Do you Want to be Healthier, Fitter and Stronger? - Biohacking

Do you want to be healthier, fitter and stronger? Everyone does these days, its obsessive, with all of the diets available and health kicks. It seems everyone is getting up at 5 am to go jogging with their smart watches to check heart rates and calories consumed. So it's no surprise that Biohacking has become more popular, especially with Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are at the leading edge of course they are involved.

Strangely Biohacking has been around for years actually - but it has gained much recognition over the few years because we all want a quick fix that works to enhance our physical and mental health.

So you can imagine for Entrepreneurs this system is a dream come true, most entrepreneurs or business owners are self-motivated and have a constant desire to improve themselves. With Biohacks they can double their output and improve their efficiency, and still find the time and energy to play games with their children.

What is Biohacking?

You might be thinking, hacking? Like computer hacking, hackers who steal money and ruin businesses, this doesn’t sound like a good thing.  Well, think more life hacks, the hacks that show us how to peel a potato in an unthinkable effortless way – saving us lots of time.   Biohacking is like that but using art and science to hack into your biology to achieve ultimate results with minimal effort! That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy you still have to put your mind to it and be consistent with it. But there are some simple and smart hacks.

Biohacking used to be more about using gadgets to hack the bodies systems but the popular form is much simpler and natural.

What are the different types of Biohacking?

The most popular types are

Nutrigenomics

This one is all about the food you put in your body and how it interacts with your genes. Nutrigenomics is the study of how the different nutrients affect us.

We have been learning for some time that we need to put healthier foods into our body, we know that fast foods and fatty foods are not good for us, don't we? By making small changes about what we eat can make us feel more energized, and be more productive.

DIY biology (do it yourself)

These scientists are studying biology and life science usually has labs and equipment to do testing.

You can even do DIY biology at home without any equipment like extracting your own DNA using your saliva and a toothpick!

Grinder

This type of Biohack is the one that uses gadgets, implants injections to improve the body. It’s like the hardware they create or use to upgrade their body to 2.01 using body modification.

It might sound crazy and far-fetched and it’s true, some people do want to turn themselves in to Borgs or the next superhuman.

Some of this stuff is happening already - You have probably heard businesses chipping their employees so they can access their buildings, or the people who have inserted microchips inside their bodies so they can be used as contactless credit cards or rail cards.

 I'm not going to suggest you do any of the more extreme types of technical biohacks, or the modifications you can make to your body but just to let you know 9 Ways to Biohack your body the simpler way

What you put in...

Intermittent fasting

This hack is becoming increasingly popular of the last few years. People are using it as a way of biohacking the body to lose weight, prevent disease and to live longer.

Intermittent fasting is controlling when you are eating and when you are not.

The most popular way involves 16 or 24 hour fasts, two times a week.

The 16 hour method - 16/8 means that you only eat between certain times of the day

Some people advise- 1-9pm

Others suggest earlier 10-6pm 

While some experts recommend just doing this twice a week for some weeks, others propose a month long fasting.

This 16/8 is a very popular method because it’s the easiest to stick to and you are really only missing out on breakfast and maybe some snacks!

The 24 hour method – is just that – you do not eat for 24 hours.

If you want to be a little easier on yourself, just eat dinner early and have breakfast late.

During the fasting times you can drink water, coffee and other non-caloric drinks and when you do eat, make sure you have something really healthy.

Fasting like this has been proven - when you fast human growth hormone levels go up and insulin levels go down. Your body’s cells also change the expression of genes and initiate important cellular repair processes.

Resource - https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#effects

The elimination diet

If you are not keen on the fasting – and you have some allergies or other problems with digestion you should try the elimination diet.

It’s just that eliminating various foods from your diet for a period of time, usually two weeks. Don’t remove more than one or two foods from your diet so that you can keep track of it.

Then after the two weeks when you bring the food back check for any allergic symptoms that start to appear.

These might be

• Tingling or itching in the mouth.
• Hives, itching or eczema.
• Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat or other parts of the body.
• Wheezing, nasal congestion or trouble breathing.
• Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting.
• Dizziness, light-headedness or fainting.

Plant-Based Diet

Biohacking nutrition 

Think about what you eat; and how much of what you put in your body is processed food, high in carbs, sugar and fat.

A whole food, a plant-based diet is a super Biohack for great health!

Not only will you feel fitter, younger, but you'll also have a lower risk of obesity and many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammation and cancer.

Replace the meat, eggs, dairy, fats and processed foods in your diet with organic, nutrient dense foods - fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. 

Eating these types of food will 

• Boost the immune system
• Fight obesity
• Improve good bacteria in the gut
• Improve mental focus
• Increase Energy

Check this beginner's guide to starting a plant-based diet. 

And you'll also be saving the planet! 

Biohacking your Sleep

We all need about 7-9 hours’ sleep per night – and if you aren’t getting that this can affect your weight loss, your mood and your health.

Getting enough sleep is about one of the best things we can do for our health and optimal performance.

