It's Never Too Late | Jeffrey Weiss

What is still possible in midlife?

Many of us reach our forties, fifties and sixties assuming that the major chapters of our lives have already been written. Careers are established, habits are set, and the opportunity for significant change may feel increasingly limited.

Jeffrey Weiss challenges that assumption.

At the age of 48, he ran his first 10-kilometre race. In the years that followed, he completed Ironman Arizona twice, finished a 72-mile ultramarathon, and embarked on a successful new chapter in his professional life that culminated in a multi-billion-dollar startup exit.

In this conversation, we explore the power of healthspan, the value of audacious goals, how fitness can transform both body and mindset, and why it's never too late to embrace a new challenge.

Jeffrey is the author of Racing Against Time: On Ironman, Ultramarathons, and the Quest for Transformation in Mid-Life.

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Transcript

Jeffrey Weiss: 0:00

Somebody who isn't currently training and starts training 4 or 5 six days a week regularly, they're going to feel the benefits within a month or two, and they're going to be able to sustain those benefits. So they're going to transform their healthspan. And that's an incredibly exciting thing. And they're going to see benefits right away.

Peter Bowes: 0:20

Hello again and welcome to the Live Long Podcast. I'm Peter Bowes. This is where we explore the science and the stories behind human longevity. Now, many people assume that by the time we reach our 40s or 50s or 60s, the major chapters of our lives have already been written. Our careers are established, our habits are set. And that's a big one. And the opportunity for significant change may feel increasingly limited. But as we've heard many times on this podcast, it's never too late. At the age of 48, Geoffrey Weiss ran his first ten kilometer race. In the years that followed, he went on to compete in ironmans and ultramarathons. At the same time, he enjoyed a successful and significant transformation of his professional career. He is the author of Racing Against Time, a memoir that chronicles an extraordinary midlife transformation. And Jeff's story is, I think, a reminder for us that some of life's most rewarding adventures can begin long after we think our best years are behind us. Jeffrey Weiss, welcome to the podcast. Good to talk to you.

Jeffrey Weiss: 1:35

Great to talk to you as well. Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to our conversation.

Peter Bowes: 1:40

Yeah. Me too. So what happened Jeff, at the age of 48 to change everything.

Jeffrey Weiss: 1:45

I think for me, a couple of things. My dad had passed away the year before, and I had long been sensitive to the fact that I probably wasn't doing enough to take care of my physical well-being, that I wasn't training enough, wasn't working out enough. And in my mind I'd always told myself that I would attend to that later when I had more time. And I think kind of realized that, the time was now that, putting it off further into the future probably was not going to serve me very well. So, I decided to try my hand at running. Saw an ad for a running class. the goal of which was to run the Veterans Day ten kilometer race in Washington, D.C., in November of 2010. So signed up for that, did the race and kind of got bitten by the bug.

IRONMAN ANNO: 2:30

You are an Ironman first timer. Jeffrey Weiss, New York City...

Peter Bowes: 2:39

Were you sporty at all in the first part of your life? You weren't totally inactive?

Jeffrey Weiss: 2:45

No, I was, and I think perhaps like a lot of us was very active when I was younger, played tennis, throughout my youth through my college experience. after that, I took up powerlifting as my sort of next sport. Did that very actively for the next bunch of years. But once, our first child came when I was 30, I think working out, you know, became progressively less important to me. I still lifted weights from time to time, but not in a really regular way. And so, and really never did anything aerobic, never did anything to, to, to really attend to my cardiovascular well-being, to my health, in that sense and an aerobic sense. So those were the things that I worried about. I really wasn't being, regular with respect to lifting weights. And I wasn't doing anything for my heart. I wasn't running, wasn't cycling, wasn't swimming. So those kind of nagging thoughts, I think were what finally got me to, to take action.

Peter Bowes: 3:40

But it had always, or at least maybe in your 40s, let's say it had always been on your mind that you would like a transformation. And as you say, you wanted certain aspects of your life and certain chapters to pass before you really dove into that kind of activity. It wasn't a sudden epiphany at the age of 48.

