7 SIMPLE STEPS

TO BIO-HACK
YOUR BODY
7 SIMPLE STEPS TO BIO-HACK YOUR BODY 2

15
years ago I made a promise to myself that my fitness
and health were non-negotiable. My A-Ha moment
was watching my Grandmother live in a jail cell - her
body - for 6 years in a hospital bed, unable to move. She was
completely dependent on her caregivers and I promised myself
from that day forward I would put my health, fitness and nutrition
FIRST!

I’ve since created a Non-Negotiable lifestyle over the past 15

years based on education, personal practice and hundreds of
satisfied clients. After working with so many people, you see
patterns and although lives are different, the reasons are all the
same. People struggle prioritizing their health. It’s just not that
important to them.

Today I’ll share with you key Non-Negotiable notes you should
consider when creating your own plan.
7 SIMPLE STEPS TO BIO-HACK YOUR BODY 3

1 MANAGE STRESS
Stress is deadly and the root cause of major illness. For example, (1) researchers in Denmark have
shown that stress-factors control our genes. Exposing human cells to a stress-activating compound
turned on genes that are normally silenced. Protective complexes that prevent our genes from being
read and translated into protein, were lost when the cells experienced stress. The consequence is
genes that should be turned off are now active and may disturb cellular development, identity and
growth. This is a BIG deal and a major cause for disease in the body.

That being said, let’s talk about a few stressors in our daily life that can make our head spin.

Organization
Ever walk into a messy room and feel overwhelmed? A dirty bathroom or kitchen can keep the mind
stressed all day long.

One important way to feel better is to organize your environment, your workspace, the main living
areas in your home, and your car. Declutter everything and get rid of anything you have not used in
the past 12 months. Remove any odds-n-ends you always tell yourself you’ll use one day, but never
do.

It’s important your bedroom be a personal zone away from the family. It’s clean, it smells clean and
your bed is made with fresh, clean sheets. You should enjoy the decor and if you include the color
blue, nature scenes, plants, and an infuser with essential oils such as lavender, rose and jasmine, your
room will feel like a spa every time you walk in.

Allow yourself just 15 minutes every day to walk in, close the door and play some classical music, (or
soft music that relaxes you, but classical is scientifically proven to relax the nervous system), open
the window, smell essential oils, and take a moment to breath.

Your first instinct may be that there is not time for this, but really there is. You can make this time to
transition between day and night time. Catch your breath. Inhale oxygen into the bloodstream. Sooth
the parasympathetic nervous system and bring everything to a standstill for a few relaxing moments.

You Control YOU

Parents, spouses, bosses, friends and the random guy down the street have a powerful way of
impacting how you feel, how you react, and how you cope with YOUR life.
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On the flip side, you often believe you have the right to hold expectations over someone else. Just
because you are married to someone or someone is a relative does not give you a license to expect
anything from them. Not money, not time, not help, not even putting out the garbage.

First, it’s up to you to surround yourself with quality people who would do these things willingly and
graciously, but to have any expectation of anyone else is a recipe for pain. What happens when they
don’t deliver!?

Hurt. Pain. Disappointment.

Many times I’ve heard stories about married couples fighting over what he or she is NOT doing for
the other person. Or how parents put such high expectations on their adult children. I see struggles
between families every day and one of the major issues is the expectation of what someone should or
should not be doing for someone else.

If you need something done that someone else is not doing for you, hire a professional to do the job.
If your parents are toxic, remove them from your life. If you’re adult children are a mess and draining
your energy, it’s time to let them go too.

There is no point in having ongoing stress in your life over things you cannot control. Control what
you can, and expel anything you can’t.

Remove All Toxins from Your Environment

Most people are not aware of how many toxins reside in their homes and thus in their bodies every
day. These toxins have a tremendous impact on the body, which if truly understood, would be
removed from the home immediately.

Soaps, laundry detergents, cleaning supplies, shampoos, creams, makeup, and chemicals in the
materials around your home all contribute to unwanted toxins in the environment. It’s important
to note companies are not required by Canadian law to warn consumers about the health and
environmental hazards of these products. (Credit: Jenny Lee Silver). “Researchers in the U.S.
identified 133 unique volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from a small sample of consumer
products, including six cleaning products. Each product tested emitted between one and eight
chemicals classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal laws”. You can find a more information in
this great article by David Suzuki.

