The very first thing I do is open my blinds and do a little gratitude ritual to the universe. It always gets me in a better mood for the morning. I take my new AM supplement with a Form Nutrition protein smoothie — chocolate, peanut butter and superfoods like powdered greens, lion’s mane and other mushrooms/adaptogens — along with a dangerously high dose of caffeine.
Lunch is squeezed in between patients at 2.30pm and always involves a chicken breasts with salad. I have dinner after I come in from the gym around 8pm and it’s usually heavy on chicken breasts. I don’t follow strict dietary rules, but I am very conscious of protein intake, low fat intake and balance.
Exercise is a constant and non-negotiable. I train with Paul Rose (Paul Rose Performance), who’s been my trainer for almost six years, every weekday after work. This helps to clear my mind, which can be buzzing after a busy day. I focus on strength training with him during the week, do cardio at the weekends and try to build in walking to work whenever I can.
I’m a fan of saunas and cold plunges. I feel noticeably better when I’m doing both regularly. The reality is I don’t always manage it as often as I’d like. I am hoping to get a home sauna and cold plunge at some point so that I can do it more regularly at the weekends.
I don’t use wearables other than an evil eye bracelet that one of my patients gave me. I think there’s a tendency to over-analyse sleep and recovery metrics, which can become unhelpful — particularly if you err on the side of obsessiveness (as I tend to).
LED therapy is probably the one thing I use intermittently. There is reasonable evidence behind LED for reducing inflammation and supporting collagen production, although expectations sometimes become inflated. I’m fortunate to work in clinics with genuinely high-powered technologies and compared with that, at-home LED sits in a far subtler category. Realistically, many people would probably see similar improvements simply from using a good skincare routine consistently and wearing SPF every day.
I love meditation, it has changed my life. I try to meditate most mornings and every evening before bed I do a guided meditation. On Sunday evenings, if I’m in London, I try to get in a sound bath session at The Life Centre in Notting Hill. It helps me get to sleep (I’m naturally a light sleeper).
I take nootropic supplements both in the morning and evening (I take 5-HTP in the morning and my recently launched PM supplement in the evening for sleep and mood). I’ve also recently completed a course in psychedelic neuroscience, hosted by Chris Timmermann from the UCL Centre for Consciousness Research. This field fascinates me as it’s rapidly evolving, especially in relation to PTSD, mental health and consciousness generally. I hope the Government’s reticence to legalise psychedelics in therapeutic settings will soften as it could help so many people.
Recently I’ve read Carlo Rovelli’s The Order of Time, alongside books exploring psychedelics and psychotherapy. I also recently finished a book on black holes. Oddly, I never particularly enjoyed physics at school but I’ve become increasingly fascinated by astrophysics and quantum mechanics. It has a peculiar way of shrinking everyday anxieties down when you start to consider the larger picture of reality.
I try to wind down around 10.30pm. Evenings are usually straightforward: dinner, a shower, Netflix and then meditation before bed. After that I’ll often put on a physics lecture or podcast which tends to send me off to sleep. I’ll occasionally use melatonin if my sleep has gone slightly off track.
My philosophy is to be grateful and curious and love the people around you. I’d much rather be remembered for being overly generous than for fulfilling the stereotype of a cautious Scotsman counting every penny.
Dr David Jack recently launched the AM + PM Supplement System; drdavidjack.com
