By Julia Smith, Naturopathic Medicine Practitioner at Remede Wellness Medicine
The Longevity Blueprint: Engineering a Life That Lasts
At some point in our lives, our view on wellbeing shifts from “how do I look?” to “how well does my body actually function?” For the high-performers we see at Remede, the goal isn’t just to add years to the calendar, but to ensure those years are defined by cognitive sharpness, physical agility, and metabolic resilience.
Longevity isn’t a passive outcome of good luck; it is an active biological project.
As Dr. Mark Hyman aptly puts it: “Longevity is not about living forever. It’s about living well for as long as possible, and ensuring your health span matches your lifespan.”
The “Stress Sweet Spot”: Understanding Hormetic Stress
The term “stress” usually gets a bad rap, but there is a good kind known as hormesis. This is a short-lived, controlled burst of challenge that triggers your body to become stronger.
Think of it as the “Goldilocks” principle: too little stress leads to stagnation (muscle loss or memory slips), but too much leads to burnout. The right amount—like cold plunges, sauna sessions, or HIIT—wakes up your survival genes and boosts mitochondrial health.
The Metabolic Engine: Nutrition
At the core of longevity lies metabolic health. This is the efficiency with which your body processes fuel and repairs cellular damage. While nutrition is highly individual, the foundation rests on optimal nutrition—prioritising whole, nutrient-dense foods that stabilise blood glucose, support muscle maintenance and nourish the microbiome.
One way to achieve hormetic stress is through strategic fasting. Many of our clients find success with the simple 12/3 rule: finishing the last meal of the day at least three hours before bed and maintaining a 12-hour digestive rest period. This simple habit aligns with our circadian rhythms, improving sleep quality and insulin sensitivity. For those looking to go deeper, I sometimes discuss the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) principles developed by Dr. Valter Longo. Unlike more severe fasting, FMD involves a specific five-day plant-based protocol that “tricks” the body into a fasting state while still providing essential nutrients. This triggers autophagy—the body’s system of cellular “housecleaning” where old, damaged cells are cleared out to make way for new, functional ones.
The Foundation: Gut Health and the HPA Axis
We cannot talk about performance without talking about the gut. A diverse microbiome is the gatekeeper of your immune system and the producer of neurotransmitters that dictate your mood and focus. If the gut is inflamed, the brain and heart will eventually follow suit.
However, even the best diet can be undermined by a dysregulated HPA (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal) Axis. Many of our us operate in high-pressure environments. While we may not always feel “stressed”, the physiological reality of high-load performance is a constant demand on the adrenal system. And when the HPA axis is stuck in the ‘on’ position, it accelerates biological aging.
In her book, Burnout, Emily Nagoski explains that we’re wired by ancient mechanisms to manage stress as an urgent threat; stress comes along like a tiger in its big scary way, our stress response system jumps into gear- driving heart rate/focus/attention/muscle into action, steadily the tiger leaves, and stress dissipates allowing our systems to recover. Next time the tiger comes along, we’re recovered, resilient and ready to manage the stress.
So finding balance isn’t about doing less; it’s about strategic recovery. Commonly, the most significant threat to longevity isn’t a tiger, or even lack of exercise, but the constant-‘on’ nature of modern leadership.
Try this hint from high-performance coach Todd Herman: The 90-Day Sprint. The premise is simple: the human brain and body cannot maintain peak intensity indefinitely. By breaking your year into 90-day blocks followed by a planned recovery week, you provide your HPA axis with a much-needed reset. When you work without a finish line, your cortisol levels stay chronically elevated, which suppresses immune and gut health and accelerates cognitive decline.
Physical Optimisation: Moving for the Centenarian Olympics
For lifelong health, movement must transition from aesthetic goals to functional longevity. We focus on “The Centenarian Olympics”—training today for the tasks you want to be able to do at 90: lifting a suitcase, getting off the floor unassisted, and maintaining the cardiovascular capacity to enjoy a brisk walk. This requires a blend of resistance training to combat sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and Zone 2 aerobic training for mitochondrial health.
The Missing Piece: The Role of Connection and Therapy
Perhaps the most overlooked pillar of longevity is the quality of our social connections. Research consistently shows that trusting relationships and a sense of community are more predictive of a long life than almost any other biomarker. Having a tribe to navigate life’s inevitable ups and downs provides a biological buffer against the physiological wear and tear of a high-performance life.
Therapy can also be part of your longevity puzzle….and it isn’t just for crisis management; it is a tool for cognitive optimisation. By working with our counsellor Alex, to refine your thinking patterns and build emotional resilience, you directly influence your biometrics. High-performance roles often keep the nervous system in a state of hyper-vigilance. Therapy helps down-regulate this response, which shows up in your data as:
- Improved Heart Rate Variability (HRV): A sign of a resilient, adaptable nervous system.
- Lower Resting Cortisol: Protecting your metabolic health and muscle mass.
- Better Sleep : Allowing for deeper cognitive recovery.
Optimising your mindset is just as critical as optimising your nutrients.
Personalised data: we no longer have to guess which interventions are working.
At Remede, we use a data-driven map of your unique biology:
- Biological Age & Telomeres: We can test your telomere length—the protective caps on your chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are a primary hallmark of cellular aging, and tracking them helps us see if your lifestyle is slowing down your internal clock.
- Microbiome Sequencing: By sequencing the DNA of your gut bacteria, we can identify specific imbalances that drive inflammation or hinder nutrient absorption.
- Hormonal & Adrenal Health: For both men and women, maintaining hormonal symphony is vital for bone density, muscle mass, and cognitive drive. We utilise 24-hour adrenal function testing to map your cortisol rhythms, ensuring your high-performance lifestyle isn’t leading to hidden burnout.
- Body Composition (DEXA & BIA): While the scale tells you your weight, it doesn’t distinguish between muscle and hidden visceral fat. We use Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA) in-clinic and refer to our associated specialists for DEXA testing—the gold standard for measuring bone density and metabolic risk.
- Live Blood Analysis: This allows us to examine the state of your red blood cells in real-time, providing immediate visual feedback on markers of oxidative stress and immune activity.
The data doesn’t have to stop when you leave the clinic. Many of our practitioners use wearables like the Oura ring, Whoop, Hume or Biometric Watches to track the “silent” markers of health.
- HRV: This is perhaps the most important metric for the high-performer. A high HRV indicates a resilient nervous system that can handle stress and recover quickly.
- Sleep Architecture: Tracking deep sleep and REM cycles allows us to tweak your routines for maximum cognitive recovery.
- Wearable BP & Vitals: Continuous blood pressure and heart rate tracking provide a window into your cardiovascular health during the “messiness” of real life.
By combining these high-tech insights with the foundational pillars of movement and nutrition, we transform aging from a mystery into a manageable, optimizable process.
Designing Your Long, Healthy Life.
True longevity is about being physically optimised for life. It’s the ability to transition from a high-stakes boardroom to a mountain hike without your body being the limiting factor. By focusing on these foundations—gut health, metabolic flexibility, and HPA balance—you aren’t just slowing down the clock; you’re changing the way you experience every second of it.