I view myself as a guinea pig.

No not a literal guinea pig LOL.

There was this class guinea pig in 6th grade named Bo Jangles.

Hope you are doing well in guinea pig heaven bro. <3

Okay back to the point of this email.

Below is an image of my most recent DEXA Scan that I got yesterday.

***There are more images to this report. I am only showing you the first page.***

By guinea pig, I meant I try a bunch of different tests, technologies, supplements, etc... in hopes to improve my own quality of life, as well as sharing that info with you to help you improve your own quality of life.

And one thing that has been extremely helpful for me to understand my body more, DEXA scans.

As you can see from the sheet above, my first test was exactly 13 months ago from today, and since then I have had 4 total tests.

Throughout this time I have tweaked my training, tweaked my nutrition, tweaked my supplements, and tweaked my sleeping habits.

Why?

Because my goal was to:

1. Improve Athletic Performance (Strength, Speed, and Endurance)
2. Gradually gain weight (Even if that meant adding fat %)

When I first got this test my fat % was 10%. A lot of people may look at that and "wish" that was them.

Yet, if you are familiar with the role fat plays in our bodies you will know that once you go under 7-10% body fat as a male for long periods of time it will actually become counter productive to health and longevity.

Studies have shown that bodybuilders who go under 6% for long periods of time suffer from a reduction in immune system function, hormonal dysfunction, kidney/liver issues, and increased chances for cardiac problems. Sports performance will also be hindered.

As someone who has been malnourished and naturally skinny my entire life, seeing that number on my first DEXA scan gave me clear evidence that I needed to give myself more buffer room.

Here is the interesting thing though, if I had taken a before and after picture (I wish I had done this, idk why I didn't think of it) you would think I have "less" body fat in my current state.

By looks, I am leaner, more muscular, more vascular, and "healthier looking." Yet my body fat % increased by 2.3% in 13 months.

How could this be?

First, I am telling you this story because LOOKS ARE DECEIVING!!!

Looks DO NOT EQUAL healthy.

You must get bloodwork done.

You must get DEXA scans done.

You must do the necessary work to understand your body at a deeper level!!!

This is me pleading for you to do so for the sake of your own longevity, as well as the longevity of your loved ones.

So how could I "look" better but my fat% increased?

My hypothesis...

I FEEL much better at this weight and percentage.

Because I feel better...

I sleep better, I am happier, I am more consistent in my training aka I can run / lift weights harder and longer without negative side effects, and because of these factors, my body from the outside appears to be "healthier" than I was prior.

Here is the thing, someone else out there, they might go from 10% to 12% and feel worse. Or someone else might go from 10% to 8% and feel and perform better.

This is why tests like these are so important. They give you a better understanding of YOURSELF.

And the more you understand yourself, the better you can adapt to what life throws at you.

The more you can #THRIVEONLIFE.

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. I am grateful for technology like DEXA scans that help me change my habits and improve my quality of life.