Biohacking for Women: Experts Reveals Their Top Tips for Improving Health: Sunshine, Exercise, More

If you (or your mother or grandmother) ever concocted a home remedy in the kitchen, hoping to make someone feel better….then you know biohacking. Exactly what is biohacking? By definition, it means using anything—from ancient wisdom to modern technology—to improve your health. Wellness guru Dave Asprey, considered by many to be the father of biohacking, says biohacking means “you pay attention to what works and what doesn’t work, and you do more of what works.” But he admits, “It’s not going to be one thing” that’s going to get you to live to 120. It’s likely many small things that move you toward optimal health. So First for Women visited the annual Dave Asprey Biohacking Conference to talk to the top leaders in the biohacking world. Keep reading to learn their favorite tips when it comes to biohacking for women.

Why women are the best at biohacking

For starters, rest assured that you have the power to dramatically improve the quality of your health. In fact, women seem to have an advantage. Asprey, author of Super Human, reveals, “biohacking has always been primarily women—about 60%—and they’re better at it than men because of their natural intuition.” That makes sense since women deal with more hormonal changes and weight changes from day-to-day and decade-to-decade—that can be improved with the right know-how. So it is no wonder biohacking that has become a growing movement. There are people everywhere looking for clever ways to change their body chemistry through diet and lifestyle tweaks to boost their overall health, cognition, weight loss and longevity. Asprey says the biohacker movement is about “working smarter, not harder.” Here, easy ways to DIY biology for the better using science based biohacks…

Best biohack for heart health: enjoy more sunshine

Asprey used to be overweight, suffering from brain fog and chronic diseases like arthritis, plus carrying a high risk of heart disease. Then he turned to biohacking. Now at 50 years old, his biological age is just 39. “All this healing can happen,” he says. “you can be better than you ever were, even in your 20s.” One reason for his health turnaround: “I moved to a sunny place over the last couple years.” He explains, “You just need sunshine. I was not getting enough sunshine in sunny Canada.” Research backs up his move: A study published in The Journal of Internal Medicine, tracking 30,000 women in Sweden over 2 decades, found that “more sunlight equals less heart disease,” says Asprey. Why? Scientists are still trying to figure it out. It may be the health benefits associated with vitamin D. But now plenty of experts are talking about the health benefits of getting early morning sunlight to optimize circadian rhythms. Amy Shah, MD, author of I’m So Effing Tired, even uses this daily morning mantra: “Sky before screens.”

Best biohack for muscle strength: try exercise ‘snacks’

It’s possible to build a strong, lean body without crazy workouts. In fact, many experts’ favorite biohacking involves not overworking their body in the exercise department. “Years ago, I used to do CrossFit and Orange Theory and run and do super high intensity [exercise],” says cancer survivor Jill Carnahan, MD, a functional medicine expert and author of Unexpected. “And then when I turned 40, I stopped exercising, and I got in the best shape of my life!” How? “What I do now is I sneak it in.” She explains, “when I’m making my coffee, I’ll do calf raises. I’ll do squats in the elevator or the bathroom. I just sneak exercises in through my day.” She adds, “I have a pull-up bar, both in my office and at home, so when I walk through that doorway, I do a few pull ups.” Dr. Carnahan says, “This is a way that you can get really good exercises, and not really work out.” This hacking habit can help for years to come since muscle is a major longevity organ, helping to protect from falls, improve balance, boost strength and rev metabolism as we age.

Learn more about enjoying taking bite-sized exercise “snacks” throughout the day.

Best biohack to beat stress: orgasm

Anna Cabeca, DO, triple board-certified doctor in gynecology, integrative medicine and anti-aging, admits, at age 38, “I was stressed, depressed and my hormones were a mess.” The best-selling author of The Hormone Fix and expert in intermittent fasting and menopausal weight loss says, “we’re biohackers. We want to make the smallest changes that’s going to give us the best results.” She realized the best way to counteract the stress hormone cortisol was with the love and bonding hormone oxytocin. It worked. Now she often “prescribes” to her patients what she calls “OxyPlay” or fun ways to boost oxytocin in the body. How exactly? She quips, “What’s better than an apple a day? And orgasm a day!” But beyond that, Dr. Cabeca says you can boost oxytocin by consuming vitamin-C rich foods, drinking chamomile tea and eating L. Reuteri yogurt. You can also boost oxytocin by practicing gratitude, laughing, cuddling with pets or loved ones, or even making eye contact with others. It’s a powerful health hack for women. And more feel-good news: “There’s a positive feedback loop,” says Dr. Cabeca. “The more oxytocin we have, the more we make. Within our own body is the most amazing pharmacy in the world!”

