Biohacking Tips By Don Moxley
Empowering Patients Through Personalized Biohacking: A Clinical Perspective from Don Moxley
“You can’t sit on your ass eight hours a day and think that working out for one hour is going to make up for it—it doesn’t work that way.”
In the ever-evolving landscape of health optimization, clinicians and wellness professionals are increasingly faced with a common challenge: how to empower patients with practical, data-driven strategies that genuinely move the needle on their healthspan.
In a concise but potent 4-minute video, physiologist and performance coach Don Moxley distills years of applied science into four foundational biohacks that clinicians can integrate into patient care plans starting today. These are not trendy quick fixes—they are time-tested principles grounded in physiology, behavioral science, and wearable data.
The “Four Rocks in the Jar”: Translating Insight Into Action
Moxley’s framework, known as the “Four Rocks in the Jar,” is an elegant metaphor for prioritization in health. Each “rock” represents a key lifestyle area that, when addressed, contributes to not just longevity—but quality longevity.
1. Movement: Treating Sedentary Behavior as a Health Crisis
The first pillar is movement, and Moxley is clear: sedentary lifestyles are among the most underestimated threats to modern health. As clinicians, this reframes the conversation around physical activity—not merely prescribing workouts, but coaching patients to build movement into the architecture of their daily lives.
Clinical Tip: Use wearables and step counters to prescribe movement goals, and integrate behavior-change models to sustain activity over time.
2. Nutrient Density: Moving Beyond Diets Toward Precision Nutrition
Moxley emphasizes nutrient-dense eating, urging health pros to move beyond fad diets and instead help patients assess what their bodies truly need. The use of HRV (Heart Rate Variability) as a tool to measure the impact of dietary changes offers a bridge between subjective experience and objective biofeedback.
Clinical Tip: Encourage food journaling alongside HRV tracking using platforms like Heads Up Health to visualize correlations and identify the most nourishing dietary patterns for each individual.
3. Sleep: Optimizing the Environment, Not Just the Hours
While sleep hygiene is widely discussed, Moxley makes a critical distinction—you can’t hack sleep, but you can hack your sleep environment. This reframing encourages deeper investigation into light exposure, magnesium supplementation, and even cannabinoid use when appropriate.
Clinical Tip: Audit the sleep environment and introduce sleep tracking wearables to fine-tune both quality and quantity. Avoid melatonin as a first-line intervention unless clinically indicated.
4. Light: The Overlooked Variable in Metabolic and Mental Health
Moxley introduces a game-changing perspective: light is both nutrient and toxin. Early-morning sunlight exposure is essential for resetting circadian rhythms, while blue light exposure after dark can disrupt metabolic and neurological health.
Clinical Tip: Educate patients on light hygiene. Recommend blue-light blocking glasses, dim lighting in the evening, and prioritizing morning sunlight.
Why This Matters for Health Professionals
This isn’t just biohacking—it’s applied health science. Moxley’s video is a tool clinicians can use to open conversations, initiate behavior change, and personalize care. When paired with platforms like Heads Up Health, professionals can turn subjective lifestyle advice into quantifiable, trackable outcomes.
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