Longevity physician shares daily routine: exercise, paleo diet and a 1 a.m. bedtime

Primas, 66, said he has focused on preventative care since the 1990s, long before terms like "healthspan" and "longevity medicine" became popular. He argues that the trajectory toward chronic disease often begins years before symptoms appear, and that preserving function matters as much as treating illness. Today, he noted, the science, tools and public interest have caught up with the idea behind longevity medicine.

Primas works out seven days a week. His routine includes strength training three times a week, high-intensity interval training twice a week, 45 minutes of zone-two training twice a week, and stretching and balance training on weekends. He said he protects exercise time as he would an important clinical appointment. He also takes a 20-minute walk after each meal and does bodyweight squats hourly during the workday. When weeks are unusually busy, he still tries to fit in a shorter session, walking, mobility work or a few sets of resistance exercise.

Despite his late bedtime, Primas said he ensures about seven hours of sleep per night. He wakes around 9 a.m. and keeps his bedroom dark, cold (67 degrees or below) and comfortable to optimize sleep quality.

He follows a paleo-based diet, eating only whole foods and avoiding grains, dairy and added sugar. He gets fiber and calcium from root vegetables like parsnips and sweet potatoes, and eats tuna, salmon, grass-fed meat, nuts and berries. He said the goal is not a perfect diet but a durable one. He also follows a time-restricted feeding window.

Primas emphasized that small habits are powerful. "Little tweaks that you do every single day add up," he said. He also stressed the importance of leading by example: "Unless I lead by example, they're really not going to pay attention to it." He encourages patients to consult their primary care doctor before making major health changes.