Jeffrey Weiss: 4:02

No, I think the epiphany was, I need to start now. I think the sense that I needed to be physically training, that I needed to be working out on a regular basis. That was something I always believed in. I had done it when I was younger, enjoyed it. I liked the structure of it. I liked kind of what it did for, for my body, how it made me feel about myself and, and wanted in the back of my mind for that to again, be part of my life at the appropriate time when I had enough free time to kind of devote to that and decided I needed to make the time to make that possible.

Peter Bowes: 4:35

And just give me a little snapshot of your life up to that point, because I mentioned it also, around about this age, involved quite a transformation in terms of your career. So it was a successful transformation, but what have you, what had you been doing up to that point?

Jeffrey Weiss: 4:51

With respect to my personal life? We had four kids when I was 48. The oldest of those was, I believe, 17. The youngest was about 12, so had been involved in child rearing all of those years. I was a lawyer in private practice. ended up working as a litigator for about 25 years. A litigator lifestyle is a tough lifestyle for me. It involved a lot of travel, hours that were quite unpredictable, and that were fairly long, lots of work at night and occasionally on weekends. So, you know, I think between the childcare responsibilities and a litigator's lifestyle, it made it easy for me, I think, to make excuses for why I wasn't working out on a regular basis.

Peter Bowes: 5:34

Do you look back at that time and wish you hadn't made those excuses? Or was it just that lifestyle, that professional lifestyle? Was it just unavoidable? And I asked this question because a lot of people might be watching, listening to this now thinking, well, yeah, that's my life that I would really like to be doing these athletic adventures, but I'm just too busy. I'm just too stressed with my work. Do you think potentially you could have made time?

Jeffrey Weiss: 5:59

I could have made time. I don't look back with regret, though. I think I think it's important to condition ourselves, to try to always look forward. If I spend too much time dwelling about mistakes that I made, and of course I made my share of mistakes along the way. I don't think that's not it's not really constructive to do that unless it informs the decision that I make going forward about my life. But I think more it's important to look at what's still ahead, what opportunities might still be available to us and how they might benefit us, and then how do we integrate those into our lives? And then and then, honestly, in some ways, it served me not badly that I didn't, for example, run starting when I was in my early 20s, all the way through until I was 48. I always joke with people that I'm a vintage car with low mileage. you know, folks that I, that I know who perhaps ran track in high school and continued running all the way through some of them, you know, have been forced to kind of give up the sport, because of, of injuries. And for me, I just turned 64. I'm still chugging along, signed up for the Chicago Marathon this coming October. And, I like the fact that I still feel like there are a bunch of, adventures ahead for me. And, that's a nice feeling to have.

Peter Bowes: 7:11

You say you've just turned 64. So have I. In March of this year. And it's interesting, isn't it? It's one of those ages, maybe turning 60 or 65 roughly. Traditional retirement ages are a turning point for people. But 64, and I remember the Beatles song, of course, and how that talks about transformation as you're getting older. Did the age itself just the number? Did it make a difference to you psychologically in terms of your mindset?

Jeffrey Weiss: 7:38

No, no, I don't think so. Now, I think 65 might because 64 for me was always an amusing age because of the Beatles song, which I did make sure to play that day, the day of my birthday, but I think 65 has been a very traditional retirement age. And so I think that one probably will will, tug at me a little bit more than 64 did. And I'm sure as I approach 70, that will be something that I will think about. But, I've tried to look at these passing years as, as a gift that I should be grateful for receiving and, and to try not to get too down about the fact that, you know, I'm getting older and of course, nobody really wants to see those numbers change over time, but, but I think we're quite fortunate to still be around to still be active. And, that's something to look at positively, I think.

Peter Bowes: 8:27

Yeah, totally. So, and of course, you have the benefit of when you turn 65 of your achievements from the last decade, almost two decades. So let's talk about 48 onwards. When you decided to make this change, to do more athletic pursuits and, and really benefit your body in that respect, what did you do first?

