That’s a Personal Optimization Plan to Prevent Aging – I call it “POPPA” for short.
Contrary to what some short-term prepper sites might have you belief, real prepping is a life-long exercise. And, in order to have the long life for life-long you need to structure your day-to-day existence to feed those physical and mental faculties that will decline as you age.
Personal Optimizations 101
Have you ever made a list of items that your body and brain need in order to be functioning in the long-term? This is how you begin the optimization process. Because you need:
- Unprocessed and natural food.
- Sufficient fats and oils to reduce Alzheimer’s risk.
- Clean, unadulterated water.
- Vitamin and mineral supplements.
- An energy-reinforcing amount of sleep.
- Regular exercise.
- Regular sexual activity.
This last may seem an odd thing to mention but sexual activity cycles certain hormones in the human body. And, it’s linked to things like HGH (human growth hormone) and hormones are a critical aspect of long life and high levels of what the Chinese call chi – Life Force Energy.
That takes care of the physical platform. That’s only one level of personal optimization. The second level is brain-building.
Ever make a list of that your brain needs in order to provide optimal service? Here are some of the obvious:
- You need to read – something, hell anything – every day. At least 30-minutes of intense information extraction. The core of my book (The Millennials Missing Manual – see books tab above) was how to see systems and processes and then go on a daily quest for “new recipes.” No new input means no fresh output.
- You need music. There are many books on Amazon about “super learning” and one of the easiest ways to get into the “super learning” mode is to listen to baroque music with a pacing of about 60-beats per minute. The purpose of the music (instrumental only! No lyrics!) is to synch-up the right side (artistic) brain with the left side.
- You need puzzles. Depending on your work, your employer may supply these for you. It doesn’t dawn on too many people that the reason so many murder mystery novels are sold is because they draw people in because they present puzzles to be solved. There are better ways, though… For me, trouble-shooting old vacuum tube radios or designing an optimized metal detector…yeah, great puzzles, those.
- You need new experiences. Pleasure, pain, new vistas and views of things…anything.
- Travel is grand, sight-seeing, mountain drives…there’s a whole spectrum to explore. Hike with nature…though not during deer season!
- Interaction with other humans is critical, as well. Doesn’t take much, but communicating with others it critical. Face to face? A phone call? Emails? Skype….
- Working with a definable output. No, sitting on the couch when you retire is not an output. Set a ton of goals and then reach them all.
- Spiritual research. Doesn’t matter which (if any) religion you’re attracted to. It’s the “bigger than Self” angle that is important. We all go somewhere. This is what drove me to write Psychocartography (again, see the book tab). I think dreams are a doorway to where we go next, but YMMV.
- Personal research: This is where you go out and “pan for a little information gold” for your own peace of mind. Hear a new word? Look it up. Get wind of a new concept? Go research it! My buddy Gaye calls it “the philosophy of inquiry.” If you’re not curious by nature – and have a method to fill in all the blanks, odds are pretty good you’re boring. (Boring people do fewer than 3 searches online per day. they just keep rerunning non-accomplishment!)
The way we figure it, everyone should have a “checklist” for a day. At the end of it, you ought to able to put a checkmark next to each of these topics because you’ve actually engaged in their pursuit. Daily.
Laying Out a Strategy
For each of the bullet points listed, we’ve come up with personal actions that support the goals. The food and physical is pretty easy – a lot of that falls out of not buying preprepared foods. A typical meal for us will be fresh meat, chicken, or seafood. Tossed salad and a glass of anti-aging juice (red wine because that’s where resveratrol is found!).
Of course, as you research resveratrol, you stumble into the whole class of life extending polyphenols and that leads to fisetin and others which have potential life-extension merit.
Over the years, I’ve written a fair bit about “My Body, My chemistry Set.” By keeping detailed notes about your food and supplementation – you can really optimize how you feel. More than 2-drinks a day? Sluggish and out of sorts the next day…so why do it?
You can spend a lot of personal effort going through each of these items and figuring out how to make every day “perfect.” From there, it gets easy. Because a series of perfect days makes a perfect week, and from there, a perfect month, and so it rolls…
Design of a “Perfect Day”
Sunday I decided to consciously build a “perfect day.” Here are some of the elements to it:
- Wrote a column for this week.
