MaTTeR

Biochemistry For The Rest Of Us - The Last of the M3 Model

So far in this series of introductory articles to the Check Engine Light system we've been covering some of the basic language used and discussing fundamental concepts that organize ideas around performance longevity. Our overall goal is to build a Performance Longevity Dashboard that provides us with succinct and reliable information about our internal functions so we can make decisions that lead to a high performing life.

Part of this process is built around what we call the M3 Model. The M3 Model buckets categories of health and performance into MIND, MVMT, and MTTR. These three categories are intended to make it easier for us to identify indicators that we can include on the Performance Longevity Dashboard. In the two articles prior to this one we discussed MIND and MVMT respectively. If you haven't read those yet and you want to get up to speed you can find them HERE.

In this article we'll be looking at the third and final indicator category, MaTTeR. MTTR for all intents and purposes includes our personal biochemistry. If we want the most detailed look at what's going inside of the body and forces that may be driving us towards sickness or vitality, bloodwork is essential. In the not too distant past getting bloodwork was the realm of gatekeepers in medical professions, but no longer. Modernity has allowed for the democratization of these services which opens up a broader avenue of proactive health regardless of if we are interested in sustaining high level sports performance or just living our best life.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Having blood drawn and analyzed by a laboratory is no longer just something that our doctor orders when there's been a bodily malfunction. Anybody can now go to companies like LabCorp, have blood drawn, and then analyzed by a medical practitioner or uploaded directly into a system like Inside Tracker that will then make recommendations for medication, supplement, and food intake as well as potential lifestyle changes. We can also more easily learn about our genetic predispositions that may have otherwise lurked unnoticed until a crucial tipping point. Tracking biomarkers proactively is a potent way to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to maintaining our best performance over time. Annual or bi-annual bloodwork is the order of the day aside from the re-measurement of a specific outcome we are attempting to change.

Along with this new access to technology come public intellectuals to help us make sense of it. Some of course are more helpful than others. On one hand it is easier to hear from the top experts on health, performance, and longevity at the click of button or swipe of a thumb. On the other hand it's also easier for charlatans to steal our attention away from that which is truly helpful and dizzy us with information overload. It's true that watching our A1C, ApoB, RWB, IgE, BP, T, CORT, and other sundry alphabet soup letters that comprise our insanely complex internal chemistry is important. Those of us without biochemistry backgrounds may need assistance interpreting all of this data but perhaps more importantly, it is necessary to create direct relationships with trusted professionals who can look at this data within the broader context of the entire human being presenting it. The sum of what makes a human being healthy and perform well is more than the right numbers of the right chemicals.

It may seem a bit like I'm crashing my point here but not all. Getting tested through regular lab work is an important part of targeting precise outcomes in performance longevity over time. But it is essential to balance that out with critical thinking skillsets that keep the big picture in mind. With access to a nearly bottomless amount of health information we often get overloaded and then do nothing to move the needle. While I do enjoy a good nerd session between two pop culture egg heads comparing organic chemistry notes at the end of the day we must take action. In this regard it can be helpful to have heuristics that can provide a course of action while we continue to take more precise measurements.

Heuristics

Heuristics are approximations that we can make to achieve a solution to our overall problem. They are on the opposite end of the spectrum from being highly precise but do allow us to chart a course of action and quickly. Some surrogate markers that seem to correlate well with positive blood markers are healthy sleep patterns, good nutritional habits, and regular exercise. Of course there's quite a bit of room for creative interpretation there so let's briefly talk about each.

Sleep has positively correlated with improvements in or detriments to nearly any health marker you can think of when properly attended to or ignored respectively. Seriously, just pick one and Google it. Poor sleep makes them all eat a big one. Saying anything about nutrition is like expressing an opinion about religion so I'll keep it simple. Eat enough calories from whole foods to support lean mass and keep of excess body fat, especially the visceral kind. Visceral body fat has direct connections to both insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. Last but not least, exercise. It's not just that lack of exercise contributes to disease but that humans are designed to move through a physical environment and when we don't, we get sick. I won't go off the rails here with options but low intensity aerobic exercise seems to be way up on the list for preventing things like cardiovascular disease and dementia.

Does checking all these heuristic boxes give us a high resolution view of what's going on in cellular biology? Of course not. But when you start to look at the list of problems reflected in out of control bloodwork numbers you begin to see the major solutions are on a very short list. Peeking behind the curtain on a regular basis with an informed support structure can be helpful to keeping the train on the tracks when it comes to the details. That's for sure. With that said most of the heavy lifting is in the basics. Surprise, surprise.

Leaping Lizard

Regular bloodwork provides insight into aspects of health that may remain hidden from view otherwise. This kind of precision is a gift of modern technology that none of us should disregard. With this great window into our bodies we must have some template by which we navigate this information. Some questions we might ask when we get our numbers:

• Which of these is the most important for me to change if any?

• Do I understand the implications of this number?

• What behavior do I need to change to alter this number?

• Does my intended course of action have other consequences I need to consider for positive and negative?

• What is the most efficient course of action in both the short and long term?

If you have the resources to get regular bloodwork, do so. Knowing your biomarker values and what your risks are is important. Know your heuristics too. You don't need an altimeter to know that a cliff is too high to jump off of.

Thanks for reading,

Rob

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