There is a multi-million dollar industry marketing to your parental instincts to sell you products
for your children. Most are not only unnecessary, but harmful and toxic to a child’s body. Stick to
products with edible ingredients such as oils (olive, sweet almond, coconut) and fragrance-free bar
soap. As a rule, if you can’t eat the ingredients, don’t put it on your child.
7 SIMPLE STEPS TO BIO-HACK YOUR BODY 5

2 SLEEP
Sleep is highly underrated in our society. People think that sleep is getting in the way of their busy
lives and apparently it’s perfectly ok, if not expected by work, to sacrifice time the body has to repair
itself.

This has traumatic effects on the body. Surveys conducted by the NSF (1999-2004) reveal that at
least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults
report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more.

Your central nervous system plays a crucial role in repairing the body at rest. You must have a full
night’s rest (7-8 hours) for the central nervous system to do its work. During sleep, the brain rests
neurons and forms new pathways that the body remembers. Growth hormone is released 90 minutes
in during your delta sleep cycle and your body is producing proteins that help cells repair damage
from exercise.

Circadian Rhythm
Your body was designed to function concurrently with its circadian rhythm.

Your body is a living, breathing clock. Your body temperature, cell division, blood pressure, urine
composition, metabolic rate, and even your responsiveness to medication are all scheduled and tied
to a specific time of day.

We are diurnal animals, which means that we sleep at night and we are productive during the day.
Cortisol (the stress hormone) levels rise in the morning to wake you and are replaced by melatonin in
the evening to help you fall asleep.

It is undetermined by scientist why we have to sleep. Logically it does not make sense for safety and
survival in a world against predators. Scientist wonder why we can’t repair ourselves while awake, but
it’s a fact of life.

Sleep Environment
Creating a healthy sleeping environment will enhance your ability to have a restful, restorative sleep.
The following checklist are ways you can enhance your sleeping environment.

Purchase blackout curtains that remove any artificial light coming in through your windows. Your
body has photoreceptors on your eyes, in your ears and up your nose. Exposure to any form of light
(alarm clock, technology, night lights, or even light from under your door) will disrupt your sleep. Even
if you don’t wake up during the night you will most likely still feel groggy in the morning.
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Avoid any electronic equipment after the sun goes down. The exposure to blue light will dramatically
disrupt melatonin production in your brain. If this is not an option, you can buy blue light visors for
your eyes and download apps that will automatically change the color of your screen during night
hours.

Try essential oils such as lavender, chamomile and rose to help you rest more easily. Avoid using your
eyes for reading and perhaps consider listening to a podcast with a sleep mask when you lay down to
rest.

3 PROPER NUTRITION
It comes as no surprise that proper nutrition is mandatory in helping reduce stress levels, use the
brain effectively, manage hormones, increase energy, keep the immune system strong and much
more.

We all struggle with eating healthy, and we will, for the rest of our lives. ACCEPT IT! We live in a world
where temptations are all around us.

Facts are facts. Our bodies were designed to eat and move in a certain way, and when we behave in a
way unaligned with nature, our health suffers. It’s up to you to decide just how much you value your
body and how well you want to take care of it. This “bag of bones” is carrying around your brain, your
heart and your soul.

How much or how little pain you wish to experience is your choice!

Eat the way your grandmother used to eat

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Ask yourself one question.

“Could my great grandmother have eaten this?”

No?

Put it back. Period.

For the past 75 years we have been sold on the idea that food has to be fast, easy, tasty, cheap, and
convenient. It has to fit in the fridge or cupboard and god forbid it should take more than 5 minutes to
prepare.

Don’t we sit on a high pedestal?

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Skip back 100 years when people were grateful to have food in the first place. A time when people ate
what was available and would not dare complain. They got along fine and obesity wasn’t nearly the
epidemic it is today.

Remember, your body is a machine. It needs natural fuel to work or it will eventually malfunction.

If you want to be Alive - Eat Live!

