Live Long with Peter Bowes

Fred Bartlit is on a mission to re-define aging. A distinguished U.S. Army commander and high profile trial lawyer - he represented two American presidents - Fred is now 87 and a passionate advocate for strength training as we grow old. The author of Choosing the Strong Path: Reversing the Downward Spiral of Aging, is, by his own admission, obsessed with pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Fred’s mantra...

This is our 100th episode and we’re delighted to celebrate the milestone with a remarkable man. Zab Mosenifar, MD, recently completed his 100th marathon at the age of 70 and he personifies the art of living a long, healthy and fulfilling life. Dr. Mosenifar, professor and executive vice chair of the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is addicted to running. Next...

We will all get old, if we are lucky. Aging is a privilege, but facing up to the inevitable lifestyle changes, could leave some of us in denial. Steven Petrow is an award-winning journalist and author, best known for his candid essays in the Washington Post and New York Times, focussing on what it’s like to grow old. In this LLAMA podcast interview, recorded at TEDMED, Steven reflects on the aging...

Anti-aging - who needs it?  Surely, striving to master or embrace the aging process is better than trying to defy it?  It is a philosophy we at Live Long and Master Aging share with Tara Gadomski, writer, filmmaker and director of a new short film, Signs of Aging. The story explores, through dark humor, the methods used to sell so-called anti-aging products to older women. A powerful message emerg...

Living long and well involves focussing on multiple lifestyle practices, including our spiritual awareness. It is a pillar of human longevity that sits alongside a clean diet, vigorous exercise and optimal sleep habits. So let’s meditate. James Brown once thought that his life was “too crazy" to involve meditation, but after a 25-year career in advertising he is now a teacher of the practice...

Innovation in human biology is evolving at breakneck speed. Artificial intelligence, data science and pharmaceutical discoveries - combined with a deeper understanding of how the body works at a cellular level - are creating exciting opportunities to extend health span.   Dr. Ron Alfa is Senior Vice President of Discovery & Product at Recursion, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, recently...

They say sixty is the new forty. Seventy, the new fifty. But what does that mean? We are living longer, but are we living better? Sandra Feaster, a registered nurse and health coach, approaches aging with the same ghusto that an accomplished mountain climber tackles the highest peaks.  She says growing older is an “incredible journey” that embraces the realities of aging while continuing to live l...

The Annual Biohacking Conference, hosted by Upgrade Labs, is a mind-boggling, mind-enhancing gathering of people, from all walks of life, who want to live better and longer.  LLAMA’s Peter Bowes attended this year’s event, in Beverly Hills, California, to meet Dave Asprey, the movement’s poster boy for self-improvement, along with some of the conference’s key speakers and exhibitors. In this episo...

Could listening to music be an important pillar of longevity? If you feel down and listen to a favorite song it can pick you up. Some people say music helps them work harder and the power of music to evoke memories is second to none. There is anecdotal evidence that playing an instrument or enjoying a favorite album can have a lasting impact on our state of mind and, as a therapy, it can help peop...

A simple smile, a friendly gesture or an offer of help and friendship, could help us all live longer, healthier lives. International Day of Happiness (March 20) is celebrated by the United Nations as a way to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.  There is scientific data that suggests people who embrace the benefits of a positive attitude, are rewarded wit...

How many times have you checked your ‘likes' or searched for positive feedback in your social media feed today?  Perhaps you’re the kind of person who always strives to be perfect and feels deflated when you fail to live up to your own expectations. What about being judged by others for not achieving your full potential? Perfectionism, says Dr. Thomas Curran, is “everyone’s perfect flaw.” Dr....

Every two seconds, someone in the world will have a stroke. Almost two-thirds of survivors leave hospital with some form of disability.  It is a battle against time to get the most appropriate medical intervention and treatment for stroke victims and every second counts. Viz.ai , a San Francisco-based applied artificial intelligence company, was established by British neurosurgeon Dr. Chris Mansi...

