#39 Has BioHACKING Gone Too Far? Is it Actually BAD For Our Health?!

In this episode Tash & Em discuss the risks of biohacking, what happens when it goes too far and what you should actually be focussing on to optimise your health.

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Tash 

Emily

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back, guys, to another episode of Mindset Meets Muscle. Today's topic is one that I am so excited to dive into because it's become such a big thing. And that is biohacking. It feels like literally every day there's a new supplement, there's a new wearable, there's a new gadget, there's a new routine that's being marketed to better our health. And honestly, like some of these things are getting ridiculous. I mean, ice baths, fair, red light therapy, mouth taping, I do that every single day. Blue light blockers, I also have a pair. Um, aura rings, sleep trackers, yeah, all of these things that I love. But we get into like, I don't know, people are like sunning their assholes and taking peptides off the black market and NAD drips and continuous glucose monitors for people that don't have diabetes. Like, whilst some of these things, yes, are great and do have genuine evidence behind them for the fact that they are really effective, others are marketed as if they will completely transform your health and like you've got to do them when honestly it's probably just a complete waste of money and waste of time. And I think today we really want to just have an honest conversation about it. Like, is it actually worth it? Or are we potentially stressing ourselves out with things that are really unnecessary?

SPEAKER_00 1:15

And I think it's really worth defining biohacking, firstly, because it's become a bit of a little bit of a buzzword. And I think again, I love to put it in, but social media does have something to answer for for that. And at its simplest, if we look at it, is biohacking, it just means, I guess, making intentional changes to improve upon your own health, maybe improve upon your performance levels as well. And this could be so fucking simple as improving your sleep routine. And I don't think people realize how simple it can actually be, is like the simplicity element. It doesn't have to be, you know, you you walk around in a bubble suit wearing a red light around your nose. Like these are real simple things that can be happening, and even just like strength training consistently. Technically, in essence, they are forms of biohacking. So the issue is that I guess the term has slightly shifted. When now when people hear this word biohacking, they think expensive technology, they think the bubble with the red light, they think endless supplements and they've got to optimize sort of every biological process. We've almost kind of gone off the track and forgotten that these improvements in health still come from relatively simple, basic behaviors.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

That's what I think is really important for people to remember. It's actually the basics are always going to win. These, as you say, like biohacking has become a buzzword, and right now it's trendy, and people think, let me, I wonder what I can do, everything under the sun that I can possibly do to avoid doing the things that I actually need to do that's gonna get me to where I want to go. And that's kind of my issue with it at the moment. Is people are like, oh, like I need to do, I don't know, do a workout class in an infrared sauna, and that's gonna be really good for me. Or I need to wear a canola oil packet on my uterus. Like all of these ridiculous things that actually like are these people sleeping? Are they lifting weights? Are they eating protein? Probably not. You've got to look at the foundations first before we look at these things on top. And I think social media's also made us feel like these things are essential, like we need to do them.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

And do you think people have almost changed the thought process? Like, that's the answer. Like, if I do that, I'm gonna get to where I want to be, forgetting about all the basics that they actually need to be doing. So they think that this is like a magic pool, once again. Like we're looking for that quick exit or that quick answer and thinking that if they get up at a certain time and have sunlight between this and that, then they're going to be optimized for the rest of their life and they won't have to go set foot in a gym. It's literally that.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

That is honestly what I think it is, because also these routines are so extensive, they take up so much time that it doesn't really leave any time to do anything else anyway. And I just think it's really not realistic, it's not necessary. And yeah, as you said, like everyone's looking for that quick fix, but that's that's not gonna get you where you want to go. Like honestly, you're probably for most of us, it's probably a waste of time and it's a waste of money. Can we talk about Brian Johnson for a second?

