What is Biohacking & 3 FREE hacks to stay healthy this summer!

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Welcome to the very first episode of the Biohack group chat. I'm Alex. And I'm Anna, and in this episode we'll be talking about the daily struggles of prioritizing wellness and our top tips for building sustainable wellness habits that anyone can implement around a busy schedule.

as got me down to a T, and I [: 00:01:00

Yes. So we want to do this research anyway, I guess, because we want to learn all these things and we're so confused about everything we see out there online. So it's like, why not actually take some time out of our personal time because we're both passionate about this, record it. And so that other people can benefit and not be so confused because it's just like, Oats are bad for you.

Vegetables are bad for you. And then you read the comments and it's like, if you see someone saying that oats and vegetables are bad for you, run. And I'm like, okay, well, I'm just going to stop getting my health education from TikToks now and I'm going to do something about it. A hundred percent, like full disclaimer, like we're not doctors, we're not athletes, we're not influencers.

a really active journey to. [: 00:02:00

So why did we call it the group chat? Well, on that, so we have our own group chat. When we started getting really passionate about this space, we, yeah, we started our own group chat and we were kind of putting things in there every day, sharing our journey. And whilst that's like super, super helpful, just, Between us.

I think we really want to amplify those discussions and have a broader, wider impact and bring these topics to a larger audience who we can hopefully inspire to help make a really positive change in their lives. Yeah, and it's so good to just like talk to people about it and build a bit of a community around it because If you bring it up to someone who you thought actually they might not be into that, and they don't care about their health, but then they actually respond really positively.

iends than me? How dare you? [: 00:03:00

And like if you're scared to go and try like a yoga class or something that's a bit woowoo and a bit out there and you're a bit embarrassed, it's really good just to have a go-to buddy to go with a hundred percent. Like we've had so much fun since we started on this journey and. Like this episode is a great introduction for anyone who is new to biohacking um, and wants to get inspired.

And you know, that's anyone. It could be, you know, your friends, your family, parents, everyone is welcome in our group chat. So what is biohacking on that note then? So for anyone who's completely new to the term and thinking what the heck is that? It sounds super science y and is thinking about like, is it for me?

hacking is employing methods [: 00:04:00

Okay, so should write that down. Yeah. Yeah. So, so biohacking involves someone making changes to their body, diet, lifestyle with an element of this sort of tracking to hack, looking at their health pragmatically, kind of like a DIY form of biohacking. human enhancement or augmentation to really just optimize your health and live the best form of your health and well being that you possibly can.

Yeah, health, healthier and happy lives, that's the goal. I think you know a bit more about this than me, like the actual origins of the term biohacking, because it's a bit of a weird term, isn't it? Yeah, so it was, So, thank you Of course, it was some guys from Silicon Valley. They create everything these days.

them billionaire biohackers, [: 00:05:00

So there's different types. So let's mention those because we want to cover all the different forms. And I think it's good to know, like, actually that it does encompass all these different types, because otherwise then you say like, Oh, if I just like, go and sit outside and do some grounding. That's not biohacking because I'm not hyperbaric chamber, but actually it means all of it.

So it's like lifestyle, embracing ways of life that activate the biology of performance and longevity. So like meditation, for example, like that is a biohack. And then there's stuff that happens on the molecular level, which is. the bits we don't really get. Molecular biohacking is the use of natural and synthetic molecules that can help shift one's biology.

So I guess that's like [: 00:06:00

So we want to try out these kind of weird and wonderful biohacking trends and document our experiences, share every detail with you. So this is going to include things like the cost, the benefits, any drawbacks, our real lived experience and we can make that process of biohacking transparent and accessible, really help you decide if a product or service is right for you to invest in and Also just if it's worth the hype, you know, we keep hearing these different terms popping up and different tests and things to try that are going to change your life.

it so you don't have to, or [: 00:07:00

Now we have some tips that we want to share. for building sustainable wellness habits. These are basically things that kind of like atomic habits that we've worked on implementing for like the past months, years, whatever. And these are things that anyone can implement around a busy schedule and it's like small things but they can really be like life changing.

