Peter Attia – Outlive, a book review

In a nutshell (496 pages), this book is about outliving not others, or the national average, but outliving yourself. Despite all the articles, books and nonsense on longevity, Attia’s book is a culmination of his career in medicine, the study of modern scientific discoveries, and his insatiable appetite to push the boundaries. All this while refocusing our health goals on not just ‘lifespan’ but on ‘health span’. Attia defines health span as the quality of life not just the length.

What I got out of it

It seems the majority of health advice we get falls into one of three buckets. Either it’s hyper-personal, based on one or a few people’s success. From the media who takes one study on the benefits of a molecule in wine or chocolate that is somewhat measurable, no matter how little. Or it’s information we heard in the 90’s and ran with. This book updates us on the current state of scientific knowledge and how to use it to extend and, more importantly, improve our lives.

What was difficult

Get ready for some work. A lot of the most important benefits we can aspire to don’t come from any medication but from regular exercise, sleep, and socializing. Not at all surprising but when he breaks it down it’s probably unlikely that you either won’t begin training, or begin training differently. It's definitely worth it.

Recommendation

I recommend not only reading this book but getting it to as many people as possible. It’s available in all bookstores, in audio (audible.com). And check out his podcast, there’s a ton of great stuff for free and still more for a small price.