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Who has basically dedicated his entire life to optimizing his health? For anyone that doesn't know, he has he's a billionaire, essentially spends all of his money becoming the most optimal version of himself. And I say that in air quotations.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

He did a uh Netflix doc that was called Don't Die, The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. I think that was out of maybe last year.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

It's like honestly, it's bizarre to me. And what he does is so like he doesn't go out in the sun really ever. He looks like that as well. He looks like a ghost. He looks like a zombie. He doesn't look like someone that I think, oh great, he looks really healthy. He looks done. No, you look ill. No, he looks unwell. He only eats between 8 and 11am. He goes to bed at like 7 p.m. He is constantly in a calorie deficit. He's in a chronic calorie deficit, which I just don't think is healthy for anyone. And there's just like so many other ridiculous things that he does and spends his entire entire day basically getting his blood drawn, going in oxygen chambers, like not ever going out to socialise with his friends. And I just think that that's no quality of life. No. And like surely being so hooked up to all of these machines and like trying to optimize everything, it's just so it's that's not healthy to me because health is actually like filling up your social cup and living a life that you value and that you love as well, and spending time in nature and going outside spending time with your friends. And it's just like, it's just bizarre to me that that is what we look at as this is optimal health because I think it's the furthest thing from it. And we should like death is death is like the only certainty in life. And I think people that are trying not to die, it's a deep-rooted fear of it, and we shouldn't fear it because it's gonna happen to everyone at some point.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

I've just I've just seen this come up, like I've just been looking at him just to see what he looks like now. And I don't know if this is true, but I need to clarify this. But it just says the world's healthiest man just got an autoimmune disease.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Yeah, yeah. So he got an autoimmune disease, which he said has been brewing for like ever since he since he was really unhealthy back in the day when he was like the tech founder.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

It says in May his own immune system started eating his stomach lining.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Yeah, but I genuinely think it's because he's putting his body under so much stress from all of the things that he's doing. We have to all also remember chronic stress is the biggest killer, and it's one of the worst things, the most detrimental thing for our health. I think living like that so regimented, like basically like you're a science experiment, surely that is a lot of a toll on the body, and that cannot be healthy.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

No, and also just like living a happy life with socials and meeting new people and doing new things and you know, taking it slow, right? So he has a set routine every single day. And don't get me wrong, I am a massive believer and we need a routine and we're creatures of habit. But if one thing goes wrong or doesn't work, how does he what's his reaction like? Is he gonna freak out? Like, how does he manage that?

SPEAKER_01 7:01

There's something about slowing down and yeah, and I think he literally just lives his life to the the point of such rigidity that things will just like he'll say no to things that don't align with what he's trying to do. Does he have kids? He's got a kid, he's got a son. I don't know if he's got more than one kid, but he's got a child. And I just think there's so much in life that is really like really important for our just like innate, like we're we're social beings at the end of the day. And actually having quality time with friends and being out in nature, sunlight is one of the most important things. Spending time outside is so important, and he just spends all of his time indoors. It is just bizarre to me. I think even obviously he's an extreme example, but we can get very obsessed with optimization and trying to optimize everything and do all these things again. It just becomes it's just another form of restriction, and we know that restriction isn't healthy.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

I think there's a few reasons that we are trying to like say optimise our health. I think people are caring a lot more about their health than they have done in previous times, which I think is obviously incredibly beneficial. We need to be looking at that. I think I think people are more aware now, and I think that's also again, like we've got technology, so we one perfect diet for everyone. There isn't one perfect routine for everyone. And like, I think if you think I'll buy this device or I'll take this supplement or if I follow this protocol, I'll supposedly feel amazing and this will transform my life. I think it's setting you up to just forget about what we need to be doing long term, as such as things like simple things, are you drinking enough water? And I know that sounds ridiculous, but like I feel like we've forgotten about shit like that. The basics of the concepts of health. You know, having five, you know, having fruit and veg on your plate. When did this stop? And it became like, okay, right. So if I have a red light mask, I don't need to worry about um, you know, any lines, but I don't drink enough water, so I'm not even hydrating my body enough to help prevent those lines in the first place. I'm not quite sure where the concept's gone, but we've gone down this whole like rabbit hole that there's always a new protocol or a new supplement or a new gadget that you can wear to solve sort of not actual issues, issues basically of you living a life and aging.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Yeah, I completely agree. I think do you know what I think it comes down to is that we want to outsource our results to something else so we are not at fault. That is kind of what where I think this has all come from. Because innately, like we l we lack belief in ourselves. So if we can rely on a device, if we can rely on something else, we we feel like that's what's gonna make that change. And and then if something doesn't work, then the blame is not on us, the blame is on the device, the blame is on something else. And I think that's probably why it's become so trendy, honestly. I'm not anti-biohacking, as you say. Like biohacking is so broad, like going to the gym is biohacking, getting out for a morning walk is biohacking, and I think that's probably one of the most powerful, most important things that you can do for your health. Getting sunlight in the morning. I also have an aura ring, I have Garmin, I wear my red light mask, I have a weird grounding mat on my bed to help me protect me from my EMFs and my Wi-Fi. But like it's these are just things that they're just supplementary to my basic foundations. Like that is rock solid.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Yeah, but you do the basics. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, you're doing at least the basics that actually matter. You know, if someone tells me that, you know, they sit with a drip in the arm but they don't eat any vegetables, then I'm like, well, you're a fucking idiot. Sorry. Do you know?

