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Longevity...Simplified
Want to live a better life but feel overwhelmed? Good news—living a longer and healthier life isn’t complicated.
Join the thousands of followers who rely on Dr. Howard J. Luks, a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine, to empower them with straightforward, actionable longevity strategies. Author of the blogs on his incredibly popular website, he’s compiled his wisdom into Longevity…Simplified, an easy-to-read and follow guide that tosses out the myths and clears up the truth behind living longer. As you read this book, you will:
• Understand the science behind the recommendations for living a longer and healthier life
• Connect all the dots to poor metabolic health and take practical steps to reverse this path
• Recognize that fear doesn't need to be your reality
• Stop going down “rabbit holes” of false information
• Realize you don't have to change as much as you think
In Longevity…Simplified, Dr. Luks explores:
• Longevity goals and why they’re essential, whatever your age
• Why metabolic health is your key to a longer healthspan
• Delaying dementia
• Heart (cardiovascular) health
• The importance of sleep
• Nutrition for longevity
• The benefits of exercise
• How to increase your fitness and track your progress
• Muscle strength for longevity
You don’t have to live in the gym or never eat an ounce of carbohydrates to achieve a longer healthspan and enjoy your quality of life. Pick up Longevity…Simplified and start living your best life today.
Join the thousands of followers who rely on Dr. Howard J. Luks, a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine, to empower them with straightforward, actionable longevity strategies. Author of the blogs on his incredibly popular website, he’s compiled his wisdom into Longevity…Simplified, an easy-to-read and follow guide that tosses out the myths and clears up the truth behind living longer. As you read this book, you will:
• Understand the science behind the recommendations for living a longer and healthier life
• Connect all the dots to poor metabolic health and take practical steps to reverse this path
• Recognize that fear doesn't need to be your reality
• Stop going down “rabbit holes” of false information
• Realize you don't have to change as much as you think
In Longevity…Simplified, Dr. Luks explores:
• Longevity goals and why they’re essential, whatever your age
• Why metabolic health is your key to a longer healthspan
• Delaying dementia
• Heart (cardiovascular) health
• The importance of sleep
• Nutrition for longevity
• The benefits of exercise
• How to increase your fitness and track your progress
• Muscle strength for longevity
You don’t have to live in the gym or never eat an ounce of carbohydrates to achieve a longer healthspan and enjoy your quality of life. Pick up Longevity…Simplified and start living your best life today.
238 pages, Paperback
Published June 21, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 24, 2022
الكتاب الأفضل على الإطلاق في الصحة والعناية بالجسم ليعيش الشخص بصحة أفضل وعمر أطول
September 20, 2022
Finally, read a brilliant - no bs book about health and fitness. Answers all the queries regarding diet, exercise and sleep. Thank you, Dr Howard Luks!
Read this thanks to Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Read this thanks to Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
August 2, 2022
Some truly useful and actionable advice, complex metabolic processes simplified in readable way. Amazing. But terribly, nightmarishly repetitive. It needs restructuring and some editing bad, also schematics print quality and readability in my copy left a lot to be desired.
March 11, 2024
These centenarians still die of heart (cardiac) disease, etc.; they just do so 15-20 years later than everyone else. The question is: How can we do the same for ourselves?
It’s something entirely different to have a healthier lifespan--- or healthspan. Your healthspan is the number of years that you live relatively disease-free
This is what we refer to as squaring off your lifespan curve. For a typical lifespan curve, you hit middle age in your prime. Then you start to accumulate chronic diseases due to poor metabolic health. These diseases include hypertension, type 2 diabetes, elevated LDL, elevated triglycerides, and more. These chronic disease states start to bend our lifespan curve downward.
More than half of people with hip fractures will die within one year of the injury.
people will often engage if they understand why they should do something and how to accomplish it.
LDL, triglycerides, cholesterol, HbA1c, homocysteine, uric acid
aerobic training, resistance training, balance training, and high-intensity training
age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia)
You are metabolically healthy when you have ideal insulin levels, blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids like triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and cholesterol.
For a longer healthspan, we need to focus on metabolic health instead of focusing on managing metabolic disease.
The biomarkers listed below are ones that we should check annually:
• Waist Circumference: <102 cm for men or 88 cm for women/<40 inches for men or 35 inches for women.
• Systolic Blood Pressure: <120 mmHg (when it comes to your blood pressure readings, systolic matters the most).
• Diastolic Blood Pressure: <80 mmHg.
• Fasting Glucose: <100 mg/dL.
• HbA1c: <5.7%.
• Triglycerides: <150 mg/dL.
• HDL-C: >=40/50 mg/dL men/women.
• Cholesterol preferably under 180.
• Lp(a): Responsible for perhaps 15% of heart attacks at a young age. Normal levels are under 30 mg/dl.
• ApoB vs. LDLc: ApoB tracks your risk of heart disease better than LDL- levels under 70 are optimal.
• Uric acid: Uric acid levels can indicate high blood pressure and issues other than only gout. Levels under 5 are optimal.
• Homocysteine: Some studies speak to the risk of dementia and arterial damage if these levels are high. In a healthy person, homocysteine levels are around five to 15 micromoles per liter (mcmol/L).
• Resting pulse: In general, the lower your resting heart rate, the healthier you are.
vitamin B or folate supplements if you have high homocysteine
if you need to drop your cholesterol levels, you may need to increase your fiber intake
• 66 + (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.76 x age) = Basal metabolic rate for males.
• 655.1 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age) = Basal metabolic rate for females.
The activity level factors are as follows:
• 1.2 if you are sedentary (little to no exercise).
• 1.375 if you are lightly active (light exercise 1–3 days per week).
• 1.55 if you are moderately active (moderate exercise 3–5 days per week).
• 1.725 if you are very active (challenging exercise 6–7 days per week).
• 1.9 if you are extra active (very hard exercise, training, or work a physical job).
I don’t want to recommend a specific diet because your genetics and gut microbiome (bacteria) may respond differently to various diets. Choosing the proper diet and foods is an individual choice. Diets rich in natural foods, including vegetables, fruit, lean meat, complex carbs, and grains, appear best. Elimination diets, in the long run, are often unsuccessful and may be unhealthy. The Mediterranean diet is a good example of a diet backed by a wealth of scientific studies.
