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UAE: What is it biohacking, how can it make you feel younger?

Coach Shirley Dsouza explains how simple steps can help you get to your fittest self

“Every one of us has a chronological age and a biological age,” says Shirley Dsouza, a UAE-based certified Keto and Primal Living coach. “Biohacking can help you reverse your biological age, so your body is younger than you are,” she explains.

Dsouza began her fitness journey as a regular Jane, with the usual problems that come with a dynamic corporate lifestyle such as weight gain and lethargy. She tried many diets, she says, “from the blood-based diet to juice cleanses.” And while doing so, she realised that it wasn’t working for her. It was at this point, that she heard about the ketogenic diet, which promotes the consumption of a high protein, high on good fat and low-on-carbohydrate meal plans.

She fared well during this phase and lost weight only to find herself also losing hair. A consultation with a keto coach abroad put her on the path to finding what worked for her – a nutritional approach to keto. “That’s when I realised there’s a huge difference between nutritional keto and dirty keto,” she tells City Times.

In five months she had lost over 35 kilos and found a new purpose in life; to help others get to their fittest best. And so began the journey of the woman who would become KetoCoachDXB. Eight years since she started her journey to good health, she has not only kept her weight off but also helped others be fit. She went on to launch Meal2Heal, which supplies nutritional, ready-to-eat meals across the UAE.

And then, as she looked for ways to improve her knowledge base, she found another term doing the rounds, biohacking.

What is biohacking?

It may sound like a buzzword, but basically biohacking is simply the little shifts you make in lifestyle, add-ons in routine or even tech that you employ to make your body function at its best. “So keto is already a form of biohacking. This [biohacking] can help you reverse ailments.”

“The main thing about getting reversing your biological age is (taking care of) your gut health and your liver,” she says, adding that ignoring these things can lead to autoimmune diseases, allergies, infertility and cholesterol issues.

Dubai is leading the charge on biohacking, and an Asia and MENA biohacking conference is planned in October this year; a global biohack summit was also held last year.

“One of the best biohacks is just sleeping eight hours a day, people forget how important sleep is,” says Dsouza.

Another easy-to-do ‘hack’, says Dsouza, is helpful to those with diabetes and who suffer from insulin resistance. “Have a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with water every day. It’s scientifically proven that this reduces your glycemic index, so you're not absorbing that much sugar,” she says, explaining that if you consume more than you burn, you’ll end up storing what should be energy as fat.

“Do your blood work in three months, then in six months, so you can see your changes,” she suggests.

Is there a certain age at which to begin?

Most proponents of the biohacking way of living are between 35 and 50, according to Dave Asprey, author of Smarter, Not Harder: The Biohacker’s Guide to Getting the Body and Mind You Want, because this is when people typically realise the affect ageing is having on their bodies. “(Biohacking) is a global movement based on the idea that you can change the environment around you and inside of you so you have full control of your own biology,” Asprey was quoted as saying in Forbes.

However, there is no age at which to begin to be your prime self, believes Dsouza. “What you call you can start biohacking in the most simplest way with your kids is by changing their diet (to a healthier one), incorporating workouts and the right supplements.”

Biohacking can help with anti-ageing, says Dsouza. “I'm part of the group called the UAE Biohacking Club. And we meet up once a month and there are different devices that we talk about various machines that can help the process.” Such as keeping electromagnetic field (EMF) shields around the house, which can help cut down your exposure to the EMF coming off cell phones and other electronics and help navigate the body to a better – and more natural circadian rhythm.

More and more, people are getting wise to the benefits of biohacking – and help is always at hand. “There are clinics in the UAE where you can go find out your biological age, which can help you then work on it. There are clinics with oxygen therapy, light therapies, cryotherapy,” she adds.

Want to get on the biohacking wagon? The first thing is to get some help. “Most people want to get fit but say they don’t have the time or energy after a long day of work. So the first thing for them to do is go to a functional nutritionist who will tell them about electrolytes (and how increasing key elements or taking certain supplements will help boost their energy levels),” she says.

“Do baby steps, don’t let it overwhelm you. Start small, with red light therapy panels maybe.”

Red light therapy, according to US-based Clevland Clinic, “is thought to work by acting on the “power plant” in your body's cells called mitochondria. With more energy, other cells can do their work more efficiently, doing things like repairing skin, boosting new cell growth and enhancing skin rejuvenation.”

Dsouza concurs. She explains that now there are many masks and panels available.

Cost concerns

However, this doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavour, she says. “I ask my clients, ‘What can you afford?’” Pay attention, she says, to the science behind the actions required. For example, the stimulation of the vagus nerve, located on the side of your neck, can help you relax. There are also options of a vagus nerve stimulator in the market, she adds. “So it depends on how lazy you are. So you can go the most simplest way possible or try a more complex route.”

At the end of the day, there are several ways to help your body get to the fittest point it can be. The important thing, says Dsouza, is to do your research so you do what suits your body best.

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