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Do you know what gets me? It's like when people go out and have a massive night, and then they get someone to come and like give them an IV drip the next day, as if it like cancels out going out and drinking loads.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Yeah, but it makes them feel better though. So I think like you're right. If we look at like supplements, right, I'm not massive on them at all. Me neither. Yeah, I think I think it's a multi-billion pound industry that's been overhyped, and again, it's all about money. It's all about money. It's about making a quick fucking buck. If we look at some supplements, I think they are necessary for certain people, and I think there are supplements that people might be lacking in or that need a little bit more boost, and you know, therefore we take it. Obviously, if we look at things like creatine, it's one of the most studied supplements available. It's got research behind it that is, you know, suggesting that it has improvements with strength and lean muscle mass and it can help with performance. But if we even look at things like sleep, obviously sleeping is so basic and it's probably one of the things that I personally would say is if someone says, what's the one thing that you can be doing? It's getting enough sleep. Okay. It's a quite catch on you too, because there was a study that was done and it was talking about should you go to the gym if you've not had enough sleep. And it actually came out saying, go to the gym, right? Because the majority of people don't train enough. And I get that as well. But if we look at just like people that are going to the gym, right? And they miss one training session because they've had three hours, four hours sleep, I'm cool with that. Because sleep is one of the most underrated things. Like just in terms of memory and coordination and emotional regulation, like we need to be having enough sleep. I without fail, I don't think most people do. And I think most people don't get enough sleep because they are too stimulated through the day and they are constantly on technology and they are looking at the next biohacking fucking trend.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Yeah, imagine your biohacking routine is like two hours long at night. You could just be sleeping for two hours, and that'll probably do so much more good. Um, I think I remember seeing that. I think I saw, I think Dr. Gabrielle Lyon posted on that. And I I do think it's like fine if you've not had a great night of sleep, but if you're gonna be awake anyway, like you may as well just go to the gym. Like, what else are you gonna do? You're just gonna sit there.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

But I also think that is in the relation to the fact that the positives will outweigh the negatives. Yeah. So you staying into a gym habit, you going to the gym, you moving your body, you shred training, outweighs the fact that you've had, like, say, a couple of hours less sleep. But I think if we look at the majority of people, they just don't, they don't train enough. I'm being honest, I don't think majority of people do train enough. And it's like the extremes, like people will look on social media, right? And you'll get a lot of trends at the moment being like, you know, you're over-training, that's why you're not seeing results, and da-da-da. And don't get me wrong, there are absolutely people that overtrain. And I could be on that spectrum of people that push the limit. That is, that is, I'm very well aware of that. But I think there is a large quantity of people that do not train enough.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

Most of the population, as you say. Exactly, do not train enough. And I think honestly, they don't train enough and they don't sleep enough. So we really need to be doing both of these before we think about purchasing a 400 pound red light mask.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

I've actually got a 500 pound red light mask that I don't fucking wear.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