Best biohack for blood sugar: wear this device

“I have no interest in being average,” says biohacker Sara Gottfried, MD. She was educated at Harvard Medical School and MIT and became a precision medicine doctor who now takes care of professional basketball players on the Philadelphia 76ers. And much like the professional athletes she treats, she uses stats when optimizing health. And it’s not just typical things like heart rate. One stat she pays attention to: Lipoprotein(a)—it is a variant of LDL or “bad” cholesterol, which she says is a “critical marker of a silent heart attack.” She says, “If you haven’t had a lipoprotein(a) measured, do it in the next week. Make a commitment.” Another stat: “If you’re over age 45, you should have a coronary artery calcium score.” Lastly, Dr. Gottfried’s favorite stats come from watching her blood sugar while wearing a continuous glucose monitor device. She points out that 88% of people in the US aren’t metabolically healthy and  “women suffer more damage to their blood vessels” than men. In fact, Dr. Gottfried had prediabetes in her 30s, which she reversed, by getting real-life insights into how the food she ate affected her blood sugar levels. Her advice, “don’t be a black box” when it comes to knowing about your own health markers. She says, “measure what you want to optimize.” One to try: The Dexcom Stelo Glucose Biosensor System, the first CGM available in the US over the counter.

Best biohack for detox: sit in a sauna

Functional medicine doctor Will Cole, IFMCP, NMC, DC, is the host of The Art Of Being Well podcast, a New York Times bestselling author of Gut Feelings. He also calls famous clients including Gwyneth Paltrow a client. He is most impressed by the science of hot temperatures—from a sauna or tub—to trigger the sweating we need to rid our system of impurities that may be holding back our health or worsening our menopausal symptoms. “One of the significant keystone tools that we use clinically, and have for 14 years,” says Dr. Cole, “is an infrared sauna.” Why? It increases sweat and the excretion of toxins. He adds, “I’ve found that people, women especially, who consistently prioritize detoxification—and incorporate this lifestyle into their daily routine—experience healing and achieve a more balanced hormonal state.” He describes it as a good short-term stressor, “that over time, really makes the body more resilient.” He says, “When you see mold toxins and environmental toxins come down, you’ll see improvement.” He recommends starting low and slow, 3 to 7 sessions per week to build up your personal heat tolerance. Look for saunas at local gyms, YMCAs and spas. For at-home use, Dr. Cole recommends the Sunlighten Solo portable sauna system with infrared light. And to take this biohack to the next level, Dr. Cole recommends patients practice meditation or mindfulness in the sauna to “habit stack.”

Best biohack for cognition: take a mental vacation

Patrick Porter, PhD, is a pioneer in brainwave technology. He’s actually developed ways for people to get the relaxing benefits of decades of meditation, within minutes. And he is quick to point out, this “is not something you have to believe in. This is science.” He explains, “If you really want to biohack your body, you can do it with your biology and your psychology.” His top biohack: take a 20-minute break around 2pm in the afternoon to achieve peak mental performance. Why? When we listen to soothing music or guided meditations, like Dr. Porter is known for, it mimics the calm of nature. Dr. Porter has helped people reduce stress levels 45%, decrease depression 71%, improve sleep quality 48% and improve positive mindset 41% after just 2 weeks. Dr. Porter explains that most people live in a stressful, busy brain state with around 18 cps (cycles per second) of brain waves, compared to those felt by the ocean (10 cps, or Alpha brain wave activity) or in the mountains (8 cps or Theta brain wave activity.) He explains, “These are the two frequencies that most adults are missing” for feel good neurotransmitters. He adds, “We found a way that we can hack the brain and get you the same physiological response as you would going on one of those physical vacations, but by taking a mental vacation.” One study-proven tool to help: wearing Dr. Porter’s BrainTap headset, which looks like virtual reality goggles. It uses light, sound and powerful guided meditations through the BrainTap app.

