What Is BioHacking? | Women’s Health

Real quick, before we dive into this episode, I have a little sleep secret I want to tell you about. Look, sleep is crucial for your fitness, but it's crucial for just plain old everyday life and function. And I find I sleep great unless I have a migraine. And I've had more than my fair share since perimenopause all the way through postmenopause. My secret weapon was Blue Sky CBD sleep gels. Each gel contains 25mg of CBD and 25mg CBN for deep restorative sleep. Something about it helps to reduce inflammation, which I believe for me was key in helping me get to sleep. But the biggest thing is so many of the over-the-counter solutions, whether for sleep or migraines, can ruin gut health, and liver health. Neither one of those did I want to be problematic for me. So this option is recommended by healthcare providers worldwide and backed by thousands of happy customers, many of whom come from our Flipping 50 community. There is zero THC, so it's non-habit-forming. It's made by a trusted family-owned company that we all can feel good about. Third-party tested for purity and potency. And if you're interested, you too can try a sample for just $6. But even better, you can get 30% off forever with discount code FLIPPING50. That's FLIPPING50. Just go to flipping50.com/blueskycbd. We'll put that link in the show notes and you'll find it everywhere on Flipping 50 at My Favorites. What are you waiting for? Good night. Are you biohacking, or will you be biohacking in 2024? Are you asking what is biohacking exactly, or why should you care? I've got you. The experts like Dave Asprey, Peter Attia, and Blue Zones Dan Buettner are well-known biohackers. Other female biohackers actually come in all age ranges, which I find very Interesting. And before I go further on this topic, you should know I have despised the word hacking for a long time. For me, it seemed like a code for shortcut, cheat, quick fix. And although I'm all in favor of if there's a quicker way, a more efficient and effective but equally safe way to do something, okay, let's do that. However, Often quick fixes are not that. So a decade ago, I think that I was more right than wrong, but I know better now. And the biohacking we're talking about here is very different. It's not cheating the system, but rather getting a bonus. If you lift weights and you can't lift heavy, the use of, for instance, whole body vibration may give you a bonus benefit of bone density you can't get otherwise, maybe due to fibromyalgia or arthritis. If you can't lift heavy, I for one am using it for the icing on the cake that it can be, and I can lift heavy. So there's all different ways to look at this. Biohacking is a term used to describe various tips and tricks, tools for enhancing the body's ability to function at peak performance and maybe even extend one's lifespan. But look, it's not just aging that we really care about. Nobody wants to live to 120 in a way that we may imagine that looks like, right? This is how to trick your body into or back into its natural state of optimal health. You were born with it. Why can't we get it back? So the same is true for you right now. If you're a midlife woman listening, and the majority of you are, you may also be a coach who serves midlife women. What's true is if your gut health is not optimal, if your elimination, you're plagued, for instance, with gas or bloating or constipation and diarrhea, and you're putting up with that, you know, it is your birthright to have all of those things functioning optionally. It's like your car coming from factory-set standards, you know, if it were still under warranty, and you are by the way, you would take it back, get it fixed, make this right, don't have me deal with it as a new car driver from the very beginning. So Don't think, oh, this has just been normal for me, and then accept it. You don't have to tolerate it. So let's look at biohacking. I am going to throw a lot of tools out here for you, but there are a lot of ways that you can biohack just by changing the type and the timing of many things—foods that you eat, exercise that you do—things that we first, as a first layer at Flipping 50, have been talking about for a decade. I wrote a book in 2015 about the things that I've seen over 35 years working, not quite realizing at the time that I was witnessing it, what was going on, why certain clients were aging faster than others, or on the flip side, looking like their skin was amazing, you know, and not really knowing to ask What are you doing? Thinking, oh, they had really good genes, right? We all think, oh, they're just lucky, you know. But no, it's not true. And I think the older I get— I'll say collectively we, but I'm speaking for you, and that's not fair when it's a one-way conversation— but I think the older we get, the more obvious it becomes there is a unique way to age, that our habits, the lifestyle habits that we've had up into this point, have added up to what results we have right now, whether that's muscle, bone density, skin, or hair, you know, and hair health, because that's affected by our thyroid, which is also affected by a domino effect of habits. But this whole idea of biohacking, if you're thinking I'm going to talk about cryotherapy or, um, ice plunges or saunas in a bit I am, um, I'm gonna mention