Who: Kayla Barnes-Lentz, 33, co-owner of LYV The Wellness Space, and host of the Longevity Optimization Podcast, Los Angeles, California

Surprising Oura insight: “I’ve learned that my Cardiovascular Age is 6 years below my chronological age, and my VO2 max is high. It makes me excited to see what changes I can make to continue improving these metrics in the long run.”

A content creator, podcast host, and co-owner of a longevity clinic, Kayla Barnes-Lentz is a leading voice in the health optimization space. She has spent more than a decade studying and testing health optimization protocols, specifically for female health, and has used Oura Ring to track her biometrics for the past five years. Kayla recently launched an online community for women focused on health and longevity optimization. 

What led you to Oura?

Kayla Barnes-Lentz | Oura Ring

I have been obsessed with human optimization for over a decade. I’m always looking for ways to improve my health, performance, and sleep, so I was quickly interested in Oura. I am in love with all of Oura’s women’s health features, like the integration with Natural Cycles so I can track my cycle naturally. I’ve been an Oura member for more than five years, and it’s been an integral part of my optimization journey.

I am so appreciative that Oura continues to innovate and provide such in-depth insights that are all available to us in the comfort of our homes.

What have you learned from using Oura on your health optimization journey?

I have learned so much about myself from using Oura. Oura allows you to understand and monitor your baseline health metrics and sleep quality. You can’t optimize your metrics if you don’t know where you are! That’s why I encourage everyone to use Oura. 

Initially, Oura helped me upgrade my sleep by offering in-depth insights into my sleep quality. I now additionally love using Oura to track my cycle with Cycle Insights and monitor my heart rate variability, because I’m always trying new biohacks to improve this metric. 

Most recently, I’ve learned that my Cardiovascular Age is -6 years below my chronological age, and my VO2 max is high. It makes me excited to see what changes I can make to continue improving these metrics in the long run. 

READ MORE: 8 Ways to Improve Your Cardiovascular Health

Oura allows you to understand and monitor your baseline health metrics and sleep quality. You can’t optimize your metrics if you don’t know where you are!

Kayla recently shared her secrets to getting a 95 Sleep Score — check out the full video on her Instagram. 

Tell us about your current health protocols. What does a typical day look like for you?

  • Wakeup: I wake up naturally around 6:30am, get some morning sunlight, and rehydrate with mineral water with added electrolytes.
  • Cold plunge and breathwork: This gives me an endurance boost before a workout or an energy boost to get my day started. However, I use my Cycle Insights data from Oura to plan these habits, and I mostly do cold plunging in the first half of my cycle.
  • Exercise and recovery: I work out outside at home to get some sun and nature exposure. I use Oura to monitor my heart rate during workouts to track the intensity. Then it’s time for red light therapy followed by an organic breakfast.
  • Work: I co-own a longevity medicine clinic and love it. Many of our patients also use Oura! I have a walking treadmill in my office that I use when I have calls to get some extra steps in. It’s great that Oura automatically tracks my steps throughout the day — I aim for 10,000 to 15,000 steps per day.
  • Breaks: I take a break for nature bathing and grounding in my backyard around 1pm.
  • Dinner and a walk: After my husband and I eat dinner, we go for a walk together in the hills for some zone 2 cardio, while catching up on our days.
  • Evening wind-down: My husband and I do pulse PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy, which uses low-frequency electromagnetic waves to stimulate cells, purported to promote overall wellness and recovery), turn on red lights, sauna, take a sauna followed by my sleep supplement stack, and get into bed by 9:30pm.
Member Tip: Track your wellness habits on Oura using Tags. Use the Trends view and Oura on the Web to gain deeper insights into how these habits impact your biometrics overtime.

Kayla uses her Cycle Insights data to time her health protocols to her cycle phases. And her “Exceptional” Resilience is a testament to the power of healthy habits!

What’s your advice to Oura members looking to optimize their health and improve longevity?

Optimized health starts with high-quality sleep. My top strategies for better sleep include: stop eating at least 3 to 4 hours before sleep, keep a consistent sleep schedule, sleep in a dark and cold room, and wear a sleep mask. 

I would also advise women to understand their cycle. Once you do that, you can plan your workouts, fasting schedule, cold plunging, and other health optimization habits around your cycle to best support your hormones and overall health.

Lastly, eat a nutritious and, if possible, organic diet and incorporate lots of movement. I encourage women to strength train often in order to increase muscle mass and improve bone density.

RELATED: How the Higher Dose Founders Use Oura to Biohack Their Sleep & Performance

The Oura Ring is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor, or prevent medical conditions or illnesses.

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