Speaker 1: 0:41

Hello and welcome back to the podcast, the Fit Soul podcast. I'm truly grateful that you come back week after week and I just wanted to say thank you and I'm really excited today. I actually have an incredible guest today. I'm so excited, excited. He's been on the podcast before and it's actually one of my most downloaded podcasts, which I think took us both by surprise. He's highly qualified. Today we're going to be talking about some really interesting topics for your health and aging powerfully. It's just a theme that we really focus on here on the Fit Soul podcast and in all of my programs, and so as I introduce our residing physician, who's highly qualified to talk about this area and he lives it and he breathes it and he's incredibly handsome. In fact, I have a huge crush on him. He's over here shaking his head. It's my husband, dr Randy Ramsey. Welcome back to the podcast, honey.

Speaker 2: 1:58

Thank you, Amy. It's good to be back. It seems like forever since I've been invited. I wish I could do more.

Speaker 1: 2:08

Well, okay, we're going to do it today. He's kind of saying that because at the time of recording what works for our schedule is actually Sunday after church, and so I think he's happy to be here. In fact, we're going to make this into a three-part series because it's such an interesting topic and we both feel like it is so important to discuss these topics, as last year was a huge milestone year for our family and for us personally. I turned 50 last year, in 2023. He turned 60 years old. We celebrated our 10-year anniversary. We had other milestones in our family too, but that alone was a pretty big milestone for us, for our ages, and it really does get you thinking about your health and aging, and what does that look like? What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2: 3:05

I agree.

Speaker 2: 3:06

One thing it gets me to thinking about is how much time I personally have left, because if you look at the average life expectancy in the US to be about 80 years of age, and if you're 50 in your case or 60 in my case, if you've marked off 80 yards on the football field and you went and stood at the 50-yard line and I stood 60 yards in you're a whole lot closer to the 80 than you are looking back to birth.

Speaker 2: 3:41

So one thing it's got me thinking about over this last year is this idea of longevity how long we're here for and what do we do with that time. Science shows, actually, that your body physiologically starts declining in your late 20s For men it's 27 or 28 because of the decrease in testosterone every year after that and then, by the time you're 40s, your lean muscle mass really starts to decline and your energy level declines. So people should start looking well before they turn 60 at how they're optimizing their health for the rest of their life. We've done a pretty good job of it, both on our own and together, but it's just really got me started thinking after I turned 60 about what am I going to do with the time that's left.

Speaker 1: 4:39

Oh, wow, okay. So that's really deep. You know it's funny, randy, really deep. You know it's funny, randy. So you know I've talked a lot about midlife and helping women in midlife and one of the things that is across the board that they are looking for is energy and actually joy and confidence and purpose. Those are the when I did market research and I am not a fan of the word midlife, I just I'm not but I didn't know I was in midlife.

Speaker 1: 5:13

You just said something about, apparently, around 40 is halfway to 80. So 40 years old in case somebody doesn't know this, because I didn't know this until I was 49, that after the age of 40 is considered midlife and that most people are looking for more energy and health and vitality. And this is what's really sad to me is when they think that hey, I'm older and this is just the way it is. I'm older and this is just the way it is, and they have settled for less than a thriving, vibrant lifestyle and they don't know how actually to optimize, what to do, or that it's even possible. So that's what we really want to share with you in this podcast and actually over the next several podcasts, is that there is so much, but you have to take action, and so, all right, randy, I'm going to toss it back over to you. I just wanted to throw that out there.

Speaker 2: 6:12

Well, thank you. One thing I was going to bring up today is that you and I got a book called the Ultimate Nutrition Bible. It's by Matt Gallant and Wade Lightheart, and they're the co-founders of a company named BiOptimizers, and one of their chapters in the book is interesting to me. They talk about a person's bio-span, which is actually your biologic life. There are two components to it. There's lifespan, which is how long we live, and, more importantly, there's healthspan, which is how long we live with a quality, healthy life, and most people know that your lifespan of humans in this country has increased over the last century because of increase in medical advances, such as antibiotics. We have an increased economic prosperity that allow us easier lives, things like that. It's interesting, and these guys point out in their book, that the chief, the Google's chief futurist in 2016, a guy named Ray Kurzweil. In 2016, a guy named Ray Kurzweil predicted that, because of advances in medical technology, that human beings would have the chance for eternal life by the year 2029.

