Everyone has goals, and many variables influence the chance of achieving those goals. One of the biggest factors underpinning every goal is “physiological readiness,” or how ready your body is to perform and adapt. The ability to lose weight, run faster, increase lean mass, and improve cognitive function all heavily rely on physiological readiness.

Personalized bloodwork analysis is a powerful tool in understanding physiological readiness and addressing constraints to accelerate progress. Bloodwork’s shift out of the lab and into the hands of the consumer has been monumental in the realm of personal health. Now, high performers can easily access deeper insight into their personal physiology.

When digging into your individual physiology, there are many tests to choose—from heart rate tracking to comprehensive bloodwork. When looking at test results, it’s important to understand the depth of insight they are providing. General tests give general stories. Specific tests give specific details. Bloodwork offers the most detail to personalized physiology in one place. When interpreted through a performance lens, bloodwork can uncover physiological constraints and determine which shortcomings are root cause problems and which are merely symptoms.

Interventions to Boost Physiological Readiness

Human physiology is a complex system of systems which are constantly responding to stimuli, or stressors. Some of these stressors come from our environment and our choices. Think about how much exposure to sunlight you get or how you prioritize protein consumption. Others come from within the body. As discussed in the second article, the interplay of the multiple systems is a delicate balancing act. As one system starts to disrupt this balance, others respond accordingly.

Because of this constant adaptation, every system in the body is in a state of flux which often leads to one or more physiological constraint. Luckily, once a constraint is identified, it can be addressed. Leaning on scientific literature, we can find interventions that help fix imbalances. Holistically, these interventions fit nicely into three general categories:

• Nutrition is based on the consumption of whole food. Diet has a profound impact on physiological function, e.g., fiber has been shown to have multiple benefits. Beyond gut health, fiber has been shown to positively influence cholesterol levels, which has positive implications for cardiovascular performance.

• Lifestyle interventions are habits that are built in everyday activity, e.g., sleep is often the last thing on anyone’s mind. Some people actually wear their sleep deprivation as a badge of honor. But the truth is sleep is extremely important for hormonal concentrations, especially anabolic hormones like testosterone, which can have further implications for recovery, physical performance, and metabolic processes.

• Supplements help fill in the gaps that are often missed when consuming a regular diet. Some nutrients are needed in greater quantities than the diet can supply or they are just not in it, e.g., fish oil, an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, supports multiple functions throughout the human body. It supports optimal biomarker levels related to cognitive function which can help promote cognitive performance. For many of us, fish is the last thing on our minds, much less our plates. Fish oil is a great way to fill this gap in our diets. 
  

By understanding exactly what is holding us back physiologically, we can directly address it with specific science-based interventions. This helps to remove constraints and boost physiological readiness for the goals in front of us.