Ep 30 - HEALTH HACK: Unleashing Human Potential
In this episode of Health Hacktivators, Dr. Alka Patel talks about the captivating concept of human potential.
Drawing inspiration from her recent conversation with record-breaking adventurer Adrian Hayes, Dr. Patel speaks about the boundless capabilities that reside within each of us. She shines a light on the stories and technologies that propel individuals towards extraordinary achievements.
She explains our innate capacity for growth and accomplishment beyond our current abilities, skills, talents, intellectual, physical, and emotional capabilities, which can be nurtured and optimised to push the boundaries of what we believe is possible. Dr. Patel encourages you to exercise inner exploration, embracing curiosity, challenging beliefs, and utilising available tools and knowledge to unlock your true potential.
In this episode you’ll hear about:
How is human potential defined
What does human potential encompass
Stories and technologies that drive individuals towards extraordinary achievements
The importance of curiosity and self-discovery in reaching your potential
The true beauty of human potential
To read the blogs that accompany the show and for even more focused health hacks, head to https://dralkapatel.com/blog/
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Discover A Hidden Health-Hacking Code That Unlocks Your Phenomenal Potential for an Outstanding Healthspan, Lifespan and Wealthspan.
Find out what most other Doctors don’t tell you, with cutting-edge health-hacktivating advice from Lifestyle Medicine Doctor, GP and Longevity Expert Dr Alka Patel.
Featuring candid conversations with celebrities, influencers and industry icons, hear the real-life stories of what it takes to be healthy, wealthy, and wise in today’s world.
It’s time to join the Strategic Self-Care Revolution and experience the profound effect this will have on your personal and professional success.
Take back control and get ready to live longer, younger, and stronger.
Podcast Transcript
PLEASE NOTE these transcripts are auto-generated and may not be wholly accurate.
Dr Alka Patel (00:00.758)
Hi, hey, and hello Health Activators. Welcome to this week's show where we are unleashing human potential. Now, I was so inspired to focus on this topic of human potential after my last week's conversation with Adrian Hayes, who's a record-breaking adventurer. Now, he's climbed three polls in the fastest recorded time. So if you haven't listened already,
go and have a listen to last week's conversation with Adrian because honestly, he is so, so inspiring. So today, yes, I am diving into this enigmatic realm of human potential and those boundless capabilities that really do lie within all of us. So I'll be shedding the light on the stories and the technologies that propel us towards extraordinary achievements. So let's kick off. Well, what exactly is human potential? Have you ever thought about that?
What does human potential really mean? So I consider human potential to be this innate capacity, this quality, this ability within each of us to develop and grow and accomplish what surpasses our current abilities. I think it's our inherent skills and talents and intellectual, physical and emotional capabilities, the ones that can be nurtured and optimized.
to really push those boundaries of what you think is possible into completely new horizons of excellence. So when it comes to exploring human potential, well how do we do this? How do we explore human potential? Well, exploring potential means that we have to push boundaries, push beyond perceived limits individually and collectively.
So collectively, well, I mean, look, we can fly in the skies like birds and we can go all the way to the moon and back, can't we? And individually, people are continually shattering barriers that we once thought were insurmountable. They're showcasing the unlimited potential that lies within us. So if we look back through history, there are so many individuals that have exemplified those heights of human potential. Who comes to mind? Well, take...
Dr Alka Patel (02:21.91)
Take for instance Roger Bannister. Roger Bannister shattered the four minute mile barrier in 1954. He proved that what was once considered impossible could be achieved with determination and with belief. I mean how do you even run a four minute mile? But he did it and then what his own triumph unleashed was this whole wave of breakthroughs because other athletes
They then swiftly followed in his footsteps. So if one man can do it, perhaps any man can do it. What other ways? Well, another way to explore human potential has been through this pursuit of extreme endurance. Endurance. So endurance is simply going and continuing to go as far as you can. Endurance is what challenges you to-
push yourself to the brink of your physical, your mental, your emotional capabilities, testing your limits, and really demonstrating that, well, that extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. I mean, look at ultra marathon runners like Dean Canazes. Dean ran 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days across all 50 states in the United States. Wow, Ryan, wow.
So what does this show you? It shows you the incredible capacity of the human body to endure gruelling physical challenges and push through the boundaries of what you think is impossible. I've got a friend, my friend Gabriel Flores. He's an ultra marathon runner. Love you, Gabe. And Gabe continually astounds me. He continually astounds me by showing me what is possible.
and he does it with such humility as well. He's got this determination, this zest, this curiosity to simply find out what he is capable of. And the only way you know, of course, is by doing, by taking action. He's run ultra-marathons, he's run 24-hour marathons. He's run 80 miles, 100 miles in 24 hours straight.
