8 Bio-hacks for Aging Gracefully

No, you're not old yet. You look in the mirror and still like what you see. But everyone ages. Luckily, today we have a wealth of anti-aging, health and bio-hacking information available all across the internet. I took the liberty of listening to countless hours of podcasts, reading and re-reading scientific papers and experimenting with the "biohacks" and supplements I think have the most amount of evidence across the board.

Want to prevent forehead wrinkles? Avoid diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer's? Look and feel great well into your 60s and 70s? Modern science mixed with some basic common sense habits make this the best time to age gracefully and take control over your own health.

(I buy and use everything I recommend. I am also not a doctor, nurse, dentist or "bio-hacker". Please check with your doctor before trying any new supplements or activities).

1. TAKE YOUR GREENS

Alright, this is more of common sense than a biohack but you know you don't eat enough vegetables. And if you do, its a sad salad with barely enough calories to get you to your next meal. In 2017, the CDC did a Morbidity and Mortality Report revealing that 1 in 10 Americans were not meeting their daily vegetable needs. Not eating enough vegetables means you're likely not getting enough essential vitamins and this can lead to health problems later on like cancer, cardiovascular disease and all the other things people tend to get as they age.

I eat vegetables every day in pretty big quantities, but some days I still struggle with getting the recommended amount. So I drink my greens. They come in powdered form and there a hundred different kinds and brands- the important thing is that it tastes good enough to drink daily and contains most of the servings of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you're not getting from your plate. (I use Athletic Greens because it has amazing nutrition and tastes so good I can just mix it with water).

Drink them, eat them, put them in a smoothie- just get those greens in! You'll be amazed how good you feel when your body has proper fuel for all of its daily functions.

2. NAD

This is a molecule that is all the rage among athletes, biohackers and anti-aging enthusiasts. NAD stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and it is responsible for powering your cells and allowing them to do all the jobs cells do. As you age, your NAD production slows way down (you lose about 50% of your body's NAD between the ages of 40 and 50) and when your cells have less energy, they are replenishing much less often, causing the general signs of aging.

There are currently only rodent studies on the anti-aging benefits of NAD so the FDA is not yet on board, however, the science is compelling and a few companies have already started producing supplements. (TruNiagen is probably the most well-known.)

Like many supplements, the effects are hard to measure in the short term. Many people report they have more energy, better skin, nails and memory after only a few weeks of use- though you can't rule out the ol' placebo effect. It does make sense that if your cells are healthy and your mitochondria are nourished, your overall health conditions will be better.

(For a great podcast on NAD, check out this one with Ben Greenfield, a genius biohacker and Dr. Ross Grant, Ph.D.)

3. COLLAGEN

When it comes to anti-aging, the thing we want most is endless energy and nice firm skin. Being the last organ to receive nutrients, a person's skin is a very accurate depiction of their overall health and age. If there are not enough nutrients for the skin, there's probably a shortage elsewhere. As you age, the topmost layer of your skin gets thinner and then wrinkles and sags- and all because your body isn't producing the same amount of collagen.

Collagen is a protein that is responsible for building most of the soft tissue in your body- muscles, joints, hair, and nails. Your skin is 70% collagen and you get some of it from eating animal products (mainly beef and eggs), but probably not enough. Supplementing collagen is one of the best things you can do to improve your skin elasticity and joint health so you can look younger and move better as you age.

There are so many collagen supplements out there it can be overwhelming. They mostly come in a powder form that is best served in smoothies, coffees or just stirred into juice. You can also consume organic bone broth which contains a lot of collagen and other nutrients. I personally use 1UP Nutrition's collagen products and have seen a big difference in my hair and skin when I use it versus when I take some time off. Ben Greenfield uses Perfect Keto Collagen.

4. INTERMITTENT FASTING

This is something I run into again and again across various anti aging websites, biohacking podcasts and scientific studies. Intermittent fasting is basically going (ideally) 16-20 hours a day consuming only water, black coffee or plain tea. It is also sometimes called time-restricted eating because you are essentially restricting the times you're allowed to eat and consuming all of your daily calories within that time frame.

Why is this beneficial? So many reasons!

For one, while you're fasting you're not eating which means it's much easier to control your calorie count. You can only eat so much in one sitting before you're full, and for night eaters (like me!), time-restricted eating is a great way to keep from binging on snacks all night. I eat my last food at 7:00pm and won't eat again until 11:00am (or later) the next day. I workout in the morning and have noticed much more energy and strength when I haven't eaten before a workout.

