A Book That Made A Big Impact On Me
Four changes I immediately made
A little over a year ago, I heard some buzz about a wellness book, so I purchased it. I dove right in and kept sharing interesting anecdotes with my husband. We had a road trip coming up, so we decided to buy the audiobook and listen together while on our drive. We listened with such interest and excitement for all of its 17 hours (I know, I know… it's long!).
That life-changing book is called Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.
In my opinion, Outlive is one of the most comprehensive books on living well. The author, Peter Attia, MD, is a prominent figure in the field of longevity and human performance. He has dedicated his career to understanding the science behind healthspan extension and optimizing human performance.
Why it Impacted Me
This entire book made me rethink how I approach health.
Outlive offers a good mix of science and practical tips regarding longevity, with well-researched and documented findings. Though there's quite a bit of medical terminology in the book, it's manageable. The book covers not only how to live longer but also how to increase the quality of life: healthspan vs. lifespan.
I loved his ideas on rethinking medicine as a way to live longer. Dr. Attia introduces the concept of Medicine 3.0, where prevention becomes the priority over the medical industry's “treatment” focus. Attia refers to the current industry practice as “Medicine 2.0,” where the medical sector waits until someone has become sick before treating them (such as diabetes). It's logical, and while the prevention trend has become increasingly common, the medical industry has a long way to go.
Outlive discusses the prevention of four key diseases that Dr. Attia terms the four horsemen: cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders. Attia offers evidence-based preventions and suggestions for what lab work to request from our general practitioners. Throughout the book, he shares his approach with his patients, starting with the extensive bloodwork and physiological testing he does with every patient. His “Medicine 3.0” recommendations focus on areas Medicine 2.0 doesn’t cover. Some of this was incredibly eye-opening!
In Outlive, Dr. Attia discusses five tactical domains for altering one’s health: exercise, nutritional biochemistry, sleep, emotional health, and drugs and supplements. While we want quick fixes and immediate results, Attia warns against that mentality and advises that his book doesn’t offer that kind of advice. He doesn’t share fast and easy solutions but critical lifestyle changes we must embrace if we want to live well.
Four Changes I’ve Made
In Outlive, Dr. Attia writes, “What do you want to be doing in your later decades? What is your plan for the rest of your life? What is your strategy to achieve your goals?” Throughout the book, he poses excellent questions to ponder and answer. My husband and I paused the audiobook many, many times to discuss these questions and the adjustments we needed to make. Here are four changes I’ve made since reading Outlive-
1. Have a Start-Now Mindset
While there are numerous good points to take away from reading this book, the best advice I found in Outlive was to start now. Exercise, eat better, mentally care for myself, and get ahead of any diseases through more thorough screenings NOW. It's never too late to begin taking better care of myself. I won't focus on what I didn't do before but on what I can do right now. I was already doing many things Attia suggests, but the book encouraged me to start now in areas I needed to improve/begin.
“I believe that the only way to create a better future for yourself—to set yourself on a better trajectory—is to start thinking about it and taking action now.” —Peter Attia
2. Eat More Protein
As we age, we begin to lose muscle mass, a condition called sarcopenia, and this process usually starts around age 45. Dr. Attia states that almost all of us under-consume protein, and as a result, our muscles deteriorate faster, but adding more protein can slow the process. I immediately increased my protein intake and tracked it in a nutrition tracking app. Peter Attia recommends consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily, significantly higher than the recommended daily allowance of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Whether I’m cooking at home or dining out, protein consumption is the first thing I think about.
“In case my point here isn’t clear enough, let me restate it: don’t ignore protein. It’s the one macronutrient that is absolutely essential to our goals. There’s no minimum requirement for carbohydrates or fats (in practical terms), but if you shortchange protein, you will most certainly pay a price, particularly as you age.”—Peter Attia
3. Focus on Sleep
I have a bit of insomnia, so sleep doesn’t come easily for me. Dr. Attia devotes an entire chapter to sleep with the subtitle, “How to Learn to Love Sleep.” The chapter provides 10 very practical ways to improve your night’s rest. Some suggestions were things I’d already done, but a few were ones I hadn’t. Dr. Attia writes that a good night of sleep depends on a myriad of things- a good day of wakefulness, including exercise, sensible eating, minimal alcohol, stress management, and setting boundaries. After reading Outlive, I realized I needed to give more importance to quality sleep. I immediately reduced or eliminated screen time before bed (including using my iPad to read), woke up at the same time every day, and ensured that if my bedroom wasn’t completely dark, I wore an eye mask.
“Good sleep, in terms of not only quantity but quality, is critical to our cognitive function, our memory, and even our emotional equilibrium. We feel better, in every way, after a night of good sleep.” —Peter Attia
4. Exercise Differently
Before reading the book, I had been strength training, walking, and working on stability. From Outlive, I learned more about the complexity of exercise science, aerobic efficiency, and so much more about the benefits beyond the obvious reasons. When exercising now, I am conscious about staying in zone 2 for a certain period of time. I view exercise now as medicine since research shows exercise mimics the effects of pharmaceutical drugs in improving health outcomes, particularly in combating age-related diseases and conditions. There are plenty of times I don’t want to exercise, but I tell myself that the future me will be so thankful. Because I have an autoimmune disease and Long Covid, there are periods of time where exercise is difficult. But, once I recover from a flare-up, I return to it.
“Exercise has the greatest power to determine how we live our lives. It reverses physical and cognitive decline and improves emotional health.” — Peter Attia
“Exercise is by far the most potent longevity ‘drug.’ No other intervention does nearly as much to prolong our lifespan and preserve our cognitive function.” — Peter Attia
It’s tough to encapsulate all the new things I learned from this book!
Overall, Outlive taught me to start thinking of the body as a whole and how mindset and emotions also play a role in longevity. My goal is not only to outlive my ancestors but to live better, knowing why I want to live so long and what I want to do with those extra years. I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable about diet and exercise, but reading this powerful book brought my education up a few notches.
Outlive is such a motivational book! After reading and listening to it, I was so excited to take better care of my body.
Here, a year later, I’m still practicing the four changes and proud of the success I’ve had. Blood work and tests proved the changes in my life were instrumental, so it’s encouraged me to keep going. 🙂
“I would never want anybody to come away from this thinking, ‘I'm too old to do anything about it.’ I think as long as you're breathing, you have a chance to do something about it.” —Peter Attia
Is there a book you’ve recently read that greatly impacted your life?
Further Reading and Listening:
How to Build Your Own Centenarian Decathlon, Peter Attia, MD
An Introductory Guide to Longevity, Peter Attia, MD
Podcasts:
Exercise for aging people: Where to begin, and how to minimize risk while maximizing potential | Peter Attia, M.D.
Training for the Centenarian Decathlon: Zone 2, VO2 max, stability, and strength
Related posts:
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Yes, yes to the protein—work in progress here (and I added tuna to my salad just as I was reading your post! :) You sent me on quite the deep dive yesterday, very interested to listen to the podcast as he covers many interesting areas—thank you for the flag, and will look up the book, too! So good to hear how you've been working through changes together, and the positive benefits you've seen in the last year! 💗👏 👏
This is a great review and encouragement, Natalie. I still struggle with getting enough protein, but it is top of mind for me when I think of food.