Jeffrey Weiss: 8:49

I started with that running class and, ran that first 10-K. I really liked the experience. And, during the class, one of the things that they did, we actually had a, a classroom session. I think every Monday night, we had a group long run on Sundays and I think, a track workout on Wednesdays, which I tended to skip. Honestly, I just couldn't make those work because I was, I was traveling a lot, but I did do the group runs and went to the classroom sessions. And at one of the classroom sessions, they had an orthopedic surgeon come in and talk about avoiding injury and things of that sort. But he really also was very focused on Healthspan. And, he talked about a book called, Younger Next Year, which I went out and got, and younger next year really pushes this notion that we can dramatically change, how we age and even in some ways biologically kind of reverse aging for a time if we devote ourselves to, among other things, training six to at least six days, six days a week, at least 45 minutes each time. And, and I kind of very slavishly followed that advice. Now you can't really run. It's not really advised, especially at 48, to start running six days a week. So that means cross training. So start it off with running three days a week, cycling two days a week, and swimming one day a week, and did that for a time. Got into a nice routine doing that and then started to wonder, you know what? I'm actually doing the three triathlon sports. Maybe I've done a 10-K by then. I'd done a couple more 10-K. Maybe I should try, a short sprint distance triathlon and kind of the same thing. I was almost on two parallel paths, started to get more intrigued by running and then running farther distances, got more intrigued by sticking with triathlon and going for progressively more challenging triathlon races. And, kind of climbed the ladder with respect to both sports and did that over, over really the entire period of my 50s and, had a great time doing it.

Peter Bowes: 10:48

And as you were doing it, did you at any point have to kind of pinch yourself to say, I am doing this? It was something that maybe previously in a decade before or a couple of decades that you wouldn't have seen yourself doing in your late 40s.

Jeffrey Weiss: 11:04

Absolutely. And that was one of the really exciting parts. I had once told a friend years before that I was as likely to run a marathon as I was to walk on the moon. I just felt like I didn't have the right body type. I didn't like running enough. I was just naturally bad at running. And so then to, you know, after running the few 10Ks to run a half marathon felt like a life changing experience and, and made me wonder what else, you know, what else is possible. And then, you know, suddenly a marathon didn't seem so crazy. And the same thing with the tris going from sprint to Olympic distance. And then, you know, then started to wonder, could a half Ironman race be within reach? And the two in some ways played off of each other, but each kind of new hurdle that I was able to clear each sort of new, metaphorically mountain that I was able to climb made me wonder, what else have I been essentially denying myself? What else have I been basically telling myself, that's not for you, that's too hard for you, that's out of reach. And I think that's true for us, for, I think for a lot of us, both physically, professionally, and all sorts of ways in our lives, we place artificial limits. And, I think it's unfortunate. And it's, it can be really, really exciting to push those.

Peter Bowes: 12:15

And how did you answer that question? What else have I been denying myself? Did you reach any swift conclusions on that?

Jeffrey Weiss: 12:24

Not necessarily swift ones, but I had an opportunity. I'd always told myself my dad had been part of a startup relatively early in his career, that for a while had had been on a great track towards success and then had unfortunately kind of come crashing down. But that I think that was always there in my mind that that must have been a great experience for him, and I would love to have an experience like that for myself. And I always told myself if I ever had the opportunity, I would jump at it. And sure enough, after I turned 50, I had the opportunity to join a startup as his general counsel. And, I took the leap and it ended up being an 11 year kind of roller coaster ride, unicorn status, then a bankruptcy, then coming out of bankruptcy unicorn status again, and then an exit after all those years. And I just loved every minute of it and got to experience all sorts of things that I never would have dreamed of. before that I was having a very traditional kind of litigators career and got to push myself in a lot of new directions. Got a master's degree in biotechnology, which I felt would help me with the science issues that I was, having to deal with. So, it just was a real growth experience for me and, and a great and a great adventure, honestly. And I think life in so many ways is meant to be an adventure. If we open our, our minds to that possibility.

Peter Bowes: 13:47

Yeah, of course it is. And what you've just described now in your early 50s, essentially these parallel worlds, the growing interest and involvement in endurance sports, but also a new phase. And as it turned out, a very successful phase of, of your career. Did unlike previously did this new career and your athletic pursuits, did they work? Could you work them together? Could you achieve what you wanted to do, both professionally, but also running on the trails to the extent that you want it to do?

