Can you live forever? Probably not, but here’s how to invest in living a longer - and healthier - life.
By Jessica Collins for Heat Healer
As technology advances, people continue to push the traditional boundaries of a typical human lifespan. In fact, there are some (like Blueprint’s Bryan Johnson) who believe that with the perfect combination of technology, medicine - and extra virgin olive oil - the possibility of living forever is within reach!
At Heat Healer we’re not convinced that living forever is possible (and almost certainly not desirable) but we do believe that, by investing in healthy habits, supported by the latest technology, we can aim to extend our lifespan - or, more importantly, our healthspan.
Healthspan (a term that author and physician Dr Peter Attia uses in his book Outlive) refers to the number of years that we live free of chronic or debilitating disease. These are the years we are healthy enough to do the things we love: taking a walk with a friend, going for a swim in the ocean, or playing with a child or grandchild. There’s no point in extending lifespan, without also improving healthspan.
If you’re curious to learn about where to invest (time! energy! money!) to live a longer and healthier life, we’ve rounded up a list of 5 things you should focus on, according to longevity experts.
Data shows that lean body mass is inversely proportional to risk of mortality - this means the more you increase muscle mass, the more you reduce your risk of death. Experts recommend at least three strength or resistance training sessions each week can have a positive impact on lean muscle mass and overall fitness. Heat Healer’s Energy Sauna helps muscles recover from workouts faster through the triple combination of far Infrared heat, Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field technology, and red LED light. PEMF in particular has been shown to speed up recovery by delivering oxygen to muscles, accelerating healing of tendons, ligaments and other tissue, and reducing swelling. So you can focus on getting stronger, and avoiding injury.
Science understands more about the importance of a good night’s sleep than ever before, and the role it plays in allowing our bodies to undertake critical repair processes. Poor sleep can trigger a cascade of negative health issues, from insulin resistance, cognitive decline and mental health issues. Just like us, Dr Peter Attia is a huge fan of a pre-sleep sauna sesh (he shares that the impact of introducing a nightly sauna session on his sleep quality has been “insane!”) Science tells us this is because raising your core body temperature before bed and then allowing it to drop sends a strong sleep signal to your body and can help you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper. It’s also pretty relaxing - we recommend a sauna around 90 minutes before bed, combined with a herbal tea and a guided meditation, for the best sleep of your (long) life.
Whilst restricting calories or following meal plans can be beneficial for those with specific health conditions (like diabetes, heart disease, or intolerances), for the vast majority of the population, what you eat has a much lower impact on longevity than the exercise you do (and the muscle mass you maintain). Our tips? Avoid eating a large meal late at night, as this can negatively affect sleep, and be sure to eat a wide variety of plants, proteins, fats and carbs to fuel your muscle-building workouts.
The more information you have at your disposal, the more you can personalize your health and wellness routine to what your body needs. For example, genetic testing to uncover known mutations (such as MTHFR) can help determine if vitamin supplements might be useful. DEXA body scans can show bone density, visceral fat, and muscle mass and guide us towards the kinds of exercise we may benefit most from. Glucose monitoring systems like the Dexcom G7 provide information on how our body responds to different foods. Wearables, like the WHOOP strap, are also a great way to track heart rate, sleep quality and physical activity trends over time. As they say, knowledge is power!
When contemplating a longer lifespan we cannot forget that emotional health and physical health are closely linked. Even simply feeling lonely has been linked to higher risk of mortality. The good news is that Infrared saunas have been found to have a mood boosting effect, potentially through the stimulation of the mood-regulator serotonin. Level up your sauna game by adding on a guided breathwork to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Longer term, regular saunas activate processes within our bodies that can help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s; which is especially important if we want to live a life that is not just longer, but happier as well.
Invest in your future health with Heat Healer’s Energy Sauna.
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