2443: We're All Pioneers by Ryan Frederick of Here.life on Age of Longevity & Personal Resilience

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[00:01:09] We're all pioneers by Ryan Frederick of here.life and I'm Dr. Neal, your very own personal narrator. Welcome to another edition of Optimal Health Daily. This is one of just a few podcasts in the world where blogs are read to you

[00:01:24] and on this show you get the added bonus of hearing my commentary at the end. Oh, and another bonus, on Fridays I answer your questions. Now, to check out our other shows just search for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're

[00:01:37] hearing this but for now let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life. We're all pioneers by Ryan Frederick of here.life. In the early 1800s, Lewis and Clark were deployed to explore the newly acquired western portion of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase.

[00:02:02] They were true pioneers. They explored uncharted territory and encountered many challenges including harsh weather conditions, rough terrain, and hostile encounters with Native American tribes. In the end they overcame these obstacles, made their way to the Pacific Ocean and created a map of how to get there.

[00:02:22] In the age of longevity, we're all pioneers. For most of the history of mankind you were fortunate to live to 30. 50% of kids born today in developed countries are expected to live to at least 100. We're entering uncharted territory and to make the most of our longer lives we need

[00:02:43] to figure it out as we go along much like Lewis and Clark. Longevity is one thing. Healthy longevity is another. Living long is a gift of modern society largely through advances in science, technology and health practices.

[00:02:59] However, a long life without commensurate health and wealth may not be desirable. At a recent conference, a speaker asked those who wished to live to 100 to stand up. About three quarters of the room stood up.

[00:03:13] He asked those standing to remain standing if they wish to live to 100 regardless of the quality of their lives. But surprisingly, everyone sat down. Healthy longevity, living a long, healthy, purposeful, socially connected, financially secure life just doesn't happen.

[00:03:34] Luck plays a role but careful planning plays a significant one too. The challenge is that with a longer life comes substantial complexity and uncertainty. The complexity of longevity. In some respects, maybe Lewis and Clark had life easy by comparison.

[00:03:53] Not to make light of their dangerous encounters and various uncertainties, but in today's world, we face so many challenging personal questions like, how will my health be over a long life? Will I have enough financial resources?

[00:04:06] What will be the state of my key relationships and friends over time? How will I find a sense of purpose for each stage of life? There are also important global questions like, how will climate change impact the world?

[00:04:19] Will our political systems be able to survive such rapid change? Will regional conflicts escalate to global ones? The complexity can be overwhelming. Yet, our only option is to forge ahead and endeavor to find ways to wade through the complexity especially by focusing on elements that we control.

[00:04:39] Dissurning what matters. Start with place. One of the decisions that has an outsized impact on our life is place, where we live and how we choose to show up where we live. Place is best to meet our physical, emotional and psychological needs, the key underpinnings

[00:04:57] that help make a place a home. But it is so much more. It is foundational for creating a sense of purpose, cultivating our social connections, fostering physical well-being and providing financial security. Ultimately, it is foundational for healthy longevity.

[00:05:14] The Blue Zone concept has been around for nearly 20 years but it has become more popularized with the recent Netflix show, Live to 100, The Secrets of the Blue Zones. In their view, quote, if you want to lose weight or live longer, don't try to change

[00:05:30] your behavior, change your environment, end quote. Choosing your right place is one way to successfully manage the complexities of a longer life. Channeling your inner Lewis and Clark to be a successful pioneer.

[00:05:45] No one said being a pioneer was easy, but for Lewis and Clark it was worth it. There are lessons from their journey that we can incorporate in our longevity journey. First, expect challenges and channel the courage and resilience to overcome them.

[00:06:00] Second, it's easier to overcome challenges as part of a team. Lewis served as the leader and primary navigator while Clark was his co-captain and map maker. Successful aging is a team sport. Who is part of your A team? Third, embrace a growth mindset.

[00:06:19] Seeing the next challenge as a growth opportunity will help you make the most of each chapter in life. When you next see reference to Lewis and Clark, don't just see them as an inspirational story for their times.

[00:06:32] View them as role models for what it takes to thrive in the age of longevity. You just listened to the post titled, We're All Pioneers by Ryan Frederick of here.life and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:06:52] I want to go back to a point that today's author Ryan made about changing our environment to help support our health goals. Is Ryan saying that we have to move away from where we currently live to improve our chances of living a longer, healthier life? No.

[00:07:07] In fact, he said it's just one piece of the puzzle. But let's take the example of someone who lives in an unsafe area and has limited access to fresh foods and health care.

[00:07:17] Then yes, moving to a safer area with better access would be ideal, but we know that's not always possible. But if we have these needs met, like again access to fresh foods and health care in a

[00:07:29] safe environment, we can make simpler changes to our environment to help us live longer, healthier lives. For example, we could keep fresh fruits and vegetables in plain sight on our countertops and at eye level in the refrigerator. Why is that helpful?

[00:07:46] Many studies have found that we follow a seafood diet. We see a food. We're more likely to eat it. And we're all guilty of this, me included. So filling our cupboards and refrigerators with nutritious foods and placing them in plain

[00:08:02] sight will make it more likely that we'll actually eat those foods. We can also change our social environment, meaning who we hang out with influences our behavior to. Ryan talked about who's your A team? Who's your social support network?

[00:08:19] What we're finding is if we hang out with those that eat nutritious foods and work out regularly, we'll probably do the same. These are some of the little environmental changes we can make to help us reach our goal of living a long and healthy life.

[00:08:34] All right, that'll do it for today. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening every day. Thank you for sharing this show with someone. That's one of the best ways to help keep this podcast going.

[00:08:45] And I hope you have a great rest of your day. Oh, and don't forget I'll be back here tomorrow for the usual Friday Q&A and where your optimal life awaits.