Julie Gibson Clark is aging at 0.665 of a year for every chronological year she lives. So while the Phoenix-based single mother is 55 years old, her “biological” age, which may determine health span and life span more accurately, is decreasing—that is, according to her latest epigenetic DNA test, evaluating how her lifestyle influences her genes.
Amid the craze to live forever—a $26 billion business predicted to nearly double in the next decade—Clark’s results are more than impressive. In a global online longevity game called the Rejuvenation Olympics, ranking 4,000 people’s pace-of-aging averages across six months, Clark is in second place. She ranks higher than No. 6 Bryan Johnson, the wealthy tech founder who spends $2 million per year on reverse aging, and No. 19 Peter Diamandis, whose venture fund has put $500 million into growing technologies, many of which are aimed at research and development for healthy aging and extending life span, according to his website.
Unlike the tech millionaires using extreme anti-aging protocols like spending up to $1,000 an hour to see a rejuvenation doctor, Clark’s secret is somewhat ordinary. After all, she makes less than six figures a year and cannot afford to spend her savings trying to live forever since she will need enough to sustain her into extreme old age. She spends $27 a month on a gym membership and $79 a month on a supplement subscription from NOVOS, the company whose trial she entered and worked with to submit her results to the longevity leaderboard.
“Eventually the wheels will fall off the bus, and I’m like, well, mine aren’t falling off anytime soon,” Clark previously told Fortune. “So I’m going to do everything I can to keep the bus in good order.”
So what’s her daily routine? Turns out, you can do it, too. “This stuff has to just kind of be like brushing your teeth,” Clark says.
Clark typically consumes about 16 ounces of vegetables daily, snacking on carrots, radishes, and peppers during the workday. The majority, though, she gets through salads and soups. Eating a diverse array of whole foods, such as a range of vegetables, is associated with a strong gut, which can boost the immune system and keep the body healthy.
Clark also limits the amount of refined sugars and grains she eats, which contain fewer nutrients than complex carbohydrates.
When Clark heads to the gym, she does a mix of cardio and strength workouts each week: two days of upper body workouts with weights, two days of lower body with weights, and one day of strength-training targeting her midsection. She also does about 20 to 30 minutes of cardio four times a week.
On the weekends, Clark hikes, kayaks, plays pickleball, or takes a long walk.
Especially as people age, incorporating strength training into the week can help combat age-related muscle loss. Finding an exercise you enjoy can help you stick with it.
At least three times a week, Clark uses the sauna for 20 minutes before taking a cold shower.
Longevity experts swear by cold and hot immersion to stress the body. As longevity expert Dr. Mark Hyman previously told Fortune, “A stress that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Heat immersion like a sauna can activate longevity pathways, he says. “You’ll end up increasing heat shock proteins, which clean up all damaged proteins and boost your immune system and increase your cardiovascular health,” Hyman says.
A cold shower, similar to the cold plunge, can do more than improve alertness. It can release adrenaline and keep the body resilient—a biological process known as hormesis, which can reduce inflammation.
Clark doesn’t see her health journey as intense, nor does she prescribe to the term “biohacker.” She has found easy ways to prioritize her health through diet, exercise, and healthy bouts of stress.
She also credits her motivating factor to keeping up her routine to live a long, healthy life: her son.
As a single mother, she hopes to stay around for her 17-year-old son. “I want to be there for him as long as possible,” she told Fortune. “I want to minimize any negative repercussions of aging.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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