Jeffrey Weiss: 14:21

Very much so. I think they really actually nurtured each other for a couple of reasons. I think for me, you know, starting in the startup world at age 50, that's that's on the old side. By the end, I was, you know, I was routinely either the oldest or second oldest person in the company. I was 61 when the company sold. And so for me, I think part of keeping up with much younger colleagues, training definitely, I felt, helped me do that. There is a physical kind of endurance fitness component to being able to work long hours. I had to do a ton of travel for the first four and a half years. I was flying back and forth across the country every single week. And so I felt like the endurance stuff gave me the ability to do that, to stay in the game. I also, when I was getting started with the company, I was given a business book to read by Jim Collins called Good to Great about, companies that had successfully distanced themselves from their competitors to become the leader in their particular industry. And among other things, all of them had in common that they had set for themselves a BHAG, a big, hairy, audacious goal of being number one. And that had kind of an organizing sort of influence on all of their activities. It was inspirational for them. It was focusing for them. But it was it was a heck of a goal, and it was one that was at the outer reaches of what was possible, not something that they could for sure achieve if they just did the work, but not something that was, you know, virtually impossible to actually, to actually get that far. And it occurred to me while I was reading that, that I could do the same thing on an individual level, I could set for myself audacious goals in the physical space, like doing an Ironman triathlon or, running ultramarathons. And it would focus my workouts, it would energize me, it would give me a feeling throughout the period leading up to that particular race that my life had adventure in it. And it really did work out exactly that way. And so the first BIHAG that I set was to, to run this particular, 56 mile ultramarathon, in South Africa. And before that race, recognizing that I might not succeed and wanting to have something to pivot to immediately afterward, I set as a goal doing my first half Ironman, the following year and a full Ironman, the year after that. And, that ended up being a great kind of recipe for staying focused, staying engaged. And I really did feel like it was helping me professionally as well by just keeping me active, fit, energetic, all of those things I think done right, endurance sports shouldn't break us down. They shouldn't make us, you know, go through life exhausted and hurting. they actually should energize us. And certainly that was the effect that it had on me.

Peter Bowes: 17:05

And you talk about audacious goals. Do you think audacity is something that we can all culture and nurture? I think we all get what it means, but I think maybe some people feel it's not going to be for me. I really can't reach those, those pinnacles in terms of ambition, whether it's career or athletic, do you think audacity can be cultivated?

Jeffrey Weiss: 17:29

I do, I think certainly for me, I felt like looking back in many ways, I was auto pilot, maybe too strong a word, but I was going through life without a lot of intention, without a lot of thoughtfulness about what I wanted from life, what I wanted to achieve, what I, you know, could expect for myself, that kind of thing. And once I got into that mindset of really asking myself what's possible for me, what's possible for me as an athlete, what's possible for me as a professional? It got me definitely into a mode of thinking, looking for new challenges. Now I think we're all different. I think that, you know, for me, getting involved with with extreme endurance sports was a great experience. enriched my life in countless ways. But I'm not really an evangelist for Ironman or for ultramarathons. What I am, what I do definitely think people will benefit from is make fitness a regular part of your life, working out multiple times a week with with regularity. I think that will enrich pretty much any person's life. I think to that extent, we have a tremendous influence over our healthspan. And I think if we do the work, we are virtually certain to, to live a healthier life for longer, to be able to do things that we enjoy. They can be, you know, walking in the park, hiking, playing with grandchildren, putting, putting your own suitcase in the overhead bin on the, on the airplane skiing. There's a million different things. And so I think it's incredibly enriching. And I think it behooves all of us to control the things that are within, within our control. And certainly fitness is, is at the top of that list, I think.

Peter Bowes: 19:08

Yeah. And I think that's a great point to make that you don't need to run marathons. I've certainly run marathons, triathlons as well, peaking probably in my 40s and early 50s. But I've, I've eased off a little bit now. And now I'm a huge fan of a long daily hike with the dogs. It takes me for maybe 3 or 4 miles every morning before 9 a.m. and I think, and it serves me well and I feel good about that. And I think often when I have conversations like this, I'm always acutely aware that when I'm talking to someone who's achieved what 99.9% of the population isn't going to achieve that, that isn't the only way that exercise comes in. Lots of of different formats.

