Dave Asprey isn’t ready to let quarantines slow him down. “My whole plan for social isolation is to make the time enjoyable, to emerge stronger than I was before, and to be harder to kill along the way,” says the author, founder and all-around fitness guru. For those out there who are unfamiliar with Asprey, you’ve likely been influenced by his work (even if you didn’t know it).
Asprey is the inventor of Bulletproof Coffee, a high-fat coffee drink that Asprey created after discovering yak-butter tea while traveling through Tibet. When he was feeling spent and drained from an intense hike through the mountains, Asprey was shocked to see how much better he felt (both in mind and body) after consuming yak-butter tea. After finishing his excursion in Tibet and arriving back home, he set to work, putting his own spin on the high-fat drink, and thus Bulletproof Coffee was born.
Available at two physical storefronts (Santa Monica and New York) as well as tons of online and physical retailers, Bulletproof Coffee has changed the landscape of health-focused coffee. And it’s all thanks to Asprey’s adventures in Tibet.
Outside of creating this juiced up cup of Joe, Asprey has also authored five books and created an incredibly popular podcast (Bulletproof Radio). Indeed, one visit to the Bulletproof website and you’ll see Asprey has let his ambitions develop outside of the world of coffee. You can find powders and oils, tumblers and other gear, all aimed at helping you hack your body to unleash its full potential.
Related Stories
Due to his guru-level status, SPY thought Asprey a prudent person to chat with as we struggle to stay physically and mentally fit in self-isolation. And so, we asked Asprey to give us his favorite products and routines that are helping him not only get through the crisis, but actually improve himself while in isolation. Read on for Asprey’s favorite products and why they’re worth your time.
Some quotes in the article have been lightly edited for clarity.
1. Oura Ring
“One of the things that really helps me Measure how I’m doing during the pandemic is my Oura ring. This almost invisible (but still cool-looking) ring tracks my stress levels, sleep quality, and even temperature, so when I wake up in the morning I know whether I got a great night’s rest and can go hard that day without getting sick, or I’m better off meditating. It also reminds me that a late-night Netflix binge or snack always ruins a good night’s sleep!”
2. TrueDark Sunset Sleep Glasses
“Since sleep is one of those things that keep you healthy, every single night for an hour or two before bed, I wear my trusty TrueDark Sunset sleep glasses. These patented lenses are designed to tell the timing system in your body that it’s time to chill out, wind down, and get to sleep. Since it’s hard for anyone to chill out during a pandemic, this biological signal change is easy to do. The aviator styling works for me, and I like to pretend they make me look like a rock star! Since I started using them, I’ve doubled the amount of deep sleep I get. More time sleeping equals less time sick. I also wear them for eyes open meditation and have measured a shift in brain waves in my neuroscience lab.”
3. Mlama Coffee Beans
When you are stuck at home, coffee becomes even more important, and there’s no one to make it for you. I am really enjoying the new Bulletproof reserve Mlama beans. They are lab tested to be free of toxins, and I love how they blend well with butter to make Bulletproof Coffee.
4. Atmos Vacuum Seal Canister
“Stale coffee sucks! When you go to the coffee shop, they use coffee so quickly that you don’t get stale coffee. At home, if you open a bag on Monday, it’s going to get stale before you drink the whole thing. My coffee game went up after I started storing my bulletproof beans in a special Atmos vacuum seal canister from Fellow. There’s something really cool about pumping the air out of the beans after I measure exactly how many I want to make world-class coffee at home.”
5. Brain Octane Oil
“Speaking of bulletproof coffee, the other key ingredient to get the kick is brain octane oil. That stuff lets me get into mild ketosis even if I have some delicious carbs at dinner the night before. Emerging studies are showing that having ketones present in the blood can be beneficial against the exact type of inflammation people see when they get viruses. I know it isn’t the only thing that will make me bulletproof, but it is an important part of how I eliminate hunger distractions during the day and keep inflammation — and the love handles that come with it — away from my life.”
6. Zero Tolerance Carbon Fiber Knife
“Since I’m staying at home a lot, it means I can start carrying a pocketknife again. I kept losing them at airports, even though pocketknives are useful tools that are not useful for self-defense. I’m loving my Zero Tolerance carbon fiber assisted opening knife. It just feels good to have it in my pocket. And I’ve started whittling sticks I find on the farm. As it turns out, being socially isolated on a farm is not so bad.”
7. MindBody Matrix Pain Relief Cream
I’m still exercising, and I’m pushing harder because I’m flying less. That can mean sore muscles. Nothing I’ve ever tried has been as effective as MindBody Matrix Pain Relief Cream. It takes only a tiny drop to do the job, so it lasts forever. It also has botanical essential oils. Lowering pain lowers inflammation which increases resilience.”
8. Hapbee Headband
“The brand new Hapbee device is my go-to piece of tech for modifying my mental state. It’s a headband or necklace that emits very well studied and tested pulsed magnetic fields that modify your brain state. Want more energy? Dial it up. More rest? Done. Same thing for focus, sleep, stress. Incredibly useful tech!”
Editor’s Note: The Hapbee is only available for pre-order through Indiegogo, which you can find below.
9. Kaweco Gel Roller Pen
“I’m a snob about how a pen feels when I’m writing, and I have more time to write on actual paper now that I’m at home. One of my favorites when I’m going to sit down to focus is a heavy metal German pen from a company called Kaweco. The steel sport gel roller pen is nice enough that you won’t ever want to lose it, but not so expensive that you have to fast for a week to save money to buy it.”
Kaweco offers several different variations of their awesome pens. Since Asprey didn’t provide a specific link, we wanted to offer this raw aluminum option in particular as it does everything Asprey says, plus we love the simple yet elegant coloring.
10. Krisp.ai Noise Canceling App
“When I’m dictating or working with my team instead of writing by hand, I am a huge fan of krisp.ai, a new plugin service on my computer and phone that does a stupidly awesome job of removing all background noise. I’ve actually tested the noise removal while blending butter into my coffee, and the people on the other end of the line didn’t even know the blender was on!”
Olympic Track Star Christian Taylor Shares His Favorite Fitness Products With SPY