What we are eating today- at restaurants, fast food joints, in bags, in boxes, in packages- is NOT
natural food.

When was the last time this food was ALIVE? When did it come from the earth? When was it picked
from a tree? When did it grow up?

Do the math. Look at the food you are about to eat and ask yourself: How many months ago was this
living and growing?

Easy Rule? If it comes from the ground or if it has a mother, you can eat it. (I grabbed that quote from
Jillian Michael’s “Master Your Hormones.” Great Audio book by the way.)

Choose the path that’s right for you

Your nutrition will be evolving for the rest of your life. TODAY is the first day of the rest of your life.
Every moment you have the choice of what type of nutritional lifestyle you wish to follow. With every
bite you reinforce that decision.

Why?

Every bite you put in your mouth, matters. Your hormones respond to everything you set on your
tongue.

The moment molecules flow into the body, they go somewhere. They turn things on or off, they attack
or react, and everything has a function, either good or bad. The more you understand how your body
works, the easier those choices become.

You have an unlimited amount of choices which can be very overwhelming. Start with one. Go from
there. Get some professional help to guide you. Learn about how your body works and then decide
which strategy is best for you.

Although I hate to “label” my lifestyle, if I had to, I mainly follow an interval between a Paleo and a
Ketogenic lifestyle. Whatever you choose don’t go for a, “quick fix.”
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The “Meal Plan”

I don’t give “meal plans.” Why?

They usually end up in a drawer or the garbage within a few months.

My approach is different. I teach you about your body and how to feed it throughout the day, based
on your activity level.

My clients actually LEARN. A lot. And, the best part is... so can you.

Take some courses. I offer one called, “Your Health is Non-Negotiable- your guide to understanding
how the body works.” There are also tons available online today. You can also download my Resource
Guide that has 100s of links to all my favorite Podcasts and Audiobooks.

4 FITNESS & ACTIVITY

You have to move. You know this. It’s Non-Negotiable. Moving is not a choice. I don’t know when it
became one. But it’s not.

Ten to Fifteen thousand steps a day should be the range you aim for. This should take a good 30
minutes of physical activity plus the rest of the day’s active movement.

One of the best investments you can make for your body is to buy a quantifying device that helps you
track your progress. Hold yourself accountable to meeting your goals every day. More importantly,
learn about your heart rate. Discover your resting metabolic heart rate. Find out how many calories
your body burns on a slow day.

These devices, although not 100% accurate, give you a picture of what’s going on inside your body so
you can understand it, measure it, and quantify it.

Personally, I always wear mine and check in on it a few times a day. Just to see what’s going on.

Build Power and Strength

The most important thing you can do for your body is make it strong. The stronger your muscles, the
more dense your bones will become. It is not my choice to shrivel away as I grow older. The body, as it
ages, simply dims. It’s not meant to break down and deteriorate.

Look at all the 80 and 90 year olds coming out in Facebook videos doing handstands, bicep curls and
7 SIMPLE STEPS TO BIO-HACK YOUR BODY 9

running marathons. Are they special? No, they just worked a little bit more at building the strength of
their bodies. They invested some time each day building layers of solid muscle.

So can you.

It’s not as hard as you think. It’s simply a matter of saying your health is Non-Negotiable and it’s not
optional.

I MUST make time to look after my “bag of bones” every day. The same way I do my teeth, my car and
my hair.

If you went five days without a shower, what would happen? Sooner or later, people would stop
talking to you. You see an immediate result of not keeping your body clean. So, because you cannot
see an immediate result of caring for your health, is it not worth doing?

Build Endurance
Have you ever imagined being in a situation where you had to have the strength and power to save
someone? To rescue a loved one?

During my early years of training, I gave myself motivation by saying, what if I had no choice? What if
I had to save myself or someone else? How strong could I be for them? For myself? This drive often
made me push harder in the gym. It always made me crank up the level on the cardio equipment.

Regardless of what motivates you, it’s part of life. Sometimes I am extremely motivated to train and
other times …. urgggghh … I don’t want to. But 4-6 days a week I do some form of physical activity.
Once it becomes a part of who you are, you do it no matter what.

