8 Biohacks For Beginners-ADHD hacks are also viable!

Biohacking is a popular new topic. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, biohacking manipulates your body, brain, and environment to optimize your physical and mental performance. It can involve various things, from gene therapy to vitamins to sleep manipulation.  Here are 8 Biohacks for Beginners to implement.

While there are many complicated and expensive biohacks, there are also many effective biohacks that are suitable for beginners that are free or nearly so.

Use these 8 biohacks for beginners to  biohack yourself and perform at a higher level:

1. Elimination diet. An elimination diet is simple but super powerful. All you have to do is eliminate a specific food from your diet and note the result. You can even add the food back into your diet for verification.
   • You eat fewer foods than you think, and there’s an excellent chance that at least one of them hurts your body. Eliminating just one offending food can have a huge impact on your life.
   • Please be aware that this may be better undertaken with a dietitian or medical professional! Please eat well for your body!  This is often different for different people for a variety of reasons.
2. Meditation. Meditation is very challenging, yet also simple and rewarding. Meditation has so many emotional and physical benefits that it should be taught in school. Since that isn’t the case, the responsibility falls on your shoulders.
   • The internet offers many ways to learn meditation, from instructions on meditation to YouTube videos with guided meditations. Take your pick and dive in!
     
3. Caffeine. Caffeine is wonderful for increasing focus and endurance when taken in the proper amounts. It can also be addicting and cause insomnia. Caffeine should be used responsibly but is a very effective and simple way to boost performance.
4. Intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is simply limiting your calorie intake to a specific window of time each day. This window is typically between one and eight hours. The rest of the time, you would be limited to non-caloric beverages.
   • Intermittent fasting does many great things for your body, including lowering body weight, increasing insulin sensitivity, and increasing autophagy.
   • Again-please consider talking to a medical professional about this. If you have blood sugar issues, this can be a life-impacting health issue!
5. Blue light. Your body requires blue light to regulate its circadian rhythm. Conventional artificial light sources can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your sleep. Blue light also impacts your mood, memory, and general alertness. Exposure to blue light is best accomplished during daytime hours.
   • Avoid using screen technology (TV, tablet, phone, computer) for an hour or two before bedtime.
   • Consider using blue light-blocking glasses
   • Consider lightbulbs that mimic the natural dimming near bedtime.
6. Music. You can change your mood, pulse, blood pressure, focus, and many other things just by listening to music. You already know that certain songs or styles of music make you feel energized while others make you feel calm and relaxed. But have you ever intentionally used music to your advantage?
   • Make a list of your favorite songs and their effects on you. What song would you listen to if you were feeling down? What song makes you feel like you could take on a room full of professional boxers? What song relaxes you the most?  Consider making a playlist on Spotify!
7. Cold Therapy. Sitting in a cold tub of water, taking a cold shower, or simply sitting outside in cold weather while underdressed can positively stress your body, as long as you don’t overdo it. Your body becomes stronger by dealing with that stress.
   • Exercise and intermittent fasting are similar in that they can bring positive stress to your body.
8. Sauna. Heat can be another positive stressor for your body when used responsibly. A short sit in the sauna or hot tub regularly can enhance your health. Unlike cold therapy, it feels good, too.

Biohacking is here to stay. You’ve already participated in biohacking on some level. If you’ve ever exercised, experimented with altering your sleep pattern, or tried to gain or lose weight, you were a biohacker! Biohacking is interesting and effective.

A few simple practices can alter your life for the better. Biohacking is a tool that will help you to perform at your best.

I use a lot of biohacking to manage my environment and ADHD, in addition to meds.  Many of my clients also do this! Food, plants, daylight, exercise, noise, music, and others can all be tools to help regulate your body, mood, and attention.