Episode 215: The Path to Aging Well | What is Ahead for 2025

Welcome to Season 4 of the Aging Well Podcast! In this kickoff episode, Dr. Jeff Armstrong and Corbin Bruton dive into the podcast’s mission of being your go-to resource for longevity, healthspan, and aging well. They reflect on the journey so far, the emerging themes for the fourth season, and the importance of preventative healthcare. The hosts introduce the SPIES model (spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social aspects) and discuss the six pillars of aging well. They also emphasize mental health, effective exercise, and healthy eating for longevity. Tune in for insights on making small, impactful changes towards a healthier lifestyle, and how the podcast aims to inspire collective action for a healthier society. Be sure to engage by sharing your thoughts, subscribing, and sharing this episode!

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Transcript

0:05

Welcome to Season 4 of the Aging Well Podcast. I'm Dr. Jeff Armstrong, here with Corbin Bruton. In this episode, we emphasize the in the Aging Well Podcast because we want to be your go to podcast for information on longevity, healthspan, and aging well. Join us as we share insights into the path ahead as we continue on our journey to aging well.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 0:25

Alright! I just want to say welcome to our listeners and thank you so much who have been there with us since Season 1. We are now transitioning to Season 4 and, by the time this recording hits the air, it's probably going to be New Year's. So I hope you have your New Year's Resolutions and we'd like to reflect on ours as we enter into season four. Dr. Armstrong, what inspired the overarching theme for the fourth season and how do you see it building on previous seasons?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 1:00

I think one of the things that, we've titled this, the aging well podcast, and the emphasis has been on aging well podcast, want to like, kind of take a little bit of a note after the Ohio State and some of these other universities, like I went to the University of Toledo, although we never really emphasized the like Ohio State does, not that I'm a big Buckeye fan, I'm quite not a Buckeye fan. But I want this to be the. Aging Well podcast that when people are going for information about what do I need to do to improve my longevity? Improve my health span to improve the vitality and the quality of my life. Where can I get that information? Well, listen to or watch the Aging Well podcast with Corbin and Jeff and you'll learn the things that you need to learn to just kind of make that pathway toward, you know, into third age, trying to minimize fourth age as much as possible. So I think the overarching theme for this next is going to be diving into the different principles, the pillars, the spies and all the things that we've talked about over the last four years, deeper into that and having a really broad and deep level of kind of interviews and guests that we could have on the podcast.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 2:28

What makes that different than other seasons? can you share your vision on how the podcast will evolve in this new chapter?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 2:36

I envision just getting better and deeper. we're getting better quality guests as we go and more quantity of guests. And we, we are really well into the beginning of this season with guests that are either scheduled or recorded everything from authors to scientists to, you know, physicians and all different individuals that are going to give us a lot of great information to dive deeper into what it means to age well,

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 3:12

Okay, so some of our listeners, they've called in or they've sent us emails and they've suggested things to us or little things that they've caught on to while they are actually, listening to the podcast. And one thing in particular that is Kind of stuck out of feedback that we've received from one of our listeners is actually your buddy Jay, when he coined the term spies. So why are the concept of spies and the six pillars of aging? so central to our conversations.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 3:43

I think they're actually central to aging. in the 25 years I've been teaching exercise science and the breadth of the classes I've been teaching, I've evolved toward emphasizing to my students that exercise science is biomechanical, psychosocial, and we can't ignore that psychosocial piece of understanding how human physiology functions to help us perform and keeps us healthy. as we look into disease and how we're aging longevity is about preventing disease and living disease free. And the more I've explored that, the more that the guests that we've had on have brought up certain concepts in their discussion of aging well, the more I see that the spiritual, the physical, the intellectual, the emotional, and the social, or spies as Jay would call it, is really central to all that we are trying to teach to get people to live and age well. along with that, we have the parallel of the six pillars. You know, and the six pillars were originally four, when I was teaching pathophysiology and exercise, where it was, you know, exercise and physical activity, maintain a healthy body composition, eat a healthy diet and don't smoke. Those were kind of my four, and it was, you know, Obvious to me in the years of teaching that if I wanted to have good longevity, good health span, those four things. And the more, you know, we have had guests on in the last couple of seasons in particular, the more sleep has come up. You know, the importance of sleep hygiene for preventing dementia for, you know, just preventing so many different diseases, aiding in recovery and just us well and healthy and living long and vital. That became the fifth pillar. And then how many different guests that we had in the last year that just kept bringing up the importance of social connection and more specifically that purposeful, you know, connection. so those pillars I think are hugely central, hugely important when it comes to how we age. what do you think?

