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

Did you know that people start abandoning their New Year’s resolutions by January 12? And that more than half of all New Year’s resolutions are health-related?¹ Fad diets and impractical exercise regimens often fail to deliver long-term success. After a little investigating, we found that ‘lose fat’ was among the top Google searches in January. Fortunately, the InsideTracker platform covers this very topic! When you choose “Lose Fat” as your goal, we provide you with personalized nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations based on your blood work. For now, we felt a sense of responsibility to share some top science-based recommendations for achieving sustainable fat loss.

Why is it that some people have an easier time keeping their cholesterol in balance, all else being equal?  How come one person’s inflammation biomarkers are easily managed with relatively seamless lifestyle adjustments, whereas another person needs to exercise regularly, follow a non-inflammatory vegan diet, and also pop turmeric pills three times a day to keep their inflammation biomarkers in check?  

While there may be many possible explanations, one explanation that is now relatively well understood and, in many cases, scientifically validated, is that individuals have unique genetic predispositions – or potential – for various traits. Cholesterol and inflammation markers are just two examples.  

If you’re one of the millions of people who has had their DNA sequenced by 23andMe or Ancestry, then you’re in luck – because we’re here to help you put that genetic information to work! Last year, we were thrilled to announce the launch of our very first DNA-based product. We promised that it was just the beginning of big things to come. This year, we’re even more excited to reveal the next step in that genetic journey: DNA+blood.

Our new product offering is the culmination of many years of effort – the result of countless hours of teamwork, rigorous scientific interrogation and brilliant creativity. And, it’s something that we here at InsideTracker are uniquely positioned to do, combining our expertise in blood biomarker analysis with DNA analysis and the power of personalized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations.

Humans are diurnal animals, meaning we work during the day, and sleep and restore (both physically and mentally) at night. But things like technology, long work days, and even light bulbs have drastically expanded what we consider ‘waking hours’ compared to those of our evolutionary ancestors. For most of history, when the sun went down, our bodies knew it was time for bed. But now, most of us couldn't possibly imagine sacrificing those extra few hours between sunset and bedtime!

So if we're not relying on light as a cue for day and night, what do we use? Well, the overwhelming answer is food! The first bite or sip of anything other than water in the morning kicks your metabolism into gear for the day ahead. But recent research shows that hacking this system by limiting how often we eat can improve multiple different facets of health. Here's how to biohack your body clock.

2018 was the year of innovation! Last year brought along tremendous successes and exciting challenges that led to both growth and establishment among the science community. We listened to our customers, cheered on our athletes, added new products and features, strengthened existing partnerships while welcoming new ones, and proudly published a scientific paper. We’ve compiled some of the top moments and developments that led to a successful and innovative 2018. 

We've all weighed the costs and benefits of working out when sick: "My throat hurts, so I'll stick to weights and avoid heavy breathing." Or, "maybe a good sweat will break this fever." Often times, it just boils down to, "yeah I feel like crap, but I have a plan I have to stick to." So we compromise and try to push through our workouts, even though we’re suffering (more than normal, that is). After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Well, while forcing a workout when you’re under the weather probably won’t kill you, it's also not necessarily making you stronger. Here's why.

Sleep is the most active “inactive” part of your life.  Although your muscles are relaxed and still (sleep walkers excluded!), the rest of your body is working hard to rebuild your foundation for the next day. And doing so correctly requires a certain architecture. Sleep architecture refers to the three primary phases of sleep essential for this process; here's how they come together to build you a strong tomorrow.

It’s that time of the year again; the days are shorter, colder, and while many athletes may welcome the time of rest, others struggle without their regular training routine. Most athletes ‘off-season’ time settles in and while you may miss working toward that athletic goal during this time, let us help you make the most of the off season to set yourself up for an even better year of racing in the new year!

If you have your eyes and ears on the CrossFit® scene at all, you’ve probably heard of the *big* changes that occurred to the competitive season over the past several months. It’s hard to miss the gripes and complaints coming from the internet on the drastic changes (which seemingly came out of nowhere) in the early fall, as they've left many athletes puzzled, confused, scared and maybe even a little angry. As with any change, growing pains are to be expected. But there are some things that athletes can do to smooth over the transition and set themselves up for success for the 2019 Games season.

Did you know the most common risk factors for health, disease, and mortality worldwide actually has nothing to do with lifestyle or genetics? It has to do with chronological age. (So, don't blame the family tree just yet) Chronological aging, the number on your birth certificate, is inevitable. But healthy aging, or biological aging, is within your control. The good news is that there are many ways to modify how your body ages biologically.