I just came across this fascinating video of Richard Miller and John Trojanowski debating the topic “Alzheimer’s Research and Basic Science of Aging: Is There a Better Balance?”. The discussion addresses a number of important issues concerning sorting out priorities in a situation of scarcity, plurality of worthy causes in need of funding, and uncertainty concerning the likely benefits of scientific advances. How much should we invest in tackling Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus aging itself?

Here are some facts about Alzheimer’s from the Alzheimer’s Association:

There are now more than 5 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s.

Every 72 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.

The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias amount to more than $148 billion annually.

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Oh, and before I forget, you really should read my Why I Blog post. It might numb the shock of some of the heretical things I say!

Nick Tarleton commented on my last post, saying:

Conjecture: some people, through some psychological quirk, interpret “opposition to X” as “not wanting any instance of X to exist” - so if you’re opposed to aging, you must want to eliminate all instances of aging in the world, i.e. kill old people.

Conjecture 2: some people conflate judgments about the desirability of traits or states with judgments about the inherent worth of people with those traits/in those states. Evaluating aging as bad is tantamount to evaluating aged people as worth less than the young.

I’ve been thinking about these conjectures since yesterday, and I really do think Nick has hit the proverbial nail on the head here. While the people who oppose longevity medicine obviously vary in terms of their reasons for doing so, I am wondering now if perhaps some of that opposition is rooted in a sense that it is wrong to “medicalize” aging. And as someone who generally prefers the social model of disability to the medical model, I can understand, if not sympathize completely, with this viewpoint. Continue reading

The Erickson School (part of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County) is the home of the Center for Aging Studies. According to the Center’s web site:

Striving to enhance the well-being of elderly persons, the Center works collaboratively with aging network professionals, policy makers, researchers, and aging service practitioners by sharing research findings and developing new research and demonstration projects that deal with real issues.

Dr. Bill Thomas is a professor at Erickson’s Center for Aging Studies. His blog is (wonderfully) titled “Changing Aging”. I’ve not read through the entirety of Dr. Thomas’s site, but I like what I’ve seen so far — a lot of positive, common-sense, pro-longevity writing. Thomas suggests an interesting take on the subject of aging in a September 22 post entitled simply, “Pro-Aging”:

So let’s just say that I am pro-aging. I think longevity is integral to human development, much feared, little understood and a sign of success not failure.

More to the point– every morning those of us who wake up do so one day older than we were the day before. Fine then. Let’s explore this new terrain. Continue reading

I’m 3/4 through Aubrey de Grey’s new book, Ending Aging. I’ll be posting a more thorough review in an upcoming post, but suffice it to see that I am finding the book very inspiring. I’ve been reading from Aubrey and others that the timing of the availability of the therapies to help all of us live much longer, healthier lives is limited only by our funding and desire. Although I hoped that this was the case, I was never truly convinced until I read the details of the SENS strategies and the immediate pathway ahead.

If you are at all interested in healthy life extension I highly recommend this book. It belongs on your shelf next to the works by Kurzweil and others.

Right now the Methuselah Foundation is offering a promotion to get an autographed copy of Aubrey’s book for a $100 donation.

If you are a US resident, the donations are both tax-deductible and matched by Peter Thiel, founder of Facebook and PayPal.

Reason at Fight Aging! has announced the distribution of advance copies of Ending Aging to Methuselah Foundation 300 Members, so I guess it’s probably safe to reveal that that’s my living room he’s referring to.

Since last Saturday, I have been heavily engrossed in the process of sorting data, determining addresses, sending inquiries, updating lists, putting books into envelopes, and devising various plans for the transport of large numbers of packages to local mailing centres. I am quite excited to see this book being published — as a member of the editorial team, it’s immensely neat to see something that I originally encountered in the form of word-processing files now incarnate in a lovely hardbound text.

One thing I’ve noticed over the course so far of volunteering with the Methuselah Foundation is that everyone involved is incredibly driven. Everyone is self-motivated by necessity. And as far as task selection goes, it’s all a matter of what works for the individual: you do what you can do, you are free to try things that you might not have attempted before, and you will not be penalized for perhaps being a bit on the overambitious side. I’ve tried a few things that didn’t quite pan out, and accomplished other things that did, and I know there will be plenty more to work on as time passes.

As far as the book itself goes: I got a good look at much of the scientific content during the editorial phase, and I believe that many people are likely to find it highly accessible. “Ending Aging” definitely provides a good breakdown of the various ways in which age-related change contributes to ill health and death, and proposes the mechanisms by which this damage might be addressed.

It is, of course, not a magic prescription — it does not tell the reader to go out and buy expensive supplements, nor does it make any promises. It is not that kind of book — it is much more science-oriented and descriptive, and refers mainly to proof-of-concept lab studies and various experimental processes still in (or awaiting) clinical trials. So, definitely not a “do-it-yourself” supercentenarian kit. But certainly a beginning — hopefully a beginning to an era where people can start to see age-related death as less mythical and mysterious, and more of an engineering challenge. After all, as reads one of the lines on the back cover of “Ending Aging”, Old people are people too.

