Thrive: Keyspan x ASF – First Impressions

Written by Beckie Lough

Like many of our trainers and clients, I recently decided to give Keyspan a try. I should start by saying that I am extremely skeptical by nature – as Carl Sagan would say, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” So when it came to Keyspan’s claims to cultivate holistic wellness, I knew I would have to try it for myself before recommending to clients.

Bloodwork & Biomarkers

The first order of business after signing up with Keyspan is to schedule your initial blood draw. I chose to have the phlebotomist come to my house, during the convenient 5-7 am window. I fasted the recommended 12 hours, and was pleased when the technician was on time, professional, and efficient.

About a week later, I could see the results of my bloodwork in my Keyspan app. I typically feel great on any given day, so I was surprised to see several RED numbers indicating biomarkers that were out of optimal range. I get regular bloodwork as part of my annual physical, so I had numbers to compare with these results. What stood out first was that several of the ranges given as “optimal” were different from what my doctor’s notes indicated. I guessed (and later confirmed) that this is because Keyspan is not just trying to get you into non-dangerous ranges, they want you to be as optimally healthy as possible. I was also surprised to note that Keyspan tested quite a few metrics that were not covered in my annual physical.

Health Consultation

Trying not to worry about all of that RED, I booked my first consultation with my health coach, Rae. We met via Zoom, and I was impressed with the prep work she had done. She had created a slide deck to walk me through each one of my biomarkers, explaining what they are, what my numbers mean, and providing some context as to why a suite of related biomarkers might be out of optimal range. She also recommended I share my results with my GP, as certain levels were significantly out of range. This was a huge green flag – I appreciate when health practitioners are ready to defer to medical doctors when needed.

Rae took time to ask me about my lifestyle, ensuring that her recommendations would be realistic for me. She was also very respectful of the fact that I have been a vegan for over 20 years. She didn’t belittle me or ask me to change my eating habits. In fact, she had already tailored her nutrition recommendations to honor my plant-based diet.

I was also half-expecting the typical nutrition advice – eat fewer carbs, eat less overall, etc. In fact, Rae’s recommendations, which she had for each one of my biomarkers, were all about adding nutrition, not restricting. She also did not mention weight loss, as I had not indicated that as one of my goals. Another very green flag!

Working toward Wellbeing

Overall, this process has opened my eyes to several areas in my life that need some TLC. Rae gave me so many excellent ideas for small changes I was able to make right away. From sleep, nutrition, training, recovery and supplementation, Keyspan health coaching is a deep dive to help you make real progress.

A few weeks in, I am feeling positive about the changes I am making, and ready to keep working at it!

 

If you’d like to see what Keyspan has to offer, click here to read more!