The Healthy Hundred E-Book

Peter A. Larkins

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 446

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

From sleep to exercise, gut health to immunity, caffeine to sunscreen, red wine to family time . . . in The Healthy Hundred, you’ll learn how everyday choices impact your wellbeing.

Growing older is inevitable. But you might be surprised to learn just how much control you have over your own future health! Today we have a better understanding of just how much we can do to slow down the negative impacts of time — and to prepare for a healthier, happier and longer life.

Dr Peter Larkins is one of Australia’s most trusted physicians. In The Healthy Hundred, he draws on his many years of experience to share 100 tips and lifestyle decisions that can influence your rate of biological aging. With this book, you’ll learn how you can feel better and get more out of every day.

• Get the facts on how lifestyle and aging affect your mind and body
• Understand why healthspan is more important than lifespan — and quality is more important than simple longevity
• Get moving, keep busy, and stay positive: learn how your level of activity and productivity, your attitude, and your environment all impact your daily health
• Raise your awareness of common health issues like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental health — and learn simple, proactive measures for the long term
• Discover 100 facts and tips in 5 essential categories that influence your long-term health and wellbeing: Exercise, Nutrition, Habits, Mindset, and Social

When it comes your future health, the truth is that surprisingly little is determined by your genetics. The rest is all about how you choose to live! Packed full of practical advice, The Healthy Hundred will show you how to look after your mind and body, starting from today — for a lifetime of happy years ahead.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword by Eddie McGuire

About the author

Acknowledgements

Introduction

A bit about me

What this book will do for you

How to use this book

PART I: Taking a pulse check on aging and good health

1 Moving from aging to healthspan

Understanding why we age — and die

Working out what ‘healthy’ means

2 Your health: Whose responsibility is it?

Understanding what determines good health

Just how sick is Australia?

Working out what you need to do

PART II: Monitoring your health

3 Key medical conditions to understand — and avoid

Keeping your heart healthy

Avoiding strokes

Protecting your lungs

Checking your bowel (colon)

Keeping your blood pressure healthy

Staying abreast of your health

Managing your mental health

Working on your brain health

Protecting your epigenome

Boosting your immunity

4 Health issues for men and women

Men still aren't living as long as women

Why men avoid health check-ups

Focusing in on prostate disease

Health issues for women

Mental health issues for men and women

5 Checking your health — the why, how and when

Understanding what a health check entails

Timing your check-ups

Building your own pharmacy

PART III: 100 ways to improve your healthspan

6 Exercise

Exercise — the most important medicine you can take

#1 Learn how exercise works to improve health

#2 Use exercise as the ultimate health supplement

#3 Work out if you need medical screening

#4 Seek advice on planning your best exercise program

#5 Know how to start an exercise program

#6 Understand what motivates you to improve your fitness

#7 Know your limits and keep exercise safe

#8 Find time for exercise

#9 Don't let excuses get in your way

#10 Start with small changes for big gains

#11 Take some time for recovery

#12 Prepare your workout clothes the night before

#13 Increase your walking speed

#14 Get those steps in

#15 Boost your mitochondria

#16 Increase your NAD

#17 Increase your lifespan — and healthspan — with exercise

7 Nutrition

Food — a critical component of healthy living

#18 Focus on your gut health

#19 Know the fuel your body needs

#20 Balance your food intake for body and brain

#21 Choose foods that are best for your brain and body

#22 Avoid processed foods

#23 Focus on good carbohydrates

#24 Build and repair with protein

#25 Know your good fats and bad fats

#26 Cut your sugar

#27 Eat some chocolate!

#28 Use salt sparingly

Good fluid intake and hydration

#29 Appreciate water — understand why you need it and how much

#30 Enhance performance with milk

#31 Boost your heart health with moderate coffee consumption

#32 Enjoy a cup of tea

#33 Watch your alcohol consumption

Your diet and you

#34 Aim for a healthy, sustainable weight

#35 Take some tips from the Mediterranean diet

#36 Pursue your (nutrition) rainbow

#37 Benefit from fasting and timed eating

#38 Snack well

#39 Reduce your inflammation

#40 Consider supplements — maybe

#41 Understand food labelling

#42 Masticate more — and slowly

8 Habits

Look after yourself with everyday simple actions

#43 Make sure you get enough sleep

#44 Focus on your sleep hygiene

#45 Watch out for sleep deficit and sleep deprivation

#46 Monitor your sleep

#47 Avoid sleep disorders

#48 Dream sweetly

#49 Get your daily DOSE of happy hormones

#50 Breathe easy

#51 Quit smoking — right now!

#52 Protect your skin — health is more than skin deep

Use it, train it, nourish it — or lose it

#53 Get moving every day — incidental activity

#54 Stand up for yourself

#55 Take the stairs

#56 Adjust your parking habits

#57 Own a dog!

