What is biohacking and why should you do it?

Biohacking What is that? Biohacking itself stands for optimizing your lifestyle. All facets that can help you get the most out of yourself. Optimizing your body, mind and therefore your life. This through biological and/or technological means. The meaning of biohacking is therefore the "hacking" of your body by applying bio science and technology.

"Biohacking is the optimization of the human body and mind through science, technology and self-experimentation." | Ben Greenfield - Former professional triathlete, author, speaker

With a number of biohacking examples and information we will help you on your way.

Why biohacken?

When you start biohacken, you look at what your body and body need to perform optimally and function. Even more concrete, this means a healthy body in the form of, for example, good weight, healthy muscles and joints, optimum skin, stronger resistance and health, a strong mindset and a good mental state. This ensures that you look better, feel good about yourself, have a top energy and achieve optimum performance. A good reason why you would biohacken.

How does biohacking work?

To achieve this optimum condition, go back to a number of basic elements. These basic elements, which are listed below, will try to optimize in the form of Biohack methods.
Basically you have a number of elements that are important. You can then think of:

• Power supply
• Movement
• Night's rest
• Mental training

A biohacker wants to optimize the above points. This is done by testing, measuring and analyzing. Ultimately, it is determined per individual, which best suits her or him for the most optimal result.

Which biohacking food can help?

A basic element and very important health element is nutrition. Nutrition can have a lot of influence on your overall condition, both physically and mentally. Biohacken and nutrition comes together by experimenting which biohacking diet suits you best.

Examples of this are:

- The keto diet (especially lots of vegetables and foods with many healthy fats. You eat few carbohydrates during this diet).

- Vegan diet.

- Koolhydrate diet.

- Paleo diet/primal diet (especially fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs, nuts and seeds. Healthy fats instead of carbohydrates).

- A diet such as Intermittent Fasting (this is about when you eat and how long you do not eat. For example, 16 consecutive fasts and in the remaining 8 hours you can eat).

Supplements

In addition to nutrition, there are supplements as a supplement to your diet. It is difficult to get everything out of your diet. As a result, there are proponents of nutritional supplements. In this way you could get all the necessary substances that you could not get (sufficiently) out of your diet. With the basis of course to try to get as much as possible out of your diet.

Movement and Biohacking

Movement and therefore also sport is also an important element for your optimal health. Many studies have shown that sport not only keeps you physically in order, but also stimulates your mental condition positively. Moving is the basis anyway and that is why it is recommended to move sufficiently every day. It helps, among other things, to train your breathing, which can already be a basic element in itself. In addition, it helps you with better sleep.

Movement is easy to measure with all the apps and the like. Goals can be set and easily kept track of. Routine and habit for movement are important to optimize this. Sport ensures that you get movement anyway, which is why it is important to exercise a number of times a week.

Biohacks for sleep

Everyone knows what sleep can do with regard to your energy and state of mind. It is therefore not surprising that sleep should also be optimized when you are busy with biohacking. Sleeping as well as possible is the goal. How many hours this is? This can differ per person. The quality of the hours is the first to be important and then you can determine how many hours you need to recover optimally.

How are you going to optimize this? There are different methods that work positively for various people. Sleep can be improved, among other things, by food, meditation, breathing exercises, heat and cold training.

Mindset Training

Biohacking relates to your mental state and mindset. The elements above influence this. However, there are many factors that can ensure that your development of your mindset and mental state is stopped. There are various ways to tackle this to create more focus, motivation, tranquility and a higher consciousness.

"Biohacking is the art and science of changing the environment around you and inside yourself, so that you have full control over your own biology." Dave Asprey - Founder of Bulletproof

To train your mindset, there are various methods such as maintaining routines, breathing training, meditation, but also cold and heat training are good examples of this. Cold training (think of cold showering or an ice bath) also has many advantages for the body and also ensures that you can sleep better. Heat therapy is also used, such as the infrared sauna. With all kinds of benefits for the body and mind. In addition, light therapy also applies as a method. An infrared sauna is also used for this. With the aim of curing and improving the body.

When we talk about light, daylight cannot be missing. Sufficient daylight is needed to ensure that you feel energetic and fresh. As well as a fresh air. So coming outside enough is important.

Biohackers; Measure and know

As a biohacker you want to measure, monitor and analyze what works for you to get the most out of yourself. In addition to pen and paper, there are various technological gadgets that can support. Think of different food apps, sports apps, trackers on your phone or watch etc. But also have blood tested or various scans are among other things possible.

A number of biohacking examples and tips:

- Diet forms

- breathing training

- nutritional supplements

- Light therapy

- ice baths/cold shower

- Heat therapy, such as infrared sauna

- Meditation and/or yoga

- routines

- blue/red light glasses and/or special lamps

- Magnetic therapy

In short, you have the different "biohacks" and biohacking trends that can help you improve your physical and mind. You do this by testing, measuring and then analyzing. In this way you can find out what and which biohack methods suit you best. In this way you can get the most out of yourself.