In this interview with Craig, former Olympic athlete and Head of Sports Science at DNAFit, we talk about how you can use DNA testing to personalise your diet and fitness program to get better results. We discuss the future of DNA testing, and how it intersects with technology to enable people to self-monitoring and self-quantify their health in ways that were unimaginable ten years ago. We also talk about the importance of recovery, whether you’re an athlete or an office worker, and some protocols you can use right now to help recover from stress – whether that’s from overwork, exercise or other pressures. This two-part episode is all about how you can make significant lifestyle changes with just a few tweaks at a time using the principles of marginal gains.

Craig Pickering is an former Olympic athlete, having competed in 4 World Championships and one Olympic Games in the 100m and 4x100m relay. In 2012, Craig switched sports, moving to bobsleigh, where he was selected for the Winter Olympics in 2014. This made Craig only the 8th British athlete to be selected for a Summer and Winter Games, which sounds like a happy ending, but unfortunately he suffered a career ending injury at the pre-Olympic training camp. Since then, Craig has been working as Head of Sports Science at DNAFit, and has recently started a doctorate, examining the use of genetic testing in sports.

Things we discuss in the show:

Sleep book by Nick Littlehales - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Myth-Hours-Power-Recharge/dp/0241975972/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Research paper looking at enhanced weight loss in a genetically matched diet - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2151062/

The OURAring, wearable tech tracking sleep, activity and providing a recovery score - https://ouraring.com (use BODYSHOT 2017 for 10% off)

Useful links:

Bodyshot Performance website – www.bodyshotperformance.com

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne Spencer - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Remove-Guesswork-Personalised-Approach-Nutrition/dp/1781332045/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Rise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Shine-Recover-burnout-back/dp/1781331650/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1500650255&sr=1-1

What’s your health IQ? Take our short test: https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/home-bodyshot-performance/health-quotient-questionnaire/?v=79cba1185463