Dr Alka Patel (04:43.422)
Is that a test of endurance? Yes, it is. That is no easy feat. But it's possible. If one man can do it, can any man do it? What do you think? And what else? What else helps us to uncover what is possible? Well, what about breakthrough moments? You know, those moments when someone taps into that hidden reserve of creativity or problem solving?
that then leads to extraordinary achievements. So again, if we look at history, history is littered with examples of these incredible, incredible breakthroughs. So let's look at maybe scientific breakthroughs. Marie Curie, she comes to mind immediately an incredible physicist and her breakthroughs with radium and polonium are what have revolutionized the field of x-rays and radioactivity and cancer therapies. Alexander Fleming.
He comes to mind as well, his breakthrough discovery of penicillin in 1928, that became a vital, vital tool to fight infections at that time. And then we've got the completion of the Human Genome Project 2003, and this marked a monumental breakthrough in understanding human function and formation right at that molecular level. And what that genome project has now done is it's really paved the way.
for allowing us to explore the potential of our genetic makeup, which leads me to CRISPR. So more recently, we've had the development of CRISPR. CRISPR is a gene editing technology, which edits your DNA. Oh yes, you can actually change your DNA sequence, the very core of what makes you human.
Now you might be listening to this thinking, hold on, hold on, this is going too far, genetic editing, just stop. But how far is too far? We have just recently also created synthetic human embryos without the need for sperm or egg. Think about that. Think about that, the very essence of civilization.
Dr Alka Patel (07:00.598)
the continuation of the human species procreation, that primordial need to reproduce, well, can now be done without you. Human embryos without sperm or egg. Is this edging on dangerous interference or is this the very essence of unlocking human possibility?
The debates are continuing, the debates will continue, and so they should. Ethical considerations, safety, these are all important discussions to be had. So human potential, well of course, in this topic of human potential, I must address longevity. Because for me, longevity is the ultimate expression of human potential. Living longer, immortality, it's always been an area that has intrigued and ignited the human race.
And there are, again, remarkable examples of individuals who have defied what are considered to be conventional limits of human lifespan. So if we look currently in the Western world, the statistics tell us that the average lifespan for a human is currently between 78 and 88. But of course, you'll know that if you've been a listener of this show, you'll know that I believe that every human has the potential to live a one million hour life.
a one million hour life, which is 114 years. And there's people who've surpassed even that, which means it is possible. We have the potential, you have the potential. Jean Kalment, a French woman, she lived to be 122 years old, 122. Now her longevity has been attributed to, yes, the combination of genetic factors.
but also Mediterranean diet, regular exercise, a positive outlook on life. Jean's lifespan really does stand as a testament to the potential for remarkable longevity within this experience that we call being human. Another notable example, Kane Tanaka from Japan, 119 years, Jerome and Kimura, 116 years. So living longer is possible. So where are we at with that right now? Well,
Dr Alka Patel (09:21.494)
Based on a United Nations estimate, right now there are over 600,000 centenarians in the world. So that's 600,000 people who are currently living over 100. But did you know this is the fastest growing age group? The United Nations has projected that there will be, wait for this, 3.7 million centenarians alive by 2050. Can that be you?
Could you be one of those? Are you heading that way? Do you have the potential to live to be over 100 or indeed to live a one million hour life? And who are you letting decide that?
Okay, let's shift to thinking about decisions then. What decisions do you need to make on your personal journey to unlock your potential? I mean, think about it. It is your decisions, isn't it, that play a pivotal role in shaping your beliefs and shaping your actions and ultimately shaping your trajectory towards your own growth and your own achievement. So when it comes to unleashing your own potential, there are, there have to be.
pivotal decisions that you must make for yourself. It's these decisions that determine what you believe is possible or impossible for you. And they can then either limit you or set you free. So have you ever asked yourself what you believe about your potential? Have you? Are your beliefs disempowering or empowering?
Disempowering, limiting beliefs, they're what will confine you within your self-imposed boundaries. They'll restrain your potential. And these limitations, they might come from all sorts of areas, from fear or self-doubt or societal expectations or preconceived ideas. The opinions, the expectations of others, societal norms and your past experiences, of course they can all shape your beliefs about.
Dr Alka Patel (11:35.606)
what you can or cannot achieve. But what if? What if instead you allowed yourself to recognise that your potential is not predetermined, it's not dictated externally, but it's instead this vast inner landscape that is simply awaiting exploration? I mean, Roger Bannister, he would never have run a four minute mile if he believed he couldn't, right?