At around fifty years of age, you lose about one percent of your muscle mass per year. By the time you are in your seventies and eighties, the loss of muscle mass can be profound.
“decreased physical activity, lower hormone excretion, nutritional deficits, and possibly chronic inflammation” contribute (Siparsky et al., 2014). One primary reason for sarcopenia is that our body cannot synthesize new muscle protein as we did when we were younger.
Muscles help us control our glucose levels, use glucose as fuel, and have a role in reducing the risks of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
A short well-balanced program consisting of calf exercises, squats, bridges, biceps curls, and shoulder exercises
an adequate amount of protein (about 25-30 grams) with each meal (for three meals per day) is essential for muscle protein synthesis as we age.
For men, testosterone begins to decline at age thirty-five, and for women, estrogen and testosterone decline at menopause. Decreased testosterone and estrogen can lead to reductions in lean muscle mass.
If you start requiring more insulin in your body to accomplish the same amount of glucose uptake into your cells, then you have insulin resistance. If you have insulin-resistant tissues, your pancreas will need to make more insulin to maintain normal glucose levels. These excess levels of insulin circulating in your blood are what we refer to as hyperinsulinemia. One of the risks of prolonged insulin resistance is that the beta cells in your pancreas eventually stop working. When you can no longer produce enough insulin to keep your blood sugar in its normal range, your blood sugar will start to rise. Now you have type 2 diabetes. This is when your doctor might recommend that you start giving yourself daily injections of insulin.
Insulin resistance that leads to an elevated Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is pre-type 2 diabetes.
Hyperinsulinemia also causes your kidneys to retain sodium. That means you need to keep more fluid in your blood to dilute the sodium. That is but one reason why people with diabetes often have high blood pressure (hypertension).
The two major storage depots for glycogen are your skeletal muscle and your liver. In the absence of insulin resistance, glucose will enter your muscle cells and be stored as glycogen. In people with insulin resistance, insulin does not function normally at the level of the skeletal muscle. So the carbohydrates you eat do not always increase muscle glycogen. They may stay and accumulate in the blood, raising your blood sugar levels. If muscle isn’t forming glycogen to store the carbohydrates, the carbohydrates stay in the blood and eventually go to the liver. The liver turns those carbohydrates into triglycerides and packages them into a (very low-density lipoprotein) VLDL particle. That rise in triglycerides leads to a decrease in HDL production. HDL is sometimes referred to as your “good” cholesterol, so you don’t want it to decrease.
If your fasting triglyceride levels are over 100, you should consider having an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) because it is the current “gold standard” to diagnose insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia.
There are two mechanisms at your disposal to decrease the amount of triglycerides you produce. First, you can reduce your consumption of ultra-processed carbohydrates (sugars) and overall calories. Second, you need to increase the number of calories you burn.
Dr. Iñigo San-Millán
complex carbohydrates such as natural whole grains, beans, legumes, and nuts will not cause a significantly elevated triglyceride level. It’s the fiber that comes along with the complex carbs and berries that matters in this context.
there are no physiological processes in our body or diseases that aren’t harmed or worsened by a lack of proper sleep.
Eighty percent of us will die from cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, or a progressive neurodegenerative issue such as Alzheimer’s disease(AD).
The protein ApoE is involved in how our body handles cholesterol and lipids. Because there are different variants of the ApoE protein, there are different ApoE phenotypes.
Your LDL level, or ApoB, might be associated with a higher risk of developing dementia at a younger age (Wingo et al. 2019).
Homocysteine may reveal an elevated risk of developing vascular dementia (Price et al. 2018).
Visceral fat increases our systemic inflammation, and its presence is strongly associated with the development of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
your risk is not only dependent on your LDL or cholesterol levels today, but your risk is dependent on how many years your blood vessels have been exposed to high LDL or cholesterol levels—that is what I mean by an area under the curve issue.
Blood tests such as C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and fibrinogen can tell you if inflammation is present in your body. Those tests won’t tell you why your inflammation is high, but they are a starting point.
If you have type 2 diabetes, your risk of developing dementia increases dramatically.
People with Alzheimer’s disease seem to have had low folate (vitamin B9) and vitamin B12 levels preceding their neurocognitive decline. keep our homocysteine levels low by ensuring we get enough B vitamins.
High uric acid levels can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension), especially in younger people. Uric acid activates the renin- angiotensin system in our body, which constricts or narrows our blood vessels. The same volume of blood in a constricted space will elevate the pressure in that space. Allopurinol, which lowers your uric acid level (Desideri et al. 2014).
Your uric acid level is also a biomarker for how much fructose you are exposed to.
As of today, there are a few proposed mechanisms to decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. One is to reduce your uric acid levels to the low-normal range. Also, correcting vitamin B deficiencies to lower homocysteine levels may have a role in minimizing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Another proven intervention that lowers your risk of developing dementia is exercise.
Wouldn’t you exercise a little more if it decreased your risk of developing dementia by 40%?
sleep, a healthy diet, and exercise are the only proven ways to decrease brain beta-amyloid, improve metabolic health and adjust your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other contributors to a poor healthspan (Ebrahimi et al. 2017).
Your innate desire to perform better (stress).
In retrospect, many sudden cardiac deaths are preceded by very subtle symptoms that any athlete might brush off due to a training effect, a bad meal, or a cold. For that reason, death might be the first major sign of severe atherosclerotic heart disease.
Having our arteries subject to high LDL levels and high inflammation levels for decades is precisely what leads to the development of these plaques.
Heart disease risk depends on your genetics, your Lp(a) level, your LDL level (ApoB level), and how much inflammation is present in your body.
Too few of us consider sleep one of the best ways to minimize stress and enable our bodies to recover.
Each LDL particle is carried around in the blood by one particle of ApoB (Apolipoprotein B). Since LDL particles can be large, small, or even tiny remnants, it appears that your ApoB levels may be the more important determinant of your overall risk of atherosclerotic heart disease. That’s because if you have large LDL particles, your overall LDL burden might appear high, but your particle number (which we determine by your ApoB levels) will not be large. On the contrary, if you have many smaller LDL particles, your LDL level might be normal or high-normal, but your ApoB will be high.
