As an engineer, I tend to look for "root causes" and also apply the "Pareto Principle" which is also called the "80/20" rule. Meaning that 80% of the benefit comes from 20% of the action.
In her
Primer,
Stavia wrote:
Strategy 1. Lowering insulin resistance
Strategy 2. Exercise
Strategy 3. Sleep
Strategy 4. Stress management
Strategy 5. Eating a healthy diet with heaps of micronutrients.
Strategy 6. Cognitive enhancement
Strategy 7. Social enhancement
Strategy 8. Selected supplements
Strategy 9. Reducing inflammation in your body.
Strategy 10. Avoid Smoking
Strategy 11. Avoid having high blood pressure
Strategy 12. Avoid hitting your head hard enough to sustain a concussion
So I thought I'd go through things that I do to attack these strategies with small or no cost. This does not mean that anyone should do what I do or that I think I have the "right" answer. I do not. I'm just giving examples.
1. I restrict my eating to 2 hours/day. I periodically water fast for 5-days. Though I eat low carb, you can accomplish this goal eating about anything, if you combine it with fasting. Toronto nephrologist, Jason Fung, came up with his fasting protocol for his patients just this reason. He has a lot of info in his
blog and
book. You can also find many presentations he's done.
2. I do a lot of body weight exercise. I use a suspension trainer which can be constructed
inexpensively.. A search on "TRX exercises" will show many options. I also do super slow to failure workout. These do not need to be frequent so I do them 2x/month. I go to a rec center to do them at $5/visit. However you can do them at home as per Doug McGuff's
video. McGuff has a website with much info,
here as well as many videos and podcast interviews.
3. I try to not eat at least 3 and preferably 4 hours before bed. I try to meditate and not watch screens before bed (breathing meditation down load
here). I
tape my mouth shut so I will nose breath (minimize possible apnea) at night. Other
tape. I try to have my room as dark as possible. I do not keep devices or screens in my bedroom. I try to spend as much time outside in sunlight as possible during the day in as few clothes as possible without glasses, contacts or sunglasses. I try to spend at least a few minutes in the hour after sunrise outside looking toward (not at) the sun.
4. I try to always breathe through my nose whatever I'm doing, including exercise. When I breathe, I try to make it diaphragmatic, but very light. As the Taoists say, the best breathing is when the fine hairs in your nose don't move. Breathing should be nearly imperceptible to me and to any observer. I try to stay in the present as much as possible. I do the breathing meditation linked in #3. I also do some "hardening." That is i cold adapt by wearing as few clothes as possible in the winter as well as taking cold baths. Once adapted the hormonal cascade from doing this is stress reducing.
5. I try to choose foods that have a direct relationship to the sun. That is either a plant or something that ate a plant. That is single ingredient foods that are not processed.
6. I read papers in PubMed, am currently trying to help a family member with a glioblastoma stay alive as standard of care does not have great statistics. This is challenging as I don't have a biology or biochem background.
7. I try to set up social engagements frequently with friends, preferably outside in the sun doing something active.
8. I must take large quantities of magnesium to keep atrial fibrillation at bay, however I buy it in powdered form in bulk to defray costs.
9. I've had allergies and rhinitis since an infant. When I eat a low lectin, low glycemic and low in seed oil diet as well as practicing the breathing as mentioned in #4, which aims to increase serum CO2, this is much reduced.
10. I quit smoking in 1980.
11. All of the above keeps my BP normal.
12. I am careful about what activities I'm in, I practice balance exercises and I wear a helmet when appropriate (like riding a bicycle).
I think this covers much more than 20% but most of what is listed above is little or no cost. Hopefully this will give an idea as to how I approach this.