What's most relevant for you right now? What's really on your mind? What have you been practicing? So I think sleep is like one that people underestimate all the time There's no point spending two hours a day in a sauna and an ice bath and then only getting five hours sleep So it's like that one Is I think like hugely undervalued and I have always felt so crap when I don't get a good night's sleep and I never understand how people like go out after work and go for multiple drinks and then get up and show up at the office at 9am and just feel normal.

I'm like, I [: 00:08:00

Did you get back to one? You never get past, you never get past 50, because you always lose your place. 50, 000? Like 9, 950. You never get past 9, 950 so you never count more than 50 because you always lose your place or and you start to drift off and I did that a couple of times and I was like could feel myself drifting off but I was still like waking up back again and then but after I'd done it a few times I was just like okay I'm just gonna try sleep now and then I fell asleep.

alking about this last week. [: 00:09:00

Although it kind of helped me unwind in my mind, like I felt very relaxed in my mind and I was feeling good in myself, but I still wasn't sleeping as well as I should have been. And we were on the phone, and I remember this really distinctly, you were kind of like talking it through with me, we were decoding, we were why I might be having this patch of insomnia, talking about anything that might be on my mind, or any habits that I might have changed.

hose few days and that was a [: 00:10:00

I was feeling a little bit rare because I didn't sleep well and then it kind of just spiraled from there. That night I did a lovely yoga session, forced myself even though I was feeling very tired and I slept like a baby that night. That's amazing. Yeah, I think when you are under a lot of stress and your body is in fight or flight, no matter what you do in that moment, like meditation, bath, whatever, it's so hard to change your physiology so quickly.

So you have to do like these long term solutions of like making sure you get regular exercise or like the other things I think that help are like, Cold exposure or breathwork, like these long term things that will help you deal with that stress better before you get to that stage where you're in the fight or flight and then nothing that you do will basically help you.

e does like reducing anxiety [: 00:11:00

that exercise is one of the best ways to improve your sleep, basically. Definitely worked for me. So, if there's anyone out there who's, you know, maybe struggling with a little bit of insomnia at the moment or, you know, they just can't seem to switch off and you feel like you've tried everything, kind of go over what we've just discussed.

See if maybe there's a little gap there and give it a go because it, you know, absolutely helps. And we'll be linking to all sorts of different research and studies in the show notes so you can have a read over any of those in detail if you want to. I love reading before bed as well. I find that always helps me sleep.

t's not scary. So you've got [: 00:12:00

So I've got this absolutely gorgeous, like, bright pink bag full of rainbow dust. Mushroom and adaptogen, super blend, coffee flavour, okay, fantastic. And then, yep, the Space Goods, Astro Dust, evening blend. Oh my gosh, amazing. Okay, so talk me through. When I should use these. So I'm generally pretty skeptical of supplements, like I don't actually really take any.

But I've wanted to try these for ages and they had a massive sale on, I think it was like up to 68 percent off the starter kit. So I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna go for it. And it's, so the sleep one, obviously you take that before bed. Mix it up with like some water or milk. That's got, uh, reishi mushrooms, which apparently reduce stress and improve sleep.

ch there's a lot of research [: 00:13:00

I did, like, obviously last night I took it, I still woke up, but I think maybe it helped me get to sleep initially, because I did fall asleep pretty quickly, but then I was just like stressed, so I woke back up. Okay. But, um, yeah, I took the morning one. Every time I've taken the morning one I felt really good as well, so yeah, we'll drop a show notes for that one in case anyone's interested.

