I wake up at around 5am, naturally. I haven’t set an alarm regularly since before my children were born. I did have an Apple Watch for a while but it broke a few years ago and I never replaced it. What happened instead was more interesting, I became deeply curious about “interoception”. About actually listening to my body rather than outsourcing that to a device. That shift has probably taught me more about my own physiology than any wearable did.
“I became curious about ‘interoception’ — listening to my body rather than outsourcing that to a device”
I boil the kettle, sit with a mug of warm water and settle into the space I’ve set up in my house — a mat, blankets, red light therapy panel. I love to take advantage of those early morning alpha brain waves. There’s a quality of mind at 5am that I treasure. I feel creative, clear, unhurried. I avoid my phone, I write. Get ideas down. Then meditate, do a little mobility, movement or sometimes an active workout, finish with a short breathwork.
I always eat breakfast with my twins. I’ve never bought cereal in my entire life as a parent. It’s porridge with different toppings or some combination of eggs. I’m Director of Science and Innovation at Ancient + Brave, so I understand supplement quality — the evidence, the formulations, what actually works. I am a less-is-more girl. My non-negotiables are True Creatine, True Magnesium and True Omegas. I also like CoQ10, ergothioneine and I do take collagen and hyaluronic acid.
I’m nearly 45 and in the best shape of my life. I eat three meals a day, nearly always cooked from scratch. I follow an omnivorous, anti-inflammatory pattern, lots of colour, good protein and healthy fats. I use a lot of beans and pulses because they’re nutritionally brilliant and I’m a single parent, so they’re also cheap. I don’t snack, I try to avoid UPFs and added sugars, and I cook in bulk when I can.
Food is one of my genuine pleasures. I’m obsessed with good extra virgin olive oil, and I drink green tea all morning. I focus on dietary pattern and quality, and I don’t get hung up on the small things. I love fish and seafood, a variety of veg, salads, and love hunting through recipe books for inspiration.
I train in jiu-jitsu three times a week, which is probably my favourite thing in my life right now. It demands full presence. You genuinely cannot be in your head during jiu-jitsu. It’s like a complex puzzle to solve, and it’s fun to be a beginner as an adult.
I live in Brighton, which has a brilliant community sauna scene, and I love it; it’s where I go with friends to socialise. I’ll always try to combine it with a sea dip or cold plunge if I can. Cold and heat exposure have meaningful effects on immune regulation and stress inoculation, and it doesn’t have to be extreme.
Breathwork is my primary real-time anti-stress tool. I spent many years with an interest in breathwork until I eventually trained as a practitioner. I work across three domains: biomechanic, biochemistry and nervous system. I use it as a reset between moments, before a difficult conversation, when I feel overwhelmed. Meditation, for me, is a long-term future-proofing investment, it builds resilience over time. Breathwork is different. It offers that, too, but is also something I can use in real time, in the middle of a busy day, to shift how I feel almost immediately.
For sleep, I keep the basics consistent: regular timing, minimal screens in the evening and magnesium glycinate before bed. But having lived through more than six years of chronic insomnia after my twins were born, I learned that those foundations are necessary but not sufficient for good sleep. Sleep is not something you can force with perfect habits or the right supplements. It’s a reflection of the state of your nervous system.
My philosophy is consistency over perfection. Biology over trend. And, increasingly, soulspan, not just lifespan. I want to age with a sense of aliveness: present, capable, curious and still in a relationship with the world around me.
Dr Jenna Macciochi will be speaking at the Soul x Science by FUEGO event in London on May 16; soulxscience.com
