The Long Game | Dr Alex

I want to give you a 12 minute routine you can start tomorrow morning, and if you stick with it for 30 days it could genuinely change how you feel, sleep and move. Here it is. The moment you wake up, put your socks and shoes on, drink a large glass of water, and head straight out the door. Walk briskly for 12 minutes, and every couple of minutes stop for 20 squats or 20 walking lunges before carrying on. That is the whole thing. In those 12 minutes you get morning light into your eyes, which helps set your body clock and can improve your sleep and mood later in the day. You rehydrate after a night without fluids. You get a brisk cardio session that works your heart. And the squats and lunges build the muscle and balance that matter more and more as we get older, while also helping your body handle the blood sugar from your breakfast better. Doing it first thing, before life gets in the way, is what makes it stick. This is not meant to replace whatever exercise you already do. Think of it as the foundation you lay down before your day even starts. Give it an honest 30 days and pay attention to your sleep, mood and energy along the way. The full list of research references for this topic is in the description of the YouTube version. Disclaimer: This is not personal medical advice and does not override what your doctor says. #dralex #morningroutine #healthyaging

If you arrived in my A&E having a stroke, I could often tell within seconds. But by the time anyone reaches hospital, brain tissue is already dying. This episode is about stopping that first stroke from ever happening. Dr Alex, an NHS emergency medicine doctor, shares five things he wishes everyone knew before they ever end up in his department. He starts with blood pressure, the single biggest driver of stroke risk, and explains why it causes damage silently for years without any warning signs. Then he covers blood sugar, and why a simple blood test can catch problems long before they scar your arteries. The third point is about building muscle and staying active, which helps control both blood sugar and blood pressure at the same time. The fourth brings together smoking, ultra processed food and alcohol, and why cutting these back protects your arteries for good. Finally, he explains the warning signs of a mini stroke, why they matter so much, and why acting fast could be the difference between a scare and a tragedy. This is not about ignoring medication. If your doctor has prescribed something for your blood pressure, cholesterol or heart rhythm, there is almost certainly a good reason for it. These five habits work alongside medication, not instead of it. The full list of research references is in the description of the YouTube version. Disclaimer: This is not personal medical advice and does not override what your doctor says. #dralex #strokeprevention #nhsdoctor

Some of the most commonly prescribed medications become far riskier once you get older, yet they rarely get looked at again once they've been started. In this episode I go through seven medications I would want reviewed closely if my own parents or grandparents were taking them long term. This includes sleeping tablets, benzodiazepines, certain antihistamines, a common blood pressure tablet, gabapentin and pregabalin, PPIs, and NSAIDs. None of these drugs are bad. Many of them are genuinely life changing for the right person. The question is simply whether the benefits still outweigh the risks as the body ages and clears medication more slowly. If someone you love has been on one of these for years, the best next step is a proper medication review with their doctor or pharmacist, going through each tablet and asking whether it is still needed. Please do not stop any of these on your own. Several of them need to be reduced slowly and safely under medical supervision. The full list of research references is in the description of the YouTube version. Disclaimer: This is not personal medical advice and does not override what your doctor says. #dralex #preventativehealth #medicationsafety

Collagen is everywhere at the moment, even on the counter of my gym coffee shop. So I wanted to strip away the marketing and actually look at the research behind it. When you swallow collagen your body breaks it down into the same amino acids you get from any protein, then uses them wherever they are needed most. It does not get sent straight to your face or your joints. For skin, the trials funded by supplement and beauty companies show a benefit, but the independent, higher quality trials show none at all. For joints, the evidence is a little stronger, though it still mostly comes from the companies selling the product, so it has to be treated with real caution. For slowing ageing across your whole body, there simply is not evidence that collagen does this. What actually protects your skin and your joints and helps you live longer is sun protection, building muscle, staying active, managing your weight and eating real food. These are the free things that keep coming up again and again in the proper research. The full list of research references is in the description of the YouTube version of this video. Disclaimer: This is not personal medical advice and does not override what your doctor says. #dralex #collagen #preventativehealth

People assume that because I make videos about health and longevity my daily diet must be complicated and expensive. It really isn't. The foods that do the most for your long term health tend to be simple, cheap and pretty much the same most weeks. In this video I go through the eight foods I actually eat on a regular basis, from dark leafy greens and fermented foods to nuts, dark coloured fruit and veg, oily fish, coffee, raw veg before dinner and eggs. I explain why each one matters, how the research backs them up and how I actually fit them into a normal working week as an emergency medicine doctor. This isn't a rigid set of rules and it isn't about being perfect every day. It's about building a pattern you can keep going for the rest of your life, and every healthy choice you make is also a chance you didn't spend on something ultra processed instead. The full list of research references is in the description of the YouTube version. Disclaimer: This is not personal medical advice and does not override what your doctor says. #dralex #nutrition #preventativehealth