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Lisa's Reviews > Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity
Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity
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Peter Attia and Bill Gifford have spent an inordinate amount of time compiling all the latest science in health related fields to come up with their plan for a long "healthspan," the idea of good life quality in a person's later years. Their final product is a fairly comprehensive, though by no means complete, and readable text.
Attia focuses on the four main causes of death: metabolic disease (including insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes), cardiovascular disease, neurogenerative diseases (including Alzheimer's), and cancer. He astutely points out that these conditions begin years before the advanced symptoms show up as disease. His focus is on identifying risk factors and preventing or delaying the full blown states. He notes that every person has a different make up and will react differently to interventions; they should be personalized. He looks at exercise, nutrition, and sleep. I especially appreciate his presentation of the strong link between emotional and mental health with physical health.
While the complete package of what Attia suggests may be more than most people can take on time-wise and financially, there is a lot to be gleaned here for anyone willing to invest in a more vibrant elderhood. You can never start too soon.
The bottom line here is "Isn't everything better with good sleep, real food, plenty of movement, and positive relationships?"
Attia focuses on the four main causes of death: metabolic disease (including insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes), cardiovascular disease, neurogenerative diseases (including Alzheimer's), and cancer. He astutely points out that these conditions begin years before the advanced symptoms show up as disease. His focus is on identifying risk factors and preventing or delaying the full blown states. He notes that every person has a different make up and will react differently to interventions; they should be personalized. He looks at exercise, nutrition, and sleep. I especially appreciate his presentation of the strong link between emotional and mental health with physical health.
While the complete package of what Attia suggests may be more than most people can take on time-wise and financially, there is a lot to be gleaned here for anyone willing to invest in a more vibrant elderhood. You can never start too soon.
The bottom line here is "Isn't everything better with good sleep, real food, plenty of movement, and positive relationships?"
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Reading Progress
May 1, 2024
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Started Reading
May 1, 2024
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May 1, 2024
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May 1, 2024
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2024
May 1, 2024
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non-fiction
May 11, 2024
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health-biology
May 11, 2024
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Comments Showing 1-22 of 22 (22 new)
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Albert
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May 11, 2024 06:15AM
While I haven't read Outlive yet, I have read a lot of Attia's articles and watched or listened to many of his podcasts. I found all of the material very informative and helpful.
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It sounds like a book worth reading, Lisa. I totally agree with your bottom line. Now if I could achieve good sleep, I’d be on top of the world.
Albert wrote: "While I haven't read Outlive yet, I have read a lot of Attia's articles and watched or listened to many of his podcasts. I found all of the material very informative and helpful."Albert, have you been inspired to make any lasting lifestyle changes based on what you've read or listened to?
Antoinette wrote: "It sounds like a book worth reading, Lisa. I totally agree with your bottom line. Now if I could achieve good sleep, I’d be on top of the world."Ahh, sleep. That's always more challenging as we age. For me it's making sure I get real sunlight, watch the caffeine, and move enough during the day. Finding what works for each of us is quite a puzzle at times.
Good morning, Lisa!I know that this book really resonated with Jennifer. We've discussed it several times on the phone now. I'm happy to see that it landed as a solid read with you, too. (I just read your comment to Jennifer on her review, though, and I see you weren't totally "wowed" by the content). There's a lot out there, and it isn't always easy to find the right message for us. I know I certainly haven't yet, and I have found, yet again, another medical practitioner who I thought, originally, had some new answers. Thus far: only ego.
I have, however, spent the last 4 years working specifically with the mental/emotional connection to my physical symptoms of dis-ease. The jury's still out on the overall impact it will have on improving my health, but I can at least report that 2+ years of intensive, weekly Somatic Experiencing sessions have positively impacted my reaction to what's going on with my body. I have truly appreciated this positive changes in my limbic system.
Lisa wrote: "Albert wrote: "While I haven't read Outlive yet, I have read a lot of Attia's articles and watched or listened to many of his podcasts. I found all of the material very informative and helpful."A..."
I have Lisa. I exercise everyday, most weeks, a mixture of cardio and strength training. I have made efforts to bring more discipline to my sleep: the amount of caffeine I drink and when I stop, when I go to bed, etc. My wife and I have tried to focus for years on eating healthy. I definitely have not gone as far as Peter suggests at times in different areas, but it has been a long-term improvement in lifestyle. I like his focus on healthspan and improving the amount of lifespan that you enjoy.
Julie wrote: "Good morning, Lisa!I know that this book really resonated with Jennifer. We've discussed it several times on the phone now. I'm happy to see that it landed as a solid read with you, too.
I've spen..."
Good morning, Julie.
While I don't hold this work to be the "Bible" that Jennifer does, there is something that pretty much everyone can take from this work. I do think there are omissions that would serve women. One is how beauty products disrupt hormone functioning. The impact of hormonal birth control is another one. Given time, I'm sure I could make a long list.
