Dr. Ryan Williamson: [00:00:00] People are shuttling kids around and have jobs, and I fully respect all of that, of course, but I bet everybody has six minutes to their day. So there’s studies that show for just six minutes of your day for up to two minutes at a time. This does a handful of things. It, it elevates lactate, elevates blood flow to the brain, but it also lowers the risk of dying of anything by about 40% for six minutes a day.
Nancy Levin: Welcome to the Nancy Levin Show. I’m Nancy Levin, master coach, bestselling author, and founder of Levin Life Coach Academy. I help ambitious midlifers reinvent themselves and turn a midlife crisis into the catalyst for creating their most fulfilling life. Yet whether you’re questioning a relationship career, or the overall direction of your life in the midst of change, you are in the right place.
Nancy Levin: Join me each week for insights on transforming tough transitions into the best years [00:01:00] of your life. Let’s dive in.
Nancy Levin: Welcome back to the Nancy Levin Show. I am delighted to have my guest here today who is a new friend and colleague, Dr. Ryan Williamson. He is a board certified neurologist, proud Navy veteran, and the owner and founder of Transcend Health. After commissioning as an officer in the US Navy, he completed his medical training at the Florida State University College of Medicine, Neurology residency at Georgetown University Hospital, and ultimately separated from service as a lieutenant commander.
Nancy Levin: After this, Dr. Williamson ultimately dedicated his career to improving brain health and [00:02:00] helping individuals. Expand their longevity. Driven by a passion to make a broader impact. Dr. Williamson founded Transcend Health, a platform that bridges neuroscience with entrepreneurship.
He empowers leaders and individuals to optimize their cognitive performance through evidence-based strategies that address brain fog,improve memory and help them overcome cognitive overload.
Dr. Williamson’s expertise has garnered significant attention with his insights impacting communities across the globe. He is currently engaged in high level conversations with influential figures to integrate his knowledge into their communities curricula and beyond.
Nancy Levin: Through Transcend Health, Dr. Williamson offers a membership program featuring exclusive educational calls, wellness protocols, and a private community forum for members to connect and [00:03:00] collaborate. He is also the author of an upcoming book and the uh, working title is The Incredible Brain. It will be released this fall and the book aims to further disseminate his knowledge and empower individuals to live longer, deeper.
And more impactful lives. Dr. Williamson’s vision is to help individuals and groups achieve their full potential by taking control and optimizing their health so they can live more fulfilling lives to leave a lasting legacy. I. Hi, Ryan.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Hey, Nancy.
Nancy Levin: Woo.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I feel like a superhero after that intro.
Nancy Levin: Well, you’re a superhero.
Nancy Levin: I mean, let’s be real.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I, I, I am humbled and honored to be with you again.
Nancy Levin: I am so looking forward to this conversation. I feel like, uh, you know, the few times that we’ve been able to connect, whether it be on Zoom or in [00:04:00] person a couple weeks ago, I, I feel really energized in your presence, and I feel that there is so much possibility available to all of us in terms of the way that we are relating to our brain health and longevity.
Nancy Levin: And I think that this is so top of mind right now for so many of us.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Absolutely. And right back at you, Nancy. I love your energy. I mean, it’s just, uh, as you know, I’ve, I’ve heard Amber talk about you for so long, and to finally have the opportunity to meet and give a big hug and, and just share ideas and be with each other.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Uh, wonderful time together in Austin. And, and here we are again.
Nancy Levin: And here we are again. Here we are again. And you know, one of the things that I really appreciate about you is how innovative you are. You know, you are, as I said, you’re a. You know, board certified neurologist and you still are working with patients, correct?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I am. Yes. Uh, so I, I have not stepped away from clinical medicine entirely. I [00:05:00] still do very much enjoy, uh, helping where I can in, in the acute setting in the hospital if people are still dealing with emergencies like strokes or, uh, various things that happen to people while they’re in the hospital that, that require a neurologist.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, but really what, and we, we can go any number of ways with this Of course. Yeah,
Nancy Levin: go for it.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, but, um, what, what ultimately led to the creation of Transcend Health and wanting to write the book was. Really just, uh, seeing people suffer from preventable disease. And I, I think if, if, if people take away nothing else from, from this episode and, and for your audience, it’s that I, I really want people to know that they’re largely in control of their health outcomes and, and what they do every day in their life.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And what I mean by that is that the data suggests that somewhere between 70 to 90% of all your health outcomes are lifestyle based. Meaning that it comes down to the choices that you make every day. And I, I just, I see people all the time that think, you know, oh, well, you know, my dad had dementia or, you know, mom had a heart [00:06:00] attack or a stroke, or whatever, and they just, they think that they’re bound to this inevitable fate or outcome.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And other than rare genetic circumstances, and we’re talking like less than 1% in general, these are largely, largely avoidable. And it comes down to, to choices that we make every day in our lives.
Nancy Levin: I love this because, and I know that when we were together in Austin, I shared. You know my, what I call my transformation equation, which is change equals vision, plus choice plus action.
Nancy Levin: And so, you know, there it is. We wanna make a change. We need to envision ourselves on the other side of that change. And then that change becomes the gauge by which we make our choices and take our actions. And the fact that you are so boldly claiming that we. Plays such a big part in our own health by the choices we make.
