New Year, New you, New Challenges

New Year, New Challenges: Surviving the Holidays, Embracing Longevity and Pondering Living Forever.

In this episode of Exert Podcast, we reflect on the challenges of the new year and how we managed to survive the holiday season. We discuss the Netflix documentary *"Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever,"* featuring Bryan Johnson, diving into the bold ideas around extreme longevity and what it means for the future of health and wellness. Raising the question: would you do it if you could?

We discuss resolutions - or lack thereof. We also share our experiences with a new fitness program we're trying through Mind Pump Media, offering our initial thoughts on the program.

As always, we talk longevity, aging like fine wine (or at least like a decent bottle of boxed wine), and how focusing on the now can help make tomorrow’s version of you stronger, better, and maybe just a little less creaky.

Mentioned in this episode:
Bryan Johnson - Netflix Documentary. "Don't Die, the Man Who Wants to Live Forever".
Mind Pump Media
Gabby Bernstein - Self Help
Peter Attia, MD - Outlive. The Science & Art of Longevity

Transcript

0:16

You know what? It's a new year. New year. We're still working out the kinks. Happy new year. Oh my gosh. Happy new year. How are you? Good. I'm getting over a cold. It's still with me for a little bit. That was my gift from twenty four to twenty five. Awesome. But yeah, so no good. How about you? Doing well. Doing well. I cannot complain other than the weather. Yeah, you know, it is what it is. I know. I know. Tomorrow's going to be gorgeous. So that's okay. I know. We're going to meet up tomorrow, too. That's exciting. We've got to just dress warm. That's pretty great. Can't wait. All right. So question for you. Accountability. How'd you do in the holidays? Me? I would say I was maybe like a four-year-old. Ooh, you had a good one, huh? Maybe like a four. I mean, my workouts were tragic. I just, I didn't make the time. I didn't prioritize. I could have done better. I didn't. Um, but you know, I did get some time in to, you know, get some walking in here or there just to feel my body moving. Um, and then, you know, other than that food is not ever really a problem. So I didn't like overindulge in anything food wise, alcohol had some alcohol, but you know, at the same time, um, on New Year's Eve, I ended up sipping on like a glass of champagne for the last two hours of the evening and And it was just, you know, the one class at the end of the night. So it was, that was good. Cause my husband went to sleep on the sofa and I was hanging out with my son. He's a party animal. He is such a party animal. I know it's embarrassing, but so I was hanging out with my son and, you know, it was a better way to ring in the new year because, you know, new year's day, I was ready to go. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How about you? So what, what's your story? Um, I would say I'll put myself at a three, four. Okay. Uh, we went on vacation, so we were gone for a week. Um, that was interesting note to self don't travel again during the holidays delayed on both sides, but blessed that we got to go away somewhere. Um, Bahamas, so cocktails every day in the Exumas. Let's see. I walked every day on the beach. That's nice. For the first time, I did not pack anything for old bands or, you know, something to do some sort of physical fitness. I just thought, forget it. I'm just going to walk the beach. So did that and played some beach games with the kids. And it was good. Came back, thought I'd reel it in. But I figured, why? So it just had cocktails and everything. workouts weren't the same either but I think it felt really good to just do something different um and then I got hit with this awesome cold and so then it was my new year's was um I think I went to bed at like nine thirty did you really horrible horrible gosh um talk about party animal but you were sick so you had to mix I know I know um but no so I I still once january first hit I was on it mentally, not physically with the cold, but just mindset of I'm back. Right. Yeah. Right. So it's exciting. And then we talked about, we were talking about the trends of like last year. Yeah. um so I've got a few that kind of and you and I are doing one that we're going to talk about but like you know things that I'm focusing on this year for a challenge I'm not going to say it's a resolution um I was just about to say you know it's funny neither you nor I do resolutions yeah because we're always checking in on ourselves throughout the year and reassessing what we can do better or what isn't serving us anymore and needs to go. And so it's kind of a constant. And I mean, with me, my birthday coincides with the new year. So that's automatically reflective time for you. yeah for me so it's less about the new year like happy new year but like it's a new you're new it's a new year for me literally you know going around the sun so that's a different introspective time as well but yeah yeah I think resolutions you know I tried them before um you're just setting yourself up to focus on the things that you can't do um, is the way I look at it. Right. Of like often. Yes. Yeah. And then you were saying earlier that