Once a year we like to add some items we’ve learned particularly as age related issues begin to work into the equation. One of the main items that continues to worsen is flexibility, hair and skin. This is due to natural attrition but you can still look 5-10 years younger by changing your routine/diet over the course of a year. Some of these items may not apply so simply book mark the page for the future.
Skin: For some reason this area seems to decline rapidly without attention. This won’t apply until you’re at least in your 30s. Here are some quick things to remember: 1) caffeine does a lot of damage if not kept in check, 2) water consumption should be higher than the daily recommended amount if you’re exercising regularly, 3) blood flow is extremely important to keep all of your organs in check, 4) dehydration shows up a lot more on your mouth/lips acting as a warning sign and 5) if you’ve got enough money, dysport/botox can be used in the 30s age range to prevent long-term wear and tear.
Starting with caffeine, if you have had a rough year (2020 was certainly rough in terms of work), you’re likely overloading your response system. This means you should cut it out entirely and remain off of it for at least 2-3 weeks. The process is quite painful if you were we really running full throttle.
You can expect the following improvement timeline: 1) your muscles start to hurt quite a bit making it harder to exercise, 2) you may get some headaches, 3) your tongue/mouth will “ask your body” for caffeine so you’ll be forced to replace this with decaf options or a bunch of water and 4) in the end you’ll know you’re off of it when you have no interest in caffeine and you notice a slight glow to your skin. As a note, some people see no real side effects and others only see one or two of them. Either way, your skin will show the difference.
Water consumption is quite easy. You simply need to buy a 64 ounce carton/container and drink at least 2-3 of them per day. Note, this is in addition to the standard green juices that you should be drinking (wheat grass shots, celery/kale mixes etc.). The only thing you really need to do is add around 16-24 ounces of water consumption (more than usual). We’ve stated this before, but if you’re tired of the taste, sparking water is a great option. Lemon/Lime flavored are usually the cleanest.
Blood flow is one we haven’t covered here and is surprisingly important. We had no idea that this actually declines with age. If you take a shower in the morning or add a basic bath once or twice a week you’ll notice that your body “wakes up”. There is another product out there that helps encourage blood flow and reduces heart attack risk: Wax Matrix Niacin. There does not appear to be a lot of long-term effects from supplementing with wax matrix niacin so we’re sticking with it. Similar to HRT and other PED related items, the information is always going to be a bit mixed. The only downside? Sometimes you may experience a “flush” where your face turns pink/red and feels hot for a few minutes (not more than 5). Which is likely due to… You guessed it, good blood flow.
Your lips and internal organs are going to show a lot more signs of dehydration. If you look up common issues for people in their 40s, you’ll notice that people are encouraged to get colonoscopys… Now why? Answer seems to be related to dehydration as well. If you’re dehydrated your internal organs, just like your skin are not as smooth/fluid. You should get tested (no matter what in your 40s), but you can do a lot of work to prevent dehydration (ie. watch your lips.). If your lips are chapped constantly it means your internal organs are also dehydrated. In addition? These issues are also apparently related to eczema, ie. people who have skin rashes/issues are usually the same people who don’t drink enough water and consume a lot of caffeine/uppers.
The last one is for your back pocket. If you’re serious about getting rich you’ll be a multi millionaire (minimum a millionaire) in your 30s. This is also the time frame to look into dysport/botox. Feel free to laugh but there is a reason why wealthy celebrities/public figures look better than average people (hint it’s due to additional treatments such as dysport/botox). The trick here is to bite the bullet early. As soon as you see signs of worry lines you should look into it at minimum.
Muscle Flexibility and Injuries: Ah yes, the flexibility issues continue. You’ll need to invest into equipment to prevent further issues: 1) NormaTec has a great line of products for leg massages, 2) FleetFeet also has a good range of massage guns and 3) you can pick up foam rollers and electrical pulse massages for a few dollars.
Starting with equipment, as a good “rule of thumb” the first thing to go is your maximum force. This would mean your ability to jump extremely high (vertical jump or running jump). This means your first purchase should be the NormaTec product combined with regular ice baths. After this you’re looking at reduction in general wear and tear. There is a reason why knees end up hurting for a lot of people in their 30s/40s (wear and tear). This means you should think about the surface you spend your time on. It is not wise to run on dry sand, the mud or play a significant amount of sports on concrete. These three items put significant pressure on your tendons, hence the high probability of achilles issues in your 30s/40s.