- Ate two optimized meals. One of which was a crockpot beef stew.
- Did a lot of research on pyrography for an article coming Saturday.
- Installed a website code update.
- Managed some great activity stacking:
- Pushed a few reps out on the weight machine.
- Walked a mile on the treadmill.
- WHILE listening to instrumental music
- Pausing at times to have Alexa read a few Wiki entries on topics I was thinking about…(wiki entries…she’s/it’s useful for that)
- Made several Morse code contacts on the ham radio.
- While reading on pyrograph and industrial arts
- And while setting up for some pyrography work.
- Elaine and I had an “afternoon delight…”
- Rode my mountain bike up and down the street a bit
- Worked the box frame to ship a piece of welding art to my sister.
- Read a chapter of a book….
Activity Stacking and Clocks
The term activity-stacking doesn’t get its due. Take driving a car, for example. Most times, people get in the car and off they go. No thought in mind other than getting to where they’re going.
BUT the car is a marvelous place for personal growth. Activity stacking that can take place in the car include audio instruction books (college lectures and podcasts of a useful nature) and even learning a new language. OR, you can focus on a new kind of music. Pick a country, or genre, and work your way around the world. One country per day. “Alexa, who’s the top singer in Ghana?” “I’m a fan of Sarkodie…” Do you even know who PSquare is?
Another activity stacking – used by truckers and ham radio ops – is social conversation on the road. There’s usually an east-west bound channel and a north-south channel if you have a CB. Ham radio can be a lot of fun, since we’ve talked to Ecuador, Colombia, and multiple European stations from our car on trips out to California from Texas several years back (At better sunspot levels).
Clocks are a different matter. Elaine thinks I’m a clock-watcher, but it’s more in the vein of Frederick Winslow Taylor…not manic ADHD (maybe a smidge…). I time just about everything because I don’t like to waste the one commodity we can never get enough of. Sure, I can lollygag through breakfast (time: 43 minutes), or I can whip out the meal in 4 minutes, relax and eat for 10 minutes…This uses only one-third the time which can then pushed over into activities I want to get done on the daily to-do list.
There you have the concept of POPPA – a personal optimization plan for preventing aging. Keeping all the “moving parts moving” is key. Seems like a lot of work since we all end up dead anyway, but my research hints the trip through life is a lot more enjoyable if you put some effort into it.
Life’s like a fire that way: You have to put wood and light things up before you get it cooking…
Write when you get rich,
George@ure.net
George
“have Alexa read a few Wiki entries”. Really!
I’m surprised you let that snooper into your house.
And yes it is your house to do as you please. That’s a given!
The trade off in utility versus giving up personal info can’t be that great.
Please enlighten us on this subject.
It might be of concern if you were the Dutchess of Sussex.
G – a word of advice for anyone working with ‘chi’ to increase in their personal skill levels.
Sexual intercourse when done right, causes a ‘dispersion’ of most precious bodily fluid.
Daoist monks developed a ‘no leak’ method or practice that eliminates the ejaculation of Sperm and other precious bodily fluids..reason why ancients referred to ejaculation as a ‘small death’.
Salivia is considered precious bodily fluid not to be wasted as well.
As a practicing student of Yan Xin Qigong (Child Longevity 9 Step Qigong) with over 20 years of study/practice (internal martial arts) and having reached almost Kindergarten level, I can confidently state..the more U know, the more U know U don’t know. Peace, Health and Prosperity..
If you disperse that “precious bodily fluid” into a loved one, it continues to exist there and you’re still connected via quantum entanglement, so it’s as if you get to live inside her body as well as your own. The physics may or may not work, but I believe that the metaphysics do. Not as true if you’re not connected to a loved one, though even a pay for play situation could work to a degree.
