Aug 10-16

Beyond the Guesswork: What My Lab Testing at Peak Centre Revealed About Longevity, Fuel, and Performance

We talk a lot in the gym about progress, but how do you really know if what you’re doing is working at a deep, physiological level?

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with some specific ideas around my health, training, and nutrition. I wanted solid, measurable metrics to see how successful the experiment actually was. The human body has an incredible ability to compensate just to maintain homeostasis.

Take fasting, for example. You’d assume that going without food drops your energy, but the opposite usually happens. Your body ramps up stress hormones and adrenaline to heighten your focus and energy—an evolutionary imperative designed to give you the drive to go out and hunt.

I wanted to make sure that my current routine was actually healthy and sustainable long-term, and that I wasn’t just burning the candle at both ends to squeeze out performance at the expense of true health.

So, I headed out to the Peak Centre for Human Performance in Kanata to put my body to the test.

The Bloodwork: Better Than “Normal”

Along with the metabolic testing, I had a complex blood panel drawn. I’ve been tracking my blood markers every couple of years since I was 20, which gives me almost three decades of baseline data to look back on.

At almost 48 years old, my blood markers and hormones are as good as—if not better than—they were in my early 20s.

• Metabolic Health: My Baseline Insulin and HbA1c (the primary indicators for blood sugar control) were flagged as “Low” (a great sign for insulin sensitivity), while my Testosterone came back marked “High.”
  
• Nutrient & Stress Markers: As many of you know, I eat a very simple, repetitive diet that leans heavily on animal proteins and higher fats—missing many conventional foods people claim are mandatory for health. The numbers don’t lie: zero nutrient or mineral deficiencies, my lipid profile is the best it’s ever been, and my systemic inflammation and stress markers were virtually non-existent.
  

Testing the Engine: RMR & The Breath Mask

At Peak Centre, we ran three specific physiological tests:

1. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)

This test measures how many calories your body burns just to stay alive at rest, without any activity. The higher this number, the faster and more efficient your metabolism is, allowing you to fuel your body with more food without unwanted fat storage.

The test itself was straightforward: sit completely still and breathe into a specialized mask for 30 minutes while it analyzes your gas exchange.

The result? My RMR was significantly higher than what any online predictive calculator estimated. It showed that my body is insanely efficient at blood sugar control and excels at utilizing body fat for resting fuel rather than relying strictly on ingested carbohydrates.

Getting comfortable breathing into that mask was a good thing, because the next test was a completely different story…

The VO2 Max & Blood Lactate Test: Going to the Dark Place

The VO2 Max test is considered the gold standard by endurance athletes and longevity experts. It measures how effectively your heart, lungs, and muscles work together to pull in and utilize oxygen under maximum strain.

It is physically and mentally brutal. Every 3 minutes, the intensity ramps up while they measure your oxygen consumption and take blood samples to monitor lactate levels. You keep going until you physically cannot maintain the pace anymore.

When I finished, my legs were so completely fried I couldn’t stand up properly for 10 minutes.

Traditional endurance cardio has never been the main focus of my training—I like to experiment and try non-conventional approaches. But the proof is in the data: my VO2 max numbers came back at an elite level for my age category. Strike another one in the win column!

Why I Actually Did It: Real Heart Rate Zones

While seeing an elite VO2 max score is nice, the real reason I took this test was to get my exact heart rate zones.

Most people calculate their training zones using the generic 220 minus age formula. That formula is a total guess, and for fit, aging athletes, it is wildly inaccurate.

Through blood lactate and metabolic testing, I now know the exact heart rate thresholds where my body:

1. Shifts from burning fat to burning carbohydrates.
   
2. Begins accumulating lactate.
   
3. Hits the exact point where it can no longer clear lactate and gets overwhelmed.
   

Knowing these precise numbers allows you to target aerobic building, recovery, and high-intensity output with surgical precision instead of guessing. (I’ll write a whole separate blog post breaking down how heart rate zones work and how to use them!)

The Takeaway

Long story short: Peak Centre in Kanata is a fantastic resource if you want hard data on your engine and health markers.

It was a great confirmation that the training, lifestyle, and nutrition principles we emphasize here at Bytown aren’t just making us look and feel good—they are building a strong, resilient, and high-performing engine for the long haul.

If you ever want to chat about metabolic testing, blood markers, or finding your own training zones, catch me on the gym floor!

— Coach Everett