Chris Hemsworth teaches us to feel better (and stress-free)
We have already seen him in the role of a superhero, but for Limitless, the original National Geographic TV series visible on Disney+, Chris Hemswort takes the desire for immortality to the extreme. Six episodes produced by director Darren Aronofsky in which doctors and scientists support the Australian actor in undertakings that lead him to overcome his limits every time. Although always in a controlled manner, Chris paradoxically puts his life at risk to enjoy it more. Through challenges that aim to stimulate the body’s repair capacity to counteract aging and the onset of diseases.
During the first episode, Chris must learn to manage stress, and to do so he prepares to face a walk on a crane suspended in the air at a height of 275 metres. Then we see him engaged in a shock swim in the Arctic, fasting and training his strength… so the question that arises is: was all this really necessary? He undergoes epic tests to discover the potential of the human body, a universe whose resources we evidently do not yet know. “Time passes, but we can do something,” he says.
Limitless does not fuel the desire for immortality or eternal youth, but wants to bring out the human within us. That flame that allows you to do extraordinary things kept lit by a survival instinct. “Because it is precisely when you are at your limit that you discover unthinkable resources.” The series is the mirror of the progress of anti-aging medicine which studies the innate abilities that the body has to fight diseases and to live in the best possible shape. An incentive not to be satisfied, therefore, without bordering on excess and remembering that Limitless still remains a very controlled TV series. A drive for self-improvement that can be put into practice in daily life by changing the approach with which problems are faced. And you don’t have to be Thor to do it.
When the brain senses something stressful, it’s as if it flips a switch, triggering a surge of hormones in the bloodstream. In dangerous moments this surge of energy helps you escape. But when stress is chronic, cortisol keeps flowing, and the fight-and-flight circuit never runs out. This leads to a poor functioning of the immune system and an increased risk of disease. By reducing your stress reaction, you also reduce health risks by taking control of your mind and body.
Reprogramming your thoughts when they are negative, can you be able to think about something in a positive way? What do you get from this experience?
The breathing method: inhale, hold, exhale, always hold for 4 seconds. Whenever you feel your heart rate increasing you can adopt this technique, lowering stress hormones and anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation. If done regularly it modifies the reaction to stress. Eight weeks of mindfulness meditation can create new connections in the brain, making us less likely to overreact to potentially stressful things. Controlling stress also affects longevity, because:
“The story you tell yourself becomes your reality.”
Cold to strengthen the nervous system
In this episode, after three days of training, Chris Hemsworth tackles a 228 meter swim in the icy waters of the Arctic with the advice of a champion of extreme feats, Ross Edgley, a sports scientist. New science believes that adapting to extreme cold forces the body to activate its defenses and increase its repair system, thus also reducing the risk of disease.
As we age, inflammation increases, fueling diabetes and cardiovascular disease. According to the theory shared by Limitless, reducing the body’s reaction to the cold would help reset the rebellious immune system, reducing the risk of diseases in old age.
How to include thermal shock in your daily routine? With ice baths in the morning (Chris plans to do this three times a week) and cold water for the last 30 seconds of the shower.
Chris also experiences the benefits of the sauna, a powerful longevity tool. Extreme heat produces heat shock proteins, which “clean” cells. Currently, the two areas in which sauna is having the greatest benefits are cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
What happens to the body during fasting
According to longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia, intermittent fasting is a very effective method for extending your life. Food contains glucose, the fuel that powers the body’s cells, but also the so-called zombie cells, the damaged ones, which release toxic substances and accelerate the aging process (from wrinkles to hair loss to arthritis). Fasting serves to remove strength from these cells. After four days without eating, it seems that biochemical processes that are positive for longevity are triggered.
When food is scarce, fat resources are sent to the liver which transforms it into emergency energy, ketones, which have a boosting effect on the mind. And it seems that ketones also increase mental focus.
How to incorporate fasting into your routine? In the documentary, Chris says he will do this by avoiding eating before 12 three times a week.
Acceptance
The reason for all these extreme tests to prolong life at all costs comes in the last episode, where Chris stops fighting to stay young and learns to embrace aging, spending a few days as an 87 year old. A reversal of perspective that poses another question: Why must we fight aging at all costs? Why do we have to see it as a failure? Aging teaches you to accept things for what they are, a gift that allows you to focus on a deeper level. So what? The best anti-aging solution is to live the present to the fullest, acquiring awareness of the inevitable end of life and renewing the connection with life as it is. Eastern cultures have always said and practiced this. Thanks Limitless for (just) reminding us.