Lol lol lol…. What about ye old fountain of youth…lol lol if someone drinks from the fountain of youth could that be considered cannibalism or would it be the destruction of the future race of mankind…lol lol lol
Now I wonder how quantum would relate to that lol lol lol
I have been a chi gong practioneer for over 20 years. Have read the argument on witholding the ejaculate. Decided long ago to heed the advice of the Urologists. Ejaculate 4 times a week to clear out the prostate. Had my physical at 84 yrs and PSA is better than 30 years ag0. Some of the asian health is valid and some is BS.
George I want to pass this along for some that might could use it. I know of a Chinese Accupunturist(sp) that was an orthopodic surgeon in china. Came to states and wouldnt let her practice MD without going back to school. So she went back to chinese medicine. Friend picked his 91 year old dad up out of hospice and she cured hhis advanced parkinson in 4 months. If anyone is interested in coming to or needs to be in ABQ for 4 mo. feel free to give them my e-mail. Oh forgot the old man live 4 more years and he and son road bicycles on a 5 mile trail in the bosque every day. The old man had a good 3 wheeler which I am hoping to get one next month. I think the VA is going to spring for an approx. $3500 dollar one
Put that 212 cc trike gas motor kit on it – about $300 on ebay – not for indoor use, lol
It’s been proven….
https://www.sciencealert.com/marijuana-compound-thc-removes-toxic-alzheimer-protein-from-brain
At the end of his course on mathematical methods of optimization, the professor sternly looked at his students and said: “There is one piece of advice I am going to give you now: Whatever you have learned in my course – never ever try to apply it to your personal lives!”
“Why?” the students asked.
“Well, some years ago, I observed my wife preparing breakfast, and I noticed that she wasted a lot of time walking back and forth in the kitchen. So, I went to work, optimized the whole procedure and told my wife about it.”
“And what happened?”
“Well, before I applied my expert knowledge, my wife needed about half an hour to prepare breakfast for the two of us. Now, it takes me less than fifteen minutes…”
George, you’ve basically stated that there are few alternatives to a traditional marriage!
Who has time or knowledge to prepare natural food?
Who is available and willing to engage in regular(daily) sex?
Other than a traditional wife or LTR(with or without paperwork), handling these aspects of life can easily engage most of your waking life. A (poor) alternative is to do without. The rest of your list is quite attainable for a retired person and the list is a good one. I’d caution on dietary oils being used to excess in cooking – they’re good on salads, etc. Dr. Joel Wallach has cautioned strongly against eating much in the way of fried foods, and most are fried in oil. He has the data to back it up. They do taste good though.
Sleep is one thing we do have control of. I rarely if ever use an alarm clock. My body knows when to wake up other than those times some human imposed meeting demands it. I refuse to get involved in anything social before noon unless there’s a truly compelling reason. Mornings are for me.
Unprocessed natural food is a real challenge if you live alone. Food prep is significant work and a major time sink. That and keeping a neat house is a full time job. People knew that way back in the ’50’s and seem to have forgotten it.
BTW, first Backpage, then Craigslist personals went down. Now Facebook is refusing to allow any hint of coming on to any other person on their site:
https://www.pcmag.com/news/365330/new-facebook-policy-sparks-fears-of-sex-talk-crackdown
It’s tough enough to get a straight conversation about sex, and I despise Facebook anyway, but this is a leading indicator. It all started with the ill conceived FOSTA law. We’re now entering a sexual dark age, and that tends to be go with an economic one. It’s a sad rhyme of history.
One thing to add to the list is meditation! It could take many forms, but it’s time well spent. I don’t recommend multitasking while meditating though.
Maybe its like this, Mike:
I found Elaine because she was distilled down to basics – an apartment and working a job and side hustles to get money. Wanted something more,.
I too had been through an ugly divorce (anything where you lose $750K house is bad, lol). Thjing is, we had very singularly focused lives – that we shared.
With the sharing bult the teamwork that led to the 30 acres of too much. Sometimes we wonder if that’s not some kind of natural cycle.
My adivise would be to disengage from work long enough to drive to a city or three, get involved in singles groups and meet people that way. Maybe pretend to be in the city for a while (find a menial job?) so people would not be off-put by the rugged, survivalist, planning prepper that you area.
