For a longer, healthier life, try this workout formula

Friday, June 23, 2023

CNBC Make It Life helps you lead a healthier, richer and more fulfilling lifestyle.
By Aditi Shrikant

The best way to structure your workout for peak health

Exercise is one of the daily practices that experts recommend for a long and healthy life. Dr. Peter Attia, a physician who researches longevity, thinks exercise has a greater effect on life span than other factors like nutrition and sleep.

"Longevity, both through life span and health span, is impacted more through exercise than any of the other variables we have," said Attia on the wellness podcast, "Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris."

How often you should work out each week varies, depending on factors like age and time constraints. Still, there is one specific way people should structure their workouts to achieve optimal health, Attia said, regardless of how much time you have.

The ideal exercise ratio for a long life is 50% strength training and 50% cardio or aerobic exercise.

Strength training focuses on increasing muscular strength, endurance, and bone density. Some examples include:

Weightlifting
Pushups
Planks

Cardio is beneficial for heart health. Your aerobic workout should be 80% low intensity and 20% high intensity.

Low intensity exercises include:

Speed walking
Riding a bike at a moderate pace
Mowing your lawn

High intensity exercises include:

Running
Jumping jacks
Riding a bike up a hill

Remember not to get too wrapped up in how many hours you're exercising each week, Attia added.

"If you take a person who is doing zero exercise, and you just get them to the point where they're doing three hours a week," he said, "you will still give them a 50% reduction in all-cause mortality."

We Tried It: Beer made from recycled shower water

When it comes to picking a beer, I'm not exactly a snob. Got a 25-ounce can of Bud Light? Hand it over. A chilled glass of Stella? Yes, please.

So when I heard about the Bill Gates-backed startup brewing beer made with wastewater from showers, sinks and laundry machines in a luxury apartment building, I was intrigued.

Epic OneWater Brew boasts that its beer is brewed using "highly purified recycled water" from San Francisco's Fifteen Fifty apartment building, which is collected and passed through a series of "ultrafiltration membranes." After that, it's treated with chlorine and ultraviolet light.

That all sounds well and good. But the real question is: How does beer made from recycled shower water taste?

As fun as it would be to say that there's an unmistakable hint of sweat and body odor in the Kölsch-style ale, I have to admit that the brew just tastes like normal beer.

If you handed me a glass of this, I'd never guess that it was made using the wastewater from a building where a studio will run you $3,250 a month. It's clean and drinkable. If you're a fan of Kölsch-style brews, you'll probably like this beer.

— Nick Vega, pop culture reporter

How to Talk to People: This two-word phrase is the 'worst' thing to tell a child

Every small child gets anxious sometimes. But when your kid is panicking, there's a common two-word phrase you should never utter: "Calm down."

That's according to Rachel Romer, CEO and co-founder of education assistance benefits company Guild, who's a mom of two children. For kids especially, she says, it's best to show, not tell.

Instead of instructing your child to calm down, Romer suggests trying these two exercises:

Controlled breathing: Take a beat and sync your breathing with your child's. You can try techniques like box breathing or tactical breathing. This models calmness and can help your kid relax and de-stress.
Reframe anxiety as excitement: Anxiety often stems from being uncomfortable with uncertainty or expecting the worst. Remind your child that good things, too, can follow an uncertain situation. Switch phrases such as, "I know you're anxious, but," to "I know you're excited, and." The subtle tweak can put kids in a better mental space.

Speed Read: This 1-minute practice can help you stay off your phone

In her book "How to Break Up With Your Phone," Catherine Price shares actionable practices that can help you curb your phone usage.

One of them will take you under 60 seconds and doesn't require you to download any apps or set any limits. All you have to do is change your lock screen.

Here's what you do: Write down "What do you want to pay attention to?" on a piece of paper and take a picture of it. Make that picture your lock screen.

Because being on our phones is so natural, slowing down every time you reach for it might be a challenge. That's why it's helpful to have a reminder staring at you every time you pick it up.

Your lock screen will force you to think about what isn't getting your attention when you're on your phone, and hopefully lead to you cutting down on screen time.