The Future Of Your Best Health & Performance
The most powerful "bio-hack" of the decade isn't something you'd expect it to be. But, when it comes to optimizing your health, performance, and fitness like never before, you should really try a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).
1. A continuous blood glucose monitor is the BEST way to track (and improve) how your diet affects your glycemic variability: fluctuations of total levels of blood sugar throughout the day. You could be eating "healthy" and not be gaining weight. But, a CGM shows you that doesn't mean you are still metabolically healthy on the inside.
2. By monitoring the peaks and valleys of your blood sugar in response to what you eat, you can see patterns and develop your most individualized, healthiest diet. It helps to stay away from the foods and drinks that cause unhealthy fluctuations and, instead, consume more of what keeps your glucose levels stable.
3. A CGM isn't just for "hacking" you diet, it's also used for monitoring how your metabolism responds to different types of exercise, preventing overtraining, and quickly catching blood sugar spikes during endurance exercise. This is important as blood sugar spikes promote: Creation of reactive oxygen species, oxidative damage, damage to your blood vessels or endothelial tissue, stimulation of an inflammatory process.
4. Wearing a CGM promotes wellbeing and keeps you from overeating.
5. A CGM tracks how efficient your body is at utilizing it's own natural energy stores, especially during fasts. Did you know that burning fat produces ketones, which have many health benefits? If our body is burning glucose, it’s not burning fat (in fact, insulin, which is produced when our blood sugar is high, blocks fat burning).
6. Real-time and historical blood sugar data helps you build positive lifestyle habits; a CGM gives you instant feedback on how your lifestyle is hurting or helping your health. This is important because frequent spikes in glucose levels can lead to insulin resistance and other chronic health issues.
7. A CGM provides data health coaches can use to help you reach your health, performance, and fitness goals. Takes the concept of individualized programs and support to an entirely new levels.
8. A CGM works 24/7, even during sleep, which provides additional insights for improving weight loss, sleep quality and circadian rhythm, and immune health! Did you know that poor sleep and metabolic dysfunction share many of the same underlying mechanisms?
9. CGM information can help people who are at risk of diabetes or heart disease.
10. Dieters can "hack hunger" by maintaining smooth blood sugar levels (by monitoring CGM data live) throughout the day.
11. It's great for data nerds.
12. A CGM shows you in real-time how stress, anxiety, and emotions affect your total health and wellbeing. For example, did you know that several studies have shown a significant correlation between perceived work-related stress and increased levels of circulating blood glucose?
13. A CGM can help spot and reverse an issue before it gets worse.
14. A CGM gives you personal health freedom and insight anytime, anywhere!
15. A CGM is a hell of a lot more convenient and effective than previous glucose monitoring systems.
What exactly is a CGM?
A continuous glucose monitor is a plastic disc (about the size of two quarters stacked together) that sticks to the skin, typically on the stomach or upper arm. Most CGMs last anywhere from 7-14 days before they need to be removed and replaced. A continuous glucose monitor is like listening to the whole symphony of your health, instead of just individual notes.
How does a CGM work?
When you apply the CGM with the included applicator, a small spring-loaded needle guides the filament through your skin and retreats (it happens so quickly you typically don’t even feel the needle), leaving the end of the filament in the interstitial fluid just below the skin. The sensor wirelessly transmits readings to your phone every 5 minutes.
Quick ways to reduce blood sugar:
1. Eating protein first helps decrease the blood sugar spike of carbs.
2. Apple cider vinegar can decrease blood sugar spike when taken before meals.
3. Berberine, Cinnamon and Vitamin D.
4. Cold showers.
Addressing common questions:
1. Having the CGM applied to your body is painless and an almost instant procedure.
2. You can still shower and live like normal, just don't submerge sensor below 3 feet in water.
3. Nobody will know you are wearing a CGM, it is small and discrete.
4. Your glucose reactions are also affected by your microbiome, genes, overall fitness, sleep status, stress, and what else you've eaten recently. So just reading carb content on a label is not sufficient to help you maintain stable glucose.