AIviSORIAT

What works well to lead a long, healthy and productive life?

This is the key question on this section of the blog. Based on my lifelong personal experiences and efforts to lead a long, healthy and performant life.

Looking into the key building blocks for this: Fitness, nutrition, supplements, resilience, and the exciting field of "longivety".

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional so this is just my personal experiences and "life hacks". Simply what works well for me. Please always consult a doctor if you have medical issues or concerns.
 

Fitness:

Mastering the Balancing Act: Prioritizing Fitness in a Busy Life

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, juggling work, family, friends, and various commitments can feel like an endless challenge. Amidst it all, maintaining our health and fitness often takes a backseat, especially when we're trying to protect precious sleep. However, I've found that with the right strategies and mindset, it's entirely possible to prioritize both fitness and a fulfilling life.

The Foundation: Body & Mind as the Operating Platform

I firmly believe that our physical and mental well-being forms the foundation upon which our lives are built. Without a healthy and strong body and mind, it's incredibly difficult to achieve anything worthwhile, be present for loved ones, or simply enjoy life to the fullest. Material possessions can always be replaced, but our health is irreplaceable. This realization helps me prioritize fitness as a non-negotiable aspect of my life.

The Calendar as a Powerful Tool

Your calendar is a reflection of your priorities. If something truly matters, make time for it and guard that time slot fiercely. I personally aim to work out three times a week, and I ensure those workouts are scheduled and protected in my calendar.

Efficiency and Focus During Workouts

When I'm in the gym, I prioritize compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, power cleans, clean-to-presses, pull-ups, and bench presses. These exercises work multiple muscle groups simultaneously, maximizing efficiency and building functional strength. I also incorporate kettlebell exercises like swings, snatches, and halos, which add variety and challenge.

To further optimize my workouts, I maintain a fast pace, keeping my heart rate elevated even during weightlifting. Short rest periods of 30-60 seconds between sets contribute to the intensity. I often finish with one or a few short and intense Tabata-style sessions to push my limits.

Planning Ahead for Success

Whether I'm traveling for business or pleasure, I always research workout options in advance. This might involve choosing a hotel with a gym or locating public gyms near my destination. Planning ahead ensures that I can maintain my fitness routine even when I'm away from home.

Staying Curious and Informed

I approach fitness and health with a curious and inquisitive mind. I'm always learning about the latest research, exploring new trends, and seeking evidence-based information. Understanding how my body and mind work empowers me to make informed choices and optimize my well-being.

Conclusion: Balancing fitness with a busy life is achievable. It's about prioritizing health, making time for workouts, focusing on impactful exercises, planning ahead, and staying informed about the science behind fitness and longevity. Remember, there's no magic bullet, but consistent action and discipline can lead to remarkable results. Your body and mind are your most valuable assets. Treat them with the respect they deserve, and they will reward you with a life of vitality, resilience, and fulfillment.

I'm excited to share more insights and strategies for optimizing your fitness and well-being in future blog posts. Stay tuned!

My "No Gym Rat" Workout: Maximum Results in Minimum Time

I often hear the lament, "I wish I had more time for the gym." While I'm all for fitness, I'm also not a "gym rat." I go to the gym for optimum health and fitness, to boost my performance in my busy life. So, what's my workout secret? How do I get the most out of my gym time without spending hours there? Let me share my approach to efficient and effective workouts.

My Workout Schedule

I usually work out three days a week, always with at least one day of recovery in between. For example, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Recovery is vital. Your body grows and adapts when you rest, while your workouts set the growth impulse. The right combination of both is essential.

Focus and Pace

When I'm working out, I'm highly focused and fast-paced. I rarely engage in side conversations at the gym (though I'm not anti-social!). This allows me to get in, do my workout, and get out, making the most of my time.

My Favorite Techniques are compound exercises, ladder sets, and using a timer app:

Compound exercises are excellent because they train all major muscle groups, often working multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This gives you a significant impact from a single exercise. I'm a big fan of the "big 5": Deadlift, squat, pull-up, overhead press, and bench press. I also incorporate combinations like the clean-to-press, which is a swift deadlift leading into an overhead press. My go-to weights are Olympic barbells and kettlebells, and around 80-90% of my exercises are compound exercises.