Speaker 1: 7:34

Okay, that's. I want you to break that down. But you know what? I was just sitting here thinking about the advances that we've had in the last hundred years. You and I were watching Foods that Built America. We love that show, we love it, love, love. And just less than 100 years ago they found vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin D and vitamin was it K Just less than 100 years ago? I mean vitamin C, that's right, and some of the diseases that were in play in the Great Depression because of that. And I was just listening to that show, thinking what they didn't know about these vitamins. But how many advances we've had. But what does eternal life mean? I mean that just sounds almost sacrilegious.

Speaker 2: 8:21

I'm kind of curious about that. It is when I read this about this guy from Google saying we could have eternal life by 2029, well, it's 2024. So it's pretty close and I don't see that happening yet. I looked in the Bible actually for a definitive answer and in Genesis 6-3, god pronounced that man's time on the earth would number 120 years. This was roughly about the time he sent the flood and Noah and the people before they were living 900 years. But after the flood he said man's time would be numbered to 120 years. And we're nowhere close to that either. Most of the world is living 78, 79, 80 years or less. There are some parts of the world where people live to be 100 regularly. Believe it or not, I do read Vogue magazine regularly. Most people wouldn't think that of me.

Speaker 1: 9:23

I just got to stop for a second, not only do you read that magazine, you read Southern Living, you read Garden Guns, like we have all of these magazines that come to us. I don't stop long enough to read them, but Cover to cover, right babe.

Speaker 2: 9:36

Cover to cover.

Speaker 1: 9:37

I love that.

Speaker 2: 9:38

Anyway, in Vogue in March of this year I read this somewhere. I didn't actually read Vogue, but I could if I wanted to. I'm comfortable enough with my masculinity to read Vogue if I want to.

Speaker 1: 9:49

That's right.

Speaker 2: 9:50

There was an article in Vogue just last month about the power nine habits of the world's longest living people. A guy named Dan Buechner and a team of scientists studied populations with the longest life expectancies around the world. These are in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Greece and on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, and what they were trying to figure out is what are these people doing where they have the highest per capita centenarians than anywhere else in the world? What are they doing differently than all of us who aren't living nearly that long? They referenced a study called the Danish Twin Study that states that only 20% of our life expectancy is genetic, so 80% of it. We can make lifestyle choices to control how long we can live and how long we can live healthy lives. Let's go through these nine.

Speaker 1: 10:53

Yeah, let's go through the nine.

Speaker 2: 10:54

So what we're going to go through is the nine power, principles and habits that the people that live in Okinawa, sardinia and this particular area of Costa Rica all have in common, that keep them healthy and alive A lot of them well past 100. They're not just living a lifespan past 100. They're living a health span of a healthy life past 100. They're not just living a lifespan past 100. They're living a health span of a healthy life past 100. And we'll go through them one by one and discuss them, because I found it pretty interesting.

Speaker 1: 11:26

Yes, all right, what's number one sir?

Speaker 2: 11:29

Move actively throughout the day. The sedentary Western lifestyle is thought to be the new version of smoking. To our health, it's just. It's not a healthy thing. And these people, they walk places, they ride bicycles, they garden, they're outside, they're moving their bodies, they're doing things. They're not sitting behind a desk working at a computer or sitting in a chair scrolling social media. They're out moving their body. So that's number one that they all have in common is move actively throughout the day so I I think this is so important and this is this one thing alone.

Speaker 1: 12:12

I love to go by data, and I know we're going to talk about this and a few others, but when I'm working with my clients one-on-one, we talk about how many steps a day did you get in today? That is data. How many times did you exercise per week? That is all data. And this is very important, because some people think, well, let me go for a long, long walk and now I'm done, I've got all my steps in. It's not about that. It's literally about keeping your body in motion. A body in motion tends to stay in motion.

Speaker 1: 12:50

Who said that Was it Gilad? Who said that?

Speaker 2: 12:54

Oh, gilad, on Bodies in Motion on ESPN back in the 80s.