next, the second Friday, the second Friday of January, which is this one coming up is called quitter's day because most people have already thrown their hands up. Yeah. At their, you know, at their resolutions. So with, with that, it's kind of, Yeah, that's not a good way of starting the year. I don't want to say what's the point because I think it's important for people to take a moment to kind of take stock on what is right and what is wrong. But like you were saying, when it comes to resolutions, so often it's about kind of the negative approach. Yeah. Right? Right. At least from what I see. I agree, which is why challenge-wise, one of the things a friend of mine, her husband did last year, I think it was, he did the Seventy-Five Heart Challenge. And that's kind of how it came into my orbit. And so I thought, you know, hey, this is interesting. I know you and I were talking about it. You're like, yeah, no, that's not for me. And I was talking with my husband about it. And he's like, hey, OK, what is it? Right. And so I think most people probably know it's a few rules you have to follow, but they're pretty stringent. So it's drinking a gallon of water a day. You exercise forty five minutes a Indoor, forty five minutes outdoor. You read a nonfiction for ten minutes. I'm sure you follow a diet, right? There's a diet plan that you follow and then you have to be accountable for taking a photo of your progress every day. And so the more I thought about it, the more I was interested in doing it. And so he jumped in and said, yeah, I want to do that too. So we both just kicked it off today. He just went down. He went down with the ship last night. He drank wine. I was sick and I wasn't feeling well. So I was just like... I'm okay. I'll hit seventy six days and I'll be proud of it. But so why the challenge, right, as we were just talking about setting yourself up for failure is for me, the way that I thought about it was one, it's a challenge. I want I want my mind this year as I turn fifty three to be the strongest, one of the strongest things about me. Physically, obviously I wanna be strong and having a stricter kind of plan is gonna help because I'm very disciplined in my workouts, but not very disciplined in my diet. I don't eat poorly, but I could do a better job. All right, dog puppies happen. And so then I, you know, I want to be stronger, but then I want to be more disciplined about what I, the macros that I'm counting in and doing is I'm doing the hard work. And then most importantly, I want it to be an example for my boys. I'm setting my mind to it. So I view the challenge as a mind setting challenge. Versus the things I can't do, if that makes sense. I'm kind of spinning it in my mind of my mind is stronger than any urge that I'm going to have. So, yeah. And then you and I are both doing the MindPup Media bikini bundle. Bikini bundle, yes. How's that going? It is going. I haven't been able to get like on the total program yet. I kind of started midweek. Yeah. with it. Um, and, um, at first I was a little, I'm not so sure, but I, I liked the workouts. Um, they're a little long for the foundation ones. Cause I, I'm pretty good at getting my workout done by like forty, forty-five minutes. Yeah. Lots of rest. And yeah, it's a lot of rest. And even, even without the rest, I mean, it's an hour long workout. And then, you know, like you, I still like to get some form of walking or cardio or something in because lifting, even if it is heavy lifting, it's just not quite enough for me psychologically. Yeah. And I like to have the extra calorie burn too. Yeah. And I just like walking, period. Yeah. I mean, period. It's really good for you. I mean, thirty minutes of walking is really helpful for your brain and longevity. So helpful. It's so helpful. And, you know, it just keeps your body healthy. Kind of lubricated. I don't know. It's just all, it's amazing. I can't say enough good things about walking and, you know, but then mix in the strength training and that's, you know, mix those two things together and that's like the recipe for longevity. Right. Right. So, yeah, but I am liking it. I do wish that they had a little bit more like nutrition coaching with it. Mm-hmm. But I'm okay. They don't. They shouldn't really say they have a nutrition package. Yeah. I read that as well too. I, um, you know, for those that, so mind pump media, if you go Google it online, they have a whole bunch of different workouts. And when they do talk about the nutrition one that came as part of the bundle that we got, it really talks to you. It really breaks down, you know, you've got to be in a calorie deficit. And then an example of a meal plan would be this, if you're vegan, which for you, you did not agree with. Right. And then, um, then they have those that if you're following a paleo or if you're following some sort of- Edo or- Edo or something like that, which seemed to be a lot and it seemed to be a one size fits all, but I get it because it's like you're building it once, they're creating the content once and then they're monetizing on it over and over again with new people that are subscribing to it. But I, yeah, I think nutrition wise, it's one of those that if you're looking at it, I wouldn't, I wouldn't spend my money on it if it