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Summary
On episode 497 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Marc Bubbs, a naturopathic doctor, performance nutrition lead for Canada Basketball, and performance nutrition consultant to a portfolio of professional and Olympic athletes, returning to discuss his new book, Peak 40: The New Science of Midlife Health for a Leaner, Stronger Body and a Sharper Mind.
Where his first book, Peak, focused on elite athletes, Peak 40 applies the same science to the rest of us: blood sugar targets, protein needs, morning routines, and the mindset habits that separate people who make steady progress from people who quit at the first sign nothing is happening.
A recurring theme is patience. Midlife health, like learning a language through immersion, often feels like you are making no progress right up until the point real change shows up.
Links
- https://drbubbs.com/peak40
- Episode 385 – Reach your peak with Dr. Marc Bubbs
Key Takeaways
- Weight loss is a “wicked,” not a “kind,” learning environment. A golf swing gives instant feedback. Nutrition and training do not. You can eat well for a week and see no change, or even a bad number, which does not mean the effort failed, just that the feedback is delayed.
- Being in the “normal” range on lab work is not the same as optimized. Dr. Bubbs recommends aiming for a fasting glucose under roughly 94 mg/dL (5.4 mmol/L) and an HbA1c between 5 and 5.4%, well below where most doctors start raising concerns, for real longevity benefit.
- Fasted morning exercise gives you a metabolic edge. Training before breakfast, especially resistance training, improves your body’s ability to burn intramuscular fat for fuel and helps lower chronically elevated insulin, a major driver of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and dementia risk.
- Build automatic habits instead of daily willpower battles. Just like you do not debate putting on a seatbelt, elite athletes do not negotiate with themselves about training when the alarm goes off. The goal is to make healthy actions the default, not a decision.
- Aim for at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That is roughly 50% more than the RDA and helps fight sarcopenia, the age-related muscle loss tied to poor long-term health outcomes. Research shows no kidney harm even at triple that intake in healthy adults.
- Overall diet quality matters more than any single nutrient. Countries like Spain and France exceed the standard 10% saturated fat guideline yet have far lower heart attack death rates than the United States, because their saturated fat tends to come from whole foods rather than ultra-processed ones.
- Chase moments of awe instead of waiting for a goal to deliver happiness. Time in nature, music, or anything that produces genuine wonder boosts happiness immediately, rather than deferring it to “when I hit my goal weight.” Research across 135 countries shows happiness dips hardest between roughly ages 41 and 48, making this a deliberate practice worth building now.
- Dr. Bubbs’s three strategies to get and stay well: master your morning, do not let your evening fall apart with late night eating (since over 40% of daily calories now come after 6pm for many people), and hit your protein target consistently through the day.
“The six inches between our ears is the reason why we succeed or don’t succeed.”
Dr. Marc Bubbs
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 501 – How to customize yourself for better health with Chuck Rose
