Biohacking is For Everyone

There’s a common misconception that you have to become “successful” in some area before you can justify investing in yourself and your own happiness.

I’ve always found this to be maddeningly counter intuitive. Amassing wealth while destroying your physical and mental health is not my definition of successful. In fact, it will slow your growth in the long run.

Humans are controlled by the body 70-80% of the time. From the gut brain, to survival mechanisms, our body heavily shapes our experience. Without learning how to tweak these biological levers, we become slaves to the whims of our physical and mental state at any given moment.

What if there was a way to take control of our own biology, end needless suffering, and break self imposed limits? 

How I Became a Biohacker

For most of my life, I struggled massively with a chronic skin condition called eczema. I had it on different parts of my body, but it always seemed to be on my feet. I remember times in middle school when I could barely make it through basketball games because of the open, pus dripping sores.

I visited a number of conventional doctors and dermatologists over the years, but essentially I was told there was no cure. “Its genetic,” they said. All I could do was apply steroid creams, which only suppressed the symptoms temporarily.

When I was 21, I started hearing a little bit about the gut microbiome. Being fed up with itchy, painful skin breakouts, I decided to see if I could heal on my own. I started by cutting down sugar, then cutting out gluten and dairy.

Two years later, my eczema is 95% gone and I’m in the best physical and mental shape of my life. Once I saw my body respond to a simple change in diet, I began to question the validity of all the limits I had come to believe were just a part of life.

I’ve regrown cartilage in my bad left knee, drastically decreased symptoms of anxiety, improved my energy levels, increased my focus and creativity, stayed in shape while binge eating across Europe, and much more.

Along this journey, I started to identify as a biohacker, which brings us to an important question: what exactly does biohacking mean?

What is Biohacking?

There’s a lot of confusion around biohacking. The images people usually associate with the term are literal “hackers.” Biological anarchists operating on the fringe of science and biotech, doing crazy stuff like implanting magnets in their fingers.

This is not the type of Biohacking I care about, nor is it what I mean when I call myself a Biohacker. I believe biohacking is a system of self improvement that everyone should understand and have access to. This is how I define it:

Biohacking is the conscious manipulation of the biological levers that control our human experience.

Becoming a Biohacker simply means you want to change inputs to your body in order to access more of your potential. This could be as simple as taking one supplement or eating within a 12 hour window each day.

• Are you chronically stressed out? Try taking an adaptogenic herb!
• Want to lose weight and gain some muscle at the same time? Try intermittant fasting!

The key here is the conscious decision to optimize your own experience. There are a million ways to do this, some more intense or expensive than others. For most people, however, biohacking can and should be extremely simple, cheap and practical.

Systems Over Willpower

Conventional wisdom says that willpower and determination are the drivers of success. This is pretty far from the truth. Successful people have systems of thought and behavior that allow them to be sucessful. Willpower is important for grit and resiliance, but it’s really more of a backup fuel.

Systems beat discipline every time, and biohackers know this. Instead of blindly throwing willpower and effort at a problem, biohackers seek to control their own internal software, pulling the strings that create the most improvement with the least effort.

As I’ve progressed from fixing my pressing health issues, to using biohacking as a tool for achieving potential, I’ve found some recurring patterns. I’ve compiled them here into a system that will hopefully give you a clearer picture of what it means to be a biohacker.

The Four Pillars of Biohacking

1) Assume No Limits

Biohackers do not accept traditional limits on what they can do and who they can become. Most human limitations are self imposed and socially reinforced.

Before the 4 minute mile was broken in 1956 by Roger Bannister, the feat was deemed impossible. After it was broken, runners around the world started to hit sub 4 minute miles, one after the other

Before I knew that I could actually heal my eczema, I believed it was a genetic problem that couldn’t be solved. This is what doctors told me. When I started refusing to accept untested limits, my entire paradigm of possibility shifted. This mindset, more than anything else, is what brought me to biohacking.

2) Leverage

Without the desire to improve, and the tools to do so, it’s nearly impossible to change human behavior. Biohacking can provide the tools, but you have to give yourself a compelling reason to break your state permanently. Otherwise, your state change will never be a trait change.

Diets don’t work because they imply that eating differently is painful. Why would you want to change your lifestyle if it means permanent suffering? To create any lasting change, you have to convince yourself that the change will move you towards pleasure and away from pain.

Try this simple exercise to gain some leverage on yourself. Pick one physical goal you want to achieve. Write down all the pain you will feel if you don’t achieve it, and all the pleasure you will feel when you do. Remember, you have to convince your nervous system that change is a good thing.

3) Quantification

“What gets measured, gets managed” – Peter Drucker

Without quantifying what you are trying to change, and how you are trying to change it, long term improvement is difficult. Quantification will point you in the right direction, and prevent you from wasting money and time.

Advanced biohackers love to track everything, from blood glucose and ketone levels, to inflammatory bio-markers, to genetic data analysis.

Don’t get intimidated here. Start small, and find easy ways to determine whether any experiments are worthwhile. I would recommend just taking note of what you tried, and how it effected you. That’s it!

4) Holistic Perspective

Biohacking is powerful tool for changing your physical health and biological function. However, biohacking is just one subset of human optimization. It’s one tool in the toolkit, so to speak. Another important tool that comes to mind is meditation. 

I believe that biohacking can change the world by helping people end patterns of suffering. Once you are out of that state of stress, you have freedom to become mentally, emotionally, and spiritually well. Along the way, you can change your mindset, and start making dreams reality.

We’ve Barely Scratched the Surface

The potential of humans is extraordinary. We’ve barely scratched the surface of our potential. For example:  this autistic man can paint an incredibly detailed NYC skyline from memory.

How is this possible? Well, there is obviously more cognitive power in mind than we previously thought. We just don’t know how to access all of it yet. That’s where biohacking can truly have an impact.

Biohackers approach physical and mental limits with a beginners mind, asking themselves “why not.” They are contrarians to the typical pessimism about change. If we can bring that spirit to society en masse, just think how much faster we could help people stop suffering, and start living!

Now it’s Your Turn

I want to stress that biohacking, along with other tools in the human optimization toolkit, can and should be accessible for anyone at any time. To illustrate this point, I wanted to leave you with something actionable.

Ready to try biohacking? Here’s one simple morning biohack that can drastically improve your mood and physical state throughout the day

Morning Water Routine:

Required:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Himalayan Pink Salt
• Water

Optional:

• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne Pepper

When you wake up, immediately pour a large glass of water. Put 1-2 oz of apple cider vinegar (I usually eyeball) and a small amount Himalayan pink salt in the water, then drink up.

This will give you electrolytes and minerals first thing in the morning, jump start your metabolism, and help your body re-hydrate after sleep. If you’re feeling ambitious, add some of the optional ingredients for increased metabolism boost and detox effects.

TRY IT FOR A WEEK, AND LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES!

Finally, don’t forget to leave a comment below and let me know if you resonate with this, are still a little confused, or disliked any of it, AND feel free to shoot me a message if you want to chat or work with me!