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 6:00

No, totally. I've actually learned while doing this podcast, the importance of sleep. We've always talked about You know how just shaving a couple hours off of your daily sleep routine can have dramatic effects on the body but I don't think it actually sunk in even while reading some of the literature that's out there and then we just had guest after guest after guest that talked about the importance of Sleep hygiene and I was like, okay this Needs to be a priority in my life even while doing this podcast Doing the research and trying to find the information out there before talking to the guests and and then verifying what they're saying After we've interviewed them. it's resonated so much deeper with me there's that old saying you spend a third of your life sleeping and it's like, why don't we put that into more consideration? why don't we have that effect? And with, individuals weighing in on the importance of social connection, the whole health, It does focus on nutrition, exercise, and it focuses on doing things for your physical and your mental. But that emotional connection you get with, other individuals like you to have that purpose and to feel important and contributing. it was real prominent during the COVID pandemic, the importance of being a part of a community and what effects does that have for an individual's overall health. And I've learned so much being, a cohost on this podcast and listening to it. I get really excited every week when we, we end up interviewing people. So I agree with that. one other thing. So, okay. So going back, how do you plan to highlight these frameworks through our guest selection and topics this season?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 8:04

Well, I think, just in the broad breadth of guests. it's naturally going to appear if spies and the six pillars are so foundational to aging well, it's going to become increasingly apparent with the guests that we bring on as it was in season three, more and more of these things kept popping up. I don't think we're going to have to work too hard to highlight these things. they are core principles in aging well.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 9:02

I want to give another shout out to Jay, how he coined the phrase spies. I also want to encourage. our listeners, if you notice something or find a topic interesting, we have links at the, in the description of each one of our podcasts where you have the opportunity to reach out and communicate with us. Maybe it's a subject that you want to hear, maybe it's a phrase or something that you've noticed as we're, as we're discussing a topic that you think is cool and interesting and want us to dive deeper. We encourage you to reach out to us because you are a critical tool to help us grow and evolve this podcast.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 9:42

And since you brought that up, I'm going to ask the guest, should Corbin shave his beard or not?

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 9:49

I'm growing it out. It's my winter coat. Alright, preventative healthcare. So Dr. Erbsterg, why do you believe that preventative healthcare needs more attention? And how do we make it accessible to our listeners?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 10:04

Well, I think it's pretty obvious that preventative health care is going to be much more cost effective to society than reactive medicine. we spend trillions of dollars in this country on an annual basis. treating preventable disease. You know, the majority of diseases that are being treated are due to our inactivity, poor diets, obesity, and overall poor health skills. if we teach people proper preventative health care, we're going to see far less disease and it's far better. It's far less expensive to have everybody get an annual checkup and make lifestyle changes that are going to prevent disease as opposed to, you know, wait until you're sick to go to a doctor and take a pill or, you know, have a surgical procedure. to make it more accessible, we have to address that at both a local and national level how do we fund community development? How do we fund programs our communities? You know, what programs are we supporting that are? Encouraging physical activity, healthy eating, you know, doing away with food deserts, and the list goes on I think there's so many different things that we can do that would be much more on the side of preventative health than, we're doing. And far less that we'll have to do on the treating side of health.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 11:41

so it's almost like you're wanting us to be proactive versus reactive.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 11:46

Absolutely. And I think we've painted that picture over the last three years the importance of the preventative side as opposed to the reactive side of medicine, health and aging well.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 11:59

how can our listeners take small steps towards better preventative care today?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 12:05

