A day in the life: Longevity expert Faye Mythen

Faye Mythen of Reborne Longevity . Rose Beer , Beauty and Health Director 2 minutes ago COMMENTS I wake early but I’ve never liked starting the morning on an adversarial note, so I don’t rely on an alarm, but keep the curtains open so light does most of the work. Once awake I avoid picking up my phone, first drinking water and a coffee by an open window. I like to let the daylight hit my eyes and get some fresh air. It’s probably the highest-yield habit I have.

My morning routine is simple, because I travel constantly and a routine that only works in one bathroom isn’t a routine. Water, light, a short stretch of stillness before anyone needs anything from me, a skincare step and supplements taken with breakfast. Reading the news then focuses my mind.

Remember, laughter and social interaction are as valuable as any pill. That is evidence-based advice

I eat in a broadly Mediterranean way, with a 12-hour fasted window. Food is mostly plants and good protein, but rarely red meat because I prefer fish and chicken. I’m sceptical of extreme protocols, partly because the evidence rarely justifies the theatre, and partly because a life organised around what you can’t have isn’t much of a life. I couldn’t live without well made coffee.

I walk a great deal, counting it as both transport and thinking time. I keep up strength work because it’s the single most sensible investment you can make in your future self. I do Pilates too, but not as frequently as I should.

In terms of recovery tools I’m a believer in heat so the sauna is a regular fixture. I’ve tried the cold plunge and did not enjoy it!

I use an Oura, largely for sleep and recovery signals, treating the data as a trend line, not a verdict. The day a device makes you anxious, it has stopped being useful.

My most underrated tech? A Moccamaster coffee machine and a Pulsetto vagal nerve stimulator!

I use AI as a thinking partner: for drafting, pressure-testing an argument, synthesising research or turning a messy idea into something I can look at.

To manage stress I rely on walking, perspective and delegating to people I trust. I spent my formative years in law and around geopolitics. Few problems in a given week are genuinely as urgent as they feel at 4pm. I need grass under my feet at least once weekly too.

In terms of cognitive enhancers and biohacks, I’m conservative. Coffee is the only nootropic with a track record I fully trust. I’m allergic to elaborate supplement stacks. Most of what people are chasing with a powder is available from sleep and daylight for free.

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My go-tos for inspiration and media include The Financial Times and WSJ for the wider picture, and the primary scientific literature when something in longevity is being over-claimed and I want to see the actual study.

The books that shaped me? I’d point to the Stoics, who are unfashionable to cite and still correct, and to good long-form science writing that treats the reader as intelligent.