Jeffrey Weiss: 19:50

That's it. Exactly. I think what you're doing to me just sounds, sounds ideal. You're getting out in nature. You're, you know, which, which has also all sorts of positive benefits for us. You're in motion on a regular basis. And I think that's spectacular. And in many ways, I think that is the key insight, which is we need to be in motion. We need to be, you know, getting out there, doing things that enrich our lives. It can be there's so many different opportunities. It can be hiking, it can be yoga, it can be Pilates, it can be swimming, you know, it can be all sorts of things. And I think, you know, the right answer for one person, you know, may well not be the right answer for another person. And so it definitely is not one size fits all. But I think for me, when I look back, the key was making that commitment that I'm going to work out regularly in my case, six days a week, at least 45 minutes each time. And ideally to do that, you know, for as long as I can, ideally for the rest of my life. And I feel like it's just added immense value.

Peter Bowes: 20:45

And that phrase ideally for the rest of my life. It's really just encapsulated what I was about to ask you. And that is and you've already mentioned healthspan, which, which for me and for a lot increasingly people are understanding the healthspan means the number of years that you're free from the chronic diseases that will perhaps inevitably affect most of us in much later life and the later the better, but so that we can live our lives and do it at 64 for what we used to do at 34, for maybe a little slower, maybe not always quite as much energy, but still get out there and do the activities that bring us joy. Has your understanding of healthspan, which I think is still a word that is being introduced to people that most people probably don't fully understand, but has your understanding grown? The longer you've lived this kind of lifestyle?

Jeffrey Weiss: 21:37

Absolutely. I think I think healthspan to me is the key goal, the key focus that I think really makes the most sense for so many of us. You know, I think longevity, how long we might live depends on, you know, in scientific breakthroughs that that that may be happening, may be here soon, may be here later. Almost certainly, I'm going to have nothing to do with those breakthroughs. Either they'll happen or they will not. But I think healthspan, if we put in the work, if you know somebody who isn't currently training and starts training 4 or 5, six days a week regularly, they're going to feel the benefits within a month or two, and they're going to be able to sustain those benefits and increase the amount of those benefits. So they're going to transform their healthspan virtually certainly. and that's an incredibly exciting thing. And they're going to see benefits, you know, right away, you know, kind of like what you're doing with, with your morning hiking. Your. Your life will be enriched right away. It's not like taking a pill or some other medical intervention that that, you know, might work, might not, but it's not actually going to really do much of anything. I think for your emotional well-being, for your feeling of accomplishment, your feeling of satisfaction, your self-confidence, things of that sort. I think those kinds of feelings which are so important, really only come when we're doing actual work, to to improve, you know, to improve how we're aging.

Peter Bowes: 23:32

This is the lifelong podcast. Our guest is Jeffrey Weiss, the author of Racing Against Time. One of the most important things for me is to develop good habits or positive habits, something that I do religiously every day without thinking about it, and it's going to benefit me. I'm just curious to know what your daily habits are now. In other words, those those rituals that you go through that you know are beneficial, but you don't have to give any thought to, and you don't have to force yourself to do every day. It is just part of watching the clock and doing it when it's best for you.

Jeffrey Weiss: 24:09

I love that and I couldn't agree with you more. I think that's such a powerful insight that, you know, to the extent that we can create habits around these beneficial activities, we will do them without having a constant willpower battle. I think people who don't currently, for example, work out, they think, well, but what if it's cold outside? What if I don't really feel it that day? And I think certainly for the first month or so, that may well be the case, that you have to have a conversation with yourself. Do I really want to do this today? But once it becomes a habit, you really don't have those conversations with yourself. It becomes almost like brushing your teeth before going to bed. It's just something that you do without thinking. So for me, writing is my other big passion outside of work. Racing Against Time is my third book, so I write actually first thing in the morning for an hour, and really try to do exactly an hour, not not less and not more. I do that six days a week. As soon as I'm done writing, I transition to my workout session for the day. sometimes it's a double session. Like today I did both a run and a swim, but usually it's either a run or a swim or, or a cycle. I'll also lift weights, twice a week. Sometimes I just tack it onto the back of one of those other workouts. Other times, like today, I took a break in the afternoon and did it, but that really is kind of my regular program for my weeks. And, you know, again, doing it first thing in the morning to me, I've always loved the advice that they give in personal finance, which is pay yourself first. So saving money is important. And the best way to be sure you're going to do that is take whatever you're intending to save or invest in the stock market. Take it out first thing when you get your paycheck before you spend on other things. And that way you can be sure that you're going to do it. And so I personally find the mornings to be precious time. It's time that I control, once the day starts, once my workday starts, I don't control it anymore to the same extent. And so if I had planned on training at lunchtime or in the evening after work, maybe I'll be able to do that. And maybe, depending on how things go with work, I won't be able to do that. And I don't want to have those kinds of interruptions. And so, so yeah, I think locking in, the workouts in a habitual way the night before I lay out my gear for the next day, the clothes I'm going to wear if I need gels or, you know, other nutrition for the workout, I lay that out as well so that I can just move as quickly as possible. when it's time to get ready for the workout, and just get right to it.

