The daily anti-aging routine of Bryan Johnson - Project Blueprint

There are some very notable people in the world of longevity research, and one of them is definitely Bryan Johnson. This 47-year-old tech billionaire and anti-aging enthusiast is well known for his elaborate daily routines which include strict sleeping and exercising practices, as well as a long list of supplements. What's really exciting are the anti-aging results he sees. 

Do you want to know more about what Bryan Johnson is doing to reverse his aging process? Keep reading this article and find his exact daily routine, which he named "Project Blueprint". 

Who is Bryan Johnson? 

Bryan Johnson is lots of things, but the one description that first comes to mind is "entrepreneur". This Utah-born investor is the founder and CEO of Kernel, a company that creates devices to monitor and record brain activity. He was noticed by the public around the time his previous company Braintree acquired Venmo and sold it to PayPal for 800 million US dollars in 2013. He didn't stop there, as he also invests in many science and tech companies. 

However, Bryan is probably most famous for his rigorous daily routines and the want to extend his life. His Instagram bio reads: "Death is our only foe", and as he explained in many interviews, he really doesn't want to die. So what does he do?

Project Blueprint

Project Blueprint is the name of all activities, diet regimens and supplements that Bryan Johnson takes and performs on a daily basis. As he said multiple times, he knows he's weird, but he doesn't care as he can already see great health benefits. So let's dive into it! 

Bryan Johnson's Daily Routine

The anti-aging protocol of Bryan Johnson is quite extensive and consists of daily routines regarding sleeping and exercising etc, supplements he takes, and (mindful) practices he does. Here we go!

Morning

1. Bryan wakes up around 5 am without setting an abrupting alarm. As he wakes up before the sun, he turns on a natural light device.
2. He measures his body composition (weight, fat, muscle, hydration, arterial stiffness), and performs an extensive oral care. 
3. He does breathing exercises or meditates for 5 min to get his mind and body right for the day.
4. He applies an Rx hair serum and massages his scalp for 2 minutes. Bryan also wears a red light therapy cap for 6 minutes as he does his other routines.
5. Around 5:30 am, he will have a breakfast drink (236 mL), consisting of 1 scoop of Blueprint Longevity Mix, collagen protein (11 g), creatine (2.5 g), ½ tsp of prebiotic galactooligosaccharides, 1 tsp of inulin. Bryan is vegan by choice (except the collagen peptides he takes). 
6. He then works out for 60-90 minutes. He focuses on balance, flexibility, strength training and cardio. During exercising, he will listen to music, a book, podcast or educational video. On the weekends he hikes, plays pickleball, rides a bike, or climbs.
7. He prepares breakfast around 6:45 am (Blueprint Longevity Protein with Blueberry Nut mix, 11 grams of collagen protein, 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 6 grams of Blueprint Cocoa). While eating, he listens to a book, podcast or educational video.
8. He also takes his first set of pills: Blueprint Essentials - 3, Blueprint Soft Gel - 1, Blueprint NAC + Ginger + Curcumin - 3, Blueprint Red Yeast Rice + odor free garlic - 1, EPA/DHA/DPA 800 mg, Garlic 1.2 g (Kyolic), ProButyrate 600 mg, Proferrin 10.5 mg, NR (450 mg) or NMN (500 mg), Acarbose 200 mg, Metformin (500 mg), Plasmalogens (1 mL of each Glia and Neuro).
9. Around 7:15 am, he will take a shower and perform his skincare routine. He uses a face wash, moisturizer + vitamin C and Retinol, exfoliates with a Japanese washcloth 2-3 times per week, and applies sunscreen if he knows he'll go out in the sun later. He showers with a cleanser and washes his hair with shampoo and the Kerlase scalp stimulant, massaging scalp for 60 seconds with soft silicone bristles.
10. After showering, he'll take a 10 minute walk outside and start working at 8 am. 

Working hours

1. Bryan says he's most focused in the early morning hours, and that's why he uses them to finish most of his work. He uses a standing desk and rotates between sitting and standing when working, and takes a 5-minute break every half an hour. He will then stretch, perform some light exercises or dance. 
2. At 9 am, he'll eat his second meal of the day. One example of how might this meal look like is called Super Veggie, and it consists of 45 grams of dry black lentils (~150 grams cooked), 250 grams of broccoli (head+stalk) (or Broccoli sprouts), 150 grams of cauliflower, 50 grams of Shiitake or Maitake Mushrooms, 1 clove (a piece) of garlic, 3 grams of ginger root, 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of hemp seeds. After prep, drizzle 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1-4 tablespoons of fermented foods i.e. cabbage, kimchi, beets, etc.
3. He does more focused work. 
4. At 11 am, Bryan eats his last meal of the day. Here's an example: 300 grams cooked sweet potato, 45 grams of cooked chickpeas, 12 grape tomatoes, ½ avocado, 4 radishes, ¼ cup cilantro, 1 large Jalapeno pepper, 2 whole limes, 1 whole lemon, 1 teaspoon of chile powder, 1 tablespoon of Blueprint Snake Oil. 
5. Bryan also takes his second set of pills at this time: EPA/DHA/DPA 800 mg, Garlic 1.2 g (kyolic), NAC 1,800 mg, Proferrin 10.5 mg, Metformin (500 mg).
6. All in all, Bryan consumes 2250 calories per day, and with this value he's in a 10% caloric deficit according to his recommended daily average values. He eats 130 grams of protein (25%), 206 grams of carbs (35%), and 101 grams of fats (40%). 
7. Bryan continues working with frequent breaks, and will only drink liquids (tea or electrolyte drinks) for the rest of the day, until 4 pm. 