Well, I think, if you, just take a first step today pick one activity that you can do to increase your energy expenditure, even if it's just I'm going to park my car a little bit farther away from the grocery store as I do my shopping. walking extra feet is contributing to your health. Then maybe the next time make it 300 and make it farther and keep adding a little bit to that. look at your diet. What's one small thing that I can change today going to have a cumulative effect. I was just talking to my students. about, dietary changes. we calculated it. If you just cut out one sugar to pop or soda, if you're my wife, out that sugared beverage per day, and they're like about 160 calories per beverage over the course of a year, it worked out to about 18 pounds you could lose just from that one small change. what are the small things that we can do? What can we change in our diet? What's one processed food that I can do away with? every day week or month, just take one more thing and do away with it or change it and those small baby steps. lead us to a healthier lifestyle

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 13:19

one thing that does resonate with me is, I was probably a sophomore in college and I was taking one of your courses you were talking about baby steps and lifestyle changes and it doesn't have to be dramatic where you're like, okay, I'm sacrificing all this stuff and I'm going to start running every day. No, it doesn't have to be that way. It could be something as small as parking on the far end of the parking lot and walking to the store, at first I was like, that's kind of, silly. but. It makes sense if an individual who has lived a sedentary lifestyle, getting movement into their life, can be a challenge in the beginning, but those baby steps, those little mini successes throughout the day, it, it, it kind of, it starts the snowball effect of moving forward and capitalizing on, on a, on a different mindset. I think being proactive and taking those baby steps, as you've always said, are a huge factor that's going to help with making our listeners healthy. speaking of making our listeners healthy, now we are, stationed in America and, there's been a lot of political stuff within the last few years. one of the biggest political movements that I think I've, seen, especially in the realm of sports. I'm actually seeing a lot of individuals wear hats that say, make America healthy again. So with the term make America healthy again, what does this slogan mean to you and why is it relevant in today's health landscape?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 15:04

Well, first, I'm hoping that it doesn't become a political movement, as much as a sociological movement.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 15:12

That's good.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 15:13

simple health care movement. Because as long as we politicize it, then it isn't going to ever happen. Because one side is going to say, well, because so and so is promoting this, it's evil. We're not going to do it. We're going to fight against it And so conceptually, you know, I want to think of it as something beyond politics to be something really kind of moves us towards society. And so to me, it's a very important slogan addressing so many different issues that we face as a nation. it's beyond just diet. It's beyond just getting people exercising or, obesity, It's really about the overall way that we make decisions as communities. that are going to lead to healthier societies. whether we decide to build a particular type of, plant in our community, that might be leaching out chemicals into our waterways or when we buy a car, whether it's an electric vehicle or a gas vehicle, all that doesn't matter as much as are we doing something to better our environment, to make our community stronger And so why is it relevant in today's landscape? we are a sick population. We are getting sicker and sicker and yet we are living longer through Medical treatment as opposed to living a healthy lifespan

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 16:54

I agree with you. I don't want it to be, political movement. I just want it to be a movement. I feel like as a nation and a society, We're becoming more and more unhealthy as time moves on it needs to be addressed and it doesn't have to be political. It just needs to happen. It needs to be a movement where people say, you know what? I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I want to be healthy. I want to wake up and feel good. I want my strength to be there. I want my balance to be there. I want my cognitive mind to be there. I don't want to keep going to see. a doctor. I want food that makes me feel good and keeps me healthy. What's wrong with that? I feel like that is a dream of most people,

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 17:48

unfortunately in America the fulfillment of that dream is horribly impeded because people can't get access to good food. I mean, I think it's easy to say, well, we have a species problem because people overeat and that's part of the case. But why are they overeating? Well, part of it is because the crap food that we're being served, we're being served processed food that becomes increasingly addictive. And you know, we, you, Half you want to eat more of it, even though it doesn't taste very good, and it's not healthy for you We can't get access to good food because in a lot of areas there are food deserts grocery stores are not within walking distance so you have to go to a convenience store to buy your foods, or you're picking up You know foods from the nearest fast food restaurant, you know because we can manage to have You know, there is probably more in the that we live in. There are probably more fast food restaurants per square mile than grocery stores. And we live in reasonably areas now go out into some of rural America or in some of the more inner city areas, some of the poor areas of the country. They don't have that. They don't even have necessarily the fast food restaurants, they definitely don't have the grocery stores. And so how do we change our communities make health accessible to everybody?