When you're not stuffing your face all day, your body has time to do other things- namely cell regeneration- which keeps you looking and feeing younger and more vibrant. The science is complicated (here's a study broken down by Dr. Rhonda Patrick) but "a growing body of evidence suggests that in the absence of ready supplies of glucose and fats from meals, fasting flips a metabolic “switch,” liberating fat stores via fatty acid oxidation and ketone production while overall prioritizing the safeguarding of lean muscle mass and function. As such, fasting provides a mechanism that not only improves overall body composition but also triggers the activation of biochemical processes and signaling pathways that optimize human performance and physiological function, possibly slowing the processes of aging and disease."

I use a free app called ZERO to track my fasts, record how I feel after each one and remind me when it's time to stop or start eating.

5. ADEQUATE SLEEP

In our teens and early twenties we were weekend warriors. We'd "sleep when we're dead" and maybe not even then. But it turns out sleep is one of the biggest factors in how we age and our brain health as we get older.

Sleep is your body's way of repairing and recharging itself. And it's not just the amount of sleep you get (adults should be getting 7-9 hours a night)- it's all about the quality. Drinking alcohol before bed, using blue light technology (phones, television, etc.) and sleep aids can all cause you to not have quality sleep which over time can turn into all the classic ailments of old age- weak immune system, less energy, depression, anxiety, increased inflammatory markers and obesity.

Biohackers across the internet are obsessed with getting quality sleep. Some just avoid alcohol and blue lights before bed and are content with a cold room and a weighted blanket. Others, like Ben Greenfield, sleep with a combination of noise canceling headphones, blue light blocking glasses (to use a phone close to bedtime), binaural beats, a silk eye mask and a mix of essential oils diffused in the bedroom. Whatever your strategy, aim for 7-9 hours of good, uninterrupted sleep and let your body and mind rejuvenate.

6. THAT HAWAIIAN ALGAE STUFF

It's called Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae and it grows in fresh water around the world but is mainly harvested in Hawaii. This red algae contains a concentrated amount of a carotenoid called Astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants ever discovered. It has been shown to decrease the risks of certain chronic diseases related to oxidative stress, support healthy heart activity, improve muscle strength and endurance, and prevents premature skin aging and joint health. People swear by its efficacy on wrinkles, aches and pains and other common aging complaints.

I learned about Astaxanthin from Dr. Sandra Kaufmann, a cellular biologist who became enthralled with slowing and reversing aging. She created The Kaufmann Protocol to introduce people to the newest anti-aging technology. She recommends BioAstin for supplementing Astaxanthin and it's a steal at only $20 a bottle.

7. BLOOD TESTING

The only real way to know what's going on inside your body is to test your blood. These days you don't even have to go into a doctor's office to figure out if all your biohacks are working. There are a ton of labs around the world and even online testing companies that can help you understand what's happening inside you.

The problem with not going to a physician is that you will have to decipher the test results yourself. This can be a bit confusing, especially because humans vary wildly and what's "normal" for some can be abnormal for others and there are factors such as gender, age and activity level that must be addressed. Thankfully, many of these companies (such as WellnessFX) provide information on how to read your tests as well as consultations with physicians to give you the best information to improve your health. They can also tell you what foods you may be sensitive or allergic to and supplements that may help you live longer and look younger.

So, test your blood at least twice a year. Even just a simple, comprehensive blood panel can give you an idea of how you're doing and what you can improve on. Here is a comprehensive list of lab tests you can perform suggested by Ben Greenfield.

8. HEAT AND COLD

Human beings did not evolve in air-conditioned and heated rooms. The world is usually too hot or too cold for us to be comfortable. Because of this our bodies have become efficient machines for handling temperatures and adjusting so that we don't die and there are actually a ton of benefits if you can get yourself too cold or too hot.

Hot yoga, cryotherapy, ice baths, saunas- all boasted by bio-hackers and doctors to have amazing effects on metabolism, cell regeneration, circulatory function, inflammation and aging overall. People report better recovery, better looking skin and FEEL AMAZING even after just a few minutes in an extremely uncomfortable environment. Turns out, when your body thinks it's dying, that's when you really feel alive!

So take an ice bath after a work out, hit the sauna or go walk around in your bathing suit in the snow. "Hack" your body into survival mode and watch how it improves all functions to keep you living, breathing and thriving. And read these articles by Ben Greenfield on cold thermogenesis and Dr. Rhonda Patrick on saunas to get a better idea of how it works and how to start.

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Your body is a machine. It was designed by the forces of evolution to keep you alive, healthy and ready to mate. In modern times, we often view aging as inevitable, something that "just happens." We complain when our bodies start to break down and wrinkle but fail to understand that there are a million ways to "hack" our personal evolution and feel amazing right up to the end. Sure, you can't live forever, but I believe with a combination of science, nature and discipline, you can live a full life and feel younger every year. Let's start now.

"Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." -Samuel Ullman