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Hey Everyone, welcome to WiseAthletes, your source for discovering how to flourish as an older athlete, and find your path to longevity in sport. I'm your host Joe Lavelle.

Today on Episode 150 I am presenting Part 2 in my series on Near Infrared (NIR) light, an important environmental factor that our bodies expect to have and need for our health. But in a narrowly focused effort to improve energy efficiency, our society has shifted our indoor lighting to LEDs which are the least power hungry way to illuminate our homes and offices....but in focusing on visible light, we have lost something very important to our health. This loss is compounded by the increase in time spent indoors (estimated at 90%). Part Two of the series is with Professor Glen Jeffrey PhD, an research biologist, who has been focused on using Deep Red/NIR light to preserve and improve eye health. His lab has also discovered that a short exposure to deep red (670nm) light measurably reduces blood sugar. Deep Red (670 nm)/NIR (700-2,500nm) light acts to increase ATP production and while blue light reduces ATP production. Low ATP production leads to, in the short term, lower visual acuity, while in the long-term, to photo receptor death (macular degeneration).

"Retina has an enormous metabolic rate...things that burn a lot of energy age fast...by the time you are 70 years old, you've lost 25%-30% of the central photo receptors in your eye....even if you are healthy"

"Retina is a sports car....goes like crazy, burns vasts amounts of energy, but also has a frailty in it. It needs a lot of looking after." You cannot recover lost photo receptors but you can slow the rate of decline by preserving the function of mitochondria in the retina. And you can improve eye function within 3 hours with as little as 1 minute of exposure to deep red and NIR light (targeted LEDs and the effect lasts for days. Incandescent lights also work (if your government hasn't banned them), and natural light is the best solution (if you live far enough South, or it's the right time of year).

The morning is the best time of day for red light to improve mitochondria energy production (it doesn't work after norming!)

Overall metabolic health PLUS deep red light ---> helps the mitochondria in the retina to produce a youthful level of energy to continue to function well enough to survive and allow us to see.

The scary bit is you and I have already lost a lot of our photo receptors (vision)...we just cannot tell yet. Now is the time to stop it.

Professor of Neuroscience, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London (UCL Profile)

Professor Jeffery researches the intricate relationship between light, mitochondria, and health. Mitochondria (the “powerhouses of the cell”) are responsible for producing nearly all of the energy produced in the body. Sufficient exposure to red light / NIR lightwave frequencies can significantly boost mitochondrial function, leading to a range of health benefits, including:

• Improved cellular energy production
• Reduced inflammation
• Accelerated tissue repair
• Enhanced cognitive function
• Anti-ageing effects

• Glen Jeffery (@glen_jeffe5111) — biologist specializing in NIR light effect on the body
• Bob Fosbury (@BobFosbury) — astrophysicist expert in light (electromagnetic waves in frequencies from UV to IR) and penetration into the human body
• Scott Zimmerman (@SZimmZoo)— optical e...

WiseAthlete Supplements

Hey Everyone, welcome to WiseAthletes, your source for discovering how to flourish as an older athlete, and find your path to longevity in sport. I'm your host Joe Lavelle.

Today on episode 149 I am starting a 2-part series on Near Infrared (NIR) light, an important environmental factor that our bodies expect to have and need for our health. But in a narrowly focused effort to improve energy efficiency, our society has shifted our indoor lighting to LEDs which are the least power hungry way to illuminate our homes and offices....but in focusing on visible light, we have lost something very important to our health. This loss is compounded by the increase in time spent indoors (estimated at 90%). Part One of the series is with Scott Zimmerman, an optical engineer, who has been focused on quantifying the health effects of natural sunlight and designing indoor lighting that reintroduces near-infrared into our homes and offices (that does not run afoul of the Department of Energy). NIR light acts to increase ATP production and while blue light reduces ATP production. But blocking blue is a half-measure The real problem is the missing NIR light that you can get in the sun (or better yet, shade) if you would only spent a lot more time outside. Or, you can fix your indoor lighting.

Founder of Silas, Inc., maker of NIRA lighting (https://niralighting.com/). Scott has more than 35 years of experience in the fields of lighting and displays. His innovations and inventions have been used successfully in a wide range of military and commercial products that include night vision displays, liquid crystal display backlighting designs, and lighting fixtures.