After receiving a lot of mail and inquiries about my article on ProBodX I decided to write an update on my experience with the program. I want to make it clear that I have no business relationship with the authors other than as a customer (i.e., this isn’t a shill).

After 8 months on the program I can definitively say that I will not go back to traditional workouts. I believe the core principles of this book - Instability, Multiple Planes, Reversing, and Resistance - will form the foundation of all athletic training programs in the future.

As luck would have it, Dr. Edythe Heus (one of the authors) lives near a family member in CA and I was able to take a personal lesson from her in May. I was a bit nervous about the meeting, figuring that my form was probably horrible since I had never taken formal instruction and learned from a book.

We met at her home studio and worked through a number of the exercises. She was incredibly encouraging and - to my surprise - complimentary on some of my technique. She also pointed out some of the key weaknesses in my exercises, namely that I wasn’t correctly activating my lower abdominals while doing them. We reviewed some minor changes and improvements in the exercises as well as some new routines. For example, we worked some balance exercises on the Bosu ball.

Integrating these technique changes into my workout was harder than I anticipated. In many ways it felt like I was starting from scratch. I experienced the feelings of nervous fatigue just as I had when I began ProBodX.

Two months later, the exercises are once again getting easier. The technique changes were very helpful and I am finding myself pushing harder and harder with some of the exercises, using more ballistic energy to generate resistance.

It is difficult to describe the results of this program simply because it is so different. Several people have commented to me that “it looks just like my ball routine”, “just like power Yoga”, or “just like Pilate’s”, etc. Based on my experiences the exercises may look similar but the feeling and results are totally different.

I have been doing personal fitness regularly since I was 14 years old, and the modest results I gained from Yoga, weightlifting, etc. took a long time with regular setbacks. The progress I made - however small - did not readily translate to the athletic field. I basically assumed that my lack of progress resulted from not being much of an athlete (I am not, but that wasn’t the reason).

Somehow Dr. Heus’s routines stimulate an internal signaling system that allows us to coordinate motion (she calls this a prime blueprint). When these signals are properly engaged the routines quickly get easier and I notice results week-to-week. At times the changes appear almost magically and I surprise myself at the difference in feeling. This nearly instant, positive feedback is a great motivator.

Several people mentioned to me that ProBodX is out of print. Fortunately Dr. Heus is developing a new program called The Heus Approach based on the same principles. She also has a DVD of the basic ProBodX workout; it is a great complement to the book, although I don’t think it would have helped me if I had not read the book first.

If you want to get a copy of the ProBodX DVD, order any of the equipment in ProBodX, or find out about the Heus Approach you can reach Richard, her assistant, at “edytheheus AT cox DOT net”.

I’ve been taking exercise and fitness seriously since my early teens. During that period I’ve tried just about everything out there: endurance training, weight lifting, yoga, isometric stretching, and plyometrics to name a few. I’m always on the lookout for something better or more appropriate for my age or current athletic endeavors. About 6 months ago I started the ProBodX workout by Marv Marinovich and Edythe Heus.

If you checkout the editorial reviews on Amazon.com or experiences of professional athletes reported in the media, you’ll see that the authors and followers make some big claims about this workout program. On the surface it appears to be the “Holy Grail” of fitness because it takes very little space and time, requires only a few pieces of specialized equipment, and improves every aspect of physical conditioning (strength, balance, explosive power, coordination, flexibility…) except raw endurance. Moreover, the program claims to be for everyone between age 6 and 90 as well as professional athletes. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

ProBodX stands for “Proper Body Exercise” and the book outlines several “proper” routines of balancing in funny positions and moving in oblique angles while rapidly swinging a light weight back and forth. It is hard to describe but very different than anything I’ve ever tried before. Although they recommend a bunch of different equipment for doing the exercises, I started by using doing just the basic routine which requires an exercise ball and some light hand weights.

The basic exercise starts with a warm-up routine where you’re rolling on the ball. After that it takes you to exercises designed to strengthen your feet. Not calves - feet. After that you do some basic hand exercises followed by a bunch on your back and stomach where you’re twisting and turning in weird directions. You finish up with some leg exercises on your back.

Sounds easy, right? Just swing some light weights around while twisting and turning? Well, I never got through the “basic” workout during the first few tries. My arms and legs were not tired like a traditional weightlifting workout but my whole body was exhausted. I don’t really know how to describe the feeling except to say that my nervous system felt overwhelmed.

Gradually it became easier, and after a few weeks I was able to finish the whole basic routine in about 30 minutes. I quickly began to notice that my balance was better, day-to-day tasks were easier, minor aches and pains in my joints slowly subsided, and my walking stride was more natural. I decided to stick with it, increase the intensity, and order the equipment necessary for the Basic+ routine.

