Are you aging faster than you should be?

I’m Brandon Wilson. I am constantly working toward improving my mind, body, and spirit using various ancient techniques and cutting-edge biohacking tools and devices. I want to be healthy, but not at the expense of being happy. This simple idea is what it means to be wellthy.

First time reading? Let’s get you in the club.

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Isn’t it funny when you ask kids how old they are, they always want to round up? “I’m almost 13!” They can’t wait to get older. And older adults want to round down as much as possible. “I’m just over 40.” “I’m 55 years YOUNG!” I started to feel old when I began to see doctors, chiropractors, and dentists who were younger than I was.

People say you’re only as old as you feel; there is some truth to that. There’s also a difference between your chronological age (based on date of birth) and your biological age, which measures how well your body functions at a cellular level. Your biological age will tell you whether you are aging faster or slower than individuals of the same chronological age/sex. There are several tests available that provide an estimate of your biological age.

Tests to Measure Biological Age

• Thorne Biological Age Health Panel - $95 - Lab blood test

• TallyAge Test Kit - $249 - At-home saliva test

• Elysium Health Index - $299 - At-home saliva test

• myDNAge Test - $299 - At-home blood test

• Viome Full Body Intelligence Test - $299 - At-home stool, blood, saliva test

• GlycanAge Test - $348 - At-home blood test

• Novos Complete Biological Age Test - $349 - At-home blood test

• TruAge Test from TruDiagnostic - $499 - At-home blood test

With all these different choices, you might be scratching your head deciding which one to pick. Of all the tests above, I would probably pick Viome because you get the most bang for your buck (even though you must procure a stool sample 💩). I like quick and easy, so here’s a free online test that will estimate your biological age.

While genetics play a role, environment and lifestyle play much more of a role in how one ages. Here are the most critical lifestyle factors that affect the speed of aging.

• Education level

• Smoking

• Alcohol consumption

• Excess weight/body shape

• Sleep quality

• Physical activity level/strength training

• Hydration

• Diet preference

• Blood pressure

• Frequency of health/dental check-ups

• Relationship status

• Number of close friends

• Job satisfaction

• Stress/anxiety level

I have written previously about how stress affects the nervous system. In a previous newsletter, I wrote about my experience using the BrainTap headset for meditation. The clinical side of the business utilizes a device called NeuralChek, a non-invasive test using wrist clips to measure heart rate variability (HRV) and electrical signals to provide clinical-grade data. HRV is the measure of time between heartbeats, and lower HRV is correlated with increased mortality.¹ Typically, credentialed healthcare practitioners would use this device, but I was able to purchase one in April. They’re just like Costco—they’ll let anyone in as long as you pay!

Along with many other data points, the NeuralChek scan reports biological age. Scientists took a population of 10,000 healthy people of different ages with various health conditions and plotted this information on a bell-shaped curve according to their age and where the optimum would be for that age.

I recently performed a scan for Kristie Chapman, an elite leader with LifeWave. With her permission, I am sharing her testimonial.

Kristie set a high bar for what’s possible when you prioritize your health and leverage technology to optimize your biology.

You might be wondering about my biological age. Unfortunately, my history of type 2 diabetes has put me in a hole that I’ve been digging out of. Nevertheless, I’m happy to share that my biological age has improved.

My biological age data from NeuralChek scans on 10/5/24 and 11/23/24.

So, what magic occurred between these two tests to reduce my biological age by seven years? I started wearing the X39 patch on 10/15/24. If you missed my newsletter about the fantastic light therapy technology from LifeWave, I encourage you to read it. You can also learn more at this website. Please get in touch with me at bewellthybrandon@pm.me if you have any questions.

I am officially hanging out my shingle to offer NeuralChek scans to help people understand how stress impacts their nervous system, brain function, and biological age. If you’re in the Phoenix, AZ, area, I would happily schedule a time to perform this scan for you. You might be surprised by your results, which may confirm whether you’re on the right path or might consider making changes toward a long and fulfilled life.

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The Daily Habit is where I share my habits related to the fundamentals: sleep, diet, physical activity, mindfulness, and stress management.

Mindful breathing is a powerful way to reset your nervous system. Practice deep breathing every hour you remember and at least five minutes a day. Take nice big inhales through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Here are specific breathing methods for stress reduction.

1. Box breathing: Navy SEALs use this technique to quiet the mind during periods of stress. Close your mouth and slowly inhale through your nose for four seconds. Hold your breath for four seconds. Exhale through your mouth for four seconds, then hold the exhalation for another four seconds. Repeat this technique for a few cycles to reach a relaxed state.

2. 4–7–8 breathing — I first heard about this method from Dr. Andrew Weil, who believes that this technique helps you get to sleep, reduces anxiety, helps to manage cravings, and helps to control or reduce anger responses. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue behind your upper front teeth. Quietly inhale through the nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, then exhale audibly through your mouth, making a whooshing sound for eight seconds. Repeat the cycle at least three more times for a total of four breaths. Exhalation should take twice as long as inhalation. The ratio of 4:7:8 is important, but the absolute time you spend on each phase is not.

3. Alternate-nostril breathing — This technique is practiced as part of Kundalini Yoga and is particularly effective at stress reduction. Press your thumb on your right nostril and gently breathe out through your left nostril. Next, gently breathe in through the left nostril, then press the left nostril closed with a different finger, remove your thumb from the right nostril, and breathe out through the right nostril. Breathe in through the right nostril, then close it off and breathe out through the left nostril. Repeat this technique of breathing out and then in from one nostril at a time at least three more times.

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Refer Subscribers, Earn Perks!

With the new referral program, you can earn perks like a complimentary Club Membership and other goodies by unlocking three tiers:

• Get a 1-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club for 3 referrals.

• Get a 3-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club and receive a book from my personal library for 6 referrals.

• Get a 6-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club and a goodie bag prize for 15 referrals.

By the way, if you’re already a Club Member, the free months will be added to the end of your subscription. You'll get credit for new subscribers (free or paid) when you use the referral link below or the “Share” button on any post. Send the link in a text or email, or share it on social media with friends.

While signed into your Substack account, you can visit the leaderboard that shows you how many referrals you have.

To learn more about the referral program, check out Substack’s FAQ.

Thank you for helping get the word out about Be Wellthy!

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Last week’s answer

Be Wellthy Club entrants: Renata B., Scott L., Ariel E., Scott S.

Raffle prizes are for Be Wellthy Club Members only. Club members can email bewellthy@substack.com with the correct answer to each week’s brain training and be entered into a monthly raffle to win one of two prize packages every month. I do respond to every email.

This week:

Rearrange the letters of each word provided to reveal a pair of opposite words.

1. Aft/Hint

2. Rifts/Salt

3. Pats/Serpent

4. Peed/Hallows

5. Malls/Glare

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Two years ago, I wrote about the origin of my obsession with brain training after watching my father experience cognitive decline. There is no wheelchair or transplant for the brain. Take care of the one you have.

Keep your loved ones informed with the most up-to-date information about wellness by sharing this newsletter.

1. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1430458/full