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Saturday, July 21, 2012

The Results Are In: My GeneSNP Journey Part 4

 Author: Sean Wells

While I was waiting for my Health Action Plan to arrive, I started doing some of the things that are recommended as good ideas for just about everyone. I started exercising again, I reduced my intake of sweets and—following my own advice—I started taking a multivitamin.

Once my Health Action Plan was delivered, I immediately printed a copy so I could go over it with a highlighter—I’m a little bit Old School—and do some comparing and contrasting between what I thought I was doing and what I actually was. There was a LOT of information packed into this report, and I was able to use all of it, but to list everything would require a series of its own. Instead, I’ll outline some of the key points that really made a difference:

  • B-vitamins: it turned out that I’d only been getting between 50 and 75 percent of what was recommended for me on a daily basis. Changing this definitely made a difference in my energy levels, focus and attitude.
  • Vitamin D: again, I was averaging only about two-thirds of what my genetic profile suggested was best. I made similar changes, and noticed similar improvements.
  • Calcium: I fully admit to having disregarded calcium as something I needed—as a male, I sort of figured this wasn’t a concern for me (only women get osteoporosis, right?), but my Health Action Plan made me think otherwise. Based on my profile, I was getting less than one-third of what I actually need. I’ve made this change too, and though the results aren’t as obvious, I’m thinking they will be in another 30 years or so.

One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed, however, is in body composition. As I’d written in my first post about this journey, I’ve always been about average weight. That said, I have often suspected I suffer from the problem of what is sometimes called Skinny-Fat. This basically means having a healthy Body Mass Index, but an above-average, potentially unhealthy level of actual body fat—some might think of it as “The Last 10 Pounds”.

After a few weeks of eating and exercising based on my Health Action Plan, this has definitely changed. While I knew that GeneSNP provided a diet and exercise profile and recommendations based on genetics—which does sound impressive—I quite honestly didn’t expect the results to be as apparent.



In a way, this provides the best illustration of the fundamental benefit of GeneSNP that I’d always thought was getting missed. It’s a big part of why I decided to take this journey, and it’s something that I, for one, really needed.

It’s hard to know what exact results will come from fulfilling potential, but it seems like they are always a pleasant surprise. The difference between living at 75 or 80 percent and living at 100 percent may not seem like much on paper, but the feeling is very, very different.

Needless to say, everything has been great so far, but my GeneSNP journey—just like any other—is ongoing. As things move from the short-term to the long-term, more results will be reported, and more experiences highlighted. For now, however, I hope this little story of mine has inspired others to make their own journey, and to live at 100 percent.

For more information click below:

Gene SNP

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