#58 Look after your joints — they keep you moving

#59 Get treated for osteoarthritis pain

#60 Set an exercise challenge

#61 Find your preferred cardio option

#62 Chill out with cold immersion

Working out where you are in life

#63 Understand why postcodes matter

#64 Live near a defibrillator

#65 Minimise jet lag

#66 Get a dose of sunshine — but stay sun smart

#67 Be beside the seaside — or any good view

#68 Keep up to date with your vaccinations

#69 Know your family history

9 Mindset

Focus on yourself — and nurture others

#70 Manage your stress

#71 Recognise and avoid burnout

#72 Build your willpower (and avoid the ‘won't power’)

#73 Don't be too hard on yourself

#74 Think like a child

#75 Practise gratefulness

#76 Be selfish — it's not always a bad choice!

#77 Never stop learning

#78 Set your goals

#79 Pay attention to the detail

#80 Avoid procrastination

#81 Learn the value of solitude

#82 Practise compassion

#83 Seek out mentors

#84 Scrutinise expert opinion

#85 Get a good financial planner

#86 Pick your battles

#87 Learn to adapt

#88 Know it's never too early to start — or too late

#89 Keep everything in moderation

10 Connection

The importance of family, friendship and community

#90 Get married!

#91 Enjoy a healthy sex life

#92 Instil healthy habits in your children

#93 Keep in mind that laughter really is medicinal

#94 Take advantage of the benefits of drinking wine

#95 Have a hobby

#96 Listen to whatever is music to your ears

#97 Plan a holiday

#98 Enjoy the perfect holiday with the seven Ss

#99 Have a workout buddy

#100 Never judge a book by its cover

Conclusion: What now?

Some quick tips to leave you with

Index

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword by Eddie McGuire

About the author

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Conclusion: What now?

Index

End User License Agreement

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First published in 2024 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, LtdLevel 4, 600 Bourke St, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia

© Dr Peter Larkins 2024

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

ISBN: 978-1-394-21608-6

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

Cover design and colour wheel graphic by Alex Ross Creative

DisclaimerThe material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

For Thomas, Charlie and Jeremy, with love

Foreword by Eddie McGuire

‘Your job is to keep me alive!’

It would appear I wasn't the only one saying this to my long-time colleague and friend Dr Peter Larkins.

Broken bones, exhaustion, general maladies and the effects of going from ‘bullet proof’ to ‘less bullet proof’ over the years, Dr Larkins has seen and largely fixed all this and more. He is my go-to man in the media, personally and for friends and family.

When something goes wrong, ‘Ring Dr Peter.’

Peter has a unique combination of skills and idiosyncrasies.

He possesses an athlete's ruthless dedication, a physician's clear thinking, a scientist's approach to problem solving, a natural raconteur's ear for a good story and he communicates with ease.

He also has that old-style ‘missionary’ approach to helping people and throwing himself at worthy causes.

I first spotted Peter in action in 1977 at, of all places, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, during what has become one of the most iconic sports events, the Centenary Test of Cricket.

Long before the likes of Robbie Williams provided pre-match entertainment at major sporting events, the organisers of the day had a local band on the back of a flatbed truck doing laps of the famous ground.

The other crowd occupier during the break in play for lunch was a mile race around the ground featuring the super athlete of the day, New Zealander, Olympic champion and world record holder, John Walker. Competing against the great man, the Australian 3000 metre steeplechase champion, a young doctor from Geelong: Peter Larkins.

The locals did well until the superstar of world athletics, Walker, took off for home, long hair flowing in his slipstream as he strode over the line in first place.

For a 12-year-old boy watching from the stands, that was some day.

That day Rod Marsh made 95 not out, debutant David Hookes hit the English captain Tony Greig for five boundaries in a row, and Australian batsman Rick McCosker, having been felled in the first innings by a bouncer that smashed into his face, returned to the crease with a broken jaw, his face covered in bandages, as the crowd sang ‘Waltzing McCosker’.

Anyone who graced the field that day was a legend to me!

So, as the years went on, the name Dr Peter Larkins would pop-up and I'd remember him being part of that great day in the history of sport.

And pop-up it did. As the athlete who went on to win seven Australian Championships and represent his country at the Olympic Games, the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games, and then popping up more often as an expert physician.

And then, when I started in the media, Peter Larkins was one of the most respected names in sports medicine as AFL club doctor at Geelong and Adelaide (among his many sporting positions) and later as the president of the Sports Medicine Association of Australia.

In that role Peter became a constant source of information.

When the opportunity came to put together the Triple M Football broadcasting team, and later the groundbreaking AFL on Nine team, I had no hesitation in asking Dr Peter to be our medical expert.

