How to live better, longer
Essays on strength, energy, nutrition, senior care, and the science most people never hear about. Written by David Siegel.
The New Debt-Based Drugs
Some of the best-selling drugs in the world don't heal you. They rent you a result, then charge you forever to hold off the rebound. How to tell a debt from a treatment.
July 12, 2026I’m Changing my Approach to Calcium and Magnesium
You want to take 350-500 mg of magnesium twice a day, and of course get as much as you can through food as well. But which supplement do you want? Each type has its own function:
July 25, 2025Measure and improve your grip strength
Those who have read Peter Attia’s book Outlive know that grip strength, along with VO2 max is one of the best indicators of how long you will live. You can measure your grip streng…
July 20, 2025The Vital Role of Vaccines for Americans Over 60: Protecting Health and Independence
As we age, our immune systems naturally weaken, making adults over 60 more vulnerable to serious infections that can lead to hospitalization, disability, or even death. Vaccines ar…
July 15, 2025The Obesity Epidemic: Fueled by the Standard American Diet
In the 1960s, America was lean: only about 13% of adults were obese, and roughly 45% were overweight or obese combined. Home-cooked meals and smaller portions were the norm. Many p…
July 10, 2025What's wrong with the senior-care market and what I plan to do about it:
I’ve been giving talks at senior communities around the DC area, meeting the administrators, residents, touring the facilities, giving talks. It’s disheartening. I can help most pe…
July 7, 2025How Much Protein Do You Need?
I would summarize it like this for almost everyone:
July 4, 2025How to lose a lot of weight not in a hurry
John, a 50-year-old man with a cherubic smile, nodded at me on the Zoom screen and said hello. It was clear from the first moment I saw him why he was talking with me. At 5’10” and…
June 21, 2025Is Saturated Fat Still the Villain We Thought?
For decades, saturated fat—found in butter, red meat, and cheese—has been cast as a dietary demon, blamed for clogging arteries and triggering heart attacks. Public health campaign…
June 18, 2025The benefits of more exercise
At 72, Maggie thought her best days were behind her. A retired librarian from Ohio, she’d spent years behind a desk, her only exercise the occasional stroll through her garden. Now…
June 17, 2025Should you start HRT in your 70s or 80s?
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June 15, 2025Preventing Gym Injuries in Older Adults
Starting a new exercise routine can be exhilarating, but for older adults — especially former athletes — it’s crucial to approach it with caution. Small muscles, like those in the …
June 11, 2025Rachel Rubin’s crusade to help women
At eight thirty each morning Dr Rachel Rubin arrives at her Bethesda clinic. A fresh stack of charts waits on her desk. Most describe women in their late forties to mid-sixties who…
June 5, 2025Should you take statins?
If you’re over 40 and your LDL cholesterol is above 100 mg/dL, it’s time to talk with your cardiologist about statins. High LDL signals a higher risk of heart disease, a major caus…
June 1, 2025The Luxury Retirement Community of the Future
Here’s the message: don’t underestimate old people , they can do amazing things and will be healthier and live longer when they are working hard doing things they enjoy and find me…
May 29, 2025The Continuous Glucose Monitor Fad will Fade
When Tom, a 55-year-old executive and beach-tennis enthusiast, got his annual blood work, he was rattled. He saw an A1c of 5.8%. Having just read a book on increasing healthspan, h…
May 25, 2025The little-known benefits of vaginal hormone delivery
As I have mentioned, hormone-replacement therapy transforms lives for women from their 40s to their 80s , giving women the ability to build bone and muscle, prevent cancer, and man…
May 25, 2025The “mitochondria problem” problem
My recent conversation with @grok:
April 27, 2025Peter Attia is Wrong About 3 Things
It's strange being the same age as old people, isn't it?
