Key Points:
- To explore the question of whether his generation is the first that will not die, Bryan Johnson uses assessments of his body’s age to gauge the efficacy of a longevity-geared routine.
- After monitoring his body’s pace of aging for about three years, he has tailored a new routine for longevity optimization.
- Bryan Johnson’s latest routine includes spending time in a pressurized oxygen tank and undergoing whole-body, directed sound wave therapy to stimulate healing.
Aging guru and venture capitalist Bryan Johnson asked a groundbreaking question about three years ago: Will his generation be the first that does not die? To address this question, Johnson hired a team of 30 medical professionals to measure the biological age—an age assessment based on tissue and organ function—of each of his organs. Following his biological age assessments, Bryan Johnson then applied the latest aging intervention science to his routine to optimize his longevity. Intriguingly, he continuously alters his routine based on whether certain practices change the biological age of his organs and based on new research findings.
Bryan Johnson says that using a daily longevity-focused routine has helped him achieve the best biomarkers of aging—measures of molecules or processes in the body indicative of aging—in the world. The 47-year-old longevity fanatic shared the latest rendition of his new healthy aging-focused routine that he uses to propel the optimization of his body’s biomarkers of aging in a YouTube segment.
“I now have the best biomarkers of anybody in the world,” said Bryan Johnson. “I am the healthiest person on planet Earth.”
Bryan Johnson’s Longevity-Promoting Routine
As far as his daily routine goes, Bryan Johnson’s day starts after getting plenty of sleep. Along those lines, Johnson says that sleep is his number one life priority. For essential sleep, he goes to sleep by 8:30 PM and naturally awakens at 5:00 AM, never using an alarm.
Lamp Light Exposure
The very first thing Johnson does after waking is expose his eyes to 10,000 lux light for three to four minutes. This lighting technique comes from a lamp that emits light at an intensity comparable to ambient sunlight. These 10,000 lux lighting lamps are commonly used for light therapy for people with seasonal affective disorder—a type of depression that occurs during certain seasons of the year, like winter.
While undergoing 10,000 lux lighting, Johnson will take his inner ear temperature with an electric thermometer. Intriguingly, Johnson says that his body temperature has dropped about five degrees Fahrenheit over the past few years due to his routine’s effects on improving metabolic efficiency.
Measuring Body Composition
Next, Johnson uses a smart scale to measure body composition. This measurement technique assesses things like muscle, fat, hydration, weight, and arterial stiffness.
Applying Hair Serum and a Red Light Cap
After taking note of his body composition measurements, Johnson will apply some hair serum, which he did not identify, and massage his scalp for one to two minutes. Then, he will wear a red light hair cap for six minutes. The unidentified hair serum is likely meant to stimulate hair growth and reverse graying, and red-light hair caps use low-intensity laser therapy to stimulate hair follicles and promote hair growth.
Breathing Exercises and an Eight-Ounce Drink
After that, Johnson will do a breathing exercise or meditation for five minutes to get his body set for the day. Once finished, Johnson drinks an eight-ounce drink with Blueprint Longevity Mix, collagen peptides, and some prebiotics. The Blueprint Longevity Mix is a mixture of creatine for muscle strength and endurance, L-theanine for cognitive function and focusing abilities, and α-ketoglutarate to support metabolism. The drink’s collagen peptides are structural proteins that form the basis of connective tissues in the body, and they may promote proper joint function. Lastly, the prebiotics in the drink are non-digestible food components like fiber that stimulate the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
Bryan Johnson’s Workout
The next thing that Johnson does is work out for 60 to 90 minutes. His workouts focus on strength, cardio, flexibility, and balance. While working out, he listens to music, books, and podcasts.
Breakfast
Moving on from the workout, Johnson will eat breakfast. His breakfasts include Blueprint Longevity Protein and berry nut mix, more collagen peptides, extra virgin olive oil, and 100% pure cacao with a few dozen unidentified supplement pills. The Blueprint Longevity Protein that Johnson takes for breakfast is a plant-based protein powder derived from pea and hemp proteins. The protein powder contains grape seed extract and pomegranate extract, both rich in polyphenols—plant-derived compounds with antioxidant properties. The berry nut mix contains antioxidants as well, and the extra virgin olive oil is believed to help lower harmful cholesterol (LDL) and raise beneficial cholesterol (HDL). Last, pure cacao is rich in minerals and antioxidants and is believed to support brain and heart function.
