• Tony Horton, best known for the hit P90X workout, said he's thriving at 66 after tweaking his routine.
• Horton was diagnosed with a rare illness in 2017, and since then has followed a flexible plant-based diet.
• His current workout routine includes more yoga but also new challenges like obstacle courses.

Two decades after designing one of the best-selling home workout programs in history, personal trainer Tony Horton said he's in the best shape of his life.

When Horton's creation, P90X, hit the fitness industry in 2005, it became a smash hit. The program sold more than 3.5 million copies thanks to its high-intensity blend of circuit-style training, explosive movements, and plenty of core work.

By that point, Horton had a star-studded clientele, including celebs like Tom Petty, Billy Idol, Rob Lowe, and Usher.

Everything shifted in 2017, when he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare neurological disorder related to the shingles virus that can cause facial paralysis, ringing in the ears, and potential hearing loss.

Horton said the health scare prompted him to overhaul his routine, focusing less on hardcore workouts and more on recovery and stress reduction.

"I needed to add mindfulness components to my regular routine," he told Business Insider. "I looked more to resting, listening to music, taking a nap without feeling guilty about it, focusing on my family."

The upshot: doing less paid off, and Horton said he's now in better shape than ever when it comes to taking on adventures, including new physical challenges.

On a recent trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Horton said he skied for six days in a row.

"I couldn't do that in my 20s and 30s," he said.

Horton's latest venture is Ninja Warrior and obstacle course training, navigating ropes, high bars, even the notorious "salmon ladder" at his tricked out home gym in southern California (which you can visit as part of the Paragon Experience event in May).

To stay strong and healthy into his 60s and beyond, Horton relies on habits like a flexible plant-based diet, lots of mobility exercise, and finding new challenges to keep things interesting.

"To maintain and sustain my athleticism, it's not just pounding the weights and running hills," he said. "Now it's really about quality of life and longevity and avoiding injury as much as possible."

He follows a flexible, mostly plant-based diet for longevity

Around the time of his diagnosis, Horton experimented with eating a vegan diet, and found he had more energy and better recovery after exercise.

While he's not strictly vegan now, he said whole, plant-based foods make up a majority of his diet.

Staples like beans, nuts, and seeds are a big part of his regular meals and snacks to make sure he's getting nutrients like protein and fiber for healthy aging.

"People don't realize there's a whole lot of proteins in plants," he said.

A typical day of eating for Horton includes seed bread with almond butter for breakfast, a protein smoothie with berries, banana, and cashew milk after a workout, and meals like lentil tacos for lunch and dinner.

Taking a more flexible diet approach and allowing for exceptions to the plant-based plan — like elk steaks on his ski trips, or desserts when his sweet tooth hits — keeps him from feeling deprived, so he can stay healthier overall in the long-term.

"Stick to your plan 80% to 90% of the time and every once in a while, eat that big beautiful chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven," Horton said.

Mobility training and balance training

As he's gotten older, while Horton doesn't work out any less, he's shifted his focus on training for longevity rather than trying to pack on as much muscle as possible.

He's still kept the muscle (Horton is no stranger to lifting heavy when it feels right) but his typical sessions include a lot more yoga and "animal flow," bodyweight exercise that emphasizes agility and graceful movement.

"Balance, range of motion, flexibility, and speed work are as essential as lifting weights and everything else," Horton said.

He also stays active by practicing with a slackline, a creative way of building balance and stability.

The key is consistency, finding time every day for exercise as a regular, habitual investment in your long-term health, just like staying on top of your finances.

"It doesn't have to be a lot. You can go for an 8-minute walk," Horton said. "But it has to be consistent. You don't pay your bills every fourth month."

New challenges keep him energized

Horton said one of his main strategies for staying youthful is finding creative ways to push himself, like Ninja Warrior-style obstacle courses.

It started when Horton was humbled by a rope climb, which he expected to be easier since he was strong enough to rep out dozens of push-ups and pull-ups. Rather than accept defeat, he decided to embrace the growth mindset, and obstacle training became a new way to stay motivated and get out of his comfort zone.

