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Welcome to the mindbodygreen Podcast. I'm Jason Wakab, founder and co CEO of mindbodygreen and your host. Welcome back to the mindbodygreen Podcast. Today's episode is a little different. This isn't about a landmark study or research breakthrough. This is about me. My own N of 1 experiment. My own data, my own journey. So I recently turned 51, but according to Whoop, my biological age is 37.9. My heart rate variability recently hit an all time high of 178. My resting heart rate dropped to 35. My VO2 Max climbed from 45 to 52, all in the past year. I'm actually getting better with age. I'm not sharing this to brag. I'm sharing it because I want you to know what's possible. And I want you to understand why this matters so much to me. Because if you know my family history, you'll understand why. Crossing 50 wasn't just a birthday. It was emotional, it was heavy, and it was something I wasn't sure I'd ever see. This is part of our series where we explore the science of living better, healthier and longer. And today, it's personal. Let's dive in. Now, if you're a regular listener, you know some of my family history and you'll understand why crossing 50 was emotional. My dad died of heart disease at 47. He never reached 48. His father, my grandfather, died of cancer at 44. My mom's dad, heart disease, gone at 49. So when I turned 51 this year, I officially outlived multiple generations of men in my family. That's heavy. There's a joy in it. But it's also this strange mix of grief and gratitude. Some days it feels like I'm staring down ghosts. On those days, I remind myself our genes are not our destiny. That story ends with me. So what's my why? I have two little girls, 8 and 6, both athletic, full of energy and competitive in the best possible way. Now I want to be the dad who's sprinting up the hill next to them, not the one out of shape, catching his breath at the bottom. I want to play with them, train with them, live life with them, not just watch from the sidelines. And truthfully, I don't want to be the older dad who looks or feels old. I want to be the strong Jack dad who surprises people, the one keeping up with the 30 year olds in the gym. That's my why. That's what drives everything. I'm about to share some More context. Before we go further, let me clear something up. I am a full time CEO running a growing company. I'm a husband, I'm a dad. Time is scarce and I do not have a million dollar longevity budget. I spend a fraction of what most self proclaimed biohackers spend. Sure I spend money on supplements, a weekly chiropractor tune up and of course my gym membership. But I am a strong believer in the basics, precision, nutrition, exercise and data to make better choices without sacrificing my day to day. Now look, I never work out for more than an hour, often less. But when I do work out, I work out hard. There's no scrolling, no wasted movement, no fluff. It's all about efficiency and I do this five to six days a week. You don't have to be a full time biohacker or influencer to get the results like this. In fact, my sense is most of them don't have metrics they're actually proud of. I'd bet there aren't many men over 50 who are also a husband, dad and CEO with an HRV of 124, a resting heart rate of 40 and a VO2 max of 52. My bet? I'm outperforming most of the health influencers. And I'm going to show you exactly how I did it. My VO2 Max improved from 45 to 52 in less than a year. My resting heart rate reached an all time low of 35 and went from 47 to 40 on a yearly average over the last five years. My HRV recently hit a high of 178 and improved from 82 to 124 on a yearly average also in the last five years. And here's the thing. I don't take testosterone. I don't take GLP1s. I'm not opposed to either. And at a certain point it's likely I'll turn to pharmaceutical interventions because I believe we've made tremendous advances there, particularly when it comes to cardiovascular disease. But right now, 100% lifestyle. So let's talk about rowing because this is the foundation of my cardio routine and the reason those metrics move so dramatically. So let's get to my heart rate zone goals. On a weekly basis now I shoot to do 25 plus minutes in zones 4 or 5, 6 plus hours in zones 1 to 3. Mostly zone 1. Lots of walking. Yes, walking. We're going to talk about walking. I try to do 12,000 steps a day. I always try to move. We'll opt for Stairs over elevators and we'll try to take walking calls. I try to integrate all those mini movements all the time. That's it. Nothing crazy, nothing elite. Just consistent movement, smart effort and recovery. So let's dig into cardio. Most people look at VO2 max training and think one brutal workout a week, all out. But I think that puts too much pressure on one day and one workout. That simply doesn't work for me. If it works for you, keep doing it. So what I do, instead of one super intense session, I break my rowing up into three to five smaller sessions a week. Some are hard, truly zone four or five. But most are in that sustainable zones two to three range with bursts of zones four to five. Look, it's all feel based. If I sleep poorly or it doesn't feel like I can push it into overdrive, I don't push it. I'll just row for 20 minutes and I'll call it a win. If I wake up with a great recovery score, great sleep, good energy, that's when I'll hit it harder and really push it. I've learned that consistency wins here. It's not about one epic session, it's about stringing together a few good ones throughout the week. Rowing gives me that control. It's low impact, full body, and I can dial up or down based on recovery and how. Feel for strength training? I lift two to