Ladder sets are a fantastic way to pack a lot of weight into a short time. They involve alternating the number of reps per set. My favorite is the "waving ladder," where you start with a low rep number, followed by a high rep number, then back to low, etc. For example, 1-5-2-4-3 (15 reps total) or 2-10-4-8-6 (30 reps total). I always use a consistent weight for all sets in the ladder and keep the pauses short, usually one set every 60 seconds. For heavy exercises like squats, I prefer one set every 120 seconds. The benefit of waving ladders is that after a high-rep set, the next set has a low number of reps, aiding faster recovery.

For all my workouts, I love using a timer app. It keeps my pace consistent, especially with those 60-second breaks between sets. It also helps me stay focused, getting through a lot in a foreseeable and plannable timeframe. I also enjoy Tabata-style workouts with lower weights, like 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds. This is great for kettlebell swings, squats with low weights, or Russian twists with a 5kg ball for abs.

Conclusion: You don't need to spend two hours in the gym every day to get fit. For me, three times a week is enough. Consistency, a focus on high-impact compound exercises, and efficient pacing using waving ladders and a timer app let you get the most out of your workouts. Remember, recovery is just as crucial. So, always look forward to your next workout but also enjoy a life outside the gym.

Remember, fitness is a journey, not a destination. Find what works for you, stick with it, and enjoy the process!

Nutrition & Supplements:

Supplementing Smart: 3 Rules to Guide Your Choices

The supplement industry is massive and often confusing. With countless products and claims, choosing what truly works, what's a fad, and what could have negative effects can be overwhelming.

How to choose your supplements

Let's first establish that a healthy diet forms the foundation of good health. Supplements shouldn't be seen as a substitute for a balanced, nutritious diet.

However, there are three key reasons why supplements can make sense, and here's how I approach them:

1. Lifestyle-Related Supplementation: Certain lifestyle factors may necessitate supplementation to compensate for potential deficits. Here are three examples:

• Vitamin D: If you work indoors frequently or live north of 35 degrees latitude (like in Germany), your body may struggle to produce sufficient vitamin D. In such cases, supplementing is sensible.
• Vitamin B12: A vegan diet may necessitate considering vitamin B12 supplements due to its limited availability in plant-based foods.
• Creatine: If you're weightlifting, looking to gain muscle, and not consuming lots of red meat, creatine supplements can help optimize gains.

2. Age-Related Supplementation: As we age, our body's production of certain essential substances decreases. Supplementing these can help maintain performance and health even in older age - a cornerstone of longevity principles. Here are three examples:

• Collagen: Production starts declining in our mid-to-late 20s, leading to a gradual decrease in collagen levels. Crucial for healthy skin, hair, joints, and ligaments, I include collagen powder in my daily coffee.
• NAD+: NAD+ levels naturally drop with age, impacting key cellular functions like metabolism, DNA repair, and immune function. By 40, levels are down 50%, and by 60, the decrease reaches 80%. I take NMN powder (a NAD+ precursor) daily and get an NAD+ infusion quarterly at LVATE in Munich. For a deeper dive into the science behind this, I recommend reading David Sinclair's book "Lifespan."
• Hormones: Hormone production changes with age. For men, this often involves testosterone, while women experience significant shifts during menopause. It's advisable to have hormone levels checked and discuss any supplementation needs with your doctor. I emphasize the importance of not taking hormones without professional medical consultation.

3. Supplements for Specific Medical Conditions: Supplementation based on specific medical conditions should always be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Conclusion: When deciding on supplements, consider: Is the need driven by your lifestyle, your age, or a specific medical condition? I hope this guidance helps you make informed choices. Remember, always prioritize a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, and a balanced diet first and foremost!

Resilience:

Fasting for Frequent Flyers: Conquering Jet Lag

For globetrotters constantly hopping across time zones, wrestling with jet lag is a familiar foe. The fatigue, disorientation, and sleep disruptions can sabotage even the most seasoned traveler's plans. While strategies like light exposure and adjusting your sleep schedule offer some relief, there's a lesser-known but potent weapon in your jet lag arsenal: fasting.

