Unbreakable - Episode 2: Building unbreakable biology
Renowned orthopedic surgeon, expert in aging and longevity, and accomplished author, Dr. Vonda Wright shares the secrets of building unbreakable biology.
Transcript
We can't hack our way to good health. It takes a lifestyle that we layer on of conscientious decisions.
[PEACEFUL MUSIC]
We have come to understand that not only can we control 70% of our health and aging
due to the lifestyle choices we make every day through a process called epigenetics, but now, scientists
estimate that up to 90 or more percent of our future health and aging are due to the changes we make.
So that means that going out for a walk or eating broccoli are not just simple acts for the here and now,
but they can change the very expression of our genes and shape our future.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Your telomeres, once they get too short, you die, OK? So if your telomeres are further advanced,
you could show signs of premature aging.
There's the telomere length, and there's also several other biological markers that people can test to see how much your body is aging.
So if you have a really, really unhealthy lifestyle, and a lot of oxidative stress, you could potentially be aging yourself
faster than your actual age. I'm 34!
What? Yes! [UPBEAT MUSIC]
You know, historically, when we talk about men getting old, we say things like longevity, and we celebrate gentlemen
with gray beards and gray hair doing amazing adventures. That is not the case with women.
Historically, when we think about women, we use terms like anti-aging, as if it's a problem to be solved.
The reality is that although society does not see us the same as we age, biology doesn't either.
Men age in a slow, steady decline. Women age in a decline until the very moment
that they hit perimenopause. And I'm a firm believer that estrogen is the elixir of longevity for women.
And when we stop making it, we have a brain that's starved for estrogen, which feels like brain fog.
We have a heart with microvascular disease that accumulates damage much more rapidly. And from an orthopedic perspective,
we have bones that become porous or full of holes at twice the rate of standard male aging.
So aging in men and women are not the same. They are different because of the role of estrogen in our bodies.
There is no magic potion. You know, sometimes we're led to believe that we can reverse aging or we can reverse the cellular function of our individual cells
with some additive. And while there are some trends towards that, some evidence
influence towards that, we have solid studies that show that simple things such as chronic mobility, aka,
exercise, can really change the rate of our aging. So when I approach the whole health of a woman,
I meet her where she comes to me. We start with health optimization. We are going to optimize your biomarkers.
What is your blood telling us? What is your brain telling us? What is your heart telling us? Then we're going to teach you and layer
on the five pillars of longevity that we know work, the principal of which being mobility
and how to move-- then smart, anti-inflammatory nutrition. We're going to help you with your sleep--
all the things, including relationships, that we know that can optimize your health. When you're thoroughly optimized and in peak performance, sure,
then we can add on gadgets. But my approach-- and the approach of many longevity doctors-- is to optimize your health, add peak performance,
and then look to the future of longevity. [INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]
If you want to rebuild your neuromuscular pathways between your brain and your muscles, what I need you to do
is some plyometrics. Simply said, I need you to jump up and down, just like you did when you were a little kid.
Maybe play some hopscotch. Maybe pull out your jump rope, or even better, jump off of some box or ledge.
The jumping will retrain your neuromuscular pathways. The impact will build better bone.
And the powerful explosion during a jump will help you retrain your fast-twitch muscle fibers.
longevity
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