Issue #421: A New Study on Longevity

Good morning. It’s Friday, January 17th.

In today’s email:

Focus: A New Study on Longevity
Move: All the Time
Inspire: Everesting at Jackson Hole
In the News: Fitter, Stronger, Happier
Brain Games: The 1% Club

Stat of the Day

The number of active hours in a day that you want for longevity. It’s shown that the more you move in your most active ten hours of the day matter most. (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise)

Favorites

Who would have thought some of my favorites came from the FDA this week:

No More Red Dye 3 - this food color is banned effective 2027. Future Halloweens won’t be filled with candy corn (and 9,200 other food items) that have this dye. Question: when will we get rid of the other dyes the rest of the world already outlawed?
Cigs Without the Nicotine - smoking rates in the U.S. have hit an all-time low at 11% - but that's still too many. The FDA agrees and is pushing to remove nicotine from cigarettes to curb addiction, potentially saving billions in healthcare costs.
David Protein Bars Add PB Flavor - no bar is perfect, but glad this sugar-free protein bar now comes in peanut butter and is available on Amazon Prime (no affiliation).

Focus

A New Study on Longevity

Let’s just say I got up from writing this post to go for a walk before finishing it…

There’s now even more evidence that the #1 thing we can do to live longer is to move.

Move a lot, move often, move with some intensity.

The study just published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise goes beyond just saying exercise is important to longevity - it’s even more important than our age.

THE DETAILS

You’ve got to be careful when reading media headlines from these studies, but this one seems pretty comprehensive in both the approach and quality of data.

Researchers from the University of Colorado and Johns Hopkins University tracked 3,600 people aged 50-80 over three years - from 2011 to 2014. They looked at all the things that are thought to impact mortality: obesity and body fat %, smoking, heart disease, diabetes, education level, and more.

But nothing was as highly correlated with living longer than physical activity. Not even smoking (but still good we’re not doing that much anymore either).

The study examined 14 traditional risk factors for mortality, including:

Demographics (age, gender, BMI, race, education)
Lifestyle habits (alcohol, smoking)
Medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, cancer)
Overall health self-assessment

TOP PREDICTORS (in order)

Physical activity (BY FAR)
Age
Mobility problems
Self-assessed health
Diabetes
Smoking

One of the unique findings was that you want to be really active for your 10 most active hours in the day.

So it’s not enough to just work out at the gym and sit the rest of the day. It’s not enough to just get up and move around your house every hour. You want to be as active as possible for 10 hours in the day.

Here’s the movement blueprint that comes from this study:

Movement is Medicine - Every step counts. Every workout matters. Every active choice you make is literally adding time to your life. This isn't about vanity or looking good in your jeans - it's about survival.
Intensity Matters - Those 10 most active hours being particularly predictive tells us something crucial - we need to push ourselves sometimes. This aligns perfectly with our previous discussions about Zone 2 cardio and HIIT training.
Consistency Over Perfection - You don't need to become an ultra-marathoner. The study suggests that regular, consistent movement throughout the day is key. Stand up from your desk. Take the stairs. Play with your kids.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOU

Most of the articles I read about the study stopped there. But honestly most of us already know this. Maybe not the specifics about the 10 hours of activity - but we know more movement is better.

The real key is to figure out how to make it happen.

There are so many reasons we don’t move enough:

Not Enough Time - too much time sitting at a job in front of a computer (I at least raised my desk to stand while I wrote this) and just busy with life.
Limited Mobility - when we get hurt or injured we stop moving. Focus on being able to move and prioritize recovery as much as anything else.
No Place to Move - work or live in an area below freezing without places to even go for an enjoyable walk right now.
Wrong Priorities - at the end of the day it comes down to mindset too. Do you truly want to maximize your longevity or are you just saying that and hoping it comes true?

Which one is it for you?

Find the obstacle(s) and figure out a plan to eliminate it.

Maybe that means scheduling 15 min walks throughout your work day (you won’t be less productive). Maybe going to physical therapy or putting in the work to increase the mobility of your hips, knees, or whatever is holding you back. Maybe moving somewhere else - seriously, it’s that important.

Whatever you do - decide that you’re an athlete and you’re going to move today.

That doesn’t mean running a marathon, doing CrossFit, or benching 2x your weight - it just means you’re going to get your heart rate up, you’re going to move at least 10K steps, and consistently move your body all day - because you can.

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Move

All the Time

Need some more ideas for how to move more? Check out this quick list that helps me:

Track your steps - I get embarrassed when it only says 3-4K steps. Don’t feel you have to do this forever, but get a baseline so you know what 10-12K steps feels like.

Find Excuses to Move -

Walking meetings at work
Standing desk
Park further away - everywhere you go
Take the stairs - all the time
Dance while cooking - yes I do this sometimes

And go hard sometimes - whatever that means for you - bootcamp class, heavy weights, rucking - raise your heart rate and feel like you pushed yourself to be stronger - mentally and physically.

Inspire

Everesting in Jackson Hole

Want to climb Everest without the altitude sickness, risk of dying or creating an unnecessary traffic jam that makes life for sherpas really dangerous?

Just climb up Jackson Hole mountain 19 times - that’s 29,029 feet of elevation. Just make sure you can do it in 36 hours.

H&L in the News

Fitter, Stronger, Happier in 2025: Unlock 12 expert-approved ways to boost fitness, ease pain, improve sleep, and build strength in 2025. From running tips to mood-lifting workouts, find your path to a healthier you (NYTimes). Don't forget our Top 8 Quick Wins for 2025!

Alone Together - America’s Social Shift: In an age of digital convenience, Americans are increasingly choosing solitude, with profound effects on our happiness, politics, and relationships. Learn how isolation is reshaping modern life and what we can do about it. (The Atlantic)

Ten Americas, One Life Divide: Life expectancy in the U.S. reveals stark disparities, with a 20-year gap between the longest and shortest-living groups. Discover what’s driving this divide and how equitable access to care could bridge it. (Big Think)

Brain Games

The 1% Club

Here’s the 1% question from a recent episode - only 1 out of 100 people on the street get this right. Good luck!

Credit: FOX
**For answer, scroll to the bottom of the post

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Thanks for another great week!

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Brain Games Answer

QUESTION MARK

Why Thrive25

We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.

This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.

To health!

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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.