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The High Performance Journal - December 10th, 2024

All my life, I've been a late bloomer.

I didn't get into the gym until I was 21 and didn't find out what I wanted to do as a career until I was 27. I started my first business in my 30s, married at 37, and had kids at 40.

I experienced significant life milestones later than many of my peers and that's okay. Everyone has their own timing.

That said, I've become a student of ​living longer​.

One of my goals is to become a centenarian (100 years old), and from everything I've read about the topic, I think I can reach it.

So, in this article, I'm sharing everything I'm doing at 45 to reach 100.

Ready to live longer? Let's go!

Things I'm Doing At 45 To Live To 100

1. I'm doing cardio to live longer. ​V02 max is correlated with a higher life expectancy​. I'm tracking my V02 max through the Cooper test and lab testing. I'm building a base of 150 minutes of zone 2 cardio per week, and once a week, I'm doing something high-intensity like sprinting.

2. I'm lifting weights to improve my quality of life. ​Lifting weights with good form​ improves my ability to function as I age. Weights are the fountain of youth. They help you maintain muscle and flexibility, which will be the difference between a nursing home and independence when you age.

3. I'm keeping my body fat at a healthy range. What is a healthy range? It depends on gender and age:

For Women

• Age 20-39: 21-32%
• Age 40-59: 23-33%
• Age 60-79: 24-35%

For Men

• Age 20-39: 8-19%
• Age 40-59: 11-21%
• Age 60-79: 13-24%
  
  

4. I'm getting regular bloodwork done. Key markers I'm looking at are:

1. Lipid panel: Includes HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides
2. Glucose and HbA1c: Measures blood sugar control.
3. Inflammatory markers: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and uric acid.
4. Complete blood count (CBC): Assesses general health, immune system, and clotting ability.
5. Vitamin D and B12 levels.
6. Hormone levels: Including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and DHEA-S.
7. Liver function markers: Such as ALT, AST, and GGT.
8. Kidney function: Creatinine levels.
9. Iron levels.
10. Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and Lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a): For cardiovascular risk assessment
    
    

5. I'm doing ​dynamic stretches​ as part of my daily routine. These stretches boost longevity by improving movement capacity, flexibility, circulation, and muscle performance. They also reduce injury risk, pain, and stress while enhancing range of motion, joint health, and body awareness, all of which promote a long, healthy life.

6. I'm making sleep a top priority. This means I'm focused on both the quantity and quality of sleep. Sleep is the best way to maintain high performance while eliminating the waste in our brains and bodies (that leads to disease). I did a comprehensive guide on everything I've done to improve my sleep habits. You can ​access it for free here​.

7. I'm training my body in all planes of motion. When we think about movement, we think forward and backward. We rarely think about sideways or angling diagonally. We want to train all planes of movement (sagittal, frontal, and transverse) to remain proficient at them.

8. I'm sitting on the ground more often. Sitting cross-legged improves mobility, flexibility, and core strength. It enhances hip, knee, and back range of motion, engages abdominal muscles, and maintains the ability to rise from the floor—a key predictor of longevity.

Want a simple test to see if you'll live longer? Do the sit & raise test.

You lower yourself to the floor sitting cross legged.

This is a basic test if strength & mobility as you age.

If you can get up without the use of support or losing balance you get a perfect 10. pic.twitter.com/N5XKXeEmLS

— Dan Go (@FitFounder) April 6, 2023

9. Brushing and flossing my teeth is mandatory. We all know the benefits of brushing our teeth, but did you know flossing is a low-key longevity habit? Flossing reduces oral bacteria, preventing gum disease and systemic inflammation. This lowers risks of cardiovascular issues, diabetes complications, and cognitive decline. Daily flossers have a 30% lower mortality risk, potentially adding years to life.

10. Being a nasal breather. Mouth breathing is a ​net negative for our health​. Nasal breathing filters your air, boosts oxygen uptake, and produces nitric oxide, enhancing lung function and cardiovascular health. It reduces stress, improves sleep quality, and strengthens the immune system, all contributing to increased longevity and overall well-being.