Nancy Levin: I also feel that, I talk to so many people who think that they are sort of [00:07:00] fated, that there’s a destiny for their health. And so part of what I really love about the way that you share about this is that no, we, we, we play a really large role in our own health destiny.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Absolutely. And, uh, I, I, I don’t want anybody to feel, uh, discouraged or marginalized to think that, oh gosh, I feel like I am doing the right things and then, you know, sometimes bad things happen.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, because that, that can be unclear sometimes to people. Yeah. Um, but, but really, I, I, I just, I wanna encourage people that there’s hope and that, that with the right. Tools in place, taking the time to learn how your body works, how your brain works, uh, the interventions that really move the needle and matter that, that have evidence in science behind them, uh, really with, with the right lifestyle in place.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I mean, it’s just, it, it, it, it blows my mind. I mean, when you look at, at what these interventions are able to, to help people with, um, and even just, you know, the, consider the paradigm of. How we expect to age, right? I, I think most [00:08:00] people, I mean, correct me if you have a different opinion or if you think your audience has a different opinion, but in my experience, people generally feel like, oh, well, you know, if I make it to the average age of, um, 70 something or maybe 80 something, if I get past that.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: We all expect to just kind of slowly decline and end up dependent on other assistive devices like canes and walkers and wheelchairs and, and, and lose function as we get gray hair and, and wrinkles and kind of end up with, you know, a forward hunch and lo loss of strength and muscle and, and then progress into just some slow withering away, which is a very sad situation.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And it doesn’t have to be that way. I mean, it really doesn’t. And if you can maintain your, your youthfulness and your vibrancy through all the different things that we, we talk about, like my core four, which is, you know, sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress management. I mean, they’re optimizing those things and they’re, yes.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Obviously subcategories in each of those, but, um, pretty convincing that there, there’s some great examples of people that have been able to do that and continue to do that, uh, that we can far [00:09:00] extend not just our, what’s called our, you know, our lifespan or how long we live mm-hmm. Our health span, which is how long we stay.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Well, and, and, uh, one, one more point, sorry.
Nancy Levin: No, no, please bring it, bring it, bring it.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: But back to that paradigm. I mean, if, if you look back at. I mean, hardly a hundred years ago, I mean, at, in, at the start of the, the 20th century. So, I mean, you know, 1900 ish, uh, the average human life expectancy was only about 30 years.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And we’ve over doubled that within a century. And so that’s sort of the way that we’re wired to think is this linear fashion of like, oh, well I don’t expect to live that much longer. And, you know, 1900 seems like forever ago, but in the history of the world and, and the human species, that’s, I mean, that’s not even a blink of an eye, that’s just a, just a flicker in time.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And to think how quickly we’ve come so rapidly with the, the advent of new technology and then where we’re headed. This technology continues to accelerate. It’s very difficult to predict where we’ll be in five, 10, even 20 years. I mean, like, I I, I, I have no idea where, where this will go, but, uh, I, [00:10:00] I, I’m very optimistic.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: We’re gonna see a continued expansion into, into increased health, increased productivity, increased lifespan.
Nancy Levin: I like the way that you’re talking about, uh, lifespan versus health span. First of all, and I look at, I feel incredibly blessed. My parents are 88 and 85 and they still live in the house I grew up in.
Nancy Levin: They still go up and down four flights of stairs every day, several times. They’ve each had in the past couple years, you know, they’ve each had their own Uh, little bit of cancer and, and have sailed through it. And, uh, I think I shared with you my dad had a fall, you know, which was a whole brain situation and bounced back miraculously.
Nancy Levin: And the, I really, I, without even knowing. What I’m talking about, absolutely credit. The fact that they are still living in their house, going up and down all these stairs that they do largely eat a Mediterranean diet. That they [00:11:00] are, they have. Amazing friends. They’re incredibly social. They’re very active in the community.
Nancy Levin: They’re active in the arts. You know, that they’re, they’re, they really live, my parents really live even at this stage of this stage of life or this age and that they don’t. They’re, they’re looking at it from the place of health span.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yes. First off, that’s a beautiful story, Nancy, and I love that your parents are that age and still so active and able to do the things they’re doing.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And in fact, when we look at groups of people that make it that far, I mean there’s, they’re very clear things that, that help and move the needle on keeping them there. Um, purpose being a really big one that I think we overlook. Um, I have the, an opening chapter of my book, it’s chapter one’s, find Your Why.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Mm-hmm. I tell the story of this gentleman who at the time was the oldest person I’d ever met. Um, but this 103 year old guy walked into the clinic with his then 95-year-old wife. I don’t mean like, you know, he was [00:12:00] shuffled in, in a wheelchair. This guy strolled in like you and me. I mean, just this vibrant 103 year old man.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And I’ve never seen anybody that anywhere close to that age. None. Nonetheless, no one that age, who’s the oldest guy. Right. Um, walk in and, I mean, he’s telling me, you know, I, I I golf three, four times a week. Uh, I’ve got friends on the PGA tour. My wife and I go dancing. We close down the dance hall. I mean like.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: These are active people, right. And, and triple digit numbers. So I mean, it is absolutely possible. And that was really the first time that that clicked with me. Like, huh, like, maybe, maybe there’s something to this, but, uh, but everybody, I mean, every one of my older patients, I always ask, you know, what, like, what, what’s your secret?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Sort of as a joke, but also, yeah. Just get, get something out of them. And they all, you know, I get funny answers from time to time. Sure. But, but in general, uh, they all tell me you have to wake up every day with a purpose. And so the fact that your parents have this, uh, this sense of community, you know that the people that they go enjoy life with or are active in the theater, that they’ve got something to do.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: That level of engagement and community [00:13:00] support, it’s not, this isn’t woo, it’s like pseudoscience or like anecdotal, like, I mean, this literally lowers stress. Mm-hmm. Which biologically, when you lower stress hormones, that slows down the rate of aging in your body. It lowers neuroinflammation, which lowers the risk of getting Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I mean, these, these effects all have a cascade on your, a number of health parameters in your brain and your body. Um, not to mention if you’re spending more time with people that you love and you feel safe mm-hmm. You increase your levels of oxytocin, the bonding hormone that further propagates, you know, the, the lower stress path.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So I mean it, there, there’s so much to this and there’s actually data now behind, uh, kind of what we’ve sort of known for a long time. I think as a culture and a society we veered away from. Um, and, and it’s just, it’s very sad to me to see this sort of, um, almost like Unwilling or un unwilling prescription that we’re thrown into, you know, where it’s just this high stress job and perform, perform, perform, and take the kids here and run there.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And you gotta grab fast food on the go. And that, I mean, we just mean you [00:14:00] stay up late. So you sleep in, you skip the exercise. We all accept that as normal and like it is no mystery that we all age prematurely and end up in this, this spot where we’re, you know, on the, on the decline as we said, because we’re not doing the right stuff.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And we, we operate in a very specific way. We just require certain things. And getting back to the basics is, I mean, just it, it’s so imperative.