Your risk of developing heart disease is a time-dependent issue. It is your LDL or ApoB levels multiplied by the number of decades that your blood vessel walls have been exposed to it. So if you are sixty years old, and you have had over forty years of these LDL and ApoB particles seeping into the vessel walls, you are at higher risk.
Research shows that a single bout of exercise followed by a day on the couch doesn’t improve markers of metabolic health. It’s better to be active all day.
poor aerobic fitness increases your risk of dying for any reason (all-cause mortality) and was higher than the risk of dying if you were a smoker, had diabetes, or had coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis)
Three to four hours of movement each week is our target.
The U.S. Government suggests that we exercise 20-30 minutes at a moderate intensity at least five days a week (AHA 2018). Moderate intensity means you should elevate your heart rate to 60-70 percent of your maximum heart rate (Williams 2021). There is a 30% decrease in mortality if you follow the government guidelines. There is a 39% decrease in mortality in people who perform 1 hour of moderate-intensity exercise each day.
Please consider purchasing a home blood pressure monitor. Use it weekly and jot those numbers down.
We use an alarm to wake up; we will discuss why you might want to consider an alarm to go to sleep.
the only way that intermittent feeding could work is if your feeding window is narrow enough that you end up with a caloric deficit.
We improve our bacterial diversity when we increase the variety of the plants that we eat.
Maintaining a healthy gut is just as important as:
• Proper sleep.
• Proper nutrition.
• Getting enough exercise.
• Avoid all trans fats. End of story.
• Saturated fats. The cardiology data is clear, saturated fats raise LDL(ApoB)
Uric acid is produced during the metabolism of fructose. That is why we can potentially use your uric acid level as a biomarker for the amount of fructose you ingest.
the metabolism of fructose often ends in the production of fatty acids. That is one mechanism of how fructose increases the amount of fat in your liver. That can lead to a fatty liver or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The liver will try its hardest to get rid of those extra fats. It will package the fat into a particle known as a very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Those VLDLs are full of triglycerides from your liver. During their trip through your bloodstream, those lipids can find their way into your blood vessel walls. When combined with inflammation, which is produced by high sugar loads, the combination can cause atherosclerosis. That is how fructose can cause fatty liver, increased triglycerides, increased uric acid, and cardiac disease.
The root cause of poor metabolic health are poorly functioning mitochondria. A good night’s sleep improves mitochondrial function, but an exercise program is needed to increase the number of mitochondria and improve how well they function. Thus, it is key to move and move often to improve our metabolic health.
My Zone 2 calculates out to be 126-139. With respect to your perceived effort, near the top end of Zone 2, you may find it harder to hold a conversation without having to pause to breathe.
At low heart rates, your main source of fuel should be fat, not glucose. Poorly functioning mitochondria, which is likely to be found in about 75 percent of people, will result in metabolic inflexibility, or the inability to utilize fat versus glucose.
the HRV Logger app. try out this app and stay above 0.75
Take the measurement of your heart rate first thing after waking up, while still in bed.
Muscle mass starts to diminish as early as our forties. This muscle mass loss and the corresponding decrease in muscle strength ramp up dramatically as we enter our sixties. For example, grip strength is a marker of generalized weakness and can predict mortality.
we can delay the onset of chronic disease by 10- 20 years with lifestyle changes such as sleep, diet, and exercise
Hospitalizations can worsen frailty in a matter of days to weeks. No, it’s not the fall that kills you, it’s the after-effects of the fall that lead to our demise.
your triglyceride/HDL ratio can predict your risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. If you exercise to increase your muscle mass, you may increase your HDL (which is good). If you are now more conscious of your health and minimize simple carbohydrate (sugar) intake as mentioned in chapter 6, you will lower your triglycerides. That will decrease your triglycerides/HDL ratio and improve your overall metabolic profile.
You need at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram per day (unless you have kidney issues).
Many scientists believe that thigh muscle strength decreases the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee (Øiestad et al. 2015). there are no medications or proven interventions that will prevent arthritis from getting worse.
Humans die of very predictable causes.
we recommend weight lifting until you come close to the point that you can’t lift any more (known as volitional failure). The key issue here is the concept that you do not need to lift heavy weights just a few times to failure. Instead, you can lift slightly lighter weights with more repetitions—as long as you go close to failure. People like counting the number of repetitions they do. The reps that are easy shouldn’t be counted. Instead, you should count the ones that are challenging.
Dr. Stuart Phillips has also reported that when recreationally-active participants performed leg extensions at either 30 or 90 percent of their one repetition max (1RM) to volitional failure, there was an equal increase in new muscle protein synthesis (Burd et al. 2010).
Creatinine tells us how well your kidneys are working. If it rises, then your kidney’s ability to filter out your blood is diminishing.
It’s something entirely different to have a healthier lifespan--- or healthspan. Your healthspan is the number of years that you live relatively disease-free
This is what we refer to as squaring off your lifespan curve. For a typical lifespan curve, you hit middle age in your prime. Then you start to accumulate chronic diseases due to poor metabolic health. These diseases include hypertension, type 2 diabetes, elevated LDL, elevated triglycerides, and more. These chronic disease states start to bend our lifespan curve downward.
More than half of people with hip fractures will die within one year of the injury.
people will often engage if they understand why they should do something and how to accomplish it.
LDL, triglycerides, cholesterol, HbA1c, homocysteine, uric acid
aerobic training, resistance training, balance training, and high-intensity training
age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia)
You are metabolically healthy when you have ideal insulin levels, blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids like triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and cholesterol.
For a longer healthspan, we need to focus on metabolic health instead of focusing on managing metabolic disease.
The biomarkers listed below are ones that we should check annually:
• Waist Circumference: <102 cm for men or 88 cm for women/<40 inches for men or 35 inches for women.
• Systolic Blood Pressure: <120 mmHg (when it comes to your blood pressure readings, systolic matters the most).
• Diastolic Blood Pressure: <80 mmHg.
• Fasting Glucose: <100 mg/dL.
• HbA1c: <5.7%.
• Triglycerides: <150 mg/dL.
• HDL-C: >=40/50 mg/dL men/women.
• Cholesterol preferably under 180.
• Lp(a): Responsible for perhaps 15% of heart attacks at a young age. Normal levels are under 30 mg/dl.
• ApoB vs. LDLc: ApoB tracks your risk of heart disease better than LDL- levels under 70 are optimal.
