Category: Health

Health and Fitness learnings for January: “90 minutes strength training a week are 4 years younger at the molecular level”

These are various health and fitness notes I accumulated in January 2025.

Please do not treat them as concrete science or proven fact. I’m just as susceptible to misinformation and fake news and health bias as the next always-online nerd. Below is simply what interests me

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A new study suggests that every ten minutes of strength training you do a week increases your telomeres (the caps on the end of chromosomes, associated with longevity) by 6.7 base pairs.
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People who do 90 minutes strength training a week are 4 years younger at the molecular level than those who do none.
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Source: https://x.com/Babygravy9/status/1872403234905628729

However, following exercise training the transcriptional signature of aging was markedly reversed back to that of younger levels for most genes that were affected by both age and exercise.

Soleus is called “the 2nd heart” because it pumps blood back to the heart. It is also responsible for handling the most force of any other muscle.
// do more soleus raises

The researchers…found that even if people walked as many as 20,000 steps a day, the health benefits continued to increase. They have not found an upper limit yet
// crazy finding

For pullups — pull bar to you, not pull up to it

Eat less. Caloric restriction, fasting, and keeping your system light throughout the day seem to have real benefits. Being a little hungry most of the time might actually be good for you.

New Foundation exercises for lower back and core strength:

When you inhale, your heart rate speeds up. When you exhale, it slows down. Breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of eight for just a few minutes can start to calm your nervous system. Remember: when you feel agitated, lengthen your exhales.

Spermidine’s strong link to longevity: https://x.com/davidasinclair/status/1881519444939416016?s=46
Great sources of spermidine: natto, broccoli, mushrooms, cheese, legumes

The more we learn about circadian rhythm, the more we realize that the amount, duration, and type of light you get has all sorts of signaling and hormonal effects on your body. The Sun is not toxic, but most sunscreen is carcinogenic.

Health and Fitness learnings for November & December: “babies are 3d printed from food”

These are various health and fitness notes I accumulated in November and December.

Please do not treat them as concrete science or proven fact. I’m just as susceptible to misinformation and fake news and health bias as the next always-online nerd. Below is simply what interests me

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Orange juice is a super food https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1849472394244530581.html

Sauna = superior “supplement” to any stack
Reduces risk of: All-cause mortality; CVD; Stroke; Hypertension; Microplastic/heavy metal toxicity
Protocol: 25 min – 4x/week @ 170°F

Power of a little daily bouncing!: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAEQYBhNRFr/

Cheese before drinking can help reduce hangovers: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCC7ztAt2Z2/

Only reheat rice once ever, and refrigerate quickly after cooking + cooling (otherwise run risk of a dangerous bacteria): https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDA_FCgS7ad/

HMMMM: https://x.com/motivateintent/status/1865973721737130102?s=46
It’s frankly astonishing. One of the big breakthrough realizations for me was our similarity to plants. It would seem the positive charge of the air vs the negative charge of the earth is indeed exceptionally important for plants, and also important for humans as well. Grounding / earthing starts to make a lot more sense, as does our need for sunlight to remain healthy. Surface life appears to effectively be a capacitor charged by differences in charge potential and sunlight.

For those taking higher doses of vinegar, depressive symptoms dropped by an average of 42 percent, compared to just 18 percent in the control group who took smaller amounts in pill form.

Calley Means notes:
If walking were a pill it would be most powerful one
target is 7k steps / day — 70% reduction in all cause mortality
“muscle contraction is medicine”
It’s more about all day movement then short periods of exercise
10m walk after meal is most high impact habit
Soleus pushups = body activation, signaling to body that you’re moving and staying active
“babies are 3d printed from food” (!)

Girl finds a paper from the 90s that suggests lactose intolerance is a skill issue (not enough enzymes to digest it). Spams skimmed milk for two weeks and her lactose intolerance symptoms completely resolved.

Our findings suggest that wearing an eye mask during overnight sleep can improve episodic encoding and alertness the next day

Health and Fitness learnings for October: “Walking is an incredible glucose disposal signal”

Why raw carrots are so good for gut health:
-antibacterial against pathogens
-can bind excess bile, estrogen
https://x.com/outdoctrination/status/1839752469460508861?s=46

One hour on plane with window open = 20 minutes in a tanning bed
Always close window shades when flying — reduces UV exposure since most airplane windows are not properly UV filtering

People who regularly used saunas reduced:
-Sudden cardiac death by 63%
-All-cause mortality by 40%
-Dementia by 66%
-Alzheimer’s disease by 65%

When drinking, eat lots of saturated fat — meats, cheese, eggs, coconut, butter, milk
https://x.com/alpacaaurelius/status/1847551531295658347?s=46

NAD (750mg IV loading dose; not absorbed well orally) works almost inexplicably to help go from a sick state to a well state very quickly; loading dose with 1x per month maintenance dose “If I had to pick one thing for people, engaging in NAD would be it.” – Craig Koniver

You will always feel young so long as you can run sprints, regardless of your age. Best anti-aging exercise you can do

This isn’t just about canned soup—the same principle likely applies to other canned products, including soda, sparkling water, and other canned foods. It’s important to recognize that many aluminum cans are lined with plastics containing chemicals like BPA.