Like I said, they've got 68% off. They also have these tester packs, which is what you've got in the night one. So you, you don't actually have to buy the whole thing. Like you can just buy a few little tester packets and see if you like it. Amazing. I cannot wait to try this . I'm definitely gonna be trying them this evening.

ort of experiment a bit more [: 00:14:00

You probably can't compare to, like, actually eating mushrooms. That's one thing that I actually don't eat, like, and I've heard they're so good for you, like, so good for your gut. So. Can't hurt having a bit of this, I guess, if I'm not getting any in my actual diet, but I'll try and do that as well.

Fantastic, thank you so much. I'll have to bring you a little gift next episode. And kind of moving on then now to our, I guess, second area that we want to talk about and any tips that we might have. So, hydrating well. That's the next big one. Again, easy to do, something super important during summer.

where because there's one of [: 00:15:00

So it's a problem that I've had for a long time is no matter how much water I drink I would always be thirsty. So, you know, and I'm going back years now, I've been consistently told you drink so much water. Oh my gosh. And it's a real problem for me. So I was kind of thinking hydration was essentially just drinking more water.

rying to drink more and more [: 00:16:00

But I'm actually making it worse. This is for two reasons. Firstly, as you mentioned, tap water generally lacks sufficient amounts of essential electrolytes. So whilst it can replenish your fluids, it doesn't replace the lost electrolytes that are necessary for optimal hydration. The second reason is, as you drink more water, this can then dilute your body's sodium and other electrolytes.

ling that bottle up at least [: 00:17:00

And you know, I never thought, that's not normal. I know it's not normal. It's totally not normal. How many times were you going to the toilet? Oh babe, I live on the loo, honestly. Think about every time we meet up, I'm like, I'm always going, I'm just popping in for a wee. Yeah, but I'm the same. I'm only on about four.

So, but yeah, no, even four is a lot. Yeah, that's still a lot. Look, all I'm going to say is electrolytes never even ventured into that world before. Until now. Yeah, but it's not, we know it works because it's not like new science because I've been taking Dioralite for hangovers for like the last seven years.

Yeah, it works. So what's the research to support the electrolytes? Well, it's shown by research in sort of sports medicine that athletes and obviously individuals that are engaging in like high intensity activities may require electrolyte supplementation to maintain their performance and kind of avoid dehydration.

electrolytes, you think, Oh, [: 00:18:00

Not just in instances where you might be like working out a lot, but you know, if you're ill, you instances of hot weather, if the tap water is really low in like those key minerals and sodium that you need, these are all reasons that electrolytes can help benefit you. So I'm sure there's like a ton of different brands out there.

I've seen loads on Instagram. Of course. You'd think I spend all day on there. I'm actually not. At some point we should talk about your Instagram consumption. I swear to you it's like three reels a day on average. It's like all this information compact into like 10 minutes. Recently, what kind of changed my whole mind on this, and this is going to sound completely mad, but recently I met someone who was facing the same issue as me and I thought finally I'm not alone.

recommended to me that I add [: 00:19:00

And too little salt can actually be dangerous for our health. For anyone who's thinking, what the absolute F, there's a book called The Salt Fix, which I recommend to anyone who wants to learn a bit more, or is like, I just really don't understand this at all, because, and I completely get you, I was exactly the same.

We've all been like trained to think that salt is just absolutely terrible for things like cardiovascular health. But go read it, research it a little bit more, we'll again put some links for you to look into. But I essentially started adding electrolytes recently because of this. So firstly, they taste a hell of a lot better than drinking salt water.

d it. It's definitely helped [: 00:20:00

Like, yeah, you'll get dehydrated because the electrolytes is just like, I think it's like one or half a tablespoon. Wait, let me double check. Yeah, like half a tablespoon per one liter of water. That's like, salt water is going to be like 50 50. Yeah, definitely don't go to the sea and think that we're recommending that because we are not.