• Uric acid: Uric acid levels can indicate high blood pressure and issues other than only gout. Levels under 5 are optimal.
• Homocysteine: Some studies speak to the risk of dementia and arterial damage if these levels are high. In a healthy person, homocysteine levels are around five to 15 micromoles per liter (mcmol/L).
• Resting pulse: In general, the lower your resting heart rate, the healthier you are.
vitamin B or folate supplements if you have high homocysteine
if you need to drop your cholesterol levels, you may need to increase your fiber intake
• 66 + (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.76 x age) = Basal metabolic rate for males.
• 655.1 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age) = Basal metabolic rate for females.
The activity level factors are as follows:
• 1.2 if you are sedentary (little to no exercise).
• 1.375 if you are lightly active (light exercise 1–3 days per week).
• 1.55 if you are moderately active (moderate exercise 3–5 days per week).
• 1.725 if you are very active (challenging exercise 6–7 days per week).
• 1.9 if you are extra active (very hard exercise, training, or work a physical job).
I don’t want to recommend a specific diet because your genetics and gut microbiome (bacteria) may respond differently to various diets. Choosing the proper diet and foods is an individual choice. Diets rich in natural foods, including vegetables, fruit, lean meat, complex carbs, and grains, appear best. Elimination diets, in the long run, are often unsuccessful and may be unhealthy. The Mediterranean diet is a good example of a diet backed by a wealth of scientific studies.
At around fifty years of age, you lose about one percent of your muscle mass per year. By the time you are in your seventies and eighties, the loss of muscle mass can be profound.
“decreased physical activity, lower hormone excretion, nutritional deficits, and possibly chronic inflammation” contribute (Siparsky et al., 2014). One primary reason for sarcopenia is that our body cannot synthesize new muscle protein as we did when we were younger.
Muscles help us control our glucose levels, use glucose as fuel, and have a role in reducing the risks of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
A short well-balanced program consisting of calf exercises, squats, bridges, biceps curls, and shoulder exercises
an adequate amount of protein (about 25-30 grams) with each meal (for three meals per day) is essential for muscle protein synthesis as we age.
For men, testosterone begins to decline at age thirty-five, and for women, estrogen and testosterone decline at menopause. Decreased testosterone and estrogen can lead to reductions in lean muscle mass.
If you start requiring more insulin in your body to accomplish the same amount of glucose uptake into your cells, then you have insulin resistance. If you have insulin-resistant tissues, your pancreas will need to make more insulin to maintain normal glucose levels. These excess levels of insulin circulating in your blood are what we refer to as hyperinsulinemia. One of the risks of prolonged insulin resistance is that the beta cells in your pancreas eventually stop working. When you can no longer produce enough insulin to keep your blood sugar in its normal range, your blood sugar will start to rise. Now you have type 2 diabetes. This is when your doctor might recommend that you start giving yourself daily injections of insulin.
Insulin resistance that leads to an elevated Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is pre-type 2 diabetes.
Hyperinsulinemia also causes your kidneys to retain sodium. That means you need to keep more fluid in your blood to dilute the sodium. That is but one reason why people with diabetes often have high blood pressure (hypertension).
The two major storage depots for glycogen are your skeletal muscle and your liver. In the absence of insulin resistance, glucose will enter your muscle cells and be stored as glycogen. In people with insulin resistance, insulin does not function normally at the level of the skeletal muscle. So the carbohydrates you eat do not always increase muscle glycogen. They may stay and accumulate in the blood, raising your blood sugar levels. If muscle isn’t forming glycogen to store the carbohydrates, the carbohydrates stay in the blood and eventually go to the liver. The liver turns those carbohydrates into triglycerides and packages them into a (very low-density lipoprotein) VLDL particle. That rise in triglycerides leads to a decrease in HDL production. HDL is sometimes referred to as your “good” cholesterol, so you don’t want it to decrease.
If your fasting triglyceride levels are over 100, you should consider having an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) because it is the current “gold standard” to diagnose insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia.
There are two mechanisms at your disposal to decrease the amount of triglycerides you produce. First, you can reduce your consumption of ultra-processed carbohydrates (sugars) and overall calories. Second, you need to increase the number of calories you burn.
Dr. Iñigo San-Millán
complex carbohydrates such as natural whole grains, beans, legumes, and nuts will not cause a significantly elevated triglyceride level. It’s the fiber that comes along with the complex carbs and berries that matters in this context.
there are no physiological processes in our body or diseases that aren’t harmed or worsened by a lack of proper sleep.
Eighty percent of us will die from cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, or a progressive neurodegenerative issue such as Alzheimer’s disease(AD).
The protein ApoE is involved in how our body handles cholesterol and lipids. Because there are different variants of the ApoE protein, there are different ApoE phenotypes.
Your LDL level, or ApoB, might be associated with a higher risk of developing dementia at a younger age (Wingo et al. 2019).
Homocysteine may reveal an elevated risk of developing vascular dementia (Price et al. 2018).
Visceral fat increases our systemic inflammation, and its presence is strongly associated with the development of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
your risk is not only dependent on your LDL or cholesterol levels today, but your risk is dependent on how many years your blood vessels have been exposed to high LDL or cholesterol levels—that is what I mean by an area under the curve issue.
Blood tests such as C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and fibrinogen can tell you if inflammation is present in your body. Those tests won’t tell you why your inflammation is high, but they are a starting point.
If you have type 2 diabetes, your risk of developing dementia increases dramatically.
People with Alzheimer’s disease seem to have had low folate (vitamin B9) and vitamin B12 levels preceding their neurocognitive decline. keep our homocysteine levels low by ensuring we get enough B vitamins.
High uric acid levels can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension), especially in younger people. Uric acid activates the renin- angiotensin system in our body, which constricts or narrows our blood vessels. The same volume of blood in a constricted space will elevate the pressure in that space. Allopurinol, which lowers your uric acid level (Desideri et al. 2014).
Your uric acid level is also a biomarker for how much fructose you are exposed to.
As of today, there are a few proposed mechanisms to decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. One is to reduce your uric acid levels to the low-normal range. Also, correcting vitamin B deficiencies to lower homocysteine levels may have a role in minimizing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Another proven intervention that lowers your risk of developing dementia is exercise.