I love being able to run 10kms in the morning. When I come upstairs at 7am after getting fitter and
stronger for the past two hours my body and mind already feel amazing. I’m energized. I’m proud.

Building endurance on cardio machines or out on the pavement is an amazing place to find mental
endurance. I would set little rules for myself on the treadmill that over time built up a tremendous
amount of discipline in all aspects of my life. Once I met my goals on the treadmill, I had the stamina
to match them in my career and with my diet.

Build Balance and Flexibly

The best thing you can do for your body, after tearing up all the muscles, is to stretch it out and be
kind and gentle to it.
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As a massage therapist, I see a lot of people who live in pain every day. If they would only take some
time to stretch out their body and move a little bit each day, they would not have the backaches, neck
aches, shoulder aches and knee pain.

The muscles are tight. Over time this creates pain.

When you work your muscles, stretch them! Massage them, bend in the hot shower or sauna. Move in
all range of motion and planes. Open your hips, your joints, stand on one leg and practice balancing.
The more balance you have and the more core strength you have, the less likely you are to fall and
break a bone as you age.

5 BODY CARE
As important as it is to build muscle and work the body, it is equally important to rest and relax it.
Stress, through exercise, causes the body to adapt and change but that change doesn’t happen in the
gym.

It happens when you are resting.

Your body is equipped with a Sympathetic Nervous System (the fight or flight stress management
system) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (to relax and digest). You spend most of your time
in the Parasympathetic state. When you workout you put stress on the body.

You must spend time recovering.

Rest and Relaxation

Today, everyone is on the move. Places to go, people to see, things to do.

But, how often do you actually take time to take care of your body? To sit, eat and digest food
properly. To get adequate sleep at night and build sleeping habits that will ensure a proper night’s
rest.

Do you listen to your body when it tells you it needs to slow down? If you have a high stress job, or
high stress personal life, your body feels it and pays a price for it.

Do you read? Do you knit? Do you paint? Garden maybe? Having hobbies that allow your mind to
slow down and to gently recover from the pressure and demands that your life has on you, is healing.
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Massage and therapeutic treatment

You are not being selfish by taking time to have your body worked on. Massage can help treat
muscles that are in pain, it can improve joint mobility, it improves circulation and helps to drain the
lymphatic system.

Is it selfish to relieve pain?

Sometimes people feel guilty for taking time or spending money on themselves. Keep in mind that
one-to-two hours of massage can make everything you do less stressful and less painful, allowing you
to be more productive with the rest of your day.

Hydration
Your body is 65% water. Really think about that for a minute. 65% of your body is water!
That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for other things. Water makes up almost 80% of your blood,
70% of your lean muscle, and more than 85% of your brain.

Without adequate hydration, your body can’t expel toxins properly. When those toxins are flushed
out, sickness is flushed out. To stay healthy, drink more water!

Drinking enough water prevents joint pain, headaches, and overall fatigue. Water keeps your whole
system nice and lubricated, running as smoothly as possible. When your body is hydrated properly,
your bloodstream has more oxygen, leading to greater energy.

Dehydration can compromise your entire immune system, leading to imbalances in your body’s
chemistry and pH levels, opening you up to all kinds of diseases. Dehydration can also raise your
body’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which causes you to store belly fat.

Hydration makes your skin glow, reduces your risk of developing colon cancer, and can keep your
metabolism running smoothly. Water is key in muscle recovery, it replenishes electrolytes, and it
reduces food cravings.

Enough reasons to drink more water?

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6 HORMONE BALANCE
One of the top hormones to watch out for is Cortisol! This hormone has such a dramatic effect on the
body because it is the “stress hormone”. Our bodies produce cortisol every time we experience stress
and I mean stress in any way. Chemical toxins, weather, workouts, foods that cause inflammation,
even regular “to do” lists task.

Our bodies are producing all this stress hormone and it’s not being released. Cortisol was designed to
suck the sugar out of your cells and place it in the blood stream so that you could run faster and get
out of danger when a bear was chasing you. Problem is, we are stressed all the time these days, and
we are not running. Thankfully there are no bears around though.

High cortisol is the “boss” of your other hormones and will affect their production and function. In
fact, high cortisol could be affecting your thyroid, raising your blood sugar, causing sugar cravings,
blocking progesterone and creating estrogen dominance, not to mention growing your belly fat.

