Have you heard about biohacking? One thing for sure, it has nothing to do with IT or other stuff related to computer.
Biohacking is one of the trends that have recently been gaining popularity. As the name implies, biohacking is the combination of IT knowledge and biological systems to optimize performance, body, and mind.
It might sound too technical, but actually, most of us biohack on daily basis, probably without our knowledge. When we are trying to consume more fruits and vegetables, drink eight glasses of water, or sleep for at least eight hours a night, that’s when we are biohacking our body.
According to Mark Moschel, CTO of Factor75, a delivery service for nutrient-dense, chef-prepared meals, “biohacking” is considered the human effort to be your own best self. This means using your own biology as well as what’s consumed for energy and nutrition to the best possible outcome. Dave Asprey, creator of Bulletproof Coffee says that biohacking is how to “hack your own biology… and [gain] control of systems in your body you would never have access to.”
Biohacking can help us to “hack” our bodies to achieve certain goals: physical ability, brain power, or overall human strength. Although the term sounds complicated, biohacking is actually easier than you think. Here are some tips for you start biohack yourself:
Have an air purifier
Dave Asprey himself maintains that our kind of environment right now doesn’t allow for any health-conscious individual (especially those who live in the cities like Jakarta), and thus recommends us to consider investing in an air purifier. The idea is to do away with inhalable microscopic particles in the air to reduce the risk of inflammation.
Hack your mobility
Dean Somerset, a personal trainer and creator of Ruthless Mobility found that wellness was vastly improved through four simple “mobility hacks”. These include:
- mindful breathing that stimulates the vagal nerve and reduces muscle tension;
- strengthening the core and overall stability and balance;
- focusing on alignment from the top down and bottom up;
- and improving fascial muscle lines.
Intermittent fasting
According to Andrea Wheeler, RN, human studies on intermittent fasting have shown that it helps improve overall health in several key areas. These include lowering blood pressure, improving insulin sensitivity, reducing triglycerides and total cholesterol and decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress. Before going for intermittent fasting, it is wise to consult with a medical professional, especially for those with issues of blood sugar irregularity.
Reduce your sugar intake
Sugar is one of the most consumed foods in the world, and our body also needs it. Unfortunately, sugar has more side effects that you can count if used overly. Sugar can kill off dopamine receptors, making dopamine virtually useless in triggering natural happiness or pleasure. It is also addictive, which means you may never get to fully salvage your brain’s capability through its receptors to sense dopamine as a source of pleasure. Therefore it is a good idea to reduce your sugar intake by eliminating sweet foods from your daily diets such as candies, cakes, or sodas.
Track your sleeping pattern
Although seem trivial, your sleep pattern plays an important role to your health. From now on, try to fix your sleeping pattern by tracking it. Take the time out to understand and interpret your sleeping pattern. Studying and understanding your sleeping pattern will help you figure out ways to improve the quality of your sleep.
Think positive
Biohacking is not always about maintaining your physical health. In addition to changing your perspective, it is also important to always think positive. The principle is pretty simple: positive thoughts attract positive things in your life. Your desires, memory, cognition and emotions are all areas that can be hacked. Changing your perspective and altering the way you think can have a significant impact on your life.