Peter Bowes: 26:34

Yeah. I'm totally with you on the mornings being the best time of the day. And I think we're all different in that respect. I'm personally quite lucky in that some of the work that I have to do is later in the day. So I see the mornings as as my time. And that early morning hike is a big part of it. But sometimes, and what you just said about writing very first thing in the morning. And this can be 4 or 5 a.m. sometimes for me, that I have the most energy for that kind of creative work. One thing that I sometimes struggle with is if the writing is going well, I don't do what you just mentioned, and that is have a cut off time. And I tend to to work for longer and then think, well, I'm late now for the hike and everything kind of piles up. How do you how do you, does that affect you? Do you have that discipline to, to stop and then to change activities?

Jeffrey Weiss: 27:23

I do, and honestly, I don't know what the right answer. I do think this is another one of those things that's that's different for each person. I certainly would not argue that you're making a mistake if you're on a roll and you really feel like you're having a burst of creativity and it works for you, I think more power to you. I think for me, my feeling always was, if I start to sometimes extend, at some point, it's going to become disruptive to my schedule. At some point, it's going to undermine the whole structure. And I want this to be sustainable for the long haul. and so I find that the one hour break is kind of perfect for me. But, you know, again, I think we are, we are all different in terms of times of day that work for us. There's a great book by Daniel Pink called when. And he talks about the different Chronotypes. I think he categorizes them as larks, third birds and owls, owls being the kind of the college student, you know, doing their best work very late, late, late at night, getting up very late. you know, that's a small percentage of people who actually live that way their whole lives. Then you have people who, you know, thrive on getting up super early in the morning.I've been through a period like that where I was getting up at 445,

5: 28:34

00 every morning. And I, and I really enjoyed it, but, but now I probably get up closer to 6, 630 some more of what I think he calls a third bird, which is kind of between those two extremes, but I still find that I am uniquely suited to writing right after I get up. Like, it's just it is a very creative time for me. I can really put in a good hour, really get some nice work done that satisfies me. And, I remember years ago reading a book by someone about writing and he said, you write a page a day. That's a book, after a year. Now it's not quite as simple as that, but, and my books have tended to take a little longer than that, but, but there is a lot of truth in that and, you know, before you know it, after a few months, it's like, wow, I've got, you know, I've got 3 or 4 nice chapters. I've got a real sense of where this is going. And, that's pretty amazing.

Peter Bowes: 29:30

Yeah, I've heard that as well about writing one page a day. I guess it depends on the kind of book that you're writing in. If it's a research based book, well, the bulk of the time is in the research. It's interesting, isn't it, how we our lives as we get older, our attitude. You mentioned the time that you get out of bed. My ideal time would be about 6 a.m.. I rarely make it to 6 a.m. and that I wake up earlier and earlier and I think age and I'd love to understand fully the science behind that, but I'm finding I'm waking up earlier, and as long as I've had a solid night, it might only be 6 or 7 hours. I still feel fine. And rather than just lie in bed and be frustrated, I think getting up and doing something useful is probably the positive way forward.

Jeffrey Weiss: 30:11

Yeah, it's funny, I think like a lot of us, I've tended to neglect taking my sleep seriously, and I've tried to correct that in the last few years. I think I approach it now similarly to the way you're describing. I think eight hours I've concluded is not it doesn't work for me. I can't put in that much sleep. I'll end up just tossing and turning and being frustrated that I'm in the bed that long and not actually sleeping 6 to 7 hours does for me as well. Seem to be a bit of a sweet spot.

