Like many healthy people, my annual physical & blood work isn’t something I always prioritize.

It’s been 2 years since my last physical exam, not counting the one I just went for 2 weeks ago. Too long, not smart, not good. I even attended a conference in January 2016 where the importance of getting your labs done was stressed. Nearly 10 months later, I did.

Labs were mostly fine. There’s what the doctor said, Dr Kawana, and there’s what a friend of mine, Robert Seik who’s a Pharm.D and owns a great line of supplements, Triton Nutrition. said, which helped confirm the results. I’ve got the labs of an athlete, and have either inadequate intake or poor absorption. Guilty of a little bit of both.

There’s the stuff you know you should do but don’t, the stuff you know shouldn’t do but still do, then there’s the stuff you don’t know about, and the stuff you don’t want to find out about, because you know it’s not gonna be good.

In my case, I knew I was going to have low testosterone. Yes, over 40, it drops. Yes, some quacks say “how do you know your levels are low, it’s different for everyone?” I know what my T-levels were 2 years ago, not Captain America high, but not Screech low either. My body was still responsive and I attributed it to stress, and my then primary care physician told me I was OK, in range.

Now, I’m at 1/2 the levels I was at 2 years ago. My Calculated Free Androgen Index is 1/4 what it should be. How do I know? Reduce energy, anemia (which can be also an iron deficiency, which is the case for me, but it’s part of the picture), premature aging (my face is showing signs of aging at a faster rate lately than before), loss of muscle mass (movement quality, skills and education can only take you so far, like being the best sprinter in the world and suddenly having your feet chopped off) and a slew of other symptoms I attributed to doing too much, working too much and hiding behind the shield of invincibility my fitness regimen yielded. But even that catches up.

“The slow blade penetrates the shield”.

Get your labs & blood work one.