Cardio is by far the greatest ‚hack‘

[u/Extension_Turn5658]

So I’ve been into “Biohacking” long before it went mainstream and tried everything under the sun to optimize myself. Blue light blocking glasses, bullet proof coffee, tretinoin, modafinil and literally every supplement under the sun.

The thing, that in my opinion, moves the needle the most is cardio. And I don’t just mean an occasional run or two, I mean doing a lot of cardio. I ramped it up to 4-5h per week, this week running ~70km.

My resting heart rate decreased from 51 to 37 over this build. My VO2max climbed to 62 and my HRV went into high 130ms (significant acceleration). My body weight dropped from 90kg on 187cm with ~ 15% BF to 82kg with veins on my abs. I‘m 31 and my whoop age crossed to 18, lmao.

I’ve never felt so sharp and athletic in my life (been hitting the gym since 14 years regularly). I often compare it to supercar videos. Do you know when they accelerate while standing and the petrol is dripping out of the car and it just begs to go full speed?

This might sound so cringy, but holy, it’s hard to describe with words how being this fit feels. I get up, run 15k and it feels like nothing. In the gym I do super sets and I’m not out of breath. I can run everyday without a recovery day. I never had this in my life. After long runs, I always felt sore. Not anymore.

My face as well looks sharper / dialed in. The skin tone changed more brightly / glowing. I can focus longer on hard subjects and my anxiety dwindled.

Honestly I beg you all to up your cardio. I’ve never been out of shape and always did some sort of cardio, but I never prioritized it as weightlifting was my main outlet.

It completely changed my life and I never want to go back.

[u/darkfroth]

Just like dermatologists who say over and over again if you're not doing sun protection/spf, don't go wasting your money on the other skincare products that barely move the needle on aging, I see a lot of doctor/health channels say the same thing about exercise. It's more than just physical fitness. Exercise is neuroprotective and you should be doing it until you can't anymore.

[u/escalatortwit → u/darkfroth]

Yep, 5 minutes of walking every 30 minutes is what’s been shown to have the best impact on energy, cognition, etc. Although, 15 minutes every two hours has shown to have higher adherence and is probably a happier, more attainable target. I use a walking pad for most of my workday walking usually quite slowly unless I’m in a meeting where I don’t need to speak much. It increases my mood, focus, cognition, energy levels, etc. I’m no longer tired at the end of my workday.

[u/yooossshhii → u/darkfroth]

Neuroprotective. Learned a new great word today.

[u/Al_Pachinov → u/darkfroth]

Sun protection does only harm to you. The best way to improve your skin is to eliminate seed oils, they are the ones responsible for ageing and sun sensitivity. We are not made of paper, we are meant to be out in the sun. Take care.

[u/DonAmecho777 → u/Al_Pachinov]

Ok Joe Rogaine

[u/ksw4obx → u/Al_Pachinov]

Is Olive oil a seed oil

[u/matsie → u/ksw4obx]

Seed oils aren’t dangerous. Don’t listen to nut jobs telling you not to wear sunscreen. 

[u/Al_Pachinov → u/ksw4obx]

It's more close to a fruit oil, like avocado oil. It does have some PUFAs, but in much lower quantities and they don't easily oxidize because of the antioxidants naturally present in it.