Through trial and error, Gabby of @lifebygabb has learned how to cultivate a loving relationship with her body and food. Here’s how she’s using that knowledge and data from a blood test to optimize her energy levels and feel great today.
Who: Gabby Lopardo, 25
Living in: Hoboken, New Jersey
Working on: Energy levels and sleep quality
Her Main Takeaway: Being conscious of what’s going on in your own body and how the food you eat affects it is a big part of staying healthy, both in body and in mind.
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1: Overall health approach
Living a healthy lifestyle comes very naturally to me. I genuinely enjoy doing all things “wellness,” from working out to eating healthy and cooking with vibrant foods. But I also know that everything is better in moderation and that when it comes to being truly healthy, balance is better than being overly strict.
It wasn’t always this seamless for me: a couple years back, when I learned what a healthy lifestyle entails, I became a little overly excited about it. I wanted to try so many different things at once, and put my focus on healthy eating, macro-counting, and working out every day. I was very rigid with myself, which I thought was being healthy - but in reality, I wasn’t focusing on my mental health at all. This all led to me not having the best relationship with my body and food.
So in the past two years, I’ve made a conscious effort towards putting my mental health first over physical, which has completely changed my relationship with health and wellness. I’m in this place now where I’m able to live the way I want to through wellness. I’m taking things day by day and letting myself enjoying simple pleasures like getting drinks with friends.
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Relaxation mode.
2: Why were you excited to try Base?
When I found Base, my energy levels weren’t the best. I was feeling groggy and not like my normal self, and on top of it all, I also wasn’t having the best sleep. I was even having extreme night sweats, which I’d never had before. I had recently moved, so I wasn’t sure if it was the new apartment or if there was something else going on.
So I was most excited about trying Base because it meant getting real results from my blood work. I’ve gotten routine blood tests from my regular physicals, which actually told me that I was Vitamin D deficient at one point. I loved the concept of getting real results about what could be fixed and what was lacking from the comfort of my home, rather than just guessing.
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The Base process.
3: Taking the test and predictions
Base is an at-home test, which meant that I had to collect blood samples on my own to be sent it. I was definitely nervous about doing the blood-pricking thing alone - I’ve never done it before! - but it ended up being so easy.
Then I sent in my results and waited - I didn’t have much of an idea of what the results from Base were going to reveal, but figured that whatever was meant to be would be. I also loved the idea of having access to a professional who could help talk me through the results once they were finished testing.
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4: Results from test 1
My results came back and showed that my thyroid was a little bit off, which definitely makes sense as to why my energy levels were flagging. The results also came back with easy suggestions for ways to improve my energy levels, including lowering my sugar intake a bit and increasing my Vitamin D and zinc intake with supplements.
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Balance.
5: Integrating recommendations into daily life
The biggest thing I took away from my Base results was the focus on my sugar intake. I started being extra-conscious of my sugar intake and making little changes, like not having that second cup of coffee too close to the first. And I started noticing the difference!
In addition, I started using probiotic and zinc supplements per Base’s recommendations. Because my sleep was still so off, I also started putting more emphasis on routinely getting eight hours of sleep every night, which definitely helps as well.
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Even with less sugar, sweets can still be delicious.
6. Results from the re-test and next steps
Base offers the ability to re-test after making the recommended changes to see just how much your levels change and to give some data to back up your improvement. I did take a re-test and the results came back great!
I’m definitely going to continue on with the changes that were recommended to me by my Base results. Watching my sugar intake has been hard, but I’m continuing to stay conscious. I’m a big believer in intuitive eating, so I’m not tracking my sugar intake - rather, I’m continuing to just be aware and keep an eye out for things like added sugars and other additives that could drag me down.
Overall, I think Base is a great option for people who are curious and want to know more about their health. It couldn’t be any more convenient for someone who wants to learn more about their own body from the comfort of their own home.
Start your Base journey and take the quiz here.
