Psychology Says If You Can Master These 4 Skills, You'll Live Longer Than The Average American
How mastering these skills can help you live longer.
Logan Weaver | Unsplash I am sure there was a time in your life when you at least thought about living longer, or at least long enough so you could experience as much of life as possible. We all did. We wish to take on as much as we can, live life to the fullest and are scared of aging and being limited.
But if you ask your parents, they felt the same at some point, and if you are lucky enough to be able to ask your grandparents, they’ll tell you the same. I can bet the generations before had the same thoughts during their lives.
These are called "body stressors” and are intended to put our body in distress, causing an alarm signal in our metabolism, digestion, and immune system. They prompt the body to perform cellular regeneration and reset the functionality of many systems and organs, detoxing, cleaning, and strengthening them — but there's good news. We can combat these body stressors by mastering bio-hack skills that will help us live longer.
If you can master these skills, you'll live longer than the average American:
1. Cold exposure
With a lot of traction gained in the last few years, cold exposure has been flooding your explore pages, emails, and podcasts. This is mostly due to Dutch motivational speaker Wim Hof.
The incredible man who devoted his life to this practice, donated his time to be studied by scientists and helped research demonstrated the amazing effects of cold exposure. These efforts gained him the very popular name of "The Ice Man" due to the extreme ways in which he practices cold exposure.
Cold is one of the biggest stressors of the body and creates an alarm mode, a critical moment, where the body is forced to regroup and refocus for survival. If done right and within small limits, cold exposure will lead to burning fat through heating of the body, cellular regeneration through the purposing of cells and triggering the generation of new ones, nervous system stimulation, and many more.
The recommended ways for cold exposure are:
- Cold immersion (inside a bathtub at a low temperature and with ice)
- Cold showers
- Putting your face in a salad bowl with cold water and ice
The recommended minimum time to see results is around 7 minutes a week, which is typically recommended to be split into multiple days, and to gradually decrease the temperature as you get comfortable with it.
Cold exposure may extend lifespan by triggering a cellular cleansing mechanism that breaks down harmful protein aggregations associated with aging. This process, called hormesis, activates a longevity switch within the body. Recent research found that while cold exposure can be beneficial, extreme cold can be harmful and lead to hypothermia.
2. Intermittent fasting
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This is even a more widely discussed topic than cold exposure and became extremely popular due to the multiple ways in which it can be done and due to the facility of implementing it into the busy schedules we have today. It promotes what is called "window eating” where you can eat for a certain window of a few hours and then stop eating for another few hours, while only drinking water.
The most common approach is the 16:8 method where you fast for 16 hours continuously (including 8 hours of sleep) and then have 8 hours in the day to eat your calories.
The way I do it is: I wake up at 7-ish, only drink water and coffee, and then eat all my calories between noon and a7:00/8 p.m. p.m. where I start my fast again. This allows the body to fully digest the food it has consumed and then consume calories from the fat resources until eating again.
Besides the cellular regeneration, immune system function, and aforementioned benefits, it adds a lot of mental clarity, focus, and motivation, due to the increased alertness during hunger. There are countless applications to help you track this approach.
If you want to study further options besides the 16:8 method, you can look into the 5:2 method which promotes eating whenever for 5 days in a row and then not eating at all for 2 days in a row. Or you can look into the most recent one which is called OMAD (one meal a day) which states that you should have only one big meal a day where you eat all your calories.
Intermittent fasting may extend lifespan by triggering stress-response mechanisms within the body, leading to improved cellular repair and resilience. It could also mitigate age-related diseases and promote healthier aging through adaptations to periods of food deprivation. 2024 research found that people may experience different psychological effects from intermittent fasting based on their personality, eating habits, and overall health.
3. Hot exposure
It’s pretty much the same as cold exposure but this is usually easier to access and do, more comfortable for the body in the short term, and much more popular. You should use a sauna for this one but be mindful that to see benefits you need 30 to 45 minutes a week. This can be done in one day but will require breaks every 5 or 10 minutes or it can be done in multiple days, each of 15 minutes.
According to a large Finnish study, regular sauna use, especially 4-7 times per week, is significantly linked to a decreased risk of mortality. This could potentially contribute to a longer lifespan by reducing cardiovascular disease risk through mechanisms like improved blood vessel function, reduced inflammation, and enhanced stress response regulation.
This effect appears to be dose-dependent, meaning the more frequent sauna use, the greater the potential benefit for longevity.
4. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
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This is the last natural stressor for the organism and it is interpreted by the body as an ancient run from danger, from predators or enemies. It promotes the usual cellular regeneration, immune system activation, and increased nervous system function, but also helps to burn more fat than your usual cardio.
This is because being a stressor, leaves the body in an alert state, with an elevated heart rate and it will burn fat for a longer period than the one of the activity. You can do this in multiple ways:
- HIIT workouts
- Crossfit
- Running sprints
- Cycling sprints
- Elliptical sprints
The idea is to get your heart rate high and work in intervals so your heart rate can also lower down and then repeat the cycle.
In conclusion, biohacking has a very wide range of options available to everyone out there, ranging from high-tech devices to miraculous new supplements, to ancient medicine and uncovering your body’s secrets.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can extend life by improving overall well-being, reducing stress, enhancing cognitive function, boosting self-efficacy, and promoting a positive mindset. This can increase motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle, ultimately impacting longevity.
A 2023 study recommended that HIIT should be implemented with appropriate intensity, duration, and recovery periods to maximize psychological benefits, and guided by a qualified professional.
However, I’ve presented to you a way of doing it without taking any supplements or buying any devices. These are the four natural stressors that trigger our bodies to regenerate and make us live longer than the average American.
Alexandru Lazar is a wellness coach who offers financial and life advice through his articles.