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Wellness Wisdom Weekly - Your Guide to Living Well After 50
Wellness Wisdom Weekly - Your Guide to Living Well After 50
November 2025 Issue 31
November 2025 Issue 31
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The Four Horsemen Part 2 reveals the four main threats that silently shorten most lives: heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and metabolic dysfunction. This issue breaks down why these “Four Horsemen” matter—and what we can start doing now to outlive them.
November Newsletters
November Newsletters
Issue 29- Overview of the Book Outlive teaches that longevity isn’t just about living longer—it’s about staying strong, sharp, and independent as we age. This overview introduces Attia’s core ideas on proactive health, the Four Horsemen of disease, and why the choices we make now shape the life we get to live later.
Issue 30 - Setting the Long Game Part 1 of the book challenges us to stop thinking in “one-year health goals” and start planning for the strength, mobility, and independence we want decades from now. This issue explains how to build a long-range strategy for aging well by training today for the abilities we’ll need at 80, 90, and beyond.
Issue 31 - The Four Horsemen Part 2 reveals the four main threats that silently shorten most lives: heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and metabolic dysfunction. This issue breaks down why these “Four Horsemen” matter—and what we can start doing now to outlive them.
Issue 32 - Tactics & Tools of Longevity Part 3 moves from theory to action, outlining the daily habits, measurements, and lifestyle levers that have the greatest impact on extending healthspan. This issue focuses on the four big drivers of longevity—exercise, nutrition, sleep, and emotional health—and how to start applying them with purpose and precision.
Welcome to Issue 31 of Wellness Wisdom!
The Four Horsemen: The Science and Art of Longevity by Dr. Peter Attia
The Four Horsemen: The Science and Art of Longevity by Dr. Peter Attia
Introduction
Heart Disease: The Silent Architect of Decline
Cancer: A Game of Early Detection and Prevention
Neurodegenerative Disease: Protecting the Brain Before It's in Trouble
Metabolic Dysfunction: The Hidden Root of Modern Illness
Strength and Muscle: Your Overlooked Longevity Armor
Testing, Tracking, and Taking Control
Your Future Self is Counting on You
Fit After 50 Blueprint
🧭 Introduction
🧭 Introduction
Welcome back to Wellness Wisdom Weekly! In Issue #31, we continue our deep dive into Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, MD.
Today, we explore Part Two, where Attia introduces what he calls “The Four Horsemen”—the four major chronic conditions that most threaten long, healthy lives. They’re not sudden. They’re not dramatic. They are slow, silent, and relentlessly common.
The Four Horsemen are:
Heart disease
Cancer
Neurodegenerative disease
Metabolic dysfunction
Attia argues—and I fully agree—that longevity isn’t about adding more years at the end, but about improving the quality of the years in the middle.
To do that, we must understand these Four Horsemen and take action long before symptoms ever appear.
❤️ Heart Disease: The Silent Architect of Decline
❤️ Heart Disease: The Silent Architect of Decline
Cardiovascular disease is still the #1 killer in the United States, yet it often progresses with no symptoms until it’s too late.
Attia calls heart disease one of the most “predictable” Horsemen—because the risk builds slowly and quietly for decades before showing itself.
Key drivers include:
High LDL cholesterol
Chronic inflammation
High blood pressure
Poor glucose control
Lack of strength and aerobic fitness
What you can do now:
Get regular blood panels, including ApoB (the gold-standard marker for cardiovascular risk).
Build a consistent aerobic base—zone 2 training is your friend.
Strength train twice a week to support healthy blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.
Reduce refined sugars and ultra-processed foods, which contribute to inflammation.
Small, consistent habits dramatically reduce heart-disease risk.
The goal is not perfection—it’s protection.
🎗️ Cancer: A Game of Early Detection and Prevention
🎗️ Cancer: A Game of Early Detection and Prevention
Cancer is the Horseman that most people fear—but often misunderstand. Attia emphasizes that cancer is fundamentally a disease of aging. The longer we live, the more time our cells have to accumulate genetic damage.
But early detection dramatically improves outcomes.
Two truths Attia highlights:
Cancer often grows for years before it is detectable.
Many cancers can be treated or slowed if found early.
Steps you can take now:
Stay up-to-date with screenings: colonoscopy, mammogram, PSA, skin checks.
Consider advanced screenings like full-body MRI or emerging blood-based early detection tests.
Reduce chronic inflammation through nutrition and movement.
Avoid tobacco, excessive alcohol, and long-term sun exposure.
Cancer thrives in the shadows. Awareness and action keep it from sneaking up on us.
🧠 Neurodegenerative Disease: Protecting the Brain Before It’s in Trouble
🧠 Neurodegenerative Disease: Protecting the Brain Before It’s in Trouble
Neurodegenerative diseases—Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other forms of dementia—are among the most devastating Horsemen because they chip away at identity, memory, and independence.