Previously, the role of ‘boundary rider’ had gone to a colourful former footballer, but we decided that, as injuries were such a major part of the game, a ‘real expert’ was required. This person needed medical expertise, an understanding of top-line competitive sport, the ability to break a story, to be unflinching in his honesty and to understand the theatre of live sport.

Enter ‘Dr Peter Larkins on the boundary.’

Peter Larkins changed the role forever.

Instead of waiting until ‘next week’ for medical updates, Peter's contacts and instant observation diagnosis changed the face of broadcasting.

It was not unusual for football clubs to ask him for his clinical diagnosis or to help ‘pop back in’ a dislocated shoulder or two while holding his microphone.

Peter turned what had been a ham-fisted, euphemism-laden part of broadcasting into pure journalism and changed the nature of covering sport from a medical point of view forever.

What is most pertinent to the writing of this book is his constant attendance at medical symposiums around the world, which has kept Peter at the forefront of world practices.

If there is one area of medical science that is always trying, often too hard, it is sports medicine.

Peter has been at the forefront of world sports medicine for over three decades. This, added to his burgeoning practice, has given him not only a theoretical leading position, but a hands-on daily connection to his patients.

In other words, he's seen it all and heard it all.

So when I say to Peter, ‘Your job is to keep me alive!’, I do so in the confidence that he's up to date on everything from the latest internet or celebrity fad, to new and improved, clinically-tested regimes, and has sorted through the brilliant from the bull!

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have.

Some of what Peter writes is self-evident and well known, and for good reason: it works.

Sometimes the ‘secret’ is pretty straightforward: sleep, food and exercise … who would have thought? But Pete's other well-learned lessons of fun, drive and purpose in life sets a pretty compelling structure to getting to the big 100!

His media colleagues might call him Dr Smooth and Doc Hollywood because of his proficiency behind the microphone, but I always regard Dr Peter Larkins as Dr Sincerity. With Pete, you know he's always doing his best for you and usually when you need a friend, and an expert one at that.

Who knows, with a bit of luck and medical advancements, we might get to the ‘Bi-Centenary of Test Cricket’!

Here's to a life well-lived.

Eddie McGuire

About the author

Dr Peter Larkins has been involved in the health and fitness industry his entire life.

From his beginnings as the inspiration for the popular Little Athletics movement in Australia to an international career as an Olympian, World Cup and Commonwealth Games athlete, he has always focused on healthy living practices and the pursuit of high performance — in sport and in all aspects of life.

During his 10-year international competitive career, he completed degrees in medicine and exercise physiology, before receiving travelling scholarships to pursue post graduate study overseas.

His sporting life fueled his interest in all aspects of human performance including the physiology of fitness, nutrition, sports injury management and the mental approaches to achieve at the highest level.

Peter established the first solo specialist sports physician practice in Australia and has served on numerous government and organisational advisory committees. He is past National President of Sports Medicine Australia — the peak advisory group on fitness, health and sport in Australia. He has been team physician for many sports including the Australian cricket team, triathlon, lacrosse and track and field teams. He also worked as a medical officer with the Geelong Cats and Adelaide Crows AFL teams.

He was a senior Team Leader for the provision of medical services at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and has taught on medical courses conducted by the International Olympic Committee.

His medical practice is devoted to helping all patients – regardless of age or ability — to stay active and ‘age youthfully’ by adopting his healthy living advice and lifestyle habits.

In more recent years he has also focused on community and population health by delivering messages on healthy lifestyle to all individuals. He is passionate about promoting healthy living for all to improve quality of life, longevity and to reduce health care costs in the Australian community. He believes many of the lessons learnt from dealing with elite sport performance can be applied to everyday productivity and success in the workplace and in life in general.

Peter is regularly seen and heard on television and radio on current affairs, news and lifestyle programs in his role as a media commentator and spokesperson on health and fitness topics. He has become known for his sharp wit, ability to read the play and make complex medical concepts easy for listeners to understand. It was here where he adopted the now infamous name, ‘Doc Larkins’.

In his spare time he enjoys good wine, good food, good company and good books. He exercises for health and to help justify the wine and food.

Acknowledgements

Writing this book involved many stages. It would never have reached publication without the support, inspiration, guidance, and feedback from some amazing and loyal individuals.

I want to acknowledge my mum and dad, Cecilia, and Frank, for allowing me to pursue my life goals inspired by their values and dedication. My two sisters Maureen and Noeleen, and my brother Frank, for nurturing the value of family.

My sons, Thomas, Charlie, and Jeremy — this is for you, with love.

Jaynie, you supported me through the difficult times and are a constant positive light even when distracted by life's hurdles. You know what that means to me. #jaypal.

To Bob Talbot, who kept telling me ‘Write the Book!’ Here it is Bob!

To Sharyn, who is a true confidante and rock of support over so many years and challenges.

To John Di Natale, who encouraged, listened, provided ideas, and gave initial structure advice over many weekend coffees in our village.