After 6 months I can say that this program lives up to the authors’ hype. They are really onto something and I will never go back to Yoga, Weightlifting or other traditional workouts again without at least complementing with this workout. I am adding more and more weight, increasing my range of motion, and increasing the speed and intensity of the exercises. I notice a difference from week-to-week and thus it is more engaging than my usual agonizingly slow progress with other workouts.

Golf is now my sport, and I credit the ProBodX workout with an improved X-factor (the difference between shoulder and hip turn) that resulted in 5-10 mph of additional driver speed. My stronger feet and supporting muscles give me better balance and control in my swing.

So why haven’t you heard of ProBodX? I suspect that very few people will ever pickup this book and give the workouts a try. The descriptions are somewhat confusing and difficult to understand and it desperately needs a video to explain the exercises. I re-read the exercise descriptions constantly and occasionally videotape myself doing the exercises to evaluate my technique. I contacted Dr. Heus about a video and they advised me that one is under development.

I do hope they create a video and get some professional product planning help. The authors have managed to distill decades of expertise and ingenuity on this topic into a simple, powerful lifelong workout routine for everyone. Unfortunately it will never reach its full potential unless packaged and promoted differently.

If you are using the ProBodX workout, please leave some comments below about your experiences.

If you are interested in supporting US federal funding for stem cell research, you can send an email message to your elected representatives in about a minute through the Coalition for Advancement of Medical Research web site.

I suscribe to their email newsletters and send a message to my Senators and Congressmen whenever a key vote surfaces. Trust me, it makes a difference when they hear from their constituents.

Who wants to live to 94? Easy. A person who is 93.

As long as I can continue to live an enriching life - which is mainly a self-defined scenario - I have no doubt that I will never be ready to die. If you have any doubt about how you will view the world at 93, I suggest you check out this beautiful blog post by Donald Crowdis - a 93-year-old blogger.

Don, you are a hero and an inspiration to us all.

I’ve been practicing Calorie Restriction for about 4 years. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it is an attempt to slow the aging process by eating fewer calories but optimizing the nutrient levels of those you do eat.

Over the past year or so there have been a number of articles in the mainstream press about CR and I’m amazed at how much the purported experiences with the diet differ from my own. I suppose much of the confusion results from our society’s need for instant-gratification. Emily Yoffe’s My Starvation Diet from Slate is a perfect example. I’ll spare you the trouble of reading it with this summary: without apparently learning a lot about it, she suddenly tried CR for 2 months and gave up when she found herself too hungry and not feeling better.

There is a wealth of science and debate on the topic of CR. I’m not going to attempt to rehash the issues but instead provide some context based on my own experience.

For me, CR is a journey and not a destination, a part of puzzle in a personal commitment to longevity and the pursuit of an enriching life. The key for my long-term commitment to CR has been to practice it in such a manner that I can still enjoy occasional treats, play sports, and have a career and healthy relationships. This balancing act is different for everyone, and unfortunately articles like Yoffe’s suggest that we have two choices

* Continue to eat like the average blissfully-ignorant American and accept the consequences.
* Suddenly and permanently committing to eating 1500 calories/day in the pursuit of a longer life of starvation and misery.

FWIW, I think that suddenly picking arbitrary calorie targets and attempting to stick with them is an exercise doomed to failure. 1500 calories/day would not be enough for me, although based on this article some people will assume this is the magical number they would need to target for a Calorie Restriction diet.

I don’t track the number of calories I eat. I found the whole exercise of counting calories to be boring and unproductive. Most people who do target a specific calorie range usually eat the same thing for every meal. My career doesn’t allow this and I enjoy the social aspects of dining with my loved ones.

Instead I simply target a weight that keeps my BMI around 20 (which is about 10 pounds less than my college weight) and eat the healthiest foods I can find, including a large bucket of salad at least once per day. Some people call this approach “Mild CR”. I have dropped by BMI below 20 and found that I had a difficult time playing sports, I felt constantly cold, and I looked pretty scary. So 20 it is.

Hunger isn’t much of a problem. If I get too hungry I eat something. Being constantly cold is actually more of an annoyance and is the most frustrating part of the diet. At the same time I found that my digestion is much, much better and I need less sleep but still feel energetic. So there are pros and cons.
Fortunately, the emerging studies and common sense suggest that mild CR + exercise might be as beneficial as more severe CR. So I continue to exercise regularly as well.

Before you suddenly adopt a new starvation diet, take the time to do a bit of research. Phil Graves’ article is a great start, particularly the summary:

“The successful voluntary practice of CR in humans is

1) the life-long focused commitment
2) to gain knowledge, self-control, and motivation
3) to reduce calories consumed,
4) while maintaining adequate nutrition,
5) under active monitoring of current state of health,
6) with the hope of living better,
7) and the hope of living longer.

That’s really it in a nutshell.”