I actually do wear mine because I think it really helps with my skin. But does it though? I don't know. I don't know, but also I put it on and I put my legs up against the wall and I just close my eyes for 10 minutes. Do you know what? I think actually the act of doing that and having a bit of a reprieve in the day probably does more for me and my nervous system than the red light mask does. Yeah. Um so I do, I do have, I do like it. I'm in that routine. I do also think it's helped my acne scars, I have to say.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Do you know what's something I really rate, and I don't do it enough, and obviously my background is in it, but is yoga. Because yoga is one of those things where you are literally taking the time to slow down and actually be aware of your breath connection with your body. And I think there's huge wins in being aware of your breath and being aware of the circulation of breathing. That is the whole point. Like being able to slow down in your day is actually really helpful to calm your nervous system. And I watched a I watched a reel yesterday and it was someone that was stopping whilst mid-eating because they were scuffing it down really, really fast and not thinking about what they were doing. And then it was just like them stopping and actually learning to calm the nervous system by slowing down through certain things throughout the day. So if you are on your laptop or you're working constantly, you know, on technology, and then you go to a yoga session where you're allowing your body to switch off and decompress, that I think is a beneficial rather than, you know, sticking in some supplements left, right, and center that you don't really know what they're containing.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

I completely agree with you. I think again, it comes down to like people would like to outsource what they need to do to see results, but ultimately it's gotta come from you. The action's gotta come from you. It has to be self-led. And I think that is that is what is key. And but people just don't people just don't want to do that. And I think we see scary stories on the other side of things like peptides, which are a massive conversation at the moment, and everyone is taking them, everyone's talking about them, but it's an it's a completely unregulated market. So it actually, you don't know what you're getting, especially people are just buying them online, which is incredibly scary to me because you're buying something online, how do you know what's in it? And you're literally injecting that into your body. Yeah. And I think even I I heard a really, really scary story of like this this guy who was, I think he was a doctor, he was very quite well renowned, like got his peptides from a trustworthy source, injected BPC 157 into his spine, got an infection, was paralyzed for like six months. Oh my god. And it's just like, what you are so capable of doing what you need to do to become the healthiest version of yourself, and you don't need to outsource, you don't need to spend your money, you don't need to potentially risk your health and risk your life for these things when actually most of it can already come from you. And I saw such a good side-by-side picture the other day. It was a picture of Brian Johnson with like loads of like ECG monitors and like tubes coming out of him, like blood being taken. And it was like quotation makes this is optimal health. And the picture next to it was like a 99-year-old Greek man sat outside with a glass of hand in one hand, a cigarette in the other, like looked great, like it was in great shape, and just see was behind him, massive smile on his face. And it was like, which one would you actually rather? Yeah, right. Um which one potentially is more healthy? And I think we really do forget that one of the main things that we need for a long, healthy life is connection with other humans. Yeah. And the more that we get bogged down in this biohacking and the more that we go into these rabbit holes, you're probably isolating yourself more and more.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

Do you think that it also can like lead people to a bit of anxiety? Like if they don't manage to do certain things, they panic. For Will, right? My partner, he used to have an aura ring and he doesn't wear his ever now. Because he was like, I was constantly like checking my sleep score and like checking like my HRV and like was that correct? And like, could I do a workout? Right. And he was like, I was looking at this data so much, even though I felt fine. And then it was like, I'm l looking at data over how I feel. And that was putting almost him into this stress state of I shouldn't go for a workout, I shouldn't do that because my my watch or it my ring tells me so. And so I actually think like that in ethically unproductive for the individual. We don't you've also got to listen to yourself and how you feel.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

Yeah, I completely agree. And I've definitely like I wear my aura ring and I love my aura ring, but I probably I probably don't need to wear it anymore because I know the data, like it's so consistent, like I kind of know where I sit. Why am I wearing it at the moment? Because if I go out and if I say have a couple of drinks, or if I come back from the handu that I've been at all weekend, my data is gonna be shit and it's gonna make me feel shit. But actually, did I have a really amazing time? Yes. Did I make core memories? Yes. Yes. Am I am I going to recover? Yes. Is it making me feel worse about myself and more stressed? Yes. Yes. Yeah, we can definitely put too much emphasis on technology. And we say this all the time, but people have so much of a lack of self-awareness, and we're kind of now even outsourcing how we feel too awareable. Is that actually healthy or are we just becoming further and further away from our own feelings and like how our body is actually feeling?