April 18, 2025The hidden dangers of amylopectin
Here I present two short articles on amylopectin, a food ingredient everyone should understand. I’ll start with a practical shopping guide and then present evidence that “gluten in…
April 15, 2025The big longevity roundup
In case you didn't get the memo: no, the dire wolf has not been brought back from extinction , not even close, not even the right genus, showing once again that marketing, PR, and …
April 12, 2025The Pros and Mostly Cons of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is making waves far beyond its traditional use for medical conditions like decompression sickness and wound healing. Clinics offering HBOT as a wel…
November 12, 2024The Best Time to Hire a Longevity Coach
I’ve done a lot of divorce coaching, life coaching, and executive coaching. Guess when most people hire a coach? When they are already drowning and need a specialist to get them ou…
October 17, 2024Taking Time Off from Training
I’ve mentioned before that after you strain/stretch/tear your muscles, they grow in proportion to the damage, but after about 4-5 days, that growth starts to diminish, because your…
October 13, 2024Losing Fat
You hear a lot about gaining weight in the gym, but what if you have fat to lose?
October 13, 2024Stoicism
Stoicism is one of the most powerful tools in anyone’s toolkit. In fact, it is a toolkit. Stoicism is a philosophy that says there’s no need to base your outlook on your circumstan…
October 13, 2024Hot Yoga
Hot yoga is some kind of normal yoga done in a room heated to about 100 degrees F. There are several kinds of hot yoga. I don’t care what the brand or program is, they are all good…
October 13, 2024Overcoming Obstacles
Someone wrote me the other day saying he can’t start my program until his foot is better. He’s had chronic foot pain for years, so he’s not able to start an exercise program.
October 13, 2024Climbing
When I lived in a loft in San Francisco, I built a climbing wall in my living room. It was gorgeous. And it was fun to climb on. I built it because I have been a lifelong climber, …
October 13, 2024VO2 Max
In addition to building muscle, it’s also important to increase your body’s ability to take in oxygen and put it to work. That’s called VO2 max, and it’s one of the top indicators …
October 13, 2024The Shingles Vaccine
Every vaccine must be considered on its own merits. Blanket statements about vaccines in general are unscientific.
October 13, 2024Always a Little Sore
There’s a fine line between making good progress and getting injured. In the gym, you want to use your time well. If four sets gives you better results than three sets, it makes se…
October 13, 2024Women and Longevity
I get messages from women saying “Your get-fit program is great for men, but women are different.”
October 13, 2024Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
You want to get in better shape and redesign your lifestyle to be healthy and strong for the next 30+ years. But it’s not easy. There are setbacks of all kinds:
October 13, 2024What do Doctors Know?
What do doctors know? Less than we think they do. Less than they probably should. Even though doctors say they want to help patients, the entire system is designed to make money. I…
October 13, 2024Longevity for Women
Peter Attia’s book, Outlive , is for everyone. Peter shows that losing fat, building muscle, building your peak performance, taking the right supplements, and doing a few more thin…
October 13, 2024How much does Aging Cost?
Suppose you could buy a pill that will protect you from the effects of aging until you’re 90 years old. What would that pill be worth to you?
October 13, 2024Injuries
You can play it safe and do what most people do: gain a pound or two each year and become less and less active over time.
October 13, 2024Carry your Groceries to your Kitchen on your Back
This is a basic longevity skill anyone can build. Here’s how I do it:
October 13, 2024Antifragile
Imagine you want to mail a fragile glass vase to a friend. You would pack it in styrofoam or other padding, and on the box you would write “FRAGILE - HANDLE WITH CARE.”
October 13, 2024It’s Not too Late
The key to extending healthspan is to be strong and agile. Look at most 70-year-olds. Do they look strong and agile to you? Do you think it’s too late for you to get started?
October 13, 2024Peter Attia has Cracked the Code on Aging
Everyone talks about aging and health issues. Everyone seems to be an expert. Today, there are so many longevity gurus, it’s hard to know which drug, diet, and program to start wit…
October 13, 2024Purpose
My son Micah is 12 years old. His older brother, Shai, is, let’s say, an “advanced” student who spends most of his time improving his skills at Blender, a 3D modeling application. …
October 9, 2023Why and How to Increase your Grip Strength
As Peter Attia explains in his book, Outlive, grip strength is a key indicator of health as we age. Improving grip strength is one of several ways we can make ourselves stronger an…
July 17, 2023