TheBucket

Since I was a child, I’ve always loved physical exercise. You could say I’m addicted to it. Sports, gym sessions, running, soccer, afl, surfing….it’s been a part of my daily routine for decades. Through my youth and well into my 40s, I believed that being active equaled being healthy. After all, I exercised every day, felt fit, and stayed in good shape. But everything changed when I got a few basic blood biomarkers tested.

To my surprise, some of the results were off……. I had elevated cholesterol and not ideal health with my liver. Up until then, I believed I could eat and drink whatever I wanted, skimp on sleep, and rely on excessive exercise to keep me healthy. I couldn’t have been more wrong!!!!

It was a wake-up call: health isn’t just about how you look or how much you move. That moment opened a door to a deeper exploration of what it truly means to be healthy.

I discovered Dr. Peter Attia through a Tim Ferriss podcast and soon after, I listened and then read his book Outlive. That book profoundly shifted my perspective. I subscribed to his membership content, and over time, I became a full believer in what he calls Medicine 3.0.

From Medicine 2.0 to 3.0: A Paradigm Shift

Peter describes Medicine 2.0 as the current reactive, disease-focused model of healthcare. It excels at trauma care and fighting infections but falls short with chronic diseases. It tends to wait until symptoms appear or disease is advanced before taking action. This approach often results in a prolonged period of decline and illness later in life.

Medicine 3.0, on the other hand, is a proactive, preventative, and highly personalised approach to health. It focuses on optimising long-term vitality and delaying the onset of chronic disease through data-driven strategies. Medicine 3.0 doesn’t just aim to treat sickness…….it aims to prevent it entirely, often decades before traditional medicine would even notice a problem.

Medicine 3.0 is Peter’s vision for the future of healthcare……..a system that prioritises:

• Proactive, preventative care
• Personalised treatment based on genetics, biomarkers, and lifestyle
• Long-term optimisation of body and mind
• Focus on risk reduction before symptoms arise

This is not anti-medicine…….it’s better medicine. Where Medicine 2.0 waits for disease to appear, Medicine 3.0 works to delay or prevent disease altogether, often by decades.

“The goal isn’t to avoid death entirely – it’s to delay the decay that often comes with aging.”

— Peter Attia

This model leverages modern tools like continuous glucose monitors, genetic testing, advanced bloodwork, and wearable trackers. It is tailored to the individual and grounded in early intervention. Peter often describes it as the difference between “fighting fires” and “fireproofing the house.”

What’s Wrong with Medicine 2.0?

Peter is quick to credit modern medicine for its lifesaving advances in trauma and infectious disease. But when it comes to chronic illness…..the major killers of the modern world, it falls short.

Problems with Medicine 2.0 include:

• Reactive care: Treating illness after symptoms appear
• Generic protocols: One-size-fits-all guidelines that ignore personal risk
• Short-term focus: Managing symptoms instead of preventing root causes
• Survival over quality: Keeping people alive but often in poor health

Peter describes the typical path as a “slow death” ……….a prolonged decline riddled with doctor visits, medications, hospitalisations, and diminishing independence.

Lifespan vs. Healthspan

One of the most powerful ideas Peter introduced me to is the difference between lifespan and healthspan. Lifespan is simply how long you live. Healthspan is how long you live well.

For most people, the last 20-30 years of life are marked by physical decline, loss of independence, and cognitive deterioration. Medicine 3.0 aims to compress morbidity…….to delay the onset of decline as much as possible so that you “die young as late as possible.”

The Four Horsemen: Our Real Killers

Through Peter’s work, I learned about the “Four Horsemen” — the chronic diseases responsible for the majority of deaths and suffering:

1. Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease – heart attacks, strokes, and other events caused by plaque buildup in the arteries.
2. Cancer – particularly those linked to metabolic dysfunction such as breast, colon, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.
3. Neurodegenerative Diseases – like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which affect cognitive and motor function.
4. Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome – which underlie and contribute to the other three.

Peter’s point is sobering: these aren’t random afflictions that just show up with age. They’re largely preventable with the right long-term strategies. But you have to start years ……..sometimes decades before symptoms appear. That’s the core ethos of Medicine 3.0.

My Longevity Toolkit: Inspired by Attia

Now, I manage my health around five core pillars inspired by Peter Attia’s framework:

1. Exercise: Still the centerpiece, but now strategically includes strength training to preserve muscle mass, zone 2 aerobic training for mitochondrial health, and VO2 max intervals to maintain cardiorespiratory fitness. Peter considers exercise the most potent longevity drug we have and VO2 max the most important metric to measure your physical health.
2. Nutrition: No longer about weight or fads, but about blood sugar stability, inflammation control, and metabolic flexibility. Peter advocates tailoring nutrition to each individual. Its not necessary about diets or fasting but engaging in a well balanced diet of foods that is sustainable to follow over the long run.
3. Sleep: Once an afterthought, now a priority. Good sleep is non-negotiable. Sleep affects hormone regulation, brain function, immune health, and recovery. Peter encourages sleep hygiene, monitoring (e.g., Oura ring), and sometimes medical interventions for apnea. I’ve also read the book “Why We Sleep” by Matt Walker and have developed a new appreciation for 7 to 8 hours sleep per night.
4. Emotional Health: I’m more conscious of stress, relationships, and mental fitness than ever before. Peter talks openly about the toll that unprocessed trauma, stress, and emotional suppression can take on long-term health. In particular he talks about his own struggles with mental health and what he had to do to get control of them.
5. Exogenous Molecules: This includes supplements and medications, but not in a blanket fashion. Instead, they’re used when warranted by risk profile. Statins, metformin, rapamycin, and targeted hormone therapies can all be part of a long-term strategy if the data supports it.

Living Better, Not Just Longer

Peter Attia’s work helped me realise that being healthy isn’t just about what you do…….it’s about how well you understand your body, how early you start taking action, and how committed you are to improving every aspect of your health.

Medicine 3.0 isn’t a quick fix. It’s a lifelong project. But for me, it’s been transformational. I’m no longer just chasing performance. I’m building a future of vitality, clarity, and purpose.