Longevity: heredity or lifestyle?

I’ve been asked recently if longevity runs in my family. That’s something I had not thought much about.  Nor have I thought much about genes, heredity, or the health of my relatives with respect to myself and what I do. There have been several hikers, campers, high school team players, golfers and tennis players among them and most lived a fairly long life. Most, though, spent their last few years similar to other elderly people. A wheel chair, a cane, and other aids were common, and some were bedridden or in nursing homes. I don’t think any of us thought this was particularly unusual.

The subject of genes and whether my parents and grandparents were fit did not cross my mind. Maybe one reason could be that as far as I knew none of them had done anything particularly athletic in their life other than all the things kids do growing up. It might also be the culture of their times and they were too busy scratching out a living to think about being on a baseball team or footrace.

I don’t think people should feel handicapped because their parents weren't especially athletic or healthy. Lifestyle and exercise have a huge impact on longevity, more so than genetics!

When someone thinks about fitness, exercising, and how to remain fit, I don’t think they should be wondering about their genes or feel handicapped because their parents couldn’t even walk fast let alone run. The longest walk I remember having as a small child was walking down Navy Street to church holding my grandfather’s hand. I don’t think my grandpa ever walked more than the four blocks from his home to his church.

Dr. Peter Attia's book, Outlive, The Science & Art of Longevity, covers many aspects of how to live a long and healthy life. As it turns out, many of the exercise and lifestyle choices I have made over many decades are right in line with what Dr. Attia recommends. It seems I may have made some good choices!

Later on, I ran in school footraces but most other kids do that too. I just happened to be a little faster than the other kids so I got to be on school track teams. That, I suppose, is how I got started on this jogging and running thing. So, I learned certain specific things to do with that activity. It never occurred to me that genes or heredity had anything to do with it.

The very first foot race I ever participated in was on a stretch of grass beside Linbrook Public School. It was a one-room school at the time. Miss Willis was the teacher of all 8 grades. I started there in 1937.

A few years later we had foot races in the spring and I won a red ribbon for coming in first. My dad, Percy, was so excited! He encouraged me from then on, and I believe he was far and away the biggest influence on my few years of competitive running. With my uncle Gordon Colebrook my second biggest fan, I had the two most enthusiastic supporters you can imagine! Just thinking about them now gets me going! If the thought comes into my mind when I’m on the elliptical I go faster!

That's me on the right, in about 1949, age 17. My father, Percy Sutton, on the left, with a big smile, was my biggest supporter.

At college I studied science subjects but they did not include anything about fitness, exercising, or anything else to do with living a long life. And I remained doing my own fitness routine in several versions for many years. It was only in the last few years that I began to realize that I seem to be getting along pretty well for a really old guy!

I found some support for what I do in a very interesting book that was published in 2023. Topics include many things about living a long and a healthy long life. It’s called Outlive, The Science & Art of Longevity, by Peter Attia MD. Many of the exercise and lifestyle choices I have made over many decades are topics the author writes about. And they include some of the things I do. It seems I may have made some good choices!

Dr. Attia also has a website (https://peterattiamd.com/) with lots of interesting information about health, fitness, nutrition, exercise and longevity. It's definitely worth checking out!

In his book, Dr. Attia talks about genetics, heredity, lifestyle, and longevity, and this became something of a personal thing with him because of the life experiences of some of his own family members. Genes though are generally not thought to be the most influential factor in determining longevity. It seems that lifestyle and in particular exercise can have a much larger and more significant role in that process.

So, I don’t think we should be concerned about genes and heredity. Just go out there and do your exercises, and get fit!  It will happen!

Dr. Attia argues that we can extend our "healthspan" (the period in life in which we are healthy -- as opposed to lifespan, the period in which we are merely alive) by making the right lifestyle choices.

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Get your own copy of Dr. Peter Attia's book, "Outlive: The Art and Science of Longevity"!

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You can buy your own copy of Dr. Peter Attia's fascinating book by clicking here. It's definitely worth reading!