Nancy Levin: I love this. So let’s talk about, let’s talk about getting back to the basics. So you talked about the core four, and I know that when we were in Austin, you were specifically talking about, you know, you gave us all the foundational cheat sheet.
Nancy Levin: Um, yes. So there, there are five things on the cheat sheet. So. Um, let’s see. Sleep.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yes.
Nancy Levin: Exercise. Yes. Supplementation recommendations. Yes. Yes. Stress management and mental performance and nutrition.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: You got it. Yeah. So there, I mean, I, I think I, I skipped supplements, uh, ’cause I, you know, there, there’s some mixed data on that, but I mean, yeah, the idea is that supplements are kind of a [00:15:00] subheading of nutrition, but they sort of stand alone in that, um, in, in today’s food supply.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And, and, and even, you know, for, um, something like creatine, which we can get into specifics here. Yeah. It’s really. Hard to achieve the dose of creatine that we know is beneficial for continuing to maintain lean muscle mass into age, which helps with strength, which is directly with increased longevity and, you know, uh, uh, not being at risk for, um, um, increased mortality after a hip fracture in a fall, which is mm-hmm.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Have lean, lower lean mass, they have lower bone mineral density, so on and so forth. So, um, anyway. Creatine, for example, can, can help with brain function. Yes, it can help with muscle function, and it’s really hard to get the level of creatine needed to do that through, uh, eating animal meat or red meat in particular, which is the only natural dietary source you, you’d have to eat like an an, I mean, an unsafe amount of, of red meat to do that.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, it would not even be palatable or possible without other right. Major adverse effects. So, so supplements can be helpful is the point. Um, uh, but, [00:16:00] but in either case, yes. The kind of the core four, we can, we can go any, any direction with that. Yeah,
Nancy Levin: let’s, yeah, let’s lay it out so that everyone listening can really sort of, I would say self-assess.
Nancy Levin: And also see what’s possible and, and what, what they might take on as their own sort of prescription, if you will.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Absolutely. Um, so sleep is a good place. I love to start with people because we all sleep or we should, um, and you know, the whole phrase, I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Like that just, uh, it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me because mm-hmm.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: We’re, uh, again, we’re designed to sleep. We, we have to. Yeah. I mean, and if you think about it again from an evolutionary perspective. Why in the world would the opportunity cost of losing a third of your life to an unconscious state be preserved? Not just in people, but in almost every higher order of every higher order animal, and most animals the animal kingdom have, so they, they achieve some sort of sleep and some animals sleep longer, some sleep shorter.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: But the point is, it’s that important [00:17:00] because sleep regulates so many of your body’s functions. Uh, it’s the only time that you consolidate memory, for example. So mm-hmm. You and I have this podcast for us to actually remember that we had the podcast and be able to recall that in long-term memory. We’re gonna have to get a good night’s sleep because that goes into short-term storage in a little area called your hippocampus, which is sort of the holding bay, if you will.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: But it’s not until you go to sleep that your brain actually replays the memory and ties it into long-term memories through something called neuroplasticity, where it ends up stored in your temporal lobes and your parietal lobes where you can access it and think about it and go, oh, yeah, yeah. Nancy’s great.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: We had a great podcast. Right. Sleep regulates your immune function. It’s the only time that, uh, we grow and develop when we’re adolescents. Um, uh, it’s the only time your muscles rebuild after exercise or that you actually have a, a good chance to heal when you’re fighting an infection. So, I mean, I could go on and on and on, but sleep regulates a, a majority of our bodies, symphony of, of systems that work together and it, it’s a non-negotiable.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, so consistent sleep is imperative. And by [00:18:00] consistent sleep, I mean not shifting too far in one direction or another. So, I mean, most people need somewhere between seven to eight hours ish. I mean, may, maybe seven and a half, eight, somewhere in there. Mm-hmm. Um, so le less than, I mean, say, excuse me, seven to eight hours.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: But, uh, if that shifts, you know, a few hours in one direction or another, that that can be problematic. Meaning you could be getting adequate sleep, but, but moving that around actually can be more harmful. Um, due to the interruptions in some of those systems, which a lot of people don’t think about. Um, ’cause like what does the average person do?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Like, well, we wake up to an alarm clock, go to the nine to five, Monday through Friday. Friday hits it’s happy hour. Go out for a few drinks, a few drinks, turn to more drinks, staying up late and now you’re not going to bed at maybe 10:00 PM you’re up till 2, 3, 4. You’re sleeping in the next day. Alcohol, by the way, terrible for sleep.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Architecture, not a great, uh, evening night cap to help you fall asleep. It actually ruins sleep architecture. Mm-hmm. Um, and then they do this for a day or two, and then they’re hung over tired and their sleep schedule’s all messed up. And then Monday comes, they’re exhausted. They do it all over again. So, um, [00:19:00] very common story in our culture.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Very detrimental. Not just a shortterm performance and how you feel, but also long-term health. I can keep going down, down the, if you want.
