Laboratory Blood Testing & Analysis
Blood testing is an excellent indicator of your current health, strength and performance capabilities, providing key insight into how your body works and what makes it tick.
What is Laboratory Blood Testing for Health and Fitness?
Blood tests are a great indicator of your current health status and how your body works; plus, they can provide key insight into your future health and performance capabilities and help us catch the warning signs of health conditions.
However, the primary aim of blood testing for health and fitness is to optimise your current strength and performance ability. Blood test analysis will allow us to check for nutritional deficiencies and hormone imbalances that could impact your performance. We can then devise a bespoke nutritional and supplementation plan to address these issues and optimise your health for improved performance.
Benefits of Blood Testing for Health and Fitness
The main benefit of laboratory blood testing for health and fitness is that, unlike standard saliva or urine tests, it seeks optimal health for your unique body, as opposed to standardised health ranges that are irrelevant for strength and performance goals.
This insight can make a huge difference to our plans and recommendations as standard testing and analysis are largely informed by illness and national averages rather than optimal health. On the other hand, we drill down deeper for more personalised results.
For example, a fasted blood glucose score of 99 mg/dl is considered healthy with standard testing. Yet, functional medicine recognises that each point over 84 mg/dl represents a 6% increase in the chances of becoming diabetic.
Our Tests
At Human Strength Hub, we have access to blood, saliva, urine, and anthropometric tests, all tailored for strength and performance goals by Roan Heming, our Associate Functional Medicine Practitioner. Our tests have three entry points with increasing levels of detail provided.
What to Expect from Laboratory Blood Testing
Once we receive your blood test results, we will begin analysing the data against your body composition analysis to determine your exact nutritional and health supplement needs.
Note that aspects of body composition analysis are only available for face-to-face coaching.
How Does the Blood Test Work?
Our blood testing service is straightforward and simple, here’s how it works.
Select
Select which blood test is best suited for you
Complete
Once the blood test arrives at your selected address, read through the instructions. You will have to locate your closest Phlebotomist to complete the blood draw.
Return
Please make sure the blood test is sent off as the instructions state.
Results
The results will then be sent to us once complete. If you have included the test to be analysed, we will book a best-suited time and date to discuss your results. From this, a tailored health plan will be built.
Considerations Before Your Blood Draw
There are a variety of things that can skew your blood test results, therefore, it’s important to be aware of and take the below factors into consideration before your sample is taken.
Medication
Some medications can skew your blood test results. However, you should never come off medications without your GP’s consent, only if necessary.
Supplements
Like medications, some supplements can also skew your results. As such, after an initial consultation, we may recommend that you stop taking certain supplements before your blood test to gain a more accurate result.
Exercise
We usually recommend that you avoid intense exercise for 48 hours before your sample is taken, as this can lead to false elevations in liver enzyme markers, alongside a number of other key health markers.
Alcohol
Likewise, alcohol can also skew key health markers like liver enzyme markers. Avoid alcohol for a minimum of 48 hours before testing.
Fasting
If your blood test requires fasting before the sample is taken, consume nothing other than water from waking up until after your appointment. Not fasting can impact glucose and triglyceride markers and can prevent us from determining glucose and lipid metabolism levels.
Specialist Diets
Specialist or extreme diets like Keto or low-calorie diets can severely impact the blood test results. However, it is best not to change diets until after analysis as we need to see the impact of the current diet on blood chemistry.
Supplements
Some supplements can skew results; the choice will be made before testing if the goal is to test with the influence of supplements or without.
Hydration
A lack of or too much water before a blood test could skew results. We recommend two to three glasses of water on the morning of the test if fasting.
Other Pre-testing considerations
No alcohol at least 48 hours before testing.
No intense exercise at least 48 hours before testing.
Drink 2-3 glasses of water the morning of the test.
If it is a fasting test, absolutely nothing but water upon waking until after your blood has been taken.
Check with your practitioner about your medications or supplements and whether they will affect the outcome of the results.
Does Roan take the blood samples?
Roan does not take blood samples. Instead, you will need to select the appropriate test from our provider, check out, and locate your nearest Phlebotomist to take the sample. Results will then be sent to Roan for analysis.
Do I need a blood test to do strength and performance coaching?
Laboratory blood testing is not necessary for any of our coaching programs; however, it does provide key insight into your health, strength and performance capabilities, as well as revealing information that can help us to tailor a plan for your unique needs.
Is laboratory blood testing included in the coaching plans?
Laboratory blood testing is not included in the online or face-to-face coaching plans and will incur an additional cost.
Do I need a blood test to do strength and performance coaching?
Laboratory blood testing is not necessary for any of our coaching programs; however, it does provide key insight into your health, strength and performance capabilities, as well as revealing information that can help us to tailor a plan for your unique needs.
Not Sure What You Need?
Book your free discovery call today to learn more about our unique, tailored service and discuss your individual requirements in more detail.