those things, but please realize you have the ability to do some biohacking by what time do you go to bed and get up in the morning, what time do you have your last meal of the day, what time do you have your first meal of the day. Intermittent fasting is one way, and I'm not talking about 18, 24, 36, or 72-hour fasts with just water, and it's not that. It's Do you shut the kitchen at 5 or 6 PM and make sure you don't eat again until at least 6 the next day? That's one part of biohacking. You are already doing some. So if you want to get curious and push the envelope and maybe look around you, you could almost use this as a checklist. What am I doing already? Now I've given you some, but I'm going to go into this. The truth about biohacking is it is science-based and it's individual, but If you read this line from Peter Attia's book, who's really becoming very popular in terms of his podcast and information— I can't tell you, I don't go a week without having somebody say, well, Peter Attia said— so kudos to him, he's doing a great job of marketing and getting the word out there. You might think if you read his book, biohacking is pseudoscience at best. Here's quote-unquote This is not biohacking, it's science, well-founded, strategic, and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. That's his new book, so we'll link to that as well, by the way, and is called Outlive. And I am doing a very short podcast coming up on books, so books to give, books to get over the holidays. Because I think especially for us, I love books. I don't know, I love the whole idea of being in a room full of books and bookshelves. My new dream house has an entire room, like floor-to-ceiling books and cozy, comfy chairs and windows, maybe a fireplace, to linger and read books, stories, but also science. I digress. All right, I'll invite you over though, just, just so you know. Dave Asprey's description in an article on Men's Health pretty recently, the use of science, biology, and self-experimentation to take control of and upgrade your body, your mind, and your life, is his description of biohacking. So I want to make sure that you understand this. Remember that there are many things— for instance, how much protein you need— because it's a shock to your system, and you may still be on the fence and feel this incongruency within yourself that, do I really need that much protein? But doesn't it cause cancer? But I've heard this for decades, and it's going to probably pull at you here and there. But again, go back to what I said. The results you have right now today, in this moment you're in, reflect on the habits and the result they've had. So if you look at yesterday and the day before that and the day before that, in the last 3 weeks, in the last 3 months, in the last 3 years, how much protein have you had? Well, guess what? Your percent body composition, the amount of muscle mass that you have, is somewhat related to that. Your insulin resistance or insulin sensitivity on the flip side, the good side, are somewhat related to them. So if you doubt you need protein, what is it that you think you need, you know, in order to help and boost those things? We know from science, science that's been out there since the late '90s at the very least in peer-reviewed journals, that we need far more protein, especially as we age, aging and older adults. Now, if it's true for aging older adults over 60 and over 65, where almost all experts agree, whether we're talking nutritionists, longevity experts, or protein experts. Almost everybody agrees. Those intermittent fasting experts, plant-based people even agree, probably need animal protein, and we need a high degree of it after 65. There's a little discrepancy on whether we need it earlier and whether it may contribute to cancer. But then I think we have to look at how many people in those studies were looked at that were eating grass-fed, grass-finished, organic meats that contributed to cancer? Not very many is the answer to that question. The quality of meat consumed by a lot of people who completed surveys and said, here's the intake of meat and protein that I had, animal protein, and here's my risk of cancer, and, and what, what occurred with those people and their mortality level— we're talking about people who are not probably eating the highest quality of lean meats. We're talking about potentially bologna and hot dogs counting in that. So let's really think clearly about what, what we're looking at. Know to ask the right questions about what was studied, who was studied, you know, what was the education level? Because we all know that education level influences our choices, our health habits. What are we buying at the grocery store? What's our awareness of what we're buying at the grocery store? Okay, let's get back on track here. What qualifies as biohacking that you might already be doing? While certain modalities of biohacking may seem extreme to you if you're hearing them for the first time, forms like meditation, intermittent fasting are fairly commonplace and time-tested with extensive research supporting their use. What's new, however, is the movement behind this overall quest for better biological function, no matter how old or how young you are. Not all-inclusive list here, but I'm gonna throw some things out that you've heard