Engineer Your Biology

Protocol

Engineer Your Biology

Stop treating your body like a black box. Treat it like a system with inputs, outputs, and feedback loops. The exact protocols synthesized from Huberman, Attia, and Johnson.

Morning Light

10m

Zone 2

4h/wk

Cold Exposure

11m/wk

Sleep Score

85%+

Caffeine Delay

90m

Last Meal

-3h

Myth

Common Myth

Executive health is about annual checkups and hoping for the best.

Mechanism

The 5 Core Systems

Click a system to explore its habits

Circadian Architecture

Circadian Architecture

Light exposure timing, cortisol pulse triggering, and melatonin anchoring. Your entire biological day is set in the first 60 minutes.

Metabolic Engine

Metabolic Engine

Zone 2 training for mitochondrial density, fat oxidation, and lactate clearance. 4 hours/week is the minimum effective dose.

Recovery Engineering

Recovery Engineering

Evening downregulation protocols. Light hygiene, thermal manipulation, and nutritional timing for 85%+ sleep performance.

Bio-Data Command

Bio-Data Command

HRV decision matrices and CGM glucose management. Real-time feedback loops for adaptive load management.

Thermal Regulation

Thermal Regulation

Cold exposure for dopamine and brown fat activation. Contrast therapy for vascular health. The Søeberg Principle.

"

The executive who masters the inputs of light, temperature, nutrition, and stress will not only extend their healthspan but will unlock immediate cognitive dividends: sustained focus, emotional stability, and high-energy output.

Longevity Systems Analysis

What Others Say

Testimonials

View sunlight within 30-60 minutes of waking. This is the most important thing anyone can do on a daily basis.

Dr. Andrew Huberman

Neurobiology, Stanford

Old Way
  • React to illness after it happens
  • Caffeine immediately upon waking
  • Random gym sessions when 'motivated'
  • Screens until midnight, wonder why sleep is poor
  • Annual checkups and hope
New Way
  • Engineer inputs to prevent dysfunction
  • Delay caffeine 90m for sustained energy
  • Scheduled Zone 2 (3-4h/week) as non-negotiable
  • Light hygiene protocol from sunset
  • Real-time HRV/CGM data-driven adjustments

A Day in Your Life

  • Wake & Hydrate

    06:00

    20oz water with electrolytes. Check HRV score. Determine today's training intensity.

  • Light Anchor

    06:05

    5-10 minutes outdoor sunlight. No sunglasses. This sets the circadian clock.

  • Thermogenesis

    06:15

    Cold plunge 45-60°F for 1-3 minutes. Air dry (Søeberg Principle).

  • Training Block

    06:30

    If HRV Green/Yellow: 60m Ruck (Zone 2) or Strength. If Red: NSDR or Zone 1 walk.

  • First Caffeine

    07:45

    90+ minutes post-wake. Adenosine cleared. Sustained lift without afternoon crash.

  • Deep Work Block

    08:00

    Leverage catecholamine peak from morning protocols. High-stakes work.

  • Post-Lunch Walk

    13:00

    10-minute glucose control walk. GLUT4 activation blunts spike by 15-30%.

  • The Dip (Optional)

    15:00

    If energy fades: 20m NSDR, not coffee. Restore without sleep pressure debt.

  • Last Meal

    18:00

    Kitchen closed. 3+ hours before bed for complete digestion.

  • Light Hygiene

    19:00

    Dim lights. Blue-blockers on. Red/orange only. Melatonin preservation.

  • Thermal Dump

    20:30

    Warm bath/shower. Vasodilation triggers core temp drop for sleep onset.

  • Sleep Onset

    21:30

    Pitch black. 67°F. The body recovers. Tomorrow's performance starts now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Protocol Playbooks

Curated sequences of habits designed to be practiced together. Click a playbook to see its cards in the deck below.

The Morning Anchor
5 cards

The Morning Anchor

Lock the circadian clock with light, cold, and delayed caffeine.

Capture Morning Sunlight
Deploy Artificial Light Bridge
Delay Caffeine 90 Minutes

+2 more habits

The Metabolic Base
4 cards

The Metabolic Base

Build the 4-hour/week Zone 2 foundation for longevity.

Execute Zone 2 Session
Ruck for Zone 2
Track Zone 2 Volume

+1 more habits

The Glucose Controller
3 cards

The Glucose Controller

Flatten energy curves with post-meal movement and data.

Walk 10 Minutes Post-Meal
Wear CGM Sensor
Log Glucose Spikes
The Sleep Protocol
5 cards

The Sleep Protocol

Engineer 85%+ sleep performance through evening downregulation.

