A (7:26)

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B (8:27)

And the good news is, if you're young, it's easier to keep your telomeres than it is to wait till you're old and try and rebuild them. And it doesn't take much time or energy when you're young, it takes a lot of time and energy. When you're old. The next thing you want to do is exercise moderately and do it consistently. Intense chronic cardio Doing it all the time shortens telomeres. And short high intensity sessions can actually support telomere health. So over training for long periods of time, not so good for you. Exposure to mild stressors like a cold shower or heat therapy or a sauna will activate repair pathways. But you've got to improve recovery. One thing to do morning sunlight, which helps you to regulate circadian rhythm. This has been a core part of biohacking for the last 15 years. Go outside, take off your glasses, get some sunlight and make sure you sleep in total darkness. Black out that room like a cave. No LEDs, no light coming in through the windows. It's going to enhance your repair processes. They're foundational for slowing cellular declines and they're free. And most importantly of all, though, what the celebrities are doing reduce your stress. It doesn't mean just don't do anything stressful. Stress control isn't just a bonus, it's a requirement for telomerase activation. It means you handle your stress better. And there's one stress reducing practice in particular that you could use. Multiple peer reviewed scientific studies back this method and it naturally raises telomerase. No pills, no needles, no expense at all. And this is where this story takes a sharp turn. See, modern life makes stress unavoidable. It means your telomere damage to some extent is Unavoidable. Our world today is built around chronic stress. Ultra processed foods that just cause inflammation. You get blue light exposure everywhere you go, even right before bed. And our culture glorifies overwork and keeps you stressed. Or maybe you don't want to overwork, but you just have to make rent. So you do. You probably wake up to a phone alarm, scroll through notifications as soon as you wake up. And you stay up late staring at that same screen. All of those activities raise cortisol, which is your body's main stress hormone. You need some cortisol. But constant stimulation is not good because it shortens your telomeres and it's going to make your cells older. Scientists see that evidence firsthand. People who are caregivers of chronically ill family members have telomeres as short as people a decade older. So being stressed because you're caring for someone can make you 10 years older. In other words, that stress can literally steal years of healthy life. That means a lot of us are biologically older than our birth certificates say we are just because of our lifestyle. And funny enough, lobsters don't have that problem. Their biology protects them with constant telomerase production, so stress doesn't get them the way it ages us. Also, I think lobsters don't worry a lot. Humans though, we've got to actively control stress to protect our telomeres. And what I'm about to share is so powerful for protecting your telomeres. It's not from a pharmacy, comes from inside you. And that secret method will slow down your cellular aging. And it's something that I do can activate telomerase. It's meditation. Now, most people think meditation is just something people do to relax. But science goes really deep and shows that meditation is deeper than relaxation. If you do meditation the right way, it's one of the strongest anti aging tools in the world. And that's just not my opinion. A 2011 study from UC Davis found that intensive meditation training increased telomerase activity in just three months. Another study showed long term meditators had significantly longer telomeres than non meditators of the same age. The researchers examined the telomere lengths of a group of 20 Zen meditation experts and another 20 heavily matched comparison participants who had not previously meditated. The meditators group had a longer median telomere length and a lower percentage of short telomeres in individual cells than those in the comparison group. What that means in English is that people who meditate regularly have longer telomeres than people who don't. And here's how. You can also use meditation to protect your telomeres starting today. Well, you can start small but consistent. Set aside just 10 minutes every day where you deliberately train your mind to become still. You don't need incense, you don't need a special cushion, you don't need a guru, you don't even need an app, although any of those might help. You just need a quiet space where you won't be interrupted. Sit comfortably, close your eyes and choose a style that works best for you. And I'm going to help you know how to do that in a minute. One option is mindfulness meditation. This is where you focus on your breath or what you feel inside your body. And you just notice thoughts as they come and go and just keep focusing on the feeling of your body. Another type of meditation is called mantra meditation, and it's fascinating if you ever tried it. You just silently or even out loud repeat a calming word or phrase to anchor your attention. And here's a pro tip, I've tried it. The word coffee is not a good mantra. There you go. Some people though prefer a guided meditation. You can use an app to follow gentle instructions so you don't have to think about coffee. And if you want to calm your nervous system fast, you could try box breathing, where breathing on top of meditation actually works better than meditation itself. And with box breathing, breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out slowly for four seconds, hold empty for four. Each side of the box is four seconds. Or maybe you don't even like to meditate. I get it. It's actually not that efficient. That's why I wrote a book, hit the bestseller list. Number one philosophy and number one meditation book in the country. It's called heavily meditated. And in that book I just teach you the latest, most efficient science backed ways you can upgrade your brain that work better than meditation or work with meditation to give you more results. And one of the results we're looking for is longer telomeres. That way you get the benefits of meditating, but without spending as much time and energy doing it. But whatever style you choose, remember the goal isn't to eliminate thoughts. You simply want to teach your nervous system how to shift out of stress mode so that you can be in peace mode. And that's good for yourselves. When your mind wanders during meditation, you just bring it back. You don't have to be mad at yourself for that. Minds do all sorts of weird stuff. It's that single act of constantly and calmly returning focus. That's what strengthens your resilience to stress. It's not as hard as it sounds. Usually we just beat ourselves up because we didn't do what we wanted to do. You don't have to do that to meditate. It works better if you do it at the same time every day, like when you wake up or right before you go to bed. So it becomes automatic, like brushing your teeth. At first you just feel calmer, you'll sleep better. But something bigger happens on the inside. Your cortisol levels go down, your inflammation gets better, and your telomerase starts to increase. The longer you practice, the deeper the effects. A few weeks of regular meditation will build up your resilience to stress. You might not notice it in the first week, but second week, third week, fourth week, it's like you have some waterproof membrane and stuff that would have really gotten to you, just doesn't anymore. And a few months will measurably change your biology. It'll protect your telomeres. It'll slow down your cellular aging. Some people eventually experiment with longer sessions or even weekend meditation retreats. But you don't have to start there. Just 10 minutes a day is enough to shift the aging of your cells. And that's why celebrities like Will Smith or Robert Downey Jr. Or Jennifer Aniston or me make meditation a daily, non negotiable habit. It's the real secret weapon for staying biologically younger. And you can do it and it doesn't cost anything. So you should start today. Just take back control of your stress response. When you do that, you're hacking the same anti aging pathway that lobsters use naturally. And you're doing it. No Botox, no cost, no expensive creams.

C (17:01)

A Human Upgrade, formerly Bulletproof Radio, was created and is hosted by Dave Asprey. The information contained in this podcast is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended for the purposes of diagnosing, treating, curing, or preventing any disease. Before using any products referenced on the podcast, consult with your healthcare provider carefully, read all labels and heed all directions and cautions that accompany the products. Information found or received through the podcast should not be used in place of a consultation or advice from a healthcare provider. If you suspect you have a medical problem or should you have any healthcare questions, please promptly call or see your healthcare provider. This podcast, including Dave Asprey and the producers, disclaim responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own and this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guest qualifications or credibility. This podcast may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to herein. This podcast is owned by Bulletproof Media.