And here’s the wake-up call:
Brain decline begins 20–30 years before symptoms appear.
Attia’s philosophy: Prevention begins now.
What supports brain health:
Quality sleep
Regular movement
Continuous learning
Social connection
Managing metabolic health (insulin resistance harms the brain)
You can stimulate neuroplasticity at any age by doing challenging things: learning a new skill, picking up an instrument, reading difficult books, practicing balance, or even social engagement.
Fighting this Horseman is less about medicine and more about lifestyle.
🍽️ Metabolic Dysfunction: The Hidden Root of Modern Illness
🍽️ Metabolic Dysfunction: The Hidden Root of Modern Illness
Metabolic dysfunction is the Horseman most people overlook—but it influences all the others. Attia argues that metabolic disease—insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and obesity—is the most preventable threat to long-term health.
And it often starts earlier than we think.
The early signs include:
Increasing belly fat
Fatigue
High fasting glucose
Elevated triglycerides
Brain fog
A1C creeping upward
Attia calls metabolic health the foundation of longevity.
Practical steps:
Cut back on sugar, refined carbohydrates, and processed snacks.
Prioritize protein.
Embrace resistance training, which improves insulin sensitivity.
Consider time-restricted eating or consistent fasting windows.
Test often—what gets measured gets managed.
If you win the battle against metabolic dysfunction, you influence every other Horseman.
💪 Strength and Muscle: Your Overlooked Longevity Armor
💪 Strength and Muscle: Your Overlooked Longevity Armor
While Attia focuses on disease prevention, he repeatedly emphasizes that muscle is medicine—especially after age 50.
Why muscle matters:
It helps regulate blood sugar.
It protects bones and joints.
It supports balance and prevents falls.
It produces hormones essential for aging well.
It provides the functional strength needed for independence.
Attia urges readers to think about the physical requirements of life at age 80 or 90—and begin training for that reality today.
Two priorities:
Zone 2 aerobic work (for heart health and metabolic health)
Strength training (for longevity, mobility, and resilience)
You’re not just working out—you’re building your future.
🩺 Testing, Tracking, and Taking Control
🩺 Testing, Tracking, and Taking Control
One of Attia’s biggest messages is this: don’t wait for disease to show up.
Be proactive. Not reactive.
Longevity is powered by information—and today, we have more access to data than any generation before us.
Recommended baseline labs and screenings:
ApoB and lipid panel
Fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and A1C
High-sensitivity CRP (inflammation)
Liver enzymes
Kidney function
Vitamin D
DEXA scan for muscle and fat distribution
Coronary calcium scan around age 45–55
Tracking isn’t about fear—it’s about empowerment.
Knowing your numbers gives you the opportunity to steer your health instead of guessing.
🌅 Your Future Self Is Counting on You
🌅 Your Future Self Is Counting on You
Attia’s message in Outlive is simple but profound:
We don’t age and then suddenly fall apart. We fall apart because we don’t prepare to age.
The Four Horsemen are not inevitable.
They’re addressable.
They’re influenceable.
They’re slow-moving—but only if we start moving too.
Your future self—20, 30, 40 years from now—is relying on the choices you make today:
Move your body.
Eat with intention.
Track your health.
Build strength.
Reduce sugar.
Sleep deeply.
Honor your stress levels.
And above all—stay curious about your health.
At West Egg Living, we believe in aging with purpose, energy, and joy.
You deserve a long healthspan, not just a long lifespan.
Let’s outlive the Four Horsemen together.
Until next week—stay strong, stay curious, and stay well.
Fit After 50 Blueprint
Fit After 50 Blueprint
💪 Ready to take control of your health after 50?
Our Fit After 50 Blueprint is your step-by-step guide to building strength, boosting energy, and regaining confidence—no matter where you’re starting from.
Designed specifically for men and women over 50, it focuses on simple, sustainable habits that work with your body, not against it.
Start today and build the healthy, active future you deserve!
📣 Stay Connected: Don't forget to visit West Egg Living on Facebook!!!
📣 Stay Connected: Don't forget to visit West Egg Living on Facebook!!!
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Thank you for joining us for this edition of Wellness Wisdom! We hope you found inspiration, encouragement, and a few practical takeaways to support your wellness journey. Remember, lasting health isn’t about perfection — it’s about small, consistent steps.
We’re honored to walk alongside you as you create a stronger, more vibrant life after 50. Stay tuned for next week’s issue packed with more tips, insights, and motivation. Until then, be kind to yourself and keep moving forward — you’ve got this!
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I love the video on this one.
I will try dinking water every hourr like I am trying to go 250 steps each hour.. Encouraging idea.
This is great information. I love the new layout. I cannot wait for the next edition!!!
Thanks Riaan.
Great article!