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Showing posts with label Help with weightloss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Help with weightloss. Show all posts

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

Friday, June 22, 2012

My GeneSNP Journey Part 3

Author: Sean Wells

On the afternoon that my GeneSNP kit arrived I was definitely ready to get started. As I’d written in my first post, the more I knew about GeneSNP, the more I wanted to know.

It was all pretty straightforward, from what I could tell: swabbing each cheek, for one minute each, would give one sample and one back-up sample for the lab to use. The samples had to be left out for drying over the course of a few hours, then sent out in the prepaid envelope.

This certainly wasn’t a problem–because it’s specified that the sample be given first thing in the morning and my mail typically gets delivered and picked up in the afternoon, the arrangement was pretty much perfect. I went to bed and dreamt about a future filled with advanced genetic knowledge (I’ve been known to be a bit of a science fiction fan).

Gene SNPThe next morning I woke up and followed directions: did a leisurely bit of swabbing on each cheek, then set everything aside for safekeeping–in my house, this usually means on top of the fridge–until it was due to be placed in the envelope. In picking up the envelope, I noticed something for the first time: the envelope was not for the Postal Service, but for Federal Express. I was immediately impressed (“Wow…FedEx delivers DNA”) and then slightly worried. Was this going to foil my plans?

After just a few seconds I realized that Federal Express visits our company every day–and in the afternoon–so everything was still on. Even if I hadn’t been lucky this way, I naturally could have found a drop-off pretty easily, so while this is no major ordeal, it’s worth mentioning that a quick drive might be involved in order to get your sample sent off as quickly as possible.

That afternoon, off it went. At this point, I was really looking forward to my DNA analysis helping me to turn things up a notch with my health plan which, to be honest, might have taken a backseat in recent years. I was definitely invested, getting motivated, and already making plans for what I could start doing until the results came back.

For more information - click below:
GENE SNP