If you could live for 150 years, would you? How much could you accomplish with an extra 60-70 years? What kind of quality of life would you experience?
Most people out there are on the hunt to reverse aging in one way or another — whether that’s with skin care routines, exercising regularly, or even with the clothes we choose to wear. It makes sense — it’s only natural that, as humans, we want to live longer. But with so much conflicting information on this topic, how can we know right from wrong? How can we take steps — big or small — to reverse aging and add years to our lives?
In this episode, I discuss longevity with my guest Sergey Young, a longevity investor and visionary with the mission to extend the healthy lifespans of 1 billion people.
We discussed the best and worst things to do for longevity, the most important things to do to reverse your age, the possibilities technology will introduce, and why Sergey believes that if you can live the next 15-20 years in good health, you have a strong likelihood of living to be 150 years young. Let’s dive in!
Who Is Sergey Young?
Sergey Young’s goal is to live to 200 and to find an affordable way for everyone else to do the same. He believes we are on the brink of a longevity revolution with new scientific discoveries and exciting technological advances now making it possible to reverse aging and treat previously incurable diseases.
Helping people live long, healthy, and happy lives is his lifelong mission. He has coached everyone from his wonderful housekeeping lady to Forbes billionaires, and their enthusiastic feedback has inspired him to share his knowledge with more people in the world.
This was how his corporate Longevity @ Work initiative, a free corporate life extension program designed to help people adopt longevity-promoting lifestyles, was born, as well as the idea to write the book The Science and Technology of Growing Young.
As part of his mission to make longevity affordable and accessible to everyone, Sergey founded the $100 million Longevity Vision Fund, one of the few longevity-focused funds in the world. He is also an Innovation Board Member at the XPRIZE Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by friend Peter Diamandis, and Development Sponsor for the Age Reversal XPRIZE.
Psychological Age Identity — Think And Grow Young
Sergey explained that the way you think is the way you age. If you are constantly thinking about being older, your body will actually reflect that thought process in the physical.
“Ignore your calendar age and allow yourself to be younger in terms of your dreams, aspirations, and behavior. Just ignore social standards for you and the social conditions and pressure around your age.” – Sergey Young
There is a lot of societal pressure around age and the milestones you need to be hitting by certain ages. We are also bombarded with anti-aging products that promise youth and vigor, but Sergey argues that we can have those things now if we change our perspective, and we don’t have to be rich to do it.
“So if I’m 49 out of my 200 years, I’m still a kid in a way, right? So the world is full of opportunities for me. Your energy can change the way you look, the way you communicate, the way you dream and the way you share with people.” – Sergey Young
Sergey continued to say that overcoming our limiting beliefs can extend our lifespans. In small increments, you can reverse the signs of aging this way. Don’t discount the power of the mind and body connection!
Routines That Contribute To Longevity
Every morning, Sergey has a routine that he calls “morning priming” that helps him start the day right. He decided that if he is going to live 200 years, they better be happy and healthy years. He wants to feel like he is still in the body of a 25-year-old man, so he does positive self-talk and a little meditation and just gets his mind in a positive place before he starts his day. He also eats healthy, exercises, and monitors his body’s metrics on a daily basis. In the evening, he has a “gratefulness” moment where he repeats everything he is grateful for that day.
“I think gratitude and positive thinking is very important because we have a very transactional mentality in our current society — you know, I’ll just do something for you and you’ll do something for me. I don’t think that’s how the world and universe is supposed to work. I’m just now realizing that, and I’ve seen so many lives changed when people just decided one day that they were going to share the best of themselves with the world.” – Sergey Young
Another thing he does is go to the doctor for physicals and checkups on a regular basis. He has a heart monitor and has done MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, and bloodwork to get a full picture of where his body is at today.
Two of the biggest killers in our society are heart disease and cancer, and both of these diseases can be mostly prevented through a healthy lifestyle and regular checkups. Your chances of recovery from cancer is 93-100% depending on the cancer type if you catch it early.
“I think most people delay their checkups until they need to do it. Once they have symptoms they will check it out, but then it could be too late. Preventive care is probably the best thing you can do for a number of reasons.” – Sergey Young
In addition to overcoming limiting beliefs, a daily mind routine, and preventative care, Sergey shared his top tips to increase your longevity:
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Don’t do stupid things that are so extreme that they give you more chances of dying younger.
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Don’t smoke.
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Food is medicine. We consume way too much sugar. Eat healthy food.
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Marijuana affects your brain negatively according to 80,000+ brain scans, so it’s best to avoid it.
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Think positively. Turn off the negative influences.
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Do some sort of physical activity every day. 10,000 steps a day is enough to transform your metabolic state. Do cardio to train your heart and blood vessels.
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Find peace of mind. His rule is eight hours in bed and at least seven hours of sleep so he has time to decompress from the day.
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Have a proactive, not reactive, approach to medicine.
This is a list of things we can control, but there are things outside of our reach like genetic predisposition, income, and access to healthcare that can be the biggest determinants of lifespan. That’s why Sergey’s mission is so important. He wants to bring an affordable and accessible version of longevity to the world so that 1 billion people can benefit — not just the wealthy.
