Top 3 Strategies to Optimise Your Healthspan and Lifespan
If you’re ready to explore the world of biohacking, this blog post is your guide to what biohacking is, how to get started and what it can mean for your health and longevity.
Blog highlights
Biohacking is about the principles, processes and practices that enable you to get to the C.O.R.E. of how you’re made and how you function (that’s the biology bit) so that you take Control, Ownership, Responsibility and Empowerment over your healthspan and lifespan (that’s the hacking bit)
Biohacking is a personalised journey of experimentation and evaluation, done with expert guidance for health enhancement.
Biohacking may be informed by evidence and research but ultimately the most important evidence is based on you (statistically referred to as N = 1)
Biohacking combines transformative technology and innate intuition with careful testing, tracking and targeting.
I like to use the terms health hacking and biohacking interchangeably.
Using the Health Hacking Code means using data (biodata) and devices (heath tech) to make lifestyle decisions with precision.
My 3 top health hacking tips for exceptional health and longevity are:
Sleep Optimisation
Sugar Swaps
Stress Modulation
Health hacking is the missing tool for living a long, healthy, happy life…. if you know how to use it in the right way.
Have you ever wondered what health is? I mean really wondered? In my TEDx talk I talk about how Health is a verb, not a noun, and how health is something you do not what you have. And that’s where biohacking comes in. Biohacking is your route to health. And it’s not just a buzzword, or a term to be afraid of.
Interestingly, last week another doctor came up to me to give me some advice. He told me I should stop using the word hacking, stop talking about health hacking or biohacking because it turns people away, creates fear.
For me, health hacking or biohacking (and I use both words interchangeably) does exactly the opposite. It creates freedom and fun with your health, not fear; it takes you towards what’s possible for longevity; it speaks to your bio-individuality instead of offering you a generalist approach to your health. Which might sound odd coming from me, a General Practitioner (GP). But as a GP, what I realised is that taking a population-based approach to health by considering the greatest good for the greatest number of people, does not recognise the uniqueness, the individuality of you. And whilst I respect and refer to population-based studies, evidence-based research, randomised controlled trials, the most important evidence comes from you, referred to scientifically as N=1. You are your own case study, and health hacking gives you the in-road to self -experimentation without guesswork - as long as it’s done right and with the right level of expert guidance.
Biohacking uses science and technology for human health augmentation.
The goal is to optimise your personal capabilities, create exceptional health, and extend your lifespan. If you’ve been following me for some time, you’ll know that I believe we have the potential to live a 1-million-hour life. That’s 114 years of longevity, impact, vitality and energy. Achievable through lifestyle optimisation. Health hacking relates to applying design and discipline to your lifestyle. It’s about how you eat, move, sleep, supplement and connect. It’s about how you use data and devices to make health decisions with precision – that’s what I call The Health Hacking Code TMI This is what I now base my practice and approach on as a Lifestyle and Longevity , blending transformative technology and innate intuition with careful testing, tracking and targeting.
Here’s an overview of how The Health Hacking Code and biohacking works:
Data gathering and analysis
Biohackers leverage biomarker testing to gather data about their biology and health. This includes data on nutrients, minerals, hormones, enzymes, gut bacteria, neurotransmitters, metabolites and toxins.
Devices and wearables
Biohackers use health tech and wearables to track vital physiological data such as blood pressure, heart rate variability, sleep stages, oxygenation, temperature and sugar levels. They also use devices to optimise health such as red-light devices, cryotherapy chambers, hyperbaric oxygen chambers and vagal nerve stimulators.
Decisions and Self-experimentation
Biohackers make personalised health and lifestyle decisions based on the data from their tests and trackers to understand how specific, targeted changes influence their performance and health. These decisions relate to all aspects of their lifestyle including food choices, exercise patterns, sleep routines and stress modulation. They use themselves as test subjects to explore the effects of different interventions on their bodies, minds, energy levels and cognitive performance.
Risks and Benefits
Can biohacking be risky? Yes. Which is why I always advocate biohacking alongside a doctor who is an interested expert in biohacking and can understand nuances related to your individual medical needs. There are potential risks of disrupting your natural homeostasis, resulting in unintended, harmful consequences, especially if you have underlying medical conditions or if you’re experimenting with methods that have not been previously researched such as taking a multitude of supplements or nootropics without understanding their interactions.
As long as biohacking is done within safe boundaries, whilst still pushing boundaries with guided control, the benefits are significant. Through testing and tracking I have supported people to reverse a diagnosis of high blood pressure and diabetes, helped people tackle insomnia and stress, and uncovered hidden toxicities and vitamin deficiencies helping with irritable bowel and anxiety. I’ve also seen significant shifts in focus, creativity and physical performance by mapping activities to tests, including genetic tests. This has all enabled the people I work with in clinic to experience the benefits of having a longer lifespan matched by a healthier healthspan.
I can help you start your biohacking journey! Visit my biohacking page to find out more about how we could work together to hack your health.
Biohacking your life
There are many ways to apply biohacking to your life, and through upcoming blogs I’ll be sharing and getting deep into health hacking processes, practices and protocols across a range of lifestyle areas and goals. To get going, here are my top 3 starters:
Sleep Optimisation
If there’s just one thing you decide to do, then optimise your sleep. Focus on consistency, capacity, and composition. Meaning go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day to support your circadian rhythm (consistency), get 7-9h sleep every night to allow rest and restoration (capacity) and get the right amount of deep, light and dream sleep (composition) to allow repair, memory consolidation and emotional processing. Wear a sleep tracker to target this.
Sugar Swaps
Swap sugar rich foods like processed cakes, biscuits and pastries for nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, beans, pulses, nuts and wholegrains. These nutrient-dense foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients to support repair and longevity as well as energy production and metabolism. We all respond differently to food, even to the same food, so test your nutrient needs to target food choices, supplements, nootropics and adaptogens and wear a sugar sensor.
Stress Modulation
We all need to oscillate between stress activation, for our get up and go, and relaxation for our rest and reset. Stress your body purposefully through intermittent fasting, strength training, cold showers or hot saunas in order to activate your survival proteins and pathways, and also relax as an intentional activity to turn on your parasympathetic nervous system through slowing down your breathing or walking in nature. Use a vagal nerve stimulator to help with nervous system activation.
Take away
Embarking on a journey to optimise your healthspan and lifespan through biohacking/health hacking is a proactive step towards a longer, healthier life. It’s a personalised journey of experimentation and evaluation for health enhancement and longevity. Remember, consistency, adaptability, and expert guidance are key so you can engage in a strategic safe approach to reaching your peak potential with exceptional health and living longer, younger, stronger.
Hello Longevity!
If you are interested in learning how to improve your longevity using my tried and tested science backed hacks why not take my longevity lifestyle online course? This is a doctor-led course crafted with care, it guides you through the essential steps towards a longer, healthier life, empowering you to make the changes that matter most. This course will allow you to:
Work out your purpose
Reconnect with your core values
Understand how to exercise smarter
Optimise productivity
Create long-lasting habits
Protect your emotional health
Sleep faster, deeper, longer
Journal with impact
Modulate stress with breath
Improve connectivity
Connect to your C.O.R.E.
Ready to make every year a healthier one?