"The reason why I fell in love with it was because it was another level of challenge," Horton said. "Who cares if I fall or if I fail? Turn your ego off."

• Salim Elhila is a cofounder and CEO based in Dubai.
• He and his cofounder try to optimize every minute of their day.
• They work with more than 10 professionals to help them be their best.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Salim Elhila, cofounder of Decentralized Masters. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I run a multimillion-dollar crypto business with my co-founder and best friend, Tan Gera. Last year, we generated more than $30 million in revenue worldwide. To run a company of that magnitude efficiently, Tan and I try to optimize every minute of our day.

To do that, we hire many professionals to help with both our personal and professional lives, most of whom work with both of us. On the business side, we've hired the kind of people you might expect, like personal assistants and mentors. We also have cleaners and a chef, plus a wide-ranging team that helps us look after our personal health on a spiritual, physical, and emotional level.

This is expensive. I spend $10,000 to $20,000 a month on these professionals. But doing so also allows me to generate more income through my company. The expense is worth it not only financially but also for my physical and mental health and well-being.

The Japanese concept of ikigai guided me to follow my passion

A few years ago, I learned about the Japanese concept of ikigai. The term refers to a passion that brings value and joy to a person's life. Essentially, it gives you something to live for. Following the concept of ikigai means spending the most amount of time on the tasks you love, that you're best at, that you can be paid well for, and that the world needs.

I use this idea to guide my day. I try to spend most of my time working toward my ikigai — for me, my passion is our business and also producing music. To spend more time in my ikigai, I outsource other tasks.

I'm also guided by how we gain knowledge. We can learn from our own mistakes, but that's sometimes painful and leaves you with a scar. Or, you can learn from the experience of others. That's often quicker and won't leave you hurt. That's why I hire professionals who know more than me about their areas of expertise.

We outsource home tasks and bring experts into the business

Many of the professionals Tan and I hire to optimize our lives allow us to spend more time doing what we truly love. We hire people to clean, grocery shop, and cook for us. I can cook, but it's not something I enjoy. My personal chef was one of my first hires. He prepares all my meals and snacks.

I also have a personal assistant who handles my schedules and all my personal and business obligations. On the business front, we've hired experts, mentors, and analysts with whom we meet each Friday. Tan and I are leading experts in our field, but having perspectives from other people is important.

We have a whole team looking after our health

We also invest a lot in our health. For 10 years, I worked out on my own. My ego told me I knew everything I needed. Then, three years ago, I hired a fitness coach. I made more progress in those three years than I had in the previous decade. I realized I don't know what I don't know. Now, Tan and I each work out separately with our personal trainer 5-6 days a week.

In addition to a fitness coach, I have a stretching coach who comes to my apartment two times a week in the morning. Waking up with a guided stretching routine is one of the moments I feel most grateful for the life I've created.

My most recent hire is a breath work coach. He's a somatic healer, and he's been life-changing. He uses a combination of massage and breath work to help process trauma and let go of stress and ego. I see him once a week.

We also have a physiotherapist, massage therapist, chiropractor, and osteopath on call. I have a boxing coach who I see occasionally, though not too much at the moment.

My system is unusual, but I love it

I think about not only optimizing my time, but also my energy. I start my day with the tasks that are most important. Most mornings that means stretching on the beach near my home, then doing 4-5 hours of deep focus work with Tan in my apartment. We both wear noise-canceling headphones playing binaural beats to help us focus.

The chef brings us lunch, and then Tan and I each have a workout session. In the afternoon, we have meetings and try to finish work by 7 or 8 p.m. Then we have downtime, dinner, and hit the spa or sauna.

Tan and I know we're not living a typical life. It's very structured and optimized, not to mention costly. But we love this system, and it allows us to be at our best to operate a global company. We want to make sure every moment is used the right way, and spending on that is a good investment.