Millionaire biohackers may have more money, but granny’s got the goods.
Amy Hardison, 64, a grandmother of 11, is putting anti-aging enthusiasts like Bryan Johnson to shame, recently besting the tech tycoon in a biometric “Game of Thrones.”
“I just cherish the experience of life, and I cherish the perspective that comes from being older,” Hardison, of Mesa, Arizona, recently told Fortune.
She’s a front-runner in the Rejuvenation Olympics, an online competition by Novos that encourages its over 4,000 participants — including Johnson, 47, and longevity expert Peter Diamandis, 63 — to reverse their biological ages through healthy lifestyle changes.
“We sometimes forget the richness that comes from a life well-lived,” said Hardison, a married mom of four.
And according to the scoreboards, her cup runneth over: the boomer ranked fifth in the daily challenge for most of the last year.
She’s even briefly held the No. 4 spot on the longevity list.
Johnson, 47, who annually spends a reported $2 million to retain his youth and undergoes blood transfusions with his teen son, has ranked at No. 1 and has fallen as low as sixth place in the competition.
The rankings are measured by biomarkers found in each contestant’s bloodwork, which is routinely tested by TruDiagnostics — epigenetic specialists who analyze a person’s DNA to understand their biological aging and disease risks.
“Biological age measures your body’s cellular and molecular age, which can differ from your actual age,” per the researchers. “It can change due to lifestyle choices, health factors and other influences.
“Measuring biological age through methylation is highly accurate and predictive of future health, disease risk and even lifespan.”
But Hardison, unlike her wealthier contenders, hasn’t spent millions on outré science tricks and techniques aimed at staying forever young.
In fact, the West Coast gal wasn’t even that interested in longevity until two years ago when her son-in-law, Eric, suggested she give the lifetime Olympics a try.
Upon submitting her blood sample for testing, the grandma was tickled to learn she was only aging at a rate of 0.74 every chronological year — meaning she was aging just nine months out of every 12.
If she’d aged at this rate all her life, her 64-year-old body would now be “aged” 48.
“I just kind of giggled,” Hardison told Fortune. “It was pretty ironic that I even did it because I’ve never been into taking vitamins and supplements.”
She is, however, into taking care of herself with these health hacking habits.
Work out for 60 minutes or more
Exercise is a mainstay of Hardison’s schedule, she revealed to the Daily Mail. The former stay-at-home mom either works up a good sweat on her treadmill or elliptical bike for an hour each day.
At 5-foot-7 and 127 pounds, the weight-conscious belle, who also takes 75-minute swims for fitness, implements interval training into most of her workouts.
“I [go] hard for one minute, then go at an average speed for one minute, then 30 seconds hard and then 30 seconds normally — repeating these cycles for an hour,” said Hardison. “A medical professional told me that kind of interval training was good for my brain health, and I’ve felt the difference.”
Minding your mind
“I’m very keen to keep my brain active, study, learn and engage my mind,” said Hardison.
To stay sharp, the Arizonan often listens to audiobooks during her physical workouts and reads memories and World War II novels in her spare time.
Preserving her cognitive health became key for Hardison after watching her late mom and 74-year-old brother suffer from dementia; her dad also endured a steady mental decline after a series of strokes.
Stock up on supplements
At her son-in-law Eric’s urging, Hardison has become happily hooked on anti-aging pills.
“I start taking so-called longevity supplements, which contain ingredients such as magnesium, ginger, L-theanine and fisetin, and I now spend about $100 per month on them,” she said, adding that she gets her goodies from Novos.
“As I understand it, magnesium supports a healthy metabolism and regulates blood pressure and blood sugar levels; ginger can protect against cell damage and improve blood sugar regulation; L-theanine can help reduce stress and anxiety and fisetin is a natural antioxidant, found in things like strawberries,” continued Hardison. “It apparently reduces the amount of senescent cells, which damage healthy nearby cells and which accelerate the aging process.”
Do less, move more
While staying physically and mentally fit are musts, Hardison says keeping her heart happy by spending time with her loved ones is a game-changer, too.
“If you live a life of contribution, filled with people you love, you’ll feel better,” she advised, lauding her “best friendships” with her now-adult brood — ranging in age from 45 to 37 — and special one-on-one time with her 11 grandkids.
“My mantra for this year has been do less, love more,” added Hardison. “I’ve found myself just sitting with my husband more, holding hands, just being with him.
“We’ve been married for 46 years and while sometimes life gets less exciting as you get older, it can also get a lot richer.”
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate
Chowing down chocolate treats three times a day is how Hardison keeps the stress away, she says, claiming she carefully indulges in the sweet stuff morning, noon and night.
“People are usually surprised when I say I start the day with chocolate milk and a slice of bread, but I do believe that eating is one of the joys of life, so I don’t want to cut out everything that’s fun.”
The homemaker makes her own bread, eats hearty salads filled with nutrient-dense greens and proteins, weighs her food intake for portion control and rarely dines out at restaurants. As a Mormon, she also avoids alcohol, drinking eight glasses of water each day instead.
But when it comes to chocolate, she’s a bit more liberal.
“I tend to keep my desserts to less than 100 calories,” said Hardison, “but sometimes I’ll make chocolate chip cookies, which are 150 calories each, or homemade ice cream (200 calories a serving).”
Focus on the present, not the future
“I’m not the typical anti-aging person who wants to live forever, and I’m not in competition with anyone,” said the Rejuvenation Olympian.
And while folks like Johnson aspire to live past age 120, Hardison would be happy just making it to her mid-80s.
“If I live to 84 or 85, that would be plenty; I don’t need any more than that,” she said. “I feel that if you worry about the future, you’re sacrificing your enjoyment of the present.
“I feel you’re going to age eventually, and genetics and accidents will play their part, so you have to roll with it and be happy.”