Evening

1. Bryan stops working around 7:30 pm, and goes on a short walk outside.
2. He uses his evening hours to have social time with friends or family, and avoids social media and screens at this time. 
3. At 8 pm, he does his evening skincare routine that consists of a face wash, moisturizer + vitamin C and retinol.
4. Bryan goes to sleep at 8:30 pm, and he makes his sleep his number one priority. His bedtime is consistent, and he performs a 30-60 minute wind-down routine. His bedroom is kept at 15-19°C, with dimmed lights 1-2 hours before bedtime. Bryan avoids drinking or taking any stimulants after noon, especially coffee. 

But, this is not all he does. There are some specialized routines Bryan will do every now and then, such as having young Swedish bone derived mesenchymal stem cells injected into his knees and joints, and receiving gene therapy.

He regularly indulges in expensive skin treatments such as Softwave therapy, Tixel lasers, and collagen face injections. Bryan even had his son's blood plasma injected into his body in an attempt to explore whether it makes him any younger.

You can find the entire protocol, as well as Bryan's guide and advice on how to follow this extensive routine here: Blueprint Protocol. Bryan regularly updates this website with his current activities and makes all his knowledge on longevity free and accessible to everyone.

You can also see a full list of positive results Bryan sees under the same link. For example, by tracking his biomarkers, Bryan says he's in the top 1% for people of his age (and in some cases, also 18-year-olds), for:

• Speed of aging,
• Muscle mass function,
• Fat mass,
• Inflammation,
• Cardiovascular Health,
• Bone mass,
• Sleep,
• Combined clinical markers,
• Nighttime erections.

He also offers specialized advice on the diet, exercise and lifestyle regimen for menstruating, pregnant, and (post)-menopausal women. 

The negative sides of Project Blueprint

If we're looking at Bryan's Project Blueprint routine from a perspective of a "normal" individual (somebody who's not a billionare), we can identify several downsides of it: 

1. All in all, Bryan's Project Blueprint and all his activities that support it cost him about 2 million dollars per year. 
2. Almost every supplement Bryan takes can be purchased from his own supplement company (Blueprint), and he heavily advertises it. 
3. There could be potential dangers of following his health routine if you don't have access to such extensive healthcare and monitoring like he does. Some of his choices, like metformin or acarbose, are prescription medications that can have side effects, including digestive issues or interactions with other medications. Excessive supplementation without tailored medical advice could lead to adverse effects on liver or kidney function. 
4. Project Blueprint is psychologically and socially demanding. Maintaining his lifestyle requires significant mental discipline and focus, which may become mentally exhausting over time. Constantly adhering to strict health protocols can sometimes lead to a condition called orthorexia, where one becomes overly fixated on health routines​. Bryan's  routine leaves little room for spontaneity or relaxation, which is too stressful for normal people. 
5. Bryan's routine really limits family time, and may not be suitable for you if you have young children or an involved family lifestyle, or even if you have to drive to and back from work for 1-2 hours every day. 
6. Genetics play a great role in how we age, and even if you would follow Bryan's routine meticulously, it doesn't mean it would bring you any benefits. 

Emily Heatherington, a writer for Varsity, tried to follow Bryan's routine for a day, and she was deeply disappointed with food choices and the amount of pills she had to swallow. She was also very exhausted from following all of Bryan's activities, and said she doesn't see a point in doing all of them. 

However, Bryan says Project Blueprint is a research project on how we survive as a species, and he wants to use his money to do this research for all of us, and give us the knowledge for free. Simultaneously though, he will try to advertise and make you buy all his products (even a Blueprint temperature-controlled mattress!), if you decide to follow his routines, meaning he will make more money off of this as well. 

If you want to hear more of Bryan's point of view, you can read his Guardian interview: ‘My ultimate goal? Don’t die’: Bryan Johnson on his controversial plan to live for ever., or his Rolling Stone interview: 'Millionaire Biohacker Says Algorithm Runs His Life: ‘My Mind No Longer Decides’. 

Bryan is very diligent in keeping his routines public, and he even posts them on his YouTube channel. If you want to hear more of what he has to say, check out this video: My Morning Routine (Live to 120+).

Conclusion

You might already think that following Bryan's routine is incredibly complicated, expensive, and confusing. And it is. However, Bryan's goal, as he describes it, is to do research on himself and make everything he discovers about longevity to be publicly available and accessible to everyone. His goal is not to make everyone believe what he's doing is best, or that everyone should do what he does. However, keep in mind that it's still a skillfully marketed and targeted ad campaign. 

But, as Bryan said in the Guardian interview: "Just basically getting good sleep, exercising and avoiding bad habits, you get the majority of the benefits. I’m playing for the final 20 percent you can eke out, but somebody can be competitive with me just by doing the basics. You don’t need to do everything I’m doing".

And there you go, focus on your sleep, diet, and exercise, and you'll be on track to see many great health benefits. Supplements can definitely help, but you don't need to buy or take 100 different ones every day. You also don't need to buy Bryan's supplements or products, as any will do, and you can decide what to take. Making yourself healthier begins with the basics, and whatever Bryan's discovers can only help on the way.

If you're interested in trying out Bryan's routine, we offer a selection of supplements he takes in a bundle: 

• Bryan Johnson's Bundle.