How Not to Die from Something Stupid (Like Skiing)
I hate skiing. Hate it.
It’s not the cold. It’s not even the falling (which, statistically speaking, I do more than actual skiing).
It’s the constant realization that at any moment, one wrong move could turn me into a human yard sale on the side of a mountain.
So why? Why did I do it?
Why did I fly to Park City, Utah, just to play crash test dummy while actual toddlers—fresh out of nap time—shredded past me like they had endorsement deals?
Because I know my brain, like my body, will rot if I don’t push it.
If I don’t try new things. If I don’t force myself into uncomfortable situations.
And, according to my friend Peter Diamandis, that’s the key to living forever.
I just had Peter on my podcast to talk about his new book, Longevity Guidebook: How to Slow, Stop, and Reverse Aging — and NOT Die from Something Stupid.
The big question is simple: How do we live longer and better?
His answer? It all starts in your mind.
It’s Not Woo-Woo, It’s Science
Peter has 13-year-old twin boys.
He had kids at 50. That means he has to think young, because he wants to see his grandkids.
That’s a big part of why he’s obsessed with longevity.
Of course, he’s not just talking about extending life span—he’s talking about extending health span.
The number of years you’re actually sharp, active, thriving.
(Nobody wants to live to 150 if they spend the last 50 years in a hospital bed.)
Peter told me about a study: 69,000 women, 1,500 men, all tracked over decades.
And the key finding? If you’re an optimist, you live 15% longer.
Not because the universe rewards positive thinking with bonus years (though, hey, maybe)—but because your mind directly influences your health.
When you think you have a future, your body fights to make that future happen. If you think you’re old, frail, and done?
Your body listens.
How many things have you stopped doing just because you assume you’re too old? Start doing those things again. Your life might depend on it.
(Except if they’re stupid.)
Here’s where the conversation got crazy.
The Three Step Blueprint
Peter believes we’re on the verge of what he calls a “Healthspan Revolution.”
He tells me about a concept called Longevity Escape Velocity—the moment when for every year you live, science extends your life by more than a year.
Meaning? If you can hold on long enough, you might be able to hold on forever.
I tell him: That sounds great, but what can we do right now?
He broke it down into three things:
- The Obvious Stuff – Don’t smoke. Sleep 8 hours. Cut sugar. Exercise. Have a purpose. (Which, by the way, is the hardest part for most people.) Somehow, “don’t ski” didn’t make the list.
- The Not-So-Obvious Stuff – Advanced testing. Turns out, most people walking around think they’re healthy but have no clue what’s happening inside their bodies. Peter’s company, Fountain Life, scans you for hidden diseases before they become problems. And guess what? 2% of the people they test have cancer they didn’t know about. 2.5% have an aneurysm. 14.4% have something serious going on.
- The Future Stuff – AI-driven health diagnostics. Gene therapies. Longevity drugs. Stuff that sounds like sci-fi but is happening right now in trials. One company, Immunis, is reversing immune age by 30 years in test patients.
You’re probably doing things you know are bad.
Stop.
But you’re probably doing things you think are good that might not be.
For example, I told Peter I’ve been taking NMN for years because David Sinclair talked it up on my podcast.
I have no idea if it works.
Peter says, Test it.
He’s got 85 supplements he takes and actually measures the results.
And this is what I like about Peter—he’s not just running on hope, he’s taking a scientific approach to it.
Will This Work for Us?
Then I asked him the real question: Peter, will all this cool longevity tech actually help us, or is it only going to be for young people?
His answer?
We’re the guinea pigs.
This is happening right now. Not in 50 years.
If you’re in your 30s, 40s, 50s, even 60s—this is your shot. You just have to make it long enough to catch the wave.
That’s what Peter’s betting on. And honestly? I think I am too.
So, want to know exactly what he’s doing? What supplements, what tests, what routines he swears by?
It’s all in there.
And in the meantime, go do something you’re bad at. Something that makes you feel alive.
Even if it’s skiing.