As a final note, one of the major issues with these adjustments is remembering them. It is not easy to go from “never using a product” to using it daily. Therefore, you should put the items in an area where they are hard to forget. If you spend your time working on your desk, you want to convert to a laptop. Work on your laptop while laying in a bed or on a lengthy couch. Then it is extremely easy to remember, just put the massager on before you begin working on your laptop.
Hair Loss and Color: There isn’t much you can do here beyond some basic preventative measures. For example, if your family has a history of hair loss you’re better off shelling out the money for permanent hair replacement (cost of around $20K). On the color side of the equation, you can either dye your hair or you can try to reduce the number of white/gray hairs by increasing your consumption of anti-oxidants. In the end not much is going to prevent the steady color fade so you’re still better off with a combination of dye + hair replacement.
If you want an official view on this, it would be replacement + no hair dye. It just doesn’t make sense to have perfectly dark hair at age 50. There is certainly a gradient here (you can dye for 5-10 years), however, the long-term results in showing some grays (looks strange when someone has dark black hair and is 50-60 years old).
Some Health/Vitamin Note Updates: Beyond the major three items, there are some other things to be aware of. First, we’ve already stated that we think stress is the number one health killer in the world. We have zero proof of this and only go based on what we’ve seen and how the human body reacts to constant stress (there is a reason why poorer people look older – it is not fun to think about paying bills for decades at a time).
The second one is related to vitamin adjustments. If you have some recurring acne issues (cysts etc.) you may want to look into Vitamin A. Concentrated Vitamin A is something that is used for acne improvement. So taking a Vitamin A supplement (2x normal) would likely act as a preventative measure. Also. Vitamin B12 and Magnesium can help improve hair color loss and prevent degenerative skin disease as well.
A third one is not a serious issue and relates to reduction in ADH levels in the body with age. Usually this causes the body to spare less water (hence higher chances of dehydration in the body as you age). You can take a pituitary supplement (likely needs to be prescribed by a doctor) to improve ADH levels. It isn’t a big deal as older people are usually forced to wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom due to lower ADH levels. That said, if you want to have higher quality long-term sleep you’re better off with a pituitary supplement to reduce the probability of this occurring.
Small Note on Stress Reduction: If you’ve done well financially, we’ve noticed that most rich people have insufferable amounts of insecurities. We’re not sure why this is but we’d guess it is primarily due to their upbringing (lots of upper middle class people were born into rich families – not a surprise). So if you’d like to reduce your stress levels an easy way to do it is by getting rid of your ego.
We’re sure many of the people reading this believe this website is about big egos which is fine. The stress is the part that is concerning. It doesn’t matter if you have a BMW or a Lambo, there is always going to be someone else out there with more. So simply enjoy your life and don’t lever up to create more stress. While you “could” make a bigger return, it isn’t worth the risk once you’re rich. If someone attempts to drag you into the “BSD contest” simply say “you’re better than me at everything I agree” and they’ll fall apart on the spot.
With that said we’ll have a Q&A on Friday the 29th. It’ll focus on Health, Taxes and Investing. We’ll see if expanding the topic a bit reduces quality. All other questions will be deleted.
Cupping therapy is a game changer for blood flow and recovery. You can pick up some silicon suction cups from amazon for ~$15. Draws blood to the area and pulls muscles apart like no stretching or rolling will achieve.
On the exercise piece, I notice older endurance focused athletes (runners, cyclists) age the best and there is something about long runs/rides that helps with stress.
For anyone struggling to keep active, pick up some kettlebells and a road bike + indoor smart trainer. Can ride the bike indoors with resistance feeling like outside. Zwift cycling game makes workouts fun and competitive. Can get crazy endurance workouts in the corner of my 600sqft condo. Whoop for strain, sleep, and recovery tracking.
cupping is just placebo effect, but it could* work
it just bursts your blood vessels at skin surface to bruise circles, the suction is too weak to do anything to the underlying muscles directly
*however the practise and resulting sensation makes you intentionally think about & relax/protect the muscle in the cupped area, building brain-muscle connection too, which is huge if you believe it
Thanks for the post, WSPs.
