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

As we’ve talked about before, birth control can have some drastic effects on blood biomarkers. If you’ve received your blood test results and been concerned about some elevated (or low) sex hormone markers, it’s important to consider how lifestyle factors, like whether you're taking hormonal contraceptives, may play a role. Here's how birth control can affect blood levels of various hormones – and the implications those imbalances have on your health.

It seems like phrases like "stay hydrated" and "drink plenty of water" are some of the lowest-hanging fruit when it comes to health and wellness advice. But what does that really mean? What qualifies as "plenty?" And how can we make sure that we are, in fact, hydrated?

The world of sports performance is becoming increasingly scientific. Wearable technology, sleep tracking, and cutting-edge recovery techniques have made training programs more data-driven than ever. And while it's easy to blindly apply these new resources to the masses, a marker of a great strength and conditioning coach is the ability to personalize and individualize their approach to each of their athletes. Of course, doing so can be challenging – it's hard to know exactly what each athlete needs. But with the help of blood biomarker tracking and personalized recommendations, these answers can be reached more easily than ever.

Female infertility can be confusing, discouraging, and all-around difficult to talk about. But if you're experiencing it, know that you're not alone. The truth is, female infertility is a common problem in the United States – roughly 10% of all women aged 15-44 experience difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant.¹ Some contributing factors, like age and conditions affecting the female reproductive system, are out of anyone's control. But there are steps you can take to improve your fertility status, as certain lifestyle changes can improve critical blood biomarkers.²

Spring is here, and that means race season is in full swing; after months of enduring winter training, it's finally time to put your hard work to the test! Whether you're looking for a better result the next time you toe the line, an edge over the competition, or even a shiny new PR, your biomarkers can make all the difference. Here's how some of the key markers we test can help you have your healthiest and strongest race season yet.

“I don’t want to lift weights, it will make me bulk up!” This is a common mindset in women wary of starting a new training routine. Even a quick Google search will reveal that it's an incredibly popular area of interest on bodybuilding blogs and fitness forums. Women enter the gym to improve a healthy inside and outside, and, sometimes, building a bulky exterior doesn’t align with their goals.

The truth is, merely taking the next step in your gym routine won’t automatically result in bigger muscles. And yet, this misconception can unfortunately impede women from entering the weight room. But in fact, the body of research showing resistance training's diverse benefits (particularly in women) continues to grow. So before you shy away from the weight room, here are some science-supported facts about weight lifting for women.

What’s the difference between cabbage and kimchi? Milk and yogurt? Juice and kombucha? Yes, the answer is fermentation. But it really goes so far beyond that. When live microorganisms are introduced to everyday foods, they can drastically alter their nutritional makeup for the better. But not all fermented foods are created equal, and, in fact, some of the foods you think are packed with probiotics might really just be faking it. Here's how to get good-quality microorganisms in the foods you eat.

Summer is right around the corner meaning warmer days and more training miles logged outdoors in the sunshine. Whether you love or hate training and racing in the heat, grabbing sports drinks to rehydrate and replenish is a must. As more people choose to add endurance racing to their list of hobbies, sports nutrition research has continued to grow. With more options on the market today it can feel overwhelming to figure out which sports drink is right for you and when you should be adding it into your training plan. Here we'll guide you on what to look for in a sports drink and when you'll see the benefits in your training and recovery.

To the well-intentioned consumer, the seemingly back-and-forth nature of egg recommendations can be frustrating. For years the American Heart Association recommended limiting egg intake due to their high cholesterol content, yet in 2015 the Dietary Guidelines ultimately dropped these restrictions saying eggs are part of a healthy diet. Recently, a study published by the New York Times put eggs back on the naughty list. What gives? We are here to put the science to bed once and for all.

Eat more oats, spend less time sitting, drink more water…You may have encountered some of these more common recommendations at InsideTracker, but today we’re spotlighting our most bizarre recommendations including why we recommend using B12 fortified toothpaste!