A 64-year-old grandmother of 11 has become one of the most talked-about figures in the world of longevity after beating billionaires in the anti-ageing category with a simple, cost-free routine.
Amy Hardison has risen to the top of the “Young Adult Olympics,” an online leaderboard where people submit their health statistics to show how well they have slowed or reduced markers of biological aging.
Earlier this month, she was ranked fifth, one place above Brian Johnson, a 46-year-old tech executive known for his grueling and expensive routine, which includes taking more than 100 supplements a day and giving his teenage son blood transfusions.
Results from Hardison’s blood samples and other tests showed improvements in key markers of ageing, including cellular senescence (or “zombie” cells that linger and cause damage), shortening of telomeres and mitochondrial dysfunction.
No one is more surprised than Hardison herself, who told Business Insider that she’s not a very competitive person and doesn’t even plan on living past 100.
“The truth is, I had no idea,” she says. “My daughter said to me, ‘Mom, this is kind of amazing. The person just below you is spending $2 million a year to get these results.'”
By contrast, Hardison says she spends about $300 a month on supplements. Her other longevity habits cost little or nothing — and have solid science to back them up, showing they help her stay young and healthy.
“My philosophy is to find something you love, find something that works for you that you can stick with long term throughout your life, and do it in moderation,” she said.
Her diet includes big salads, chocolate and homemade bread
The foundations of a healthy life are a solid routine, plenty of homemade bread, and small daily treats, Hardison says.
She’s been a health conscious eater since her teenage years, having seen numerous fad diets come and go, and believes in a mindful, moderated approach to nutrition using intuitive eating principles.
“I listen to my body. I only eat what I like. I savor what I eat,” she said.
These days, she wakes up around 6 a.m. Although intermittent fasting, one of the biggest longevity trends, involves waiting to eat until a certain time of day, Hardison doesn’t live like that, instead starting her day with a large slice of toast and a glass of chocolate milk.
She doesn’t like processed foods, so she always uses homemade whole wheat flour for her toast.
Sweet treats, like homemade chocolate chip cookies, can be a healthy part of your longevity habits when eaten in moderation. Burj Atalai Tangkut/Getty Images
“I don’t eat out a lot because I think my own food is better and healthier. I cook because if I’m going to eat something, I want it to taste good,” Hardison says.
She also eats a big salad with plenty of veggies, berries, chicken for protein, nuts and cheese for lunch or dinner most days, and an extra slice of bread at the end of the day.
For dessert, she has chocolate or homemade cookies. “I can’t remember a day when I didn’t have something sweet,” she says.
Her supplement routine includes magnesium and ginger
Hardison first became involved with the youth-reducing Olympics after taking part in a clinical trial for longevity supplement brand NOVOS (which coordinated the interview with BI).
She had never taken vitamins before.
Her current treatment includes three NOVOS products (Core, Boost, and Vital), costing about $160 per month.
It contains the following ingredients:
- Research shows that magnesium is beneficial for bone health and helps regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
- L-theanine is associated with alertness, stress reduction, and a healthy brain.
- Ginger is rich in antioxidants and supports digestive health.
- Fisetin is an anti-inflammatory compound found naturally in strawberries, onions, and apples.
A gentle combination of cardio and high intensity training
A typical workout for Hardison involves an hour on the elliptical at a moderate pace while listening to an audiobook, followed by a shorter period of more intense exercise. If the weather’s nice, she’ll do some cardio in the pool instead. She also stretches for 20 to 30 minutes a day to improve her range of motion.
Over time, she’s adjusted her exercise routine to fit her schedule (for example, when she was a busy mom, she aimed for 30 minutes), but she always makes time for exercise.
“It’s an integral part of my day and something I enjoy a lot. I think it’s important to find something you love enough to look forward to,” she said.
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Unlike many longevity gurus and biohacking enthusiasts, Hardison said he’s not interested in staying forever young.
“Growing older is an amazing thing and a wonderful thing,” she said. “You never know how wonderful it is to experience the good, the bad and the hard things in life until you’ve experienced it.”
Her parents lived into their 90s, but over time their cognitive abilities declined, severely impacting their ability to enjoy things as they once did.
“I don’t want to go through what they went through,” Hardison said. “My kids’ generation might say, ‘Don’t you want to live to 130?’ No, I don’t.”
Instead, she focuses on finding a balance of habits that will keep her healthy and allow her to enjoy the life and relationships she’s built over the years.
“I’m not trying to slow down my aging,” she says. “I feel like I’m at the best age of my life right now.”
Correction: June 26, 2024 — An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Brian Johnson’s age. He is 46, not 45.