Is Pursuing "Loungevity" Over Longevity Funny, Or Offensive?

Should we pursue "loungevity" instead of longevity?

This is a question posed by prominent sports commentator Colin Cowherd on a recent rant that appeared on Instagram. It was very entertaining, and the intent was to be humorous, but it was also, to me, very offensive at times and brings up this big question that we continue to face: the juggling act of trying to enjoy our lives and not miss out versus trying to make sensible, healthy choices that promote longevity rather than send us into this spiral of accelerated aging and demise that has become the norm.

In this episode, I break down Cowherd’s rant point by point, giving him credit where he gets it right while challenging some of the arguments he makes about enjoying life and not worrying so much about health.

We get into alcohol, sleep, hydration, processed foods, biohacking, and the constantly changing research on what is and isn’t healthy. I also get into the question of how much control we really have over our health destiny, why your genes are not your destiny, and why four of the five markers of metabolic syndrome can be reversed in a matter of weeks with dietary transformation.

Most importantly, I look at some remarkable examples of people who are actually aging powerfully and performing at a high level—from 85-year-old high jumper Kathy Bergen and 101-year-old sprinter Lester Wright to 90-year-old Earl Fee, 61-year-old world-record 400-meter runner Sue McDonald, and my own father, who played championship golf and shot his age more than 1,200 times. These are the people we should be paying attention to when it comes to figuring out how to age well.

TIMESTAMPS:

Do we have to have a juggling act between trying to enjoy life and staying fit? Many people use rationalizations, excuses and cop-outs along the lines of "Hey, life is short, we might as well enjoy ourselves." [01:08]

The United States is now the fattest, sickest population in the history of humanity with over 80% designated as metabolically unhealthy. For waist to height ratio, you want to measure better than 2 to 1. [05:21]

There is more of a problem with obesity than there is with starving children in Africa. [08:50]

Brad critiques a recent quip from Colin Cowherd. There is a whole group of sports fans who rationalize "what I could have been." You can still do something to keep in the game. [11:51]

Does alcohol have any health benefits? [15:33]

Many aspects of the biohacking scene have gone a little bit wild, extreme and somewhat inappropriate. [19:52]