To Coral Brown, for your wisdom, and calm influence, also over many coffees!

To Julie Stafford, herself a star author, who's done it before but was generous and challenging with her ideas, feedback and nudges to keep going.

To my Wiley team — who would have thought it would take so many of you to get this book out there!? To Lucy Raymond who took a punt on a first-time author (thank you), Leigh McLennon, Charlotte Duff (who wasn't too brutal at editing out some of my favourite bits!), Chris Shorten and Ingrid Bond, the graphics and copy-editing team, and Renee Aurish in marketing — all of whom contributed to the final product.

To all my closest friends, many of whom shared the journey with me and understood the task — but especially to Geoff, Sandy, Michael and De, my other ‘family’, who are my constant supporters.

And finally … to Antonia, my much loved and trusted friend, PA, colleague and world class transcriber, feedback expert and critic. There are so many things in my life that you have shared and would not have happened without your kindness and care — this book is merely one of them.

Introduction

Why did I decide to write this book? To be perfectly honest, I have been asking myself the same question repeatedly ever since the idea for this project came to mind back in 2018.

Since then, I have been motivated by comments from my closest friends and some of my patients with whom I shared the idea for writing a book. When I told them the title, I received nothing short of encouragement from each and every one of the select few I told. Subsequently, when I mentioned I had started writing my book, and gave some details of the stages I had achieved, the encouragement was even more forthcoming. The finished product has taken some time, but I needed to make sure it covered all the messages and lifestyle strategies I wanted to discuss before it was published.

So, what do I know about health, healthy living, aging (or, more correctly, ‘anti-aging’) and longevity? I guess the real answer to that question starts with my early development years and my longstanding interest in physical activity and performance.

A bit about me

My sporting career began with my participation as a very young athlete in Little Athletics (LA) in Geelong. (Geelong was my hometown and where LA began in 1962.) My athletics involvement not only allowed me to appreciate fitness but also motivated me to study which types of exercise and fitness activities gave me the greatest performance return. It also sparked my interest in topics such as nutrition, sleep, training and recovery — all from the ripe old age of six years! LA was my first love as a sport, and I have the distinction of being the first male athlete to compete and graduate through the LA system and subsequently be selected in an Australian Olympic track and field team, in 1976 for the Montreal Olympic Games. (Debbie Wells from NSW, a talented teenage sprinter and teammate, was the first female).

My interest in the field of fitness and performance continued to flourish throughout my athletics career, medical training, and many years in private medical practice in the field of sports and exercise medicine. I have continued to learn and develop my expertise, and have remained curious about how to achieve high performance in life rather than purely in the athletic arena. In this book, I've included some of my personal experiences as an athlete, junior doctor and now a more senior specialist sports and exercise physician. Hopefully the anecdotes and life experiences add to the information provided and help you apply it to your own situation.

While I have had a longstanding involvement in the world of elite sport and sports performance, my current interest in optimal life performance was sparked back in 2005, when I was approached by the Melbourne City Council to provide a presentation on the topic of ‘work–life balance’. Ironically, this was not a term I was familiar with. After doing some background research, I was surprised to find quite a lot of interest and research in this field, albeit rudimentary and in its infancy at that stage. Within this theme of work–life balance, the focus for my presentation to Melbourne City Council employees and administration was how physical activity could be integrated into each work week. I spoke to the audience about the health benefits of exercise, which were well researched, particularly in relation to cardiovascular disease prevention, and how to create some personal ‘self-time’. Even then, I was encouraging my audience to take responsibility for their life health journey and to increase physical activity as a lifelong health-promoting habit.

Over subsequent years, I have presented this seminar in dozens of different formats, and the content has evolved dramatically. I've also developed gender-specific content, looking at the issues faced by men and women, particularly as they age, and their related health needs. However, my core messages have been consistent throughout that time — that is, my conviction about the beneficial role of physical activity and exercise in personal health protection, and the need for all people, regardless of age, to take control of their lifestyle habits and assume responsibility for looking after themselves.

Far too often over my many years of experience, I've seen people, including those in my profession, blindly accept declines in physical performance, enjoyment and overall lifestyle as a supposedly ‘inevitable’ consequence of the clock progressing. I've seen way too many individuals take a passive approach to health maintenance and then expect the medical profession to ‘fix’ the problems after they arise. This is not a sustainable attitude, and I've written this book to challenge some of those myths and concepts. Good habits need to be developed, ideally at an early age, but really at any age to minimise the oft-labelled ‘inevitable’ effects of aging.

Ultimately, I've written this book to help you work on your healthy lifestyle choices so you can be the best you can be, for as long as you can be.