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 19:25

I think that goes back to this topic of discussion. How can we use this platform to inspire collective action towards the healthier community?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 19:36

Well, I hope that we are doing that to inspire more collective action. I think we just have to keep speaking. our listeners and viewers need to subscribe, share, and comment. tell people about this podcast maybe, you know, we get more listenership. Maybe we get more guests on here that are going to have a stronger voice that will draw more people the podcast. And, you know, all we can do host and co host is try and have the best guests on here and try and speak as effectually as we can about the message and get it out to people. And. Try and inspire and hopefully we are. If we're not, then we got to work a little bit harder because we we need to get that message out

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 20:26

Yeah. And you know what? Speaking of getting messages out, not only is a make America healthy again movement a huge, topic of discussion, but another awesome topic that people want to hear about and dive into is mental health. It's not just the physical aspect. It's the mental side. Of living healthy as well. So if we dive into mental health and We know it's important. How can Mental health. It's such a reoccurring topic on the podcast. What new angles or strategies will we explore this season?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 21:05

I think it's going to depend on the guests we can draw into the podcast. I would love to have more. health professionals this season. if there's people listening that can bring that information to our viewers and listeners, then please reach out to us. you know, we as host and co host, I think, can continue to, talk about the issues that are more challenging when it comes to mental health and bring up the topics that are a bit more controversial and hopefully, you know, get people wanting to hear more and to learn more and speak more about mental health in their communities.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 21:46

Yeah, I would love to get subject matter experts on specific topics that have to do with mental health or individuals that have either been diagnosed or have lived through a mental health scenario and how they have overcome that obstacle and what they are doing to age well and take on a more healthier approach. So if you're listening and you know of anyone or you are that person and you're willing to hop on the podcast, we'd love to have you on or look into whoever you're suggesting Any suggestions, you can find the link in the description below. We'd love to hear from you, but other than that, Dr. Armstrong, how do you see mental health fitting into SPI's model for overall wellness?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 22:41

mental health is something that is much more biopsychosocial. you could probably even include the mechanical piece in that because if we're moving, we benefit to our overall mood and emotions But know, spies, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social, all of those things kind of surround mental health. there's a spiritual component, and spiritual doesn't have to be religious. It could be just simply the understanding that there's something out there greater than self. a lot of times depression and, other mental health issues are fueled by the lack of a spiritual dimension. we tend to be so focused on self. when you bring in social media with that and, celebrities telling us how we need to look or act it diminishes our capacity to be ourselves and promote better mood, better emotional well being. exercise is important in there. from the intellectual standpoint, understanding how our minds and bodies function what's going on in our circumstances connecting with other people to learn more about our conditions and mental health needs. All of that fits together, we cannot be well mentally without good social connection. I think it all fits in mental health is kind of right there at the center spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 24:29

It's almost like stop identifying with the problem at hand, or stop finding comfort with that problem, which is way easier said than done, right? I mean, we all do it, whether you've been told something at some point in your life, or you've been diagnosed with something, whatever the case may be. it's really hard to shake that, but there are ways to overcome that. It doesn't have to be such a part of who you are that it hinders you from moving forward and aging Is that kind of what you're saying?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 25:04

Yeah,

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 25:04

Yeah That's Do

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 25:10

we have to remove the stigma that comes with mental health and, mental health issues. We have to be willing to talk about our mental health. And we have to, make it accessible. it's not as accessible as it should be in this country. we complain about homelessness and, people on the street. Portland is wrought with Individuals who really need mental health care as much as we want to talk the talk We're not walking the walk because you just can't get access to the care that we need there's a lot of people myself and yourself included that could benefit from You know regular Mental health care, you know just Good therapist or, you know, even just people to talk to, all of that connects with the SPI's model and make America healthy again,