Wouldn’t you exercise a little more if it decreased your risk of developing dementia by 40%?
sleep, a healthy diet, and exercise are the only proven ways to decrease brain beta-amyloid, improve metabolic health and adjust your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other contributors to a poor healthspan (Ebrahimi et al. 2017).
Your innate desire to perform better (stress).
In retrospect, many sudden cardiac deaths are preceded by very subtle symptoms that any athlete might brush off due to a training effect, a bad meal, or a cold. For that reason, death might be the first major sign of severe atherosclerotic heart disease.
Having our arteries subject to high LDL levels and high inflammation levels for decades is precisely what leads to the development of these plaques.
Heart disease risk depends on your genetics, your Lp(a) level, your LDL level (ApoB level), and how much inflammation is present in your body.
Too few of us consider sleep one of the best ways to minimize stress and enable our bodies to recover.
Each LDL particle is carried around in the blood by one particle of ApoB (Apolipoprotein B). Since LDL particles can be large, small, or even tiny remnants, it appears that your ApoB levels may be the more important determinant of your overall risk of atherosclerotic heart disease. That’s because if you have large LDL particles, your overall LDL burden might appear high, but your particle number (which we determine by your ApoB levels) will not be large. On the contrary, if you have many smaller LDL particles, your LDL level might be normal or high-normal, but your ApoB will be high.
Your risk of developing heart disease is a time-dependent issue. It is your LDL or ApoB levels multiplied by the number of decades that your blood vessel walls have been exposed to it. So if you are sixty years old, and you have had over forty years of these LDL and ApoB particles seeping into the vessel walls, you are at higher risk.
Research shows that a single bout of exercise followed by a day on the couch doesn’t improve markers of metabolic health. It’s better to be active all day.
poor aerobic fitness increases your risk of dying for any reason (all-cause mortality) and was higher than the risk of dying if you were a smoker, had diabetes, or had coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis)
Three to four hours of movement each week is our target.
The U.S. Government suggests that we exercise 20-30 minutes at a moderate intensity at least five days a week (AHA 2018). Moderate intensity means you should elevate your heart rate to 60-70 percent of your maximum heart rate (Williams 2021). There is a 30% decrease in mortality if you follow the government guidelines. There is a 39% decrease in mortality in people who perform 1 hour of moderate-intensity exercise each day.
Please consider purchasing a home blood pressure monitor. Use it weekly and jot those numbers down.
We use an alarm to wake up; we will discuss why you might want to consider an alarm to go to sleep.
the only way that intermittent feeding could work is if your feeding window is narrow enough that you end up with a caloric deficit.
We improve our bacterial diversity when we increase the variety of the plants that we eat.
Maintaining a healthy gut is just as important as:
• Proper sleep.
• Proper nutrition.
• Getting enough exercise.
• Avoid all trans fats. End of story.
• Saturated fats. The cardiology data is clear, saturated fats raise LDL(ApoB)
Uric acid is produced during the metabolism of fructose. That is why we can potentially use your uric acid level as a biomarker for the amount of fructose you ingest.
the metabolism of fructose often ends in the production of fatty acids. That is one mechanism of how fructose increases the amount of fat in your liver. That can lead to a fatty liver or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The liver will try its hardest to get rid of those extra fats. It will package the fat into a particle known as a very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Those VLDLs are full of triglycerides from your liver. During their trip through your bloodstream, those lipids can find their way into your blood vessel walls. When combined with inflammation, which is produced by high sugar loads, the combination can cause atherosclerosis. That is how fructose can cause fatty liver, increased triglycerides, increased uric acid, and cardiac disease.
The root cause of poor metabolic health are poorly functioning mitochondria. A good night’s sleep improves mitochondrial function, but an exercise program is needed to increase the number of mitochondria and improve how well they function. Thus, it is key to move and move often to improve our metabolic health.
My Zone 2 calculates out to be 126-139. With respect to your perceived effort, near the top end of Zone 2, you may find it harder to hold a conversation without having to pause to breathe.
At low heart rates, your main source of fuel should be fat, not glucose. Poorly functioning mitochondria, which is likely to be found in about 75 percent of people, will result in metabolic inflexibility, or the inability to utilize fat versus glucose.
the HRV Logger app. try out this app and stay above 0.75
Take the measurement of your heart rate first thing after waking up, while still in bed.
Muscle mass starts to diminish as early as our forties. This muscle mass loss and the corresponding decrease in muscle strength ramp up dramatically as we enter our sixties. For example, grip strength is a marker of generalized weakness and can predict mortality.
we can delay the onset of chronic disease by 10- 20 years with lifestyle changes such as sleep, diet, and exercise
Hospitalizations can worsen frailty in a matter of days to weeks. No, it’s not the fall that kills you, it’s the after-effects of the fall that lead to our demise.
your triglyceride/HDL ratio can predict your risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. If you exercise to increase your muscle mass, you may increase your HDL (which is good). If you are now more conscious of your health and minimize simple carbohydrate (sugar) intake as mentioned in chapter 6, you will lower your triglycerides. That will decrease your triglycerides/HDL ratio and improve your overall metabolic profile.
You need at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram per day (unless you have kidney issues).
Many scientists believe that thigh muscle strength decreases the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee (Øiestad et al. 2015). there are no medications or proven interventions that will prevent arthritis from getting worse.
Humans die of very predictable causes.
we recommend weight lifting until you come close to the point that you can’t lift any more (known as volitional failure). The key issue here is the concept that you do not need to lift heavy weights just a few times to failure. Instead, you can lift slightly lighter weights with more repetitions—as long as you go close to failure. People like counting the number of repetitions they do. The reps that are easy shouldn’t be counted. Instead, you should count the ones that are challenging.
Dr. Stuart Phillips has also reported that when recreationally-active participants performed leg extensions at either 30 or 90 percent of their one repetition max (1RM) to volitional failure, there was an equal increase in new muscle protein synthesis (Burd et al. 2010).
Creatinine tells us how well your kidneys are working. If it rises, then your kidney’s ability to filter out your blood is diminishing.
October 19, 2023
Start with this book and follow it up with Outlive by Peter Attia once u have the basics in place.