What this book will do for you

Throughout my many years working in the medical, health and fitness industry, my goal has always been to help my patients and clients to achieve their optimal performance in life — whether they are involved in competitive sport or recreational exercise, or simply trying to be the best they can be in their overall life journey and career. I have also worked to apply the knowledge I have gained working in high-performance sport and translate this into achieving high performance in everyday life. In my time, I have achieved great satisfaction from assisting individuals to improve their lifestyle, fitness and health, and to achieve a higher level of functioning than they previously had.

I'm hoping that by reading this book, you will also embark on the same journey and ultimate achievement.

In the following chapters, I've provided lifestyle tips and habits designed to improve your wellbeing and health, and enhance your prospects of living a long and productive life. My focus is not simply about improving your longevity; I also want to help you improve your quality of life, now and in the future, and be your most productive self — in your personal life and in your career.

I've included scientific facts and the latest medical research, mixed in with my personal experience and some humour. Most importantly, the information included here is intended to offset the all too frequent acceptance of what many see as ‘aging changes’. I have always known there is no magic ‘fountain of youth’ and my research for this book confirms that. However, the messages contained here give you the ingredients to optimise your youthfulness, physically and mentally, as you gracefully age towards 100 years and beyond.

Some sections of this book are more straightforward and factual; in other sections I become more philosophical, as I reflect on things I would like to have done better. My life has not been smooth and is far from perfect. I have faced many setbacks, the majority of them personal and, in some cases, brought about through my own misguided or naïve decisions, at least in some part. I believe I am my greatest critic and the person I have disappointed most in life is myself. As with everyone, my journey continues.

In this book, I pass on the wisdom and tips I have gained, not because I want to be an evangelist or preacher, but simply to let you know that life is a continuing journey of lessons learned. I'm continuing to try to improve myself and be the best version of myself. I attempt to do the best job I can, albeit far from a perfect performance, for me, my children, my closest friends and all those whom I deal with in life. I hope this book helps you do the same.

How to use this book

The Healthy Hundred is all about giving you choices. After a quick outline of the current state of health in Australia in part I, I then cover in part II common chronic health issues — and how you can avoid them or reduce their impacts. Then, in part III, I outline many (specifically, 100!) actions you can take to improve your optimal performance and healthspan, and live a healthier, happier and longer life.

I've organised the 100 actions in part III under five key themes that, based on my research and personal life experience, I believe help you achieve the goal of living to a healthy 100 years and beyond. These themes are:

Exercise:

Focusing on the role of physical activity as your best health habit and supplement.

Nutrition:

Understanding the importance of healthy eating.

Habits:

Considering how your lifestyle choices and behaviour practices affect your health.

Mindset:

Developing your own healthy perspective on life.

Connection:

Looking at the critical role friendships and social relationships and connectivity play in healthy life balance.

You don't need to adopt every action immediately, and you don't have to read the book cover to cover before getting started. Perhaps after reading parts I and II, you'll scan through the 100 ways outlined in part III and choose a mixture of options to commence your health journey. You can always choose more as you progress.

Also keep in mind that this book is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical care. This is not a medical textbook; the medical advice is general in nature and is intended to help you improve your lifestyle behaviours and to initiate conversations with your preferred treating doctor. If you have any concerns in relation to your own medical care or individual conditions, these should be addressed with your family medical advisor.

While the potential for living to 100 years and beyond is now a reality in our current society, it is more important that you remain healthy, productive and energetic during the remaining years you have in life, regardless of the number you achieve. Nevertheless, I want you to set yourself a target of leading a longer, healthier and more productive life, and realise that achieving a healthy and vivacious 100 years of age — and beyond — is a realistic goal if you maintain a healthy lifestyle. By adopting the actions and habits outlined in this book, I hope you will feel that you can gain a healthier, more productive and happier lifestyle in the years ahead.

So let's get started!

PART ITaking a pulse check on aging and good health

Today, as a society, we seem to be obsessed with staying young. But before we look at how you might slow the aging process, it helps to have a basic understanding of what that process is and what happens to your body as you age. So in this part, I explain some of the reasons we slow down as we grow older — focusing in at a cellular level — and look at some of the illnesses that impede our productivity and function in later life.

Because when people say they want to stay young or don't want to grow old, I think what most are really concerned about is being able to stay active, fit and healthy for as long as they can, and continuing to live their life without disease or limiting disability. That's why in this part, I also introduce you to the idea of healthspan. This is where you move beyond simply extending your life to improving the quality and productivity of that longer life — so you can enjoy those extra years. I also look at the major determinants of good health, and just how many people in Australia are living with ill health. Finally, I tackle whose responsibility it really is to look after your health. (Spoiler alert: it's yours!)

