Improving ourselves to death

In an era of health optimisation, bio-hacking, cold plunging, foam-rolling, high-intensifying and detoxing, we are being sold on the need to upgrade all parts of ourselves, all at once, including parts that we did not previously know needed upgrading. Like most things in today’s modern world, we’ve over complicated what works out of boredom and forgotten what healthy really is in navigating the hectic world we’ve invented for ourselves.

We all know we need to eat right, exercise and lower our stress level to live longer, right? So why does it feel so difficult to make the most basic commitment to a healthy life? The trap of feeling exhausted overwhelmed and lulled into a false idea about our own ability to change has prevented us from making the very life changes that build a foundation for long term health and longevity.

There is real food available to us today. There is a difference between what is edible to consume and what will nourish us. We can make it ourselves rather than rely upon industrial manufacturers that produce what we wouldn't even characterize as food. We are what we eat and what we eat determines the energy we can input back into our lives! The key is metabolic health. By prioritising nourishing foods, particularly protein, you’ll increase your healthy muscle mass which in turn will not only change your body’s physical structure but also direct how your body uses both food and energy.

Building muscle is the most important safeguard for health because it is the bodily system that will allow us to live our longest most capable fulfilling life. We talk about combating the effects of ill health but we can add optimising metabolic function as well though growing our muscles and turning them into mitochondrial manufacturing plants. The truth is most people aren't feeling the effects of their age. They're feeling the consequences of neglecting their health and mobility. You don't have an age problem. You have a lifestyle and training problem. You need to stop being so quick to blame your age, and instead, empower yourself. You have the ability to feel and move so much better, but it's going to require work. Given the power of muscle to help to stave off diseases attributed to aging we should be thinking of muscle as the new health end point. By highlighting your muscle as the target for better health you can reset a positive momentum focused on what you have to gain rather than what you need to lose.

It’s all too overwhelming to take it all on. So I think the best shot you have is to keep yourself - your strength, your mind, your immune system - have a sense of what’s going on with you. Because I don’t think we can manage what air am I breathing, what’s in the water, is this food ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Control what you can control. This can be helpful in staying sane too.

Put your optimisation gadgets to the side, and focus on doing the basics savagely well instead. Don’t mind if I do…