was, it came with the bundle. So that's why we got it. Yeah. I find the abs interesting. So I've been doing it now. Yeah. Tell me about the abs. What do you think about the abs part? Yeah. Well, one, you know, I think there's, it's a lot of repetitive. It really is just two different exercises, right? There's the foundation and then there's kind of the trigger sessions. So the principle of this is there's the foundation days and that's when you're doing the heavy lifting and then on a day and it's a full body, like you were saying an hour long thing, but then when you do the trigger sessions on the next day, the trigger sessions, I kind of like it. Um, in this particular plan that we have because you're doing more kind of endurance sessions right three by fifteens and you're picking what body parts for you and your mind are lagging um so for me obviously it's somehow I've got latin with a pancake but you know it is what it is so I'm picking glutes and inner thighs just because that to me is my nemesis Um, and then triceps just cause it's probably the most important part, right. Of, of defining your arms. Um, I like it cause it's quick and it's dirty. Um, the ab part I enjoy. I just wonder if the building is only because you're doing it so repetitively. Right. So I'm looking forward to now. overlaying my seventy five hard diet, which is I wouldn't even really say you're supposed to call it a diet, but it's really I'm we are choosing to omit added sugars. So non-natural occurring sugars and and white flour. Right. And obviously alcohol. Right, right. Yeah, well, I can't imagine you eat a whole lot of added sugar as it is. I don't. No, but my husband likes to bake, and so that's kind of the only way I kept him from doing that. Yeah. So the ab one is pretty cool. I'm still trying to figure out what's going to be the magic bullet nutrition-wise for me. That's been an ongoing thing for years. But with the ab thing... they the point of the abs is to build out your abs yeah and make them thicker which is a problem for me because I simply look like a lego creature and um so it just makes me very boxy doing the kind of exercises that they have so I'm having to kind of modify it a little bit more to elongate and have flat as opposed to bulky because my apps naturally build out and get thick. And it's not attractive. So it's tough. But I'm going to work it out. I don't know. Well, we'll be posting photos of that. So what are some new things you're learning or looking into? Oh, looking into, gosh, I mean, I'm always looking into, mostly I'm focusing on wellness right now, I would say. Like, you know, looking at meditation and looking at laws of attraction and, you know, abundance and trying to focus on those things. So that's kind of where I am heading into the new year as far as my mindset. Yeah. yeah how about you um so I started I shared with you I uh one of the things I'm doing on for my cardio days is the the twelve three thirty nine um and so I thought that the best way to pass that time because it is so mind-numbing to do for someone whose mind is like crazy like mine um I turn on netflix So before I was turning on a show or a movie or like a chick flick, because I can't get my husband or kids to watch it with me. And it's the same way. And it passes the time and it's beautiful because you're like, oh my gosh, that was thirty minutes. Oh, wait, I got to stop the video. But this year going in my intent and my mindset as I'm turning fifty three in March is to learn more. So I'm focusing now on plugging through docuseries. right. Documentaries. So I turned on the Brian Johnson story, uh, which I was sharing with you earlier, which is called don't die. The man who wants to live forever. Yes. Um, so hopefully our listeners are checking that out on Netflix. Don't turn it off. It is not, especially if you're interested about longevity and wellness. Um, I had this conversation with my mom who was with me during the holidays and her point of view was that's very selfish and narcissistic, which I a hundred percent disagreed with. He comes across that way for sure. Yeah. But that's not his intent. His intent is I don't want to die. He happens to have the means to spend two million dollars a year on his body. But guess what? He's monetizing on it as well. Everything this man has been talking about is. Um, with regards to the nineties supplements he takes sold out his protein powders, his olive oils, like now has a company called blueprint, right. Where he's selling all of these things and he's white labeling all of the things that he takes. Right. Um, so is that why he does it? I don't think so because he's a human Guinea pig. Um, you see, you talked about all the critics that are there and so many critics, so many critics. And the way that I put it when, when my mom just said, Hey, I just, you know, it's just too vain. I said, well, it's no different than what you and I are doing with our podcast. We are passionate about fitness, wellness, and aging. Obviously our families are at the forefront and we're passionate about that. So why shouldn't we share the amount of time that we put into our research, the amount of time that we put into our bodies from a fitness perspective or the things that it's kind of like we're helping hopefully our