#BioHacking for the Working Professional

Biohacking (n.): the activity of exploiting genetic material experimentally without regard to accepted ethical standards, or for criminal purposes

The 'official' definition makes biohacking sound risky, dangerous, and immoral. But is that really the case? Or is it like with anything in life, that to benefit you must be willing to delve a little deeper?

What is biohacking, really?

My description of it is a lot less dramatic.

It's #kaizen - the Japanese concept of continuous self-improvement - combined with small, incremental changes to your environment, diet and lifestyle, sometimes involving a technology that can help make well-informed decisions about those changes.

There are many different subcultures of this trend. Some are as simple are choosing not to eat foods from the nightshade family due to increased inflammation in the body. Others are as futuristic as editing your own genes, installing RFID chips in your body and injecting yourself with chemical compounds to make yourself superhuman.

For the purposes of this article I'll explore biohacking and optimization for working professionals and what you could do to improve your mental clarity, mood, health and boost your bottom line.

This article is a little lengthy, but guaranteed to be filled with goodies that could make you superhuman till the last sentence. Let's jump in, shall we?

Nootropics: Focus, Mood, Productivity

Popularized by the movie Limitless featuring Bradley Cooper, everyone from college students to high level CEO's are searching for a magic pill that will increase their ability to focus, create, problem solve, and improve mental capabilities.

Many drugs and medications on the market claim to do exactly that: remove brain fog, 'cure' your lack of focus, and give you a leg up on your competition, exams, or in the board room. Since nootropics aren't always regulated by the FDA, you won't necessarily know what's in them.

You may not know this, but you are probably already ingesting a nootropic: coffee and green tea. Caffeine is widely available, and when used correctly can provide all the affects above and more. When I inquired further, I learned that many successful, productive people take the time to figure out what caffeine doses and timing of those doses are optimal for their desired outcomes.

Most people don't drink coffee because they enjoy savoring the caramel undertones or the earthy, chocolate-y coffee profile. They drink it because it wakes them up, makes them feel better, and helps them face the day.

But what if tomorrow is the the day? The most important presentation of your life? Or the exam that determines whether you reach your goals or fall by the wayside? Or what if you're just annoyed at the racing heart, jitters and sweaty palms you get when you drink caffeine?

Please welcome, l-theanine: an animo acid extracted from plants, completely legal, with no toxicity, and no dependency side effects. It increases alpha brain waves which results in heightened creativity and focus, lower stress and regulated mood. When combined with caffeine the positive side effects of both are doubled and the negative subside massively.

The result? No jitters, more focus, less stress, more creativity, less anxiety, more mental clarity.

My dosage is 2:1 (200mg of theanine):(100mg of caffeine), 30 minutes before I want to experience the benefits.

For me it doesn't matter whether I take it on an empty stomach or with food, it also doesn't matter whether I take a caffeine-theanine combo pill or pour theanine powder into my coffee. For other people, the effects may vary. Please do your own research, read the labels and experiment with doses of any supplements you ingest to find what works best for you. L-theanine in large doses, minus the caffeine, can actually act as a sleep aid, so everything in moderation, at least to start.

BioHacker Tech: Tracking your progress

Technology is everywhere. Smart home and self-driving cars, unlimited information in our pockets, robot pets, 5G networks... but what about the technology that helps us become the best versions of ourselves?

There is a cornucopia of wearables and smart tech that does just that, but since an article like that would easily take up a post of its own I'll only cover the most popular ones that can really make a difference in your life.

Sleep is critical. It affects everything from your mood, to your health, how you function, and how you perceive the world.

The Oura ring tracks your sleep and offers personalized advice on improving sleep quality. It also tracks resting heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, respiratory, and body temperature variation, and timing, duration, and intensity of physical activity.

Installing f.lux on your personal devices will automatically adjust the color of your screen for optimal lighting conditions that won't mess with your circadian rhythm.

Purchasing a pair of blue-light blocking glasses helps keep your sleep schedule on track even when you're working late or switching time zones.

One of the worst things is waking up in the middle of the night sweating, there's technology that can fix that too. The chiliPAD allows you to adjust the temperature of your mattress for your optimal sleep climate.

What about the fact that majority of people today spend their lives inside? That's having a serious negative side effect on our genes and immunity. The Joovv light is one of the better known products on the market that addresses that problem. There are other, cheaper alternatives (I would argue to say a lot of them have the same results as the Joovv), Google red light therapy or infrared light therapy.

Water is one of, if not the most important resource. But how clean is your drinking water? Study after study show that our tap water is ridden with traces of drugs, hormones, bacteria, and chemicals - all items when ingested over time will cause severe health problems. The AquaTru water filter is one of the better reverse osmosis water purifiers on the market, plus it's a counter top system so no plumbing installation experience required.

Diet: The Cure-all

Do you want to know the secret diet that is going to help address all your personal health issues, but is exactly the same for every person on the planet?

Intermittent fasting.

All this means is you have a certain window of time between which you eat. If you're on an 8-hour eating schedule maybe you only consume food between 12pm and 8pm and you fast between 8pm and 12pm. If you're on a 6-hour eating schedule maybe you eat between 10am and 4pm, and fast between 4pm and 10am. This does not mean calorie restriction, simply controlled timing of those calories.

That's it. It's that easy. This is the only diet I have found that has overwhelming scientific evidence and agreement from all cultures, doctors, and practitioners that delivers consistent results time-after-time.

In a world of abundance, which includes access to food, our digestive systems are stressed out. When you give your body time to digest and rest it can also turn on some of its own incredible healing properties. Some side effects to expect are lower insulin levels and healthy weight management, lower levels of sickness and disease, protection against certain types of cancer, and tissue repair.

In other words, it's been proven that if you give your body time to rest, it can and will heal itself.

As always, if you have any medical issues or concerns please talk to a professional about any lifestyle or supplementation changes you want to implement.

We are working ourselves to death, sometimes literally, and there is so much more to life than work. If we take the time to tap into these biology hacks it would allow us to work smarter, be healthier and still have time and energy left for the people and things we love.

Let me know if you try any of these tips or tools in the comments below!

If you have any questions please let me know, this is a topic I'm very passionate about and see so much potential for in today's society.