Nancy Levin: Well, you know, there’s this. I don’t know when it was. It was a few years ago. I, I, I learned about this, um, I guess this concept of, is it called, um, revenge bedtime procrastination?
Nancy Levin: Have you heard about, you know, where people talk about not getting enough time in their day? I. To themselves not getting enough alone time or me time. Okay. That that was what started creating the later bedtime creeping, you know, creeping forward is, oh, well I’m gonna take this time for myself and I’m gonna stay up till midnight.
Nancy Levin: And you know, in terms of lifestyle. You know, in my coaching work, and I’m sure in terms of good brain health and in good lung longevity practice, you have to build in the time, in the day [00:20:00] for your own needs instead of, instead of sort of resenting the fact that you don’t have enough time for yourself in the day and then pushing your bedtime and really messing with your sleep.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yes. This is one of the many areas you and I aligned just so perfectly, uh, because yes, you really have to be selfish and leave time for yourself. Yeah. Which ironically enough, is selfless in the sense that you get to go do more and be more productive. Right. You know, do more for the world, whatever that is, in whatever capacity, whether you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, employee, doesn’t matter.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, and are, and this, this fits into maybe stress management was another core pillar. Uh, so again, all and all these blend, by the way, they’re all in. So there’s not, it’s not like it’s just here and here. I mean, it all, it’s all interwoven. Yeah. Um, but yes, so your, your brain works optimally in about 90 minute intervals.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, is something, uh, called your ultradian rhythm. Um, so kind of a funny name, but in either case, much past 90 minutes of work and you really kind of need a [00:21:00] break. Um, so what I tell people is that just, hey, after 90 minutes, just push away from the screen and all the artificial lights, you know, step outside, go get some fresh air.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Maybe do some breath work, some meditation, gratitude, anything that resets you, um, could even get a quick, you know, workout in. If you have time for that. Uh, just, just hit the pause button and reclaim time for yourself. And if you do that throughout your day, I guarantee your productivity will increase and you’re not, I mean, again, you’re just, you’re, you’re, you’re probably taking the same amount of time off, but you’re gonna be far more productive because of the way that you build the time off in, if that makes sense.
Nancy Levin: A hundred percent.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And then that, that’s step one. Step two is time blocking. So leaving enough time on the calendar just for you. Yes. Doesn’t matter what that is, whether that’s time to read or journal at night. Time to go to the gym in the mornings like I do, which fits into exercise another pillar. So again, all related, um, you know, sit in the sauna, do do whatever your thing is.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I mean, go whatever, whatever makes you happy. You’ve gotta have that time and [00:22:00] protected time to just decompress and process and think, because it just, I mean this, this whole idea of just go, go, go, go, go. I mean, it’s just, it is so unhealthy again. It, it’s a performance killer in the short term and it, it’s a people killer in the long term.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I mean, it, it’s, it really is. Well,
Nancy Levin: yeah, I mean, I’m also, I’m a big, I, I put my daily hike on my calendar. It is non-negotiable. It is immovable. Yes. Uh, you know, I also, I am a big fan of the Pomodoro method and setting a timer. Uh, so the Pomodoro method technically is a 25 minute on, five minute off. Uh, but I tend to like longer and so I, I usually go 45 minutes, five minutes off, but I like, and, and then I’ll reset another one, but I like that you shared that sort of 90 minutes is maybe the max.
Nancy Levin: That we would want to create a working time block for before taking a break. Uh, I find that sort [00:23:00] of chunking out my day like that is helpful for me, um, mentally, actually
Dr. Ryan Williamson: no surprise. And, and even, uh, whether it’s Pomodora or, you know, 45, 90, take your pick. Yep. Another one I like, uh, is 20 20 20. So. Every 20 minutes look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: That’s a nice kind of quick disengaged too. That kinda helps you reset. Yeah. Uh, and also, uh, may help a little bit with, um, something called myopia, which is near nearsightedness, um, which I don’t just suffer from metaphorically, but, uh, physically where contact lenses. Yep. Yep. Um, and, and again, there’s, um, oh, anyway, I won’t go down rabbit hole, but yeah.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: In case it helps with doing that. Um. And so, okay. Exercise mean here’s if we wanna move into pillar three, or…
Nancy Levin: Yeah, let’s do it.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Because they’re, they’re all again, interrelated. Um, what does exercise do? Infinite changes in the body that that help with brain health, that help with longevity. Also, lower [00:24:00] stress exercise, especially in the morning, also helps with quality deep sleep at night, believe it or not.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So an intense bout of exercise, especially earlier in the day. Remember, sleep is part of the time when your body heals and, and, um, repairs itself from exercise. You actually get better quality sleep if you’re exercising regularly. So again, these things are all interrelated. But lower stress, uh, I mean, it, it, you know, increases performance so it boosts blood flow to the brain.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Different types of exercise in particular, which I’m happy to nerd out on this for as long as you’d like me to do it.
