Steve Aoki Just Dropped His #1 ‘Biohacking’ Secret
Updated: Jan. 27, 2023
The high-energy DJ's self-care routine includes a few unusual habits...and one must-have snack.
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If you missed shows during the pandemic, you know the magic of the concert experience—but Steve Aoki takes “entertainment” next-level. Known for his relentless tour schedules, this two-time Grammy-nominated EDM DJ launches confetti cannons and super-sized cakes to keep his fans raving into the wee hours.
Fans know: If Steve Aoki could bottle his energy, it would sell out in minutes. But short of that, The Healthy @Reader’s Digest got the goods from the 45-year-old producer and entrepreneur about the nutrition and fitness habits that keep him hyped, the self-care routine that keeps him grounded, and his favorite vitamin that just made us even bigger fans.
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Steve Aoki on his diet, favorite cheat meal
“I’m an impulse food guy,” Aoki says, confessing that on tour, his green rooms are filled with candy and other not-so-healthy choices—“and I’ll just eat all of that,” he laughs. “Like, if it’s in front of me, I’m gonna eat it.”
Aoki’s trick to keeping things balanced is making sure he has nutrient-packed options at his fingertips instead. He puts veggies in his hospitality rider, along with healthier snacks like Quest Nutrition’s Protein Bars, or their new low-carb, high-protein Cheddar Blast Cheese Crackers, which Aoki is partnering up with the company to spotlight in a TikTok challenge sweepstakes.
“I’ve actually had Quest in my rider for probably, I don’t know, four or five years,” he says. “It’s always staring at me. So that way if I need a quick protein bite, like boom, boom, I have it right there.”
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Even when he’s not on tour, Aoki says he’s mindful about what he puts into his body. “I definitely consider myself a biohacker,” he admits. “So I have like a gazillion vitamins. I take like 20, 25 different vitamins.” He considers vitamin D one of his most important supplements. “It’s interesting how almost everyone I know is deficient in vitamin D.”
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Aoki also uses the app MyFitnessPal to help him track his macronutrient intake, or the amount of proteins, carbs and fat he consumes.
He says he doesn’t intentionally try to practice intermittent fasting, but he does time his meals carefully, breaking his fast between noon and 2 p.m. each day, then eating a big meal around 6 or 7 p.m. “I try to eat sparingly little snacks here and there,” he says, “…but if I’m home, I’m done eating by 8 or 9.”
(Still, EDM DJs are people too: Aoki says his favorite cheat meal is pizza—he even owns PizzAoki, a West Coast delivery chain.)
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Steve Aoki’s out-of-the-box self-care routine
Of course, having the energy he needs to pump up a crowd night after night isn’t just about what Steve Aoki eats—it’s also about how he moves. Aoki says he works out three times a week, mixing cardio and strength training.
He also has a rigorous wellness and self-care routine: “I do cold plunges. I have three solo cold plunge tanks, and a cold plunge jacuzzi that holds like 20 people. I do that three times a week, sauna three times a week.”
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Aoki enjoys regular 60 to 90 minute sessions in a hyperbaric chamber, which contains 100% oxygen (NASA reports that the air we breathe is 21% oxygen). According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), oxygen of this quality can help the body heal and fight certain infections—but at the end of the day, Steve Aoki says these intensive practices aren’t necessary…it’s just about what works for you. “You don’t need to do any of this stuff. I think I’m just trying to be as optimal as possible.” That’s definitely the vibe we’re getting.
Originally Published: January 27, 2023
