Only about 25% of your life expectancy is determined by genetics—the rest is shaped by lifestyle and environmental factors. To not only add years to your life but also ensure good health and mental clarity in later years,, it’s essential to start integrating biohacking techniques by middle age.
Biohacking encompasses a wide range of practices aimed at slowing down the biological aging process, keeping your body performing at its best for as long as possible. These techniques vary from cutting-edge medical treatments to simple, long-established habits that are easy to adopt.
This article highlights the 8 most effective biohacking techniques for extending your life expectancy. While adopting all 8 will create a powerful synergy for longevity, even incorporating just 1 can make a significant impact on your overall wellbeing.
1. Reduced Exertion HIIT (REHIT)
Regular exercise is widely recognized as one of the most crucial factors for increasing life span. But scientific evidence suggests that there’s a particular workout that outcompetes other types of training in terms of longevity benefits: Reduced Exertion HIIT (REHIT).
REHIT has revolutionized the approach to exercise with its efficiency and effectiveness. Its 2x all-out 20-second sprints yield superior longevity benefits compared to regular training in 90% less time. Peak intensity of REHIT training leads to rapid depletion of your glycogen stores and triggers important metabolic adaptations that you cannot achieve during moderate-intensity training.
REHIT is the most effective type of training to increase VO2max, a key indicator of not only your cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular health, but also longevity. Studies have shown that if you do 3x REHIT workouts a week on CAROL Bike for 8 weeks, you will increase your VO2max by 12%—which is like reversing your biological age back by 10 years.
This short maximum-intensity training also induces a hormonal response that facilitates fat loss, accelerates rejuvenation, and reduces stress levels.
With the emergence of CAROL Bike, implementing REHIT has never been easier. CAROL Bike is the only bike fully optimized for REHIT—making it simple, effective, and safe. It provides the shortest, most effective workouts suitable for any age and fitness level while offering greater versatility and choice than most other smart bikes.
If you are looking to add even more years to your life, combine REHIT with weight training. Weight training will increase your growth hormone, collagen, and sex hormone levels and prevent the muscle loss that naturally happens with age.
2. Exposure to extreme temperatures
Exposing the body to extreme temperatures has been used to enhance the body’s resilience and vitality since Ancient Greece.
Cryotherapy (cold exposure)
Cold exposure is one of the most popular biohacks that may take the form of a cold shower, ice bath, cryo sauna, or cryo chamber. Cryotherapy reduces inflammation and muscle pain, promotes muscle recovery after intense exercise, and boosts the immune system. In addition to that, ice bathing has a positive effect on sleep quality, overall mood, and managing stress levels.
Heat exposure
Sauna detoxifies the body, improves blood circulation, and provides muscle relaxation. It is used by athletes to accelerate their post-exercise recovery and reduce stress.
Alternating temperatures
Alternating between hot and cold, such as taking a contrast shower, is a powerful biohack to boost cell metabolism, fortify the cardiovascular system, and feel more energized and resilient.
3. Red light therapy
During red light therapy, you expose your body to a low wavelength of red light to activate mitochondria.
Thanks to the mitochondrial boost, cells can heal and grow more effectively. Red light therapy improves skin and hair condition, facilitates wound healing, reduces the pain from chronic diseases, and accelerates sports recovery. It may even reduce the risk of premature death from certain diseases. A recent study suggests that the survival rate of mice with heart disease who underwent red light therapy increased to 100% compared to 43% in the control group.
The beneficial effects of regular red light therapy significantly contribute to physical well-being and longer life expectancy.
Considered a top biohack for longevity—CAROL's signature REHIT workout is proven to improve your VO2max by 12% in just 8 weeks.
4. Stem cell therapy
Stem cell therapy is one of the innovative technologies used by biohackers to promote regeneration and longer life.
Stem cells are a specific type of cell that are capable of regenerating and becoming other types of cells. Stem cells can develop into any body’s tissue to repair it after injury and produce new specific cells for it. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types.
In biohacking, stem cell therapy enhances the natural repair processes for damaged tissues and organs, slowing the aging process and increasing life expectancy.
5. Anti-aging supplements
A healthy diet that contains plenty of protein, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and fiber supports healthy metabolism, protects the body from numerous chronic diseases, and promotes a longer lifespan. At the same time, as people age, their metabolism slows down, and the body doesn’t absorb a sufficient amount of vital elements. Including anti-aging supplements in your diet fills this shortage and counters the effects of aging.