Nancy Levin: I want you to share about what, what I want you to, I want you to share about exercise snacks. Okay.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Alright. Well, we’ll get into those
Nancy Levin: because I, I love, I loved hearing that.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: That, that’s perhaps one of the most high yield.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Uh, I’ll, I’ll come right back to those. Yeah. But, um, exercise snacks and, and different types of high intensity exercise increase certain, uh, molecules and neurotransmitters that can actually enter the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier, which is this very selectively permeable membrane we have that protects our brain from harmful molecules, but allows others to pass.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: [00:25:00] Um, so like great team for one that we mentioned, it can actually cross the blood-brain barrier through a transporter. Um, and it can actually boost energy. Well, there are other molecules that you generate during exercise. So like lactate being one of them that can cross the blood-brain barrier, provide more fuel for your brain cells.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: You’re actually more alert and more awake. And has a downstream effect on different, um, proteins and peptides like bd, NF and other, other neurotransmitters and molecules that also help, uh, upregulate blood vessel growth and, um, what’s called synap genic or what synaptic plasticity. So the, the ability for you to form those memories and, and grow new connections and things like that.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So, um, it. Endless benefits to exercise. Mm-hmm. Yes. Um, and that can be through, again, strength training, uh, cardiovascular training, high intensity interval training, and all those take time. So if, again, for your non-negotiable morning hike for my non-negotiable early morning gym time, whatever that is, if you’ve got the time in the day, which I think most people, if they really analyze their schedule, probably could, but I recognize, hey, none that, you know, I mean, people are shuttling kids around [00:26:00] and have jobs and, uh, so I fully respect all of that.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Of course. Uh, for anyone that has that life. Uh, and I, I hear you. But I bet everybody has six minutes to their day. Right. And so this is where the exercise snacks come in. So there’s studies that show for just six minutes of your day, and it’s not even six minutes at a time there. These, these can be in as short as two minute intervals, and in fact, they’re probably harder to do after two minutes.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, but it, it’s a brief high intensity sprint mimicker, so. Think something like jumping jacks, uh, or like running in place or high knees. Um, you know, you could do air squats if you have access to the staircase like mom and dad, right? Going up and down the stairs a bunch quickly, safely, um, something like this, because obviously if you misstep, that could be problematic, especially if you’re older.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, so as safely as you can do this, but, but one to two minutes of this at a time or up to two minutes at a time, you’re gonna be outta breath. It’s gonna get your heart rate up. This does a handful of things. It, it elevates lactate, which has all the benefits we just mentioned. Elevates blood flow to the brain, which we mentioned, but it also lowers all causes of mortality.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So the risk of dying of anything by about [00:27:00] 40%, I think it’s like 38%, somewhere around there for six minutes a day.
Nancy Levin: Right. For six minutes a day. I mean, I mean, I love, I love that because that right there is the antidote to anyone who says, I have no time.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yes. There, there’s no excuse in my opinion. It, there’s literally no excuse.
Nancy Levin: Yes. There’s literally no excuse. I, I’ll often in my kitchen while I’m like, you know, something’s in the oven. I will start like doing dips between my kitchen sink and my counter, you know, throw my legs up on the counter. I know it’s not sanitary, but I live alone, so who cares? Or I’ll stand in the kitchen and start doing, you know, squats or I’ll just while something’s happening for two minutes.
Nancy Levin: I love it.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: That’s it. It is such an easy thing to build in and, and this is, you know, where it just takes just a, a, a hint of creativity to think outside the box a little bit and just break out of our routine. Mm-hmm. Um, I think, uh, I wanna say the first time I heard this concept, it was a, a Steve Jobs quote in, uh, Walter Isaacson’s biography.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Mm-hmm. Uh, Steve Jobs, but [00:28:00] Steve said something to the effect of. The older we get and the longer life goes on, the more like we get grooves in a record. Yeah. Um, the grooves get deeper and deeper and it just becomes harder to pull yourself outta that habit. And for those of you like millennials or Gen Z, listening to this, a record player was like an ancient thing that used to go in a circle where you’d put a needle on.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: That was even before my time. But I’ve seen them and heard of these things and played music. Yeah. So like grooves in a record. Yeah. Um, and so interrupting those patterns, which by the way also introduces neuroplasticity and allows your brain to stay more, uh, adaptable and more mobile mm-hmm. And younger, so to speak.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, another way that I think about this, so as an aside, and we’re bouncing around, but, uh, people that play racket sports actually, uh, or have some observational data that they actually live longer on average than people that don’t. And why might that be? Well. What do racket sports do? It, it works on strength.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: ’cause you’ve gotta be able to stand and move and sort of hop around. Uh, it works on agility, [00:29:00] which balance is important as we get older because you’re, you know, having to pivot and swing the racket, do all these things. Um, but what else does it do? Well, it, it requires more what’s called spatial processing.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So you’ve gotta track a ball. Bouncing around, whether it’s a tennis ball or a pickle ball or something like this. And your brain has to make a series of fairly complicated calculations about the speed angle trajectory. You know, force that you’ve gotta hit the ball and measure and move all these things around.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So it’s working multiple dimensions of your brain and your physical ability, and it’s social because you’re hanging out with people and doing all the, the group and the community and the purpose stuff. So. When you think about it from all those angles, it’s like, this is really interesting. I mean, this is a very dynamic kind of sport that, that people, it’s not too high impact that people can really get a good workout from.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, and, and so just getting the, the point is getting people to think about being creative with their movement. So if that’s dips, you know, while you’re waiting on the pasta to boil or, or, or whatever, right. Uh, do do whatever makes you happy and, and, and put this stuff in and, and ideally, you know, with some evidence [00:30:00] behind it, which is like, the approach I try to take is what does the studies actually show us.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, even like I’m, so, I, I don’t have a chair in my office. I stand at my desk. Same. Same, exactly. I mean, it, it, it improves your spinal posture. You burn about 50 calories more an hour that you stand than you sit. Um, there’s, there’s been a phrase floating around for probably the last five or 10 years, maybe longer.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: That sitting is the new smoking. Yeah. There’s actually data that proves that too. I mean, literally a sedentary life increases your risk. I mean, it, it can be worse for you than actually the, the mortality risk of smoking. To be clear, I’m not advocating anyone continues to smoke or if they do it, obviously it’s, everybody goes easier.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Everybody would quit. I mean, I, I get all that, but the point is, the comparison of being sedentary is that harmful and we are truly designed to move. And so as much movement as you can get in your day. Very helpful. Another step to that, um, I don’t have it in here, but I, I have a, a walking pad, just like an under desks treadmill that I use often.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, but we, anyway, we have a, my walking pads at my cabin, which is about an hour and a half north of here, [00:31:00] which is, I love, so just walk and look at the mountains and do zoom calls and stuff. But, um, so tent, just 8 8500 to 10,000 steps a day. A lot of people have heard of the 10,000 steps thing. Sure. That also lowers your all cause mortality by about 40%.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So it’s, I mean, that, that, that’s a little more time intensive, but we’re all sitting at a desk every day. So instead of that, just get a little tabletop unit for Yeah. You know, one 50 bucks, prop your computer up, get a little walking pad fired up, and you’re just working, walking, typing, whatever, doing podcasts, and you’re moving, you’re burning calories, right?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: You’re maintaining more lean mass, you’re improving your balance. You’re having to focus while you’re doing things. I mean, it’s just, they’re so good for you.
