Life of a Biohacker #02: Interview with Phil Cross.
About the Hapi biohacker series:
In this series we interview biohackers from around the world, to share their biohacking, quantified self and human performance insights. You can learn more about Hapi at our website here.
A little about Phil.
Phil is a holsitic performance coach based in Sydney, Australia.
After going through his own transformation, from a chronically unwell, overweight kid from the north of England to eventual Ironman triathlete, Phil fell in love with health and fitness — seeing what a few simple lifestyle changes could do to wellness, happiness and performance he began consuming everything he could on the subject.
Years later, after a lot of self experimentation and experience coaching people from all walks of life — Phil practices as an holistic performance coach focusing not just on exercise and nutrition, but all aspects that influence well-being. Such as sleep, stress, work, goal setting and life planning.
Keep reading for the full interview!
1. In your words, how would you describe biohacking to someone who has never heard of it before?
I think the term itself can be problematic for some people. It conjures up images of test tubes, injections and weird looking head gear with flashing lights, (some of which is fair and accurate).
We all biohack, by that I mean, we all look for ways to perform, look, and feel better; from something as simple as a cup of coffee in the morning, a magnesium supplement to help you sleep at night, or maybe going to the sauna… we are all ‘biohackers’.
The difference is that someone who identifies as a ‘biohacker’ is a person who focuses in on this stuff, actively seeks out way of improving themselves, and takes a more measured approach to the changes they make.
2. How long have you been into biohacking and human optimisation?
I’ve been into ‘human optimisation’ for about the last 10 years, but I would say ‘biohacking’ in a conscious way for about the last 5.
3. How did your biohacking journey begin? Tell us your story.
It really began when I started to get serious about competing in triathlon — I knew that beyond the standard methodologies of training, recovery and nutrition, there was a lot most athletes could be doing to optimise and enhance performance.
I started listening to all the usual suspects in the field, Ben Greenfield, Dave Asprey, Rhonda Patrick, Chris Kresser, Chris Masterjohn, etc and incorporating what I learned into my own life and also passing on what I found useful to the people I coach.
I really believe that the good plan you follow is better than the perfect plan you don’t. So I endeavour to make biohacking as accessible and practical as I can for the greatest numbers of people.
4. What’s your background?
From a health and wellness perspective, I’m a certified Precision Nutrition Coach, am accredited Triathlon Australia Coach and an NLP Practitioner. I’m also a veracious consumer of information.
5. What areas of biohacking do you focus on?
My main biohacking focus tends to be around athletic performance, sleep, diet and enhanced cognition. But really I don’t just want to look at any part of the human experience in isolation… it’s about bringing it all together.
6. Tell us an epic biohacking story from your adventures experimenting.
Besides taking a bit too much Niacin before a sauna once and getting quite flushed I don’t have any disaster stories. Most recently I have seen some profound quantifiable improvements following Wim Hof’s protocol — increasing my breath holds to 3 mins, and performing ~70 push ups on a single breath was a pretty cool experience.
I’ve since incorporated a greater focus on the breath into my triathlon training.
7. Why is biohacking important to you, and what purpose does it serve in your life?
We have a very short time on this planet to move towards our goals in life. Biohacking is, simply put, something that helps me get as much out of that time as possible.
8. What’s your daily stack?
There are no identical days and there is always something I’m usually swapping in or out something for testing purposes, and I will add certain protocols/supplements depending on the demands on my mind and body. But the constants are:
- A High quality fish oil.
- Vitamin D/K2.
- Curcumin.
- Ashwagandha.
- CoQ10.
- Magnesium citrate.
- Zinc.
- 5HTP (If I think I might have trouble sleeping).
- Meditation (Not a supplement… but a non-negotiable)
- At the moment experimenting with ‘Hapi Flow’.
9. Who are some biohackers you’re inspired by?
I listen to all the usual suspects — Ben Greenfield, Dave Asprey, etc. But honestly I love piecing together information for more narrowly focused subject matter experts who may not identify as ‘biohackers’ — Dr Rhonda Patrick, Chris Kresser, Chris Masterjohn, Machael Breus, Dominic D Agostino, Peter Attia M.D, etc… I could go on.
10. What are your top three favourite biohacks?
- I love beet juice loading the week of a race to increase blood nitrate.
- Meditation… without fail every day.
- Blue blocking glasses + no screen time before sleep.
11. What advice would you give to others who have just started their biohacking journey?
Don’t be afraid to stop things than don’t work for you. You are an n=1 experiment and just because ‘experts’ say something should work, doesn’t mean it necessarily will for you. Also, very importantly ask yourself ‘why’ before starting a protocol… is it really to lose weight, or is there some other underlying motive?
Could there be a better way to achieve that goal?
12. What are three entry level biohacks you recommend to anyone wanting to join the movement?
- L-Theanine with your coffee to mitigate some of the wakefulness effects, (or just have a cup of green tea after your coffee).
- Blue blocking glasses at night for sure — stops light suppressing your Melatonin production.
- Meditation — it’s amazing what 10 mins a day can do to your brain chemistry. The Headspace app is a good way to get started
- I’m going to add a 4 th — hugs! Physical contact releases Oxytocin… and they are free .
13. What is one big misconception people get wrong about biohacking?
That is has to be all encompassing, it has to take over and suck the joy out of life. Nothing could be further from the truth… if you do it right, it can give you more time back and enhance the experiences you enjoy.
14. What are your predictions for the future of biohacking? What do you think it will look like in 5 years?
I think the biggest thing in the next 5 years will be Nutrigenomics and personalised medicine. The ability to design an intervention or wellness plan based on your individual genetics is profound.
Finally, where can people follow your journey?
Like this article? Join our newsletter to learn more about holistic wellness and optimising your brain!
Be happy and stay healthy peeps 😀
— The Hapi team.
