How to biohack your life using tech

The start of a new year often calls for a complete overhaul of your fitness goals. Whether you’ve just started a fresh gym membership or switched to cutting out processed foods, it can be hard to stick to a brand new regime – but that’s where biohacking comes in handy. What is biohacking you ask? Think of it as a DIY approach to your personal biology, where you can use tech to track your body’s metrics like heart rate, sleep pattern, and calorie intake. 

For an insight into what fitness tracker apps and wearable technology you should have on hand to help with your personal goals, former Olympian and Commonwealth Games track star-turned-cyclist Philip Goedluck (my talented dad) offers his biohacking tips on using the best tech and apps to keep you in top shape. 

Start with steps

New to the exercise game? There’s no need to start off by worrying about leg day. “For most people, the easiest form of exercising is walking,” explains Goedluck. He says the goal is to aim between 6,700 –16,000 steps a day to stay healthy. If it’s in the budget, a Fitbit Inspire 3 will track your steps for you and sync all your data in the accompanying app. If you have an Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, both come with free in-built step counters, so you can easily stay on track. 

Product recommendations: Fitbit Inspire 3, Apple and Android built-in step counters

Managing your mind

We all have good and bad mental health days, but Goedluck explains that consistently keeping your mind sharp is key to overall success: “In the long term, the goal should be to set up a life-changing habit to support your mental health to discover the healthier, happier you.” Biohacking your brain with tools like the meditative app Headspace or Apple’s Mental Wellbeing section of the Health app will help you monitor your moods, so you can understand yourself better. “These apps help you get in the zone to unlock mental barriers that may be holding you back from performing at your best,” says Goedluck. “It’s not just for sport, though,” he continues, “It’s about your mental wellbeing to approach each day, and each day comes with nuance.” 

Product recommendations: Headspace app and Apple’s Health app

Keeping your heart healthy

OK, so you have certain exercise goals, but is your heart really in it? Goedluck says that your heartbeat is a key indicator of how fit you truly are. To make sure his ticker is ticking along smoothly, Goedluck has a Samsung Galaxy LTE 46mm watch. “It records my heartbeat constantly throughout the day,” he explains, “but it can do it on demand if I need it to.” He wears a heart rate monitor when cycling that’s directly linked to his Garmin app, so he can see exactly how much effort he’s exerting. “The main focus is your heart and not overdoing it too much,” he explains, adding that a Fitbit or Garmin watch are also great pieces of wearable technology for biohacking your heart’s rhythm.

Recommendations: Smartwatches including Samsung Galaxy LTE, FitBit, Garmin

Getting enough sleep

According to Goedluck, hitting the hay is just as important as the amount of exercise you do to meet your fitness goals. “If you’re exercising regularly, in general, it’s good to get between 6-8 hours of sleep per night,” he says. Goedluck’s Samsung Galaxy LTE watch monitors his sleeping pattern but he also recommends an Oura ring as a more subtle piece of wearable technology that tracks the same stats. “These health trackers can monitor your average daily sleep duration and then break the data down into your REM sleep, where you’re surface-level asleep, and deep sleep,” he explains. You can then use the information to improve your sleep schedule as and where you see fit. 

Product recommendations: Samsung Galaxy LTE watch, Oura ring

Need-to-know nutrition

While most of us understand the importance of getting your 5 A Day, making sure you’re not overeating – especially if you want to lose weight – is a lot harder than it seems. Goedluck explains that it’s smart to tailor your diet to your specific needs: “You can do a lot of marathon running and eat a lot of carbs but is that really what you need based on your height, weight, and gender?” Using a free app like MyFitnessPal or FatSecret that you can download on any iPhone or Android will help you set daily, weekly, and monthly calorific goals. “A calorie tracker can help you become a better runner by biohacking your diet to manage what type of food you're eating and in what portions, to figure out what works for you,” he says.

Product recommendations: My Fitness Pal and FatSecret apps

Monitoring your monthly cycle

For those who menstruate, there are additional health tracker apps that will help you with biohacking your cycle. “Each person’s period is different but your cycle can affect your athletic performance,” explains Goedluck. During menstruation, hormones shift and iron levels decrease due to blood loss which can cause tiredness. “By monitoring your menstrual cycle in relation to your exercise regime, you can optimize the best time to train, whether this be because of your mood or physical state,” Goedluck adds. Track your periods via Apple’s Health app or purchase apps like Flo and Clue for a more comprehensive breakdown. 

Product recommendations: Flo, Clue, and Apple Health apps

Perform at your peak

There’s only one way to gain an overview of your overall fitness – and that’s by downloading a fitness tracker app that works with the wearable technology at your disposal. Goedluck explains that he’s a Garmin user through and through. “On my bike, I have a Garmin computer that’s connected to certain bike metrics like pedaling power and speed,” he says. “Once I finish a ride, the computer will update all this information to the Garmin app on my phone.” The Nike and Strava apps are free resources where you can track your runs, cycles, and hikes with ease. “But remember, nothing works unless you put the data in,” says Goedluck. 

Product recommendations: Garmin, Nike, and Strava apps