Dim Lights After Sunset
Optimize Sleep Environment
Close Kitchen 3 Hours Before Bed

+2 more habits

The Data Dashboard
5 cards

The Data Dashboard

Use HRV and biomarkers to drive daily decisions.

Check Morning HRV
Execute HRV Decision Matrix
Correlate HRV to Inputs

+2 more habits

Quests

Challenges to accelerate your transformation. Click a quest to see its target cards.

Initiation

The Baseline Protocol

Establish the fundamental circadian and metabolic anchors for a high-performance executive physiology over 7 days.

"The architect does not build on sand. Secure your biological foundation before scaling the heights of performance."

FOUNDATION tier streak for 7 days
6 cards
View Quest Cards
System Mastery

The Command Dashboard

Master the full spectrum of bio-data, from daily HRV monitoring to quarterly blood panel audits.

"If you cannot measure it, you cannot optimize it. Turn your physiology into a readable, actionable data stream."

Complete Bio-Data Command system
7 cards
View Quest Cards
Titan Trial

The Engine Overhaul

Achieve peak metabolic health by completing a 4-hour Zone 2 week and maintaining elite sleep performance.

"The executive engine requires high-octane maintenance. Push your limits to redefine what your body can sustain."

2 TITAN tier habits
2 cards
View Quest Cards

The Full Deck

35 habits across 5 core systems

Systems:
Playbooks:
Capture Morning Sunlightfoundation

Capture Morning Sunlight

Outside within 30 minutes of waking; face the light; no sunglasses; before coffee or phone.
⏱ 10m⚡ Low
Circadian Architecture
Deploy Artificial Light Bridgefoundation

Deploy Artificial Light Bridge

10,000 lux SAD lamp at 12-18 inches; 5-10 minutes; use when waking before dawn.
⏱ 10m⚡ Low
Circadian Architecture
Delay Caffeine 90 Minutesfoundation

Delay Caffeine 90 Minutes

90-minute timer from wake; 16oz water with electrolytes first; natural adenosine clearance.
⏱ N/A⚡ Med
Circadian Architecture
Calibrate Light by Weathergrowth

Calibrate Light by Weather

Sunny = 5-10m; Cloudy = 15-20m; Heavy overcast = 25-30m; duration matched to lux.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Circadian Architecture
View Evening Sunsetgrowth

View Evening Sunset

5-10 minutes outside in hour before/after sunset; no sunglasses; signals night approach.
⏱ 10m⚡ Low
Circadian Architecture
Anchor Sleep-Wake Timemastery

Anchor Sleep-Wake Time

Same wake time 7 days/week; weekends included; consistency over total hours.
⏱ N/A⚡ High
Circadian Architecture
Execute Travel Jet Lag Protocoltitan

Execute Travel Jet Lag Protocol

1 hour shift per day; 3-5 days before eastward, 1-2 days before westward; Timeshifter app.
⏱ 30m⚡ High
Circadian Architecture
Execute Zone 2 Sessionfoundation

Execute Zone 2 Session

45-60 minutes walk/cycle/row; RPE 3-4/10; can talk but strained; lactate < 2.0 mmol/L.
⏱ 45m⚡ Med
Metabolic Engine
Walk 10 Minutes Post-Mealfoundation

Walk 10 Minutes Post-Meal

Immediately after finishing meal; 10 minutes walking; blunts glucose spike 15-30%.
⏱ 10m⚡ Low
Metabolic Engine
Ruck for Zone 2growth

Ruck for Zone 2

20-30 lbs in pack; 3.5 mph brisk walk; 45-60 minutes; enables multitasking.
⏱ 60m⚡ Med
Metabolic Engine
Track Zone 2 Volumegrowth

Track Zone 2 Volume

Weekly tally of Zone 2 minutes; minimum 180 minutes/week; add session if under.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Metabolic Engine
Execute VO2 Max Intervalmastery

Execute VO2 Max Interval

4x4 Norwegian protocol: 4 min hard at 90-95% max HR, 3 min easy; only when HRV green.
⏱ 30m⚡ High
Metabolic Engine
Measure Lactate Responsemastery

Measure Lactate Response

Handheld lactate meter; measure at 20 and 40 minutes; target < 2.0 mmol/L at Zone 2 HR.
⏱ 15m⚡ Med
Metabolic Engine
Complete 4-Hour Zone 2 Weektitan

Complete 4-Hour Zone 2 Week

4x 60-minute sessions; spread across week; protected like board meetings; 8-week consistency.
⏱ 4h⚡ High
Metabolic Engine
Dim Lights After Sunsetfoundation

