Zach Ware

How I Approach Health

My primary objective is to maximize my functional health span (what I can do) and delay the onset of chronic disease (lifespan). This doc provides background on how I define and live out the pillars of this.

I’m not a biohacker. I believe health should be approached on two levels:

  1. Stop doing things that hurt you.
  2. Maximize our body’s onboard biology.
  3. Hack our onboard biology.

Most people doing health experiments start on level three. This is how you end up taking Metformin and HGH while drinking every day and eating garbage. That’s dumb.

I also didn’t want to be one of those insuffrable people who never stops talking about how early they get up, their ice baths, and their ten step morning routine. I do a lot of those things some times, but not always. I try to build sustainable habits and ways of living instead of rigid protocols that help me live longer but make me miserable.

My food lifestyle focuses primarily on minimizing inflammation and maximizing happiness. I measure a host of markers with regular blood tests.

An increasing number of studies link inflammation with big problems such as depression, chronic disease, cancer and early death. Recently a number of studies have found the only common link between those living longer than 100 years is a pattern of low inflammation markers. It pays to focus on inflammation.

None of this started intentionally nor was I as focused on food science then. In 2015 I wanted to feel and look better. So I started to eat less things that made me feel bad and more things that made me feel good. During my no drinking experiment, I took my first blood test and discovered high inflammation markers.

From there my lifestyle turned into an obsessive science which, while complex on the surface, is actually quite simple in practice.

In September 2015 I quit drinking for a 30-day blood test experiment. At the end of the month, I felt so good that I didn’t start again.

I no longer require medication for anxiety, depression or high blood pressure (all of which I was on at age 32). My body fat is consistently below 10-12% (thanks mainly to my competitive sports training). And I’m happy.

My definition of clean eating could be described as Paleo-ish. See the food rules below for more.

Nutrition

What I Eat + How I Eat
I’ve been evolving this since March 2015. Updated Jan 2022.

I consider this a lifestyle, not a diet. A friend once I asked me how I think about diets, this was my response.

M2 Performance Nutrition I work with a performance nutritionist to help target overall calories and macro splits. They help me balance energy levels, recover, and stay fueled for life and training. Since late-2021 I’ve incorporated a significant amount of aerobic work (running/swimming) into my training load. Fueling for aerobic work is beyond my nutritional skill set. M2 doesn’t program what I eat. That stays inline with the previous point.

Supplements
I have what some might call a gnarly supplement routine. Each thing has a purpose, sometimes I cycle things out after a bit but a lot of them have remained steady for years.

Glucose Tracking with Levels
I’m an investor in and friends with the founder of Levels Health. I generally stay within my target range of 70-100 mg/dl, spiking knowingly by eating a piece of pie or some other indulgence occasionally. So I don’t wear the CGM very often anymore.

Training

As of early 2022 I’m training for competition. I wear a Garmin Fenix 6X and if we were friends on Garmin we could challenge each other:

Sleep

I’ve used an Oura ring for several years to help with sleep tracking, avoid overtraining and to understand negative and positive impacts of daily choices on my sleep. I only wear it when I’m in bed.

Blood Testing and System Health

I track a silly number of biomarkers focused on areas of lifespan and healthspan, with special attention to lipid panels, inflammation markers, and testosterone. Most recent bloodwork summary here

*Recent DEXA Scans (Updated 11/21/21) I get a DEXA scan every so often primarily to watch visceral fat and android(waste)/gynoid(leg) fat ratio.

Heads Up Health
I use Heads Up to consolidate all of my data including Garmin activity, Cronometer, blood testing, sleep and more. I review it frequently to learn about correlations and adjust.