11. I'm drinking coffee every day. Coffee consumption is linked to increased longevity, reducing all-cause mortality by up to 27%. It lowers risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Coffee's 100+ bioactive compounds offer protective effects beyond caffeine. Plus, it tastes freaking amazing.

12. I'm eating at least .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Protein might be the ​most important macronutrient for longevity​. As we age we lose muscle, which makes us less functional. Consuming 0.8g protein/lb bodyweight is the sweet spot that supports muscle growth, repair, and maintenance as we get older.

13. I'm getting 8,000 to 15,000 steps a day. Walking is crucial for longevity as it reduces mortality risk, improves heart health, and extends life expectancy. Even modest increases in daily steps can add years to your life, with the greatest benefits seen in less active individuals. The bare minimum we should be getting 8000 throughout the day, but I've found 15,000 to be the sweet spot from a cardiovascular and cognitive function perspective.

14. I'm building a community around me that I can enjoy spending time with. This starts with my wife and 2 daughters. They are everything to me. It continues with friends, who are the family we choose. Having good people to share your life with is a part of living well and getting older.

15. I'm constantly pushing myself into discomfort. Doing things that challenge and push me to become a better version of myself is crucial to maintaining a youthful outlook. The ability to learn new things and upgrade ourselves physically and mentally is an infinite game I'll gladly play for the rest of my life.

16. I'm living in an environment that's conducive to my personality. Some people love the ocean (me), others love the mountains, while others love the forest or city life. Life's too short to live in places that don't reflect your personality. There is one caveat in that the place you desire to live in may change as you age. Honor that.

17. I get at least 80% of my calories from whole nutrient-dense single-ingredient sources and 20% from whatever I want. I call this the 80/20 diet. For my 80%, I eat steak, chicken, at least two servings of fatty fish a week, plenty of veggies, and single-ingredient carbs. ​ 

Nutrient-dense foods​ are a net positive for my physical and mental well-being. That said, I'm also having fun with my food too.

This means 20% of calories are allocated to fun sources that are considered ultra-processed. I'm a firm believer that your diet doesn't have to be perfect to live a long life. In fact, it needs to be imperfect to be sustainable in the long term.

18. I'm living a moderate to low-stress life. Chronic stress is a killer. Managing stress is crucial for longevity as chronic stress accelerates biological aging, increases mortality risk, and exacerbates health issues. ​Managing your stress in healthy ways​ can slow down the aging process, improve overall health, and potentially add years to your life.

19. I'm staying up to date with the scientific advances in longevity. I'm keeping up with guys like ​Bryan Johnson​, ​Matt Kaeberlein​, ​Peter Attia​, and many others. I'm also maintaining a close pulse on AI's influence on our health. If we can keep ourselves alive for the next 30 years, we may be able to extend our lifespans dramatically.

20. I'm developing a deep appreciation for what my body can do. When I first got in shape, I used hate and dissatisfaction to get my body lean. This is great for activation but horrible for sustaining results. I needed to evolve into loving my body (and myself) and being grateful for how it serves me. This energy is much better to sustain than constantly hating on how my body looks.

21. I'm not stressing about any of the things I just mentioned. I believe that obsessing about living longer pushes it away. I will maintain the pillars of longevity (exercise, nutrition, sleep, mobility, cognitive function, community) as habits and let the cards fall where they fall.

See You At 100? Maybe.

One thing will not automatically extend your life. Longevity is based on luck, genetics, and many other factors.

If we want to live a long life, our job is to set up the right environment for a long life to be a reality.

That's all we have control over and obsessing about reaching a certain number just takes away from what's in front of us.

The cool thing about this list is that I've created a lifestyle where I've cultivated these habits over time.

So don't worry if you're not doing one thing or another. Life can be long and adding one thing at a time can be a building block to extending it.

Hope you got value out of this article. See you at 105? Maybe.

Onwards and upwards. 🚀

- Dan

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References

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