The CEO of Your Own Health

Happy Thursday, Zapien 👋

Most people wait until something goes wrong before taking their health seriously. But what if you approached it like an experiment—testing, optimizing, and staying ahead of the curve?

Just like in business, the most successful strategies are agile and proactive. Your health is no different. The real question is: Are you treating it like your most important product?

Let’s dive in…

Forever
Karol, Martin, Simon & Andy

This week’s highlights

➤ The scientific approach to health, performance and longevity:
Discusses the importance of a proactive and scientific approach to health, drawing parallels with business innovation and agile methodologies.

➤ WhatsApp Community Highlights:
Shares insights and discussions from a community on optimizing sleep, strength training, melatonin use, genetic testing, and health practices.

➤ Community Health Stack:
Features Heiko Bartlog's health regimen, including detailed workout routines and supplement stack for vitality and optimization… and beetroot as a pre-workout booster.

➤ This Week’s Top 10 Trending Brands:
The 10 most reviewed and trusted brands by the New Zapiens community.

The scientific approach to health, performance and longevity

Research on entrepreneurship shows that successful innovations are made by people who are actively shaping the future, instead of waiting for the future to occur. So why should we wait for severe symptoms of diseases to show up before we start taking care of our health?

Let’s go one step further in our business metaphor: it’s way too risky to build a product without testing your assumptions, gathering data, and iterating. So why should we approach our health with guesswork and generic advice? Isn’t your own health the most important “product” you are working on? In this article, I’ll explain my proactive approach to health.

If there's one thing I’ve learned from years of working with agile approaches like Build-Measure-Learn (Lean Startup) or Plan-Do-Check-Act (Deming-Cycle) or iterating in sprints (Scrum), it’s this: In uncertain and complex environments, a scientific approach („Hypothesis-Experiment-Iterate“) is key! And what’s more complex than your health?

Health is an experiment – so treat it like one

Human metabolism is a vast, adaptive system. Take Magnesium, for example: it's involved in over 300 enzymatic processes. If your body is running low, it won’t just shut down; it will prioritize. My body might prioritize differently than yours, based on genetics, lifestyle, and the current situation.

WhatsApp community highlights

Health and exercise insights

Martin emphasized the benefits of heavy strength training thrice weekly, noting improvements in both mood and physique.

Fabian shared his positive results from HIIT/ Hyrox training, which significantly boosted his cardiorespiratory fitness.

J discussed the importance of keeping margins in mind for health investments, suggesting focusing on areas with larger potential returns.

The group generally agreed that habit formation is more critical than supplementation, with Martin summarizing, "Habit > Supplement."

Sleep and sleep quality

Sándor advocated for quick sleep onset, recommending the 8hours supplement for better sleep quality.

A lively debate on melatonin supplementation arose, with opinions divided on its impact on natural production.

Jens shared that experimenting with high-dose melatonin drastically improved his deep sleep, though he cautioned against daily use.

The group discussed various sleep aids, including light meals, consistent sleep schedules, and meditation before bed.

Nutrition and supplementation

Jill and others discussed protein tracking apps like Yazio and MyFitnessPal, highlighting their ease of use for macro tracking.

Fabian mentioned using Theanine to help calm down before sleep, emphasizing non-melatonin supplements for sleep efficiency.

Jens highlighted the importance of individual variability in supplement effectiveness, sharing his experience with melatonin.

Tom encouraged continuous movement for longevity, emphasizing the integration of movement into daily life beyond structured workouts.

Genetic testing and health insights

Harold shared his experience with genetic testing partnerships, discussing the challenges and potential of personalized health data.

Rita differentiated between consumer and clinical genetic tests, recommending whole genome sequencing for comprehensive insights.

Sandra expressed concerns over data security and accuracy in genetic testing, seeking European providers for privacy assurance.

The group explored the moral and practical aspects of genetic testing, with varied opinions on its current utility and future potential.

Community health stack

Heiko Bartlog

Mentor for Vitality with special expertise in Essential Micronutrients: Measure – Plan – Optimize – repeat! With years of experience as a Project Management Consultant, Coach for Leadership and Agility, Facilitator for Co-Creation and Effectuation Expert.

Member stats

• Level 1
• 700 Points
• 14 Reviews

Heiko’s health routine

Early Morning:
• 20 min Luminette
• Morning Readiness Check w/ Elite HRV and Whoop 4.0
• Weighing w/ Withings Body Cardio
• Hydrate w/ electrolytes (Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium)
• Multi Vitamin B, Vitamin C, ECGC, Tyrosin, Taurin, R-ALA
• 5-10 min Coherent Breathing + Pulsetto
• Wim Hof Breathing occasionally
• Methylene Blue occasionally
• Coffee with C8 MCT
• Workout (alternately: HIIT, zone 2 running, strength, functional bootcamp)
• Pre-Workout: Beetroot, TMG, Glycin
• Post-Workout: shake (see below)
• 2 min Cold shower

Lunch = Breakfast:
• Apple Cider Vinegar, Kefir and/or Sauerkraut
• Iodine, Selenium, Omega 3, Q10, Vitamin K2, Vitamin D3
• Aged Garlic Extract, Berberine, Nattokinase, Olive Leaf Extract, Curcumin
• Gingko Biloba
• Shake w/ Whey Isolate, Collagen, Blueberries, Psyllium Husk, Beta-Glucan, Taurin, Tyrosin, Creatin, Citrullin/Arginine, Soy Lecithin, Wheat Germ (Spermidine), Agmantine, Cocoa (if not taken post-workout, see above)
• Coffee with EVOO
• 10-20 min NSDR

Afternoon, Dinner, Late Evening…

Heiko’s Health Routine

This Week’s Trending Brands

Ways to Collaborate