Starting a fitness journey is one of the most challenging things we can do.  There are obstacles, excuses and setbacks that many find overwhelming.  Shebah Carfagna, a single mother of an autistic child, knew she had to be strong to confront the challenges she faced – not only for the sake of her son, but her own wellbeing. Pre-dawn workouts and a lifetime of learning led to a career in fitness, with movement at its core. The co-founder of Ageless Workout, a Miami-based health and wellness company, Shebah now empowers others to live their best lives.

Choosing the most appropriate supplementation for optimum health and longevity can be a perplexing process.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which is important to maintain the immune system and cellular health. It is found in many foods but do our diets provide enough for our needs?  

Dr. Barrie Tan is a leading expert on vitamin E.  A biochemist, he is the President of American River Nutrition, a natural health research and development company, located in Hadley, Massachusetts, and a longtime researcher into the health benefits from a form of the vitamin called tocotrienol.

The search for the Fountain of Youth has intrigued and challenged scientists for centuries. Now, longevity is a buzzword – a multi-billion dollar industry with myriad interventions that could help us live longer and better. But are we any closer to fully understanding what it takes to extend healthy lifespan or healthspan?

Nicklas Brendborg is a biotechnology researcher and the author of Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity. The Copenhagen-based PhD student explores, with a critical eye, some of the fundamental questions related to aging science and mankind’s quest to push the boundaries of healthy living. In this LLAMA podcast, with Peter Bowes, Nicklas explains how some animals have already achieved immortality and why the mechanisms behind aging continue to challenge researchers. 

In this podcast Professor Alejandro Ocampo, who coordinates remarkable research projects to develop next generation anti-aging therapies based on cellular reprogramming, and Dr Alban Longchamp Head of Vascular Surgery Department at CHUV explore and get answers on aging research and anti-aging therapies both from a science and a medical point of view.

The art of controlled breathing is a powerful tool in the quest to live a longer, healthier life. There is evidence that breath work can help us improve sleep, control physical and mental stress, boost our metabolism and fuel the immune system. Phil Simha is the resident breathing coach at Clinique La Prairie (CLP), the Swiss medical spa that specializes in treatments that nurture our longevity. An experienced free diving instructor and teacher of yoga and pranayama (the practice of breath regulation), Phil believes slower breathing can help us live better while nurturing our healthspan. I met Phil in his studio at CLP to learn more about his passion for improving peoples’ health; his love of life and the planet and the free spirit that propels his journey of discovery around the world.

Dr. Alka Patel is a London-based General Practitioner who believes that it is possible to live for well over a century, with targeted self-care and “compassionate lifestyle changes.” In this interview Dr. Patel shares her wisdom and enthusiasm for healthy aging interventions – some of which are based on her own struggles with stress and burnout.

What is the most important thing in your life?  

For most of us the answer is a no-brainer.  Our health and the wellbeing of our loved ones come first.  It is a philosophy that Simone Gibertoni carries with him every day, in his role running Clinique La Prairie (CLP) in Montreux, Switzerland.  The medical spa has been nurturing the longevity of its clients and patients for more than ninety years, with science-based interventions to extend healthspan.  

This podcast is produced in association with CLP, with whom this podcast shares a common goal of helping people live longer, better lives. 

LLAMA host Peter Bowes recently visited the clinic to learn more about its methods, and the mission of its CEO to promote healthy living opportunities around the world. 

How often have you heard an older person refer to themselves as being so many "years young?" What about those who blame a "senior moment" for the occasional memory lapse?  These are examples of what the writer Priscilla Long describes as "toxic ageism." Oftentimes, she argues, ageist attitudes are perpetuated by the very people who're thriving in old age, but for some reason, view being old as a state of mind or body to be disavowed. Priscilla is a prolific and award-winning author of science, poetry and creative nonfiction. At the age of 79, her latest work, Dancing with the Muse in Old Age, focuses on what she calls "creative engagement" and "purposeful lifestyle traits" as a road map for the aging process.  In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, the Seattle-based author argues that ageism "poisons creativity" and explains why society should stop thinking of older people as "decrepit".

Nate Wilkins is enjoying a remarkable journey through life.  The 68-year-old functional aging specialist is the co-founder of Ageless Workout, a Miami-based health, healing and wellness company that seeks to bridge the gap between fitness and medicine.  The goal is to help people of all ages achieve their maximum potential. It is based on a lifestyle that Nate and his partner, Shebah Carfagna, have adopted to create a "tribe mentality" to health and fitness.  In this interview Nate reflects on the highs - and lows - in his life - including a "brush with greatness" when he met Martin Luther King Jr. on the day he was baptized. He condemns ageist attitudes that depict older people as "decrepit" and enthuses about the joys of a full life, focused on movement, positivity and purpose.

In this podcast, Olga Donica, Head of Innovation and Simone Gibertoni, CEO of Clinique La Prairie, interview Pr. Patrizia D’Amelio, specialist in physiopathology and Associate Professor at the CHUV Lausanne on the role of mitochondria on healthy aging with a focus on muscle and brain.

Mitochondria are the engine of the cell and as such can produce the energy that we need, interact with different metabolic pathways, digest glucose & fatty acid and detoxify the organism. They are key to the survival and effectiveness of our cells, especially for tissue with high metabolic level such as brain and muscles.

Discover in this podcast interview how mitochondrial function affects the aging process and its importance for our brain and muscles.