What I Learned From My DNA Health Report (and How One Could Benefit You)
If you know me, you know Maya Angelou is one of my favorite humans. She’s always inspired me, and one of my favorite quotes from her is, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” That quote has always spoken to me on so many levels. Initially I looked at it from the personal development perspective, but it’s also so relevant from the health and fitness angle. So many of us eat the way we do or train the way we do because it’s what we’ve known our entire lives, it’s what our families did, or it’s what society tells us to do. Remember: You are unique, but you are never alone.
A close friend recently inspired me to get a DNA health report. I’ve wanted to for ages, but I didn’t exactly know how to go about it, didn’t want to spend a small fortune, and the process sounded a bit complicated. (I was, admittedly, dismissive for no reason.) Well, it didn’t cost a small fortune; it was $40 or $50 for the initial DNA report I did through Ancestry a couple of years ago (I don’t remember how much it was exactly, but I did get it on sale, and you can also do 23andMe), and then only $25 for the health report—I did Found My Fitness which walks you through the process pretty smoothly. Here’s what I’ve learned, and even though most of it is specific to me, I think it’s enlightening when it comes to the importance of knowing ourselves.
Everyone is different. Sometimes we follow certain diet or training plans because marketing or influential friends tell us it’s “the best” way. Here’s the thing: The best way for me might not be the best way for you. This was a resounding lesson as I read through my report and it expands to so many other areas in life. (This even applies to getting the report to begin with. If you’re prone to anxiety/worrying, definitely make sure you go over the report with a doctor.)
Reading your report can either inspire you or demotivate you. It all depends on your mindset, but I encourage you to have a positive mindset going into it. I had some scary DNA markers, none of which were really surprising given family history, but it was a bit of an eye-opener since, until getting my report, I dismissed family health history as something that would of course never happen to me. That’s, of course, an unrealistic mindset. Again, if anything causes you concern when you get yours, talk about it with your doctor before you panic. Just because you’re at risk for something, doesn’t mean it will happen, especially if you make lifestyle changes that will mitigate those concerns and optimize your health. I’d rather be equipped and know the best ways to mitigate certain risks rather than live in ignorance.
I learned vegetarianism/veganism is not the best option for me due to certain deficiencies and risks. This was a bit disappointing for me given recent convictions I’ve had about sustainability and animal cruelty and I’m still quite conflicted about it; I’ve been on the path to a vegetarian diet and was 95% there. There is a lot of vegan culture out there promoting it as the best and only way, even in terms of health and not just sustainability, and I have to disagree. There are a lot of benefits to eating less meat, but once again, every beautiful body is unique. Throughout my report there were recommendations to follow a Mediterranean diet for optimal health, so I’m currently exploring and researching that. I definitely still plan to avoid chicken due to a lot of what I’ve learned about how they are raised and treated, and I eat red meat maybe once a month (if that), so I’ll focus on sustainably caught seafood once or twice a week (mostly wild-caught salmon, which is, from what I’ve read, one of the more sustainable options out there, but I know there are lots of opinions on this).
I discovered the best way to exercise for my body type: high load/low rep for strength building and high intensity for cardio. I’ve definitely been sucked into the mindset of, “Well I want to be leaner, so I should train high rep/low weight.” This mindset is especially prevalent among women, and it’s simply not true for everyone. I shouldn’t have been surprised, because I was in the best shape of my life when I was getting under heavy barbells and doing mile sprints rather than long-distance running. The lesson here: listen to your body, not what other people tell you. Another interesting discovery: the report recommended fasted cardio specifically (and more on fasting later).
I said goodbye to coffee for good reason. I can’t tell you how much better I started to feel when I started drinking more cacao and less coffee. As of a couple of months ago, I drink coffee maybe once or twice a month, so I found it interesting that my report indicated I should quit coffee/caffeine because I’m a slow caffeine metabolizer, which leads to hypertension and also a negative effect on muscle performance; not to mention, I also have markers for chronic stress/anxiety, which was actually why I stopped drinking so much coffee to begin with. (Pre-workout, especially, messed with my sleep and increased my anxiety.) We convince ourselves we need things when we actually don’t.
I learned what vitamins I need and don’t need. Vitamins have always been a guessing game for me and then would just accumulate and become clutter because I rarely remembered to take them. My genetics also indicated decreased thermogenesis, which means my body doesn’t warm itself up as quickly in the cold (I had to google it). I guess I can stop feeling weak about my low tolerance for Virginia winters, but it was interesting to find out that fish oil can increase thermogenesis, so I definitely will be adding that to my vitamin regimen. I restarted my Care/of subscription and customized my daily packets according to my health report (I love that they’ve started using compostable packaging!), and I’m so much more motivated to take them now that I’ve taken a more intentional approach.
Intermittent fasting could be beneficial for me for multiple reasons. I was a devout intermittent faster for about a year, and somehow fell off that train a while ago, and then I started to read that intermittent fasting can have negative effects on women, so I used that as an excuse not to get back on the train rather than, once again, listening to my own body. I felt great when I fasted. One of my markers is associated with the “hunter-gatherer phenotype” and “may be less tolerant of carbohydrates in the diet.” Don’t love that for me. But, it later says intermittent fasting, and especially fasted exercise, can help to mitigate this. I love my carbs, so it definitely wasn’t hard to get back in the intermittent fasting camp. My only issue: I love putting protein powder in my morning cacao (it tastes like a delicious caffeine-free latte), so I’ll have to find an alternative or try to have my cacao later in the day.
There is so much information in this report and there is also so much research linked throughout. I’ll be honest—I still don’t understand most of it and I’ll probably be learning from it for years, but these were the initial, straightforward points that stood out to me. If you need some motivation to level up in life, definitely consider this and let me know what you think. The more we learn about ourselves, the better we can treat ourselves and the healthier we can be. I’m so excited to make more positive change in my life.
Have you ever gotten a health report, and if so, what was your biggest takeaway? If you haven’t, what intrigues you about it, and what are your apprehensions? I’d love to hear from you. Comment below!