Deep stretch lifts are usually best:
-Full ROM
-5-10% more muscle growth

“Walking is incredible glucose disposal signal”

Sauna can help excrete microplastics
https://x.com/BioavailableNd/status/1849606697175875726

Drinking vinegar before / while eating can reduce glucose spikes by 50% or more: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBW6aqGuhLD/

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Here are learnings from August & September

Health and Fitness learnings for August and September: “Leg strength = longevity”

Drink more ginger tea
* Low thyroid function: ginger tea.
* Constipation: ginger tea.
* Menstrual cramps: ginger tea
* Cold hands and feet: ginger tea.
* Low immunity: ginger tea.
* Joint pain: ginger tea.
https://x.com/bioavailablend/status/1837838703080665121?s=46

Brown rice could be bad for you due to high arsenic levels

When muscles contract, they secrete chemicals into the bloodstream. Among these chemicals are myokines, which have been referred to as “hope molecules”. These small proteins travel to the brain, cross the blood-brain barrier, and act as an antidepressant

Terrible to drive car with A/C re-circulating air
https://x.com/caesararum/status/1833496983505707283?s=46

Lose up to 2L of water on 10h flight — medical recommendation is 8oz water per hour of flight (one glass per hour)

Leg strength = longevity
* Weak legs = less mobility
* Bones are mineral factory for brain
* Older adult injury = falling, strong legs help

As a general principle, just avoid fried foods including french fries (acrylamide)

Cider vinegar: It’s better for you than Ozempic. It’s cheaper than Ozempic and it reduces your appetite. Have a shot of #cidervinegar every day.

Literature strongly suggests that speed and strength are the primary levers to longevity.

“Dips are upper body squats”

“Dead Hangs: I think these might have been the transformer, as I’ve only been doing them a few months. Get a pull-up bar and hang.”

It’s been interesting to follow the recent research on how one’s body adapts to exercise. It tends to return to a baseline of how much calories it burns. Thus, it means that your body is both 1) getting better at using the energy it has to burn, and 2) it’s routing the energy from well-intentioned systems that are actually harmful (like your immune system having too much energy and thus resulting in remaining chronically inflamed).

Sprite is one of the better hangover cures because it breaks down acetaldehyde https://www.instagram.com/p/C-TGBzeSAGV/

July’s health and fitness learnings:
https://kevinhabits.com/health/health-and-fitness-learnings-for-july-by-age-30-95-of-people-will-never-sprint-again

Health and Fitness learnings for July: “By age 30, 95% of people will never sprint again”

A growing literature has demonstrated that tea intake is beneficial to human health, including mood improvement (e.g., anti-stress), risk reduction of cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease prevention, lower cancer incidence, and reduced mortality.
These benefits of tea are derived primarily from the effects of its constituents: catechin, L-theanine, and caffeine

// drink more tea

By age 30, 95% of people will never sprint again (!): https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8jaqu3NLSp/

// wild if true; another reason to do HIIT

“CT scan is mammogram for the heart”

Moving muscles for 10m after meal — 30-35% glucose reduction

// Chinese saying 饭后百步走活到九十九

“Muscle is the organ of longevity”: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9SFiLQOuEp/

Rinsing your mouth with water immediately after eating or drinking can help neutralize acidity, remove residual sugar and clear away the kinds of bacteria that cause cavities and bad breath.

// easy habit to incorporate

Chuando @ 53yo: He prioritizes 8+ hours of sleep & avoids food 5-6 hours before sleep for optimal rest.

“Muscle is sink for glucose disposal” — Attia

Cerebellum = 10% volume but 50% neurons! That’s why racquet sports — anything requiring extensive hand-eye coordination + movement — is so linked to longevity

// what about playing piano?

Stop eating high saturated fat foods eg, sausages, bacon, fatty meats — high association with heart disease and bad cholesterol

Weightlifting just as good as static stretching for flexibility and dynamic range! https://www.instagram.com/p/C9fHQdBOkWJ/

// emphasize more ROM / full range movements in weight lifting, especially at lower weights

Here’s last month’s health and fitness update.