WHAT’S YOUR HACK?

This weekend I was invited as a press member to cover PaleoFX. Wow, what an eye-opening event. Covering the healthy diet trend called “paleo” this conference went way beyond food. In addition to food supplements and vendors of healthy snacks and all varieties of healthier foods, the PaleoFX tradeshow floor was filled to bursting with everything you might have in mind regarding optimal health.

What machines, chemicals, states of mind, exercises, foods, philosophies, can we use in our lives to live longer, fitter, happier lives? – what is a biohack?

So the biohacking track was of most interest to me, as I’m continuing to push on my body to be healthier. Why wouldn’t we want pills, mechanical devices, foods, and exercises that will take us to a better quality of life? We would want that. We injest all kinds of experimental substances in our daily lives, from GMO products (even if we don’t know it) to tap water laced with chlorine and fluoride. But there are things we can do, simple things, to mitigate the damage of these environmental toxins. And there are even proactive things we can do to improve our quality of life now and help ourselves down the road as well. (activities: yoga, pilates, exercise, meditation; fuel: better water, better produce, less meat; technologies: biofeedback devices, exercise tools, grounding systems, and micro-impact products)

I attended the conference to hear the biohacking track, but I spent some time walking the tradeshow floor exploring some of the “out-there” tools, ideas, foods, and supplements.

That said, here is my biohack stack.

From top left to right: Vitamin D Spray from ONNIT; Alpha Brain from ONNIT; Active Adult 50+ multivitamin from RainbowLight; MTC Oil from ONNIT; Super Omega Fish Oil from SFH, protein bar from RXBar.

Things I know we need more of:

• omega-3s from fatty acids (fish oil supplement)
• vitamin d – we simply can’t get enough, and many of us need less sun on our skins
• plant-based multivitamin – because, I eat as well as I can, and then I eat queso and chips
• MCT Oil – fatty acids again, and I like to titrate my coffee with something that slows the rush
• RXBar – good supplement when my blood sugar is lagging (during sports, late afternoon droop, evening tiny-dessert – one little bite)
• Coconut Oil – good for everything, cooking, coffee, lubricant

And I believe the following life practices are in my best interest. I don’t always make time for them…

Meditation – It doesn’t matter how you do it, just do it. Give your mind a rest. Train you mind to focus on calm and not respond to all the stimulus and crisis-ridden activities of our busy lives.

Exercise – walking every day keeps me sane, it also helps with weight gain, positive outlook, micro-impact workout. (I also play tennis, road bike, mountain bike, and am starting to run with my daughter as she readies for cross country her sophomore year at high school.

Sleep – I have a little app on my phone that tells me at 9:15 that I need to get to bed by ten to get my full 9-hours of sleep. Of course, that’s idea. I shoot for 8 EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

Water – drink plenty of it, make sure you run it through some sort of purification system to remove the bad stuff. I don’t do bottled water as I think there are problems with the quality and delivery mechanism.

Sex – this one is a bit harder to quantify. But it’s on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in the SURVIVAL category. We are touch-centered creatures. Get your touch needs met even if you’re not having sex. And learn about getting into yourself, if you’re alone.

Community – we are creatures of community. Find your tribe. Hangout with people you love and who make you feel loved. Be love by giving and receiving love in your community.

Self-Awareness and Self-Care – stay on the path of discovering yourself, what works, what doesn’t work, and maximize the positive and systematically and regularly remove the negative.

“How can I love someone else, when I don’t even love myself.” – Jason Falkner

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what’s missing from my stack. Or you could share your stack in the comments and I will add them to this discussion post. I don’t KNOW any of this. I feel it. I work to keep myself in the healthy zone. I’m interested in building my TRIBE as it relates to physical, spiritual, and mental health.

Be careful out there, and practice safehex.

John McElhenney – let’s connect online

@jmacofearth & Google+ & Facebook & LinkedIn

All HEALTH/WELLNESS posts from Uber.la

Disclaimer: I was given a free pass to PaleoFX by the organizers. I am not paid and derive no income from my endorsement or links to manufacturer products unless specifically stated.