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 26:03

you think though that going to see someone and talking with it can increase the problem if the mindset is just going to go to talk because I feel better in this moment versus I'm going to talk to this person to come up with a solution in order to not have this be a part of my life and to figure out a final outcome to, to heal whatever it is that's there. Does that make sense of what I'm saying is like that it starts off that way, but. From my understanding, there's probably a majority of individuals where, and maybe this is super controversial, but they, they find comfort in talking about the problem and it kind of, in a lack of a better words, they, they relive the problem and it fires them back up. you know how you have that water bottle in your car and if someone makes you really mad you just let it go it's part of the wind What if you didn't have that water bottle? What if you didn't have that mindset and someone cut you off and you start thinking about it then you go in and tell all your students today I had a guy and he cut me off and then he did this and now you're reliving that moment and working yourself back up you just dump that on everyone

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 27:31

I think I get what you're saying is that, you know, if we're going to be using therapy as a tool to improve mental health, it's got to be a tool that leads to a solution. It has to be an off ramp to that mental health issue as opposed to just a gas pedal that allows us to continue to go down that pathway of just reliving the issues that we have.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 27:58

Yeah, there we go.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 28:00

that's where, when we talk about purposeful social connection, we can have those social connections where we just go commiserate and it doesn't get us anywhere. We just sit there and bitch and complain about circumstances or situations nobody is giving us a solution. Then that's not Leading us to mental health or social well being that's just leading us down that same path of destruction so when we talk about mental health when we talk about the spies model It's always should be leading and spies is supposed to be well centered fitness. It's leading to that asthma tote of perfection of growth and so on. And so when we talk mental health, we need to be talking about getting people healthy, getting them, to be able to deal with their circumstances, deal with their mental health issue rather than just support it.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 28:57

Well, another thing is, in the past, I found comfort in a diagnosis that had happened, and I would talk about it, and I would talk about it, and I would talk about it, and I would talk about it, and eventually you kind of realize talking about it doesn't really do anything, and you can, you can really be a buzzkill. And a lot of people, especially the ones that are closest to you, friends or family, they want to help you. Then they want to be there for you. But if you don't do the right steps to move forward to help yourself, they just watch you suffer. it's really hard for those individuals to watch you and want to help you, but you. Are the only one that can end up helping yourself I know everyone has their moments in time and and some people just need a vent but it it comes to a point where if the venting Starts becoming just a part of your personality you're going to slowly push people away and it's going to make the situation worse. if you could be Proactive? and stay on top of it, then, you're not only helping yourself, but you're also helping your loved ones around you too. And I think that also ties in with what you're saying, not only the mental, but the social aspect as well, which can further your ability to age well. Well, let's get back to subjects that we know that's gonna be exercise and body composition. Dr. Armstrong, what do you think is misunderstood about effective exercise as we age?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 30:41

Well I think what's really misunderstood is that exercise change as we age, or that aging to an inability to do certain activities, or it's just a certain progression. decline as we age that's expected. the reality is we should be able to maintain very much the same level of exercise, maybe not necessarily the same level but the same types of exercises we age that really needs to be individualized for the aging population. I mean, if you're starting late in life, obviously it's going to be different than somebody who's been lifting weights or running or doing cardiovascular exercise for all their life. But it's not cookie cutter, I guess is really probably the biggest misunderstood, um, Concept in exercise and we've done several episodes in the past on this where we have Ripping apart people that say these are five exercises You should not do over the age of 50 or these are five exercises you should be doing over the age of 50 can make that determination really except for you or the exercise professional that you're working with that is informed and understanding where you are what your goals are and What your capabilities are and so don't let it Social media limits you when it comes to exercise. Don't think that you can do things that you can't do, you know, towards the things that you can't currently do. Don't that you can't do something.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 32:18

Yeah, baby steps

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 32:20

Baby steps. There you go.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 32:22

how can maintaining a healthy body composition, support longevity and quality of life?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 32:27

Oh, I think we've already touched on that. obesity is central to almost all of the preventable healthcare that we are facing in this nation. And again, it doesn't have to be, we're not talking six pack abs. body shaming or even body type. It's just getting to a healthy body composition that is going to decrease the risk of insulin resistance, decrease the risk of hypertension, decrease the risk of heart disease, cancers, and all these things that are prematurely killing us. If we can simply lose a few pounds, we would see a dramatic improvement in the overall health of the United States and all the countries that we have listeners and viewers from.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 33:17