Speaker 1: 12:59

I used to have it on VCR tapes and do my little exercise routines. But anyway, a body in motion tends to stay in motion. And one of the things that I have found super interesting with working with midlife my midlife clients is they are actually sedentary. And you can look at certain numbers, like if your steps are under 5,000 steps a day, it's considered and I think it's 5,000. I have to check and look. I know it's between 3,000 and 5,000. It's literally considered a sedentary lifestyle. So get up, move, move your body actively during the day. If you're not doing that, I mean if you make laps around your house or march down to your mailbox several times a day but it's that important that you move your body.

Speaker 2: 13:47

I agree. So let's look at the number two power nine principle. It's to identify your purpose in life, figure out what you're passionate about and go and do that. They were able to show from this study that having a sense of purpose for your life can add an additional seven years.

Speaker 1: 14:10

That's amazing, that is amazing. You know, I want to just like kind of preach right here and I'm not going to Good. Okay, I don't know if I appreciate that. But what I want to say is that you are created for purpose. Ephesians 2.10, one of my favorite scriptures, say that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, that he prepared good works for us to do ahead of time, that we're all created for purpose and it's not just one singular purpose like you'll have multiple purposes in your life but we are created for good works of service and loving others. So, um, that's exciting to see that.

Speaker 2: 14:51

That's number two number three is to reduce stress. Chronic stress causes chronic inflammation in our bodies, and chronic inflammation in our bodies accelerates the aging process. So there are many ways to reduce stress through meditation, through quiet time, through altering your diet to exercise. You know more about that than I do. But that's number three and I'm sure we'll talk way more about that in an upcoming podcast.

Speaker 1: 15:21

Oh, so I don't get to talk about it, right?

Speaker 2: 15:23

now. You can certainly talk about it. It's your podcast.

Speaker 1: 15:24

You know what I sure can. It is my podcast. That's right, you know we were talking. Well, this is so important because we live in a state of being in the sympathetic nervous system In a place of fight or flight constantly and it drives our cortisol levels up and that when your cortisol levels are high and you live in this place of high stress, your body holds on to fat. So you might be struggling to lose that extra fat and if you have a lot of stress and you're not dealing with it in a healthy way and you might be thinking to yourself I eat right, I'm exercising and I don't know what to do about this, it's a thing, in fact, just real quick, just real quick. I think this is a really good place to insert this right there. You read to me something from John Eldredge about what was it? It was relief.

Speaker 2: 16:27

It was relief versus restoration.

Speaker 1: 16:30

Relief versus restoration and we have coping mechanisms of dealing with our stress maybe numbing out by hopping on your phone, scrolling social media, watching or binge watching TV or getting the alcohol out, the wine or food standing in your pantry and eating and we do this to get relief from the stress and it doesn't actually help us. But when we are looking for restoration getting in nature, prayer, worship, meditation these are more restorative to the soul and lower our cortisol levels and help us to actually deal with our stress and manage it better. So I just wanted to throw that out there, so important. We're going to talk about that on a future episode.

Speaker 2: 17:22

I think we probably will Okay. Number four is the centenarians basically follow what's called the 80% rule of eating. That means they stop eating when they've reached a feeling of 80% capacity or satiety. They do this by eating more slowly and mindfully, not rushing through meals. They chew their food properly 20 to 30 times each bite. Wow, that sounds crazy to me, but these 100-year-old people seem to like doing it, and they tend to eat smaller portions in the evening time people seem to like doing it and they tend to eat smaller portions in the evening time.

Speaker 1: 18:01

Yeah, that whole chewing 20 to 30 bites per time. The first time I learned that I was taking my integrative nutrition course and I was like, are you kidding me? And to stop and to chew your food that many times? Okay, so here's some homework. Here's a takeaway, here's an action step for you.

Speaker 1: 18:22

Slow down when you're eating and count your bites and I'm not great at this. Let me tell you who's. I love you, babe, but I swear when we're eating steak he will put the largest bite of steak in his mouth. I'm like I'm bracing myself, like I'm about to have to do the heimlich maneuver, like, are you, did you even chew it? Did you even chew that at all before you swallowed it? Like it freaks me out just a little bit.

