Suzi Grant - fashion, fasting and fun for positive aging

Episode 69: Live Long and Master Aging

Suzi Grant personifies the art of growing old with purpose and a huge sense of fun. At 68 she is an Instagram star, a successful blogger and poster girl for healthy aging. A formerly hard-drinking, chain-smoking radio and TV journalist, Suzi traded her unhealthy habits for an alternative way of living, following the sudden death of her mother, at the age of 63. 

It was a wake-up call that saw Suzi reinvent herself, through education and lifestyle changes. She embarked on a successful, second career as a nutritionist and became a role model for older women. Suzi, based in Brighton in the UK, blogs at Alternative Ageing and is the author of several books, including Alternative Aging: The Natural Way to Hold Back the Years. 

In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, she explains the inspiration behind her new career; her passion for taking part in Instagram Lives and creating YouTube videos; how she believes her memory has improved through regular blogging, and the lifestyle secrets behind living each day with vigor and vitality. Suzi and Peter also share stories about their shared love of broadcasting, fasting, exercise and purposeful aging.

Joe de Sena - changing and enhancing lives the Spartan way

Episode 68: Live Long and Master Aging

Spartan Races have become a worldwide phenomenon. Weekend warriors and elite, endurance athletes go into battle on military-style obstacle courses, mostly just for the fun of it. The Spartan Race is the brainchild of Joe De Sena, a former Wall Street trader who was so bothered by his sedentary lifestyle, that he gave up his lucrative career to spend more time outside. He quickly became addicted to adventure, and activity that worked his body to exhaustion. An entrepreneur from an early age, Joe made good money from his desk job, but he always yearned for a life of physical challenges. After competing in ironman triathlons and other ultra endurance events he created the Death Race followed by the Spartan Race, an event that is more accessible to the masses. After a difficult start, the race has grown into a global challenge, across 40 counties, with millions taking part every year. Joe is the author of Spartan Up!: A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life- and he hosts the Spartan Up podcast.  In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Joe explains why he believes humans need to sweat and challenge themselves. He also discusses the mental and physical benefits of enduring a reasonable amount of pain, and why it's so important to step outside of your comfort zone.

Lara Briden - periods, pills and health span

Monthly menstrual cycles provide hormones a woman’s body needs regularly to stay healthy and keep her immune system strong. But what happens when that process is interrupted? Scientist, author and naturopathic doctor, Lara Briden believes hormonal birth control can have tremendous effects on the body's longterm health and ability regularly to produce hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Halting the body's natural monthly menstrual cycle with hormones is akin to castration, Lara believes. In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, Lara, author of Period Repair Manual, describes what happens to a woman's body when she is taking hormonal birth control pills, and what this could mean for immune and brain health later in life. She also discusses birth control alternatives, and what she does to keep her body's sleep cycle on track and lead a healthy life.

Daniel Amen - screening the brain to optimize health and longevity

Episode 66: Live Long and Master Aging

Dr. Daniel Amen is a polarizing figure. He is hugely popular, with a string of successful clinics, books and TV shows – but derided by some of his professional peers. The founder of mental and physical health centers, Amen Clinics, believes traditional psychiatry is missing an important component. Dr. Amen says many psychiatrists overlook an extremely important tool of thorough brain analysis. A double board-certified psychiatrist and clinical neuroscientist, he uses single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scans – which measure brain activity – to address issues like depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder. In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, Dr. Amen explains his idea of a brain-healthy lifestyle – and why it is key pillar in the quest for a long health span. He also answers critics who have suggested that his methods lack scientific validity.