Regarding hairfall, reducing body fat goes a long way – personal experience with an elder brother!
Any comments on PRP (platelet rich plasma) for managing hairfall.
TL;DR = PRP unlikely to do much solo, but can combine with FUE for faster healing
Good percentage of FUE hair places will do PRP for a few hundred bucks (international pricing in top discount markets…think IST), or less. Can add it on to the procedure and also do a few follow-up treatments or even just individually.
From my research / consultations stem cells and / or PRP weren’t really going to move the needle in a material way. Decided to combine PRP with FUE (and the higher-end “sapphire” blades) a few months ago and super happy with results.
Would agree with WPS…skip the dye.
Also robots are doing more procedures, and from what I was told should be very prevalent in a few more years. That said, if you want it done now, good human doctors do provide excellent results and you can pull the trigger now versus waiting for a robot who can analyze where to pull and place grafts.
Mark Zolo (Naughy Nomad), literally just posted a vid showing his progress if you want to see how it works where he went in IST. Not sure if he added PRP to the procedure though.
Good luck!
Thanks a lot! I didn’t know about FUE+PRP.
Yeah, Mark Zolo did that combo as well, he said so in the video. I will probably go for it in 3-4 years. Have other priorities now, as mentioned in Efficiency
“You simply need to buy a 64 ounce carton/container and drink at least 2-3 of them per day. Note, this is in addition to the standard green juices that you should be drinking (wheat grass shots, celery/kale mixes etc.). The only thing you really need to do is add around 16-24 ounces of water consumption (more than usual).”
Trying to understand. 2-3 x 64oz of water + green juices, got it. What does the 16-24 sentence mean then?
They mean you should be drinking a gallon of water a day just for existing. Add 24ozs. to that when exercising
The most I ever felt like a giga-Chad wasn’t from supplements but rather from a month long military training in the desert, where we didn’t even necessarily have the best nutrition, but lots of sunlight exposure and lots of long movements on foot under load. I think there’s something to that. Incorporate rucking or workouts with a weight vest like the Murph, and get a lot of sunshine.
Agree! Scale the Grim Reaper and Mt. MF’er in MOPP level five only to be rewarded with a trip to the gas chamber and you’ll 100% feel unstoppable…fueled by MREs to boot! ha
It’s tretinoin that will keep your skin looking young and wrinkle free forever if you start using it in your early 20s. 0.025% 3 days a week is enough unless you got acne.
Jesus. This sounds like aging sucks so much. Is there anyone testing out any miracle drugs to stop aging? Because if so, please let that scientist know that there is a very eager volunteer who is willing to be a lab rat for it. Like for real, if that shit becomes available, I don’t care about the price or the side effects. I’ll be first in line to take it.
Yes there’s a ton of potential anti aging therapeutics coming up the pipeline within the next 10-20 years. Will probably add 25 years onto our lifetimes if I had to estimate.
David Sinclair
There is. Check Dr Allan Green’s website. Anti-aging drug: Rapamycin.
Low Carb and Strength Training. Look P. D Mangan’s blog and Twitter as well. You are welcome.
It’s called OMAD.
Hop on finasteride the moment you start losing hair, it only prevents hairloss, meaning it’s for life and it comes with side effects. Although It’s possible to regain some hair with highest quality(only) dermarollers and minoxidil.
What’s your opinion on treating extreme eczema in dry weather? Booked an appointment with a dermatologist but just want your opinion.
I have had it for several years (mild eczema) and it looks like there is no long term cure at the moment. The best you can do is to keep it under control with, for example, a cortisone cream.
The “newest” drug on the market is Dupixent(dupilumab), but I haven’t the possibilty to try it.
im sure you’ve already looked into humidifiers, i don’t have eczema but it’s done wonders for my health in general during these dry times
change your diet, find someone who can test and/or find out which foods don’t sit well with you.
Had it most of my life until I figured out the below through years of trial and error.
Very much diet (allergens, something that could be surprising), sleep (lack of), stress (too much) and sunlight (vitamin D, not enough) related.
