If you haven't heard of the Oura ring, it's quite possibly the most over-hyped wearable ever created. The amount of data and insights it supposedly provides makes the Apple watch look like a functionless plastic toy in comparison. I admit, I bought into the hype and pre-ordered a ring in December of 2017, and nearly 10 months later I'm still waiting for it. What's even more frustrating is the flood of people on Twitter and Facebook that are claiming to have received their watch recently, despite placing orders several months after I did.
Here's one from when I originally wrote this post...
And another a few days later...
I was a big fan of Thrive Market in the early days despite long shipping delays and the occasional mixed up order. I enjoyed significant discounts on items that I bought frequently, such as Bulletproof Coffee and Vital Proteins collagen. Unfortunately, all of my frequently purchased products were removed from the store within the first few months of the membership with the promise that they'd return soon, but never did.
Unlike many other early adopters, I did not take advantage of any free membership coupon code and paid the full $60 / yr fee. I also didn't take advantage of their referral program. My perspective here is entirely based on the average Thrive customer who only pays for the service and expects notable discounts in return.
I've come to the conclusion ...
Despite my best efforts to avoid gluten, results from some recent blood work highly suggested that I was still being exposed to gluten on a regular basis. I'm militant about what I eat to the point where I no longer eat anything outside of my own home. Because of this, I realized that a hidden source of gluten must be from one or more of the supplements or medications I use. While most supplements claim to be gluten free, many are manufactured in shared facilities where cross contamination is a real possibility. This was highlighted in a recent study by Columbia University where 55% of the probiotics they tested had detectable levels of gluten.
I have decided that I will test every single ...
Over the past 6 months I've increased my HDL cholesterol from 55 to 92 while decreasing my CRP-hs from 0.22 to 0.04. During this time I also reduced my body fat from 18% to 11% and lowered my fasting blood sugar from 90 - 95 to 70 - 75. All other biomarkers have remained in normal and optimal ranges. Below are the things that I believe are the most responsible for these beneficial changes. Update 7/11/2015 - I've remained on this protocol for the past 7 months and during that time my body fat % has dropped to 9% and has stabilized there. My HDL increased to 110 and triglycerides dropped to 48. Update 10/9/2015 - HDL remains stable at 109, triglycerides dropped further to 38. Body fat % also dropped to 8.5%.
- I eat a high fat, low-moderate ...
For the past three months I've tested a number of popular nootropics or "smart drugs" to determine what works and what doesn't (at least for my own biology). I attempted to control as many variables as possible. I went to bed at the same time and woke up at the same time. Every morning at the same time, I ate the same breakfast. If a particular nootropic was known to be best absorbed on an empty stomach, I took it 30 minutes before breakfast. Otherwise, I took it with breakfast. Two hours after breakfast I would go through a number of cognitive tests using quantified-mind.com. I was concerned that I would become better at taking the tests over time so I limited myself to testing once every 5 - 7 days.
I understand that some nootropics are ...