- Oz Garcia, a celebrity nutritionist and former head of wellness at Equinox, shared 3 health trends the ultra-rich is obsessed with.
- Garcia said his clients are purchasing technology that helps them sleep and meditate better.
From Kendall Jenner's wellness room to Justin Bieber's hyperbolic oxygen chamber bed, the ultra-rich are spending millions of dollars to feel good.
Oz Garcia, a celebrity nutritionist of 30 years who has worked with Gwyneth Paltrow and Heidi Klum, has seen the elite's obsession with wellness first hand. Garcia said the wellness industry's recent explosion has led to high end supplements and technology cropping up everyday, the majority of which are "overhyped."
"We're now overwhelmed with products, courses, protocols that are being promoted. It's just too much," he told Insider.
Garcia said he gears his rich clientele away from fad diets and and every supplement under the sun. He instead recommends a few high-end tools to help them prioritize the essentials: sleep, sunlight, and stress-management.
Garcia shared his own handcrafted wellness routine he uses and helps his clients with.
Get 20 minutes of morning sun — then use faux-sunlight goggles
Artificial sunlight is the hottest commodity for the ultra-rich.
Garcia said he stresses his clients get at least 20 minutes of morning sun to reset their circadian rhythm, or their body's sleep cycle, after waking up to sleep better at night.
"Believe it or not, you sleep better at night by getting morning daylight," he said.
Clients that can't step out of their house in the morning, or who live in areas with dark, gloomy winters, can purchase artificial sunlight.
According to Pegasi, Garcia's recommended faux-sunlight goggles, sun stimulating glasses shine blue or green light on the face. When worn for some time during the day, the blue light works the way sunlight does by managing the circadian rhythm and stimulating production of melatonin, or the body's sleep hormone. (Garcia said he does not have paid partnerships with any products he mentioned in this article.)
News outlets reported on Mick Jagger donning rectangular "light therapy goggles" that cast blue and green light over your eyes.
Shocking their bodies with extreme cold and extreme heat
Athletes have long used ice baths and saunas to help with muscle recovery after intense workouts.
Garcia says the practice is becoming mainstream even among the ultra-rich who don't get paid to play sports.
Garcia said ice baths can "wake you up, reduce a lot of inflammation in your body, and you feel terrific." One study from 2000 found ice baths can increase a neurotransmitter in your brain called dopamine, which is a pleasure sensation released after completing a difficult, but "very little" research has confirmed a cold plunge's benefits
Garcia said takes weekly short baths in tubs filled with 40lb of ice, and occasionally visits Russian bath houses for a hot sauna.
'Emotional stability' technology
Garcia said the biggest concern among his high-profile clients is stress management and regulating their mood, depression, irritability, productivity — and even socialization, he said.
The rich could use Oz's help figuring out how to spend time with others: research indicates people with six-figure salaries spend more minutes alone and less minutes with families than low-income Americans.
He begins with helping his clients get better sleep. Sleeping allows the brain to release metabolic waste, or the leftover proteins and organic substances after the body consumes energy. Waste buildup in the brain could impair your mood and memory, per new research.
Garcia said he suggests his clients purchase a $300 Oura Ring or other technology that measures your heart rate, sleep activity, temperature, and amount of time spent in deep sleep. Gathering data on the quality of his client's sleep helps him recommend changes to improve how they rest.
Meditation technology also helps his clients clear their minds and deal with stress. He recommends the app Waking Up by neuroscientist Sam Harris, which offers guided practices and lessons on how to properly meditate.
For clients who want serious help meditating, Garcia says to purchase the $400 Muse Headband, which measures brain activity, heart rate, breathing, and body movement.