Fasting: A Jet Lag Reset Button

As I’m writing this traveling across time zones, my first blog section on resilience is about coping with jet lag and my favorite “hack”: Fasting. Fasting, or abstaining from food for a specific period, can be a surprisingly effective way to combat jet lag. It works by "resetting" your internal clock, or circadian rhythm, which regulates sleep-wake cycles and other bodily functions.

When you travel across time zones, your internal clock gets out of sync with the new environment. Fasting, typically for 12-18 hours, temporarily pauses this clock, allowing you to realign it to the new time zone when you break your fast.

Example: Munich to San Francisco

Let's say you're flying from Munich to San Francisco, a 9-hour time difference. Your flight leaves at noon CET and arrives at 3 pm PST. Here's a potential fasting plan:

• Skip Breakfast: Don't eat breakfast before your flight. Just have water or tea to stay hydrated. Avoid any drinks that contain sugar and/or caffeine.
• First Meal on the Plane: Have your first meal on the plane, around 2 pm German time (which is 5 am in San Francisco). This meal helps initiate the clock reset process. This is your “early breakfast” in the destination time zone.
• Second Meal on the Plane: On long distance flights, a second meal is usually served 2 hours before landing. This is 1 pm PST, so perfect for signaling “lunch time” to your internal clock.
• Dinner After Landing: Get through immigrations, baggage collection, customs. Travel home or to your hotel. Then have your third meal at dinner time in San Francisco, around 6 pm local time.

For me this works very well and significantly accelerates my adoption to the new time zone. It also helps to avoid heavy meals and alcohol before bed to improve sleep quality in the new time zone. I also like taking 3g of Melatonin before going to bed to improve my sleep quality. Exposing myself to sunlight at the right times in my new destination and sticking to local schedul as much as possible is also helpful to adapt my circadian rhythm.

Important Note: Fasting may not be suitable for everyone, especially those with health conditions. Consult your doctor before attempting any fasting regimen, especially if you have any underlying health concerns.

Conclusion: Fasting, combined with other strategies, can be a game-changer for frequent travelers. It's a simple yet powerful tool to help you beat jet lag and make the most of your time in a new destination. Remember, listen to your body and consult a healthcare professional if you have any questions or concerns.

Longivety:

Longevity Unveiled: A Spectrum of Possibilities

Longevity, simply put, means living a long life. But it's far more nuanced than that, encompassing various perspectives:

1. Healthy Longevity: This is about maximizing your years in good health. It's about smart choices like a balanced diet, regular exercise, and stress management, all aimed at preventing disease and boosting well-being.
2. Life Extension: Think bigger: significantly extending lifespan beyond its natural limit. This relies on cutting-edge science like regenerative medicine and gene therapy to slow or even reverse aging.
3. Immortality: The most ambitious goal, envisioning humans living indefinitely. It's largely science fiction, but it sparks vital conversations about ethics and the meaning of life.

Examples in Action:

• Healthy Longevity: Think Dr. David Sinclair's research on lifestyle interventions or the Blue Zones, communities known for exceptional longevity. It's about living well, not just long. And Brian Johnson's "Blueprint" project fits right here. His meticulous focus on optimizing every aspect of health, from diet to sleep, shows how far we can push human potential within our natural lifespan.
• Life Extension: Aubrey de Grey and the SENS Research Foundation are at the forefront, aiming to cure aging itself.
• Immortality: Futurists like Ray Kurzweil explore the potential of technologies like mind uploading, blurring the lines between life and technology.

Longevity Escape Velocity: The Ultimate Goal? This concept imagines a future where medical advancements outpace aging, adding more years to our lives than we naturally lose. It's a bold idea, but with progress in areas like regenerative medicine, it's not entirely out of reach.

Conclusion: Longevity is a multifaceted journey, from striving for a healthier life to dreaming of immortality. Projects like Brian Johnson's Blueprint show us that even within our natural limitations, there's immense potential for enhancing our health and well-being. The future of longevity is bright, and it's up to us to define what it means to live a long and meaningful life.