10 Years Younger

“You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.” — Dave Barry

I’m a fan of periodic experiments for finding new ways to improve your mind and body.

My latest experiment is shedding ten years of age-related damage in ten weeks based on the book, Shed 10 Years in 10 Weeks, by Dr. Julian Whitaker and Carol Colman.

Given how much heart disease, cancer, … etc there is in today’s world, it won’t hurt me to put more techniques under my belt. I told some friends and colleagues about my experiment and they wanted me to share my notes, so here it goes …

Benefits of the Age-Loss Program

The book outlines the following potential benefits:

Lose a decade’s worth of fat and regain ten year’s worth of muscle.
Erase fine lines, diminish wrinkles, and restore youthful glow.
Boost your brain power and sharpen your memory.
Revitalize and enjoy your sex life.
Strengthen your immune system and prevent disease.
Recharge your spirit and regain your energy of yesteryear.

The Key to the Age-Loss Program

What I like about the book is that it’s not magic. It’s based on results from research and experience with more than 15,000 patients. It boils down to the following formula — eat the right foods, take the right supplements, exercise regularly, and control the negative impact of stress in your life. Dr. Whitaker does mention that the combination of supplements is especially important.

Wellness and Reversing Diseases

I really like the fact that Dr. Whitaker is focused on wellness over illness. He specializes in modeling from the best and sharing what works. I also like the fact that he focuses on “reversing” issues. For example, he has books on reversing diabetes, reversing heart disease, and reversing health risks.

10 Steps of the Age-Loss Program

Here’s a summary of the objectives of the ten steps, according to Dr. Whitaker and Colman.

Step	Objectives
Step 1: All Systems Go	Jump-start the rejuvenation process Recharge your batteries Regain a decade’s worth of energy and endurance
Step 2: Lose a Decade Worth of Fat	Restore your youthful metabolism Shed those extra pounds and extra years Lose up to ten pounds of fat
Step3: Renew Tired, Worn-Out Skin	Restore youthful radiance and glow Slow down and reverse aging Protect against sun damage
Step 4. Regain Ten Years of Muscle	Develop a youthful, sleeker body Restore lean body mass Become stronger, slimmer, and sexier
Step 5: Boost Your Brain Power	Sharpen your thinking Improve your powers of concentration Regain your mental edge
Step 6. Revitalize Your Sex Life	Restore your sexual vitality Enhance your sexual function and performance Extend your sex life into your 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond
Step 7: Rejuvenate While You Sleep	Restore youthful sleep patterns Wake up feeling refreshed and renewed Enjoy the extraordinary benefits of a good night’s sleep
Step 8: Recharge the Spirit	Enhance your feelings of joy and well-being Shed the stress to shed the years Awaken your senses and relax your body and mind
Step 9: Reinvigorate Your Immune System	Reinvigorate your immune system. Build up your resistance to infection Bounce back faster from colds, flu, and other common ailments
Step 10: Regain a Decade’s Worth of Health By Correcting the Glitches	Arthritis Depression Diabetes Gastrointestinal Disorders Heart Disease Osteoporosis Vision Problems

Supplement Routine

Here’s an example of the supplement routine, based on Dr. Whitaker and Colman:

When	Actions
Breakfast	Multi-vitamin Vitamin C (500 MG) Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates Ginko Biloba (60 MG) Omega-3 Fatty Acids Alpha Lipoic Acid (250 MG) BioCoQ-10 (60 MG) Chromium Picolinate (200 Micrograms)
Lunch	Multi-vitamin Vitamin C (500 MG)
Dinner	Multi-vitamin Vitamin C (500 MG) Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates Ginko Biloba (60 MG)
Optional	Green drink Odorless Garlic Olive and Oregano Oil

Skin Routine

Here’s an example of the skin routine, based on Dr. Whitaker and Colman:

When	Actions
Morning	Clean your face and neck. Apply vitamin C serum or cream. Apply moisturizer. Apply your sun protection.
Midday	Reapply your sun protection. Reapply your moisturizer. Sprits your face with water.
Evening	Always start out with a clean face and neck. Apply alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA) cream or lotion (1/2 hr before applying retinol). Apply your retinol cream. Reapply your moisturizer.