Hyperbaric Oxygen and Shockwave Therapies
After breakfast, Johnson squeezes in a few additional therapies—hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and whole-body focused shockwave therapy. HBOT entails lying in a pressurized oxygen chamber and breathing pure oxygen, and this therapy is believed to enhance wound healing and treat infections. Moreover, shockwave therapy involves using a manually-held device to deliver sound waves that are believed to stimulate tendon and ligament healing and alleviate pain.
After these two therapies, Johnson takes a shower where he washes his face and applies a moisturizer and vitamin C. Also, two to three times a week, Johnson exfoliates with a Japanese washcloth. Along those lines, exfoliation involves using a specialized, often rough-textured washcloth to physically remove dead skin cells.
At this point in the morning, usually around 7:45 AM, Johnson will go for a 10-minute walk outside in the sun. As such, Johnson is mindful of the time he goes for a walk, doing so in the morning when there is less of a risk of UV-induced skin damage from the sun.
Work
Johnson’s work day usually begins around 8:00 AM after going through his morning routine. Johnson says that his morning hours are his most productive, when he is open-minded, creative, and fast. For this reason, he prioritizes his most difficult tasks for this period.
At his work area, his desk and chair are situated so that he can shift from working while sitting to working while standing. Johnson finds rotating between sitting and standing while working useful, because moving about increases blood flow, which he believes increases his focusing capabilities. Also, Johnson emphasizes that while working, it is important to maintain proper posture to avoid back injuries.
Second Meal of the Day
After a few hours of work with hard focus, Johnson will have his next meal of the day. Typically, he will eat a meal called the super veggie, which is a mixture of lentils, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, hemp seeds, garlic, and ginger.
Work with Intermittent Light Activity
Immediately after eating super veggie, Johnson will jump back into focused work. Importantly, after every 30 minutes of work, Johnson will do roughly five minutes of light activity. Light activity can include things like walking, bodyweight exercises, or stretching. Johnson says he finds doing these light activities throughout the workday keeps him more “flexible of mind and of body.”
Last Meal of the Day
An hour-and-a-half or two hours later, which is usually around 11:00 AM, Johnson will have his final meal of the day. Typically, this meal includes some combination of veggies, nuts, seeds, and berries. For example, he may have a stuffed sweet potato with avocado, tomatoes, chickpeas, and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Johnson says that his daily caloric intake is 2,250 calories, made up of 25% protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 40% fat. He also notes that his diet is plant-based by choice, excluding the collagen peptides, which are derived from animal protein.
More Work
After Johnson’s final meal of the day, he gets back to his work. As he did before, after every 30 minutes of work, he engages in five minutes of light activity, helping to induce blood flow and awaken his mind to enhance focus.
Fluid Intake
Johnson also drinks tea or other liquids with electrolytes as needed throughout the day. He stops drinking liquids around 4:00 PM to avoid needing to awaken during the night to use the bathroom.
Prioritizing Socialization and Avoiding Screen Time
The rest of Johnson’s day is filled with endless activities, according to Bryan Johnson. Thus, to wind down, Johnson takes a 10-minute walk outside, spends time with friends and family, reads books, and meditates to calm his body down. He also turns his phone and computer screens off to slow down his body and mind.
Falling Asleep
For falling asleep, Johnson says the most crucial thing one can do is to lower one’s heart rate. As such, slowing breathing patterns and letting go of stressful thoughts may help to lower the heart rate for optimal sleep. Thus, by slowing his heart rate, Johnson says that he lays his head on the pillow around 8:30 PM and is usually asleep within one to two minutes of doing so.
Incorporating Some of These Techniques May Help Slow Aging
By engaging in a longevity-focused daily routine, Bryan Johnson has purportedly lowered the biological age of a number of his organs. Following some of his examples, such as making sleep a priority, exercising regularly, and eating well, may help anyone to increase their healthspan—the duration of life without a debilitating age-related disease.
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