SPEAKER_00 19:10

If we look at building a foundation before thinking about optimization, I think we need to be thinking seven, nine hours sleep a night. Yeah, agreed. If we resistance train a minimum of two times per week, then I'm in a good place and a happy place. But you can train up to four times, five times per week, depending on the individual. We need still need to be doing some form of some cardiovascular exercise. That is absolutely important. And I am going to stress the importance of having whole foods. I am a big believer in balances, everything. Really minimally processed foods are going to be helpful. You need to be obviously having your protein and your fibre. And then you need to be having things like, you know, meaningful relationship with other people and getting that. Yeah, having that relationship with people. Like both me and Tash do have a social battery that can dwindle quite quickly, which is probably why we get on so well. Because then we're both going to sit in a room and just like not talk to each other. But we also need social interaction, right? So we need that both in both sides. I think also it's about learning to manage stress and understanding your stress is actually down to you. Your stress levels, okay, we can't control external factors, but our perception is something that is in our control. And we need to learn how to manage stress better. And this is something I have to hugely work on because I can get quite overwhelmed quite quickly. And I really need to take a step back and actually learn to manage my stress levels. And then being outdoors and being in nature and seeing sunlight and appreciating time to slow down in those spaces.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

I think these things are what we need to be aiming for. As your, if you want to biohack, these are your these are your core biohacking principles. So if you need to write them down, rewind the podcast, write them down because honestly, these are going to do so much more for you than sitting in the sauna doing a cold plunge or having red light getting-I do you like a sauna though? I do I do love a sauna. But again, it's it's you wouldn't choose a sauna over doing any of those things. Like a sauna is what you would do on top of that.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

Yeah. Actually, funny enough, I did have a conversation with someone the other day and they went, she went, she went, no, I didn't go to the gym last week, but I did go to the sauna three times.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

That doesn't outweigh it. I'm sorry. It doesn't outweigh it. It's no, it's like, what could you have been doing with that? That hour would have been better spent going to the gym.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Do you know what I mean? Even if you were in there for half an hour, you could have you could have trained. You could have done something.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

Yeah. And I think that's the that's the issue. Is people are thinking these biohacking tools are more important than these foundations. But these foundations, if you don't have any of these down, focus on every single one of these first before you think about adding anything else to your plate. Because otherwise you're gonna get too overwhelmed and you won't, you won't be able to you won't be able to stick to anything, really. And I think that's probably the biggest takeaway from today. And like we really don't need to optimize every single minute of our life to become healthier. And we shouldn't sacrifice our whole life for biohacking. We should actually prioritize these basics. We should prioritize actually living and being okay with things not going to plan and having social occasions and spending time filling up our social cup, because this is all a part of health. And health is actually improving the quality of your life. It's not, it should it shouldn't be, it shouldn't make you feel any kind of way. It shouldn't make you feel pressured in any way. It's just it's just making you feel like the best version of yourself and uplifting your life, not bringing stress to it.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

I just want to like put in one last thing. I feel like a lot of people that biohack and get on this biohacking thing and this like big trend of it are definitely people that have come from a background potentially where they would have quite happily snorted coke off the back of a toilet seat at a nightclub. And you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Like 100% shift haven't prof. Usually it's like bankers, tech guys, people with loads of money that they just don't know what to do with. So it's like one extreme or the other. Honestly, it is one extreme or the other because they become they work so much, they get so burnt out, they spend their life eating, takeaway, drinking, snorting coke, then they think I cannot cope anymore, and they go completely the opposite way. That's the biohacker in 2026.

SPEAKER_00 23:20

I think we often we have to remember like the most effective health innovations aren't very exciting, if I'm honest. They are probably the most boring things, but they are the ones that you repeat consistently for years, and it's definitely not a latest trend that just popped up. Remember, we can't reinvent the wheel. It's that simple. Bio absolutely have its place, and I just think we've got to remember the term and what it really means. If we're chasing perfection whilst neglecting those fundamentals, we've probably missed the whole fucking point.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

100 bloody percent. So save your money if you're not lifting, if you're not in sunlight, if you're not drinking. Exactly. Honestly, it would do a much more, it would do much more for your body and your life. So you know where to find Emily and myself if that's what you want to do. But I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. We would love it if you would follow the podcast, give us five stars, please, no less than that. And share it with someone who is always chasing the latest wellness trend because they probably need to listen to this. And make sure you do follow so you don't miss any future episodes. Thanks, guys. Easy.