• Scott Zimmerman (@SZimmZoo)— optical engineer specializing in building light sources which minimize the health detriments of indoor lighting
• Glen Jeffery (@glen_jeffe5111) — biologist specializing in NIR light effect on the body
• Bob Fosbury (@BobFosbury) — astrophysicist expert in light (electromagnetic waves in frequencies from UV to IR) and penetration into the human body

• https://niralighting.com/
• https://youtu.be/6Win49aeh8A?feature=shared
• https://youtu.be/16UHK1gPUO8?feature=shared
• https://youtu.be/isz2IQs_EPg?feature=shared
• https://youtu.be/wadKIiGsDTw?feature=shared

• Episode 108 Red-NIR Light Therapy w/Dr Zulia Frost
• Episode 105 -- UV Light Sweetspot w/Prof Prue Hart/

• Dallaghan, Paul. “Mitochondria (Cellular Energy Batteries) Enhancement with Red Light and Near-Infrared (NIR) Light Therapy.” Samahita Retreat, www.samahitaretreat.com/mitochondria-cellular-energy-batteries-enhancement-with-red-light-and-near-infrared-nir-light-therapy/. Accessed Jan. 26, 2021.
• Reiter, Russel J. and Zimmerman, Scott. “Melatonin and the Optics of the Human Body.” <...

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Hey Everyone, welcome to WiseAthletes, your source for discovering how to flourish as an older athlete, and finding your path to longevity in sport. I'm your host Joe Lavelle.

Socrates warned us to beware the barrenness of a busy life. I understand that all too well these days. If you are like me, you are so busy doing the many things you HAVE to do plus your athletic longevity efforts to live long strong, including getting good sleep, eating a good diet with enough of this and not too much of that, and getting enough high and low intensity exercise … that the days just flash by. Time is flying by. Which is the exact opposite of what I am after.

The missing ingredient, I think, is marking time with powerful memories: and for me powerful memories come of adventures that provide experiences that had such powerful emotions that my brain stored the memories very securely. These experiences mark time and give my life a sense of fullness.

This idea is why invited Brian Keane to the show for episode 148. You probably know Brian. He is famous for his epic adventures in the Sahara desert and the arctic and more.

In our chat we discuss how to pick adventures and how to up your game to prepare for them while accomplishing your health and fitness goals for life.

I have to say that Brian is amazing and my conversation with Brian has had a big impact on my thinking. My mind is now focused on returning to my roots as an adventurer. I hope Brian has a powerful effect on you too

Who said “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”?

• Powerful memories to mark time for a full life
• Feel proud of overcoming fears
• Motivation to up your fitness game, both mentally and physically
• Find your people; make life friends

• Brian has also completed some of the worlds most gruelling endurance challenges, such as six back to back marathons through the Sahara desert, a 230km through the Arctic and multiple ultra-marathons, including a 100 mile ultra-marathon in the desert in Nevada.
• Brian is the host of one of Ireland and the UK’s top health podcasts, which is regularly featured #1 on the iTunes Health Charts.
• Brian is a three time best-selling author with The Fitness Mindset, Rewire Your Mindset and The Keane Edge: Mastering the Mindset for Real Lasting Fat Loss.
• Over the past ten years, Brian has become one of the most recognised faces in the Irish health and fitness industry. He has spoken at major wellness events such as Wellfest Ireland and Mefit Dubai, was a Keynote speaker at Google HQ and has done corporate wellness talks for Allianz Partners, SAP and Acorn Insurance.
• briankeanefitness.com
• @brian_keane_fitness - Instagram

• Joe & Pete's Matterhorn & Mont Blanc trip report
• 5 14ers on my 40th Birthday with Brian trip report
• The 2 Joes Bolivia Peak Bagger trip report

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Hey Everyone, welcome to WiseAthletes, your source for discovering how to flourish as an older athlete, and finding your path to longevity in sport. I'm your host Joe Lavelle.

Chronic low grade inflammation underlies all states of sickness and disease associated with aging. Everything that is "healthy" is probably good for chronic inflammation but eating blueberries or taking magnesium or focusing on nasal breathing are just too specific... not fundamental enough. What I want to know is what is the #1 best way to target inflammaging that will make a difference....I can worry about the marginal gains later.

