Taking control of your blood can help you optimise your performance by using biomarkers to guide your nutritional and supplement needs. This episode has all the information to get you started, including a way to hack the process for cheaper or if it's unavailable in your area.
Today I’m digging into a new take on performance. It’s along the line of moving away from tick the box type of thinking. It looking through the test/retest methodology. As we move into nutrition month here at Semi-Pro Cycling - this is the ultimate way to test the effect your nutrition is having on your body.
The PhD of me. Getting to know your body inside out.
I’m new to this information as well, so I won’t go too deep into the sciencey side of it, I want to look at the implications for semi-pros, not just for cycling but overall health. It one thing to push your body in order to find its limits, it’s another to ensure longevity in the sport, and even not sacrificing performance today for pain tomorrow.Biohacking runs deep, blood deep. Which might seem like a little extreme to the Cat 3 cyclist. I see it as the ultimate indication that you’re doing the right things by your body. The blood truly is a window into the body’s health.Testing athlete blood is nothing new. Throughout my cycling career I’ve been tested many times. The difference with the new generation of testing is what is being tested for. Originally the most important factors for me where hematocrit and iron levels.
A biomarker, or biological marker, is an indicator of a biological state, or the past or present existence of a particular type of organism.We are talking about a complete package here that is different to your annual blood test. You can go to your doctor and get an annual check up that may have between 8-15 markers. The difference here is the health and performance markers are also added to disease markers, and the system is designed for actionable steps.To understand the biomarkers for performance, I think it’s important to see where they fit into the overall picture of performance. Performance in this sense is not as tightly linked to specificity as cycling training, there are general requirements a body needs to function at a high level.
Building Blocks
Macronutrients: Carbs, Proteins & Free Fatty Acids
Micronutrients: Vitamins, Calcium, Chloride, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Iron, Sulphur
Fuel System
Carbs
Proteins
Free Fatty Acids
Operating System
Hormone
Genes
Adaptive Stressor
Recovery
Let’s look at biomarkers that are assumed to be important for athletic performance and overall well-being:
Can it be measured accurately?
Are there ways it can be reprogrammed?
Insidetracker Markers
WellnessFX Markers
Advanced Cholesterol
Thyroid & Blood Sugar
Liver & Kidney Health
Nutrition & Electrolytes
Basic Inflammation
Complete Blood Count & Advance Nutrients
Performance Hormones
Metabolic Hormones
Advanced Thyroid
Think about results like this:
Unfortunately I am not aware of any services like I am going to describe outside of the US. You can hack the system, I will get to that after I talk about two companies bringing to the masses, well nearly.
DIY: $49
Performance: $299
Performance Plan: $529
Baseline: $149
Consultation: $170
I would use the recommendation of every 4 months. Which is 3 times per year.
wellnessfx.com: $1587 per year (3 tests no consults)
insidetracker.com: $899 per year (4 tests no consults)
The main difference between the two other than some biomarkers, IT has an automated approach to recommendations, while WFX is more hands on. They are both partnered with LabCorp for the blood draws.
These services are a new integrated and visual approach, blood testing for performance biomarkers is not new, but this brings it to the masses.
A couple of pointers if you are considering one of these services.
In a lot of places the world over the regulation is very heavy regarding ordering blood work without a doctor. The policy is in place for protection of the patient if a number is off. In those cases the doctor must step in and notify the patient. I know wellnessFX gets around this by assigning a doctor in the background of each blood draw, and they will only contact you if there is a problem or you choose to have a consult.
There is a couple of ways to hack this, internationally and in the US.
Step 1: Find a lab that will do a blood draw with the biomarkers already mentioned.
In Australia blood tests can be covered by Medicare if you can get a referral from a doctor.
Direct Labs uses the same testing centers, and their baseline blood draw is $97. You order the package online, print out a confirmation page, take it to the closest testing center, and they process everything at the location. Results are available online in PDF form in about 2 business days. From their disclaimer: State law prohibits direct access laboratory testing in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Step 2: Get report. Again in Australia you must see a doctor to get the report. To get value out of this transaction, you may need to look beyond your regular GP.
Step 3: Add them the $49 a year insidetracker.com plan. The total ghetto way would be creating your own spreadsheet.
Bonus Step: Consult with a WellnessFX practitioner outside of their system (https://wwws.wellnessfx.com/meet). I’m not sure if this is possible, but it couldn’t hurt to try.
Just so you know-if I was in one of the WellnessFX areas, I would sign up to their service. Their take on the issue is super pro and very refreshing.
