What does it really take to stay strong into your 70s — physically, mentally, and emotionally?

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Swenson, one of America’s most respected alpinists, to talk about endurance, aging, and the habits that have kept him moving for decades.

Steve has climbed Everest and K2, completed first ascents in the Karakoram, and summited Everest without supplemental oxygen — an experience that strips away ego and rewards preparation, judgment, and restraint. But this conversation isn’t about chasing summits.

It’s about what Steve has learned over a lifetime of extreme environments: why endurance matters more than talent as you age, why strength training becomes non-negotiable in your later years, and why staying uninjured is often the biggest win of all.

We talk about:

• What climbing Everest without oxygen actually feels like
• How Steve trains to stay strong and capable into his 70s
• Why consistency beats intensity over the long run
• Strength training, sarcopenia, and aging well
• Partnership, judgment, and making smart decisions under stress

This is a grounded, experience-driven conversation for anyone thinking seriously about longevity — not just in sport, but in life.

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If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

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What really keeps the brain sharp as we age — and what quietly puts it at risk?

In this episode of the Ageless Athlete Podcast, host Kush Khandelwal speaks with Dr. Tommy Wood, neuroscientist, physician, and strength athlete, about the science of cognitive reserve and why long-term brain health depends on challenge, learning, and effort — not comfort or flow.

Flow states feel rewarding, but as Dr. Wood explains, they don’t create the kind of stimulus the brain needs to adapt over decades. Instead, the brain thrives when it’s pushed to learn new skills, navigate uncertainty, and stay engaged through physical movement, mental effort, and diversified identity.

This conversation connects neuroscience, exercise science, and psychology in a practical, accessible way — especially for adults who care about aging well, staying mentally sharp, and maintaining performance into midlife and beyond.

🧠 Topics Covered in This Episode

• What cognitive reserve is and why it matters for healthy aging
• Why flow states don’t build long-term brain resilience
• How struggle, learning, and novelty stimulate neuroplasticity
• Exercise as brain insurance — what that actually means biologically
• Identity diversification and why tying yourself to one role is risky as you age
• How comfort and over-specialization can accelerate cognitive decline
• Practical ways to invest now for cognitive returns later

📚 Featured Resource — Upcoming Book

Dr. Wood’s upcoming book expands on the ideas explored in this conversation:

📖 The Stimulated Mind: A Breakthrough Plan to Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age

🗓️ Release Date: March 24, 2026

The book explores how stimulus, challenge, learning, and environment shape brain health across the lifespan — and why cognitive decline is not inevitable.

🔗 Learn more and pre-order:

• https://thestimulatedmind.com

(Pre-orders meaningfully support this work.)

🔗 Where to Find Dr. Tommy Wood

• Website: https://drtommywood.com
  
  
• Podcast: Better Brain Fitness (with Dr. Josh Turknett)
• Book: The Stimulated Mind (2026)
• Speaking & Writing: https://drtommywood.com
  
  
• Research & Teaching: University of Washington School of Medicine

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🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show

This week’s episode is a little different.
Instead of interviewing a legendary athlete or coach, I was invited onto the Adventure Sports Podcast to talk about the questions that many of us — everyday athletes, weekend warriors, late bloomers, and lifelong learners — wrestle with as we get older.

If you come to Ageless Athlete for honest conversations about aging, movement, and staying curious in a changing body, this episode is very much in that spirit.

We recorded this conversation back in May, but the themes feel even more relevant now:
How do we keep doing the outdoor sports we love?
How do we adapt with age?
And how do we stay connected to joy when progress shifts shape?

In this episode, we explore:

• what aging actually feels like for an an everyday athlete
• why our relationship with our sport changes over time
• how to stay motivated when improvement slows
• the role of curiosity in lifelong performance
• how community shapes longevity in outdoor sports
• why reinvention is normal — and sometimes necessary

These aren’t lessons from the mountaintop — they’re observations from someone who’s simply been asking these questions alongside you, year after year, conversation after conversation.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• How do I keep climbing, running, biking, surfing as I age?
• What do I do when my body surprises me — in good or difficult ways?
• How do “regular people” stay active for decades?

This episode offers perspective that’s honest, relatable, and grounded in real experience — mine, and the many people I’ve learned from.

A big thank-you to the Adventure Sports Podcast for the invitation and for allowing us to share this conversation here.
You can find their show at:
https://adventuresportspodcast.com

And thank you — truly — for sticking with Ageless Athlete through 103 episodes.
This community means more than I can say.

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🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show