Anti Aging / Staying Healthy

For all my fellow IBers who are wondering the same … I know there have been separate threads on this topic but nothing centralized. What are some ways people remain looking young while working in this job? I work 80+ a week (staring at a computer the entire time) and so do my colleagues near me, but I have bags/dark circles under my eyes and they don’t (not genetics). What are some secrets people have that they wouldn’t mind sharing? How are there MDs who have done this job for years but remain looking young? Does anyone ever get 8 hours of sleep in this industry (including MD)?

 

Getting a good nights sleep is a partly a skill/discipline that takes time to develop. I find that doing these 3 things helps me get quality sleep straight through the night, even if it’s 6-7 hours instead of an optimal 8.

  • 30 minutes of exercise. Can even be a brisk walk.
  • No eating within 2 hours of bedtime
  • Cold room, 70 degrees max

I heard these tips a while back and practiced them during my mba and now have a good rhythm and am able to feel decent on 6-7 hours. Anything less than 4 rem cycles, sub 6 hours, I usually fade in the afternoon and evenings like you would expect.

Just some tips that worked for me. Obviously sometimes this isn’t possible but I find the rhythm helpful.

 

Hey, not in IB, but still wanted to give some input here as I think these are universal suggestions to longevity:

1. Drink Water - it's super easy to forget when you are heads-down for hours at a time and chugging coffee. Drinking water and staying hydrated will do wonders making you feel good internally and look good externally (keeping skin hydrated)

2. Skincare Routine - to other's points in the comments, a simple routine is all you need and will do you wonders. I started a routine when I turned 21 and have aged fairly better than others my age. First thing would be retinol - remember though that retinol makes your skin more sensitive to the sun so you may want to apply it in the PM or can apply in the morning, but need to use a moisturizer with SPF. This brings me to the second suggestion - use a moisturizer 2x a day (morning and night) and ideally this has SPF protection in it - people think you only need an SPF on a sunny day, but that's not entirely true.

3. Exercise - it really doesn't take a lot on this. Try to walk 15-20 mins and get in a couple sets up push ups, sit-ups, squats to just keep your body moving. Even getting up and doing laps around the office is great compared to sitting all day.

4. Eating - it's really easy to eat shitty, quick, convenient food but this will not work long term. Again I am not in IB, but you get your dinner comped...try to not just think about what would taste great in the moment, but also will make you feel good. Going back to basics, you want less processed food (oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, meat, etc.), not snacks that have excess sugar and ingredients you cannot pronounce. I know this is probably the hardest part, but believe me doing this will help you long term.

5. Drinking Alcohol -  Personally not a huge drinker so may be easier said than done, but try to reduce this to social drinking and even then not overdo it. To the point on hydration, drinking will dehydrate you and does contribute to the aging process. I know a lot of people probably have a lot of anecdotal stories on people they know who drink heavy and still look fine, but those are not the majority of cases. If you are going to drink, try to at least drink water intermittently.

6. Mental Health - You need to take care of yourself mentally before you can improve physically. Stress weighs on your body and will exhibit itself in some form or another. Please do not be afraid to acknowledge you are over-stressed or seek help. It's not a great attitude from others I have seen here who think it's fine to hold onto stress or think it's some badge of honor that they are stressed and don't talk to someone. Mental and physical health are linked and in IB, your mental health is likely to decline meaning your physical health is not far behind.

Hope this helps! 

 
Most Helpful

All the following with the caveat it depends on your current age, family history (genetics),etc. And obviously ask a doctor and DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH - don't blindly follow advice from a 26 year old anon on WSO

Although imperfect, as a baseline, recommend you:

  1. Get a DNA methylation test (i.e. biological age test)
  2. Get a basic DNA test (23andMe works), and upload the raw DNA data (literally in .xls) to Promethease, a tool that builds personalized DNA reports based on linking DNA genotypes to scientific findings cited in SNPedia, for like $10. Google how to do this. This will help you to identify your genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's, heart disease/attacks, various forms of cancer, etc.
  3. Look at your family - what diseases do they have? What did your grandparents/parents die from? Low hanging fruit 
  4. Get a basic familiarly with what aging actually is (google "the hallmarks of aging") - first principles stuff 

With that out of the way...

Level I Proficiency Anti Aging - Bronze Tier (packs 90%+ of the punch though)

  • Consistent aerobic exercise & anaerobic exercise (i.e. cardio and lifting); find 30 minutes a day - you have time for it, eat lunch at your desk if necessary
  • Eat relatively clean - I personally enjoy a Mediterranean diet. Sweetgreen is great. Find healthy foods you actually like or you wont stick to it
  • Eliminate or minimize heavy drinking / substance use (I still indulge in good drunken revelry from time to time. Life involves trade-offs) 
  • 6+ hours of sleep; when possible, obviously, but make it a priority 
  • Meditation / mindfulness 
  • Have a sense of direction / purpose for your life (doesn't need to be grandiose) and high-quality relationships - critically important and sometimes overlooked

(in addition to all the above)

Level II Proficiency - Silver Tier 

  • Extended periods of fasting / caloric restriction; one of the only tried & true methods of extending lifespan/healthspan across literally every species it has been tested on; I personally fast 24 hours every week, 72 hours every quarter, and 120 hours every year; make sure to it can be a spiritual experience / change your perspective on food. 
  • Basic, well-researched supplements, tailored to you (multivitamin (debatable if needed, but get one without iron unless you are a pre-menopause woman - iron may age you further), fish oil, creatine, vitamin D if lack of sunlight (likely applies to everyone on this forum), daily aspirin if at risk of heart attack (be careful here - risk of internal bleeding), turmeric if you have the gene for Alzheimer’s). Make sure to get from reputable sources (see LabDoor.com), as fish oil can be rancid and supplements are oft contaminated
  • Avoid red & processed meat and animal protein in general (I don't do this - i like meat too much, but avoid processed garbage and err on the side of consuming eggs/white meat/fish) - however supplement with high potency B-vitamins if you cut out meat (vegans/vegetarians typically deficient); generally speaking, the Methionine in meat will age you; protein intake / healthy muscle mass is also critical for longevity, so this can be a double-edged sword.  

Level III Proficiency - Gold Tier  

  • Advanced supplements (caveat - some are speculative and some have decent evidence; none of this matters if you aren't already Level II Proficient; also depends on your age (silly to take all of these if you are 20); the Interventions Testing Program (ITP) is considered the gold standard on testing these, at least in animals, so maybe start there); examples include, in no particular order, Glycine, Spermidine (lol yes that's the name), Berberine (if prone to diabetes / high blood sugar), Quercetin/Fisetin, NAC+Alpha Lipoic Acid, NMN (im personally skeptical of NMN however)
  • Certain off-label prescriptions (proceed with extreme caution): Metformin (similar to berberine), ACE inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers, PDE inhibitors, Lithium, Acarbose

 Level IV Proficiency - GOD Tier

  • The Undisptued, Unrivaled Champion of the World.... RAPAMYCIN (low dose, taken intermittently) - would not start this until at least 30+ years old. Outside of caloric restriction, this is the only intervention that provably extends lifespan across all species (of which there are many - from worms to mammals) it has been tested on
  • The evidence that rapamycin can function as an anti-aging drug is the product of thousands of scientists working independently all over the world, studying mTOR and its inhibitors for a variety of different reasons 
  • I won't go into the details but suggest you read this if interested: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6814615/#:~:text=The%20ove…;

Best of luck and I will end with a Clint Eastwood quote:

I get up every day and don't let the old man in.”

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