Nancy Levin: Okay, so I wanna make sure that we have touched on those core four. I believe we did. Do you wanna say anything else about stress management?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yeah.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: There, gosh, there’s, there’s so much. Um, uh, the, which, so we, we talked about relationships, we’ve talked about exercise, we talked about proper sleep, all of which mm-hmm. Build in, uh, stress reduction, right? Mm-hmm. Building, taking time for yourself. Um, so there are other things. I mean, dedicated practices [00:32:00] like, uh, meditation or breath work, those can be very helpful.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, and again, this, the, the following may take a little, um, yeah. Of an opinion from your primary doctor to make sure that it’s a safe thing to do. But, um, so what are called hormetic exposures or hermetic stressors mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Which comes from the Greek for hormesis, uh, which is sort of a, a controlled dose of something being good and beneficial.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yeah. Where it’s too much of it could be harmful. And so hot and cold exposure. The two big ones that a lot of people are familiar with and have kind of popularized Yes.
Nancy Levin: Plunge the sauna. Yes.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And between the two, and it is just my take on the data, uh, sauna exposure in, in the right dose and frequency seems to be the most impactful and beneficial for people, um, especially with respect to cardiovascular disease mortality.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Uh, that lowers that risk. But in terms of wellness, mood and lowering stress, um, I mean, massive benefits for mental health, uh, really on both fronts. Sauna, probably a little more so, but both, both can be very powerful agents to also help stress.
Nancy Levin: I love this. So my father put a sauna in the [00:33:00] basement.
Nancy Levin: Years ago, Uhhuh, he works out in the basement and then goes, takes the sauna, you know, at least three or four times a week. So I’m gonna let him know that the sauna is, the sauna is really helping him.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Your parents are doing all the right things, Nancy, and it is so good to know there. Of course, there’s luck in any of the equations here, right?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I mean, you could be the healthiest person in the world and have some unfortunate tragedy, tragedy happen, which unfortunately does happen, but. All other factors being equal. If you’re doing all these things, I mean your, your parents are a living, breathing example of exactly what we’re talking about here.
Nancy Levin: I love hearing that. Um, okay. We, we didn’t, let’s just touch on nutrition since obviously it’s one of the core four and I’d love to hear what you have to say about that. And then I’ve got a couple of other topics I wanna bring,
Dr. Ryan Williamson: please. So nutrition is very nuanced, it’s very personalized. Uh, unfortunately it’s become kind of dogmatic and sort of like cultish, like there are these like mm-hmm.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Camps, right? True. That people [00:34:00] belong to. Uh, and, and I think that’s a reflection of the data not being super clear. And I mean, I, I’ve been, well first off, physicians get abysmal training and nutrition in medical school. I think we had one class on nutrition. That was it. And go look at your average physician and, and their physical appearance.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And that’s no surprise. And I don’t mean that pejoratively whatsoever, it’s just that we’re not trained how to really take care of ourselves or what to eat and therefore aren’t the best at telling our patients or clients that, yeah. Um, so, but in general, I think some overarching principles we can all probably adhere to, uh, a whole food.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Diet as opposed to an ultra processed or, or even partially processed diet. In general, a plant-based diet seems to have better long-term health outcomes than, um, any other number of diets, like a carnivore diet, for example, or an all meat diet. Mm-hmm. And it’s not that meat is bad. There’s a lot of controversy around red meat at the moment, but it really has to do more with the lack of micronutrients and fiber, for example, that maintain a healthy gut.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Bacterial population that then [00:35:00] allow them to lower inflammation in the body, produce the right postbiotics, like short chain fatty acids and neurotransmitters and all the things that keep your brain and your body healthy. So it’s more, uh, just a different pathway. Um, so whole food, you know, plant-based Mediterranean also great lower all cause of mortality, which I think mom and dad you said are doing.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Mediterranean thing, which is basically plant-based plus some fish and stuff. Yeah, right. Uh, maybe some, a little more pasta and maybe touch of red wine. Although I debate people on the red wine thing all the time.
Nancy Levin: Um, I’m sure I’m not even, yeah. I’m not even gonna go there because it’s, yeah. It’s too,
Dr. Ryan Williamson: yeah.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: We’ll, we’ll, we’ll skip it.