Having said that.....what would you ask if you got a chance to talk to a PhD who is a retired academic researcher in multiple areas of human physiology, was a professional athlete in two sports, has been a lifelong bodybuilder, and who is now coaching top level athletes and older high performing older around the world? What would you ask him? Right....so would I. On episode 147 I took a deep dive into inflammaging with Dr. Dwayne Jackson to understand his approach to stop chronic inflammation from reducing our ability to perform and recover, and improve our health along the way. He did not disappoint.

Dr Jackson even shared his secret breakfast feast that I have been eating every morning ever since. Be ready to take some notes.

This episode will definitely help if you find that you are....

• Recovering from exercise more slowly?
• Cutting calories but still cannot lose that last bit of visceral fat?
• Eliminating healthy foods because you can't digest them well...feel bloated...get constipated?

All right, let's talk to Dr Dwayne Jackson about resolving chronic inflammation.

• Bristol Stool Chart

• Monash FODMAP Info & App

• Dr. Dwayne N. Jackson is a dad, athlete, health specialist, medical educator, scientist, and entrepreneur. He has over 12 years of university education in exercise/human physiology, medicine, and nutritional biochemistry. Dr. Jackson holds a PhD in neurovascular physiology and has been educated at some of the top academic institutions in North America including University of Ottawa, the University of Western Ontario, and Yale University School of Medicine.
• drdwaynejackson.com
• dwayne@yourvitalscience.com
• @drdnjackson - Instagram
• @drdnjackson - Twitter / X

Lower inflammation

• gut health : healthy poops
• How to get a healthy gut?
• Don’t major in the minors. Focus on what matters. Highly processed food isn’t ideal but it won’t make a big difference if it is occasional. Mostly eat a whole food mostly plant based diet.
• Seed the biome with diversity and fertilize / feed the biome a diverse diet to provide food for the different elements of good bugs. ...

Professional Grade Supplements for WiseAthletes

If you are like me you have been investing time and effort into getting stronger and building a foundation of health with a variety of activities including resistance training, endurance exercise, high intensity intervals, and playing games requiring hand-eye coordination. I thought that was enough but what I haven't been doing is working directly on my foundation as an athlete....my feet. In my daily routine I do not have a single drill or protocol for making my toes and feet stronger to better control my body. And when I look at my feet I can see the impact of a life of wearing shoes that are pointy and tight. I have shoe shaped feet, and it turns out that shoe shaped feet are not very good for what I need my feet to do...control my balance, agility and dexterity. Oh, and it turns out that shoe shaped feet are also not good for producing power. Dang.

Today is going to be a treat. On episode 146 I am joined by Tyler Benner, who is an athlete just like us who discovered that his athletic performance, which was world class in archery, was sub-optimized by his poor foot strength. Tyler joins us today to explain his long journey to figure out how to improve himself and his feet to improve his athleticism.

1. "Athletes deserve to know"....what do strong feet look like and what can strong feet do? how do you know if you have strong feet?
2. "Performance isn't always what we think it is"... In other words, how much performance improvement are we missing by only focusing on just strength or power output? Power is important, but what else is important in athletic performance? Where does agility and balance and dexterity come into play in your sport?

Here's two great videos for strengthening your feet:

Foot Mobility Fix (3 Fast, Effective Exercises!)

Build Big Toe Strength

Strong feet must have space to spread your toes for optimal force production, agility, power, and balance.

• Strong Feet Athletics was founded by Tyler Benner, internationally competitive Olympic archer and author. With a deep study of the human body, Tyler believes good posture and daily movement help people do life better.
• Tyler takes a holistic approach to posture and foot health. Inspired by Katy Bowman’s concept of Nutritious Movement, or how movement variety can be thought of like food groups, Tyler believes a well-rounded movement diet is required for optimal foot strength and balance.
• https://youtu.be/d262lidaOPo?feature=shared (foot transformation)
• https://www.strongfeetathletics.com
• Follow: 1) @venndesign 2) @astraarchery 3) @strongfeetathletics

• Foot Mobility Fix (3 Fast, Effective Exercises!) by Z-Health
• Build Big Toe Strength
• The number...