Getting a good night sleep has a number of benefits:

• Improves brain function
• Helps you live longer
• Balances your hormones
• Is good for your heart.
• Helps you lose weight

There are lots of disagreements about the best times to sleep but its seems bedtime needs to be between 8pm and 12am

Biohacking your sleep might sound easy to those who find sleep easy but for some of us, it’s hard to get to sleep or to stay asleep and then there is that time we wake up – when it’s too early to get up but too late to go back to sleep. It just needs practice, commitment and some …

Hacks

1. Don’t drink too much of anything before bedtime
2. Limit or avoid alcohol
3. Don’t take your phone to bed
4. Avoid Blue lights from Devices before bed
5. Get some exercise during the day
6. Use a journal to write down your problems if they are stopping you sleep.
7. Track a snack before bed (if you aren’t fasting!)
8. Sleep on your side - new research shows that toxins are flushed from the brain through lymphatic vessels in the brain, called glymphatics more so when you sleep on your side.

Practising mindful breathing

Hack your nervous system by controlled breathing.

When we breathe normally we absorb oxygen and expel carbon dioxide with the movement of the lungs, we do this magic trick without even thinking about it. Which is very useful of course. However, did you know that sometimes we do it wrong. It's a fact we can breathe incorrectly.

When we are stressed or under pressure, we do not breathe properly and this can mean shallow over breathing which can make things worse.

When we are mindful about our breathing we relax, we breathe in slowly through the nose and out though the mouth and we are calm.

Controlled breathing techniques differ a bit from expert to expert but they usually include

• Inhaling deeply through the nose for a count of five or so.
• Holding the breath for a moment.
• Exhaling completely through the mouth for a count longer than the inhalation.

There is also a breathing hack for falling asleep.

The 4-7-8 method

Arthur Partridge RIP taught me this, and it works

Exhale completely through your mouth

• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth to a count of eight.
• Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths

Controlled breathing has many benefits apart from managing stress and anxiety

Such as

• Lowering Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
• Encouraging Brain Growth
• Helps with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• Improves core muscle stability

Get some sunlight each day

It’s a fact that none of us get enough sunlight during winter months especially and if we live in the UK! And without sunlight our serotonin levels can dip causing depression.

Our bodies’ produce vitamin D when we are exposed to the sun, which has some very important functions for the body.  Even though some of us take vitamin D supplements otherwise called the Sunshine vitamin its still important to make sure we get outside into the sunlight, and also get some fresh air

Sunlight is good for

• Strong bones
• Cancer prevention
• Better skin
• A good night sleep
• Mood
• Lowers blood pressure
• Strengthens teeth
• Supports the immune system
• Lowers cholesterol
• Increase oxygen content in our blood

Of course, we are not saying that you need to go out and sunbathe in the hot sun, there is still the need to be protected from the harmful hot rays of the sun.

Exposure to the sun should be done slowly and carefully.

Healthline say that we should aim to get 10-30 mins of natural midday sunlight several times a week.

Midday is the best time to get vitamin D, as the sun is at its highest point and your body may manufacture it most efficiently around that time of day. This means you may need less time in the sunlight at midday.

Show Gratitude and Forgiveness

Gratitude

Because of the way your brain works, the pursuit of gratitude and compassion will make you happier than the pursuit of happiness itself.” – Dr Amit Sood, from the Mayo Clinic

We should all be showing gratitude and forgiveness throughout our lives, not only does it make people around us feel amazing it has a huge effect on how we feel too.

People who practice gratitude also

• Sleep well
• Are more compassionate and kind
• Have strong immune systems

When we are grateful, we positively change our perspective about the way we live our lives. It can literally rewire your brain and make you feel more positive.

Gratitude should be a daily practice you could choose one of these things or more to do.

• First thing in the morning take five mins to feel grateful and positive about your day ahead
• Throughout the day, be present and feel gratitude for everything you do and see, say thank you and mean it, try to feel that gratitude in your heart.
• Write a letter or email of gratitude to someone important to you.
• AT the end of the day list in a journal the things you are grateful for

Journaling is also used for managing stress or helping you to meet your goals, writing things down can really help you clear your head. It can help you see things clearer and can even combat mental health

Forgiveness

Being able to forgive is also very powerful force –people who can learn to forgive often say that they have less physical problems such as backache, muscle tension, dizziness, headaches, stomach problems and less. They have a general feeling of wellbeing because you are now allowing yourself to heal.

And yet we do find it hard to allow ourselves to forgive because we feel that we are pardoning or excusing the other person, or that we actually have to go and say we forgive them or that we are sorry and we don't want to do that. (Although sometimes that might help.) Forgiveness also doesn’t mean that you have to forget it ever happened and have a person back in your life - no forgiveness means setting yourself free, releasing yourself from a pain or a problem you have been holding on to.

By forgiving you are just accepting what happened and finding a way to live with it. It's not about the other person its about healing yourself, and we still find it hard.

