Sleep

Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods and Control Your Insulin Levels Use a continuous glucose monitor at home or blood testing from your healthcare provider to identify food and lifestyle choices that are spiking your blood sugar (and thus potentially your insulin levels) so that you can make adjustments to what you eat and the timing of your meals. Why should you care about insulin and blood glucose? There is growing evidence that high levels of insulin (hyperinsulinemia) may (along with other factors such as genetics) contribute to elevated risk for all four of our primary threats (cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, cancer and of course, metabolic disease) due to the inflammatory nature of insulin. There is evidence that what we eat (ultra-processed foods and a diet high in refined sugars) in combination with how frequently we eat leads to hyperinsulinemia and thus exposes us to a whole host of risks (see references below). ...

Get Enough Good Quality Sleep Aim to get 7–9 hrs a night and use a sleep tracker to understand the duration and quality of your sleep so that you can address any deficiencies. Why should you care about sleep? Sufficient sleep of good quality [1] is a non-negotiable part of a long and healthy life and provides a vital daily reset for brain and body health. Sleep is essential because it: ...

Design Your Personal Supplement Stack Informed by Blood Testing Further improve your diet by including key supplements to reach the optimum levels and make up for the deficiencies found in the modern world. Periodically, use a blood testing service to check and monitor your levels. Although there is no substitute for a healthy diet that avoids ultra-processed foods supplements have a role to play in making up for deficiencies caused by modern lifestyles and farming practices. Supplements can also support your training performance, sleep, recovery, gut health, heart health, and longevity. However, there is little point in taking supplements blindly. You need to have your blood tested and design a supplement stack tailored to your own specific needs. Want to look at the science later but, right now, you are just interested in some actions to take? ...