listeners with a cheat sheet. Yes. If that makes sense. Yes. And there's something that he touches on and it's not just for like vanity that you do these things. It is thinking ahead to the future and you want to, first off, be an example to your kids. That's right. And on top of that, you don't want to be a burden to your kid or kids when you get older. And then those that don't have kids, you know, You have to think, what is my last decade going to be like? What is my last thirty, twenty years going to be like if I don't take control and do the best that I can to slow this process down and make the most of the body I was given? And that's exactly that's the yes. In summary is we were given a vessel. God gave us a vessel. what we do with it and how we take care of it is up to us. And we choose every day, you know, for the most part, we choose how we're going to die, you know, in a way. If we choose not to get out and be active, if we choose to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken every day, you know, then you're making a choice. Which was my Exuma vacation because everything there is fried. But that's different, you know, when you do it in moderation and, you know, but for some people that's their everyday life and that's a choice. Well, yeah. And I think a key thing is, is that the outlier is when it's your time to go, it's your time to go, regardless of what you're doing and how great you're taking care of your body. When there's, when your number's up, it's just, you know, you're next. And that's be a piece of it. Vegans die too. Yeah. Yeah, exactly, exactly. So I found it interesting, all the gene therapy. He's actually, he's doing gene therapy in Roatan, which is an island off Honduras, and that's where I'm from. Right. And this gene therapy, he saw, non-FDA approved, so that was very risky for him to do. Six months after, as the show said, he saw an increase in body mass of seven percent. Yes. Um, so it's interesting, um, not available to the average human being like you and I, but still like he's definitely going down at a very extreme end that, um, Not sure I would. I like a balance of it, but I don't, you know, it's his body, his mission, his vision. Right. And I agree with wanting to live healthy. And then the other one as part of the nonfiction reading is a book called Outlive. Um, so that's the, the science and the art of longevity. And I, the author's, uh, Dr. Peter Atiyah, I think is how you pronounce it. Um, my oldest son just, he recommended that to me and I just started reading it, but it's, it's along the same concept. So I think my mind this year is tuned into longevity. As I'm aging, right, as I'm turning fifty three, like what are the things that I want to make sure if I could set myself up for being more mobile or mobile, if you will, and having more time with my kids and my grandkids. Right. Why wouldn't I? Absolutely. Right. Absolutely. Yeah. You recommended that book to me and I will, I will start reading that soon as well. I just recently got the latest, I don't know if you ever followed Gabby Bernstein, but she is a, like a self-help person. But so I just got her book self-help. So I'll be reading that. It's a very short book. I've read most of her books, maybe not cover to cover, but I, you know, get kind of where I, what I need from it. And then I move on. I usually, yeah. Yeah. And then, you know, maybe at a different point in my life, I'll read a certain book again and get something different out of it. Cause that's what I needed at that time. Um, and I'm going to be kind of revisiting some older books that I read before. Um, but I seem to be going kind of down a spiritual. Yeah. This year. Yeah. So I'm going to pull out like return to love Marianne Williamson. She's amazing. And that's like thirty some odd years old, if not older. But yeah, you know, getting into the spiritual wellness as well as physical wellness. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's the key. And then the other thing I've already done that you're waiting for is Viome. I got my Viome kit. I'll be sharing the video of me opening the kit, not anything else. I just shipped it off on Saturday and man, my kids had a blast with that whole thing. It was great. In case you guys don't know, Viome is a company that you send off your poop. to them and they test your microbiome. They send you a list of the things that you should not be eating, the things that you should be eating, what's considered a superfood. With the things you shouldn't be eating, they explain to you why. Maybe it causes inflammation. Maybe it causes a massive insulin spike. So it's really interesting. My mom did it a couple of years ago and saw dramatic results just from paying attention to what she should be focusing on eating and removing the things that she didn't. should not be eating, which was funny because it was the things that she loved the most, unfortunately, and that were causing the biggest problems. Yeah. And as I was doing, you know, getting ready to ship it off and I shipped it off I'm like, you know, my luck is going to be the things I love. It's just the way the world works. But for me, my quest of all these things we've been talking about, I wish I could figure out how I could get... more consistent energy