Then, maybe one day you “reveal” that you have a little cabin in the woods (or rocks, after all you’re in NM” and see how it plays.
This is the classic marketing funnel: Lots of leads go in the top, qualify, demonstrate, overcome obje ctions and close.
To find the right woman, you need to put 100’s in the top and get the right one out fht ebottom. But that’s OK, wimmen do the same thing, too. It’s called shopping.
You’re not an effective shopper – so working on “shopping skills” might be a direction for personal research?
Thanks George,
I finish my course tomorrow, and then some effort to clean up things around here. Then it makes sense to see what’s available in the big city. BTW, my “little cabin” does have some trees, but they’re much shorter than yours.
I’ve read your book on sales more than once, and it really is a great ebook. I need to learn stories – like a simple one to describe my history(LOL). That would be quite a work of fiction. I also need to write a script and memorize it. The next thing is to invent interests that attract female types. My real interests are too technical, and I want my complement, not just a female version of me. An artistic type that’s very body focused, edgy, and a bit needy, not the arrogant “independent woman” type that infests universities. Finding a happy hunting ground will be an interesting challenge. Too bad I don’t smoke or toke. “Singles” groups tend to be overloaded with those who want to be single, and they tend to be highly age segregated, but it’s worth a shot. Finding hundreds? Ten will be a challenge. Since FOSTA, it seems that boots on the ground is necessary.
“Menial” jobs have their advantage: They tend to deal with the public so you can meet many people. I’ve never done that. It’s a challenge worth taking on. Technical jobs hide you in a closet with a computer or three, so that’s just a waste of my time. I have some ideas that I’ll be pursuing after tomorrow and we’ll see.
One note on ther scripting part:
It iS much BETTER to have bullet points (As in .pptx) and a “catch phrases or two.
If I was preparing to “sell me” again:
1. Packaging
Looks have to be “in the zone” – normal.
Good car helps – I don’t know if E would ever have gone on date w/me if her pal Cindi hadn’t said “Nice car, too. I was driving a red Porsche 944 so (like it or not) women like some “scent of success” because both sexes are preprogrammed to “hunt” for mates that fit a profile. Women want someone who can provide for ’em (fair ‘nuf) and a red Porsche argues ‘this one may have some substance’ to them. m Men, OTOH, are looking for child-bearing capability and large breasts suggest ample “food providing for offspring when young” and wide hips suggest no child-bearing complications and… well, you can work out the anatomy/physiology stuff, lol.,
2. Sales points
* Big city rock n’ roll news director [bullet point]
— has interviewed everyone who “mattered” in a major city in the 70’s/80’s
— first person to ever say “Pleasse hold, I have an important call for this number” on first outbound telemarketing computer.
* Was a college president
— ran a recording engineer college in LA
— knows a few artists and tons about music/media
etc…
The idea is to “let ’em hear some sizzle” but saqve the “steak” for later…
Hope that helps…
I’ve nearly always agreed with what you write about, which is why I continue to come back and read some more. But I do think there now is one aspect I don’t agree with: Alexa. I just can’t bring myself to allow that in my home. I’m sure there are lots of positives to it, but I just can’t seem to find a real good reason to need this in my private space. So I find it surprising that, with all you do to retain privacy, you utilize this thing. I know you don’t have anything to hide (Myself & family either), but trusting this device seems counter to what you do and speak about.
Just seems so odd to me…
Alexa makes a great radio. Just say, Alexa, play Ultimate Art Bell Radio & it is on. Alexa, turn off radio in 30 minutes. Alexa, Wake me up at 6 am. Alexa, Where did I hide my money. Same with music. Nobody is listening, just like in life.
Not withholding…technique involves the “clearing of the prostate” gland every time.
Women & Men who know…most “energized” energy ‘drink’ on the planet. Helps if you can visualize the internal transformation process of the ‘energy’.
No claims of any kind, whatsoever here regards Yan Xin Qigong – NONE
Its ALL in your mind – just ask anybody in the new Drug Trial business about the Placebo effect, better yet ask a Statistician working for a Pharmaceutical Company about smoothing out those aforementioned effects.