So I invite you, I invite you to embrace the belief that you have untapped capabilities and that your capabilities are designed to just evolve and to expand. So how do you then decide what is possible for you? Well, maybe start by thinking about the activities, the pursuits that ignite this sense of purpose and fulfillment within you. Or maybe explore your skills even further than you already have.
or maybe look at areas where you have a genuine curiosity and a willingness to learn. Now look, these don't have to be these huge feats that hit the headlines, but they're your feats. They're ignited by your curiosity. I've been venturing into hot and cold therapy. Can I really sit in an ice bath? Am I capable of that? Can my body endure that?
There was only one way to answer that question, only one way to satisfy my curiosity. So I did it. My body showed me what I was capable of. Which means deciding what you're capable of, it needs you to embrace the unknown. It needs you to step out of your comfort zone. Because look, growth and progress are always going to lie beyond the boundaries of familiarity. You need a sense of exploration.
which is exactly what Brian Johnson is doing. Brian Johnson, Brian Johnson is a tech tycoon, an entrepreneur who sold his company Braintree to eBay for $800 million. And he's made a decision that his life mission is to slow down and reverse aging. So Brian Johnson is exploring his potential to reverse aging, and he's spending upwards of, well,
Dr Alka Patel (13:59.178)
$2 million a year to do just that. He's 45 years old and he believes that he can engineer his body to be that of an 18 year old. So what does he do? Well he wakes and he sleeps at exactly the same time every day. He takes 20 to 30 supplements a day and he uses a whole range of data to tell him things like exactly how to exercise, what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, no guesswork
doesn't deviate from what his data tells him. So let's then shift to data. Let's shift to measuring human potential. Now you might think quantifying human potential is tricky, but there are lots and lots of indicators and assessments that can provide insights into our capabilities. So things that you might be familiar with like IQ tests and psychological profiling to give you some examples, they do capture aspects of your potential. But...
to truly, truly understand and expand your potential. What we're now so, so fortunate to be able to do is to embrace the power of data. Well, what data does is it acts as a compass. It guides you towards your strength and it guides you towards untapped possibilities. And we're in this era, aren't we? We're in this era of technological advancements, which mean that we've got access to an abundance of data.
that really can provide very profound insights. So more specifically when it comes to data, I mean, bio data, right? Bio data is the range of biological, physiological information that you can collect and analyze to get a much deeper understanding of the workings of your body and your mind. So things like genetic information and blood markers, brain activity, sleep patterns, heart rate variability, things like that.
So let's then maybe consider the realm of DNA data, the genetic level data. Now I test DNA on the vast majority of my clients because it's through it that we uncover your personal, individual genetic predispositions. So if I give you my own personal example, I ran the London 2023 marathon, and a few years prior to doing that, I had my own DNA test.
Dr Alka Patel (16:24.522)
And one thing that it showed me was that I carried genes that positively enhance my endurance, which meant that when it came to exercise, I was more genetically programmed to benefit from endurance related exercise, rather than for example, strength based exercise. And that meant that I was capable of endurance based exercise.
And it doesn't mean that when it came to exercise, I couldn't do or shouldn't do strength-based exercise, but it meant that I was predisposed to be able to benefit more from endurance-based exercise. So when it came to the London Marathon, well, how did this help me? Well, simply knowing this got me through the marathon. It really did help me because I knew as I was running that my genes were on my side, that I was made.
to be able to continue running. I was designed for endurance and there were so many points along the run that I said to myself, keep going, you're made for this. You can do this, you're made for this. And I knew I was made for this because genetically I knew that being able to endure a 26.2 mile run was already ingrained in me. The difficulty though that I do see in DNA testing
lies very much in the interpretation of the reports, which is why a lot of my clients do come to me, because you can have data, but you do need expert guidance on interpreting and implementing the data and your results and being able to connect things like your lifestyle shifts with your genetic potential, which is exactly what I do with my clients. But by understanding your genetic potential, what this means is that you can tailor your
your training, your nutrition, your lifestyle choices to optimize your performance and your potential. And of course, just also recognizing that genetics are just one aspect of your potential, but leveraging your genetic data, now that does allow you to expand your potential.
