Dr. Andrea Maier is a health and longevity expert with nearly 25 years of experience in the field of geroscience, where she has studied what aging is and why we age. Maier has spent the last 10 years putting what she learned into clinical practice.

As an internal medicine specialist in Singapore, she performs tests on patients to determine their biomarkers of aging like the health of their organs.

Using the findings, Maier suggests practical solutions to increase a patient’s chances of living longer: “This may involve changing a microbiome-based diet, along with engaging in certain physical activities, or change your sleep habits or take supplements based on what the body has at the time. needs of the moment.”

Not only does Maier study and give advice, but she also takes some of it herself.

CNBC Make It interviewed Maier about her personal longevity habits and what she does to stay happy and healthy.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What a longevity expert does for a long and happy life

CNBC succeeds: Are you doing anything specifically to help your brain be sharper and improve your focus?

Maier: I think brain health is very underrated. Knowing your brain capacity is important. Everybody (should) do brain tests, looking at what their short-term memory is or their long-term memory is, what the brain’s ability is to multitask.

There are also new, innovative approaches incorporating brain fitness into the gym. There’s one (gym) in Singapore, it’s called SPARKD, where you’re on a treadmill and then you’re also exposed to memory tasks, for example, and it’s very exciting. You train your brain while training your muscles, bones and cardiovascular fitness.

Think about being on a treadmill and doing math. How good are you? How much do you slow down?

I think the most important thing is just to use the brain. This is what I do all the time.

We also know that to last, it is important to have and maintain positive relationships in your life. What is your own social form?

I have just returned from Paris and Berlin. I had my quality time. Now is the time to work for a few days or weeks, then there will be (more) quality time (with others).

It is very important that individuals are heard and seen. It gives routine to life. Very often, if people don’t have social interactions and don’t have a goal or a job that can give them a goal, then this isolation is very detrimental because it induces bad habits.

First, measure how you feel at that moment. Do you feel isolated? Are you feeling depressed? Do you feel worried? This is also what I apply to myself. Next, turn to social interactions (that are) meaningful. It’s not just the time, but the quality and meaning behind it.

Human beings are social animals, so we need to come together. It’s also very important for the brain, because you can either look in the mirror or have very beautiful interactions.

What is your daily diet? Is it important to you to eat with longevity in mind?

Very important. As a doctor, I never had a class on nutrition, which is pretty bad, but that was the curriculum back then. So no one taught doctors my age what to do.

I have been vegetarian since the age of three, for ethical reasons. But it also seems to be quite healthy.

I leave aside red meat, white meat and fish. I’m 46 and I still drink Diet Coke.

I always, or very often, skip breakfast which, (and) I didn’t know that 20 years ago or even 30 years ago, was linked to intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating.

I really start eating at two, three o’clock. Sometimes my first meal is in the evening and I’m fine. But these routines were already part of my lifestyle, before I knew they could have a positive benefit.

This doesn’t mean everyone has to be vegetarian or vegan and practice intermittent fasting.

Having a good quality intake is very important, and monitoring, of course, the result (of your eating habits).

I’m interested in what experts in your field are reading these days. What are you currently reading?

I spend at least an hour a day reading or simply listening to the news. This is not only the BBC news podcast, but also different newspapers, for example the New York Times.

We in the field need to stick with and really learn from a diversity of news (sources), because it is very important to consider the commitment to health, to longevity, in context. I think a lot of times we see it out of context.

We just say, “Okay, life expectancy needs to increase. Health expectancy must increase” without realizing that we live in an ecosystem where we have political influences, we have environmental influences, and we just have to also see what is important at that time for certain societies and where we can implement what.

The 4 daily habits of a longevity expert

To summarize Dr. Maier’s longevity practices, here’s what she does to stay healthy and increase her happiness:

• For brain health: Use your brain often and be open to change
• For the social form: Alternating between quality time and work, depending on what she needs at the moment
• For his daily diet: Eat strictly vegetarian, no red meat, white meat or fish
• For his media diet: Stay up to date with the latest news

Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to negotiate a higher salary. Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to get a bigger salary, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to craft a counteroffer. Get started today and use promo code EARLYBIRD for a 50% introductory discount until November 26, 2024.

More, sign up for the CNBC Make It newsletter for tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.