My daily routine for health and healthy life

Matt Kaeberlein began studying the science of longevity “by chance,” he says.

Kaeberlein is the founder and former director of the Institute for Healthy Aging and Longevity at the University of Washington and co-founder and CEO of a health tech startup called Optispan. Throughout his career, he has published hundreds of research papers, including many on aging.

In 1998, while a graduate student in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Koeberlein attended a lecture by a biology professor about the relationship between genetics and longevity. “I was in my late 20s, so aging wasn’t yet personal, but the complexity of biology really resonated with me. It seemed like an important issue,” says Koeberlein, 54.

Koeberlein decided to join professor Leonard Guarente’s lab to conduct graduate research on longevity. “Currently, much of my interest is focused on individual people and learning how we can positively impact people’s health spans,” Kaeberlein says.

Alan Cohen, associate professor at Columbia University’s Robert N. Butler Columbia Center on Aging, told CNBC Make It in December 2022 that healthy lifespan, like lifespan, is defined as how long a person can live without symptoms that can interfere with their quality of life, such as chronic pain or dementia.

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Despite spending decades researching longevity, Koeberlein says he “didn’t spend much time thinking about” applying his research to his own habits and lifestyle until he started experiencing low energy levels and pain in his 40s and early 50s.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Koeberlein decided to “get serious about improving aspects of her lifestyle,” including nutrition, exercise, sleep and her sense of social connection. Around the same time, he transitioned from academia to entrepreneurship, co-founding Optispan in September 2023, which promotes personalized, longevity-focused medicine for customers.

Here, Koeberlein shares how he has changed his personal habits to extend his longevity and health. (Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your lifestyle that may affect your health.)

CNBC Make It: What do you do to keep your body healthy?

Kaeberlein: It’s always personal, but I think there are general principles (that everyone can follow) when it comes to movement.

Some might call it “Zone 2 exercise,” which involves a variety of movement, or consistent, low-intensity exercise (physical activity) that gets your heart rate up on a regular basis. Ideally, you would do something at a low level every day. Maybe it’s just walking outside.

In the morning, I do about 30 minutes on my bike or elliptical. Or, if the weather is nice, my wife and I go for a walk outside. Not every day, but most days I do. I think many people can relate to this. Being active early in the morning will help you have a better day.

I try to do resistance training four times a week. I divided the training into parts of the body. I don’t think there is a magic formula, just go to the gym and do it. You can also do bodyweight exercises if that’s better for you. I’ve always loved lifting heavy things, so that’s what I did. Most people probably don’t realize how important it is to build and maintain muscle mass into your 40s (and beyond).

Then there is high intensity (training). Again, it’s about finding what works for you. What really worked for my wife and I is that there is a 135-step staircase in a nearby town about 15 minutes from our house. Usually once a week, rain or shine, I go to the stairs and go up and down 10 to 15 times. We listen to music and do things together.

What about brain health? Do you do anything special to keep your mind sharp?

Learning new things is one of the best ways to “tease your brain.” In my job, I don’t think I need to find a way to learn new things. I am always reading and learning and trying to understand new trends in this field.

Part of that is finding ways to stimulate your brain that you enjoy and that give you energy. This is very similar to physical exercise in the sense that if you don’t want to do it because you feel it’s too much of a burden, you won’t be able to continue doing it long term.

I try to go to bed at a pretty regular time, at least on weekdays. I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and my wife and I usually go to bed around 9-9:30 p.m. I try to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep a night.

Longevity experts often talk about the importance of “social fitness,” maintaining friendships and connecting with other people. How is your social adaptability?

For me, the pillar of “connection” is the weakest. I am very fortunate to have a strong marriage, and it has been the most important relationship for most of my adult life, along with my children.

I have made an intentional effort to spend time regularly and consistently with friends outside of my family. If possible, set aside time to go out for coffee with a friend once a month. We prioritize relationships that matter and ensure they are nurtured through consistent touchpoints.

I’ve never been one to strike up conversations with strangers in elevators, but I’m much more open to such micro-interactions on a daily basis. Having a really positive conversation with someone you’ve never met before will energize you and make you feel better afterwards. Or if you see someone on a plane who might be willing to lend a hand, even if it’s just to unload your bag or hold the door open.

It was beneficial for me to try to have positive interactions like this and do it consciously.

Let’s talk about your daily diet. Are there any foods you should eat more or less of to improve your health?

I make a dedicated and intentional effort to avoid most processed foods (especially) with added sugar, such as potato chips and breakfast cereals. I really started to like salads. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I had a choice between super nachos and a steak salad at a Mexican restaurant and I would choose the steak salad, I would have said, “You’re crazy.” But today I will.

I eat a lot of yogurt. I pay attention to protein and probably get about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. And I eat a lot of fiber. Typically, we get about 60 to 80 grams of dietary fiber (including) from vegetables per day.

One of my favorite things that seems too good to be true and I would love to see (with more research) is keto bread. It typically contains 10 to 12 grams of fiber per slice. One of my favorite meals is an avocado sandwich with keto bread. Sometimes I add lean turkey. It is rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats.

I always end up with this question. Because I think it’s interesting to see what longevity experts are researching these days. What are you reading?

Many of the books I read are primary literature or other types of articles related to health and wellness.

One of the areas that I’m currently researching deeply is peptides, and I’m really trying to understand where many of them come from. What data do we have on the various peptides being prescribed? How do they work? How likely are they to be beneficial? How potentially dangerous are they?

I get asked a lot about signal and noise, so I’m serious about differentiating between signal and noise, and I want to make sure I really understand it.

Below is a quick summary of Kaberlein’s health and wellness habits.

For physical health: Combine low-intensity and high-intensity exercise, strength training, and aerobic exercise. Adjust physical activity according to age. For brain health: Prioritize a sleep schedule of 7 to 8 hours each night. I’m always learning new things to “train” my brain. For social adjustment: Spend quality time with your family and set up a time to catch up with friends once a month. Participate in “micro-interactions” with strangers passing by. About meals: Eat a well-balanced diet of vegetables and protein. Consume 60 to 80 grams of fiber per day. For the media diet: Read health literature to stay up to date with new research and trends.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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