What is biohacking?
BIOHACKING: “the art and science of changing the environment around you and inside of you so that you have full control of your own biology” ….according to Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof (buttered) coffee.
Dave Asprey has a BHAG- a big hairy audacious goal of living to be 180. He has devoted his life to creating the healthiest life hacks- shortcuts, habits, products, and routines possible to achieve this goal.
You may not want to live to be 180, but you might want to have a super healthy life while you are alive. As we all know, nothing is more precious than your health. It is my personal intention to be healthy, healthy, healthy, and then dead…with none of this slow decline stuff. It therefore was with great interest that I attended his virtual Biohacking Conference in early May.
The conference had all sorts of functional nutritionists, doctors, scientists, researchers, spiritual thought leaders, etc, as speakers. There was an incredible amount of information and so many fascinating things to learn.
It doesn’t have to cost money to be a biohacker- take a look at the top ten chart above. His top 3 are: fasting (free), sleep (part of everyone’s day hopefully), and cold (cold showers! I’ve discussed their benefits before!).
I’m not the expert on fasting, but there is scientific evidence to show that it promotes autophagy. This is essentially internal housekeeping to break down and remove metabolic waste products and yucky broken cells. It was mentioned over and over and over again in his fasting panel discussion, regardless of the protocol employed. How do you make this happen for you? Well, you can do intermittent fasting and take bigger breaks between meals, or go a day or three with just water, or take a 24 hour break from food. Whatever you decide to do, be sure to hydrate well and flush your system out!
I have done a 3 day fast, a 5 day fast, and I was doing a 24 hour fast weekly for a couple months. You don’t want to have a big exercise day with your fasting day- just rest and hydrate as your goal. For all the health benefits, it really is accomplished relatively easily.
He also offered a curated box full of the latest products he has discovered to further his goal. I decided to scoop up the box and see exactly what his latest discoveries entailed… so here we go!
First up: a silver oxide infusion spray: you can spray on your skin or breathe it in. The silver is antimicrobial, which is extra handy this year! Secondly, we were given 2 nasal inhalers (titled “immune” and “stress” a former subscriber favorite) which also has colloidal silver, Himalayan sea salt, and essential oils with a subtle smell. Both are easy to use when traveling, clear your sinuses and nasal passages, and reduce stress and anxiety.
Third, how about a condensed coffee bean elixir to perk up your skin! Just a drop or two to rub in and use on your arm or face. Research shows: Coffee smells increased alertness, but this way you don’t have to drink it! Fourth, the gut starts in the mouth and this Blis probiotics lozenge helps prevent things like strep and sore throats. The microbiome in mouth matters greatly!
Fifth, Mitopure Urolithin A activates ‘mitophagy’ of mitochondria. Remember our previous discussion of autophagy? This directly targets the powerhouses of the cells. If they are producing more energy, it easily improves your performance. This has only been made available to the general public in the last year, as it was astronomical in cost and only available to scientists in small quantities. This is one of the keys to Dave Asprey’s 180 year plan.
Sixth, how do you feel about the full 5G spectrum? If you’re concerned you might be interested in Defender Shield EMF radiation shield earbuds (and don’t hold your phone up to your head!). The long tube from the earbud to the cable provides a air gap to get less EMF in your brain or skull.
Seventh, (I know! So many products!) we were given Lumenkind temporary tattoos. These are for when you forget the good stuff and get sucked into the daily crazy of what’s going on. Instead, when you see the tattoo, you get reminded of what you need.
Last week I blogged about infrared light. Above is another light therapy of the amber variety and is officially known as photobiomodulation. This one pulses 10x/second and is designed to stimulate those mitochondria and support healing. I used it to decrease inflammation, but it has cosmetic applications as well…better skin via more collagen production. Fascinating.
Finally, we were offered a meditation session on a separate day with a brain hacker! This was led by Lisa Wimberger of the Neurosculpting Insititute and creator of self directed neuroplasticity to support brain repatterning. I would love to tell you how it went, but I was so relaxed that I fell asleep for 50 minutes trying to hack my brain. I can tell you that in 10-15 minutes she wants you to talk to your cells through imagery, ask the body to respond, and then notice how or what the response of the body is. Meditation as we know is highly recommended by tons of health professionals, and is also on the Biohack top ten chart above to connect mind/body and in this case also optimize your brain.
How about that! So many cool things to think about and investigate to see what you might want to incorporate. Who knew targeting mitochondria would be preeminent on the list! Are you a biohacker?