And like you and you know, if it's 6: 30:37

00 in the morning and I'm and I've woken up and I feel like I'm awake, I don't fight it. You know, I just get out of bed and start the day. and that seems to be a good recipe, but, but yeah, no, the sleep piece is so important. I think, you know, a lot of us when we're young, we have this, Peter Attia talks about it, there's this view that I'll sleep forever when I'm dead. Like, you know, or if I'm sleeping a lot, I'm just wasting time. And of course, that's not a constructive way to think. We need that time to recover, repair, and have the energy to put in another good day tomorrow.

Peter Bowes: 31:12

You write, Jeff, and it's an interesting section in your book, you write,"we are living through a period of intense interest in longevity." Just the word longevity. You're hearing it all the time. It's in feeds. People are making TV programs about it, and you see tons of articles almost on a daily basis that are about one form of longevity or another. What does and we've mentioned longevity several times already in this interview. What does it mean to you? And is there, do you think, a value in the fact that people are exposed to this concept of longevity, I think much more now than than previously.

Jeffrey Weiss: 31:49

I think it's great that we are talking about both healthspan and longevity. I think there are important topics. I do sense that a lot of good science is being done, and I do think over time, we'll see some real contributions to our ability to live longer while still being healthy and active. I think that's, I think for sure the case. I think for me, though, psychologically, emotionally, I kind of put longevity off to the side. I feel like, you know, whether I make it to whatever age you might want to put out there, 80, 90, 100 is going to depend on a bunch of factors, you know, some of which are just not in my control. but I feel like healthspan is where I want to invest my, my emotional energy, my time, my focus. Because I think that is so extraordinarily influenced by actions that I take. And then, you know, hopefully the longevity piece will just fall into place. if I can stay active, fit, healthy long enough, I think, you know, folks who are very focused on the science around increasing lifespan should recognize that a lot of these promising things that are underdeveloped, they might extend your life, but they're not going to necessarily go back and repair a damage that's been caused to you by inactivity over an extended period of time. So even if your focus is, I want to make it to 100, 110 or what, you know, whatever number you want to put out there, it's going to be in your interest to be the best, you know, to be the best, to be in the best condition, to really enjoy those, those additional years. But, but yeah, look, I think we're living through an amazing time. I think there are all sorts of possibilities that may make themselves available to us, but I think our focus needs to be on controlling the controllable.

Peter Bowes: 33:33

And what is it about life and how you manage your life that you understand now that perhaps you wish you had understood 40 or 50 years ago.

Jeffrey Weiss: 33:45

That's a really good question. Look, I think time is precious. I probably wasted a lot more time when I was younger. Things that I wouldn't do now. if I watch TV now, it's, you know, while I'm on the spin bike. I very rarely will just sit down to watch TV. Whereas when I was younger, I, you know, regularly used TV to relax after a day's work and, might do that for an hour, hour and a half, two hours on a regular basis. Probably not the best use of my time. of course it's hard. It's hard to judge. Looking back, I don't know that I could have been so laser focused when I was younger. I think it was a different point of time in my life. I hadn't figured out things that I think, you know, only come with having life experience and getting getting a bit older. So I don't look back with regret on the way I lived my life when I was younger and decisions that I made back then, I think, you know, I was probably trying to do the best that I could with the information I had available to me at that time. But now, you know, we're in a different world. There's podcasts with all sorts of incredible information that we can learn from great books, great content on the internet. We've got AI. I mean, they're just unbelievable resources to really help us on our journeys that weren't available back then. And, to me, it's exciting to try to sift through it and find what works and, experiment and make changes and just, you know, see where it takes me.

Peter Bowes: 35:17

I think AI, which you mentioned is to me the most exciting new thing. I mean, it's extraordinary, isn't it? What's just happened in the last two years in terms of how we can all use AI to benefit ourselves, to educate ourselves, with caution, but generally it is very, very useful to do those menial tasks that we once used to spend a lot of time doing, I think were both of a mind that we like to use our time carefully. It really is. I mean, the opportunities I think in front of us with with AI are just extraordinary.