Nancy Levin: Okay. That’s what, we’ll, we could do that next time.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Sure. Um, alcohol’s a neurotoxin. I’ll leave it at that, but otherwise, yeah. Anyway, we’ll, we’ll, we’ll have to make choices. That’s probably I, without really getting into it, I think that’s, yeah And being mindful of, of, um, your energy balance.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So, and this, this fits into the movement piece and everything else. Sure. When I say energy balance, most people are in an overfed or over nourished state. Yeah. And when we take in more calories than we [00:36:00] need, we end up storing extra calories as fat. Uh, which cosmetically makes people, I think, self-conscious Of course, and, and you know, worried about that kind of thing, but.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: What it does on a biological level, it, it turns on a storage pathway called mTOR. Yes. Which is the big storage pathway in the body. And without mTOR we die. ’cause you wouldn’t be able to store fat that you need for a rainy day. You wouldn’t be able to build proteins and do other things. So it’s necessary, but we all wanna balance, right?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yeah. And when that’s turned on, we are shutting down some critical longevity pathways to allow ourselves to clean themselves up over time, and this is, I, I think I mentioned this at B and B, but what, what really worries or scares me is that over time. If we don’t have a great sensor for when we’re in that state.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And so these subtle changes that build up as your heart arteries narrow or as proteins accumulate in the brain, that could lead to Alzheimer’s down the road until we cross that threshold where there’s a memory change or there’s chest pain in the heart attack, which can be fatal. We don’t really have a great way of, of feeling that.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And so [00:37:00] prevention and detection are, are imperative. And I mean, without going down imaging and the surveillance of it hole, that’s important. But uh, but maintaining that energy balance helps your cells and your body stay in a healthy place where those disease processes are not accumulating or at least substantially lowering the risk and their nuances in every direction on that, of course.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, but in general, being mindful of an energy balance. So learning how to count calories, learning what macronutrients and micronutrients are just some basic education around, uh, nutrition I think is very helpful for the average person. Um, and then even if it’s safe, um, or your, your body can tolerate it considering different types of intermittent fasting.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yeah. Or quarterly fast. Um, ’cause that really is an opportunity to help your cells kind of clean up a little bit. There’s some great data around that too. Um, I think Mindy is, I’m a fan, I’m a Yeah.
Nancy Levin: Mind. Yeah, exactly. Mindy Pelz and I’m a big, I’m a big faster.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yep. So same. I, I, I daily intermittent fast. And some people can’t do it.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I mean, they get headaches. Mm-hmm. Their, their body is, I mean, it’s, this is again, a very, when I say nuanced, I mean really this is person to person. I’m not, I’m saying there’s not a blanket rule, [00:38:00] like you must fast for 16 hours or, I mean there’s, so there are different ways about this, but in any case, um, that’s kind of.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Very, very high level, brief nutrition. No,
Nancy Levin: It’s great. Okay. I wanna talk about, I wanna talk about women’s brains because I know that there has not been as much research on the brain of a woman as there has been on the brain of a man. And I know that we’ve also said that there has, that there are not only women, but.
Nancy Levin: Other minorities or marginalized communities. And I, I’m asking specifically because I know that a large portion of my audience are, uh, you know, women in midlife and so menopause is having its moment. Menopause is a hot topic, pun intended. And, and so, uh, I’m just curious if you can shed some light. On maybe just things as women that we can, that we can pay attention to, um, that we [00:39:00] may not know about in terms of our brain health, our.
Nancy Levin: Resiliency.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yes. I, I, I couldn’t agree with you more, Nancy, that this needs to be an area of further investigation, uh, through my training and, and a lot of classical academia, there’s kind of whatever the old dead white guys have written. Right, right. Yeah. And, the same applies to study populations. So I, I, I do think that we need more expanded research in, in different areas with men versus women and, and different, uh, ethnicities, minorities, uh, et cetera.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So, I, I, I fully am on board with you there. Because it really does inform treatment outcomes. And there’s this idea of what’s called generalizability in research studies where we look at quality data and say, well, if we study a very narrow population of people. Are those results applicable to everybody else?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Um, because we all have genetic variances and differences and different habits and, and things like this. So, so it’s really, it’s really matters. One of the biggest, alarming pieces of information to me that I [00:40:00] think is also I, I’ve seen starting to circulate on social media some too in response to the attention that menopause is getting.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And rightfully so, uh, I can’t remember if it’s after age 70 or age 80, but in, in the later years of a woman’s life, as she’s older and, and postmenopausal, um. The incidence of Alzheimer’s, of new Alzheimer’s cases are almost two to one female to male. So women are twice as likely to get Alzheimer’s later in life than men, and we don’t really understand why.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And that’s a, that’s a, a gap in research currently, at least, unless they’re data that I’m unaware of, which is quite possible. Um, but I don’t, I’m not aware of any or, or an explanation as to why. My hypothesis is that it, it’s likely hormonally driven. Mm-hmm. Because after 51 or whatever the average age of onset of menopause is, of course that can be about a decade.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Either direction for women or whether they’ve had an atherectomy, hysterectomy, all of those things.
Nancy Levin: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And I’m very quickly outside, Mary, of expertise with reproductive health by the way, so, so bear with me on that one. Yeah,
Nancy Levin: no, that’s great.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: But in either case, uh, [00:41:00] postmenopausal, uh, women don’t have their natural hormonal balance.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Mm-hmm. And so this has implications with respect to bone mineral density, again, with muscle mass, with cognition, um, I mean with really every organ system in the body. Um, similar to, you know, for example, if men have low levels of testosterone, they feel fatigued and they, you know, they have. Difficulty concentrating, and they can have trouble, um, uh, producing viable sperm if they’re trying a younger couple trying to become pregnant, you know?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Mm-hmm. I mean, there, there are all these different effects, right? And so for women as part of the natural physiology of a woman where they, they lose their ability to produce estrogen and progesterone. Yeah, yeah. As they’re postmenopausal, they’re, there’s some serious, uh, effects that, that, that take place in the absence of their reproductive hormones.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And so it begs the question. Should every woman or should most women be on some sort of hormone replacement therapy. And there, there’s a lot of debate in that field.
