Biohacking Health: A Busy Mom’s Complete Introduction to Better Health!
This post is an introduction to a series on Free Biohacks for women, you can dive ever deeper into each one of these topics on my blog!
Biohacking health is the best way for busy moms to get amazing results with their precious time and energy!
I have fallen in love with cutting out the busywork (that I don’t have time for anyway!) and focusing on the scientifically proven simple and free habits that yield incredible results!
In the hectic time caring for infants and toddlers in between pregnancies, sticking faithfully to these quick and easy habits yielded results I could hardly believe. I became fitter than I had been as a college student running marathons, fit into clothes worn on my honeymoon that I had given up on ever wearing again, lost all the baby weight, and gained muscle, energy, and health!
I passionately believe these “biohacks” are so easy that any mom could get the same results as me.
And the reason nobody talks about them? Because there’s no product to sell—most of them can be done for free!
Table of Contents
What is Biohacking?
Dave Asprey coined the term “Biohacking.” It is a new way of thinking about health started by Silicon Valley tech moguls who turned their computer programming perspective towards health.
Biohacking treats the body like a computer system with inputs (effort put in) and outputs (results).
Bio: body
Hack: shortcut!
Biohacking health is ALL about putting in simple, strategic efforts that are scientifically proven to yield exponential results!
There are some popular biohacking strategies that are expensive. But my favorite biohacking tools are the ones that are free (or very affordable) and amazingly effective!
My favorite hacks
These strategies may be fast and free—but they do require faithfulness to work!
Fasting
Having constant access to food is not natural. It is a modern luxury to have a refrigerator that keeps food at arm’s reach!
Fasting is anti-inflammatory, antivirus, and immune boosting! It boosts mitochondrial functioning, antioxidant production, ketosis, and autophagy!
Ketosis is the state in which your body burns its own fat for energy. You may associate it with the keto diet, but you can go into ketosis every day without following any special diet!
Autophagy means “self eating.” It is a powerful process where the body cleans out old, damaged cells and regenerates them into fresh, healthy ones. Think of it as a deep detox at the cellular level, helping you stay energized, youthful, and resilient against aging and disease.
There are two kinds of fasting. Intermittent, and extended. I would recommend starting gently with intermittent fasting and go from there!
Check out my blog post on intermittent fasting to learn how to get started!
Sprint Interval Training
Did you know studies have shown that people who sprint lose 40% more weight in 60% less time?
Although aerobic exercise like jogging has great benefits, it doesn’t help you shed weight!
That’s because sprinting puts your body under hormetic stress—a brief, intense challenge to your body that it has to adapt to.
Just look at the starting line up of a marathon, plenty of people there are still carrying extra weight. You won’t see that on the starting line of a 100-yard-dash!
Long distance running pushes the body to its limits and eats away at muscle mass. Sprinting on the other hand is a powerful stimulus to the body that it needs to rapidly build muscle!
I started sprinting two or three times a week during our family walks. This just looked like running as fast as a could for about twenty seconds, three times during our walk. That’s only a total of 60 seconds per session, but it will leave you absolutely winded and give you an awesome dopamine high!
Laughingly, I told people that I only exercise 3 minutes per week, but over the course of a year I was dumbfounded at how quickly I lost weight and gained muscle like never before in my life.
Sprinting may be the most rewarding way to start biohacking health! Here is my article on how to get started safely!
Sleep
Wait, sleep is a biohack? Yes! And there are strategic habits you can use to improve your sleep quality.
Getting quality sleep is hard! Little children keep us up at night, and we have constant access to artificial light sources like computers, phones and TVs that disrupt our circadian rhythm. We might be the most sleep deprived generation ever!
Insufficient sleep causes a weakened immune system, cognitive impairment, higher risk of anxiety, depression, and mood swings, hormonal imbalances, hunger, increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Chronic sleep deprivation is even linked to a shorter lifespan!
On the other hand, sufficient sleep causes improved memory, creativity and problem solving, a stronger immune system, emotional resilience, lower stress, muscle gain, cell regeneration, and balanced hunger hormones.
Quality sleep allows the glymphatic system in the brain to activate, which clears out waste products in the brain that have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease!
First Light
Starting your day by walking outside and letting the early morning sunlight hit your body has wonderful effects.
First light resets your internal body clock (known as the circadian rhythm) which helps you have better energy during the day and sleep at night.
It boosts serotonin production which reduces the risk for anxiety and depression, and makes you feel happier!
It helps your brain wake up which in turn helps enhance your focus and productivity.
Morning sunlight regulates cortisol (the stress hormone) and melatonin levels.
Red light therapy can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars just to mimic these effects! You can get them all at home for free, simply by developing a habit of stepping outside when you get up in the morning.
Wim-hoff breathing
While you’re outside soaking in that first light, why not incorporate breathing exercises?
My favorite are Wim-hoff breathing exercises!
This biohack will actually take about 10-12 minutes per day, which is starting to sound like a tall order in comparison to the others.
During a session of wim-hoff breathing you will breathe in and out (controlled hyperventilating) for 30 seconds, followed by a breath hold (starts at 1 minute and gets progressively longer), followed by an exhale and hold for 15 seconds. It’s hard to describe what a powerful stimulus to your body this simple exercise is without experiencing it yourself!
The benefits of Wim hoff include improved oxygen levels, strengthened immune system, circulation, reduced inflammation, decreased cortisol levels (stress relief and anxiety), improved focus, better sleep, improved cold tolerance, and detoxification!
It also increases your emotional resilience by building mental toughness as you manage the mild discomfort of holding your breath.
Here is my favorite guided breathing session to get started!
Cold Exposure
A 2016 study found that individuals who added just a 30 second blast of cold water at the end of their shower took 30% less sick days from work!
As a mom of small children who are constantly getting sick, I was immediately motivated to try it out! We have consistently stuck to this habit for 2.5 years now, and anecdotally I have observed that both me and my husband are able to fight off significantly more sicknesses than before!
Cold exposure reduces inflammation, improves circulation, boosts the immune system, burns fat, relieves pain and improves skin health!
Cold showers are great for mental health. They can reduce anxiety and depression by lowering cortisol and increasing endorphins and dopamine!
It also builds mental resilience and develops a sense of accomplishment as you push outside of your comfort zone!
Here is my blog post on a fast and simple way to add cold exposure to your routine!
Start small and enjoy tremendous results!
Biohacking health as a mom doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
By choosing just one area—whether it’s prioritizing quality sleep, experimenting with fasting, stepping outside for first light, or trying cold exposure—you can experience a remarkable return on your investment of time and effort.
Each habit has the power to transform your energy, health, and mindset. Speaking from experience, as you begin to layer these practices, their effects compound, boosting your confidence and well-being!
Have you tried any of these hacks? If so, I’d love to know how they worked for you!!!