Yeah, that's one of my New Year's resolution goals. currently while we're recording this, my wife and I, bought a house, and within the next couple weeks, we're going to be packing up and moving, and both her and I said, once we get into this house, there's gonna be no excuses, we have to get back to work. I'm going to be honest with you Dr. Armstrong, I'm not at a good body composition right now and I cannot help people and tell them to age well if I myself am not doing the same. So, getting back up on that horse we're going to start riding into Healthyville and positive body composition town. I'm excited for my energy levels to get back up. speaking of energy levels, just a little side note. I have been on a caffeine fast for this last week. my energy levels are coming back up to their, natural state. that alone feels Good. But again, just baby steps. eventually those baby steps will turn into a baby walk and that baby walk will turn into a leisurely stroll, which will turn into a jog and hopefully a sprint. So I'm trying to get back into it. Hold me accountable listeners. Now it's not just going to be the exercise though. It is going to be. Eating healthy, too, and eating for longevity should be the goal for most of us, not just those that are listening, but those that are not listening, too. You should be wanting to eat for longevity. Dr. Armstrong, in your opinion, what are some misconceptions about diets and nutrition that you want to tackle this season?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 35:08

we have some really good guests coming up over the next month or so. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but you'll see a couple, we have a chef coming on.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 35:17

Ooh.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 35:18

about eating for longevity, We have another dietitian coming on to talk about metabolic health a lot more conversations like that. But I think some of the misconceptions are that eating healthy is expensive and that, eating healthy is a particular diet. it's really Eating the best quality food that we can afford in the quantity that is going to help us maintain the healthiest body composition. Do that first. first priority in terms of managing body composition is going to be caloric balance. And then making sure that we're getting the right balance of the different macros, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. then we start getting into the, you know, and outs of which diet might be a little bit better, what foods are going to be better quality. But I think probably the biggest misconception is that eating healthy is expensive. if people would just take the time to look at what they're eating and prepare ahead a little bit, they could save a tremendous amount of money on food. even my daughter and I went to Montana last summer for a little vacation and stopped, we had to stop on the road. There was not too many places to go. And we went to a fast food burger place. I won't mention names. it was definitely not the one on my worst of the list. It was, I think we spent almost 30 just for this fast food meal. And then a couple of days later, we went to a steakhouse in Butte, Montana. It was phenomenal. it was only like, I think we spent maybe 20 more for a really high quality meal, included beverages, dessert, and all this stuff. And it's like, how, how has fast food gotten so expensive? it used to be the reason why people were eating it so much was because it was so dirt cheap. And you go and you have a 5 meal, you're getting about 50, 000 calories. it's about 15 for that 50, 000 calories. It's still not healthy, it's not cheap anymore either. we can, we can make food a lot cheaper than buying it for convenience. the big misconceptions are that eating well has got to be cheap, and, er, got to be expensive, and it's got to take a tremendous amount of time to prepare that healthy meal.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 37:51

also think it has to do with a minimum wage going up and that's why fast food is so expensive

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 38:00

Well, that's probably a big part of it as well,

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 38:02

But you do bring up a good point because I use that excuse all the time in college. It was cheaper to go to The store and buy either top ramen mac and cheese or dollar menu Items you could get a ton of dollar menu items and that could be your meal prep That's not the case anymore, Eating fast food or eating unhealthy, It's kind of a moot point if you say I'm doing it because it's so expensive to eat healthy. It's actually cheaper to eat healthy these days. one thing I am excited about this house is we have the luxury of having a garden in our backyard and I'm going to look forward to actually growing my own vegetables hopefully That'll be a money saving Kickstarter for a healthy lifestyle. So I'm looking forward to that. Definitely. Okay, so we talked earlier on how to connect with our listeners. how do you hope our listeners will engage with the podcast differently this season?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 39:10

I think, as you mentioned, we have the links where they can ask questions, they can email us. can communicate ideas with us. like to see them engage in that more. I would like to see more subscriptions to the podcast so that, we're spreading the word more effectively. Financial support might be useful as well. primarily I want them to engage more by listening more. sharing it more and getting the word out.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 39:39

