Your Personal Protocol: The science of building a better health stack

It’s a new year, and you’re ready to dial in your wellness routine—but where do you start?

With the current explosion of health optimization tactics and research, it seems like every expert has the magic bullet for levelling-up your wellness journey. Unfortunately, one important detail is missing from these protocols: personalization.

While your best friend, sibling, or neighbor may be hitting their goals and feeling terrific, simply adopting their protocol without considering your unique needs is like walking around in a pair of shoes that don’t fit. They may look nice, but you won’t get very far.

Stride is here to drive change. Its combination of genetic testing, microbiome analysis, and targeted supplementation makes it possible to create dialed-in health protocols unique to our body’s needs.

Reality check: Why generic protocols fall short

Why is it that the health protocol that seems to work so well for your friend or coworker isn’t hitting the mark for you?

The simple explanation is genetics.

Your genes contribute to several health variables, from what workouts your body will respond best to, to how well you absorb specific nutrients. This is why there’s so much variation in how people respond to certain foods, wellness protocols, and even substances like caffeine.

Through comprehensive at-home testing Stride creates personalized recommendations based on your unique biology.

If you’re filling your supplement cabinet with nutrients that your body has difficulty absorbing, you’re not getting the benefits – no matter how premium the product is. Trial and error might eventually lead you to the right combination, but it’s an expensive and time-consuming way to optimize your health.

This is where genetic testing comes in. Instead of taking a shot in the dark by trying a bunch of different supplements you may or may not need, a genetic test can provide targeted information specific to your body. This includes not only which types of nutrients you need but also which forms of those nutrients will be best absorbed by your body.

The methylation connection

A critical factor in building an optimized health and supplement protocol is understanding your methylation genes, which play a vital role in nutrient absorption.

Methylation is a chemical process that occurs on the molecular level in your cells. By adding “methyl” groups to DNA and other molecules, this process can determine the activity of cellular processes, protein synthesis, gene expression, and more.

Stride helps you understand your unique methylation profile.

Due to the crucial role that methylation plays in nutrient processing, understanding your unique methylation profile is vital when choosing your supplement stack. Variations in methylation activity may mean that standard supplements are unusable by your body, passing through their system unabsorbed.

Even if you’re taking the correct nutrients for your biological needs, if your methylation system isn’t optimized, you’ll miss out on the potential benefits those nutrients have to offer.

Building your foundation

With thousands of supplement companies offering different solutions for optimal health, it’s important to start with understanding your genetic profile before choosing which products are right for you.

Stride offers genetic testing that examines specific variations in your DNA to reveal which nutrients your body needs, along with your unique methylation profile.

Through Stride’s analysis of key genetic markers, you can understand how your body processes essential nutrients. From here, you’ll better understand why some supplement protocols may not have worked in the past and have a blueprint for choosing the forms of nutrients that your body actually craves.

Stride’s at-home tests show you how your body processes different nutrients.

For instance, many people have difficulty processing B vitamins because they’re unmethylated. When your body requires extra methylation support, taking methylated forms of these nutrients can make a night and day difference. This targeted approach saves time and money and provides you with the ultimate supplement stack to fit your body’s needs so you can feel and perform at your best.

Your personal protocol: Creating your blueprint

Ready to kick off the new year with your personalized supplement stack? Stride not only helps you get started, but with its high-performing supplements and testing options, you get hand-holding support for your entire health journey.

Step one in creating your personal blueprint is matching your supplements to your specific needs through genetic testing.

Stride matches your supplements to your specific needs through genetic testing.

Your test results will point you in the direction of which nutrients your body needs and which supplements will best support your overall goals. By identifying your methylation profile you can rest assured that your daily dose of nutrients are doing their job and making their way to your cells.

Combining your insights with targeted supplements will create a truly personalized protocol that works with your unique biology.

In addition to methylated forms of nutrients, Stride also offers supplements that come in the form of liposomes. Liposomes are formed from phospholipids, the same type of fats surrounding your cells, making them an ideal biological match. With liposomal delivery, Stride’s nutrients make their way through your digestive juices and stomach acid untouched, allowing optimal absorption in your small intestine.

With your targeted supplement protocol in place, your only job is to track, observe, and continue your journey with evidence-based adjustments that are right for you.