A NUTRITION COACH TO ELITE ATHLETES HELPS CLIENTS BOOST THEIR LONGEVITY. HE FOCUSES ON 3 KEY THINGS.

Mike Molloy is a nutrition coach to elite athletes as well as the general public.
He shared the three factors he thinks people should focus on for longevity.
Molloy champions strength training, aerobic fitness, and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

As a nutrition coach to elite athletes, including Olympians and CrossFitters, Mike Molloy knows how to fuel the human body for peak performance.

But Molloy also works with the general public, and with all his clients — athletes and amateurs alike — longevity is a key consideration.

Longevity has come to the forefront of public consciousness in recent years, in part thanks to high-profile "biohackers" speaking publicly about their extensive (and often expensive) supposedly antiaging regimes.

But Molloy told Business Insider that extreme measures aren't necessary to live a long, healthy life, provided you nail the basics:

He shared how with BI.

1. Build strength

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for longevity, Molloy says, but once a person has that covered, he encourages them to focus on building strength.

"One of the best ways to end up, unfortunately, with a short lifespan is to fall and break your hip," Molloy said. "And so having strength in your body will prevent you from having those falls, and if you do fall, to make it not catastrophic."

The celebrity personal trainer Don Saladino previously told BI that he thought of muscle as "body armor" because it helps keep people healthy and independent as they age.

While strength training is the best way to build muscle (and also strengthen bones), Molloy says it's important to eat enough food and, in particular, enough protein because it helps maintain and grow muscle.

2. Increase aerobic fitness

Having a basic level of cardiovascular fitness is also important for longevity.

"We know that a VO2 max that's nice and high is a great predictor of living a long healthy life," Molloy said.

VO2 max is a measure of how much oxygen the body can use during exercise. Research suggests that the higher your VO2 max, the better your longevity and endurance, as BI's Gabby Landsverk previously reported.

You can improve your VO2 max by incorporating a mix of lower-intensity steady-state cardio (such as jogging at a pace at which you can still hold a conversation) and higher-intensity interval training (such as sprints) into your exercise routine.

3. Maintain healthy cholesterol levels

If you can get your bloodwork done, it's worth getting your cholesterol levels checked, Molloy says.

There are two types of cholesterol: LDL and HDL, which stand for low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein.

LDL cholesterol is often considered "bad" because it can build up in the arteries and increase the risk of heart disease, whereas HDL is considered "good" because it helps get rid of LDL.

"LDL cholesterol is by far and away the best predictor from a blood work perspective of your longevity," Molloy said.

If you get checked and find out you have high LDL cholesterol, try to cut down on saturated and trans fats, which are found in foods including butter, cheese, fried chicken, French fries, and fatty cuts of meat. Instead, focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Getting enough exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, and stopping smoking can also decrease your risk of developing high cholesterol.

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2024-08-29T07:57:31Z dg43tfdfdgfd