Track all of the above, it can improve massively. Normally in winter my skin is horrendous. This is the first year ever my skin is still normal due to spending the past year managing all of the above.
Kettlebells for safe strength training and upkeep. Regular sauna use. Uphill short sprints. Muay Thai for flexibility and cardio.
Intermittent fasting (18 hours daily).
Diet of grass fed meats, good quality eggs, seafood.
Regular sunlight exposure also important.
Supplements: Magnesium, multivitamins, probiotics.
Thoughts on hair pieces if balding remedies don’t work for you?
Based off my own research:
Skin: 90% of wrinkles is formed by sunlight exposure.
Stress lines and fine lines are also caused by muscle movement. The forehead muscles goes all way to the back of the neck and I found stretching this works in reducing the stress lines in the forehead.
Use sunscreen. Limit sunlight exposure. Use Vitamin C serum, Vitamin E and vitamin A. Been doing this for 5 years.
Dont smoke. Reduce alcohol as alcohol dehydrates the skin.
Hair: Hair loss can be due to stress, mineral/vitamin deficinies but mostly is due to genetics. Can always get surgery. Friend of mine got hair transplants and it worked out well.
Muscle issues and flexibility: This applies to any age but you need to work out your muscles and stretch in order to keep them in good shape. Use it or lose it. Keep good form to minimise reduce wear and tear. Proper strength training will strengthen bones and ligaments reducing your risk for injuries.
Majority of these so called aging issues really can be prevented or even minimised. Build these habits when you are young to they stick with you in your later years
Looking forward to the Q&A.
Wanted to thank all of you for your help and guidance. My background-Born in a poor AF town in South Asia. Parents came to America, started making money, but certainly never close to being a trust fund kid.
Today: Two income streams, but need to start a reliable biz, 26 years old, just passed $200k in net worth. Not a lot compared to where you guys are now, but I look forward to keeping the pedal to the metal. “Investing” for extra 5% returns is a joke, but investing in future-changing technology (aka DeFi) could be a 10X or more return. Crypto market cap still only 1/10th of gold.
Would instantaneously buy a book on DeFi if you guys publish. I’m looking keenly at the space and have researched LINK, AAVE, UNI, and a few other top cryptos in depth. Looking forward to the high quality questions and answers on Friday.
Thank you for your life changing work.
Hey man,
I got a similar background as yourself with interests in crypto and ecommerce.
Moved to the US when I was 5. Let me know if you are interested in connecting, my twitter is @anandohrid
If you’re financially secure and low stress, you age slower too. A heart attack/stroke due to high stress levels will make you instantly 20 years older and all your other strategies will be for nought. So ensure you have a healthy diet and lifestyle too.
I love the closing thought of avoiding BSD. It’s one of the reasons I came to hate golf. It was full of people trying to one-up you, with stupid comparisons like the new golf club they just bought for $900. As if a new $900 golf club is even in the same league. They wanted to compete on golf clubs rather than on scores. It became annoying, so just avoided that sport and moved to another where people are a little more confident. But avoiding BSD or just nodding and complimenting them just seems to be a better response.
Taurine, zinc and the entire B-vitamin complex against hairloss.
Needling for the skin every 8 weeks, you will not need botox.
You guys are way behind on prevention/rejuvenation.
Perfect timing. My lips have been dry and my energy has been drooping. For blood flow, I eat beets and include inversions in every workout like handstands and Olympic Ring work. Rogue has a great set of rings that survives my abuse (because I workout in my cold Canadian barn). I’m not affiliated, they’re just a good product: https://www.roguecanada.ca/rogue-wood-rings
I would add a morning walk. Not kidding! Wake up, go for a walk, come back and eat. This is actually easier in a cold winter because it never rains. Many WSP readers probably do intermittent fasting and might not eat so early, but I find it starts your day well and I’ve been training for weight gain anyways.
One other skin / blood flow item that has worked wonders for me is “dry brushing”.
Just need to buy a dry boar bristle brush on Amazon and brush your skin towards specific lymph nodes. Takes about 5 minutes a day and is done before a shower.
Helps smooth / soften your skin and increase bloodflow.
*Plus* it is helpful from an immunity perspective as it stimulates the lymphatic system.