Disclosure: This is a sponsored post about genetic fitness testing written by me on behalf of Helix for IZEA.
When my husband and I met online back in 2010, I connected with him because I noticed he was a runner. I had just done my first marathon, and liked the idea of connecting with someone else that had a passion for running.
When we started dating, he joked that he would never do anything longer than a 5K. He said his genes were built for sprinting and jumping, and mine were built for slow & steady long runs. These photos are several years old now, but you can pretty much tell the difference in our styles, haha.
Him (in the center): strong, lean & fast.
Me: Curvy, sloooow and steady.
What’s genetics got to do with it? (Got to do with it)?
Since then, my husband broke his self-made promise to stick with short distance running, and has done two full marathons. 😉 But his initial remarks have always made me wonder – if we had genetic fitness testing done, would they show that we were different? Is one of us really built more towards sprinting and the other more towards endurance?
From there, my mind always wanders into endless curiosity about genetics. What other genetic variants may influence our exercise routines? And what about our nutrition status and optimal diet?
Professionally as a Registered Dietitian, I know that nutrigenomics is a rapidly growing field with much interest. Since I blog a lot about sports nutrition, the nutrition variant I always think of is caffeine metabolism. Depending on your genetic makeup, you may metabolize caffeine quickly or slowly. This may not sound like a big deal but it can influence whether or not caffeine positively enhances performance for a runner or triathlete.
There are a lot of other genetic variants that may influence our nutrition habits and exercise routine, and I’ve always been fascinated with them. So when I got an invitation from Helix offering genetic fitness testing, I jumped at the chance.
What does genetic fitness testing tell you?
Fitness Diet Pro by DNAFit that I found through Helix’s Store looks specifically at genetic markers related to exercise and nutrition. You’ll get insights on things like…
- Your response to endurance vs power training
- Genetic response to different nutrients, like carbohydrates and caffeine
- Your recovery speed
- How your genetics influence resilience to sports injuries
- Whether genetics suggest increased antioxidant and omega-3 needs
I wouldn’t be thorough in this post, though, if I didn’t add that genetic fitness testing for these lifestyle variants is still very new. It’s not a specific prescription for how you should train or eat. For example, just because your genetics indicate you might recover quickly, doesn’t mean that you can over-train and be fine. It’s simply indicating correlations from population-wide studies, rather than a definitive recommendation.
That said, this is absolutely awesome for satisfying your personal curiosity and learning more about potential genetic impacts on nutrition & fitness! I am so excited to get my own testing done, and just completed the process to do so today.
How to do genetic fitness testing with Helix
The process for ordering a kit from Helix is super simple – just go to their site, place your order for the product that you want, and a few days later your kit will be at your door! Opening up the box, you’ll see it’s a simple three step process to have your DNA tested:
1) Register your kit online.
2) Fill a small tube with saliva.
3) Mail it in!
That’s it. Easy peasy.
Want to know my results?
I just mailed out my sample, so I’ll be on the edge of my seat waiting for my results. Stay tuned for the next post in a few weeks where I’ll share them!
Share with me: Have you ever had any kind of genetic fitness testing – or other types of genetic testing – done? Did you know there were so many connections between diet, exercise, and genetics?
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Deborah @ Confessions of mother runner
How interesting! I cannot wait to hear what you find out!
Chrissy Carroll
I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to find out!
Laura
Thanks! It was so helpful! I have wondered so much about genetic fitness tests.
Chrissy Carroll
The whole genetic testing market is so interesting these days, right?!
Jessica Kuepfer
This is something that has always been intriguing to me. It is fascinating how different athletes are.
Chrissy Carroll
For sure! It’s like how some countries seem to have the best runners – their genetics have got to play a big role in that.
Abbey Sharp
Such a fascinating process! Can’t wait to learn about your results!
Chrissy Carroll
Yes! I’m so excited to get my results.
Mikki
This is so cool! I had never heard of anything like this. What a great tool to use for getting your peak performance from exercise.
Chrissy Carroll
Isn’t it so fun?! I feel like it’s one of those things that’s just really cool to learn more about yourself.
Nicole @ Fitful Focus
This is so interested! I can’t wait to see your results!
Chrissy Carroll
Thanks Nicole! I’m super excited for the results.
Farrah
I’ve never done this before but definitely interested in seeing what you find out! One of my majors was in exercise biology so we did a lot of labs with ourselves as test subjects and I’ve always done infinitely better with power vs. endurance!
Chrissy Carroll
Haha! In college I was an exercise phys major so we did a lot of labs on ourselves too (EKG, exercise blood pressure, etc). We never did any genetics testing though!
Amy Gorin
So interesting! I’d be curious about this!
Chrissy Carroll
Super cool, right?!
Summer
Oh my gosh, this is awesome! I am very curious to hear/see the results.
Chrissy Carroll
Thanks Summer! I’ll post ’em on the blog as soon as I get them.
Kim G
Wow this is super interesting! I’ve never heard of this before but I will definitely check it out.
Chrissy Carroll
Yes! It is a really neat way to learn more about yourself.
Carmy @ carmyy.com
This is so cool! I never even heard of this and now I’m intrigued!
Chrissy Carroll
You know you want to get it done too! 😉
Marcia
How fascinating! I am not surprised that there are links between genetics and sports performance. Can’t wait to see what you find out!
Chrissy Carroll
Thanks Marcia! I can’t wait to share my results here when I get them.
Wendy
Fascinating! Looking forward to your results.
Chrissy Carroll
Right?! I’m so excited for my results.
Kalee
I’ve always wanted to try this! I can’t wait to know how the results are!
Chrissy Carroll
You should treat yourself to doing it! Process was really easy and esp with the discount code it’s pretty reasonable.
Rachel
How cool! I want to do one.
I would also like to say “heeeeey!” Cleveland Marathon!!! Woohoo!! 😉
Chrissy Carroll
Haha, yes – that was me at Cleveland in 2011 or 2012. My first marathon was in Maui and this was my second – it was so much colder and more dreary than the first, lol!! I think it was about 45 and raining the whole race. I enjoyed the course though!
Angela Cardamone @marathonsandmotivation.com
this is really interesting! I look forward to reading about the results!!
Chrissy Carroll
Thanks Angela!
TOni
Wow how interesting! I look forward to seeing your results.
Chrissy Carroll
Yes, will definitely share them once I have them!