about. Things like Lumen. Have you heard of the tool where you're actually blowing into a tool that is measuring what you're expiring, your CO2, to tell you if you are using carbohydrates rate, or you're burning fat for fuel. Now, I have tried it. In fact, they wanted me to be an ambassador, wanted me to, to be an affiliate, and I did not have very good results or experience with it. Using it was not easy. I have great vital capacity, y'all. I have great endurance, but I, I had struggles getting a good reading and The first thing I want to do in the morning is not be frustrated wasting 10 minutes to get a reading that kept saying try again, try again. Like, not— I'm done. Okay, that's just— I don't need that tool. I can tell you by what's happening in my body and the scale, and smart scale by the way, CGM monitors. And by the way, a smart scale is somewhat biohacking. It makes what Reed Davis, who is of functional diagnostic nutrition, calls making the invisible visible. You, with other scales, when we've grown up in the '70s and the '80s with a bathroom scale that just tells you what weight you are, you have no idea how much lean muscle you have. You could be celebrating that you've lost weight and then come find out 3 to 6 months later you're gonna get that coming back to bite you, you know where, because you've lost too much muscle. Making you more lethargic, causing you to actually burn fewer calories every single minute of every single day. Not good. So Lumen is one tool. A smart scale is another. Continuous blood glucose monitor— and I will put the one I use. I have one on right now, actually coming to the end of a 14-day stint, and I'm going to put on another one. But I'm experimenting. I'm constantly experimenting. And then I will learn what I learn in about 28 days wearing 2 back-to-back, and then I will use and apply that. Because, you know, I could wear one all year, but if not learning something, testing something, and applying something— little things like going for a walk after meals, or for me, I'm not willing to give up something that I know is causing a spike. I know how pathetic, but you're not a priest and I'm not Catholic, but I'm gonna confess So I really like my morning matcha or coffee depending on where I am. More often than not, probably 355 days out of the year, it is a matcha that I'm drinking and I may have a coffee later, like prior to a workout as an ergogenic aid, meaning boosting fat burning during exercise. But usually I am doing matcha first. But it is spiking, and it's not uncommon. Caffeine can spike if you're having it first. If you eat first high protein, it can improve it. But I just— I'm not ready to eat yet. I do want that caffeine. I just— it's a habit, and it's a warm mug, and doing decaf is like, why would anybody do that? Anyway, those of you who are better women than I may be doing that. Good for you. All right, so what I do instead is manage it. So I know that it spikes, and generally if you eat a meal or you drink something, it's going to spike. And inevitably my phone will say to me— that's where the app tells you— your blood sugar is spiking. I'm like, I know. Oh no, that means to me you should have gone for a walk about 5 minutes ago because then you're absorbing that blood sugar and it's pulling it right back out. I now have a puppy. Guess what I'm doing regularly, want to or not? Yes. So we're— that's up next. In fact, I'm doing a recording very early, but continuous blood glucose monitors are very valuable. So if you're inclined, you want to try it. This is big support for helping you lose the belly fat. Even if you didn't gain overall weight, you may have had it relocate to a midsection, and that's actually a health risk and concern. So decreasing your risk for disease now and later, as well as helping you get into maybe back-of-the-closet clothes or waistlines that feel better. It's a great solution. My CGM I will put in show notes. Infrared saunas are another one. Now I did this as a pampering thing, and I have a Sunlighten sauna. It's called a Solo sauna, and if you've ever done an MRI, it's what it looks like, kind of, or like a sleeping bag bag, tent, that, you know, so you're covered, but you can move it very easily. And I have— I mean, literally in two moves, I've— I can pick it up and carry it. It's very heavy and awkward because of the size, but if you're a strong woman— this was— this is why we lift weights, guys— and carry it up and downstairs. And, you know, it takes a little— okay, we'll move a little bit, we'll move, we'll readjust, we'll put it down, we'll take a break, but it's doable. And I just keep the box in case I got another move coming because I know I do right now. Actually, I need to get back to those mountains. But an infrared sauna saved potentially my life. And that's a little dramatic, but I was exposed to mold for about 5 and a half months while I lived in a house. It was being mitigated, but there were a lot of complications and slowdowns, meaning that I was living in the mountains. It was snow and ice season. Sometimes the trucks needed to come up to mitigate, couldn't make it up the hill. So we're like, we can't come today, you know. And that was whether they were tearing down, delivering sheetrock, doing the other mitigation. It's— it just was months and months and months. And then once