I was recently forwarded a post by a health influencer who's like a one-legged man in a longevity contest.

Here are the highlights:

* The influencer, popular on social media, was promoting the idea that keeping your body in “high-performance mode” all day long is the secret to health, because their followers (understandably) want to believe that more stimulation equals better results

* The problem was, the influencer’s advice was keeping growth signals like mTOR and IGF-1 switched on nonstop

* The result is the so-called “optimization” advice turning off the body’s ability to recover, detox, or repair, including removing damaged or abnormal cells before they cause trouble later

* The very signals needed for healing, like insulin and estrogen, were treated like problems to override instead of what they are

* The audience was being trained to chase energy while ignoring the fact that some things grow faster when nothing tells them to stop

I think you can take it from there.

“But growth hormones are good for you!”

Oh, we know, biohacker friend, we know…

And those who understand when growth helps, and when it hurts, are going to be the ones who age slower, stay leaner, and avoid the burnout most programs never even mention. I’ve been watching more people start to notice the catch: that mTOR, IGF-1, insulin, and even estrogen are tools, not trophies and that the body works better when they’re turned on briefly, not constantly. They’re seeing the high-protein, no-breaks, and that non-stop push mindset? It’s falling apart in real time.

All of which is why there is no better time to learn how your body’s growth switches really work.

That means understanding how mTOR acts like a builder, how IGF-1 fuels growth, how insulin moves sugar, and how estrogen supports tissue and realizing that when they’re on all the time, they don’t just build, they overwhelm. And that if you want to feel clearer, lighter, and stronger, it might not be about doing more but allowing your body space to reset before things grow where they shouldn’t.

Or keep trying harder.

Keep letting the hustle-health crowd talk you into more meals, more protein, more stimulation and less recovery.

It’s your choice.

If you choose to support your biology instead of override it, here’s the deal:

You don’t need a new gadget or protocol, just a little awareness about what each of these signals is really doing behind the scenes.

And it’s the same thing I used to go from eating every few hours like I had something to prove, to simply allowing mTOR to downregulate, letting IGF-1 drop, and giving insulin a break while letting my energy return, my thinking sharpen, and my cravings disappear, all without guessing whether what I was doing made sense.

I can only imagine how exhausting it is for people still stuck in the “growth = good” loop.

Whatever the case:

Your body’s growth switches are still on.

And you get to decide whether they keep running non-stop… or start working for you.

All right, that’ll do it for today.

To explore my books on how to support your body’s natural repair systems, stabilize your hormones, and nourish longevity from the inside out, just look up my name right here: Amazon​

Irina Valeva

​​www.IrinaValeva.com​