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You’ve probably heard the term biohacking bandied around more and more over the last couple of years. Whether it’s from interviews with fortune 500 CEOs who wake up at 5am to bathe in ice, through wellness circles, or from your bulletproof coffee loving friend, it’s definitely a term gaining momentum in the mainstream. So, what is biohacking? In a nutshell, it’s trying to naturally optimize and improve our bodily systems using science and technology.  Biohacking claims to improve our body’s functioning and encourages peak performance from brain power, improved focus, better sleep and other aspects of how our bodies work. There is a pretty huge range of biohacking tips that are both trends driven and based on more traditional methods that now enjoy mainstay status. Read on for some of the most practical, tried and tested biohacking tips that will instantly improve your life.

Did you know almost half of modern buildings in the world are water damaged and have toxic mold growing in the air vents, ceilings and other places we often can’t see. For two billion years, your body has been controlled by ancient bacteria.  Your mitochondria decide what hormones you produce, your energy, and everything else that happens internally. Mold illness or mold toxicity occurs when mold growing indoors creates inflammation by produces toxins, that attack your mitochondria. This affects your energy that powers your immune system, your ability to turn off inflammation and even your ability to focus. So, with almost half of us living in moldy buildings, the most powerful thing we can do is to get a professional to assess the presence of mold in our homes. Most types of toxic mold can’t be seen with the naked eye so it’s worth the investment, especially if you’ve been suffering with fatigue, brain fog, sinus issue, headaches and other symptoms of mold toxicity. No amount of mold is safe, and removing it from your environment should be your priority.

Fasting to remove toxins? While water-only fasts for weeks at a time need to be medically supervised and honestly aren’t for everyone, intermittent fasting is an accessible and safe way to reap the centuries old benefits of fasting. Simply put, going without food creates autophagy, the process of removing old cells and creating new gut bacteria and cells. A safe way to implement intermittent fasting is simply by delaying your breakfast by an hour or two, enough to create at least thirteen hours between dinner and breakfast the next day. You can start there and gradually increase that to fifteen or sixteen hours between your last meal the day before and your breakfast the next day. Its super important that you actually consume whole, healthy foods with your meals so that your body actually has the energy and nutrients to create strong and healthy new cells.

You’ve very likely heard about probiotics, but have you heard about the gut benefits of prebiotics? Firstly, prebiotics are fibers that aren’t easily digestible by the human body, and end up moving on to the lower GI tract where they become a food source for healthy bacteria you want to grow more of in your gut. Incorporate chicory root, dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, onions, leeks and asparagus in your meals to make sure you get your daily dose of prebiotics. Only then can you reap the benefits of the probiotics you’re hopefully already taking. When choosing probiotics, aim for ones that feature soil-based organisms (SBOs) in their formula. Modern agriculture means our soil quality has been eroded and the nutrients from the soil our ancestors enjoyed are long depleted. Thankfully science has found a way to supplement with SBOs in probiotics, bringing you closer to building a gut microbiome enjoyed by humans for centuries and only recently leaving us starving for good bacteria.

Move towards a plant-based diet. The average person is undernourished when it comes to real, whole fruits and vegetables, and overfed with processed convenience meals. Meat has zero fiber, is often full of antibiotics and hormones, and offers little antioxidant protection from free radicals. In fact, one of the more antioxidant rich animal foods salmon, has 1,400% less antioxidants than the weakest antioxidant vegetable, iceberg lettuce. Not saying you need to go full on vegan, swear off meat forever and never so much as glance at a juicy steak or tasty omelet. But eat less meat and be selective with your meat and other animal sources of food if you do choose to eat them. You want to look for grass fed, locally sourced animals that lived an amazing life prior to ending up on your dinner table. Support local farmers, avoid industrial meat which is bad for our bodies, the planet and even our soil. Elect for grass fed butter or ghee. Ghee naturally has all the proteins removed so it’s just the natural butter fat. Sounds strange but keep in mind your cells are closer in composition to butter fat than plant fat. Ghee itself helps you build healthier cell membranes and helps you absorb the nutrients from your vegetables better. If you’re not allergic to eggs and enjoy them, make sure you find a local organic farmer to source yours. It goes without saying that your fruit and veg should always be coming from an organic source.

Racing thoughts keep you up at night or are you waking up in the wee hours and can’t get back to sleep? Make sure your ambient temperature is ideal for slumber. Eighteen degrees Celsius is the golden number for optimal sleep. Our bodies cool down during sleep hours and maintaining a colder room can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer. Wearing socks is said to help in managing your body temperature by regulating whether you get too hot or too cold. Make sure your last meal includes naturally sleep-inducing foods such as almonds, fish, spinach and chickpeas if you need to hit the hay extra early and worried about how long it may take you to drift off. On the topic of before bed activities, limit exercise in the two hours leading up to bed time and take a warm bath or shower instead. And right before bed, lie on an acupressure mat to stimulate the body’s acupressure points, induce muscle relaxation, release endorphins and sleep deeply. Many pharmacies and online marketplaces sell them in different sizes. You can also buy a smaller version to stand on. It’s the next best thing to a massage and who doesn’t feel zen after a massage?

Increasing research shows that infrared saunas are amazing for detoxing. Amp it up by taking some charcoal before your sauna to help remove stagnant toxins. Not the type you find at your weekend barbecue, you’ll need activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is affordable, safe, and absorbs toxins from food, environmental pollution and safely removes them from the body. Even sans sauna, making activated charcoal a regular supplement in your regime will give your elimination organs a major boost. You can find this type of supplement at most pharmacies and health food stores. As a precaution, always read the label and consult your family doctor when implementing new supplements and vitamins.

Not enough time to move your body and meet the daily recommended exercise requirements? Try rebounding or invest in a vibration plate, or commonly known as a power plate. Both activities done for just fifteen minutes per day will help move your lymph system, improve circulation and energize you for the day ahead. Rebounding can be done on a mini trampoline and bonus, it’s really fun too. Amazon, some pharmacies and online marketplaces sell affordable version of rebounders and power plates that won’t take-up too much space in your home.

Biohacking is accessible for everyone, even the most science and biology averse amongst us. There are loads of ways to improve every area of your life by optimizing your body’s natural systems and rhythms. Explore the ideas above and let us know how you get on, or if you’ve already tried some!