Oh, I feel old. Out of touch….. I’m retired now. Makes me a baby-boomer, obviously. So, obviously, I’m probably out of touch.
Around 1996-97, I started getting up before work, 4:30 AM, and going to the gym to work out (doing weight training). Every day before work, taking the weekends off. I still do it. Even after having retired. It’s my habit now. Today, they call people born around 1996-97, “Gen-Z” or “Generation Z”. And Gen-Z, as I understand it, today has this “viral social-media trend” going on that they call “maxxing”. It’s mostly centered around health and wellness (again, as I understand it).
Maxxing is focused on “intensely optimizing health and wellness through rigorous, routines”. It involves maximizing specific habits. Like high protein intake (protein-maxxing), consuming fiber (fiber-maxxing), or sleep (sleep-maxxing). All this to achieve “peak performance”. I guess you call the gym thing that I’ve been doing, which I coincidently started around the same time as Gen-Z started(1996-97), “gym-maxxing”.
But a big difference between what I’ve been doing, and what Gen-Z does, is that Gen-Z also incorporates data tracking and bio-hacking tools into their “maxxing” routines, and adjust their routines based on those things. “Bio-hacking” includes things like using “wearable” technology and doing stuff like “cold plunging” (you know – jumping into a tub of ice) and DNA testing to determine your biological age and shit like that. Now there’s a growing market for devices like the Oura Ring, which is a wearable smart ring that tracks over 20 health metrics, including sleep stages, heart rate, temperature, and stress, or Red Light Therapy masks that you can work into your “skin-maxxing” routine.
I guess being the old, retired, out of touch baby-boomer that I am, I’m just not getting it. What’s the point of all that shit? Sure, it might be nice to know that my biological age is 48 instead of my actual age of 67, but, what would I do with that knowledge? I suppose, if my biological age came in higher than 67, would I have to work out a little harder?…. I don’t know. Maybe an ice bath will take some years off(?). Worth a try I guess.
All I know is that working out has always made me feel good, and healthy, and strong. And that’s always been good enough for me, to make me keep doing it. I’d fear that having too much access to where all my “bio-markers” sit would only make me more anxious to keep up with them and always paranoid about them if they went the wrong direction. I honestly don’t know what a good trade off for me is as to what kind of health data I want readily accessible and what can wait till I’m actually ready to see it.
I’m reading now that Gen-Z is “widely reported as the most stressed and burned-out generation, with studies showing they are “completely overwhelmed” by high levels of anxiety, financial insecurity, and burnout.” So I begin to understand more the evolution of this “maxxing” trend. But I feel for them. I carry somewhat of a sense of guilt as well, for my generation having left for them this economy of dwindling opportunity after having enjoyed our era of middle class growth, cheap housing and cheap education. That really sucks, doesn’t it?
Anyway, getting back to the point, this “maxxing” trend is probably just adding to the stress that Gen-Z is feeling, and it doesn’t have to be that way. The basic goal, whether you’re maxxing or not, is to live as long and happy and healthy a life as possible, right?
Well you can strive for that goal without maxxing by using only a handful of simple habits, which require low-to-no spending. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a smart ring or smart watch or face mask or whatever if you can’t afford it. These simple habits are typically the easiest ways for most people, including an old retired man like me, to keep an effective longevity routine while still making room for the pleasures of life.
Let’s look at these habits. It’s a list of five things:
- Get good sleep: Go to sleep around the same time each night. Getting adequate rest is completely free. Experts often say that you don’t necessarily need exactly eight hours per night if you feel rested after six or seven hours of sleep.
- Eat a nutrient-dense, whole-food diet: Prioritize whole foods like vegetables and whole grains (which are unprocessed or minimally processed) as much as you can, and aim to eat protein at every meal. Loading up your diet with vegetables, fiber and protein is an easy way to eat for a long life. Cook at home often, and avoid packaged and ultra-processed foods as much as possible.
- Sit less, move more and build some muscle: The less you sit, the better. If you spend an hour sitting and reading, “get up and move” immediately after. Lift weights at least two to three times per week and walk daily. Prioritize movement that easily fits into your life, like taking an extra walk with the dog or doing a few push-ups between household chores.
- Interact on an ongoing basis with friends and family: Having interpersonal relationships that bring you joy is the No. 1 factor that contributes to living a happier, longer life. This is according to an eighty year long ongoing Harvard University study which has been tracking the health records of more than 700 men, and their immediate families since they were teenagers. Spending time with people you love helps restore you.
- Manage stress levels and make space for rest: Keeping your stress and anxiety levels low can do wonders for you living a longer life. Set aside time daily to do absolutely nothing, sitting in silence to give your brain a rest. Even a minute or two of quiet time can be enough.
So that’s it. Rather than obsess about “performance markers”, why not slow down and have some fun from time to time? If you enjoy them, you should still engage in activities that aren’t necessarily healthy. In the ongoing Harvard study, they’ve discovered a link between happiness and longer life, and other studies show that chronic stress and depression are linked with a higher risk of developing diseases and mortality.
I suggest making healthy choices most of the time, but adhering to them lightly enough that you can set them aside when something more important comes up. Like enjoying that meal with people you love, an afternoon with a grandchild, a moment of simple pleasure.
And you can enjoy a sweet treat every once in a while, just not every night. Berating yourself over an occasional glass of wine or a cookie can increase your stress, which isn’t healthy either. You could always precede your sweet treat with a healthy meal that includes vegetables like broccoli or a healthy fat like avocado and that will help decrease the glucose spike from your sweets. What I’m saying is an occasional pleasure is not a compromise of a habit you maintain in order to live a longer life. It’s actually a very important part of it.
Now in closing, I just found out that the shit I just covered, is actually part of a “maxxing” thing as well. They call it “Life-maxxing”. So I guess Gen-Z had it covered after all. But I can’t help feeling that they still might be overthinking shit. What do you think?
Peace,
Gus
