To keep your car running well and to extend its life, you take it to your mechanic every 5,000 miles or so. With the assistance of computer diagnostics, your mechanic checks the engine, brakes, and other systems. The diagnostics software tells your mechanic which parts need to be fixed or replaced. After maintenance, the car should run pretty well until the next scheduled check-up. But, if you skip the regular oil change, the oil will become thick and dirty, and eventually the engine will seize.
Doesn’t your body deserve the same care, a schedule of regular diagnostics and preventative maintenance? It’s much easier to take care of yourself when the issues are relatively small, rather than waiting until you’ve gained an extra 20 pounds! You need what your car needs: a dashboard and a suite of computer diagnostics.
Fortunately, the InsideTracker program provides you with a unique window into your body, revealing biochemical issues that are affecting your wellbeing and performance. How does InsideTracker see inside your body? With a small blood sample, InsideTracker measures key biomarkers – critical vitamins, minerals and nutrients that affect wellness and athletic performance. Like a mechanic, InsideTracker finds problems, and then, using a proprietary algorithm, the program recommends simple changes in nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, and supplementation to help you keep your body running in peak condition for another 5,000 miles!
Why is InsideTracker better than a blood test?
InsideTracker gives you important information that you won’t get from an annual blood test.
Fitness Oriented Biomarkers
Unlike the blood test ordered by your doctor, InsideTracker measures up to 20 biomarkers, which InsideTracker scientists chose for their affect on your fitness and athletic achievement. Most physicians don’t include these biomarkers in your annual blood test:
Vitamin D is essential for bone health, and has an important role in calcium absorption. This vitamin also promotes overall health and muscle strength. Vitamin B12 plays an important role red blood cell formation, helping to deliver oxygen to the body’s tissues. It’s important for athletes to know their B12 status; some research suggests that athletes with poor or marginal nutritional status for the vitamin may have decreased ability to perform high intensity exercise. Inflammation markers show levels of inflammation throughout the body. High levels may indicate a weakened immune system, decreased bone strength, or injury. Zinc is an essential mineral required for healthy metabolism. The body needs zinc to prevent infection, to promote healthy muscle recovery after exercise, and to increase your capacity to use oxygen during exercise (VO2 max). Testosterone is important for athletic performance; it builds muscle, improves strength, and increases the body’s capacity to use oxygen during exercise.Optimal, Not Just Normal
No matter which markers are in your blood test, most doctors will simply tell you whether or not your results are “normal” – and that is all!
Clinical data demonstrate that while an individual might be in a “normal” range for specific blood-test parameters, optimizing the parameters can significantly improve physical performance and wellbeing, beyond what “normal” levels can achieve. The InsideTracker algorithm integrates into your blood analysis an “optimal zone,” a range specific to each person that takes into account unique demographic information including age, gender, ethnicity, and activity level, as well as lifestyle and performance goals. For example, the generic “normal” range for a woman’s level of ferritin, a blood marker for iron, is between 12 and 150 units. But InsideTracker recommends that an active woman in her 20s should have blood levels of ferritin above 40 units for optimum performance.
What if I’m not in my optimal zone?
If your car needs maintenance, you mechanic tells you exactly what needs to be done. Similarly, to help you improve your wellness and performance, InsideTracker’s sophisticated algorithm called B.R.I.A.N (Biomarker Research Integrative Analysis Network) gives you customized, effective, yet simple interventions involving diet, lifestyle, training modifications, and supplements.
Nutrition – Your doctor may just tell you to “eat better,” but InsideTracker draws on a database of over 7,500 foods to recommend foods on the Nutrition page that will benefit each of your biomarkers. And your Food Basket shows a days’ worth of foods that will help you optimize all your out-of-range markers. Exercise – Small modifications to your training may make a big difference. For example, getting regular, consistent exercise instead of being a weekend warrior can help to reduce your inflammation levels. Lifestyle – Changes in the way you live can affect your athletic performance. For example, a little extra time in the sun will help to increase your vitamin D levels and boost your energy. Supplementation – If it seems that nutrition alone won’t provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need, then InsideTracker gives you specific recommendations for a supplement and how to take it.Here are some other reasons why InsideTracker is superior to your annual physical and blood test:
Many doctors take a standard approach to medical treatment—if you’re not sick, you have no problems! InsideTracker helps you stay well by preventing problems before they start. Annual blood tests are too infrequent to be useful. Testing with InsideTracker every 2-6 months helps you monitor your progress and continue to improve. The InsideTracker “do it yourself” option allows you to enter past blood test data, enabling you to track changes in your markers over time. Your doctor has very little time to explain things to you in one short annual visit. InsideTracker blog posts and links to peer-reviewed research papers are available at your convenience to help you optimize your fitness whenever you have time to read them!By combining the latest scientific research with information about the unique biochemistry of your body, InsideTracker is really a “health tracker” that provides you with the information that you need to become more informed, more fit, and a better athlete!