- Antioxidant supplements reduce the free radical damage. The most effective antioxidants are glutathione, CoEnzyme Q10, and vitamins A, C, and E.
- Vitamin D increases bone density and supports muscle function and brain activity. It’s recommended to combine it with calcium to prevent osteoporosis.
- Omega-3 fatty acids have a strong anti-inflammatory effect and are very beneficial for the cardiovascular system. They normalize high blood pressure, reduce triglycerides (fats) in the blood, prevent dementia, depression, and diabetes, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Resveratrol, omega-3 fatty acids, and CoEnzyme Q10 keep mitochondria function at peak capacity, crucial for maintaining metabolism and energy levels in old age.
- Similar to omega-3, curcumin reduces inflammation and protects from heart disease. It has an antioxidant effect and improves brain function.
- Group B vitamins are crucial for proper brain function, high energy levels, and white blood cell activity. Its deficiency may lead to anemia, weakness, fatigue, impaired immune system, memory loss, and brain dysfunction, research suggests.
- Nootropic natural supplements like magnesium, ginkgo biloba, and Rhodiola rosea extracts have been shown to improve cognitive function and reduce anxiety and stress.
- Collagen molecules are the building blocks for your skin, bones, joints, and muscles. Regular collagen intake improves skin elasticity, density, and hydration. Additionally, it’s effective in preventing osteoarthritis.
6. Meditation and breathwork
Mindfulness practices like meditation and conscious breathing became trendy in the world of biohacking as more and more studies showed their mental health benefits.
Meditation and deep breathing have been shown to alleviate pain, stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, and anger. A recent review of 104 randomized controlled trials showed that therapeutic meditation improved sleep quality, reduced fatigue, and improved mood.
Different breathing techniques, such as deep breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, or box breathing, are powerful tools to stimulate the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the main nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system that controls digestion, heart rate, and immune system. Research findings suggest that electrical nerve stimulation significantly contributes to enhanced well-being and longer life expectancy among 55-year-old and above participants. The benefits of vagus nerve stimulation include reduced inflammation, enhanced mood and cognitive function, improved gut health, lower blood pressure, and even a reduced risk of developing cancer.
7. An optimal sleep routine
Quality sleep is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and a long life. Nighttime is when your body regenerates cells, cleanses the metabolism byproducts, recovers from training, and relaxes from the daily stress.
The most important thing you can do to improve your sleep quality is to sync it with your circadian rhythm—an inner biological clock following the daylight. Exposing yourself to sunlight early in the morning is a natural signal for your body to wake up and reduce melatonin production. Shift your sleep hours earlier and keep a consistent sleep schedule.
If you have trouble falling asleep, don’t eat and exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime and reduce the screen exposure.
8. Exposure to nature
Reconnecting with nature is another simple and old practice reclaimed by the biohackers community in the form of forest bathing, earthing, and light exposure. Scientific evidence confirms that immersing ourselves in a natural environment has profound positive effects on our physical, mental, and emotional health.
Forest bathing
Forest bathing simply means taking a slow, deliberate walk in the woods, immersing in the surrounding greenery, natural sounds, and smells. A review of 52 Japanese studies shows that forest treatments decreased cortisol levels, pulse rate, and blood pressure, balanced the nervous system, and increased heart rate variability. Additionally, the forest air contains terpenes—aromatic plant-based substances that boost your immune system and could even lower the risk of some cancers. Scientists recommend spending at least 120 minutes per week in nature to gain the full health benefits and add a few years to your life.
Earthing
Earthing involves direct contact with the surface of our planet by walking barefoot on the ground or swimming in a natural body of water. Such contact reduces oxidative stress—the main driving force of the aging process.
Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body that leads to cell damage. Free radicals are unstable molecules that emerge as a byproduct of normal metabolism and attack other molecules to steal their electrons. This damage triggers cell oxidation and leads to many age-related diseases, including skin aging, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, arthritis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s diseases. Negatively charged Earth neutralizes the excessive positive charge of the free radicals, reduces chronic inflammation, and slows down the aging processes.
Light exposure
Light exposure is a natural source of vitamin D. In the morning, it syncs your body with its circadian rhythm and promotes the release of serotonin, boosting your mood for the day.
Conclusion
Biohacking is a powerful concept because it offers numerous small yet powerful lifestyle changes that yield significant health benefits and extend your life expectancy over time. After trying the 8 biohacks mentioned above, you can continue to experiment with different diet strategies, investing in positive social relationships, wearing tracking devices, and other techniques.
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