When I say kind of drinking salt water, I mean literally, you know, you've got water and you're going to put some like desert sea salt in it, for example. So you're not going to be like drinking pure salt, like seawater. Yeah. But yeah, you're just going to be adding a little bit of salt to that. What brand have you been using?

mmend them. So firstly, they [: 00:21:00

I don't want any of that. I don't want to put anything in my body which is, like, fluorescent. But a lot of these hydration products, they don't have enough electrolytes or it's not the right ratio So exactly what you were just talking about or they contain sugar which obviously, you know, it's not healthy for you But it also isn't suitable for people on low carb diets I would hate that like I'd literally rather make my own drink like disgusting Salt water then not be sure what's in a product or you just see like this really long list of things of ingredients and you're thinking like, yeah, I'm just trying to replenish some, some really key minerals here.

lly nice. Their electrolytes [: 00:22:00

So that's the salt which they use in their electrolytes. We'll link all of this in the podcast notes, but go and check them out. If you're facing the same issue as I have been, if any of this kind of resonates with you, or you are someone that's just looking for a really clean alternative to maybe some other electrolytes, then I really recommend them.

And you can also use our code BIOHACKGC, all caps, to get 10 percent off your first purchase through Repower. So you can head over to the website, getrepower. co. uk if you're interested. Yeah. And if you don't want to buy anything, or you just want to try a DIY option first, you can just get some salt and add it to filtered water.

We've just had a [: 00:23:00

You can't actually get that in the UK unless you're willing to spend 155 for a 2K bag on Amazon. So he said the next best thing is Celtic sea salt, which you can get on Amazon for about a tenner. That's much more affordable than 155. Yeah, that's a big investment for some salt. Yeah, it's definitely a big investment.

veryone listening thinking I [: 00:24:00

Anna, please stop. Well, just wait for the detox episode. Oh gosh, please don't. But yeah, obviously you don't want to use just notes. Yeah, you don't want to be using table salt because that's highly refined and often stripped of most minerals except sodium and chloride, so generally stick clear of that.

Yeah, and I tried out a bit more of a fancy DIY electrolyte drink with some coconut water, so the recipe for that is on the story highlights and our Instagram at biohackgc. So any of the studies that we talked about for electrolytes or sleep, we're going to link the sources for those in the show notes.

so depressed when I don't go [: 00:25:00

Obviously we love London, but if you don't make time to get outside your flat and get to a park where you can get some sunlight and see some nature. Yeah, I just get so depressed. Yeah, me too. Going for a 10 minute walk, even just around the block, can completely change my mindset and the course of my day.

Getting just, A little bit of sun exposure is essential for so many different aspects of health, primarily to its role in synthesizing vitamin D. And there is just a whole load of physiological benefits to every day having even just a small dose of sunlight. Yeah, and going back to like the sea of misinformation, if you go on any like TikTok or Instagram or whatever, they're going to tell you that you need to be wearing SPF every day, even if you live in Poland.

ople talk about that all the [: 00:26:00

Yeah. It's really interesting. We've got this like huge deficiency, like for example in the UK, there's a recent study, we'll link to it, but 50 percent of UK adults have below optimal levels of vitamin D. So you've got this really contrasting information, stay out of the sun, the sun is bad, you need sunscreen all the time, limit sun exposure.

Then we've got studies saying, You know, point blank, we are all struggling with managing vitamin D levels. And really interestingly in this study, adults who were aged 18 to 29 had the lowest average levels of all of the age groups they tested. So they had the lowest levels of vitamin D and they had the highest percentage of low levels.

u get more health conscious, [: 00:27:00

But if you can work from home, a good option is to work outside in summer, obviously. Don't freeze. Freeze your butt off in winter. Hey, a bit of winter sun, nothing wrong with that. But you can sit in the shade and you can still get, obviously that's going to significantly reduce your direct sun exposure, but you can still get some exposure to the UVB rays in the shade.

