{"id":180174,"date":"2023-09-23T07:08:49","date_gmt":"2023-09-23T07:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/?p=180174"},"modified":"2023-09-23T07:08:49","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T07:08:49","slug":"i-didnt-think-i-could-run-but-biohacking-my-health-saw-me-complete-a-marathon-lucy-robinson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/lifestyle\/i-didnt-think-i-could-run-but-biohacking-my-health-saw-me-complete-a-marathon-lucy-robinson\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I didn\u2019t think I could run, but biohacking my health saw me complete a marathon\u2019 – Lucy Robinson"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a heart rate monitor and stepometer on her wrist and a light sensor clipped onto her jumper, Dr Alka Patel looks like an astronaut preparing for a mission to the International Space Station. But for Dr Patel, this is ordinary. Putting on her collection of wearable tech is simply part of her morning routine, alongside brushing her teeth, doing her hair and applying make-up.<\/p>\n

And she\u2019s not the only one \u2013 around 3.65 million Brits own a smartwatch. The Duchess of Sussex has even been spotted wearing an anti-stress patch, which claims to slow down the body\u2019s response to stress by sending signals to the parasympathetic nervous system. Wearable tracking devices to monitor our daily steps or activity levels are also proving popular. <\/p>\n

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The difference lies in the data, as a YouGov survey found just 54% of Brits understand all of the metrics on a wearable device. Now, Dr Patel is on a mission to get people using this information to their advantage as part of what\u2019s being dubbed \u201cbiohacking\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hacking bit is about looking at the principles and processes that take place in your body. The bio bit is biology. What you\u2019re doing is finding a shortcut to take over your biology,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also like to refer to it as biosynergy. That\u2019s about how you integrate your body, brain and beliefs. Nothing in your body works alone. Nothing hurts alone. Nothing heals alone. Everything has to be integrated, so it\u2019s about making everything come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to the past few years being dominated by a pandemic, national lockdowns and vaccination programmes, Dr Patel believes people have been drawn to the trend.<\/p>\n

\u201cPost-Covid, people have realised how fragile life is and they want vitality rather than fragility,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople want to take control of their health. Rather than not being sick, they want to be healthy. These are two different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

But with biohacking sounding like something straight out of computer science, how can we incorporate it into our lives? According to Dr Patel, it can be broken down into four areas\u2026<\/p>\n

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Testing<\/h3>\n

While a one-size-fits-all approach may work in other aspects of our lives, people are looking for tailored health advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do a lot of urine and saliva testing. I also test lots of hormones as well as gut microbiome to look at what\u2019s there,\u201d says Dr Patel. \u201cPeople want to know their personal data to make informed decisions, like to see if they\u2019re genetically a morning lark or a night owl and alter their schedules accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n

She can also testify about the benefits of testing. \u201cI ran the London Marathon and I never thought I was a long distance runner but my genetic profiling said I had a stronger genetic profile for endurance than I do for strength. When I was running, knowing I was made for long-distance spurred me on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Training<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s all well and good gathering information, but it\u2019s what we do with it that\u2019s important. In some cases, we can respond to the data presented to us by training our bodies to work or respond a certain way.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTraining involves things like high-intensity interval training or sleep training. A lot of people who turn to biohacking do so because they can\u2019t sleep well, so we take a look at how they can hack their natural rhythms to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer,\u201d says Dr Patel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIntermittent fasting is also a form of training your body to eat within a certain window, which is great for longevity, weight loss and your metabolism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tracking<\/h3>\n

Smartwatches are great at encouraging us to take 10,000 steps a day, but there\u2019s a vast amount of other data we can track.<\/p>\n

\u201cTracking refers to devices that monitor our bodily functions and external environment, such as nutritional and fitness tracking,\u201d explains Dr Patel. From body composition to menstrual health, paying attention can inform what improvements are possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a ring that tracks my sleep to see how much I\u2019m getting and what kind of sleep I\u2019m getting,\u201d she adds. \u201cI\u2019ve also got a light tracker that alerts me when I\u2019m in harmful levels of lights and also tells me when I need to get more light, which can help with our sleep cycles. There\u2019s so much data we can track daily.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Treating<\/h3>\n

Remedies can be simpler than you may think. \u201cOften people wake up and think they\u2019ve slept really well, but they\u2019ve actually not had high quality sleep at all. If that\u2019s the case we can look at what needs changing, whether that\u2019s pillows, lighting or even being more active.\u201d<\/p>\n

But before approaching biohacking, it\u2019s important to understand what results you want to achieve. \u201cYou need to really think about what you want, why you want it and how you\u2019re going to get it,\u201d she says. \u201cOnce you\u2019ve got a goal in mind, you can think about everything you can hack to achieve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Alka Patel is the host of the Health Hacktivators podcast. For more information on her Hacktivation retreats, visit dralkapatel.com\/retreat<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n