Are there any new ways that we'll be encouraging audiences to interact or provide their feedback,

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 39:46

I don't think so. I think, we have shifted over the last year from being strictly audio podcast being video and audio. And so the accessibility is maybe a little bit greater. It might reach out to populations differently. just having the access to comment and communicate on in avenues such as Spotify or YouTube are going to increase opportunities for our audience to be able to interact with us more easily than having to go to, a link where they have to speak in a comment or, email us

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 40:27

I would encourage our listeners to, like, subscribe and share these videos. That's a great way to support us. if you'd like to make a donation, we would be honored. We'd be flattered with that. We'd really appreciate that. You could be a part of this movement to help us get better equipment. or spread the news even further But if you don't have the financial means, that's okay. A great way to help spread the message is to share our videos and get this information out there as best you can. we would greatly appreciate it if you could show your support that way.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 41:10

And I would also add, you know, my students have been on me. There's like, you're gonna sell merch on your podcast. You know, you need merch. I also need to engage a little bit more in some of the shorter clips and those types of things. if people are interested those who are watching, they can see Corbin. I have our Logoed quarter zips on if people are interested in t shirts coffee mugs Whatever might get the word out there we're happy to use that as a tool to engage and spread the word about aging Well, maybe you give a little donation you get a coffee mug that has The well logo on there and you're at work and people, well, what's aging well and how are you aging? Well, and how are you aging? Well,

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 41:48

right. And

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 41:50

as well

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 41:52

it definitely does. I've got coworkers that listen and if I am like, Oh, I didn't bring lunch and I try to get a chicken sandwich or a burger somewhere real quick, cause I got stuff I gotta get done they hold me accountable. it's awesome.

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 42:08

as they

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 42:09

speaking of awesomeness, let's talk about your journey. Dr Armstrong, how have your experiences or insights influence the direction of this season?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 42:20

Well, I'm going to be 62 this season. so I'm aging, hopefully aging well, having conversations with our guests. teaching all those things have kind of opened my eyes to areas we need to explore more on the show. areas where maybe I'm struggling myself in terms of aging, you know, with dealing with inflammation or, you know, metabolism, you know. harder to keep the weight off, getting harder to maybe get up in the morning to exercise. we talk a lot about my sleep quality. hopefully we'll bring more of that into the equation. as we practice what we are preaching on the podcast, It opens up better understanding as to the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead for trying to age well. I think sharing those experiences, insights are really what's going to be a big part of this next season.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 43:19

And what do you hope to learn or discover through our conversations

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 43:23

Well, I would love to learn how to regrow hair. keep my body fat down and be able to sleep, restoratively every night, effectively. I don't think I have anything particular that I want to learn or discover. I just want to keep learning. And I think that's an important aspect. I mean that's the, the I in SPIES is the intellectual that continue to learn more about how we can age well, going to have more in our tool belt to be able to age well.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 43:57

If listeners could take away one idea or habit for this upcoming season, what would you want it to be?

jeff_3_12-07-2024_075130: 44:06

One idea or habit the upcoming season I don't know if I could say one, if I have to narrow it down to just one, I'm just going to say it's baby steps, Just keep taking baby steps. away one thing from this season and change that. You're taking step toward aging well. And if every episode, you know, if you listen to every episode and take one thing away from each episode and we continue down the path that we've been on where it's about two episodes per week, you know, we're looking at hopefully 100 episodes this coming season, at least that's 100 new steps, 100 baby steps towards aging well. so just take. away small bits of information from this podcast. Incorporate what is easiest to incorporate in your life and keep aging. Well.

corbin-bruton_1_12-07-2024_075130: 45:03

Well, you heard it here first we look forward to walking into season four with you. If you have ideas or subjects you'd like to discuss, please reach out. You can help us by sharing, liking, and subscribing. If you'd like to make a donation, you are free to do so. sharing this message as in getting it out as much as you can is a Greatly helping this movement. So let's focus this season on Making you healthy making america healthy making our society's healthy making the world healthy and overall aging well

45:45

Thank you for listening. I hope you benefited from today's podcast and until next time, keep aging well.