A blog to help you optimize your full-body and life performance

The 4^th of July ranks pretty high on our list of fun holidays here at InsideTracker; friends, fireworks, and most importantly, food! Since our aim is to help you eat for your biomarkers and achieve your goals, we figured, what better way to celebrate one of our favorite holidays than by sharing 4 healthy additions to take your 4^th cookout to the next level? Trust us when we say that your friends and family will thank you for these recipes… and for improving their biomarkers!

How much coffee do you think you drink in a week? How about in a day? If the thought of calculating your weekly coffee bill inspires feelings of fear and anxiety, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many Americans struggle to keep their energy levels up throughout the day, and convince themselves they need caffeine to fight the dreaded “two o’clock slump."

If you're looking to kick caffeine to the curb (or just looking to keep it to one cup a day), here are some fantastic foods that help fight fatigue.

It seems like everyone is talking about what they can and can’t eat these days: supermarket aisles are lined with products claiming to be gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and everything in between. Suffice to say, food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerance are a hot topic in nutrition and health right now. There have been new diet trends and entire patterns of eating designed around the idea that people may be “sensitive” to certain foods, and that this sensitivity can cause negative reactions like inflammation and fatigue. From dietitians and physicians to news anchors and journalists, there are a lot of people talking about the subject; but is there solid science to back it up?

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday everyone was lying on the couch, hands on bellies, wondering why they ate so much. We have a sneaking suspicion it may happen again, in a week's time.

There's something about Thanksgiving that makes even the most health-conscious among us let go for the day. We eat more calories in one meal than we would otherwise eat in a whole 24-hours. So, since we're all going to eat, we figured we may as well all eat better... 

That's why our Registered Dietitians here at InsideTracker teamed up to create some recipes that will leave you feeling full and deliciously satisfied without that regretful, "I can't breathe, I'm so full," feeling. 

In honor of a holiday in which we're grateful for a whole lot – including health – here's a full Thanksgiving feast for you and your family: From a tasty little appetizer to the main event. 

With fall marathon season in full swing, I've been getting a lot of questions lately as folks begin planning for their race weekends. This year, I've set my sight on a new PR of 3:07 at the Philadelphia Marathon in a few weeks.

Being that I've asked these same questions myself, I decided to share 10 big tips I've picked up on my own journey to help you reach new records.

Whether or not you’ve optimized all of your endurance-related biomarkers (hello ferritin!), and whether or not you've tested with InsideTracker during a peak week or in the taper to measure the efficacy and volume of your training and nutrition, the following last-minute tips can make all the difference come race day!

Did you know October 29^th is National Oatmeal Day? Well, with these recipes in hand, you’ll be well-prepared to celebrate in style with 5 distinctly delicious varieties.

It’s no secret that we love oatmeal at InsideTracker. It really is the ultimate “superfood” when it comes to your metabolism. Packed with soluble fiber, the impact on glucose and cholesterol can’t be beat!

The professional tennis season is 11 months long, and physical demand forces players to push their body to the limit for an entire year. Consequently, headlines announcing players pulling out of tournaments often cite fatigue as the culprit. Some players have opted to withdraw from tournaments leading up to the Rio Olympic games on August 6th in order to give their bodies some much needed rest. However, those participating in the Olympics may then experience fatigue leading into the U.S. Open, which follows just a few weeks after.

Pro tennis players' fatigue, for the most part, results from the season’s demands of training, matches, and traveling – with minimal recovery time. But, you don't have to be a pro to feel the effects of fatigue in sport; some InsideTracker users lament feeling a "lack of energy" during their own tennis matches.

It’s Olympic season, so that means it’s time for a few sports to grab a bit more of the spotlight than usual. In particular, swimming seems to be the defining example. As a sport, swimming comes to the forefront every four years, peaks in popularity, and slowly treads its way back into the deep. But if you're a swimmer like me, whether you were an age-group swimmer, club swimmer, college swimmer or even a Masters swimmer, a certain sense of pride and awe comes over you as you watch the world's best swimmers go stroke-for-stroke in the Olympics. Though, perhaps more people should ride this wave and jump in. Swimming might just be the sport you've been looking for.

Blood glucose, more commonly known as blood sugar, is the primary source of energy for your body. It is the first thing your body turns to during activity, and provides quick energy that you can burn through before switching to burning body fat. Clearly, it’s important to have an adequate level of glucose to perform activities, but having enough glucose is not usually the issue for people. Rather, most of us have too much glucose, which can lead to weight gain, elevated triglyceride levels, and high blood pressure. Surprisingly, only 23% of InsideTracker users have an optimized glucose level, which proves that even the most health-conscious among us can have elevated blood glucose. Regular testing of blood glucose is the best way to monitor your levels, ensuring that you stay consistently in the optimal range.

Every once in a while, someone on the team here at InsideTracker decides to take on an interesting challenge. From nutrition, to exercise, or a lack of both, these challenges have really run the gamut. So, when our Data Science Intern, Kenny Westerman, who is a Ph.D. student and holds his Masters in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition from Tufts' Friedman School of Science and Policy, decided he wanted to take on a challenge of his own, who were we to stop him? After all, it's all in the name of science!

Here's Kenny's story...

“You haven’t eaten anything? In three days?” This was the response I got from my astonished (and skeptical) coworkers at InsideTracker upon hearing about my current dietary experiment. As a nutrition-centric company, all of us are major foodies, and it is certainly hard to imagine resisting eating for even one entire day. So why did I choose to undergo what ultimately became a four-day fast?