Professional Grade Supplements for WiseAthletes

Food as medicine is an old idea...it's the original idea on how to be a healthy person dating back more than 2000 years, but can food be the way to achieve athletic longevity? Can wise athletes target certain foods to target faster recovery, better health, and longer life? Can it be done without extreme or highly restrictive diets?

Today on episode 145, I am joined by Dr William Li...a physician, scientist and author of "eat to beat disease" and "eat to beat your diet" to discuss his research on using plant and animal based foods to boost our 5 body defense systems to fend off the chronic diseases associated with aging. And, in particular, I asked Dr Li to talk about combating chronic inflammation and activating stem cells to rebuild our body.

All right, let's talk to Dr Li .

• William W. Li, MD, is a physician, scientist and author of the New York Times bestsellers “Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself” and “Eat to Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism, and Live Longer.” His research has led to the development of more than 40 new medical treatments that impact care for more than 70 diseases including diabetes, blindness, heart disease and obesity. His TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has been viewed more than 11 million times. He is President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, and he is leading global initiatives on food as medicine.

• Science shows many foods can prevent, halt or even reverse cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other life-threatening chronic diseases.
• Over the past decade, the Angiogenesis Foundation has discovered and gathered evidence that fruits, vegetables, herbs, seafood, tea, coffee, and even chocolate contain natural substances — bioactives — that can prevent and intercept disease by influencing angiogenesis and other defense systems in the body.
• What we eat and drink is enormously impactful when it comes to preventing disease.

• Each of these systems is influenced by diet. When you know what to eat, to support each system, you can then use your diet to maintain health and beat disease. The five defense systems are angiogenesis, regeneration, microbiome, DNA protection, and immunity.
• Angiogenesis: The process by which blood vessels are formed. Angiogenesis keeps the sixty thousand miles of blood vessels found in your body working to support health and fight disease. This is the common component in cancer tumors. Barley and mushrooms are good for growing blood vessels where you need them.
• Regeneration: The process of creating and renewing 750,000 stem cells that power our bodies. Stem cells maintain, repair and regenerate our bodies. Avoid too much salt, saturated fat, alcohol, smoking. Do eat dark chocolate, barley, mushrooms, fruit skins (apple, pear, peach, strawberry...also anti-inflammatory)...to get stem cells to come out to heal the body.
• Microbiome: The bacteria that is found within our bodies that act to defend our health.
• DNA Protection: This is our genetic blueprint. Foods can help repair damaged DNA caused by daily living, but can also help lengthen our telomeres, which protect DNA and slow aging.
• Immunity: Our immunity defends our health. Too much or too little of each of the above d...

Professional Grade Supplements for WiseAthletes

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell....yes, but what does that mean? What can we do, as Wise Athletes, to have enough healthy mitochondria in our muscles and everywhere else powering our bodily functions for optimal brain power, energy levels, we well as muscle power and endurance?

These questions and more are addressed by Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, neurologist, mitochondrial researcher, lifelong elite athlete. Mark is the real deal who knows both sides of the story....the science and the practice of building muscle and VO2Max for performance today and a long stay on the planet as a strong athlete.

All right, let's talk to Dr Tarnopolsky about the single best way to stay healthy and strong as we get older....exercise.

• Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, CEO and CSO, Exerkine Corporation,
• Director of Neuromuscular and Neurometabolic Clinic,
• McMaster University Medical Center

