Your Physical GPS

Welcome to Sync & Thrive, the bi-weekly newsletter for couples who believe a well-designed life starts with well-designed health habits. Every Friday, we share insights, and every Tuesday, we provide the reset to put them into practice. If this was forwarded to you, you can join us here.

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Thanks for being so patient while we got today’s edition out. We were having some techical difficulties.

Remember Thomas Guide Maps, those spiral-bound books the size of a phone directory where finding your route meant flipping between an index, a grid, and a prayer? Then MapQuest came along, and we could finally print our directions ahead of time, then read them in the car while driving. (So safe, right?)

After that came the TomTom, a device that forever changed the way we drove, and for those who are directionally challenged, this was a day you will probably never forget. We could now tap into a global positioning system created in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Defense. Thanks for making us wait decades.

Useful? Yes. Annoying? One hundred percent. "You have reached your destination" (when you haven't).

So what does GPS have to do with your health and mine? A lot.

Just as GPS gives you step-by-step directions to your destination, there are steps to finding your physical one.

The first step is labs. Here is where to start.

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Most people assume their diet is "healthy" enough. But is your version of healthy actually healthy enough?

We eat pretty well, and I cook mostly from scratch. But this new research has me thinking about some of the packaged goods I still purchase. Even though I try to choose organic, higher-quality ingredients, are they considered ultra-processed foods?

Dr. Rhonda Patrick recently shared findings from a new study on ultra-processed foods and cognitive health, which is worth reading.

This is what labs do.

You cannot course correct if you do not know where you actually are.

They are not a diagnosis. But they are your actual coordinates. The specific numbers behind your inflammation, blood sugar, cardiovascular risk, and what your body is quietly running in the background.

The data allows you to stop guessing and start knowing, so you can make changes instead of navigating blind.

Every GPS needs a starting point. The Sync Quiz™ is yours. Three minutes and it shows you exactly where you and your partner are out of sync so you know where to focus first.

These are the labs I am suggesting because they sit outside of what you normally get with your annual physical. Your routine checkup is designed to catch what has already gone wrong.

These tests are designed to show you what is quietly accumulating before it does.

hsCRP measures systemic inflammation in your body. Chronic low-grade inflammation is one of the strongest predictors of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and metabolic dysfunction. Most people have no idea their inflammation is elevated until something goes wrong.

Lp(a) is a genetic cardiovascular risk factor that standard cholesterol panels almost never measure. High levels significantly increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. It is largely unaffected by diet or lifestyle, which makes knowing your number early critical.

A1C shows your average blood sugar over the past two to three months and is the key marker for insulin resistance and metabolic health. You can be on the path to type 2 diabetes for years before a standard checkup catches it.

ApoB is a more precise measure of cardiovascular risk than standard LDL cholesterol. It counts the actual number of dangerous particles in your blood rather than estimating their size. Longevity doctors consider this one of the most important numbers you can know.

Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common and most underdiagnosed nutrient deficiencies, linked to immune function, mood, bone health, and cardiovascular health. Most people do not know they are deficient until they test.

Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio measures the balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory fatty acids in your body. The standard American diet produces a heavily imbalanced ratio that drives chronic inflammation. This one is personal for us. It was the test that caught Aaron's elevated Omega-6 levels and changed how we think about what we bring into our kitchen.

PFAS Levels measure the forever chemicals that accumulate in your body from non-stick cookware, food packaging, and water supplies. Linked to hormonal disruption, immune dysfunction, and cancer risk. Most people have never tested for these and have no idea what their levels are.

The good news is you do not need a doctor's order to get most of these tests anymore.

If you want a membership-based service that gives you the full picture, both Function Health and Superpower are excellent options. It is worth noting that both use Quest Diagnostics as their backbone and offer comprehensive lab panels with expert interpretation.

But if you do not want a membership or prefer to order à la carte, here are two ways to get tested:

We have no affiliation with any of these companies, and are sharing what we know and have used.

Your labs are your coordinates. You cannot navigate to where you want to go without knowing where you actually are.

Pick one test from the list above that you have never had done and get it ordered this week.

Ask your doctor to add it to your next physical, order it directly through Quest, or use one of the membership services above. However you get there, do it together.

With care,

💛 Jaylene & Aaron

Sync & Thrive: The Sync Your Wellness Program for Couples

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💌 If there’s a dynamic in your relationship you’d like us to explore, send us a note at [email protected]. Many of our best topics start with reader conversations.

Most of what we write about lives inside four everyday areas of life together: how we move, how we eat, how we connect, and how we reset.