The sudden onset of a common cold or the flu can stop us in our tracks. Seasonal outbreaks of infectious diseases can be both debilitating and irritating, especially for those people who strive to live a healthy lifestyle.  But are they inevitable? Lydia Bourouiba is the director of the Fluid Dynamics of Disease Transmission Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her work invol...

What if we could screen the body for early signs of disease by swallowing a tiny capsule, packed with futuristic diagnostic tools? Prof. Timothy Lu, a synthetic biologist at MIT, draws on his combined expertise in computer programming, electrical engineering, and microbiology, to envision as an entirely new way of practicing preventative medicine. The idea is that capsules packed with tiny electro...

The Beatles song, When I’m Sixty-Four, pays homage to the aging process and is a tribute to the value of enduring friendships. The light-hearted ditty encapsulates some of the values and aspirations of The SCAN Foundation, which focusses on improving the quality of health and life for older people.  SCAN’s mission is to advance a coordinated and easily navigated system of high-quality services for...

The cumulative effects of chronic sleep deprivation could be shortening our lives. There is evidence that killer diseases are more likely to occur if we get too little sleep over a prolonged period. One reason why we may not be getting enough shut-eye is excessive noise. Mathias Basner is Associate Professor of Sleep and Chronobiology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School...

’Tis the season to be stressed, overwhelmed and chronically fatigued. There’s a festive thought. But that feeling of being swamped by to-do lists, meetings, appointments, shopping lists and good old daily chores, is not exclusive to the holiday season. We live connected lives - sharing, posting and liking - often at the expense of more wholesome activities such as spending quality time with loved...

Royce Smith lifts weights with his gym buddies every morning at 5am. Then he goes to work - at one of two companies he runs - and puts in a full day in the office. He competes in obstacle course events like the Spartan Race, has a busy family life and at the age of 76, enjoys the best of health. What is his secret?  In many ways Royce epitomizes a lifestyle that promotes a long health span. In thi...

A decade ago Mark Figearo’s health was in such a perilous state that his doctors feared the worst. With a family history of heart problems the California businessman knew he had to take drastic action to reverse the inevitable decline in his health.  Now aged 68, Mark works out five days a week and is a keen obstacle course racer.  This is the second in our series of interviews at Results Fitness,...

Rachel Cosgrove was always the coach and mentor that everyone in the gym looked up to. Lean, strong and successful she was the model, middle-aged athlete - a go-getter fitness coach who inspired her clients. But as Rachel turned forty she realized that she no longer had the body of an elite athlete.  The co-owner of Results Fitness in Newhall, California, was putting on weight and becoming a mid-l...

When Captain Derek Herrera was shot by a sniper in Afghanistan his life was forever changed. Paralysed from the chest down, he left the military to embark on a new career in medical technology.  He devoured the scientific literature to try to find solutions to the chronic disabilities he faced. One problem, neurogenic bladder dysfunction - an inability to control the bladder - mirrored the difficu...

Advancements in science and technology make it easier and more fulfilling to grow old. But Paul Irving, chairman of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, says if we are to realize the “longevity dividend,” society must play a bigger role in promoting healthy and purposeful aging. Paul is also the chairman of Encore.org and distinguished scholar in residence at the USC Davis School o...

Money worries in old age are an everyday concern for a huge number of senior citizens around the world.  In the United States, one in seven live in poverty. It is an unacceptable number and Dr. Paulo Narciso, Vice President of Impact Areas for the AARP Foundation, is determined to reduce it.  He and his colleagues are using financial technology to help vulnerable older adults save for unexpected e...

Maureen Feldman runs the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s (MPTF) Social Isolation Impact Project. The program brings together volunteers and entertainment veterans who are in need of some company. It may come as a surprise, but even in Hollywood, loneliness is at chronic levels amongst older adults. The project is working to unite isolated senior citizens with younger, like-minded profession...

Dr. Scott Kaiser is a practicing geriatrician at the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), a charitable organization that provides services, support, and assistance to the Hollywood community. As the MPTF’s Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Kaiser is committed to creating communities that support peoples' ability to live and age well, with dignity and purpose. A passionate advocate for the...