they'd finally cleaned up, it was still— I was getting sick, and I'm not a person who gets sick. So I was sick like 4 or 5 times within about 8 weeks. Sinus infections, headaches, I was like, I'm testing, I need to know if it was actually fixed or not, and it was not. So I, though, however, was able to use that sauna many days during that entire 5 and a half months, and that probably helped me to detox even while I was being exposed to it. And I continued to do that for a solid year afterward. So if you have a room for a built-in, I was renting at the time, didn't want to deal with it or changing the electrical in a place I wasn't owning. Now I'd love to have a built-in, but let's face it, it's 117 here. I sometimes don't think sauna is the best thing, but I do use it in the winter. Then there's ice baths. I'm a new stick my toe in the water, but actually I can't do that. I just have to jump right in, otherwise I will not do it. So I'm new to this, but But I love it. And I love the idea of do a sauna, go do an ice bath. Now, when I get my puppy controlled so he's not gonna scream and yell and be all over my face while I'm in a lie-down sauna, I'll be doing this back and forth between the two. And, you know, 30 minutes, 40 minutes in my sauna, and then I will go into the ice bath. So super good ways to biohack. Interesting thing for you to realize that exercise is biohacking. So what we're doing after a workout, you increase your inflammation. Think of the benefit to increasing your inflammation when you're sick or a child is sick. What happens? Well, there's fever. Or you say you get an injury, injury like literally a scrape or something happens in a knee. What happens? It gets red, it gets hot and swells. All of that is inflammation. Coming in and those cytokines that are your kind of immune system, if you will, but they're actually helping to move out what's damaged and help you reduce inflammation. But you have to have caused it first. After exercise, we cause that, we stir things up. So you want to avoid too many things that reduce inflammation immediately after and let your body nature take over and handle it. So if you're working out in the morning, great, do your sauna or your ice bath later in the day, or reverse it, do your sauna or ice bath early, work out a little bit later, but save it. You want it earlier in the day if you're a midlife woman going through hormonal changes. But all these tools that I just mentioned, the Lumen CGM monitors, the The saunas, the ice baths, this is basically making their way into everyday homes, right? You know, and I think we have to concede that in most, if not many cases, biohacking is science. Much like menopause fitness, there's only so much of it out there. That's the problem that people have a challenge with. Someone will say, well, there's not much science about this. But if we can say what is out there is really good proof, similarly intelligent people say, okay, I'm going to take the exercise physiology or the physiology that happens with exercise, we're going to take the physiology that happens with menopause. And we at Flipping 50, in a menopause fitness course, specialists— so those of you who are health pros or fitness pros— put it together. And we did this early on before anyone else was talking about it in 2013. Now I know there are different certifications, people are calling themselves specialists, and you have to be careful. Are they changing their title long before they have the knowledge, or do they actually know what they're doing and know what questions to ask? But putting those together so that you can solve those gaps, so there are clear results when a woman doesn't feel good or she's losing muscle, losing bone density, she's got headaches, she doesn't have any libido, we know exactly how to change her exercise prescription. That's why we were born. So many, maybe you listener, doubt the accuracy of some trackers like the CGMs or like your smart scale. But isn't it interesting? We don't stop using them despite learning like seed oils and processed foods contribute to poor health. We continue to buy and eat them. And not only we don't question the science, you know, we ignore it in that case. So it's, it's so very interesting. We know the science that sugar is addictive and that it contributes to every disease. We know the science about stress, but we don't often take seriously dealing with our stress or improving our coping skills. So It's like we get very selective choosing to challenge or be skeptical when I want you to realize that it's natural and normal for any of us to feel threatened when an idea or a concept, a belief that we learned a long time ago comes out counter to our beliefs. Realize that you may be hearing some of these things for the very first time, and it may be that you have to hear it 7 or 8 more times or be exposed to it by 7 or 8 different respected people. Now, I would like to count myself among those, but you know, we have to often hear things over and over. And let's be serious. So some of you know this statistic as well. It used to be 7 or 8 times we had to be exposed to something to adopt it as our own, but now it's much more like 21 or 28 because we're at we're subject to so much new information, it doesn't always sit. So we humans, we're complicated at best, right? We question