This is simply one example of how your hormones play a major role of dictating your health. You must
understand the key players and how to address them properly if you would like to have a healthy
life as you age. If you’re experiencing any problems, the first place I would turn to is a blood, urine,
and fecal test to uncover your hormone functionality and then I would look for fitness and nutrition
options to help regulate their production.

The very LAST place I would turn to is a prescription bottle.

7 CREATE YOUR
NON-NEGOTIABLE PLAN
15 years ago I created my agreement and now I encourage you to create yours. The Non-Negotiable
health plan is determined by you, created by you and YOU set the challenges that best fit your
lifestyle.

The first thing you need to do is evaluate your life over a couple of weeks. You need to do some light
journaling and make a few notes. Monitor your sleep, stress levels, eating habits, fitness activity and
then point out a few key areas you want to tackle first.

You don’t have to do them all at once. Baby Steps.

Over the course of a couple of weeks mark down what time you go to bed, if you wake up in the
middle of the night, at what time you wake up in the morning.
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Indicate when you feel stressed. What aggravates you the most? What pushes your buttons? Do you
experience brain fog? Mark down when you are sleepy during the day.

Do you have trouble remembering some things? Do you get belly aches? When do you experience
pain? Keep a journal of your eating habits and track your fitness.

Get yourself on track right now! Put the wheels in motion!

CONCLUSION
As you can see, creating your own Non-Negotiable lifestyle doesn’t have to be hard. If you follow a few
proven steps you’ll be able to reduce your stress levels, shred body fat, and have more energy all day
long. It only takes a few small habit changes to make a big difference.

An important action you need to take to make these changes stick is to put all of your goals and plans
down in writing. Some people do it with a pen and paper, others type it out. If you don’t know where to
start, I can help you out.

I specifically designed my own Non-Negotiable “contract” so that my clients and friends could use it
themselves. It’s simple, just fill in the blanks. I’ve basically done all of the work for you.

Now I want to offer it to you. Grab your copy of my personal Non-Negotiable contract here and take
the first step to getting the body and life you want.

Of course, if you really want to take it up a notch and virtually guarantee you achieve the results you
want I always offer 1-on-1 consultations to clients who are serious about their goals. Reach out to me
here to schedule your personal consultation. It just might change your life.

Lastly, for someone who wants to learn more than a one-hour consultation can provide, I do
exclusively offer a 6 week webinar series that does it all. It essentially teaches you your body’s
owner’s manual but in a fun, exciting, and interactive way. Simply follow along as I give you the “keys”
to making your body feel, react, and respond any way you want. I cover nutrition, exercise, mental
cues, stress relief, and so much more. If you want a lifetime of knowledge spoon-fed into your brain,
this is it.

Since you’re one of the brave few who have taken action to even download this Ebook and read
through it I want to offer you an exclusive discount to my 6-week Non-Negotiable Health Webinar.
Claim your special discount here: 100purehealth.com/myplan

The journey to the life and body you’ve always dreamed of is only one-step away.
Take that step today.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sherry Thacker is a highly sought after health expert, personal
trainer, online nutrition and fitness coach, and motivational
speaker. Celebrating her 10 year anniversary as a fitness,
nutrition and stress educator, she works with individuals one­
on-one as well as large multi­national companies to help her
clients build better, healthier, more vibrant lives. Sherry has
recently developed a 7-week online course - Your Health is
Non-Negotiable! How Stress is making you Fat and Sick -
A Guide to understanding your body’s owner’s manual.

CONNECT WITH SHERRY

S@SHERRYTHACKER.COM

FACEBOOK.COM/NONNEGOTIABLEHEALTH

YOUTUBE: BIT.LY/2AVACJX

@100PUREHEALTH

CA.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/100PUREHEALTH

@100PUREHEALTH

PINTEREST.COM/100PUREHEALTH

Citations:
(1) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100924122533.htm
(2) US EPA. 2011. The Inside Story: Indoor Air. US EPA. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidestory.html#Intro1
http://davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/the-dirt-on-toxic-chemicals-in-household-cleaning-products/