Over the summer, several of my friends recommended that I read Outlive, the massively popular book by Peter Attia, an oncologist turned longevity evangelist. Like me, they’re Gen Xers who’ve reached middle age and are realizing that the lifestyle choices they make today will determine the quality of life they have when they’re old. Peter Attia is the thinking person’s wellness guru: a Stanford-educated doctor who uses science to promote the habits of better living. His podcast is a hit, and his book, co-authored by Bill Gifford, has been on the bestseller list for 22 weeks.
The child of Coptic Egyptian immigrant parents, Attia grew up in Toronto and did his undergrad at Queen’s in Kingston, Ontario. He now lives in Austin, Texas. In an in-depth Q&A for Maclean’s, he lays out his signature prescription for health—a combination of regular exercise, good sleep and low stress—designed to prevent chronic conditions before they take hold.
He also offers his impressions of the Canadian medical system and how it compares to what he sees in the U.S. “When my brother, who lives in Toronto, has to fly outside of Canada,” he says, “to get a procedure done—one that I could get done here in the U.S. within a day—there’s a problem.” Attia dreams of a world where patients can access the best of both systems. “It’s frustrating that we can’t come up with a hybrid.”