if we should use a Power Plate or a Smart Scale if it tells us the correct body composition, failing to see that the benefits still outweigh the, the accuracy maybe in, in consideration of a smart scale, for instance. So it shows change. It could be the weight or the body composition is slightly off because of the calibration, but it's slightly off last Monday and this Monday and next Monday. It's gonna show change. We want to know if you're losing, you're gaining, or staying the same. That doesn't change. That's still something you're able to do. So let's ask, what is biohacking? I mean, that really only skims the surface. If you're still wondering what, what is it? Well, it's just, you know, optimizing what happens in your body. So if we keep your blood sugar lower, more stable by changing the type and the timing or the order that you eat foods, that's biohacking. You didn't have to buy anything. You didn't have to do anything different or make anything different for dinner. Eating the carbohydrates last, eating the vegetables and the proteins first, actually can reduce your blood sugar significantly. Going for a walk after dinner significantly decreases your blood sugar response after any meal. So if you're doing those two things, if you are potentially taking a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar diluted in water before a meal You can also dampen the blood sugar spike at that meal. So I've just given you some very free biohacking sources. Now, it would be helpful if you were measuring them, looking at your continuous blood glucose monitor, because otherwise, many of us want to see immediate results. You're probably not going to— it's not going to show up on the scale tomorrow, but maybe 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks. It could, if you can be that motivated and disciplined until that point. So there is a point where you have to be motivated and in and committed, and then once it becomes a regular habit and you see the results, most people say feeling good feels good, why would I change this, right? So let's talk about this. There's biohacking of different types. There's lifestyle. We've just discovered some and discussed nutrition and exercise. Meditation is a lifestyle habit. Maybe it's when you go to bed at night, the last 2 hours, and how you control them. That's in part biohacking. You want to get better sleep, take a hot bath or shower 90 minutes before your temperature goes up. What falls down will cause you to feel more sleepy. So what goes up comes down. You're increasing your temperature on purpose in order to have it fall. And about bears in winter. When it gets cold, we all tend to want to hibernate. You're more likely to want to go to sleep earlier if it's cold outside than if you're really hot. And I know we can get hot and sleepy too, but you're gonna sleep better in cold. So those little hacks all count. Biology shifts, like supplements— that's one way to biohack. And if you're a woman in midlife, none of us probably are eating enough vitamins and minerals by consuming even a very healthy diet. And I know I know a lot of women are hands on their hips, jaw set right now saying, I don't want to take all those supplements. Nobody loves to, I get it. But it's very hard to support ourselves with the depleted soil. The, the organic vegetables we got now are not even as high quality as the ones that were available 10 or 20 years ago. So everything is, is lesser in terms of nourishment. There's biologics, like non-medical IV therapies. Like, you, you see them everywhere now, right? You can go get B12s or get some kind of a cocktail for energy or recovery or boosting immunity. There are medical stem cell injections. So there's both non-medical and, you know, medical technology. Mentioned CGMs, continuous blood glucose monitors, wearing trackable devices. I'm willing to bet you have one. Your watch— can it monitor how far you go, how fast you go, what your heart rate is? Wearable tracking devices for heart rate variability— that tells you whether you're recovered or you're stressed and whether you should exercise or do a hard workout or not. So let me dive into some of these. So let's look at what is age-related biohacking. Age-related biohacking examples include red light therapy. So these are literally known to, based on science, turn back the clock, change the senescence of your cells. And that means senescence is basically aging and degenerating. So like getting rid of them. Stem cell therapy, cryotherapy. So this is again going to get cold on purpose. Doesn't appeal to a lot of us, I know, but it can and does work. The consumption of anti-aging and mitochondrial support supplements like those containing enzyme CoQ10, polyphenols, L-carnitine, and urolithin A. So MitoPure is something that I've talked about. I have had experts on the podcast. That's one I'm taking on a daily basis. I'm also taking C60— stands for Carbon 60, and I take Purple Power every day. I started it in April of 2021. I have never done something— I'm sorry, 2022. I'm a little hyper-dramatic. No, not on purpose, but this was the couple of months right before I moved, and Um, this is the only time I've started something like that and stayed with it consecutively. I mean, I don't think I've missed a day of taking that. Uh, within 3 weeks my hair