Another area that could use more IMO is his nutrition section. He focuses a lot on protein to build muscle. And while it is important as we age, lots of vegetables are important too. He also fails to mention the connection between the microbiome and mental health. I know the book is already full and he couldn't include everything. Another point to remember is that this book is written by a man with a man's focus.
I think the 2 strongest points this book has to offer is that the set up for chronic conditions develops over decades, so what we do as 30 year-olds matters to us as 70 year-olds. And that emotional health is intrinsically linked to physical health.
Albert wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Albert wrote: "While I haven't read Outlive yet, I have read a lot of Attia's articles and watched or listened to many of his podcasts. I found all of the material very informative and..."Thank you, Albert, for your response. As far as I am concerned, any work that gets people to make positive, lasting change is valuable!
Such a relevant and great review, Lisa. Much of what we already know but don't put into practice until it's too late.
"The bottom line here is "Isn't everything better with good sleep, real food, plenty of movement, and positive relationships?"These are the things I make a dedicated effort to continually improve! Sounds like an interesting book, Lisa. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on it :)
Love the last line. Excellent review Lisa
Canadian Jen wrote: "Such a relevant and great review, Lisa. Much of what we already know but don't put into practice until it's too late."Thanks Jen. I'll take anything that's a reminder of where I could improve and where I have lapsed a bit. And yes, that the sooner we start, the more benefit we'll derive down the road. Some of us are better at delayed gratification than others.
Candi wrote: ""The bottom line here is "Isn't everything better with good sleep, real food, plenty of movement, and positive relationships?"These are the things I make a dedicated effort to continually improve..."
I think we are all works in progress. Making an effort counts. Lasting changes are best. And knowing we have company on the journey and what we're doing it in the sake of is motivational (at least for me).
Lisa,I'm not so sure that Jennifer perceives this one as a Bible. I think she's as eclectic as I am, looking around for what makes sense.
I couldn't agree more with you, about a lack of overall information, regarding women and their hormonal health and I have no trouble believing that the nutrition section could be stronger here. A friend of mine said to me recently, "We all know what to eat, we just don't choose to do so." I told her that I respectfully disagree. For those of us with chronic food sensitivities and allergies, it is, unfortunately, not always so cut and dry, when it comes to "eating right." This isn't the 1940s and our soil, air and water have changed dramatically. My dear uncle, who passed away last week, once criticized me for being a "snob" for eating gluten free. He not only could not grasp what celiac disease can do to a person, he could not understand that a person who was born in the early 1940s is not the same as someone born decades or (soon) a century later. May he rest in peace, and bless him for being able to eat bread and pasta all of his life!
Margaret M - (on holiday wrote: "Love the last line. Excellent review Lisa"Thank you, Margaret.
Julie wrote: "Lisa,I'm not so sure that Jennifer perceives this one as a Bible. I think she's as eclectic as I am, looking around for what makes sense.
I couldn't agree more with you, about a lack of overall ..."
The environment, our food supply and daily living have all changed dramatically since 1940. How can these changes not have huge impacts on us? Evolution moves at a slow pace; technology, etc. zoom full speed ahead. This mismatch has definitely affected our health.
And we all need different approaches. It's a challenge to find what works for each of us as individuals, especially in a world designed for "one size fits all." That is another concept that Attia gets right here.
Thank you, Lisa, for sharing this review, and especially the bottom line tip for health.
Laysee wrote: "Thank you, Lisa, for sharing this review, and especially the bottom line tip for health."You're welcome, Laysee. I think that's the bottom line for most health related books. Attia goes into a lot of detail for anyone who is interested and wants to make a time investment in improving their elder years. He has valuable information to share.
The bottom line here is "Isn't everything better with good sleep, real food, plenty of movement, and positive relationships?" -easier said than done.
Adina wrote: "The bottom line here is "Isn't everything better with good sleep, real food, plenty of movement, and positive relationships?" -easier said than done."That's for sure, Adina. And it's a goal to work toward. Maybe we need to look at and reorganize our priorities?
Oh, yay! You read this! I’m so excited Lisa, thank you for your review. What I love so much about him is how he is an MD from John Hopkins Medical School, schooled in traditional medicine, and yet had that horrible experience at a young age (what Julie above mentioned — the EGOS) that made him seek alternatives. I find his marriage of these things incredibly helpful with all the confusion out there, and how he is so sober and thorough in all the research and reporting he does. I’ve moved on to his podcast at this point where the info is even fresher and more abundant, and I think you’d be pleased at how much he focuses on women’s health. He did originally come from the physical work-out world, and one reason the mental health part stood out was probably because for him that was new, he had his own epiphanies. I love how he takes media frenzies and debunks them with facts about the research. He also allows himself to change. I think some time ago he believed in fasting, for example, and now feels that the loss of muscle mass as a result is way worse for your health than losing those pounds on the scale. Unless you are very over-nourished.(I like that phrase, by the way).
Jennifer wrote: "I think you’d be pleased at how much he focuses on women’s health."Jennifer, I love your enthusiasm! Can you list a few of the topics he's covered? Thanks.
