We are officially living in the \u201cmaxxing\u201d era.<\/p>\n
From \u201clooksmaxxing<\/a>\u201d to improve appearance to \u201csleepmaxxing<\/a>\u201d for better rest, these viral terms all point to the same goal: squeezing every ounce of potential out of a specific trait or habit.<\/p>\n With a growing focus on optimizing wellness and maximizing\u00a0longevity, the trend has evolved into what\u2019s known as \u201chumanmaxxing,\u201d sparking a bigger question: How far can people go to optimize the human body?<\/p>\n While there is no single definition of humanmaxxing, the trend generally refers to efforts to optimize health, performance and longevity through a combination of lifestyle habits,\u00a0health tracking, supplements and, in some cases, more experimental interventions.<\/p>\n For some, the movement begins with biohacking. According to Dave Asprey, a Texas-based wellness expert who refers to himself as the \u201cfather of biohacking<\/a>,\u201d optimizing your body starts with changing your environment.<\/p>\n Asprey has defined biohacking as \u201cthe art and science of changing the environment around you or inside you so that you have full control of\u00a0your own biology.\u201d<\/p>\n His public advice focuses on boosting cellular energy through everyday choices like intermittent fasting, high-fat diets, red-light therapy<\/a> and\u00a0supplement routines.<\/p>\n \u201cHumanmaxxing\u201d places greater emphasis on optimizing wellness and maximizing\u00a0longevity. dikushin \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Dave Asprey enters a cryotherapy chamber at Upgrade Labs in Austin, Texas on Nov. 26, 2024. Upgrade Labs, founded by Asprey, centers around \u201cbiohacking,\u201d which involves using technology to try and develop new techniques for health and fitness. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal right now is 180 years, because I\u2019m doing something about it now instead of waiting,\u201d he once said.<\/p>\n Others have embraced a more data-driven approach. Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson<\/a>, creator of the multimillion-dollar longevity project Blueprint<\/a> in Los Angeles, argues that optimizing the body means removing human error from\u00a0health decisions\u00a0and instead relying on medical data.<\/p>\n \u201cMethodically, we sought to build an algorithm with science and data that could better care for me than I can myself,\u201d Johnson wrote on his website. \u201cMy mind did not have the authority to override the algorithm.\u201d<\/p>\n Dave Asprey does bicep curls on the \u201cAI Cheat Machine\u201d at Upgrade Labs. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n Johnson\u2019s routine involves tracking hundreds of health metrics, eating a precisely measured diet, taking dozens of supplements, and undergoing advanced\u00a0medical treatments\u00a0in an effort to reduce his biological age.<\/p>\n At the far end of the spectrum are those investing in technologies aimed at pushing the limits of human performance.<\/p>\n London-based tech investor Christian Angermayer<\/a> recently described humanmaxxing as a strategy toward human maximization.<\/p>\n The trend promotes optimizing health, performance and longevity through a combination of lifestyle habits,\u00a0health tracking, supplements and experimental interventions. Marina \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we should become something different, because I think humans are awesome, but I think we can maximize the potential [that] is already in us,\u201d he said in an interview with The New York Times.<\/p>\n Angermayer\u2019s investment firm, Apeiron Investment Group, focuses on technologies intended to help people \u201clive longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.\u201d He also founded atai Life Sciences, a biotechnology company that develops psychedelic treatments for\u00a0mental health conditions<\/a>\u00a0that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.<\/p>\n As interest in humanmaxxing grows, mainstream health experts urge consumers to separate evidence-based wellness practices from\u00a0experimental interventions.<\/p>\n Dave Asprey uses the \u201cMetabolic Trainer\u201d at Upgrade Labs. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n Public guidance from the National Institute on Aging notes that while some anti-aging therapies have shown promise in laboratory research, there is not yet sufficient evidence that they can safely extend human life.<\/p>\n Clinical experts also caution that extreme self-experimentation can bypass the rigorous safety standards applied to conventional medical treatments.<\/p>\n