was thicker. I was getting new growth of hair. How bizarre. That wasn't even why I took it. I took it for the mitochondrial support. But I digress. Let's move on. What is sleep biohacking? I mentioned a couple. Take a hot bath. You know, get rid of screens before you go to sleep. But sleep trackers, you know, using your Fitbit for instance, can be helpful. I have a Sleep Number bed. It tells me, you know, what was my sleep score. Blue light blocking, magnesium, taking magnesium with dinner so it's best absorbed with food, so it's in your system helping you sleep. Melatonin, And meditation can also help with sleep. I believe sauna actually helps, so I prefer not to sauna early in the day, but I sauna late in the day, either right after dinner or sometimes right before. And I can power nap often, so when I lie down, I'm just getting hot. For me, it's reminiscent of lying by a pool or the beach, and, you know, I can take a bath best power nap there. I don't otherwise nap, but that's been, um, I power nap and then cool off, you know, after rinsing off, and about an hour and a half, 2 hours later, I still sleep better than ever. And some might say, you napped, you know, right before? Yeah, absolutely. So I also have a sleep support. You can grab my Sleep Yourself Skinny e-guide. We'll put that in the show notes as well. There are almost 2 dozen and little tricks that you can do with or without an additional tool. But my guess is you already have one. You know, that Fitbit you're wearing, that Apple Watch you're wearing, is giving you some feedback. What is nutrition biohacking? I feel like I'm in Jeopardy. Okay, intermittent fasting. So we mentioned that. Pre- and probiotics are also true. Now on this one, I'd be careful if you have issues going on— you have constipation, diarrhea— I would make that you are testing. Don't just guess, because you want to make sure, number one, you're taking high-quality pre and probiotics. You want to make sure that you're targeting the ones you need and not feeding ones that are causing the problem. I might just have caused an alarm to go off in your head. You want to understand and avoid inflammatory foods, and, and I'm going to give you some that are going to shock you, and you may resist what I'm about to say. I'm okay with that. Again, sometimes we have to hear things multiple times, but inflammatory foods include dairy. You may have gotten by with it. You learned in second grade it was part of those food groups. You needed to have it every day, otherwise you were not gonna have strong bones. But the truth is it could be causing inflammation. And if you are having skin issues, try letting it go for a week, two weeks, three weeks, and then reintroducing it. So we're talking milk and cheese and sour cream and, and all the things that are are dairy-oriented. Eggs are separate, but you also might want to look at those. Wheat, gluten, soy. So these inflammatory foods can cause all kinds of things— gut issues, but also skin issues, aches and pains. Your aches and pains may not be related to your age if you blamed them on that, or even years of running. Not all runners ache have pains. Okay, enough. What— if you're not familiar, by the way, with an elimination diet that helps you personally test foods, you can learn a little bit more, and I'll link to that from our show notes. What is physical health biohacking? So a recent study in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found participating in a single high-intensity interval training workout can also boost brain neuroplasticity. That's your ability to problem-solve. To think of it as you've got electrical outlets and cords lying on the floor in your brain. Neuroplasticity allows you to plug them back in. So the brain is, is ability to rewire or modify neural connections within 20 minutes of a high-intensity interval training session. So it's not just physical or fat burning or the efficiency of getting in a 20-minute workout instead of a 40-minute, your brain is benefiting. There's also, as I've shared, a feeling of mastery, accomplishment that many women report about HIIT that they never get from doing that 30 or 40 or 50-minute slog, you know, on an elliptical or a jog. There are other ways to support physical biohacking— cold plunging practices, that's the use of ice baths. That's my newest hack, and I'll let you know how it goes. Gross. I've only been in 3 times. I'm actually waiting for a 5-pound ice bag that is reusable. So number 1, I don't have the investment or the trips to— I don't have a freezer— the trips to the store or the convenience station to get ice, but I can use it, put it in there, and then take it out and refreeze them. Waiting for that to come, so that's why I haven't been in. Part of the reason I am also procrastinating. Again, confessions. The use of heat therapy like saunas, the use of smartwatches and other training feedback tools, whole body vibration therapy. I'm currently using a Power Plate. Depending on when you're listening, you can get 20% off. There's some limited time where there was 25% off if you get in soon enough. You gotta hurry, hurry, hurry. I will put the link to go to and use Flipping 50 as a code here. Pulsed electromagnetic fields, so PEMFs therapy, red light therapy for healing and recovery. We're hearing more and more about that. Honestly, I