Dr Alka Patel (18:35.638)
And there's lots of other bio data as well that I look at. I look at a whole range of other data to optimize potential with my clients. I mentioned some of these already, heart rate and sleep data, for example, so that you can make informed decisions based on your own personal physiology. Things like heart rate variability, for example, they assess your autonomic nervous system, they assess your response to stress and relaxation. And this data gives...
brilliant, brilliant insights into your emotional states. So by monitoring and then analyzing these metrics, you can then adopt strategies very purposefully, like mindfulness practices or breathing exercises or lifestyle modifications that will optimize your emotional wellbeing, that will unlock your potential to manage stress, to cultivate positive emotions. So that's data, but let's not forget the cutting edge devices.
that are propelling human potential beyond what was once imaginable. So when you look at the ongoing exploration of pushing human potential to new frontiers, devices have emerged as powerful tools. So let me give you maybe some examples of perhaps lesser known devices. Neuralink. Neuralink is a brain computer interface technology.
where you can, for example, control a computer with your brain without a mouse. Just by interfacing your mind with your machine, what happens is it takes you to new realms of intellectual capability. And researchers are also developing advanced brain-computer interfaces that can decode your neural signals, your nerve signals, and control things like prosthetic artificial limbs.
which then helps people with paralysis to regain mobility. And devices like this are also augmenting cognitive abilities, things like memory and attention. Another device, Oculus. Oculus is another device which uses virtual reality headsets that then transport you into other immersive worlds. Now you might think of this as gamification, but it's another world where you can explore and learn.
Dr Alka Patel (20:57.258)
and stretch the boundaries of your own perception and your own creativity. So with virtual reality, you can simulate and you can train for high pressure situations. You can engage in education experiences that enhance learning, that develop your skills. Virtual reality has this power to expand your perception of what is possible. And have you heard of exoskeleton technology?
Well, Exobionics specializes in exoskeleton technology. It's like having your skeleton on the outside. So they offer wearable robotic devices that augment strength, augment endurance, augment mobility. And what these exoskeletons do is they enable you to surpass your natural physical limits. They open up these new possibilities that can enhance your performance in physically demanding spaces. Send you again beyond what you think
are your natural physical limits. And of course there's more day-to-day wearable devices which for me are a go-to for me and my clients in expanding potential with real-time insights. I love devices, they hold tremendous promise. And they're tools, tools to use alongside your personal commitment, your dedication, your cultivation of more holistic health. Oh.
It's fascinating, isn't it? Human potential is captivating. And it's through the stories of extraordinary individuals, through the power of decisions, the insights that you gain from personal data, these cutting edge devices that are now at our disposal, that we are really truly witnessing the unfolding of a new era of human achievement. And neuroscience tells us a lot. It tells us that our brains
have this remarkable capacity for neuroplasticity. And this neuroplasticity is what allows you to rewire and to adapt in response to new experiences, which means that your potential for growth and development is just not fixed. It is malleable. It is waiting for you, ready to harness it. But here's a question for you. What are you doing to reach in and bring out your potential? Because...
Dr Alka Patel (23:21.202)
Reaching your potential, well look, it's not all about noble prizes or fame or grand achievements. It's a journey. It's a journey that encompasses embracing the unknown, nurturing curiosity, taking small steps towards growth and self-discovery. It's about expanding your horizons, pushing your boundaries, continually learning and evolving.
And often it's those, well, it's those seemingly smaller steps that lay those foundations for breakthroughs, for your personal breakthroughs. I mean, this could be as simple as stepping out of your comfort zone to explore a new hobby or explore a new skill. It could be engaging in conversations with people to broaden your perspectives. It could be delving into a subject that sparks your curiosity. Embracing curiosity means being open to new ideas.
being open to new experiences, new possibilities. It's about asking questions, challenging assumptions and seeking knowledge beyond what you already know. Curiosity is what fuels your thirst for learning. It fuels the flame of human potential within you. So be curious, just ask yourself the question, what if?
What if?
And look, I know that stepping into the unknown can be exhilarating and intimidating. It does require courage. It requires a willingness to maybe take risks. It might involve decisions that challenge your limiting belief. It might involve venturing into uncharted territory when the outcome is uncertain. It's all about embracing this process of exploration and growth and embracing the lessons and the learnings that come with it as well.
Dr Alka Patel (25:20.682)
And what I also want you to recognize is that your potential is unique. It's multifaceted and it involves steps and strides of various sizes. It's these steps and strides towards self-discovery that are those essential building blocks that will pave that way for you for the fulfillment of your potential. So just embrace the journey. Embrace the journey of reaching your potential.
not solely as this pursuit of external recognition, but as this profound inner exploration. Just nurture your curiosity, take those small steps into the unknown and marinate in that joy of continuous self-discovery. Because look, the true beauty of human potential, it lies in that never-ending process of becoming. So I invite you.
to embrace curiosity, challenge your beliefs, harness those tools and knowledge that you've got available to you to unlock your true potential. My mission is to help you to do that, to help 1 million people reach their potential to live a 1 million hour life of longevity, of impact and vitality and energy. If you're ready to do that, get in touch, message me if you're curious about how to reach those new heights of human excellence.
May your potential know no bounds. I'll see you next week and I wish you a health activating day.
