We've heard of DNA testing to check our ancestry, but how about for nutrition and fitness?
Well, trainer H.B. Sairn feels Gold's Gym is leading the way for that type of DNA testing.
Nutrition and fitness.
Sairn says, "people are a little bit apprehensive right up off the bat because this hasn't been really done before."
Gold's Gym is the first chain to implement this kind of testing through a company called, 'Fitness Genes.'
DNA fit testing has been around since the late 1990s, but it's only been 4-5 years that it's been getting attention. It has started focusing on genetic variations to help predict how people should exercise.
"What type of time of day should you work out? When should you be consuming the majority of your calories throughout the day?" said Dr. Dan Reardon, the CEO of Fitness Genes.
Reardon says that knowing what you were made of and what nutritional factors are linked to your life helps living a healthier life.
Sairn, who has a master's degree in exercise science, says with the right testing, he is able to speed up a client's success. One sends a simple saliva test to the lab, results are then accessed via the Fitness Genes website after a couple of weeks, and afterwards a trainer reaches out to the client to coach them how to proceed.
One doesn't have to be a Gold's Gym member in order to take the test. Fitness Genes kits on their website so one can purchase them. Be forewarned though. The company provides a good amount of information, but it is still up to the person to interpret the data and make those changes to their lives.
The information does provide "things like, should you follow a low-carb diet, what type of fat should you consume, how much caffeine can you drink or should you drink coffee before you workout, what sort of supplements you should take," Reardon said.
Yet, Reardon does admit that these changes may not be effective for all.
"The compliance rate of people who like to follow these programs is about 70 to 80 percent," he says.
Fitness Genes' offers the testing and results plans starting at $229.