Speaker 1: 18:49

So, anyway, eat smaller bites. It all goes down well so far, but I'm ready. I need to like take another cpr course, make sure I'm fresh on all my stuff. But there is something to this and in this book I'll put it in the show notes, this, um, the ultimate nutrition Bible. They have a really nice graphic of eating, just even understanding hunger and eating until you're 80% full. In fact, in my uh, when I work with clients and I have it on my own, I have a little habit tracking app and one of them is only to eat to 80% full, because I eat until I'm 100% full, I eat too much.

Speaker 2: 19:29

I eat past 100%.

Speaker 1: 19:31

Yeah, I do too sometimes, but it is something to really think about. And even exercise 80 is just a whole. It's a. It's a way that you can manage a healthier lifestyle that's sustainable and not restrictive. Um, so anyway, I love that.

Speaker 2: 19:50

I love that on down the list on down the list.

Speaker 1: 19:54

What number are we on?

Speaker 2: 19:55

for number five is actually something neither amy nor I really with, but the longest living people on the face of the planet adopt or have adopted a plant-based diet, and this study shows that adopting a purely plant-based diet can add 20 additional years to your lifespan. And I think I'm going to have to do without that one, but I'm sure it would be great for me.

Speaker 1: 20:25

And that even includes fish, right Like no fish.

Speaker 2: 20:29

I'm sure the people in Greece and Costa Rica are eating fish, but this is what the study shows. Yeah, okay, so alright, number six, okay, high five.

Speaker 1: 21:39

If you're plant-based, amazing, and we're two carnivores over here. I love my veggies, but I love my meat too, okay.

Speaker 2: 21:46

Number six some people won't agree with this one. Yeah, it's drink wine in moderation for a healthy lifestyle. Show that two glasses of red wine a day. The people in Sardinia, Greece, that in the same culture, those that drank two glasses of red wine a day had longer healthier lives than the people in their same community that abstain completely from alcohol.

Speaker 1: 22:11

Yeah, I mean, there's a lot to be said about that and that study, I think, is a little controversial because, listen, I just I feel like I need to say this there's also a balance of if you're using those two glasses of wine to deal with your stress and your, it's a coping mechanism. I think alcoholism kind of runs rampant in our society and balancing that out with like a personal conviction of this is not right. For me, I think, is very important because I had to rein myself back in and because I was convicted from the Holy Spirit and I wanted to deal with my stress in healthier ways. So I just want to like give that disclaimer because I feel like I'm not I know that I'm not alone in that and, um, it's a sensitive topic for sure. Yes, for a lot of people. Yeah, and it's a sensitive topic for sure.

Speaker 2: 23:05

Yes for a lot of people. Yeah, it is Back to the things we do all agree on.

Speaker 1: 23:10

Okay, yeah.

Speaker 2: 23:13

Number seven is should seek to belong to a community. Those people in these cultures that belong to a community where they met regularly and shared life togetherly, were noted to add four to 14 years to their life because of being part of a community.

Speaker 1: 23:33

Yeah, so much to be said for that. And you know, I've heard some studies recently that are talking about how we've moved online in so many areas of our lives and since 2020, many people still aren't even going back to church. We've moved online in so many areas of our lives and since 2020, many people still aren't even going back to church, and the way that we used to have more community naturally is just not anymore. So here's the thing you have to build your community, and if you don't have the network or the community that you want and a lot of people don't, and even Randy and I we talk about how can we build our friend group? It's another activation.

Speaker 1: 24:17

It's something that you have to pursue to have those rich relationships. They take time and relationships are a little messy. On top of that, and finding people that have the right fit. So I just want to encourage you that, if you aren't, sometimes too also, I know this is a little bit long-winded, but when you're in a transition in life, when you're in a transition of life, sometimes you have to kind of rebuild your network as well. So be active, be in pursuit of that, look for areas to do that, whether it's fundraising or in your church or in just helping out in your community. There's a lot of ways that you can do that, but be proactive on that.

Speaker 2: 25:05

Number eight and nine kind of go along with number seven about building a community. Number eight is to cultivate friendships and the key is do this in person, not on devices or on social media. The people in Okinawa are encouraged from an early early age we would probably say elementary school to have eight close friends. It doesn't mean you carry eight close friends from elementary school through life, but at all phases of your life you should have eight close friends that you share your life with. A friend of mine said one time you got to have six and I said why six? He said because if you die first you're going to need six people willing to carry your casket. You need six pallbearers. So Okinawans say eight and my friend JT says six.

