How Brendan Fallis learned how to tackle his energy problem from the inside-out

“You can wax your car and it can look great, but if the engine doesn’t run, who cares?” DJ, entrepreneur, and new dad Brendan Fallis talks about the importance of knowing what’s going on inside your body.

Who: Brendan Fallis, 41

Living in: The Hamptons 

Working on: energy levels

Without our health, what do we have?

I’m an ex-athlete. I was on the Canadian ski team and was always super athletic growing up, so I always understood that food is fuel and that what you put in your body can affect what you get out of it. In college as an athlete, I quickly figured out that putting bad stuff in your body just doesn’t feel good.

But when I moved to New York, I took a very entry-level job and started eating pretty poorly - it’s hard to eat healthy on a budget! I was also working a full-time job, then working as a DJ until late at night, so it became apparent that I needed to find time to be healthy.

So I started exercising more, and New York was a really inspiring place to do that. I ran on the West Side Highway a lot, started biking everywhere, and just really fell back into health and wellness. I really got back into the gym in the past 5 or 6 years also as I approached my “forty-year crisis.” I knew I was getting older and that I needed to pay more attention to my health.

So through the different phases in my life, I started to really educate myself and understand how important my health is.

It’s like this: you can wax your car and it can look great, but if the engine doesn’t run, who cares?

It’s the same with your body - we should all look at our health internally first, but that’s kind of where society has switched it. You should be checking the oil levels and engine temperatures first, making sure that everything is running smoothly internally, then you can start working on your abs and your muscles.

And that’s why programs like Base are so important, since they can give you a window into what’s going on internally and help switch the mentality around health and wellness.

As a new parent, my health’s more important now than ever, which is why I jumped into Base’s Energy test.

I was finding that I was sleeping differently, and everything I once knew had definitely shifted. I was feeling a lag in energy, which I’ve actually been working on for years. It wasn’t necessarily a lack of sleep, since I’ve luckily still been able to get six to eight hours of sleep a night, but it’s definitely a different mental grind and time commitment. And bringing a new little guy into the world means that it’s really important to make sure you’re on top of your game: you don’t want to be feeling like garbage and dealing with midday tiredness when you’re dealing with work and dad duties.

Here’s my pro tip for those who want to do the at-home blood test: drink way more water than you think you need before you test your blood! I thought I was pretty hydrated, but the first time I tried to fill my blood card the process took forever. One of the people at Base told me to drink more water, so I chugged 2L and was able to fill the card out in under five minutes.

Overall, the process was simple and I loved the convenience of dropping the test in the mail instead of going to a facility.

One of the best things about receiving the Base test results was that there was an expert on hand who could explain the results. It’s one thing to log into your app and see your thyroid and Hba1c levels listed, but it can be overwhelming. As much as you think you know from reading, just having your results explained to you really uncomplicates things, and I had a great Zoom call with a medical expert who walked me through my own results and explained things well.

So the results: since we were just coming out of winter and staying inside more due to COVID, we just hadn’t been outdoors as much as we should be, which meant that my results showed that my Vitamin D levels were lower than usual.

My eating patterns had also changed a little. We used to be able to plan our meals more, but work was turning back on, and adding a child into the mix means I found myself reaching for quicker foods. So the test also showed that my Hba1c - the biomarker that shows sugars/carbs - were also a little off.

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I started taking a Vitamin D supplement as was recommended by the Base test, and I was also getting outside a little more, which definitely helped.

The test also helped me make more conscious choices about food choices in an effort to improve my Hba1c levels. Prior to the Base test, I was reaching for convenient options like the occasional bagel or English muffin and adding fruit or almond butter, or going for sorbets as a treat - so they were definitely healthy choices, but it was still more carbs than I was used to. So with the results I got from Base, I started being more conscious of those kinds of choices. Like instead of going for the post-dinner sorbet, I would chug water instead, giving my body more time to digest before going to bed.

And this is what this kind of testing is so good for: even when it came to taking supplements, like the Vitamin D I was recommended, seeing my results helped me make a more conscious effort in starting the day and thinking about what I was putting in my body.

As a result, I’m not feeling that afternoon dip as much, which has been great. I used to be a big napper, but sometimes I just don’t have the time. I want to have the choice to nap but not have to rely on it, which I knew I could achieve by working on balancing the different levels in my body.

The second follow-up test showed that I was improving! My Vitamin D levels were up 9% from the first test, and I was just thinking more about my health, being more conscious, and seeing progress, which was the most important thing for me.

I definitely want to do all the Base tests at some point. I still need to do a saliva test for adrenal fatigue, which I’ve always wondered whether or not was affecting me since living in New York City tends to deplete a lot of people when you’re always on the go and emptying your tank. I also want to try the cortisol panel, which indicates stress, and see how it differs throughout the day.

So in general, Base is a nice window to see what’s going on inside your body, and it does this in a pretty affordable way when compared to other options. I’m definitely feeling a lot better and I’m a big fan of how easy the process has been.

If you do decide to try Base, make sure to use the resources available, like touching base with the medical expert on hand, since that feature can be super helpful. It all depends on the kind of mentality you have in your approach!

Start your Base journey. Get 20% off with code Brendan20.