Featured Image Credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/Netflix
Topics: Celebrity, Health, LeBron James, Sport
Lucy Devine
Topics: Celebrity, Health, LeBron James, Sport
LeBron James has a biohacking routine that reportedly costs up to '$1,500,000' - and experts say it will help him 'live a long time'.
Speaking about the basketball player back in 2016, sports writer Bill Simmons claimed he'd been told that 'LeBron spends like a million and a half dollars a year on his body'.
James, 39, is starring in a new docu-series on Netflix, titled Starting 5.
While he didn't confirm the seven-figure sum, James said he does spend a lot of 'time' on his routine, which consists of cryotherapy, red light therapy, hyperbaric chamber, napping and a high-carb, low-sugar regime.
“I kind of just chuckle,” James said, calling it a 'crazy notion'.
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“That is a number that I will not disclose, but, more importantly, I think it’s just the time.”
So, what exactly does James' routine look like? And how is it helping him physically and mentally?
First up, cryotherapy - also known as cold therapy - is a type of treatment that uses very cold temperatures to decrease inflammation in the body.
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A chronic state of inflammation can lead to problems within the body including heart disease, arthritis, depression, Alzheimer's and cancer.
Speaking to The New York Post, Dave Asprey - whose nickname is the 'father of biohacking' - said: “Cold therapy has been a part of my longevity strategy for years.
“An ice bath, cold shower, or cryotherapy session sends a powerful signal to your body to weed out the weak cells and grow stronger, more resilient ones. This is definitely something you want if you’re planning on living a long time.”
James has posted on social media about using cryotherapy in the past and also explained in the new Netflix doc that often switches between the 'cold tub and hot tub'.
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James also explained he has red light therapy, which uses low levels of red light to improve the skin’s appearance and help improve pain and inflammation associated with other medical conditions including tendonitis, rheumatoid arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis.
It is thought to work by increasing the production of mitochondria in the cells, which can improve function.
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James has 90-minute sessions in a hyperbaric chamber, which is where pure oxygen is filtered into a large, human-sized compartment.
The treatment is said to help the body heal, by providing 100 percent oxygen as opposed to the air we usually breathe, which has around 21 percent.
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It works by carrying the oxygen-rich cells throughout the body, to injured tissues that require more oxygen to heal.
We all know how important a good night's sleep is, and if you can get in an afternoon nap too, even better.
James is known to have a two to three-hour nap every day.
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“That’s the best way for your body to physically and emotionally be able to recover and get back to 100 percent as possible," he said on The Tim Ferriss Show podcast.
“So some days you feel better than others.
“But the more, and more, and more time that you get those eight - if you can get nine, that’s amazing. Sometimes, I even get 10 hours of sleep.”
During the NBA season, James said that he ramps up on the carbs but cuts out sugars.
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“So the sugars I kinda cut out, but the carbs I kinda ramp up. Because you’re losing so many calories, you’re burning so many calories, burning all your energy throughout those games,” James previously told UNINTERRUPTED.
“So I kinda go heavy on the carbs because it gives you energy. It’s worked for me.”