The Minimalist Protocol
About $700–$900 in year one. Better than 80% of what people do.
Problem
You want real signal on your longevity work without much spend. You don't have — or don't want to spend on — exome sequencing, multiple allergy panels, or a fresh wearable. What's the absolute minimum that actually moves biomarkers?
Solution
About $700–$900 in year one. Roughly $500–$700/year ongoing.
| Item | One-time | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Direct-to-consumer focused bloodwork panel (1×/year) — see § 2.2 | — | $200 |
| Existing wearable (assume you already have an Apple Watch or similar) | — | $0 |
| Universal supplement stack — see § 3.1 | — | $480 |
| Strength training (bodyweight at home or cheap gym) — see § 4.1 | — | $0–$240 |
| Zone 2 walking / hiking — see § 4.2 | — | $0 |
| Sleep discipline — see § 4.4 | — | $0 |
| Approximate year-one out-of-pocket | — | ~$700–$900 |
Discussion
I include this tier explicitly because most of the longevity writing out there refuses to answer the question "what's the absolute floor?" and readers end up paralyzed between "do nothing" and "do the $10,000 version." Neither of those is the right answer for most people.
What you give up at this tier: no integrated genetic read, which means the personalized supplement layer is mostly off the table. No IgE/IgA inflammation read, which means the over-40 silent-inflammation lever is not captured. You keep the biggest levers — strength, zone 2, sleep, the universal supplement stack, and one round of focused bloodwork per year.
If you run this tier cleanly for 12 months, re-test your bloodwork, and see meaningful movement, the question "should I upgrade to § 5.2 Smart?" has an obvious answer. If you don't do this tier cleanly, paying for a more expensive tier will not save you.
See Also
- § 5.2 · The Smart Protocol — what to add if this tier holds for 12 months
- § 5.4 · Start This Week — how to begin inside seven days