three times a week, 45 to 55 minutes each session. Sometimes shorter, but never longer. But I lift hard and I lift smart. No ego lifts, no heavy squats or deadlifts. I protect my knees and lower back. I actually don't do much free weights anymore out of extreme caution. To protect my joints, I rest 30 to 45 seconds between each set. Move efficiently and don't waste a second. If a machine's taken, I move on. I'm in, I'm out, I'm done. And even with that minimalist approach, my muscle mass, strength and body composition are the best they've ever been as my body fat sits just under 10%. Moving on to diet and testing. I believe testing is everything. Boston Heart Labs has been a game changer. In my view, it is the most underrated test out there because it tells you how you absorb cholesterol, not just your levels. So I'm what they call an ultra absorber of plant sterols. So all those healthy fats, avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butters, vegetable oils, actually spike my lipids more than most. Yes, avocados, nuts and seeds, I can easily have too much of These. So anyone who tells you to eat exclusively plant based is out of touch with the new era of testing with precision and tests like Boston Heart when it comes to diet. So meanwhile bison and fish body loves them. My first meaningful N of 1 experiment using my Boston Heart data was in early 2024. Now my APOB had spiked to 110 and after digging into my results we decided to eliminate coconut milk and other high fat dairy from my diet. The fix was simple but profound. I swapped my smoothie base for a 2 low fat dairy and in just 8 weeks my APOB dropped from 110 to 71. At the same time my recovery metrics started to shift dramatically. My HRV jumped from 68 to 115 and my resting heart rate dropped from 54 to 49. It was a clear signal that my system was responding positively to the dietary change and the follow up labs confirmed it. So today my diet more or less looks like this. Tons of salmon, sardines, tuna. I love salmon, bison, lean chicken, plenty of sourdough. Oh I eat a lot of sourdough and family meals at restaurants like True Food Kitchen or Pura Vida where I can still eat clean and enjoy the moment with my kiddos. My morning always starts with mindbody green clean coffee plus black strong and plenty of it. We're talking five cups a day. Sometimes I maybe do six sometimes. Then my epic smoothie. This involves my muddy greens grass fed whey protein isolate plus our organic fiber potency plus our beauty and gut collagen plus then I throw in my Alexandre Farms A2 low fat milk. I do a quarter avocado and this is because of my sterile absorption issues. Handful of arugula or broccoli sprouts and then I'll do some frozen strawberries or blackberries. That's my morning smoothie. Then post workout I hit mindbody green electrolytes plus with creatine and lemon lime and sometimes I'll do another weight shake. Lunch is always consistent for me too. Typically Siggy's yogurt, 30 grams of protein, two small containers and I throw in some purely Elizabeth granola in there and sometimes some blackberries. And at every meal I try to hit 30 grams of high quality protein and at least two and a half grams of leucine to trigger muscle protein secrets synthesis. If I'm short, that's when I'll add our lean and tone aminos. Plus now weekdays I'm disciplined. Weekends I loosen up desserts sourdough from Domicello or Madruga Bakery here in Miami, life is simply too short not to enjoy it. I try to eat early though, always at least three hours before bed. And I've basically stopped drinking alcohol. I'll have a drink maybe a few times a year if I feel like it when I'm out to brunch or dinner with family or friends. Those changes alone have improved my HRV and resting heart rate more than anything else. Now sleep. Sleep is sacred for me. I still watch TV at night. I'm human, but I avoid anything too intense. Don't do email after 9pm although I do keep my phone in the bedroom, but it's on silent from 9pm to 6am so no notifications. Now I swear. I swear by my eight sleep cooling mattress and I take my Buddy Green sleep support plus plus a magnesium rest and recovery plus every night. It's part of my nighttime ritual, part signal to my body that it's time to shut down. And my body loves the cold bedroom. Most bodies actually really thrive in cold bedrooms. Also, in terms of recovery, I'll cold plunge two to three times a week, generally between three to four minutes each session. And the temperature is 49 degrees, which is just the temperature set at the gym. There's no preference there. I know that's a lot to digest, but here are my final thoughts. So yes, I'm 51 on paper, but 37.9 according to Whoop. My HRV and resting heart rates are at all time records for me and are considered elite for my age. But what really matters to me isn't that number. It's how I feel. I feel strong. I feel present. I feel grateful. Longevity for me isn't about hacking my way to 120. It's about being able to play basketball with my daughters. And yes, I can still dunk a basketball, which the former Division 1 college basketball player in me absolutely loves. It's about being there, really there for my family, my company, my life. That's the mission. And if I can share anything from my journey, it's this. You don't need a million dollar budget or perfect discipline. You just need consistency, curiosity and a why that matters. Thanks for listening to this episode. If my story resonated with you, share it with someone who's working on their own health journey. And if you want to hear more n of 1 experiments, studies and stories that help us live better, healthier and longer. Subscribe to the show. Until next time, stay strong and be well.