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

A common misconception about holiday meals is that we should starve ourselves before and after them. This isn’t true! In fact, we should try to stick to our usual routines as much as possible leading up to a big holiday feast and jump right back into them after it. Under eating before or after the meal can do more harm than the large meal itself.

We often associate a lower BMI with ideal weight and good overall health. In many instances, this is true. However, overall health does not continue to improve as BMI continues to decrease. Instead, BMI is associated with overall health in a U-shaped curve, where BMIs that are either too high or too loware associated with decreased longevity.

If you’ve been looking to lose weight, you’ve probably heard of the ketogenic, or "keto" diet. Supporters swear by the plan’s ability to promote weight loss without calorie restriction, while skeptics cite the strategy’s restrictive nature.

Want our two cents? Sure thing. Here, we provide a brief background on the keto diet, how it changes your body’s wiring, and whether we think you should give it a shot.

As we wrap up National Heart Health Month (and our blog series dedicated to it), we're addressing a topic that affects millions of Americans, in fact, 1-in-3 of them.¹

High blood pressure can lead to extremely serious consequences like heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and death.² Yet, this health malady affects 1-in-3 Americans, with 1-in-5 over the age of 40 taking a daily statin to help lower their blood pressure (or cholesterol). Thus, statins are the most widely prescribed drug in the world.

So, what can you do to avoid joining, or perhaps, wave goodbye to the millions of Americans who make up these scary statistics?³ Well, there's no simple solution, but here are a few ways to maintain a healthy blood pressure – naturally.

Meet Julia de Peyster. At age 51 and more than 40-pounds overweight, she decided to take control of her health. The first steps of her personal health journey? Starting CrossFit and testing with InsideTracker. Now, not only has she lost 30+ pounds, she’s inspired her whole family to make positive changes.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Julia over an intense CrossFit workout. We then sat down for a cup of coffee to discuss how she’s been able to successfully take control of her health…

How old are you?

Yes, that title is accurate. 

No, it’s not part of a cheap marketing gimmick or get-young-and-skinny scheme. I won’t be asking you to fork over cash for a bottle of dubious pills or useless bags of tea.

But it did make you stop and look, right? 

In part one of a four-part blog series, I will present the basics on Intermittent Fasting (IF), what its merits are, and provide a summary of three practical IF methods. In parts two, three and four, I will detail the pros and cons of each method and document our top hacks for IF in the real world, and show how InsideTracker can be a valuable tool in monitoring your progress.

Have you hit a weight loss plateau? Many people find that even intense workouts don't help them shed the extra pounds. Instead, the problem may be solved by gaining a deeper understanding of what’s going on inside of the body. The good news is that certain blood biomarkers are relevant for weight loss, so knowing your biomarker status can be a powerful step toward beating the battle of the bulge! 

Are you ready to lose some weight? Here are a few important biomarkers that you may want to watch.

Do you love chocolate? If so, you may be excited by recent news about your favorite treat. Several studies have suggested that chocolate is good for recovery from exercise, heart health, even losing weight. Before you grab the nearest Hershey bar, though, it’s important to learn more about chocolate.