December 20, 2023
A good book on how to take care of your health so you can enjoy life for as long as possible. It covers in a simple and enjoyable way the fundamental aspects of nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
November 7, 2023
'Longevity... Simplified' offers a practical guide to living longer and healthier life without complicated or extreme measures.
More and more people are interested in the topic of health and longevity and seek ways to extend their healthspan and improve their quality of life. Amidst the vast array of books and articles promising the key to longevity, Dr. Howard J. Luks offers a practical perspective in his book, ‘Longevity… Simplified.’ This comprehensive guide presents a simplified approach to achieving a longer and healthier life, devoid of extreme measures or overwhelming lifestyle changes.
In this review, we will delve into the contents of ‘Longevity… Simplified’ and explore the valuable insights it offers.
Author’s background
Dr. Howard J. Luks is a highly acclaimed Sports Medicine Physician known for his expertise in treating shoulder, knee, and elbow injuries.
He has received numerous recognitions, including being named one of the top Sports Medicine Physicians in the United States by US News and World Report and a Top Ten ‘Social Health Maker’ for osteoarthritis. Additionally, Dr. Luks has been listed among Twitter’s Top Ten Doctors.
What is the book about?
‘Longevity… Simplified’ is a practical and insightful guide to living a longer and healthier life, authored by Dr. Howard J. Luks, a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon. Dr. Luks presents straightforward and actionable strategies to debunk myths and reveal the truth behind longevity.
The book covers essential topics, including the science behind living longer and healthier, the significance of metabolic health, delaying dementia, cardiovascular health, the importance of sleep, nutrition for longevity, and the benefits of exercise. Dr. Luks emphasises that achieving a longer healthspan does not require extreme measures, such as living in the gym or following overly restrictive and strict diets.
The seven main principles to improve health are clearly outlined:
1. Maintain a lean physique by creating a caloric deficit.
2. Ensure sufficient sleep.
3. Opt for real, wholesome food.
4. Stay active throughout the day.
5. Engage in strength exercises.
6. Prioritise social interactions.
7. Make your life meaningful.
Dr. Luks backs up these principles with scientific explanations, making the book informative, though not overly technical. ‘Longevity… Simplified’ is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to enhance their health and quality of life, offering practical strategies backed by scientific knowledge, without the pressure of rigid rules or extreme lifestyle changes.
Key takeaways from ‘Longevity… Simplified’
1. How much and how to exercise to achieve longevity?
Dr. Luks profoundly explains how much you really need to exercise and what types of physical activity to choose to improve your chances for longevity. He emphasises that regular movement and exercise are essential for overall well-being, and even low-intensity activities like walking can have a significant impact. Achieving aerobic fitness through activities like walking, swimming, dancing, or cycling can improve metabolic health, decrease the risk of disease, and enhance cognitive function. However, it’s essential to find a balance and not push oneself to exhaustion every day. Adequate rest, recovery, and proper sleep are vital for metabolic health and overall longevity.
The author cites various studies that have shown a U-shaped curve, indicating that moderate exercise provides the greatest benefits, while both sedentary individuals and those who exercise excessively have similar risks of dying from cardiac issues. It is essential to strike a balance between being physically active and not overdoing it. Aim for 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days a week or 1 hour of moderate-intensity exercise daily to achieve significant improvements in mortality risk.
2. Sleep and longevity go hand in hand
Sleep is a vital and well-preserved evolutionary process that impacts every aspect of our health and longevity. Poor sleep has numerous physiological consequences, such as increasing blood pressure, insulin resistance, and the risk of developing atherosclerosis, while decreasing testosterone and immune system function. A chronic lack of proper sleep over time worsens the progression of various diseases and can increase the incidence of conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and dementia.
Prioritising sleep is essential for metabolic regulation, recovery, and maintaining a healthy immune system. Establishing a regular sleep schedule, minimising exposure to electronic screens before bedtime, avoiding caffeine and heavy meals close to bedtime, and creating a calming bedtime routine are essential steps to improving the quantity and quality of sleep. Sleep supplements like melatonin can also be considered, but it is essential to prioritise natural ways of improving sleep to achieve optimal health and longevity.
3. Developing muscle strength is crucial to live a long life
In Chapter 9, ‘Muscle Strength for Longevity,’ the author emphasises the importance of prioritising muscle mass and strength, especially as we age. The natural decline in muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, begins as early as our forties and accelerates in our sixties. Neglecting muscle strength and mass can lead to frailty, falls, and an increased risk of chronic diseases associated with metabolic syndrome, such as diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.
The book highlights the significant impact that resistance exercise has on overall health, longevity, and quality of life. Building and maintaining muscle mass not only enhances our metabolism but also protects against chronic diseases and reduces the risk of falling. Resistance exercise can be started at any age, and even one hour of resistance exercise per week can decrease the risk of all-cause mortality. Prioritising leg exercises is especially important for preventing falls and improving overall metabolic health. By investing in resistance exercise, we can significantly improve our healthspan and increase our chances of living a longer, healthier, and more active life.
Strengths and weaknesses, according to readers’ reviews
Strengths:
• Well-researched and well-referenced.
• Breaks down complex information about metabolic processes into easily understandable terms.
• Offers useful and actionable advice on longevity.
Weaknesses:
• Tends to push certain products and gadgets, possibly detracting from the overall credibility of the information presented.
• Provides information already available in numerous other books and articles.
Best quotes from ‘Longevity… Simplified’
“These straightforward, easy strategies are: Create a caloric deficit, then stay lean. Get sleep. Eat real food. Move often, throughout the day. Push and pull heavy things. Socialize. Have a sense of purpose.”
“Abdominal fat is toxic because people with belly fat usually also have insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and high blood pressure.”
“A complete exercise program has four pillars: aerobic training, resistance training, balance training, and high-intensity training (HIT).”
Final takeaway
‘Longevity… Simplified’ by Dr. Howard J. Luks offers an informative perspective on living a longer and healthier life. Through practical strategies and scientific explanations, the book debunks common myths and emphasises the importance of metabolic health, exercise, nutrition, and sleep for overall well-being.
This read is highly recommended for anyone seeking to enhance their healthspan and improve their quality of life without resorting to extreme measures. Whether you are in your thirties or beyond, this book provides valuable insights and actionable advice that can benefit individuals of all ages and fitness levels.