Dim Lights After Sunset

Dim warm (red/orange) lighting from sunset; blue-light blocking glasses if screens needed.
⏱ N/A⚡ Low
Recovery Engineering
Optimize Sleep Environmentfoundation

Optimize Sleep Environment

Pitch black + 65-68°F; blackout curtains installed; all standby lights covered.
⏱ 15m⚡ Med
Recovery Engineering
Close Kitchen 3 Hours Before Bedfoundation

Close Kitchen 3 Hours Before Bed

'Kitchen closed' alarm set; no food after this time; digestion complete before sleep.
⏱ N/A⚡ Med
Recovery Engineering
Take Warm Bath Before Bedgrowth

Take Warm Bath Before Bed

60-90 minutes before sleep; warm (not hot) water; 10-15 minutes; triggers core temp drop.
⏱ 15m⚡ Low
Recovery Engineering
Deploy NSDR Protocolgrowth

Deploy NSDR Protocol

20-minute Yoga Nidra audio; lie down; do nothing else; replaces afternoon coffee.
⏱ 20m⚡ Low
Recovery Engineering
Audit Sleep Resting Heart Ratemastery

Audit Sleep Resting Heart Rate

Morning review of previous night's RHR; elevated first-half = late meal, alcohol, or stress.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Recovery Engineering
Enforce 'No Alcohol' Protocolmastery

Enforce 'No Alcohol' Protocol

Default state is zero alcohol; exceptions are conscious decisions; sparkling water with lime.
⏱ N/A⚡ High
Recovery Engineering
Score 85%+ Sleep Performancetitan

Score 85%+ Sleep Performance

Whoop Recovery or Oura Readiness tracked; sub-85% nights audited; disruptor eliminated.
⏱ N/A⚡ High
Recovery Engineering
Check Morning HRVfoundation

Check Morning HRV

First thing upon waking; before getting out of bed; Green/Yellow/Red vs baseline noted.
⏱ 2m⚡ Low
Bio-Data Command
Wear CGM Sensorfoundation

Wear CGM Sensor

New sensor every 14 days; applied to back of arm; synced with app; tracking begun.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Bio-Data Command
Execute HRV Decision Matrixgrowth

Execute HRV Decision Matrix

Green = go hard; Yellow = standardize; Red = pivot to recovery; Plummeting = emergency brake.
⏱ 5m⚡ Med
Bio-Data Command
Log Glucose Spikesgrowth

Log Glucose Spikes

Spike > 140 mg/dL = warning; crash < 70 mg/dL = brain fog trigger; meal modified or eliminated.
⏱ 5m⚡ Low
Bio-Data Command
Correlate HRV to Inputsmastery

Correlate HRV to Inputs

Weekly HRV export; plotted against food, alcohol, exercise, stress; top 3 correlations identified.
⏱ 15m⚡ Med
Bio-Data Command
Run Blood Panel Quarterlymastery

Run Blood Panel Quarterly

Every 3 months; 12-hour fast; ApoB, HbA1c, hsCRP, Lp(a), Fasting Insulin, Lipid Panel.
⏱ 2h⚡ Med
Bio-Data Command
Build Personal Biomarker Dashboardtitan

Build Personal Biomarker Dashboard

Spreadsheet or Notion page; HRV avg, Sleep %, Glucose avg, Key bloods tracked; updated quarterly.
⏱ 2h⚡ High
Bio-Data Command
Execute Cold Exposurefoundation

Execute Cold Exposure

1-3 minutes in 45-60°F water; up to neck; slow breathing; 2-4 sessions per week.
⏱ 3m⚡ High
Thermal Regulation
Air Dry After Coldfoundation

Air Dry After Cold

No hot shower or sauna immediately after; let body rewarm naturally; shivering activates brown fat.
⏱ 10m⚡ Low
Thermal Regulation
Track Weekly Cold Minutesgrowth

Track Weekly Cold Minutes

Weekly tally of cold exposure; 11 minutes total target; add session if under.
⏱ 2m⚡ Low
Thermal Regulation
Add Contrast Therapygrowth

Add Contrast Therapy

Sauna 15-20 min then cold plunge 1-3 min; end on cold for dopamine; recovery days or post-training.
⏱ 20m⚡ Med
Thermal Regulation
Sauna 4x Per Weekmastery

Sauna 4x Per Week

4 sessions/week; 20 minutes at 176°F+ (80°C+); hydrate before and after.
⏱ 20m⚡ Med
Thermal Regulation
Complete 11-Minute Cold Weektitan

Complete 11-Minute Cold Week

11+ minutes total across 2-4 sessions; consistency over single-session heroics; logged.
⏱ 11m⚡ High
Thermal Regulation

Sources & References

External reading that informed this stack.

6 links

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