Dr. Frank Lipman has over 35 years of experience in functional medicine, and throughout his career, he has always viewed research into longevity as an extension of his work.
Lipman is the author of seven books, including The New Rules for Aging Well, which he co-authored with Daniel Claro.
When it comes to longevity, “almost everything I recommend to my patients, I do myself,” Lipman tells CNBC Make It.
These are his daily practices for a long and healthy life.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
“Almost everything I recommend to my patients, I do myself.”
CNBC Make It: What are some things you do to keep your body healthy?
I exercise, which includes strength training several times a week, and aerobic and high-intensity interval training several times a week.
I walk. I move as much as I can. I tend to go to bed at the same time every night. I do some sort of meditation practice. (I) try to do it daily.
What else should I do? I take a large amount of supplements (including vitamin D and fish oil). I replace hormones.
I do a lot of things to improve my health, (I'm) very proactive about my health. Almost everything I recommend to my patients I do myself.
There are a lot of conversations focused on brain health. Are there any things you do specifically to keep your brain healthy?
I mapped out my brain. And at least five or six times a week, (I use) a red light helmet at home. I set it aside for at least 15 minutes to process everything we found in the brain mapping.
You can actually measure overactive or overactive areas of the brain and then target those areas with specific red light frequencies. This is what I do.
Aside from exercising, trying to deal with stress, and sleeping, I use a red light helmet.
Having really important connections in your life is something we hear when we talk about longevity. What does your social fitness look like?
My social fitness is very good. I'm obsessed with spending as much time as possible with my grandson.
When he gets older, he probably won't want to spend so much time, so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity. He'll be five soon, but he's still at the age where he wants to be with his grandparents.
We spend a lot of time with family, and then we spend time with friends as well.
What are some foods you're really aiming to get into your diet, whether every day or every week?
I tend to eat a low-sugar, low-carb, high-protein diet. I'm a bit obsessed with getting enough protein in my diet, so that's my focus. It can be eggs, red meat, chicken and fish.
Then I eat a lot of green leafy vegetables and non-starchy vegetables. I love fruit, but I try not to eat too much of it. But I will eat berries.
So, I would say my diet is full of protein, fatty fish, non-starchy vegetables, and berries. It's a Mediterranean diet without any bread or pasta.
I'm usually a timed eater, so I usually don't eat for 16 hours. I eat all my food in an eight-hour period.
What are you reading now?
Recently, (I've been) digging deeper into rapamycin. This is what I was reading. Just exploring rapamycin.
A longevity expert's 5 daily practices for a long, healthy life
Summing up Dr. Lipman's longevity practices, here's what he does to stay happy and healthy:
For his body: exercise, consistent bedtime and wake-up time, meditation and supplements For brain health: brain mapping and red light therapy, plus stress reduction and more sleep For social fitness: Having quality time with loved ones, especially his grandson For his daily diet: protein and vegetables , especially fatty fish, non-starchy vegetables and berries. For his media diet: reading about rapamycin
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