Bryan Johnson is the American tech millionaire using every resource at his disposal to uncover (or create) the fountain of youth. At 46, the software mogul is spending an average of $2 million a year to not only reverse aging, but also increase his healthspan and longevity.
“…We’ve got good as a society at not dying. What I’m trying to do is just get a lot better at not dying,” Bryan Johnson, Healthnews
Bryan Johnson Shares Easy Longevity Secrets
As not everyone has the same financial acumen that Johnson has, this raises whether longevity is strictly for the 1%.
Thankfully, the answer is no, and Johnson himself believes that you too can improve your longevity without stretching your budget.
Blueprint is Johnson’s project that is aimed at reversing the aging process and improving his health span.
Beginning as an anti-aging project and now open to the public, Blueprint features Johnson waking up between 4:30 a.m. and 6 a.m., taking around 100 supplements and prescription medications, exercising, and adopting other therapies. The project also has Johnson undergoing extensive medical tests, which include MRI scans.
Now while these actions have improved his health data, the average person can’t exactly follow the same routine, so what does the ultimate longevity guinea pig suggest?
Speaking to Healthnews, Johnson shares that while he spent millions of dollars on this endeavor, the average person can do the entire Blueprint for between $1,000 and $1,500.
“It comes back to the basics that we all know and don’t do. I’ve made all my data available, so it’s really not a cost problem. For most people, it is a life structure problem.”
1. Get enough quality sleep
“Sleep is at no cost; just prioritize good sleep,” says Johnson who once quipped that “sleep is the new coffee”.
Sleep hygiene is vital for longevity, and it’s important to get at least 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night, especially if you want to improve your healthspan.
For instance, a March study found that life expectancy was 4.7 years greater in men and 2.4 years greater in women who scored five out of five on a sleep score survey, as compared with those who scored zero or only one out of five.
So how does Bryan Johnson achieve quality sleep?
By creating the ultimate sleep environment, which includes blacking out the bedroom and regulating the temperature in the room. Johnson also advises that you create a sleep routine that involves a wind-down period and going to bed at the same time every night.
Johnson adds that effective stress management can impact sleep quality, so it’s advisable to learn how to adopt stress reduction therapies like meditation and journaling.
2. Quit bad habits
You are what you do, and if you’re adopting bad habits, then your healthspan will suffer.
So, which bad habits affect your longevity? Well, according to Johnson, these include:
- Smoking: Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers. However, quitting smoking before age 40 leads one to gain almost 9–10 years of life expectancy.
Here are 7 ways to stop smoking now.
- Excessive alcohol intake: Around 1 in 5 deaths of people aged 20 to 49 from 2015-2019 were linked to excessive alcohol use in the United States.While Johnson has admitted that he “enjoyed” drinking wine for breakfast, he shared that he cut it out of his restrictive diet because it had too many calories.
If you’re not looking to cut out alcohol, we recommend one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks a day for men.
- Digital binging: It can be easy to get lost in the digital world, but how does all of that scrolling affect our health?Well, research has found strong associations between digital binging and poor mental health manifesting as an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.
It’s clearly time to take a digital detox.
3. Go plant-based
Bryan Johnson’s diet is definitely an interesting one, as he eats in a 6-8 hour window and consumes 1,977 calories and over 100 pills. His meal plan is 3 daily vegan meals. Now, before you decide to overhaul your entire pantry, here are a few basics of his eating habits that you can adopt.
For starters, there’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO. Blueprint sources its own premium EVOO from both hemispheres to ensure freshness and abundant polyphenols. With EVOO being a critical component of the Mediterranean diet, which studies believe is the healthiest diet in the world, it’s no wonder that EVOO is 15% of Bryan Johnson’s daily caloric intake.
Johnson also starts his day with a green juice that features spermidine, creatine, and collagen peptides, alongside a breakfast that’s a blended meal of steamed vegetables, lentils, and a splash of the Blueprint’s EVOO.
It’s clear that Johnson’s eating habits center on plant-based meals, so here’s how you can switch to a more plant-based style of eating.
4. Exercise
When it comes to staying active, Johnson’s goal isn’t to run a marathon or build muscle, but to simply slow down aging and maintain optimal health.
So what does his workout routine entail? Well, for 45-60 minutes a day, Johnson does about 24 exercises that work both his body and mind.
It’s recommended that adults should get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or, 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week.
If you’re looking for a workout plan, perhaps you can adopt some of Brain Johnson’s exercise routine.
@bryan_johnson/X
Want to know more?
While you may not be ready to venture further than the aforementioned tips, Bryan Johnson is embarking on something new in order to improve his longevity: a multi-generational plasma exchange with his father and son.
References
Esser, M. B., Leung, G., Sherk, A., Bohm, M. K., Liu, Y., Lu, H., & Naimi, T. S. (2022). Estimated Deaths Attributable to Excessive Alcohol Use Among US Adults Aged 20 to 64 Years, 2015 to 2019. JAMA Network Open, 5(11). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.39485
Li H, Qian F, et al. (2023). LOW-RISK SLEEP PATTERNS, MORTALITY, AND LIFE EXPECTANCY AT AGE 30 YEARS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 172 321 US ADULTS. J Am Coll Cardiol. 81 (8_Supplement) 1675.
