Longevity Secrets from Florida

Good Morning & Greetings from Florida.

I've been working remotely & vacationing here the past week, and I'm happy to report— it's absolutely wild what a week of sunshine can do for mental health.

The first three months of the year tend to be the toughest for me, mentally & physically, and this year has been no exception.

So today, we’re going to explore a few of the health practices that have been on top of mind this month and will be priorities going forward.

Consider these low-hanging fruit. Actions that take little time, effort & money, but can pay enormous dividends in your long-term well-being.

PS. Stay tuned til the end for some photos of the trip and the road trip playlist that's been the soundtrack of this week.

🌞 Morning Sunshine:

Getting direct sunlight first thing in the morning is one of the best things you can do for your health.

This idea is proposed & supported by Dr. Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist who has taken the internet by storm thanks to his ability to explain complex science in a succinct & conversational manner.

As he explains in his top-ranked podcast, the Huberman Lab:

“Getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning is absolutely vital to mental and physical health. It is perhaps the most important thing that any and all of us can and should do in order to promote metabolic well-being, promote the positive function of your hormone system, get your mental health steering in the right direction.”

So… you might ask, “why would looking at the sun affect sleep? Something that occurs more than 12 hours later?”

Well, the short answer is our sleep-wake pattern, known as the circadian rhythm.

When light enters our eyes, it provides the brain & body information about what time of day it is. There's no surprises here... light means its daytime and dark indicates nighttime.

The body processes these signals with a cascade of hormonal responses - an increase in cortisol & serotonin and a decrease in the sleep hormone, melatonin.

Cortisol helps regulate your body's response to stress, and it naturally becomes elevated during the morning. So the increase that morning sunlight provides is healthy... I like to think of it as a signal saying "Lights On, We're Up."

What I've found is morning sun not only gives me more energy for the day ahead, but also makes it easier to fall asleep when it comes time for bedtime.

Florida has made it easy to practice and after the past week of experimentation, I can confirm it makes a difference in both the morning & evening.

Here's the protocol that Huberman recommends in his remarkably instructive “Toolkit for Sleep.”

🌱 The Less (Artificial) Ingredients, The Better:

If there was one nutrition rule I could create, this would be it.

Eat More Whole Foods & Limit Ingredients You Can’t Pronounce.

And by whole foods, I mean real, natural, foods... not Jeff Bezos' healthy side-project.

Anyways, I try to stay away from absolutes when it comes to nutrition because we all have highly individual circumstances, preferences, goals, and microbiomes.

But this idea feels too relevant not to share as I've been traveling this past week.

Like you probably know, eating on the road can be challenging, especially for the health-conscious.

It's wild to consider that in large parts of the USA, the only thing to eat after 6pm is McDonalds (which comes with its own host of health problems).

But fast food is it's own category. This is a real-time food decision I made earlier this week. I was at an Aldi in South Florida trying to buy some snacks and came upon two granola bars. Same brand, totally different story.

Just two years ago, I would have bought the first product, the "High Protein Bar."

More Protein = More Gains was the mindset.

Since, I've reconsidered. Overall health & wellness is the intention. Eating less of the processed stuff and more natural stuff. I bought the Pure & Simple bar. Four ingredients.

And that decision was driven by way more than marketing.

The first ingredient "Protein Blend" is filled with Soy Protein Isolate, which goes through a scary extraction process and at it's root, is herbicide-sprayed (often GMO) soy. Bad News Bears.

The next ingredients aren't much better either... three different types of sugar and a variety of sketchy powders, syrups, and oils.

There are a number of studies showing how sugar is linked to diabetes & heart disease, but I don't want to get bogged down with the ingredients themselves.

There is certainly something to be said for food freedom - eating what you want when you want it.

But at the same time, drawing awareness to ingredient labels & the lunacy of ingredients allowed in our food system was a fundamental step in my wellness journey and feels important to share with you reading.

🏡 Community:

One of the first things I noticed while visiting Nadine's grandparents down in Hollywood Florida, was community. They're both in their mid-seventies and have social lives you wouldn't believe.

Most days are spent with friends— chatting, relaxing, and enjoying each other's company.

Intuitively, active engagement with community is important to a healthy life.

But it's also one of the core pillars to longevity identified by the Blue Zones Project— a research initiative founded by Dan Buettner that aims to identify the common factors that contribute to longevity in the areas of the world with the most centenarians (people living over 100).

If you're curious, the five Blue Zones identified in the world are Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Ikaria (Greece), and Loma Linda (California). Here's an interesting video explaining a little deeper, but I'm saving the deep dive for another time.

Personally, building community is something that always sounds great, but is easier said than done. Easy to Conceptualize & Difficult to Implement.

This year, however, I made an intentional effort to change that. I asked three of my friends to join a book club. We’re reading “The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Creativity” by Julia Cameron, a book written to enable creatives to do their best work.

Meeting bi-weekly to discuss our pursuits & struggles, especially those of a creative nature, has been exceptionally fun & generative.

I’m incredibly grateful for this group and am excited to share a reflection in the months to come.

Whether it’s a book club, a fitness class, a spiritual/church group, or a sports intramural league, community can plan an immense difference in the quality of life and longevity.

Thanks for Reading.

I'm curious - do you notice a difference when you go outside first thing in the morning?

And/or - what is your favorite form of community?

Your friend & supporter,

Aidan

PS. If you’re interested - here’s some photos from the week

Photos of the Week:

🚘 🎶 A Road Trip Playlist