I tested my microbiome and it was fun!

Our bodies are truly amazing. The more I learn about how much happens and how many functions take place every day in the body to keep me alive and happy and healthy, the more in awe I am of my body! Our bodies are freaking cool!

The more I learn, the deeper the respect I have for my body, and the harder I want to work to do my best to care for it. I mean, we only get one body. Why wouldn't I do all I can to learn about it and care for it? I plan to live well into my 90s, so I need this body of mine to keep working at top notch levels for a long time to come!

If you follow me on social media, you will know that one of my favorite people to follow on social media and podcasts is Chalene Johnson. I think she is hilarious. She also has a heart for sharing all of her knowledge from life hacks to business to health. She created the

131 Method that I use to help heal my gut, my hormones and help maintain a healthy weight.

On her podcast The Chalene Show, she interviewed Viome CEO Naveen Jain and I was blown away! Viome is a company that allows consumers (you and me) access to testing, results and recommendations of our gut microbiome without doctor's orders. In layman's terms: you send in a sample of your stool, it's processed in a lab in New Mexico and they tell you everything that is alive in your gut from bacteria to virus to yeast to probiotics. They also make specific food and supplement recommendations specific to you based on what they found in your gut to improve your health!

This stuff is cutting edge and surprisingly affordable. I got a kit for around $125!! That is insane! I do want to note that I ordered when they were having a sale and I also used a discount link Chalene gave on her podcast. I believer her discount gets you $20 off even when they are running a sale.

Even at the full, regular price of $200, that is a steal in my mind. $200 is nothing when it comes to knowing exactly what is happening in your body and being given specific recommendations to your exact situation to improve your health. No doctor can give you that for $200!

I bought a kit for myself and my husband. I sent in my sample in late June and got my results about 4 weeks later. The information I received is honestly incredible! It's almost overwhelming, but Oh So Cool!

They give you scores and let you know how different pathways or processes are working in your body. Below are actual screenshots from the website showing my results. I wanted to show you just how much information you receive! You receive a rating of Needs Improvement, Average or Good for each of the pathways. When you click on each you get information on what each of them is exactly and how to improve. I think I did pretty good!

You also will get a list of foods to avoid and a list of superfoods. They also list almost all other major foods and will let you know if it's something you can enjoy regularly or if it's something you want to minimize in your diet. These are mine below:

I also got a complete list of the bacteria, viruses and other cool stuff living in my gut as well any supplements they recommend. I was surprised that I was only recommended 1 supplement.

All the rage in the health industry is about how the gut impacts health. We don't have to be doctors to understand that when we eat something that upsets our stomach it really has an impact on our quality of life. Now we are learning how that really impacts our health and wellbeing.

This is some really cool technology that has given me insight into my body and given me information so I can make informed decisions around the food I consume to ensure I live happy and healthy for decades to come!

I plan to do this at least twice a year, maybe more if the budget allows. I am interested to see how my gut microbiome changes once I follow all of these recommendations for a few months. I'm sure I will have more updates to come.