1Moving from aging to healthspan

In some ways the question ‘Why do we age?’ might be the most difficult of all to answer. Nevertheless, it really goes to the core of my focus of understanding healthy longevity and ways to slow the aging process. This topic of why we age is broad, with a lot of complicated science behind it. In this chapter, I keep it pretty simple and provide a quick overview of the aging process on a cellular level. I also look at the top reasons Australians die, noting the leading causes for men and women. I then move on to what ‘healthy’ might mean for you — and how you can improve not only your lifespan but also your healthspan.

Understanding why we age — and die

No doubt you've recognised the signs of aging in someone you know. The external indicators might be greying hair, wrinkled skin, eyesight failure and changes in body posture. These external indicators are generally pretty obvious to others. Some internal shifts, such as cognitive or attitudinal changes, may also be recognised by friends and relatives dealing with an aging individual. Other internal changes might be more obvious to the aging individual, and involve changes to bodily functions (or dysfunctions) — which may be too personal to mention here!

When it comes to causes of death, how frequently do we hear the simple explanation that someone died from ‘old age’? Another term often used to explain a death is ‘natural causes’. What exactly does this mean? It is far easier to understand the reasons when someone passes away from a cardiac event, cancer or other recognised medical condition, rather than simply from ‘old age’.

Focusing in on our cells

Since the 1960s, molecular scientists have studied the decline in function of the body's cellular structures and processes as it ages. (The gradual failure of cell health is referred to as ‘senescence’ — literally, ‘aging failure’.) This area of science, known as ‘geroscience’, looks at ways to prevent, delay or potentially reverse the aging hallmarks, particularly those caused by chronic diseases.

As we age, the body accumulates senescent, or damaged, cells more rapidly in our aging years. Senescent cells are associated with damage to heart and brain tissue, as well as the inhibition of lung and bone metabolism. The capacity to repair, excrete or reduce the number of these senescent cells is an individual thing, but promising evidence suggests that regular physical activity and exercise promotes the clearance of these damaged senescent cells, and this clearance process can delay the chronic aging symptoms. In many animal studies, for example, exercise has been associated with increased clearance of these cells and hence the link to anti-aging changes in our key body systems. In other words, adopt these habits in your lifestyle and you can age more slowly. Now we are talking progress!

What about our DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)? DNA is the self-replicating material present in all our chromosomes and carries our unique genetic material. The health of our DNA is critical as we age, and our chromosomes are protected at their ends by structures known as telomeres. Telomeres inhibit damage to our chromosomes, but they deteriorate and become shorter as we age. Some studies suggest that regular physical activity can delay these telomere changes and hence lead to more effective chromosome protection.

Within the cells, mitochondria also play an important role in our health systems, and their function also declines with age because of senescent damage. Again, exercise has been associated with a reduction in this damaging process. (I discuss mitochondrial function in more detail in chapter 6.)

Finally, aging has been associated with increased accumulation of inflammatory markers in the body. Aging processes can be slowed down by interventions that reduce these inflammatory markers and assist with metabolism and limiting the damage related to everyday oxidative processes. One of the key interventions, again, is exercise. Can you see the recurring theme here?

This overview highlights that aging is a multifactorial process generally associated with a decline in our cell function because of many everyday body processes. While more research is certainly needed, there are encouraging signs to show the role of physical activity and regular exercise in delaying and potentially reversing these aging processes resulting from cell damage.

So, why do we die?

Death is a complex topic but, within the focus of this book, I've included here some statistics on what we know about why we are all mortal!

According to the federal government's Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the leading causes of male deaths in Australia in 2020 were as follows:

coronary artery disease

dementia (including Alzheimer's disease)

lung cancer

cerebrovascular disease (for example, stroke)

prostate cancer

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

diabetes

colorectal (bowel) cancer

suicide

accidental falls.

For females, the leading causes of death were:

dementia (including Alzheimer's disease)

coronary artery disease

cerebrovascular disease

lung cancer

breast cancer

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

colorectal (bowel) cancer

diabetes

heart failure complications

accidental falls.

You might be surprised that dementia and Alzheimer's disease rank so highly as leading causes of death in both men and women. I suspect many of the other causes will be familiar. Most are discussed in the following pages. (For more information and helpful resources from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, go to www.aihw.gov.au.)

Why aim for 100 and beyond? The Queen's telegram!

I must admit, when I was a youngster growing up, I was not aware of the concept of longevity. When you are a child, you mostly live in the present and don't have much concept of the future. However, one thing I was aware of was that I had many relatives who appeared to me as being ‘really old’. One of the other traditions that I became aware of at a relatively young age was that when someone turned 100 years of age, they received a telegram from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in England. In other words, reaching 100 years was considered such an achievement that even the Queen of England would acknowledge it! To me, that seemed an outstanding achievement in ‘life years’.