• "We all are suffering from the mitochondrial disease called aging"
• "An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure"...Muscle loss prevention is ideal but it’s never too late to restart exercising; benefits accrue to everyone who starts exercising at any age.
• Aerobic training is very good, but we also need weight training. Exercise provides a modest 4-year lifespan extension but a 10-year healthspan extension as it lengthens the time in life we can be mobile and take care of ourselves.
• Do at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday
• VO2Max is a function of and delivery of oxygen (heart stroke volume and heart rate) and extraction of oxygen (capillarization of blood vessels into muscle and mitochondrial volume to use oxygen)
• Vo2max:
• At rest: 3.5 milliliters of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute
• Min. to live without assistance: 12 ml/kg/min
• Mark's VO2Max at his athletic peak: 88.2 ml/kg/min
• VO2Max falls from 25/30 yo but older athletes have higher vo2max than sedentary young people
• But VO2Max isn’t enough for longevity. We need 3x/week of endurance training for VO2Max and 2-3x week of resistance training to build and maintain muscle mass.
• Longevity metrics: VO2Max, leg strength, waist-to-hip circumference
• Elite athletes need 2x the protein of sedentary people
• Don’t train with futility: Get enough high quality protein (aim for 1.2g/kg), don’t be deficient in Vit D (take a supplement), get sufficient calcium in diet. Milk and egg whites are the best quality proteins. Collagen is low quality protein (used as the no-protein control in experiments)
• Running or cycling at 65% of VO2Max (approx. lactate threshold; top of zone 2) 3-5x per week for 30-60 minutes a day will increase mitochondria.
• Interval training will increase the pace and HR possible at a zone 2 (“all day pace” of work) by increasing the lactate threshold. Once lactate starts to accumulate, it is only a matter of time before exhaustion sets in.
• Weight training in untrained older people does build mitochondria, and there is a spill over into VO2Max development
• Weight training for endurance athletes is about building muscle mass for strength and healthspan
• Fast vs. Slow twitch:
• Slow are the endurance fibers that are full of mitochondria, can go all day without fatigue, can burn every fuel we have with oxygen, but are smaller (to allow better oxygen delivery) and slower to turn fuel into energy. These fibers and their mitochondria come from a demand (cons...

Professional Grade Supplements for WiseAthletes

We all want a healthy heart, lungs, and brain. Can you guess at the single behavior that connects the dots on solving: the ability to run or ride at the same speed using 25% less breathing, reducing the occurrence of the so called exercise induced asthma or bronchoconstriction (EIB), eliminating side stitches while running, avoiding frequent sinus infections and bronchitis, and even dodging aFib and dementia?...and what if it cost you nothing but your attention? Well, listen to this: The latest science is showing us that while breathing with an open mouth allows for an increase in ventilation, increases work capacity (think: vo2max), and actually feels more comfortable and normal, doing so also predisposes us to a variety of potential health problems over time. Right, today we are going to talk about nasal breathing.

while nasal breathing may have fallen off the internet talk circuit as a popular biohack, wise athletes should always pick the low hanging fruit.

so coming back to our show on episode 143, the one and only Dr George Dallam walks us through his personal benefits from adapting to nasal breathing nearly 20 years ago, and the latest research into the health and physical performance benefits available to us all...without ingesting any chemicals, or changing our diet, or buying a single thing. All you have to do is breath through your nose. Its a simple prescription; ....if only it was easy to learn.... i say since i have failed to fully adapt in the two years since i first spoke with dr dallam...

All right, let's talk to George Dallam, author of the just published book, the-nasal-breathing-paradox-during-exercise

George Dallam PhD

Dr. Dallam holds the rank of Distinguished Professor in the School of Health Science and Human Movement at Colorado State University - Pueblo (CSUP). Dr. Dallam has been involved in numerous research studies examining various aspects of triathlon performance and training, diabetes risk factor modification, and the effects of functional movement improvement on running. His primary research interest recently is focused on the capability of human beings to adapt to nasal only breathing during exercise as a way to improve both health and performance.

Dr. Dallam has received both the United States Olympic Committee's Doc Counsilman Science in Coaching award (2004) and the National Elite Coach of the Year award (2005) for triathlon. Finally, Dr. Dallam has been continuously training and competing in triathlon since 1981.

• Better filtering of particles and viruses (less nasal infection, bronchitis). Filtering becomes even more important when exercising because we take in so much more air.
• Less water lost though breathing
• Less energy spent on breathing (more energy for locomotion); higher O2 extracted per breath (higher efficiency)
• Recovery from “EIB” exercise induced bronchoconstriction (exercise induced asthma)
• Provides a powerful training stimulus to improve fitness…make you faster even if you go back to mouth breathing in high intensity efforts, such as races
• Improved stress management
• Better sleep, and overall improved recovery from exercise (lower stress, avoidance of snoring)
• Better posture and movement ability with improved diaphragm activity
• Functional movement benefits —diaphragm is a major core muscle that is u...