How to let go

• First, make a conscious decision to forgive
• Accept you feel pain and the responsibility
• Don’t feel the victim anymore and blame others
• Focus on the present and not the past
• Forgive them
• Forgive yourself

Taking supplements and smart drugs

Some people do not like supplements because they think we should be able to get all the nutrients we need from our diet and that taking supplements isn’t natural. But with our fast paced lives we soon find out from our doctor that we are deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral. You can check you care getting enough vitamins with your doctor, its a simple blood test.

When you take supplements however, it doesn’t mean that you can skimp on the fruit and vegetables or make this an excuse to have a poor diet - no, it should be complimenting your diet.

Smart drugs

I just wanted to touch on smart drugs as I've heard of some simpler ones

Smart drugs sound a bit scary, what are these you wonder. These drugs are neuroprotective so they don’t damage your brain in anyway – or that’s the claim.

Its said that Smart drugs or Nootropics improve your brain’s performance, increase your memory, help you concentrate and even increase your intelligence.

Some say however that it could be just the placebo effect; you know where you think something is working so you believe it is. The brain is a powerful tool!

Ryans Stack 

Interestingly though someone who is a professional biohacker Ryan Goodwin, shared with us his “stack” that he takes to have the brain energy and cognitive function that he says he needs to “kick ass”

• Protandim Nrf2 Synergizer
• PhysIQ? Probio
• Magnesium L-Threonate
• Bulletproof Coffee with Collagen Peptides
• Omega+
• Protandim NRF1 Synergizer

Can’t you tell he’s a professional! It all sounds a bit much to me – so check them out before you start taking them.

He even takes more than that – he says that these aren’t for everyone and that you need to experiment with yourself to build awareness of what is working and not working for you.

Many articles do recommend the Bulletproof Coffee saying that they put a spoonful of MCT oil in their coffee. And yes he does sound crazy but apparently its delicious and will even fit in with your intermittent fasting plan. See how to make Bulletproof Coffee

I’m not sure we know enough about Smart Drugs yet, they really do sound like the wonder drugs, that could be the answer to everything but maybe for the beginner biohacker it might be best to stick with the simple hacks at first. As we have listed here. Good sleep, good food, and exercise!

There are natural ways you can boost your brain power too, like memory games or meditation. Plus dark chocolate and black tea can help.

Drink more water

Its not the first time you have heard this but – drinking more water makes you think better, focus better and be more alert

Many people say that you should drink 8,9 10 glasses of water per day but The Medical news today – say that there is actually no universally agreed quantity of water that must be consumed daily.

Most of our bodily functions need water to work properly - the digestive system, the kidney, the brain, spinal cord and even the airways need it.

Some of our water comes from foods we eat with high water content such as...

• Strawberries
• Watermelon
• Garlic
• Cantaloupe
• Pineapple
• Oranges
• Raspberries
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Celery
• Green Peppers
• Spinach
• Cucumbers

How to drink more water

We loved these hacks from Self.com showing how to drink more water every day

1. Add flavour to your pitcher.
2. Drink a glass after every bathroom break.
3. Sip before every meal.
4. Use an app to track your cups.
5. Or take it a step further and get a high-tech water bottle.
6. Dilute sugary drinks with water and ice.
7. Keep a gallon jug nearby.
8. Invest in a filter.
9. Choose sparkling or mineral water over soda.
10. Eat water-rich foods.
11. Stick to a one-to-one rule when drinking alcohol.
12. Use a marked water bottle.
13. Anytime you drain your glass or bottle, fill it back up.
14. Snack on salty stuff.
15. Get into herbal tea.
16. Keep water bottles filled up around the house and in your car and all your bags.
17. Set a deadline for every eight ounces.
18. Make a rule that every time you work out, you'll bring a water bottle and finish the whole thing.
19. Get some cool reusable straws.
20. Drink a glass of water every time you're waiting for coffee to brew.
21. Make transitions in your day opportunities to chug water.
22. Reward yourself for hitting your goals.

As you can see drinking more water is much more than just going to the tap and filling up your glass 10 times a day – try It and see how much better you feel.

Exercise

You didn’t think you were going to get away without out doing exercise did you?

The benefits of regular exercise are

• You’ll feel happier
• Weight loss
• Boost energy levels
• Skin will glow
• Boost brain and memory
• And help sleep

When we exercise our body releases chemicals called endorphins, which reduce our perception of pain and improve our mood.

You’ll notice that just 10 mins a few days a week will make a big difference to how you feel.

If you want a biohack to kick you into renewed focus just get yourself a 40 min intense workout session and you will be ready to go again.

However the best biohack for exercise is the HIIT plan, this is two to three days a week of solid HIIT, with 24 hours of rest in between sessions.

Its all about elevating your heart rate to burn some fat and how to know when to rest.

There are so many Workouts online - search HIIT on YouTube for beginners to get started.

Like this one from Joe Wicks HIIT Home Workout for beginners

I'm exhausted just watching it however and he reminds me to tell you to not to forget to breathe!

Are you already doing some of these Biohacks?