The 10-Second At-Home Walk Test for Longevity (Easy Biohack)
Dave Asprey
Aug 21, 2025
Episode description
Walking speed predicts your risk of death better than cholesterol—and this episode reveals why. You’ll learn how to test your biological age at home in just 10 seconds, and how to use that information to upgrade your human performance, extend your longevity, and tailor your biohacking strategy for maximum results. Discover the overlooked role of pelvic floor strength, glute activation, and neuromuscular training in brain optimization, metabolism, and injury prevention.
Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience:
https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR
Host Dave Asprey speaks with Dr. Vonda Wright, a double board-certified orthopedic surgeon, hormone optimization expert, and elite sports medicine pioneer who’s worked with Olympic athletes, military special forces, and high-performing women through every phase of life. With decades of experience in functional medicine, movement science, and hormone therapy, Dr. Wright shares the essential strategies to prevent frailty, rebuild strength, and thrive through perimenopause and beyond.
You’ll learn:
• How walking speed reveals aging and longevity better than traditional blood tests
• The biomechanics behind muscle “shutdown” and how to turn muscles back on
• The truth about C-sections, pelvic floor rehab, and functional motion assessments
• Which supplements, nootropics, and hormone therapies restore metabolism and vitality
• Why perimenopause is a turning point for brain, bone, and cardiovascular health
• Testing tools and training methods to upgrade strength, prevent falls, and age powerfully
Whether you want to feel stronger, think sharper, or stay youthful into your 90s, this is your roadmap for smarter not harder biohacking with real-world impact.
Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.
Episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (audio-only) where Dave asks the questions no one else dares, and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing.
Keywords: 10-second walk test longevity, pelvic floor dysfunction and aging, glute activation for brain health, perimenopause hormone replacement therapy, VO2 max biohacking, estrogen for bone density, neuromuscular reactivation exercises, functional mo
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Activate surrounding muscles to prevent atrophy after injury
After an injury or with chronic pain, the body intelligently shuts down surrounding muscles, such as the quads or glutes, which can lead to rapid atrophy.
Master kegels with proper sucking in technique
A proper Kegel exercise is more of a sucking in and lifting contraction of the pelvic floor, rather than the commonly taught squeezing of the urethral sphincter.
Address stiff big toe to relieve hip pain
A stiff big toe can disrupt the entire kinetic chain of movement, preventing your glute from activating and causing compensatory pain in your opposite hip flexor.
Optimize hormones in your 40s to protect bone, brain, and heart health
Women should optimize their hormones in their early 40s to prevent the loss of bone, brain, and heart health, rather than waiting until they are older to treat problems.
Utilize oral progesterone to enhance sleep quality
Micronized progesterone, often prescribed with estrogen, is a powerful sleep aid for women and can also work for men who have trouble sleeping.
Choose transdermal testosterone cream over pellets for safety
Transdermal testosterone cream is safer for women than pellets, as pellets can cause an irreversible overshoot in hormone levels, while creams allow for daily dose adjustments.
Apply topical estrogen to enhance skin collagen and quality
A very low, non-systemic dose of topical estradiol or estriol cream can be used on the face by both men and women to improve skin collagen and quality.
Establish baseline testosterone levels early for optimal health
Men should test their testosterone levels when they are young to establish a personal optimal baseline to aim for later in life, rather than using standard 'normal' ranges.
Train for strength and power to enhance longevity
For longevity, it is more important to train for strength and power (lifting heavy, fewer reps, with speed) to prevent falls, rather than training for muscle size (hypertrophy).
Prioritize strength over mass for functional longevity
For functional longevity and avoiding frailty, having strength is a more critical goal than having large muscle mass.
More from
Dave Asprey
You also might be interested in
Eating for Better Sleep & Foods that Improve Metabolic Health | Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
Why Your Cholesterol Is High—and How to Start Fixing It in 10 Days
#395 - Brain lipidology: understanding APOE, cholesterol homeostasis, Alzheimer's disease risk, and the effects of lipid-lowering therapies on brain health | Tom Dayspring, M.D.
The One Breakfast Food that Eliminates Fat, Protects the Liver, and Builds Muscle!
Latest Seed Oil Controversy, Most Important Body Part?, CBN For Sleep & More! Solosode #501
