Still rocking at age 81, the power of outside time, a core workout anyone can do

Issue #79: The 81-year-old rock star, the benefits of time outside, the simple core exercise

Read Time: 5 minutes

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Housekeeping

Welcome to this week's Wednesday issue of 66.1.
I'll be back in your inbox Saturday with this week's deep dive.
I'd been planning to move the Saturday deep dives behind a paywall starting this week, but that launch is delayed so that we can make sure we're delivering the quality you deserve.
More updates to come.

A quick refresher for anyone who's new to the newsletter: 66.1 is the average health span (years lived without a serious disease) in the US. We're here to extend that.

In case you missed it:

Last Saturday's deep dive

In this week's issue of 66.1:

The 81-year-old rock star who's still going strong
The benefits of spending time outside
Can you pass this core strength test?

Spotlight on Longevity: Mick Jagger

The Rolling Stones' front man is still rocking at age 81.
That's not normal, so I had to do some digging to learn how he stays in touring shape.

3 insights for longevity from Jagger (paraphrased from this article):

Eat real food
Jagger eats fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, and clean protein.
Nothing fancy, just whole foods that existed 150 years ago.
Train hard
Various sources share that Jagger engages in exercises ranging from ballet to weight training.
He also prioritizes recovery and mobility, focusing on dynamic stretching.
As for the frequency of his training?
Jagger trains 6 days per week.
Do what you love
A person doesn't maintain their career as a rock star for 50+ years out of guilt or obligation.
Nope, you've got to be fueled by passion to stick with it that long.
Find what you love and do it until you can't.

Mick Jagger, image courtesy of Britannica

"We age not by holding on to youth, but by letting ourselves grow and embracing whatever youthful parts remain."
--Keith Richards (Mick Jagger's Rolling Stones bandmate)

Food for thought: The power of outside time

"We need the tonic of wildness...We can never have enough nature."

--Henry David Thoreau

Americans spend 86.9% of their time indoors and another 5.5% of their time in a vehicle.
That's 92% of your time spent inside.
And all that time inside isn't doing your health any favors: 70% of us are overweight or obese, 60% of us have a chronic disease, and anxiety levels are on the rise.

So, what to do about it?

Try the 20-5-3 rule popularized by Michael Easter in his book The Comfort Crisis.

It goes like this:

20 minutes is the amount of time you should spend outside in nature without your phone 3 times per week.

5 hours is the amount of time each month you should spend in "semi-wild" nature (think a state park).

3 days is the amount of time each year you should spend in remote nature (no cell service, lots of wild animals, the works).

According to Easter and the researcher Rachel Hopman, following the 20-5-3 rule is likely to reduce stress and increase your overall well-being.

Workout of the week

A quick workout you can do anywhere.

This week's workout:

The plank hold

Here's the workout:

Get into a plank position (forearms on the ground, balanced on your feet and forearms, back straight) and hold it for a while.

2 minutes is good.

I did it with some friends at our Thanksgiving celebration and we were pretty tired by 5 minutes.

Not only is it a good test of your core strength, but this is a great way to strengthen your abs and reduce back pain and susceptibility to injury.

Level: Beginner

Don't do it if:

It causes back pain.
Make sure to contract your abs and your glutes to avoid placing excess strain on your back.
If it still hurts, stop.
If you have an injured back, talk to your doctor before you go plank crazy.

Adaptation:

If a forearm plank is too difficult, go up onto your hands rather than on your forearms.
If that's too difficult, go to your knees rather than your feet.

Tried the workout?
Reply here and let me know how it went!

That's all for this week.
Have fun out there.

Marcus

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66.1 is the average health span (years lived without a serious disease) in the US, as of the start of this newsletter publication.
We're here to extend that.