<p><strong>Editor's Note (February 2026):</strong> Since this episode was first published, documents released by the Department of Justice have revealed Peter Attia's connection to Jeffrey Epstein. We find these revelations deeply troubling and do not condone any association with Epstein or his activities.</p> <p>After careful consideration, we've chosen to keep this episode in our archive. Removing it would erase a record of who we've platformed—and we think transparency is vital to building trust with our audience and community.<br /> <br /> <br /></p> <p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>Most of us want to stay alive — and healthy — for as long as possible. But how to actually do that, given all the obstacles? What advice should we listen to? How do we find the time and motivation to follow it? And how do we do so without succumbing to what has been called the "subtle aggression of self improvement"?</p> <p>Today, we are launching an ambitious three-week series to tackle these questions. We are bringing on top experts from science and Buddhism who will talk about how to eat better, exercise smarter, and extend your lifespan. Guest number one is Dr. Peter Attia. He has trained at Stanford University, Johns Hopkins, and the National Institutes of Health. He's the host of a popular health and fitness podcast called <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peter-attia-drive/id1400828889?mt=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Drive</em></a> and the author of a new book called <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/outlive/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity</em></a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Why Peter kind of hates the word 'longevity'</li> <li>The definitions of 'lifespan' and 'healthspan'–and what we can do in five key areas to increase both</li> <li>The importance of exercise, including what types of exercise to do, how to measure your fitness, and how even a little bit of weekly exercise can go a very long way</li> <li>The roles our genes play in our lifespan and our healthspan</li> <li>The importance of nutrition, including Peter's top tips, his personal evolution, and his take on intuitive eating</li> <li>How to get better sleep (and when to stop tracking it)</li> <li>How to think about pharmaceutical tools, incl. a discussion of how to make sense of the crowded and unregulated supplement market</li> <li>The importance of emotional health, including a raw story from Peter about how he came to understand the importance of mental health, and why he believes tending to your emotional health makes all of the other health levers easier to pull.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode-dr-peter-attia-608" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/dr-peter-attia-608</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Quality Relationships
Focus on the quality of your relationships as the most important thing in your life, as poor relationships can make your life feel unfulfilling and hinder other health efforts.
2. Rewire Negative Self-Talk
When you catch yourself engaging in harsh self-criticism, pause and imagine speaking to a dear friend who made the same mistake, then speak to yourself with that same kindness. This practice can fundamentally change your inner monologue over time.
3. Leverage Crises for Growth
When facing a personal crisis, recognize it as an opportunity for significant personal change, particularly in emotional health, as this area is highly malleable.
4. Start Exercising (3 Hours/Week)
If you currently do no exercise, aim for at least three hours per week, as this initial increase can lead to a staggering 50% reduction in all-cause mortality.
5. Adopt a Balanced Exercise Plan
Structure your exercise with a 50% strength training and 50% cardio ratio, further dividing cardio into 80% low-intensity (Zone 2) and 20% high-intensity.
6. Practice Zone 2 Cardio
Engage in low-intensity cardio at a level where you can still speak, but you don’t want to, as this ‘Zone 2’ exertion is crucial for cardiovascular health.
7. Measure & Improve VO2 Max
Consider getting a VO2 max test, as it is the most potent predictor of lifespan, and then tailor your exercise to improve this measure of cardiorespiratory fitness.
8. Prioritize Strength Training
Include strength training in your routine, as it is nearly as convincing as aerobic fitness for longevity, with grip strength serving as a good proxy for overall physical robustness and brain health.
9. Assess Your Nutritional State
Understand if you are overnourished, undernourished, adequately muscled, or undermuscled, and metabolically healthy or unhealthy, as these assessments guide appropriate dietary changes.
10. Prioritize Protein Intake
Ensure you are consuming sufficient amounts of protein, as it is the most important macronutrient for maintaining adequate muscle mass, which is crucial for healthspan.
11. Reduce Calorie Intake (If Overnourished)
If you are overnourished and metabolically unhealthy, you must reduce your overall calorie intake, which can be achieved through calorie restriction, dietary restriction, or time restriction.
12. Preserve Muscle During Weight Loss
When losing weight, aim for at least 75% of the loss to be fat mass and no more than 25% to be lean mass, using tools like DEXA scans to monitor body composition.
13. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Improve sleep quality by maintaining a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, ensuring your sleep environment is dark and cool, and de-stimulating yourself before bed.
14. Aim for 7-9 Hours in Bed
Strive to be in bed for seven to nine hours each night to allow for restorative sleep, with an ideal sleep efficiency of 85% of that time.
15. Take Sleep Tracker Holidays
If you find yourself obsessing over sleep data or becoming annoyed by poor performance, take a break from tracking devices for a month to reduce anxiety and improve natural sleep.
16. Consult Knowledgeable Doctors on Supplements
When considering supplements, seek advice from doctors who are well-informed on the topic, as knowledge varies widely among medical professionals.
17. Correct Nutritional Deficiencies
Use supplements to correct known deficiencies identified through biomarkers (e.g., vitamin D, homocysteine), always evaluating if the potential upside outweighs the downside.
18. Challenge Genetic Determinism
Do not assume your lifespan or healthspan is predetermined by your parents’ health or age of decline, as lifestyle choices play a significant role, especially before centenarian age.
19. Focus on Visceral Fat, Not Aesthetics
Shift your focus from external appearance (like a six-pack) to internal metabolic health and the reduction of visceral fat, which is the unhealthy fat around organs and not visible in the mirror.