Workout Routine

Here’s an example of the workout routine based on Dr. Whitaker and Colman:

When	Actions
Week 1 and 2	(20 minutes) Walk at a pace of 3 mph.
Week 3 and 4	(3 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (8 minutes) Walk at a pace of 3.5 mph (3 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (8 minutes) Walk at a pace of 3.5 mph (3 minutes) Walk at an easy pace
Week 5 and 6	(3 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (10 minutes) Walk at a pace of 4 mph (3 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (10 minutes) Walk at a pace of 4 mph (3 minutes) Walk at an easy pace
Week 7 and 8	(2 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (12 minutes) Walk at a pace of 4.5 mph (2 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (12 minutes) Walk at a pace of 4.5 mph (2 minutes) Walk at an easy pace
Week 9 and 10	(2 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (15 minutes) Walk at a pace of 5 mph (2 minutes) Walk at an easy pace (15 minutes) Walk at an easy pace

Dr. Julian Whitaker’s Supplement Recommendations

Here are examples of the key supplements Dr. Whitaker recommends:

Beta-Carotene (15,000 total)
Chromium Picolinate (200 Micrograms total) (2 x 100 micrograms)
Co-Q10 (60 MG total) (2 x 30 MG)
Ginkgo Biloba (120 MG total) (2 x 60 MG)
Lipoic Acid (50 MG total) (2 x 25 MG)
Omega-3 (1000 MG total) (360 MG EPA, 240 MG DHA)
Potassium – Magnesium apartate (1000 MG total) (2 x 500 MG)
Selenium (200 Micgrograms total)
Vitamin A (5000 IU total)
Vitamin C (2500 MG total) (Multi-vitamin = 1200 MG,
supplement = 1300 MG)
Vitamin E (800 MG total)

Shopping List Example

Here are examples of how the supplements mapped to products I could actually get:

Alpha Lipoic Acid (Solar Ray Alpha Lipoic Acid, 250 MG, 60 capsules)
Bio CoQ-10 (Solar Ray Bio CoQ-10, 60 MG, 60 capsules)
Chromium Picolinate (Trader Darwin’s Chromium Picolinate –
200 Micrograms, 100 tablets)
Ginkgo Biloba (Solar Ray, Ginkgo Biloba, 60 MG)
Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates (Solar Ray Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates)
Multi-vitamin (Super Nutrition – Iron Free, Easy Swallow Opti-Pack)
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Trader Darwin’s Omega-3 Fatty Acids, 1200 MG, 90 softgels)
Vitamin C (Solar Ray Bio-Plex, Buffered Vitamin C, 500 MG, 250 capsules)
Green drink (Greens to Go)
Odorless Garlic (Trader Darwin’s Odorless Garlic)
Olive and Oregano Oil (Trader Darwin’s Olive and Oregano Oil

Results So far

I’m only three weeks in so I don’t expect miracles. So far though I’ve dropped more than 10 pounds and I’m closer to my “fighting weight.” I have a lot more power hours throughout the day. I have a spring in my step and I feel a lot more powerful. I would expect that from any combination of the right foods, the right workout, and the right sleep. I guess the part that’s different is how quickly my nails and hair are growing and how fresh my skin is. I think that’s where the supplements are showing.

Lessons Learned

I’ve learned a few lessons so far that really help me:

Reduce friction. Rather than depend on sheer will power, I find ways to make it easier to fall into success. trade complexity for simplicity. Anything I can do to simplify or reduce friction, I do. For example, rather than run outdoors, I got a NordicTrack Elliptical so that rainy days didn’t get in the way.
Find the fun. I think anything long-term has to be fun. In general, we move towards pleasure and away from pain. For example, I originally was going to get a treadmill, but realized that I liked the idea of bounding on an Elliptical better. I also found that I need to play my favorite songs to associate fun to the pain of the workout.
Take weekends off. I doubt Dr. Whitaker would agree, but for me, it’s easier for me to push during the week, if the weekend is playtime.
Make it a routine. I found that I really have to make it a routine so the less I have to think about it, the easier it is to just do it. For example, even just scheduling time for the workout was important. I tested in the morning and tested at night, and while the morning is easier to make a routine, I find I like it more at night.
Find your personal success patterns. I experimented with a few different sleep patterns and found that if I wake up too early, I’m just no my most for the day. I really do measure my day in power hours. What good is having more time if you can’t use it? I finally realized that just by flipping through my past experiences, I could find success patterns that worked to draw from.
Turn your routines into checklists. I find that having a simple, scannable checklists go a long way (for example, the supplement routine, skin routine, and workout routine above helped me quickly visualize what I need to do.)
Find what works for you. I found the diet part of the routine a little tough to follow. I think the principles were sound, but it’s easier for me to just follow The Zone. (see A Zone Primer.)