Discover the Incredible Possibilities of a Life After Your 30s and 50s with Steven Kotler

‘Oh, I should no longer be doing something like that.’ Does this sound familiar? 

Most of us believe there are some things we can no longer do once we hit a certain age. We often hide behind the guise of taking care of ourselves. But this mindset is a limit to our growth and capabilities. 

Did you know that our brains function differently, and better, after our 50s? Yet, we don’t often see people suddenly unlocking this new level of intelligence. Instead, they’re tied down to the belief that they simply can’t. 

In today's episode, Steven Kotler joins us to share his latest book, Gnar Country. He also talks about his journey of learning park skiing at the age of 55! He shares that ageism is a widespread belief that we need to stop. Not only does it kill our elderly, it severely limits what we do in the latter half of our life. He shares how to overcome ageism and be excited about the years to come. 

Do you limit yourself to a self-imposed belief about age? If so, this episode will inspire you to see life differently!  

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

  1. Discover how ageism is killing us, yet it’s still a widely accepted belief. 

  2. Understand how our body functions and what happens as we get older. 

  3. Learn how to achieve peak performance aging. 

Resources

    Episode Highlights

    [0:18] How People Often View Aging

    • Most people believe in the traditional theory of aging. We believe our physical and mental skills decline over time. 

    • We now realize this decline typically happens when people stop using skills 

    • Some become more risk-averse as they grow older. This is the impact of an old mindset around aging.

    • A positive mindset around aging can impact your health and longevity. 

    • You need to keep challenging yourself to achieve peak performance.  

    [05:37] “A positive mindset towards aging…is…I am thrilled with what's possible in the second half of my life and I think my best days are ahead of me. And [the] result is an extra seven and a half years of health and longevity.” - Click Here to Tweet

    [7:17] Peak Performance Aging and Steven’s Latest Book

    • Flow is a major engine of adult development. 

    • Steven found out that peak performance aging allows older adults to progress in seemingly impossible things. 

    • Gnar Country, Steven’s latest book, is about peak performance aging. 

    • He shares it’s a difficult topic to write about. 

    [12:04] How Ageism Affects Us 

    • Ageism is a widely accepted stereotype. But it’s been shown to affect and kill our elderly. 

    • Age-friendly societies and cultures have cross-generational friendships at their core.

    • V02 max is the maximum amount of oxygen a person can utilize when exercising. For many years, people believed it is an indicator of age.  

    • V02 max tends to decline by the age of 25. But elderly people can have a V02 max typical to 35 or even 25-year-olds. 

    • Our physical capabilities can decline with age. But we can also compensate them with proper training. 

    [17:30] How Our Brain Changes 

    • Our brain changes through genetics, genes that turn on through experience, and age. 

    • The two hemispheres of the brain function in opposition until your 50s. After that, they work together and boost cooperation until your 80s. 

    • Brains in their 50s begin to use underutilized brain regions. This leads to whole new levels of intelligence. 

    • Remember, we tend to unlock new capabilities as we age. Often, it’s fear that’s stopping us. 

    [20:52] How People Grow 

    • From birth to our 20s, we are in the seeking phase of finding our place in the world. Our neurochemical systems are built on dopamine and norepinephrine.  

    • Once we find the right things, we develop safety and security chemicals. 

    • Elderly people commonly grow dependent on the wrong chemicals. Peak performance requires a seeking system.

    [22:38] “Old people are addicted to the wrong drugs. Peak performance aging demands the seeking system and the place system alongside these other systems. You have to ignite all of them.”  - Click Here to Tweet

    [23:30] Change How You View Aging

    • Steven shares his experience with learning park skiing. 

    • Your body is stronger than you think, no matter what your age is.

    • The pandemic created a narrative of how weak people are. Yet, Steven started to learn park skiing right after getting COVID-19.  

    • Everyone will go through pain and more limited capabilities as we age. The turning point is whether you decide to do nothing or something about it. 

    • Steven recommends fixing old injuries before doing hard training. 

    [33:15] How to Achieve Peak Performance

    • Peak performance aging requires you to take on challenging activities. These things include dynamics and deliberate practice in novel environments.  

    • Dynamics are the five categories of functional fitness. It includes strength, stamina, balance, flexibility, and agility.

    • Deliberate practice is repetition and incremental improvement.

    • Novel outdoor environments help improve memory.

    • Just start. You can go forward inch by inch.

    [34:30] “Peak performance aging in a sentence…what you need to do is engage in challenging creative and social activities that demand dynamic, deliberate play…and take place in novel outdoor environments.” - Click Here to Tweet

    [38:52] “You look and you see…oh my god that looks like a giant cliff. And I'm like no, this was literally just an inch more from what I did the day before.” - Click Here to Tweet

    [39:03] About Steven’s Experiment 

    • Steven taught older adults from 29 to 68 how to park ski. 

    • The experiment follows a follow-the-leader protocol. 

    • The protocol helps people see the different developments deliberate practice can make. 

    [43:01] “You can't suck if you're trying to be great. You can only suck if you've set down shame and set down embarrassment and just having fun playing. Because if you're trying really hard all the time, and it sucks, that's a really unpleasant experience…[and] you're not learning.”  - Click Here to Tweet

    [45:43] Don’t Be Shackled by Ageism

    • Steven recommends everyone start living by example. What happens if you give up on pushing yourself because of age? You’re condemning younger people to a similar life. 

    • The mindset of ageism can kill you earlier.

    [52:49] How Steven Feels Radically Loved

    • Steven shares how his year has been difficult and a disaster lately. But he has also felt a display of love everywhere.

    About Steven

    Steven Kotler is one of the leading experts in the study of human performance. He is also the Executive Director of Flow Research Collective. Steven has written several New York Times-bestselling books — 11 and counting. In addition, he was nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes for his journalistic work

    Steven is the co-founder of the Rancho de Chihuahua dog sanctuary. Finally, he is a co-host of the top-rated iTunes podcast Flow Research Collective Radio. If you want to connect with Steven, visit his website or LinkedIn.

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    To feeling radically loved,

    Rosie

    Rosie AcostaLatinx, teacher, Latin Meditation Teacher, Spanish Speaking Meditation Teacher, Hispanic Meditation Teacher