Prior to founding a health and wellness consulting and coaching firm called Oxygen Plus, Stan Gibson spent 30 years in corporate real estate, most recently as Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo. The recently retired real estate executive describes bio hacks as various ways to integrate healthy routines, allowing us to live healthier and more intentional lives.
Gibson first became interested in healthy habits as a young athlete, who went on to play college football at Eastern Illinois University. Understanding the science behind athleticism piqued his curiosity, leading him to discover the power of mindfulness and visualization. Gibson carried many sports philosophies into his real estate role at Wells Fargo, using the same fundamentals to breed corporate athletes conditioned to perform at the highest levels.
Don’t worry, we’re not expecting you to kick a 60-yard field goal! These bio hacks are great tips for anyone to incorporate into their daily routine.
We’re all sitting in front of screens way more than we ever have. According to Gibson, our brains weigh approximately 2.5% of our body weight yet consume 25% of our energy. Eight hours of time spent on a Zoom call is equivalent to 14 hours of work. So, the fatigue you’re feeling after a full day in front of your laptop is real! Gibson’s recommendation – invest in a pair of blue light glasses. He wears a pair over his regular glasses and even wears them at night while watching TV.
Make healthy food choices. Gibson asks, “Would you put poor oil in a Lamborghini?” Absolutely not! Think of your body as a luxury sports car, the fuel you feed it matters. Keep healthy snacks around like walnuts and almonds. This will help curb cravings and keep your energy level high all day.
Sleep is the foundation for any healthy lifestyle. If you don’t sleep well, you can’t make solid decisions the following day. If you have a hard time falling asleep, try journaling to get your thoughts down on paper. Another one of Gibson’s bio hacks is the 10-3-2-1 rule. No caffeine 10 hours before bed. No eating three hours before bed. No work two hours before bed, and finally no screens one hour before bed. Looking at you, late night Instagram scroller!
While we need to be mindful of screen time, technology can be a helpful accountability tool. Gibson wears an Apple Watch, which reminds him when it’s time to breathe and tracks his activity. If you really want to take your metrics to the next level, Gibson recommends wearing a Whoop wrist band. A Whoop tracks sleep, recovery, and workout and strain output by measuring the body’s sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Without getting overly scientific, a Whoop basically tracks your body’s movement to ensure you’re getting the right amount of good stress (Eustress) during the day, in addition to the right amount of healthy neuro and physiological recovery. The Whoop is ‘Gibson certified’ for anyone looking to perform at their highest level and he doesn’t just recommend the band to athletes. If our body is getting the perfect balance of rest and movement, imagine how effective we can be in the other areas of our life.
The next bio hack is free and can be utilized almost anywhere, yet it’s probably one of the most difficult to incorporate into our day: meditation. Gibson likes to meditate after his workouts, with a goal of 20 minutes a day. If 20 minutes sounds like too long, try five minutes to help form this healthy habit. There are a ton of accessible apps and YouTube channels to guide you through meditation. Our final bio hack is one you probably weren’t expecting. Personal relationships have a huge impact on our overall health and not just our mental health. You can eat clean, work out religiously, obsess over the metrics, but if you don’t have healthy interpersonal relationships the stress can undo a lot of your hard work. There is some evidence that shows there is a link between stress-free relationships and longer life spans.
All of these bio hacks are the foundation of Gibson’s leadership coaching. It’s one thing to preach well-being, but when you can explain the biology behind wellness it feels less like a trendy topic and more of scientific truth.
