The holidays bring us all a moment to reflect. If you’re like nearly everyone I’ve spoken to these past few weeks, 2025 offered a lot of grist for contemplation. I usually write my predictions for next year around this time, but today I’d rather think out loud about something a bit more personal.
2025 was the year I turned 60 years of age. I hesitated before writing that sentence, because … well, like everyone I know who’s made it this far, I’ve become obsessed with understanding what it means to face the inevitable social, physical, and emotional impact of “getting older.” It’s probably one of the driving reasons for investing a considerable portion of the past two years of my life into DOC, a new company focused on the science of longevity medicine.
What I’ve learned probably won’t surprise you, but I thought it worth writing down: Presuming one has a reasonably stable economic foundation*, two major factors impact your health as you contemplate “elderhood”: First, the basic self-care habits you’ve adopted over the course of your life, and second, your present connections and engagement with people who matter to you. If you’ve managed to cultivate good practices in both, well, chances are you’ll find yourself in pretty good shape.
Fortunately, that’s exactly where I find myself at the end of this rather bumpy year. And thanks to a few digital apps, I have the data to prove it. I’m somewhat ambivalent about the information I get from Oura, Peloton, and Strava, but I do pay attention, and over the past five or so years, these services have changed my approach to my health significantly. They’ve created benchmarks that help me understand how my body is changing, and what I can do about it. And they’ve offered me a daily check-in that helps me course correct and set goals for the future.
(Notably, none of these services are driven by advertising. All are subscription based, and I hope that stays true forever. After all, we’re dealing with pretty sensitive information here, including heart rate, sleep patterns, body temperature, and much more.)
But I didn’t set out to write about digital health services. Rather, I’m mentioning them on the way to offering a bit of free advice, should you wish to hear it. After six decades on this planet, perhaps I feel I’ve the right – or the duty – to do so. As I’ve learned from far more qualified experts in the field, including the many physicians who are members of the DOC community, the best advice on thriving at any age starts with the basics.
- Exercise pays back, handsomely. I still remember the first time my father pushed me out the door to take a run. I was about eight years old, and the coolest sneakers in my friend group were new Nike Waffle trainers. I couldn’t afford them, but my father said he’d get me a pair if I proved I wanted to become a runner. He was a collegiate hurdler, and took running seriously well before jogging became a fad in the 1970s. So I laced up my Keds – cheap, standard issue sneakers that nearly everyone at my school wore – and I ran around our block. Once. Week by week, I increased my radius until I was at the boundary of what at the time was my known universe – an eight-block grid constrained by busy boulevards my parents wouldn’t let me cross alone. By then my father was convinced, and I got my new shoes. I found new roads through the estates of wealthy folks east of my more modest block, and the hours I spent running through those verdant streets did far more than strengthen my body, it offered my mind both meditation and inspiration. I’ve been pursuing some kind of regular exercise ever since (including adding more weight training as I get older). Turns out, doing so is one hell of a good investment. Research I’ve found through my work at DOC indicates that you gain about 2.6 hours of life per hour of moderate activity, and 5.2 hours per hour of vigorous activity. Put another way, exercise is an investment repaid not only in a longer, healthier life, but also in a more contemplative one. Some of my best ideas, insights, and resolutions have come while on a long ride, or in a hot yoga class, or while walking alone through the woods on a cold winter day.
- Water is life. I’ve been “working from home” since before that phrase meant anything to anyone – first as a grad student, then as an entrepreneur and writer, where having a home office was a necessary component of working nights and weekends while also raising a family. Probably because of my exercise routine, I always have had a glass of water on my desk, right next to my keyboard. Without giving it much thought, I’ve gotten in the habit of drinking somewhere in the range of 6-8 glasses of water each day – not counting the 2-4 I drink while exercising. Since the pandemic, I’ve worked at home nearly full time, and I find that I drink roughly one large glass of water every hour. That means I have to get up at least once an hour to refill that glass – and stretch my legs, check in with my wife, visit the loo, and generally clear my head. Turns out that habit is quite good for you. While the research isn’t as conclusive as it is for exercise, it’s still pretty convincing: People who stay well-hydrated “appear to develop fewer chronic conditions like heart and lung disease and live longer compared to those who may not get sufficient fluids,” according to a 2023 NIH study. And while I’m well aware studies based on animal models are merely directional when compared to humans, I did find this research fascinating: Water-restricted mice lived 6 months less than properly hydrated mice – equivalent to shortening a human lifespan by about 15 years. Net net: I’m going to keep that glass at least half full on my desk – forever.
- Find your peace with sleep. For most of my adult life, I was not a “good sleeper.” Falling asleep was easy – but ever since my first startup, I’d wake up after 4 or 5 hours with “monkey mind” – a senseless chatter that would coalesce into constant fretting about work I needed to do. I’d then get up, work for an hour or two, then try (and often fail) to get back to sleep. Early in my career, and with young kids, I’d often fight through the day on 5 or fewer hours of sleep. I knew it wasn’t good for me, but startup culture made sleep depravation into some kind of heroic pursuit, and I bought into it. Over the past five or so years I’ve changed my approach to this crucial element of health. Yes, the Oura ring has helped quite a bit, but so has changing my approach to work (it no longer defines me), and to booze (for many years, I was unknowingly using it as a numbing agent and sleep aid, which is about as stupid as it sounds). I also learned how to take naps – a new habit that I once found nearly impossible. Over the past three years, I’ve increased my sleep time by more than an hour each night – from under six hours per night, which most research says is terrible for you, to over seven, which is the average recommended amount for an adult. If you’re interested in learning more about sleep, here’s a great DOC video featuring Dr. Tony Masri, one of the world’s foremost experts on the topic.
- Eat food, mostly plants, not too much. That phrase comes from In Defense of Food, a breakthrough book by Michael Pollan that eviscerated the typical American diet of ultra-processed dreck. Since I credited my father for my early devotion to exercise, I’ll credit the women in my life – my mother and my wife – for steering me into a life filled with quality, non-processed “real food.” When In Defense of Food came out in 2008, I had already been following Pollan’s advice for most of my life. I’d been taught to respect local, quality produce, to avoid processed food, and to eat regular, balanced meals, preferably cooked at home. So much more comes from that habit – including the social connections that cooking and eating together encourage. Which leads me to my last point:
- Find (and keep) your people. I took this last point for granted for most of my life, and I’m still working on understanding how to be a good friend, father, husband and community member. But the research is utterly convincing on the importance of social nutrition to human health. As my friend and DOC co-founder Dr. Jordan Shlain puts it, “Just as we build physical strength through exercise, our social fitness grows through repeated engagement in meaningful relationships.” Over the past few years, I’ve focused on re-connecting with old friends, staying closer in touch with family who live apart from me, prioritizing one-on-one time with my children, and cultivating meaningful new friendships where I live – not an easy task for someone who is a public extrovert, but a private introvert. I’m perhaps most proud of a new group I helped start this year in the community where I live. It’s a monthly gathering of men who, for whatever reason – social norms, work, bad habits – didn’t seem to be able to find the time to just hang out and be with each other. Men in particular find it hard to connect with other men, and finding a community of two dozen or so folks who come from diverse backgrounds has changed my life for the better.
Well, that’s it. I didn’t know when I sat down that I’d have this much to say, but thanks for reading, and I’m wishing you a happy and very healthy New Year. I’ll post my predictions for 2026 in the coming days. I sense we’re in for some pretty interesting times, once again.
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*And I’m well aware that I am privileged in this respect.