However, as you will see in the chapters of this book, many people are now living to 100 — and beyond — in modern society. In fact, the World Economic Forum has estimated that in 2022 around 573,000 individuals were over 100 years old. It is no longer the novelty that I thought it was. So my intention with writing this book is to provide you with the information and materials to become someone who not only receives the traditional telegram (or is it an email from King Charles these days?!), but also can aim to live beyond 100 years, just as many of the inhabitants of certain regions of the world with the longest living populations have already shown is possible. (These regions are known as ‘blue zones’ and I discuss them in in chapter 10.)

Working out what ‘healthy’ means

I must admit that over the many years that I have been working in the health and fitness industry, I have had to adjust my attitudes to what constitutes a healthy living program. In my early days, I probably oversimplified things, thinking that a good mixture of exercise with ‘healthy, balanced eating’ was sufficient to provide health and longevity. It was a formula that was easy to preach, but over time I have realised many other components need to be integrated into a more complete healthy lifestyle.

While exercise and healthy eating are certainly essential, I have learned and accepted, particularly in more recent times, that many other factors can also boost your anti-aging, health-promoting prospects. Diverse aspects such as social connectivity, mindset, family, personal development and even the role of mentors all contribute to nurturing a healthy, long life, and I cover these over the course of this book. While no ‘one size fits all’ recipe for health exists, it is important that the core factors are addressed and that you learn which individual ones apply best to your metabolism, genetics and lifestyle.

This process obviously can take some time and may involve a period of trial and error before determining the best fit for you. Ultimately, some experience and then consistent application of the correct balance of these lifestyle factors is required to achieve the long and healthy life you seek. (That's the ex-athlete coming out in me. Steady consistent training and looking after your body's health equals best performance results!)

What is a healthy lifestyle?

So, what are the core health factors, and what constitutes a healthy lifestyle? Several components go into the blend, but generally a healthy lifestyle can be summarised in the following:

behaviour choices that promote wellbeing

regular physical activity and exercise

healthy nutrition

optimal sleep

social integration and connectivity

a healthy mindset with emotional stability

a positive environment in which to live and work

lack of dangerous risk taking

work–life harmony

time for self — prioritising wellbeing.

This book will address all of these (and more) in the coming chapters as I outline my healthy lifestyle tips. Some tips are quite specific, while others are more general and able to be interpreted or introduced depending on your individual circumstances and current health situation.

Focusing on your healthspan

In my earlier days when I was promoting the value of exercise and healthy living practices, I believed that the end goal was to live a healthier, more fruitful life through these good practices — my focus was all about quality, rather than duration (quantity). Of course, at that time, I hoped that by looking after themselves and minimising illness risk, my patients and clients (and the audiences I was presenting to) would also live a longer life. However, this hope was not yet supported by a great deal of high-quality validated research. So I focused on what was supported, and regularly used to say, ‘Exercise may not make you live a day longer, but you will live a longer day.’

My message then was clear — being fit and healthy allows you to be more productive in your day and get the most out of what you do. Whether you lived a longer time to do exactly that was controversial and often disputed by others in my field. At that time, research was more focused on the value of exercise in the management of and recovery from cardiac problems such as heart attacks due to ischaemic heart disease. The positive impact of exercise on conditions such as diabetes, stroke, cancers and mental health was not yet appreciated by most in the medical and other allied health professions.

Since that time, literally hundreds of validated scientific studies have been published which confirm that regular physical activity and healthy living choices do result in an individual living longer and with better quality of life in their later years. The logic is obvious — if you are not unwell and do not die prematurely from preventable diseases, you will live longer. However, what is more important than simple longevity (long life) is the concept now known as ‘healthspan’. Healthspan is defined as the period of life spent in good health, free from the chronic diseases and disabilities of aging. Importantly, the concept focuses in on the number of disease-free years people enjoy towards the end of their lifespan. In other words, focusing on your healthspan helps you live longer (quantity) and be healthier and more productive (quality) in your later years. What a deal!

TIP

By understanding what healthspan means to you and considering the quality of life you'd like to enjoy as you age, you can start to focus in on what lifestyle changes you might need to make.

Key takeaways

Many destructive metabolic processes are occurring every day in your body. These have a negative impact on cell health, performance and longevity. Ultimately, you age faster if these destructive processes go unchecked. How you live, what you eat, whether you exercise and how you look after yourself overall can positively influence your individual aging process. You do have control over these processes.

2Your health: Whose responsibility is it?

In my medical experience, far too many individuals take a passive approach to health maintenance. They look for ‘someone else’ to ensure they stay healthy — usually their chosen medical practitioner. My recurring message in this book is that you need to take a positive and active role in promoting your own health situation. Good health is not a given right that you acquire passively.

The medical information supporting health promotion is well established and generally consistent. While I understand advice can at times seem contradictory, this book is all about cutting through any confusion and providing clear ways to take control of your own health.