throughout the day and um and right now is not a good time for me to look for energy just because I'm fighting this really bad cold but in general it fluctuates so much my sleep even you know I'm learning about the aura ring I scored on vacation like a ninety three pretty much on average which was amazing I don't know how because I drank every night um but hey I did okay it was probably the hours of sleep I got just because um So I think if I could find something and learn about what my body needs to hopefully have more relaxing sleep where I don't wake up tired every night or every morning and more consistent energy. So once I get it, I'll be excited to figure that out. Yeah. I'm excited for mine to come in the mail. I'm hoping in the next couple of days. So we'll have fun. Talk about it. I talked about it. They're like, what are you doing? I'm like, well, Okay. So as we wrap up, hardest thing of all this year for you. Well, you know, it is so funny because you and I are so different. We're so alike in so many ways. But the hardest, the most uphill thing for us is actually doing like the Instagram posts and TikTok and maybe not this so much. The podcast is fun. This is great. It's therapeutic. This is easy. chatting but trying to because neither one of us are very much of look at me look at me and um trying to create a brand and having to post is like really challenging it's it's it's like everything we've been telling our children not to do mm-hmm um, is, is what you and I have to do to get our to grow, to get our stories out there. Um, Yeah. I mean, I was, I was on, you know, editing and doing stuff. It was like two hours of, of social media time this morning, so to speak. And that's, um, that's something new. Yeah. Um, it is. Yeah. So I, we just got on Tik TOK and my gosh, we're such really old. Um, As my kids would say, mom, get off Facebook. That's for old people. Yeah. I'm like, sons, I am old-ish. You know, if that's where all the old people are that are like us, I guess we have to tune into that too, you know? Yeah. And I don't think, you know, as our podcast evolves, like one of the things that we think about and that we grapple with and we'd love to hear from listeners and viewers as we grow our bases is, We started with a Gen X focus because we're Gen Xers. In my mind, it's evolving. It's evolving because, you know, as an example, that bikini bundle workout that we're doing, right? That map aesthetics. Why? I didn't put in why in there. One, outside of you and I keeping ourselves accountable and having something to connect and to be able to talk about and share. Um, but we're, I'm taking my little sister and her, my new brother-in-law, uh, we're taking them away for spring break in April. And, um, she's a mighty age of twenty seven and he will actually be turning thirty, uh, on this trip. And Don, my husband and I said, you know what? Let's just show them what fifty three looks like. So that's why the seventy five challenge, because it maps right into that. And why doing this? And it's it's because, you know, I love my little sister. She'll say she's adulting and oh, my goodness, I'm getting older and she's only twenty seven and not to belittle what's going on in her beautiful mind. And my brother in law turning thirty that it's like it's just the beginning. So why not take these steps? mm-hmm right now to do it and and so yes I'm making we're making small sacrifices I'm making a sacrifice but what if I like it right what if I like the results of my mind and my sleep right and um and I think that that's what we want to share of know aging is something that's inevitable and part of aging is the fitness the wellness the vanity portion of how we treat and take care of our skins I don't know why vanity is a negative word right in my mind it shouldn't be um it's a whole package and then spiritually right and then connections and family as well too and building your community is yes is something that is very, very important. Yes. As well. You know, whether that means the neighborhood where you live or the church you go to or whatever club you're in, you know, whatever it is, that community is super important. Learn new things. Challenge yourself. Learn new things. Which is one of the fun things about having to do the posting and doing this kind of stuff. So I've committed to learning something every day. Yeah. That goes along with it. You know, how to do these things and how to. Keeps your mind young. It does. Yeah, well. It does. Well, I am thankful that I get to be on this journey with you. Yeah, me too. It's fun. I'm excited about it. And I guess, you know, with that, hopefully our listeners will stay tuned and we'll look into now we're on, we've been on Instagram. Yes. So Exert Podcast, Exert underscore Martha. Yes. Excerpt underscore Delaney. And then same thing for TikTok. Right. Yeah. So look out for us and give us feedback and let us know how we're doing and what you want to hear about. Yeah. And we're going to have some people coming on, definitely coming up in the next few weeks. Here's some different people's experiences, what's working for them. And yeah, let's see where we can go on this journey together. Excited for a twenty five. Yay. All right. We'll see you later. All right. Take care. Bye. Bye.