would have to say I'm not doing anything yet. I probably 8, 7 or 8 years ago bought a tool for red light therapy use on my face, and it was an exorbitant amount of money, and it sits on my counter and I don't use it because it's one of those things like you've got to use and it's gonna take 20 or 30 minutes, and I, I just don't want to do that every single day. So there you have it. I was in it, I have the ability to use it, but I'm not using it. The consumption of athletic supplements like creatine and amino acids— and I would put them in the reverse order— if you're not eating enough protein, specifically you who might be vegan or vegetarian, no judgment, just a strong hint hint that I've never seen someone vegan or vegetarian actually succeed with strength and lean muscle mass and get through menopause optimally. Now, you may have been able to do it when you're younger, but when you go through that late menopause transition, you really want to be looking at what your lean muscle mass— and not just your, your body composition, because it could be affected by high carbohydrate— can can affect your hot flashes and night sweats. So just something to look at. So taking amino acids can be an option, and creatine for most older adults, highly recommended. Then last but not least in this group, consumption of electrolytes and energy drinks falls here. So I'm not talking those, you know, 5-Hour Energy— please don't do that. But looking at electrolytes like LMNT is probably one of my favorites right now. It's much higher. We're learning more on the amount of sodium we need being higher than we've ever thought. And it's not we should go low sodium, we probably don't have enough sodium. And I would play with that a little bit and look at your own personal need. What is brain biohacking? Now we mentioned just a little bit, but meditation, regular exercise, we've talked about brain games and supplements like omega-3s are also really helpful for reducing inflammation and related to brain health. So there are some studies that looked at, you know, how much omega-3, and we've seen it taken in clinical studies like with people who have like a brain injury from an accident at 6 to 9 grams, and that's like 6 to 9 times the amounts recommended on a bottle. Oil daily, but no negative side effects. And when you realize that your brain and your muscle and your bone all benefit from reducing inflammation and from omega-3s— we need more 3s than we need 6s. The problem is in our diets, everything that is high in 3 exclusively, except salmon and olive oil, are also high in omega-3. So if you look at omega-3 6 turning on the inflammation— inflammatory, uh, faucet. Omega-3s turn it off. Then we keep eating, trying to increase omega-3s in a lot of cases, but we're also increasing omega-6s. So those of you say having a lot of nuts and seeds, that's— you're increasing your inflammation by having more 6s than 3s. So you want to think about, um, if you have lots of aches and pains, first I would reduce some of those inflammatory foods and test that for yourself by reintroducing later and seeing what's the effect. And two, by increasing your omega-3s, that may help significantly. Okay, lots of things. Here's why the timing of this— as we're doing this live, it's November, and many of us are thinking gift-giving. And what are we doing? So I'm gonna put a lot of links in the show notes today, and what I want you to go to is flipping50.com/whatisbiohacking, no matter where you might be listening to this. So there are some of the references used here are in the podcast, and I know you may be a prove-it-to-me girl, and that is okay, and so am I. And so there is science here. And then with each one of these links, I never do anything that I don't know, love, trust, and put to my test before I share with you. So there is science behind the continuous glucose monitors, there's science behind sauna, my choice for whole body vibration, the MitoPure, the C60. There is proof behind all of it. Some of you know, I've shared I'm using a wand with energy and frequency similar to whole body vibration. Really, we're talking about increasing the vibrational frequency either in our body to the level that affects our muscle recruitment and our bone density, our healing ability and immunity. And I'm using it on my face in a, in a wand called True Energy. And the difference in my skin has been crazy. And I'm a skeptic. And now— or was— on this, probably still about other things, but I am a believer. And the other thing I would highly recommend, if you have the opportunity to do this, is put a Joe Dispenza event on your bucket list. And last but not least, in 2024, we have 3 unique Flipping 50 retreats. So put us on your bucket list. Exercise, nature, and being with other women are also ways to biohack, and you will develop friends for life. I promise you that. I've seen it every time we have offered a retreat. I've been doing this for 13 years, and I cannot wait to get a new group of women together. All right, show notes again, flipping50.com/what-is-biohacking. I'd love to hear from you if you've seen this post on Facebook, on Instagram, or somewhere else, and you listened and there was something that really caught your attention. Let me know what that was. And what are you waiting for? Let's start flipping 50 today.