More and more people are interested in the topic of health and longevity and seek ways to extend their healthspan and improve their quality of life. Amidst the vast array of books and articles promising the key to longevity, Dr. Howard J. Luks offers a practical perspective in his book, ‘Longevity… Simplified.’ This comprehensive guide presents a simplified approach to achieving a longer and healthier life, devoid of extreme measures or overwhelming lifestyle changes.
In this review, we will delve into the contents of ‘Longevity… Simplified’ and explore the valuable insights it offers.
Author’s background
Dr. Howard J. Luks is a highly acclaimed Sports Medicine Physician known for his expertise in treating shoulder, knee, and elbow injuries.
He has received numerous recognitions, including being named one of the top Sports Medicine Physicians in the United States by US News and World Report and a Top Ten ‘Social Health Maker’ for osteoarthritis. Additionally, Dr. Luks has been listed among Twitter’s Top Ten Doctors.
What is the book about?
‘Longevity… Simplified’ is a practical and insightful guide to living a longer and healthier life, authored by Dr. Howard J. Luks, a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon. Dr. Luks presents straightforward and actionable strategies to debunk myths and reveal the truth behind longevity.
The book covers essential topics, including the science behind living longer and healthier, the significance of metabolic health, delaying dementia, cardiovascular health, the importance of sleep, nutrition for longevity, and the benefits of exercise. Dr. Luks emphasises that achieving a longer healthspan does not require extreme measures, such as living in the gym or following overly restrictive and strict diets.
The seven main principles to improve health are clearly outlined:
1. Maintain a lean physique by creating a caloric deficit.
2. Ensure sufficient sleep.
3. Opt for real, wholesome food.
4. Stay active throughout the day.
5. Engage in strength exercises.
6. Prioritise social interactions.
7. Make your life meaningful.
Dr. Luks backs up these principles with scientific explanations, making the book informative, though not overly technical. ‘Longevity… Simplified’ is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to enhance their health and quality of life, offering practical strategies backed by scientific knowledge, without the pressure of rigid rules or extreme lifestyle changes.
Key takeaways from ‘Longevity… Simplified’
1. How much and how to exercise to achieve longevity?
Dr. Luks profoundly explains how much you really need to exercise and what types of physical activity to choose to improve your chances for longevity. He emphasises that regular movement and exercise are essential for overall well-being, and even low-intensity activities like walking can have a significant impact. Achieving aerobic fitness through activities like walking, swimming, dancing, or cycling can improve metabolic health, decrease the risk of disease, and enhance cognitive function. However, it’s essential to find a balance and not push oneself to exhaustion every day. Adequate rest, recovery, and proper sleep are vital for metabolic health and overall longevity.
The author cites various studies that have shown a U-shaped curve, indicating that moderate exercise provides the greatest benefits, while both sedentary individuals and those who exercise excessively have similar risks of dying from cardiac issues. It is essential to strike a balance between being physically active and not overdoing it. Aim for 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days a week or 1 hour of moderate-intensity exercise daily to achieve significant improvements in mortality risk.
2. Sleep and longevity go hand in hand
Sleep is a vital and well-preserved evolutionary process that impacts every aspect of our health and longevity. Poor sleep has numerous physiological consequences, such as increasing blood pressure, insulin resistance, and the risk of developing atherosclerosis, while decreasing testosterone and immune system function. A chronic lack of proper sleep over time worsens the progression of various diseases and can increase the incidence of conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and dementia.
Prioritising sleep is essential for metabolic regulation, recovery, and maintaining a healthy immune system. Establishing a regular sleep schedule, minimising exposure to electronic screens before bedtime, avoiding caffeine and heavy meals close to bedtime, and creating a calming bedtime routine are essential steps to improving the quantity and quality of sleep. Sleep supplements like melatonin can also be considered, but it is essential to prioritise natural ways of improving sleep to achieve optimal health and longevity.
3. Developing muscle strength is crucial to live a long life
In Chapter 9, ‘Muscle Strength for Longevity,’ the author emphasises the importance of prioritising muscle mass and strength, especially as we age. The natural decline in muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, begins as early as our forties and accelerates in our sixties. Neglecting muscle strength and mass can lead to frailty, falls, and an increased risk of chronic diseases associated with metabolic syndrome, such as diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.
The book highlights the significant impact that resistance exercise has on overall health, longevity, and quality of life. Building and maintaining muscle mass not only enhances our metabolism but also protects against chronic diseases and reduces the risk of falling. Resistance exercise can be started at any age, and even one hour of resistance exercise per week can decrease the risk of all-cause mortality. Prioritising leg exercises is especially important for preventing falls and improving overall metabolic health. By investing in resistance exercise, we can significantly improve our healthspan and increase our chances of living a longer, healthier, and more active life.
Strengths and weaknesses, according to readers’ reviews
Strengths:
• Well-researched and well-referenced.
• Breaks down complex information about metabolic processes into easily understandable terms.
• Offers useful and actionable advice on longevity.
Weaknesses:
• Tends to push certain products and gadgets, possibly detracting from the overall credibility of the information presented.
• Provides information already available in numerous other books and articles.
Best quotes from ‘Longevity… Simplified’
“These straightforward, easy strategies are: Create a caloric deficit, then stay lean. Get sleep. Eat real food. Move often, throughout the day. Push and pull heavy things. Socialize. Have a sense of purpose.”
“Abdominal fat is toxic because people with belly fat usually also have insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and high blood pressure.”
“A complete exercise program has four pillars: aerobic training, resistance training, balance training, and high-intensity training (HIT).”
Final takeaway
‘Longevity… Simplified’ by Dr. Howard J. Luks offers an informative perspective on living a longer and healthier life. Through practical strategies and scientific explanations, the book debunks common myths and emphasises the importance of metabolic health, exercise, nutrition, and sleep for overall well-being.
This read is highly recommended for anyone seeking to enhance their healthspan and improve their quality of life without resorting to extreme measures. Whether you are in your thirties or beyond, this book provides valuable insights and actionable advice that can benefit individuals of all ages and fitness levels.
February 20, 2023
I'm not a medical professional, so I can't evaluate this book on its accuracy. I can however rate this book off its ability to convey information in a useful way that's easy to incorporate into actual lifestyle changes.
