Inside Tracker Performance Review by Coach Jenny
Luckily for John, our anniversary and my birthday are within a week of each other, so when he shops for a present, it’s always a good one :) Instead of the typical jewelry/clothes/vacation present, I asked for something a bit different this year - an analysis of my blood work from a company called InsideTracker. For those of you who aren’t familiar, InsideTracker is a service that analyzes your blood work for various biomarkers, and tells you information on your overall health and fitness. Most of us get blood work at the doctor, but it’s pretty limited in its findings. InsideTracker takes a deeper look and provides an explanation of what exactly each finding is and ways to increase or decrease your levels with food, supplements, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations. I obviously have a love for health, fitness and nutrition, and living with Multiple Sclerosis for the past 7 years, I am constantly trying to improve on my current overall health conditions. I am also a HUGE data nerd, so when I learned about this service, I became a big fan.
How it works:
You simply choose a plan and how many tests you want. They range anywhere from $49 to $589. You can select additional options as well, like Innerage, where it will measure your biological age and not calendar age, DNA analysis for genetics, and you can even opt for a licensed phlebotomist to come to draw your blood from your home. My plan was the Advanced DIY. I signed up for an account, and answered a questionnaire on my food and drink intake, and exercise. Then, I choose a goal that I would like to improve on.
I just had blood drawn for a physical, so I quickly uploaded my results, and received an email 3 days later with my results. I actually was really nervous to open the email. Why? I eat very well, exercise when I can (thanks, Anthony), and overall I feel good. BUT I still wonder if I’m doing the best I can - I love dessert, can over exert myself at times, and don’t always take the rest I need.
Out of 27 biomarkers, 22 were optimized, 4 needed improvement, and 1 was at risk. Better than I expected!! According to InsideTrackers website, the optimal zone is range-specific to each person. It takes into account unique demographic information including age, gender, ethnicity, and activity level, as well as lifestyle and performance goals.
I began going through all the information. It can be overwhelming because they give you a lot - from what foods to eat, supplements to take and recommended exercise and recovery. They give you an overall plan to optimize all biomarkers. The information is incredible and extremely detailed.
Since I chose immunity as my overall goal (there are many to choose from - strength, metabolism, endurance, memory, sleep, and more) the dashboard gives 4 priority items I need to do to improve my immunity. There’s also a personal food list based off the biomarkers. For example, my white blood count was at-risk, so they listed over 15 recommended foods that target that specific biomarker.
Ideally, after 3 months you would repeat your blood work and InsideTracker would compare your results and show your progression.
Conclusion:
Getting started is hassle-free, simple, and easy.
It is NOT medical advice and it is not regulated by the FDA. It’s only meant to provide suggestions on food and lifestyle to optimize results.
You aren’t just given numbers and told to improve. You are provided with an individualized plan and guided on how to eat, train, recover with lifestyle recommendations, and suggested supplements.
It’s not just for athletes, it’s for anyone who cares about their overall health.
No, I’m not sponsored by InsideTracker - but as a person who is always trying to improve - this is a good way to check in with your body.
Interested? E-mail me (jenny@crossfitstealth.com) for more information and a discount code!
Check out inside InsideTracker here.
Coach Jenny