So like the optimal setup could be like partial shade, like under a tree with scattered light. Then you're going to allow more UVB rays through. Compared to complete shade, like under the umbrella, but you can still see your screen. You can still see your laptop and you can work. So if you don't have time one day to go out for like a 10 minute walk, if you can just take one meeting outside or something, that's going to help a little bit.

nitely. And if anyone's like [: 00:28:00

It's great for your bone health, but it helps with your immune function. It really helps in modulating the immune system and help decrease inflammation and fight disease. mental health. It's fantastic. Natural light can improve your mood and energy levels. Like I was saying, even just 10 minutes outside walking around the block before work or at lunchtime just can completely improve my mood, improving sleep as well.

lowering blood pressure and [: 00:29:00

So, you know, there really are a lot of reasons why sun can be good. Yeah, and going back to the cancer thing, so yeah, excessive sun exposure, that's what can lead to the risk of skin cancer. However, moderate exposure is beneficial and can reduce other types of cancers. So, it's more likely, like we said, that were being too cautious in this area.

So for people with lighter skin, about 10 to 30 minutes of midday sun several times a week is often sufficient. Obviously, it's going to depend on how strong the sun is, what time of year it is. But individuals that have darker skin might need a bit longer, so up to an hour or even more because they have higher melanin levels, which reduces the skin's ability to produce vitamin D as efficiently.

and [: 00:30:00

But it's really hard to know, like, if you actually need to take a pill every day. And if you're actually deficient or if you're, like, managing with, like, if you go for a run in the morning or whatever. Hmm. Yeah, well, that brings us on really nicely to our challenge for today's episode. Like we said, um, at the beginning, we're really committed to taking actionable challenges to help you navigate the complicated world of biohacking and learn from our journeys.

e having issues like fatigue [: 00:31:00

But that's what we're going to be doing for our challenge this week. So we really want to just understand and go through that journey and see if there's things that we should be supplementing in that we're not aware of. So the way it works is these methylation tests allow you to assess your DNA methylation status at home by doing a swab or a finger prick blood sample, which is why I need your blood.

e'd keep it jargon-free, but [: 00:32:00

patterns essentially are key processes in the body that enable your body to function optimally. These might be, you know, maybe your parents might have given you a certain type of DNA snip that doesn't quite Function as well as it should. Um, and it's good to know that because you can then take supplements that will help counterbalance that and ensure that your body's getting everything it needs to function as well as it can.

So we're going to be doing these tests. We'll be getting a detailed report outlining all of the methylation findings, and this will also include insights into things like our biological age, potential health risks, and personal recommendations for our lifestyle and dietary changes to optimize our health.

e what a methylation test is [: 00:33:00

He's like, no, that's methylamine. Uh, yeah, let's not get confused. Methylation. And let's definitely not, like, shorten it to meth test, because I feel like that could get confusing. I'm so excited for that. I can't wait. Yeah, so we should get that back within a few weeks. Yeah, so make sure to subscribe to get notified when we release the next episode where we will take you on the journey of trying our methylation tests, getting our results and implementing any data driven actions that come from it.

y day for a week, or writing [: 00:34:00

So, we would love you to try it with us and share your experience, because I know that some of the challenges we might be doing might be a little bit out there, but our promise is something that we want everyone to get involved with. Yeah, but it's also totally optional. Like you do you. We know everyone has busy lives and so many different priorities, so there's absolutely no pressure.

You might be listening in your free time and that's your time and you need to make that your own, but if you are looking for a little bit of inspo or motivation to try and incorporate a new small wellness habit, you can join us in our little promise and we can do them together. Sounds great. So our little promise for this week, like we discussed earlier, is about sunning well.

mental well being. We really [: 00:35:00

Try and get 15 minutes of sunlight every day and let us know how you get on. Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. We would really appreciate if you could support our podcast by subscribing. And if you want to see more of the group chat and join our community, you can find us on Instagram at Biohack GC, and we'll see you in the next episode.

nk you for joining the group [: 00:36:00