The main idea of this book is to improve your health by seven main principles:
1. Create a caloric deficit, then stay lean
2. Get enough sleep
3. Eat real food
4. Move often, throughout the day
5. Push and pull heavy things
6. Socialize
7. Have a sense of purpose
Doctor Luks explains the science behind each of these principles (except the last two, since they're outside the scope of this book) and why they're important. It can get a little technical at times, but the main ideas are largely common knowledge, like how a heart attack happens. He also gives advice for intentions that can prevent or at least reduce/ delay these problems.
One of the strengths of this book is that he doesn't push too intensely on his ideas the way many other health book authors do. For example, he recommends lifting weights twice a week, but if that's not doable, he'd happily settle getting people to take a few walks throughout the day who otherwise wouldn't. He doesn't push for strict elimination diets and recommends that people mostly focus on eating an appropriate number of calories in a way that works for them (whether low carb, low fat, or other). He does advocate for vegetarianism, but again, he's not too pushy and would happily settle for eating the right number of calories and eating less junk food generally.
I found these ideas easy to incorporate. I already do some of these recommended, but one of the more interesting sections of the book is on wearables and data tracking to improve health. I won't spoil any of it, but it's definitely encouraging me to get some kind of wearable like a Fitbit to further improve my health.
My only real criticism of the book is that it's not super well written and could have used more editing. The book is easy enough to understand and gives easy to follow advice, which is more important anyway. I would recommend this book to anyone whose main goal is to improve their health and doesn't want to deal with anymore health fads and other nonsense.
The main idea of this book is to improve your health by seven main principles:
1. Create a caloric deficit, then stay lean
2. Get enough sleep
3. Eat real food
4. Move often, throughout the day
5. Push and pull heavy things
6. Socialize
7. Have a sense of purpose
Doctor Luks explains the science behind each of these principles (except the last two, since they're outside the scope of this book) and why they're important. It can get a little technical at times, but the main ideas are largely common knowledge, like how a heart attack happens. He also gives advice for intentions that can prevent or at least reduce/ delay these problems.
One of the strengths of this book is that he doesn't push too intensely on his ideas the way many other health book authors do. For example, he recommends lifting weights twice a week, but if that's not doable, he'd happily settle getting people to take a few walks throughout the day who otherwise wouldn't. He doesn't push for strict elimination diets and recommends that people mostly focus on eating an appropriate number of calories in a way that works for them (whether low carb, low fat, or other). He does advocate for vegetarianism, but again, he's not too pushy and would happily settle for eating the right number of calories and eating less junk food generally.
I found these ideas easy to incorporate. I already do some of these recommended, but one of the more interesting sections of the book is on wearables and data tracking to improve health. I won't spoil any of it, but it's definitely encouraging me to get some kind of wearable like a Fitbit to further improve my health.
My only real criticism of the book is that it's not super well written and could have used more editing. The book is easy enough to understand and gives easy to follow advice, which is more important anyway. I would recommend this book to anyone whose main goal is to improve their health and doesn't want to deal with anymore health fads and other nonsense.
February 17, 2023
Extremely repetitive and lacking in actual helpful information. For example, to prevent accelerated aging, be sure to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. How can I improve my sleep? Simply get plenty of daylight during the day, go to bed at the same time each night, don't watch TV for at least an hour before bedtime, and don't take sleeping aids or pills. This same information is available in hundreds, if not thousands, of books, websites, and magazine articles. The author also recommends (pushes?) different apps and monitors to track everything, from heart rate to creatinine levels. Maybe I need to stop reading wide-ranging, encyclopedic books and focus on individual subjects.
August 11, 2022
The title literally says it all! If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to living better and living longer with science-backed lifestyle strategies, this is the book you need! Dr. Luks is able to break down the complex science behind exercise, diet, and other longevity strategies in a way that anyone can digest and understand. There are far too many longevity books that are filled with hype, and Longevity...Simplified provides some much-needed nuance and straight-forward advice for how to age well.
July 7, 2022
This book is loaded with great information on the science and value of exercise.
As a personal trainer myself, I learned a lot about the value of exercise from a scientific perspective. Dr. Luks has a wealth of knowledge about exercise and he writes about it in an interesting and easy to understand manner. Highly recommend this book for a person who wishes to become a fit person!
As a personal trainer myself, I learned a lot about the value of exercise from a scientific perspective. Dr. Luks has a wealth of knowledge about exercise and he writes about it in an interesting and easy to understand manner. Highly recommend this book for a person who wishes to become a fit person!
July 3, 2022
Down to Earth
This is an easy to understand and down to Earth book about longevity. Too many people in the longevity sphere jump on to experimental repurposing of medications and fancy tool. Dr. Luks provides information based on what the research is saying in an entertaining way while providing great actionable ideas.
This is an easy to understand and down to Earth book about longevity. Too many people in the longevity sphere jump on to experimental repurposing of medications and fancy tool. Dr. Luks provides information based on what the research is saying in an entertaining way while providing great actionable ideas.
December 29, 2023
In some ways this book seems kind of simplistic, but that's the title! I've also seen all these recommendations elsewhere, but it's a good summary. He focuses on the most important things to monitor and what you can do. I appreciate his measured discussion of supplements - ie. he's doesn't push them hard.
January 4, 2023
Excellent explanation of the best ways to remain healthy as we age. No magic pills, but instead a scientific (simplified) explanation of how/why to effectively exercise, eat, etc., for longevity. A lot of repetition, so only 4 stars, but maybe some need that repetition.
August 20, 2023
For me this is the most accessible of the books on the topic of longevity. It´s well written and doesn't get bogged down into many technical explanations. Eat less calories than you burn, move and exercise. That´s it.
June 26, 2022
Solid no BS advice
June 27, 2022
Not a weight loss doctor, but zone 2 training was interesting. Mentions 5 times the importance of calf raises for strength. That’s new! Creative as you age? Hmm.
January 17, 2023
Good info and very didactic. Can be a little repetitive sometimes, but very good overall.
June 17, 2023
Excellent read. Simple message about true life span. Follow the recommendations and improve your metabolic health.
August 28, 2023
Simple, important and “sticky” message. Tends to repeat same advice over and over, but in a good way, to make sure reader never loses sight of it, and well, because it’s important.
March 6, 2024
Along with maffetone this would be my recco for your first read in the space. graphics are super helpful, language and prescriptions very simple.
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