Improvement Is In The Blood

A few posts back, I have written about how I have gone through some blood tests to see what I have been lacking in and how I could improve. This is an update about how this has gone, from what markers I had to work on and how they look now, a couple of months after implementing the changes that were recommended to me by the brilliant Dr Tamsin Lewis (aka SportieDoc) via her specialised practice, CuroSeven.

Vitamin D, testosterone, and hemoglobin were the main markers that were low in my first blood screening. Almost all the other usual markers that we all look for and know in a normal blood test, such cholesterol levels, iron, potassium and sodium, were all in the “green zone”, which I attribute to a balanced diet.

According to the feedback I got from Dr Lewis, it seemed that the way I was training, as well as certain routines in my nutrition, were the possible causes for the not-so-ideal levels in these markers, or at least by changing certain aspects of my training and nutrition, I should be able to improve these to more acceptable levels.

What I received were a list of very specific recommendations as to how I could improve these specific markers, and how the improvement should in turn affect my well-being and performance. Moreover, for someone who is obsessed with details like myself, I also needed to know the details of why and how, to which I got very clear and precise answers.

The first test was made on 12 December. Since then, I have made very specific changes to my training to help reduce the effects of my sessions on my body, I have implemented certain adjustments to my diet, such as increasing the intake of certain nutrients and reducing others by changing the food I eat, and I have added the intake of supplements to help regulate what I needed to improve.

When it came to supplements, I had to make sure everything was within acceptable guidelines and that I was not taking anything on the banned substances lists. Dr Lewis’s recommendations for the supplements were always for brands that were known and tested for their lack of any banned substances, as well as, of course, their effectiveness. Yet, since the responsibility of what goes into my body is ultimately mine and mine only, I had to do my own research, as well as obtain the list of banned substances, and I compared each ingredient against the list just to be sure.

During the two months since my first blood test, especially I would say after around 4 or 5 weeks, I have started to feel some definite changes. First and foremost, I have felt that my recovery was taking much less time than the usual. Over the years, I have come to a stage where I can feel my body very accurately, and once I have made the adjustments, the post training fatigue is much less and much shorter. This meant that I was less tired in general, and my following sessions were much more intense without doing that much more effort.

Second, I have become much more aggressive during my sessions. It is difficult to explain this in swimming, cycling or running, as they aren't usually sports associated with aggression, and you’d associate this more with combat sports, such as boxing, but I have found this burning fire inside that made my sessions a bit more intense. There is one drawback to this newly found aggression, though, is that I find it very difficult to have days without some intense or long training sessions (such as when I'm travelling or during my recovery periods), as I become very agitated quite easily.

Third, my concentration and general awareness have improved significantly! I can stay focused for much longer and not get as tired as I used to. This definitely helps a lot with my focus and energy levels when I do late evening training sessions after a full day of work and training earlier in the day.

On 11 February, I went for another blood test to check the progress and see if the changes I have felt were just in my head or were actually real. They were more than real! My testosterone levels have gone up way more than I imagined they would, my vitamin D levels, which were extremely low, have also gone up to nearly be where they should, and my hemoglobin has increased to a level where I do not have to worry about such a comment as “borderline anaemic”.

This doesn't mean that it is all over, but the main work is done for now. I still have some other markers that I need to either monitor or work on, as well as still try to optimise the ones that I have already been working on. This whole experience with making lifestyle adjustments according to what my blood says has taught me that everything we put into our bodies and even everything we do, when we do it and how we do it, has an effect on our bodies, not just in appearance, but in every other aspect such as our moods, cravings, and general mental and physical well-being.

To say that I am ecstatic about how this whole thing worked out would be an understatement! I am now a true believer in this approach, where a very precise scientific explanation and justification for all aspects, including training and nutrition, is a much better way to stay healthy and achieve not just optimal performance, but, more importantly, an optimal lifestyle and state of mind. I have also made adjustments to my triathlon coaching and nutrition advice to reflect this newly found indicator, which, I believe, should be an integral part of any successful training or nutrition programme.

As always, I am more than happy to hear your comments and feedback!