Live Long and Master Aging

Phil Libin, co-founder and former CEO of Evernote, the note-taking app, recently moved into a new phase of his life. He turned 45, launched a new AI startup studio, All Turtles, and perhaps most significantly, lost a ton of weight. Phil has been a big guy since his late teens. He knew he was obese but did nothing about it until eight months ago. That’s when he decided to join the growing clan of fasting enthusiasts in Silicon Valley. It worked. He has lost 86 pounds (39 kilograms). Blood tests suggest he could be 20 years younger. And here’s the kicker: Phil says he plans to continue fasting indefinitely - not because he needs to lose much more weight but because he enjoys a sustained feeling of "mild euphoria" while not eating. He fasts periodically for up to eight days at a time. In this in-depth interview, Phil explains why his extreme regime is so invigorating; how he pushed back at his doctor, who thought it was a bad idea; and why he likens fasting to skydiving. Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

As human life expectancy continues to increase, age-related diseases are the main impediment to enjoying the fruits of longevity. High on the list is Alzheimer’s disease, the incurable neurodegenerative condition that robs sufferers of their memory and eventually leads to death. But valuable progress is being made in the understanding and prevention of the disease. A new study at the Keck School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles has revealed that biological changes in the brain occur long before symptoms of Alzheimer’s become apparent. The research, led by neuropsychologist Dr. Duke Han, suggests that cognitive tests are able to detect early stage of the disease in people without symptoms. In this in-depth interview, Dr Han argues that routine brain testing should be incorporated into annual physical check ups for people of all ages.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Why do women live longer than men? Does the ability to bear children play a role and to what extent do evolutionary forces discriminate between men and women? Dr. Felice Gersh is a board-certified (1984) gynecologist and the founder of a private medical practice, the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, California. Fellowship trained in a relatively new medical field, known as functional/integrative medicine, Dr. Gersh believes longevity is connected to estrogen. She argues that it is the “most maligned and insulted” of all hormones and acts a natural anti-inflamatory agent to promote good health in both women and men. Dr. Gersh advocates for a better understanding of the role stomach bacteria play in living a long, healthy life. She believes doctors should “expand their tool boxes” to include acupuncture, herbal medicine and meditation. In this interview she  explains why she “had to unlearn” much of what she learned at medical school and calls for a fundamental shake-up in the delivery of health care.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

The enhancement of the human body is the main goal of Geoffrey Woo, a biohacker and entrepreneur based in San Francisco. A Stanford-trained computer scientist, Geoffrey is the CEO and co-founder of HVMN (formerly Nootrobox), a nootropics company that melds biology and technology to optimize the human system. The evolving science behind nootropics, which are legal compounds designed to improve cognitive function, has become big business in Silicon Valley. Geoffrey sees the human body as a quantifiable and manipulable system, and the next platform for innovation and growth. Along with his employees, he is also an enthusiastic proponent of fasting, Together, they have built a vibrant community of like-minded followers, known as WeFast. They regularly deprive themselves of food, in the pursuit of good health and longevity. In this in-depth interview, Geoffrey shares his enthusiasm for biohacking and explains why he believes everyone will be fasting within the next two years.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

James Maskell is a writer, public speaker, entrepreneur and advocate for a new paradigm in healthcare. The author of The Evolution of Medicine, James is the founder of the Functional Forum, an integrative medicine conference that curates discussions with leading medical practitioners around the world. Next week, James will co-host the launch of an ambitious project to make Guernsey the first community in the world to achieve a life expectancy of 100. Named 'Journey to 100,' the goal is to radically improve the health and longevity of people living on the island through a greater emphasis on preventative medicine, purpose in life and a proactive approach to wellbeing.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Curt von Badinski is a serial tinkerer, inventor, entrepreneur and businessman. As a mechanical engineer he worked on secret projects at the aerospace company, Lockheed Martin; he developed network equipment at the IT giant, Cisco Systems, and he built a family company making camera accessories. It was during this enterprise that Curt realized his work-obsessed and sleep deprived “crazy” lifestyle was making him sick. It was a light-bulb moment that convinced Curt to use his tech expertise to focus on his health and longevity. He created Motiv, a San Francisco-based startup, with the initial goal of developing a discreet hand ring to monitor physical activity and sleep patterns. The Motiv Ring launches during the summer. Curt still lives a moderately crazy lifestyle, as LLAMA host Peter Bowes discovered, when they met in Burbank, California.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

In the months before her retirement, Sue Albert was worried that she may not survive to enjoy her golden years. She spent a lifetime in nursing, and ended her career as the dean of a health department at a California college. But Sue was burned out and sick. She had neglected her own health needs and was overweight, hypertensive and physically challenged. She decided to join a gym and, albeit reluctantly, embarked on a life-changing – possibly life-saving – workout regime. This week Sue heads to Belarus to compete in the World Powerlifting Championships. LLAMA host Peter Bowes met Sue at her gym, Results Fitness, in Newhall, California, for an inspiring conversation about her new-found youth and vitality. She reveals the secret to her physical and mental transformation - swapping her “can’t do” attitude for the mindset of a champion weightlifter. Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

The biological mechanisms at work during the aging process have long since intrigued and baffled scientists. Indeed, the very definition of aging continues to be the subject of much debate. The relationship between growing old and chronic disease is pivotal to the understanding of human longevity and the focus of many clinical studies. Dr. David Gems is a professor of biogerontology at the Institute of Healthy Aging, University College London. A leading voice in the quest to unravel the mysteries of aging, he works with tiny worms, called nematodes, to try to shed some light on the process. In this in-depth interview, David reveals why his theories about aging have shifted over the years. He argues that there in no central “underlying aging process” caused by damage or the body wearing out, as scientists once thought. The reality, he says, is “more complex and nuanced”.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

People with a brain age older than their bodies could be at greater risk of dying early, according to a recent study. Dr. James Cole, a neuroscientist at Imperial College London, led a research project using MRI scans and a computer program to predict a person’s brain age. The system, which is still in development, could help spot people whose lifestyles put them at greater risk of poor health and early death. LLAMA host Peter Bowes visited Hammersmith Hospital in London for this in-depth interview with Dr. Cole, who explains how data for the study was collected and how the findings could be used to help people live longer lives. He also discusses what some people call “the mosaic of aging”, the idea that different tissues and systems in the body can age at a different pace.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Implanted devices that monitor the internal functioning of our bodies, in minute detail, could soon be part of our daily lives. Many of us already take for granted the wearable gadgets and apps we use to keep track of exercise and food intake. Technological advances in the field of body computing are moving quickly and are about to revolutionize the way we manage aging and everyday wellbeing. Dr. Leslie Saxon is a professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death. The founder and executive director of USC’s Center for Body Computing and the newly formed USC Virtual Care Clinic, Dr. Saxon is a global authority on the development of wearable and implanted technology. In this in-depth interview, she discusses the potential for body computing to enhance our lives and longevity.Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.