Speaker 1: 25:55

I love that. And you know what A mentor of mine, brooke Thomas, said you need to have five people on speed dial on your phone. And that really had me thinking and I thought well, I know, I've got three, but I don't have five that I could just say I have an emergency, I have this, and I have since sought to build that inner circle. So build your inner circle.

Speaker 2: 26:20

And make sure your inner circle is willing to answer their phone when you call them and doesn't go directly to voicemail.

Speaker 1: 26:26

Oh my gosh. Okay, that's a cut against me. Let me tell you something. All right, if I could edit this out, I would, but that was unnecessary. I am here for my people. Come on, I am here for my people. You might have to text me because I don't know when my phone rings, but I am so here.

Speaker 2: 26:45

Let's just say this If you need to get in touch with Amy, quickly call me.

Speaker 1: 26:48

Call Randy.

Speaker 2: 26:52

And lastly, number nine is prioritize time with family. Again, in Okinawa they show that those children that grew up with close relationships with their grandparents had healthier, happier, longer lives. And then they, when they were grandparents, they prioritized passing that same type of relationship on to their grandchildren. So 7, 8, 9, community friendships, family, all very important.

Speaker 1: 27:21

You know, in the Fit Soul framework that I teach about just overall Fit Soul framework that I teach about just overall, an overall thriving life relationships are a top pillar because they just make life rich and good. And if your relationships aren't where you want them to be maybe with your children and or grandchildren, if you're blessed enough to have them or extended family, work on it, work on yourself becoming and reaching out and and trying to cultivate those relationships in your life, I think sometimes people just feel like, well, mine's not this and it just is what it is, and they give up when, um, they're worthy of fighting for and cultivating yeah, I agree and uh, kind of moving towards what we're going to talk about in the next few podcasts uh, the difference again in lifespan and health span.

Speaker 2: 28:21

if we look at health, medicine defines health as the absence of disease. However, just in my own practice, when I'm seeing patients and I'm asking them oh, do you have high blood pressure, do you have any lung issues, do you have diabetes? So many of the people say no, I don't have any of those things. Then when I look at their medicines, they're on like 19 different medicines to control all the health issues they have and they think they're healthy simply because somebody, a physician, gave them medicine to control their issues. So health isn't just the absence of disease. And what we'll talk about pertaining to health span in the next two podcasts is what are the things that 80% of things we can control to increase our healthspan and lifespan? What are the principles and things we can do to obtain those things?

Speaker 1: 29:16

Bam. Oh my gosh, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to hear what these things are. I am so excited. Okay, so you're going to want to join us back same time? Oh gosh, babe, I was so nervous about this podcast and I'm not nervous anymore. How do you feel about it?

Speaker 2: 29:34

I feel good it's over.

Speaker 1: 29:38

That was amazing. Hang on. What's really funny is that as we're recording this, he's literally getting up to walk out. You can't just walk out like that.

Speaker 2: 29:51

All right, we want to say go ahead. Did you want to say something? No, I can walk out.

Speaker 1: 29:53

No one can see me walking out and you can keep talking. Well, all right. All right, you guys. Well, thank you for joining us today. Dr Ramsey will be back with us next week where we will pick up the conversation on how do we increase our health span and our lifespan, and I will drop in the show notes of this particular episode the book which we referenced the Ultimate Nutrition Bible. It is fantastic.

Speaker 1: 30:20

I do highly recommend this book. There's a lot of information in there and, of course, if you are listening to this and you're thinking, gosh, I would like some help with my health, with my wellness, in any capacity, do know that I help clients one-on-one. I work with mostly women and I'm taking a few new clients now. I take a very scientific approach. I've been working with women in the health, wellness, nutrition space for 25 years and, as a certified high performance coach and as a follower of Jesus, take a faith forward approach. So if you're listening to this and you're like, hey, I really want to get my health under control, I am taking a few. So I'm going to put my health and wellness application in the show notes, as always. Thank you so much for tuning in and listening to this podcast. If you would do me a favor and download it and share it with your friends or on social media, I would absolutely appreciate that. Have an amazing day. Thank you again for being here.