Ben Greenfield: The #1 Biohack Is Free (And It's Not Diet or Exercise)

Rethinking Exercise: Less Can Be More

Greenfield begins by reflecting on his extensive athletic background, having competed in Ironman triathlons, obstacle course racing, and bodybuilding, disciplines he once thought epitomized health and fitness. Over time, he realized these extreme forms of training were unsustainable and even detrimental to long-term health. Rather than building a robust body, he found himself battling inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and joint issues. This led him to embrace a more balanced view inspired by researchers like James O'Keefe, who identified a "Goldilocks zone" of exercise. According to current science, there are thresholds in exercise—about 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity and 70 minutes per week of high-intensity exercise—beyond which health risks increase, including arterial stiffness and inflammation. Greenfield now promotes walking, super slow strength training, and incorporating more natural movement (like gardening or household chores) rather than chronic, repetitive endurance training. He also integrates innovative recovery tools like blood flow restriction, eccentric training with machines like Tonal or ARX, and intermittent bursts of intense movement rather than sustained sessions.

Biohacking Beyond Diet and Exercise

Greenfield offers a broad definition of biohacking as any technique or technology that optimizes cellular and metabolic health more efficiently than natural states. This includes traditional approaches like nutrition and sleep optimization but expands to include less conventional modalities. Among these are red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy, and electrical stimulation mats. For instance, PEMF mats help restore cellular electrical potential, thereby reducing inflammation and promoting healing, a phenomenon Greenfield personally endorses for pain relief and recovery after injuries.

Another notable practice discussed is the use of light for circadian rhythm regulation. Greenfield highlights how controlling exposure to blue light in the morning and minimizing it in the evening can support sleep quality and overall health. Devices that simulate natural sunlight's blue-green spectrum, blue light blocking glasses, and full-spectrum, flicker-free lighting within the home exemplify how we can biohack our environment to align with our biology.

Oxygen therapies, particularly intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic training and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, are also emphasized for their cellular rejuvenation potential. Greenfield explains that cycling the body between low-oxygen and high-oxygen states stimulates mitochondrial turnover (mitophagy) and stem cell activation, processes critical for longevity and tissue repair. These therapies improve oxygen delivery to tissues and promote the removal of senescent cells, which are linked to aging and chronic inflammation.

Innovations in Rejuvenation and Beauty

The conversation ventures into avant-garde rejuvenation treatments that many might find surprising. For skin and aesthetic health, micro-needling paired with peptides like GHK copper and NAD-enhancing products stimulates collagen production for improved skin texture and elasticity. Greenfield mentions the emerging use of salmon sperm DNA isolates as topical agents in exosome facials to promote skin renewal—an example of strange but promising biohacking techniques. More invasive interventions, like stem cell and exosome therapies for joint repair and Botox injections into sexual organs to improve vascularity, are also discussed as options within the regenerative medicine space, although they remain costly.

The Underrated Power of Community in Health

One of the most compelling aspects of the discussion is Greenfield's focus on the biological and emotional impacts of community and loneliness. He references the 2023 Surgeon General's declaration that loneliness equates in health risk to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. This correlation stems from how social isolation triggers chronic stress responses, elevates cortisol and blood pressure, and increases inflammatory gene expression while suppressing antiviral defenses—effectively accelerating aging and disease processes.

Greenfield shares insights into social genomics, where emotional states influenced by social interactions can regulate gene expression—for better or worse. Deep, heart-centered connections activate anti-inflammatory and repair genes, while conflict and loneliness do the opposite. He stresses the importance of physical presence for promoting vagus nerve activation and oxytocin release, neurochemicals crucial for stress reduction and bonding. Digital connections, while valuable, often miss these vital biological interactions.

Drawing on personal experience, Greenfield reveals how shifting his priorities from prioritizing work and athletic achievements to valuing family and faith transformed his life. Establishing morning and evening family rituals, co-creating a family mission and identity, and fostering deep relationships with his children have provided him with a sense of belonging and meaning far beyond physical health metrics. This reprioritization illustrates that true biohacking encompasses mind, body, and soul, with community and spirituality ranking as essentials alongside nutrition and movement.

Nutrition: Finding Balance Amid Trends

Greenfield critiques popular nutritional dogmas such as extreme keto, intermittent fasting, and a pervasive protein craze. He cautions against excessive carbohydrate restriction, especially for active individuals and premenopausal women, noting risks to thyroid function, hormones, and joint health. His approach incorporates a cyclical eating pattern where he consumes low-carb meals most of the day but includes a carb-rich social meal in the evening, focusing on nutrient-dense sources like sweet potatoes, beets, and fermented sourdough bread. He advocates mindful eating of whole, minimally processed foods rich in plants and herbs, steering clear of ultraprocessed products.

Regarding protein, Greenfield favors a consumption of about one gram per pound of body weight, emphasizing quality and variety over quantity. He underscores the importance of including collagen and gelatin to balance amino acids like methionine and avoid potential mTOR overstimulation linked to excessive protein. Plant-based proteins require proper preparation (soaking, fermenting) to optimize digestion and amino acid availability. Ultimately, he advises listening to one's body rather than adhering rigidly to any diet ideology.

Contemporary Longevity and Biohacking Trends

Lastly, Greenfield highlights his interest in integrating multi-modal relaxation technologies that combine haptic (vibratory) stimulation, light, and sound to efficiently downregulate the nervous system and counteract chronic stress. Devices like the Apollo wristbands, NeuroVisor, and shift wave vibrating chairs help him achieve a restorative state quickly, allowing better sleep and mental clarity despite high demands on his time. He views these as practical tools to "time hack" relaxation in today's overstimulated environment.

Greenfield warns that while exciting, many advanced biohacking tools require sustained commitment and caution against one-off attempts expecting instant results. He stresses the significance of controlling personal environments—air, water, lighting, electrical exposures—as foundational for health, echoing themes from "blue zones" where longevity is linked not only to diet and movement but also to air quality, temperature variation, and community bonding.