If you are one of those people who feel that your good health is something that should come naturally, you need to reconsider your position. In this chapter, I run through some of the factors that influence good health, the types of chronic illnesses reported by many Australians, and how you can start to take charge and actively improve your health.

Understanding what determines good health

Three broad categories can influence your good health outcomes throughout your life: genetics, environment and behaviour. While you might not be able to do much about your genetics, you'll discover throughout this book the many ways you can adjust your environment and your behaviour for positive health benefits.

Genetics

Clearly your DNA can influence your health profile. Certain families, for example, have a higher incidence of medical conditions such as breast cancer, bowel cancer or heart disease. These conditions are passed from generation to generation, sometimes skipping one generation, but then appearing again. This highlights the importance of knowing your family background and having regular testing for any known high-risk conditions in your genetics.

While your DNA is one particular risk determinant that can be difficult to influence, keep in mind that in more recent times the role of genetics has been challenged. Genetics is currently thought to influence only 20 to 25 per cent of our health and illness risk. The majority is influenced by other factors, particularly lifestyle choices. Read on!

Environment

Many health conditions are influenced by both the domestic residential and occupational environment in which you function. People who live in cities with bad air pollution, poor water quality and toxic chemicals associated with waste product emissions can be at risk of conditions such as chronic respiratory disorders (such as asthma, emphysema and obstructive diseases) as well as certain cancers (such as skin, asbestosis and lung).

In developing countries where solid fuel burning is used every day in both cooking and heating, for example, the incidence of chronic respiratory disease is higher than in more developed countries. This clearly affects quality of life and lifespan. (For more information on the impact of environment on health, a great place to start is the World Health Organization — www.who.int.)

Behaviour

This component of health status has been estimated to contribute more than 50 per cent to your quality of life and illness risk. Personal lifestyle choices such as smoking, poor nutrition habits and physical inactivity are all contributing factors here — and they are all factors over which every individual has some control. Changing your behaviour choices allows you to influence your own personal health direction. ‘Acquired’ health conditions such as obesity, diabetes or the effects of excessive alcohol intake are associated with poor health outcomes and are often synergistic in determining other health risks when combined with other environmental and lifestyle behaviours.

Just how sick is Australia?

Many studies produced annually detail statistics on health and illness in Australia. Whilst the precise numbers often vary, the pattern of illness and the most common conditions remain consistent.

One of the most reliable sources — the Australian Bureau of Statistics — released the following health information from the 2021 census:

Over 8 million people reported having a long-term health condition (or 31.7 per cent of the population)

4.8 million people had one of the selected long-term health conditions.

1.5 million people had two of the selected long-term health conditions.

772 000 people had three or more of the selected long-term health conditions.

The types of chronic health conditions listed in the 2021 census for self-selection were:

heart disease

diabetes

mental health condition

arthritis

asthma

dementia

cancer

lung condition

stroke

kidney disease

other.

Of course, coming from the census means that this health data is self-reported, but nevertheless the numbers are alarming. Almost one-third of people in the Australian community report they are living with and attempting to manage a chronic health condition. The economic impact of this is clearly crippling for the federal and state governments — in 2022–23 alone, the federal government's total spending on ‘health’ was $106 billion (up from $100 billion the previous year). And this figure doesn't include money spent by other levels of government, individuals and other non-government funders, such as private health insurers. In my mind, the way the healthcare system functions is ‘back to front’, with the expenditure really being directed at illness care.

Surely it is better to spend money on prevention and education on minimising or eliminating these afflictions rather than continuing to have huge funding costs related to treating these conditions in our overburdened healthcare system?

Working out what you need to do

This is where the onus falls back on the individual to seek appropriate advice on their respective health profile and to assess the obvious measurable factors. YOU have to take action! You're never too old and it's never too late to make healthy lifestyle changes. This includes knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol (lipids) and blood sugar levels as well as seeking advice on your nutrition and exercise profile and weight management program.

Too many individuals have a ‘fix it once it's broken’ attitude. As a nation, we spend over $23 billion per annum on pharmaceutical medications to treat illness. Over 100 million prescriptions for cardiovascular medications are written annually. We seek out pills to treat blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, insomnia and mental health conditions. Massive government healthcare budgets include costs associated with sophisticated treatments for heart disease and cancers. These treatments are, of course, important in the community; unfortunately, however, the conditions are often detected late and require lengthy and difficult treatment protocols.

What if a single non-pharmaceutical product had a positive influence on virtually all the known medical conditions and chronic illnesses, as well as a positive benefit on risk factor reduction? What if this product was free?

This ‘product’ is currently available and has been verified by decades of randomly controlled scientific studies to validate its benefits. It's not a pill — the ‘product’ is called physical activity. That's right, exercise is medicine. As Greek philosopher Socrates argued centuries ago, ‘Is not the bodily habit spoiled by rest and idleness, but preserved for a long time by motion and exercise?’