My Journey to Becoming a Biohacker

Sophie Kemp 

Bio: I’m a biohacker who is passionate about nutrition and optimising my health. The loves of my life include my fiancée, my friends and family, and avocado (some may say I have an addiction!). My mission is to try and help everyone enjoy a happy and healthy existence.

I’ve had an interest in health from a young age and always considered myself to be a pretty healthy eater (in large part thanks to my mum). Growing up, we always had healthy, homemade school lunches and mum always made sure we ate plenty of fruit and veggies. I jumped on the bandwagon and started CrossFit around 2012, and this is when I discovered the paleo/primal diet.

I began reading and researching everything and anything I could about this way of living. I started changing my eating patterns and tailoring my habits accordingly. I fell in love with the paleo/primal philosophy and the fact that it isn’t just a way of eating – it is a whole lifestyle that incorporates everything from how we work, play, exercise and sleep.

Eventually, I found Bulletproof Coffee and started drinking it regularly. Some would even say, I become a little obsessed! I started reading Dave’s blogs, listening to his podcasts regularly, and ‘biohacking’ my life.

I found once I started eating a more paleo/primal diet, I had more energy and did not need to eat as much as I used to. Particularly when I discovered Bulletproof and started adding more fat to my diet, I found that I only really needed to eat 2 meals per day (with a bulletproof coffee in the morning of course!). I stopped craving snacks throughout the day like I used to.  What more could you ask for?!

The following are some simple examples of how I have embraced the paleo/primal lifestyle:

• Better sleep – I wear blue light blocking glasses at night (much to my fiancée’s disgust!) and turn my phone on flight mode while sleeping to reduce EMF transmissions. I found that these simple ‘hacks’ have really helped to improve the quality of my sleep.

• Eating out / drinking – I take activated charcoal when eating out or having a few drinks to reduce the impact of toxins on how I feel (and particularly how I recover the day after a night out!). Last year when I travelled to Vietnam, I found taking charcoal with every meal really helped to sustain my energy and stopped me from getting sick, even when eating street food.

• More energy at work – I have an office job and suggested to my boss that we invest in some sit-to-stand desks, to increase people’s energy and productivity. We now have one such desk (which everyone in the office shares) and there are more on the way! I also try and sit outside during my lunch breaks to get some fresh air and vitamin D.

More recently, I’ve been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue so am taking a different approach to how I exercise and eat (not doing intermittent fasting, upping my carbs and drinking decaf coffee). I love the bulletproof approach of n = 1 and am trying to make changes and monitor how I’m feeling along the way. More to come on this in the future – stay tuned!

Do you have a similar story to share or some everyday ‘hacks’ you use to maximise your performance?  We’d love to hear from you – please leave a comment below!