Learn how BrainTap meditation helped one woman ease her chronic joint pain.

Best biohack for sleep: enjoy ultra darkness

Asprey uses black out curtains to make sure to block light in his bedroom at night, optimizing sleep. He also limits damaging blue light from technology from affecting his eyes. Another one of his favorite, all-natural sleep tools: A face pillow called a Sleep Crown. Think of it like a weighted blanket to lay over your eyes to trigger deep relaxation in your central nervous system. In fact, the body longs for gentle compression. (Think of babies happily sleeping while being swaddled in a blanket.) These sleep hacks can be particularly helpful for women, who are twice as likely than men to suffer from insomnia, especially during menopause years.

Best biohack for weight: eat more protein

In his daily diet, Asprey prioritizes protein and limits carbs—and it works for him. Cleaning up his diet helped him lose 100 pounds and keep it off for years, with very little exercise. How much protein are we talking? He consumes 0.8 to 1 gram of dietary protein for every pound of his body weight. That’s a steep number, but people can get there by eating things like meat, eggs, protein-rich smoothies and legumes for their meals and snacks. As a bonus: eating quality protein directly improves energy levels and helps people improve their health in countless ways.

Read more about getting 30 grams of protein for breakfast for weight loss.

Best biohack for your brain: supplement with gingko

Daniel Amen, MD, founder of Amen Clinics, has been called the most popular psychiatrist in the country, with famous clients including Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Kendell Jenner and Leeza Gibbons. He says, “I fell in love with psychiatry because it has the potential to change generations of people. It just doesn’t help you. It helps your children. It helps your grandchildren.” Historically, psychiatry has been “the only medical specialty that never looked at the organ it treats.” But Dr. Amen revolutionized the field by bringing brain scans into his practice. By looking at the scans, he could make targeted recommendations and see dramatic results for patients. For example, in his study of former NFL players, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, he showed that subjects with brain damage could experience 80% improvement in symptoms over 6 months, with simple lifestyle changes like supplementing with gingko. (Gingko is even linked to regrowing hair.) Dr. Amen says, “the big lesson from 250,000 scans is you are not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better and I can prove it.”

Read more about how Dr. Amen biohacks the brain for weight loss.

Best biohack for wrinkles: try this antioxidant

Antioxidants work to undo the damage in our body caused by oxidation, which is a bit like age-related “rust” that tarnishes our cells. But many people have not heard of the most powerful antioxidant known to the body: glutathione. And glutathione has the ability to make our body look, feel and function younger. It has been shown to decrease skin wrinkles, plump elasticity and fade age spots. In fact, researcher and compounding pharmacist for the stars Nayan Patel, PharmD, author of The Glutathione Revolution, says, “It’s never too late to give your body a chance to heal itself.” You can naturally boost glutathione by eating sulfur-rich foods like Brussels sprouts and broccoli. But our body makes less of this antioxidant as we age so supplementation is helpful. Dr. Patel developed a patented technology to “fold” the large, unruly glutathione molecule so it could be better absorbed topically through skin. Try: GlutaRyl glutathione spray. Patel’s 87-year-old father has become amazingly youthful, overcoming health conditions like high blood pressure, with the help of glutathione. Patel adds, “Aging is inevitable, but we don’t have to suffer.”

Learn more about using glutathione for weight loss.

Best biohack for anti-aging: try this fatty acid

Back in 2012, Columbia University researchers discovered that cells in the body were dying from a new, modern cause called ferroptosis. It had something to do with having weak, unstable fatty acids in the cell membranes. The good news: Scientists have discovered a fix. It’s the first “new” essential fatty acid to be discovered in 90 years and it’s called C15:0. It was discovered by veterinarian epidemiologist and public health scientist Stephanie Venn-Watson, DVM, MPH, who was busy studying geriatric animals. C15 is naturally found in fish, plants and full-fat dairy foods. She explains, “being an essential fatty acid means it’s a nutrient our body needs, but it can’t make, therefore we have to get it from our food or from supplements.” What that means for cellular health and health outcomes: “C15 effectively repairs the mitochondria and restores healthy cells, fixing this entirely new way that our cells are dying, which is really exciting.” One supplement to try is Fatty15.