging.” – Dr. David Sinclair
Try to get low-intensity exercise every day – walk around the block after dinner
Exercise vigorously (high-intensity training), 10-15 minutes per day, totaling 75 minutes per week
Resistance train regularly to build and maintain muscle mass – particularly in big muscle groups of the back, legs, posterior chain
Cycle heat and cold exposure as often as possible, even every day – if you don’t have access to a facility, vary the temperature in the shower or bath, change the temperature in your house

Ancestrally, we’re built to withstand stress to survive – now, our society is built on comfort, so we aren’t expending energy to live anymore
Adversity mimetics: things that mimic biological adversity that is conducive to better lifespan and healthspan
Adversity signals survival circuit and turns on specific survival genes
A single gene alteration can have a significant impact on an organism’s lifespan
Three main adversity sensors: mTor (senses levels of amino acids in the cell), AMPK (senses energy/glucose), sirtuins (sense NAD)

“Get off your ass” – Dr. David Sinclair
Sitting is bad for us: even if you work, alternate between a standing desk and sitting
Your body needs to be in a state where it is pushed to take in more oxygen and mimic hormetic effects
Exercise isn’t just for aesthetics: exercise can slow down cancer, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and reduce all-cause mortality
Most diseases are an accumulation of symptoms of aging – if you slow the disease rate, you’ll reduce aging
10,000 steps is not a magic number but when we move we burn calories and get the body into a better state
Tip: take a walk after you eat
We need a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise
Vigorous exercise: get breathing rate and heart rate up for at least 10 minutes 3x/week
Hypoxia turns on helpful genes to stimulate blood vessel growth and mitochondria & free radicals are generated
Exercise at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week
Building stamina: the more mitochondria you have, the more chemical energy you’ll produce and build blood vessels and transport more oxygen to the body
Exercise doesn’t just mean running: you can go for a long walk, paddleboard, skateboard, weight lift, play sports, etc.
Resting heart rate is a good measure of fitness, if it is high you’re either too stressed or unfit

Resistance training or weight training supports posture and ability to stay upright, maintains hormone levels, improves balance, builds or maintains muscle mass – especially as aging
In the U.S., 19 people per minute fall and break a hip which is close to a death sentence in older age
You can boost testosterone by maintaining large muscle groups – legs, back, posterior chain
In just 12 weeks, exercise can slow and kill senescent cells

As we age, muscles and brain become less sensitive to glucose
Muscles don’t bring in glucose as effectively and lead to damage in blood vessels and the brain which trigger disease
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is made by muscles after exercise and stimulates production of blood vessels which transport oxygen
People who exercise are epigenetically younger than people who haven’t based on the Horvath clock and other similar clocks measuring biological aging
“80% of your future health is in your hands – it’s modifiable, 20% is genetic which you can’t do much about. You have the tools to change your aging.” – Dr. David Sinclair
You can’t improve what you don’t measure – InsideTracker: David Sinclair co-founded a company that can tell you biological age and creates personalized and actionable plans to help people optimize their bodies through nutrition, supplements, and lifestyle

Hyperbaric chamber: room or standing tube where pressure is increased and the amount of oxygen you breathe in is increased as a result
The science: hyperbaric chamber can reverse telomere shortening which will slow down aging
You can spend an hour in a hyperbaric chamber and read, meditate, etc.
Results of human studies on hyperbaric oxygen treatment: improved memory, increase in T helper cells, reversal of telomere shortening
Theory: hyperbaric chambers work similar to exercise and simulate hypoxia
Tested protocol: 5 sessions per week, 90-minutes in length, for 12 weeks

A huge benefit of being cold is the production of brown fat which revs metabolism, is high in mitochondria, burns white fat, and possibly secretes healthy hormones
Cryotherapy lasts a few minutes and can feel good for several days after
Start in middle age before it becomes harder to incorporate discomfort
If you don’t have access to cryo-chamber: take a cold shower, sleep with fewer covers

Heat therapy is one of the most ancient therapies for aging
Men who participate in the sauna a few times per week have about 20% less risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality caused by heart attacks
Sauna activates heat shock proteins which help fold proteins correctly and stimulate pathways that build blood vessels and make more mitochondria
There isn’t a verified protocol but it doesn’t seem like you can overdo it as long as it’s a dose you can tolerate and maintain
If you don’t have a sauna, take a hot bath or shower