Jeffrey Weiss: 35:53

I think so too. I mean, I look back on the changes that have happened during my during my professional life. When I started working in 1987 at a law firm, the lawyers did not have personal computers. the only people who had personal computers, even the secretaries did not have them. They were just in the word processing center. And, you know, I was one of the first lawyers to actually get. I actually bought my own, brought it in, and then eventually the firm, provided us with them. I thought that was a pretty amazing change. And then we had cell phones, then we had smartphones and we had the internet, but nothing that none of those changes as immense, as impactful as they were to me compares to what we're seeing with AI. It just really does seem transformational. And I feel like I know that a lot of folks are frightened by it and worried about, you know, what direction it might take. But I think at the end of the day, I think all we can do is to try to make the best use of it possible. I continue to believe that going forward, the people who are going to be most successful are the ones who are most able successfully to partner with AI. AI obviously will, I think is likely to replace some jobs, but I think a lot of jobs, the people who will do well are the ones who are able to make good use of AI in a supporting role for what they are trying to accomplish. And certainly that's how I've been trying to approach it. And I think I think that's the best that we can really do at this point.

Peter Bowes: 37:20

Just in closing, Jeff, you said you tend to put longevity to one side to some extent, but do you have aspirations in terms of the decades ahead? Do you have a mindset that looks at yourself and your your 90s or even your hundreds?

Jeffrey Weiss: 37:38

I'd like to be around as long as I can. I think life is great. My first grandchild is due in five days. I would love to see more grandchildren. I'd love to see them grow up, see them graduate from high school and college. I'd like to be around for as much of the, you know, for as much of life as I can. So I think it's incredibly exciting that those things may now be possible. But I also want to be as active as I can be throughout that period. Not not, you know, if I can avoid it not walking with a walker, not in, a nursing home because I've got chronic diseases. I want to be able to keep moving. I want to be able to do things that are fun and to be as helpful as I can be to, to my kids and to their kids for as long as possible. And so again, for me, I tend to be very focused on what can I do to, to improve the quality of my life. And then hopefully the longevity piece will take care of itself in the sense that if I can stay healthy for longer, I will just buy in a natural way, live longer. And then these other hopefully, you know, scientific breakthroughs will occur and that will further, enhance the chances that I will make it into those very, very advanced ages and in a good way.

Peter Bowes: 38:52

And the phrase it's never too late, which I mentioned in the introduction, that really does encapsulate what you've achieved, what you're all about. And I think potentially a vision for other people that might not have really thought about that for themselves. But if, there was a message in your book, will you tell me, what would you prefer people to take from the book in terms of a message about their own lives?

Jeffrey Weiss: 39:15

You know, unlike other areas of health and science where take nutrition, for example, there's so many arguments about what is the best way to approach nutrition, what's the best diet that we should have? And you'll have people passionately arguing for veganism, for a carnivore diet, for the paleo diet, for all sorts of things. I think that when it comes to physical training and its impact on our health, it's not controversial. I think if we make it a part of our lives, we will age better. We will have a better life. And so to me, the message is, you know, let's take responsibility for our desire to have a better life. And this is one way in which we can be certain that if we actually do it, if we put in the work and it will be progressively easier as it becomes a habit, it will make a change in our lives. It's not like other things that maybe it will help, maybe it won't help. you know, I do ice baths for, for example, people will argue, is it really that good? Is it, you know, does it really make a difference? I've gotten involved with yoga, you know, all sorts of arguments about very specific things that we can be doing, but not about the benefits of physical exercise that I think goes without saying. So I think take responsibility and it is truly never too late. You can start in your 80s and In your 90s, you may start with different things. There may be a ceiling on how far you can go with it, but it will improve your physical well-being. I think the science is impeccably clear on that.

Peter Bowes: 40:47

That I think is a great message to end on. The book is Racing Against Time. It is, I think, an inspiring read. Jeff, it's been great to meet you, to talk to you. Thank you so much.

Jeffrey Weiss: 40:58

Thanks so much, Peter. I really, really enjoyed our conversation.

Peter Bowes: 41:01

The Life Long podcast is a Healthspan Media production. I'm Peter Bowes. You can contact me through our website, Livelong podcast.com, where you'll also find show notes for this episode.

DISCLAIMER: 41:12

This podcast is for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. We do not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should first consult your doctor.