Nancy Levin: I know it.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And, uh, without getting into the weeds there, um, I mean there was a, a big study [00:42:00] called the Women’s Health Initiative, excuse me, that I think really, um, uh, unfortunately didn’t do a great job of, uh, in, in my opinion, of.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Summarizing the benefits of, of, of long-term hormone replacement therapy and cited some adverse events like blood clots and, you know, like pulmonary emboli in the lungs, or maybe strokes or something like this. And, uh, there’s a lot more nuance to it than that. And I, I, I certainly hope that that’s more clear for people moving forward and, and whether or not that’s a, the right choice for somebody.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Uh, but certainly a conversation worth having with, with a, an ob GYN or a primary care doctor. Yeah. And, and my, my guess is that down the road we’re, we’re gonna see, you know, an upregulation and. Maintaining that hormonal balance longer for women. ’cause it, I think it, probably would help.
Nancy Levin: I, I hope so too.
Nancy Levin: And then the last thing I just sort of wanna close on is, you know, everything that you’ve been sharing and even in you bringing in, you know, the Core four and lifestyle and that we all have choices. Can you, can you just share a little bit [00:43:00] for someone who thinks, you know. I’m stuck. I’m forever stuck.
Nancy Levin: Something about whether it’s neuroplastic, neuroplasticity, you got it? Yes. Or yeah, in terms of, you know, what it takes to change, like the neuroscience behind making a change.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So there, there are some physiologic ways that we can all do this and increasing. Effort, emotion, and attention behind a given task.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So IE becoming motivated to do something, uh, provides the, uh, the drive, so to speak, or the effort to, to be able to go make a change. And then once you, uh, engage in a repetitive behavior, as we say, neurons, that that fire together, wire together, wire together, the more you engage in a behavior, the more accessible that thing becomes.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: So imagine a tennis player, they don’t get better at their serve, um, you know, unless they practice the serve. And they’re actually motor circuits that become reinforced to do this over and over. And that’s with any behavior, any thought. Our learning [00:44:00] potential is effectively in, uh, it’s infinite for life, but our motivation is, I.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Much more powerful when we’re in our certainly childhood years and up into our early and mid twenties before our frontal lobes fully developed. So we need the capacity for more attention after this. And so if we’re in our middle or later years or adult years, how do we, how do we do that? Uh, one of my biggest, biggest, um, wins for people or, or thoughts to share is around finding your purpose and your why.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And, and that this gets back to mom and dad and everybody that’s, that’s had a, you know, lived a healthy life for as long as they can. My view, and I think there’s science that supports this because people that in fact have a purpose tend to live longer On average, if you find what’s important to you and you, you can hone in on that thing, on, on your why and your drive, right, and have that in top of mind every day, every, every decision you make throughout your entire day and your entire life either gets you closer to that goal or it gets you further away from that.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And so if you wake up for your morning hike and you go, [00:45:00] I’ve gotta go have a podcast with Ryan today. I’m writing another chapter in a new book. I’ve got however many meetings or whatever you’re doing in your day. That physical and mental energy is going to better serve you and your body as a vessel to go do more of those things.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: And that applies in every direction. I mean, better sleep, better performance, you know, better nutrition. I feel better. I live longer. I get to go do more. So I mean, all of these integrate, but that, that, that really is the glue that unifies it all for me. And something I really, I probably should have started.
Nancy Levin: No, this is. No, this is great. I’m already telling you that I’m having you back because I really wanna do a deep dive on the neuroscience of making changes. Behind transformation. Yes. You know, for anyone who thinks like I’m too old or I’m too this, or I’m too that to make a change.
Nancy Levin: So I’m, I’m, I’m telling you right now, I’m having you back.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: I, I would love to come back. Good. And by the way to, to your point, the science would argue that you are never too old for, for any, for any kind of change. Period.
Nancy Levin: I love, I love hearing that. And I also loved, you know, [00:46:00] I really will say that it, you know, again, we have, we’ve already known this, but it even, it even firms up the way in which I see such an intersection in the work we do.
Nancy Levin: We just come at it from very different angles. But even the last piece you said about, you know, I always say every choice we make either serves our vision or sabotages it. You just said the same thing in different words, and it’s, it’s, it’s real. Yes. And so, yeah, and so there’s so much here. Uh, I I really, I just, I just adore you.
Nancy Levin: I, I love, I love this conversation. I am, I, I’ve learned so much when I, when I talk to you and for everyone listening. Where is the best place to find you?
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Yes, uh, so transcend health group.com and I’m great. If you don’t have that in writing, I’ll provide it. Um, transcend can be tricky to spell. Um, or our Instagram is at Transcend Health Group.
Dr. Ryan Williamson: Great. And then my personal, which is also public, [00:47:00] is Dr. Of Dr. Dot Ryan Williamson. You, you can find me. All those places.
Nancy Levin: Perfect. Ryan, what a pleasure. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for sharing your, uh, your brilliance, your expertise with us. And like I said, I’m gonna have you back. So, uh, for everyone listening, I’ll see you again next week.
Nancy Levin: Thanks so much for joining me today. I invite you to head on over to nancy levin.com to check out my books. Resources and ways for us to work together to help you create your most fulfilling life. If you’ve been impacted by this episode, please share it with someone who needs it, and please remember to subscribe for weekly episodes and leave a review.
Nancy Levin: Bye for now.