Understand Your Unique Metabolism

Track your metabolic health to independently and intuitively take charge of your own body.

Your metabolism is one of a kind, just like you

You’ve probably been there before – feeling something is off in your body but unable to quite put your finger on it. It could be a general sense of tiredness or sluggishness, a lack of energy, and nothing changing. Well, your inner barometer is more intelligent than you think and connected to something you might not even see — your mitochondria.

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells responsible for turning the food you eat (carbs and fats) into energy.  Knowing how to support your mitochondrial health through healthy lifestyle choices, such as balanced nutrition, fitness, quality sleep, and stress management, is key to making the right changes for your body.

It also paves the way for increased metabolic flexibility, which is your mitochondria’s ability to seamlessly shift from burning fat to carbs, and vice versa, depending on their availability and your energy demands. As you increase your metabolic flexibility, you’ll feel more energized and better able to manage your body composition, and you can even improve your mood. 

“Since starting Lumen, I have learned that I actually have a pretty flexible metabolism, that carbs are not the enemy, and they’re great for fueling your body. It’s just about planning when to use your different macros throughout the day. Lumen has taught me so much about that.”

–Stacey Barge, 51, Canada

Know your body with Lumen

Lumen, the world’s first device-to-app metabolic health coach, shines a light on your unique metabolism and how it changes day-to-day and over time, so you can do what’s best for your body every day. 

With just one breath first thing in the morning, Lumen can measure your metabolism by letting you know if you’re burning fat or carbs for energy. Based on that real-time data, Lumen then adjusts your nutrition, workout, sleep, and stress management recommendations so they’re personalized to your unique biology. 

Lumen helps you understand what’s happening in your body at any given moment to help you make informed and confident decisions about what you’re eating and when, how long to fast, how to fuel up before and after workouts, or how to get more rest. 

“We’re helping people reach their goals by understanding their body and giving it what it needs through real-time metabolic measurements.”

Dr. Michal Mor, Lumen Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer

CTA: Get your personalized metabolic tracker

4 ways to feel better in your body

1. Increase your insulin sensitivity

Insulin is the hormone responsible for shuttling glucose into our cells so it can be used for energy or stored for later. Insulin sensitivity refers to how much insulin is required to allow glucose to enter your cells. 

Low insulin sensitivity, which can become insulin resistance, means your body can’t efficiently uptake glucose from your bloodstream.

This impairs energy production, leads to high blood sugar levels, weight gain, and ultimately to metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. 

When you have high insulin sensitivity, you’re more likely to have balanced blood sugar levels, and a steady mood as a result, since the efficient uptake of glucose helps prevent spikes and crashes. It also promotes the storage of glucose as glycogen, ensuring quick energy production when the body needs a boost.  

To increase insulin sensitivity, Lumen might suggest managing your carb intake for the day, help you prioritize complex carbs like brown rice and quinoa, and time carb consumption around exercise. Being physically active can improve insulin sensitivity because cells become more receptive to glucose during exercise, even without insulin. Consuming complex carbs helps maintain stable blood sugar levels because they’re more slowly absorbed than refined carbs, which promotes good insulin sensitivity. 

“Lumen has helped me be more adamant about adding extra fats into my yogurt or shake. Today is a high-carb day, and I need to fuel up on some whole grains. It’s really helped me to balance out for what my body needs, not what a textbook says I need.”

–Ritcha, 54, Alabama

2.Keep your glycogen levels fluctuating optimally 

Macronutrients are the proteins, fats, and carbohydrates we consume. Balancing our macros and meal timing is essential for regulating glycogen, the storage form of carbs we don’t use immediately. 

Low glycogen can promote mitochondrial biogenesis, which is great for metabolic health. But, when glycogen levels are too low, we feel tired and sluggish. 

Likewise, consuming more carbs than our activities require can cause an overload because glycogen stores are limited in size. Our mitochondria’s effort to handle all this glucose creates oxidative stress, which can hurt mitochondrial health. Consistently high glycogen levels can also make the mitochondria reliant on carbs and reduce their ability to use fat efficiently.

By managing carb intake, practicing intermittent fasting, and timing carbs around workouts, you can keep your glycogen levels fluctuating optimally. 

Lumen members receive daily personalized macronutrient guidance. Eating these macronutrients in the right quantity and time can help you feel your best self and optimize your metabolic flexibility.

”I have learned that I should not be working out as hard as I did. When I started eating more (of the right food) and exercising less, the fat came off, and I have more muscle and energy.”

–Deanna, 54, Mexico 

3. Stay in sync with your circadian rhythm

Your circadian rhythm is like an internal clock that lets your body know when to work and when to rest over a 24-hour period. 

When your body clock is in sync, your mitochondria have time to recover and self-repair overnight, so you can start your day off energized and strong.

You can use Lumen first thing when you wake up to determine if you’re in fat burn, which indicates your mitochondria are efficient since fat is the ideal fuel during rest and fasting. If you don’t wake up in fat burn, Lumen gives you actionable troubleshooting tips for the day, such as eating low carb, having dinner earlier in the evening, or going for a walk.

4. Manage your cortisol levels

Also known as the stress hormone, cortisol promotes carb burn to provide quick energy during times of stress or a boost when you need to be at peak performance.

But constantly elevated cortisol can put your mitochondria in overdrive and cause them to over-rely on carbs for energy. 

To keep your stress levels (and cortisol) in check, Lumen might recommend mindfulness and stress-relieving activities like yoga, meditation, deep breathing techniques, or journaling.

Embrace your bio-individuality with Lumen

We’re all completely unique individuals, and there’s no one-size-fits-all health roadmap to achieve our goals. The key to improving your metabolic flexibility is understanding your body. Each metabolism is unique and will respond to a different set of lifestyle adjustments. Find out how good it can actually feel to be in your body with Lumen. 

CTA: Get your personalized health roadmap

Additional optional quotes:

“I came to the realization that my nutrients weren’t in the right balance and not what I needed. In sticking to Lumen’s theories about eating them early in the day, I see that. You know what? Some days I can go crazy on my carbs. As long as I have them before dinner, it’s usually okay.”

–Adriana, 55, Miami 

“As I got good at using Lumen and figuring out the type of foods I could eat and when, I am now able to eat a ton of carbs and all these great things that I literally hadn’t touched in a long time. When I first started using Lumen, I couldn’t get over how many carbs I was eating. It’s awesome. I don’t feel like I’m limited.”

–Karla, 40, Madison, Wisconsin 

“With Lumen, I was able to watch my progression, so I knew what was affecting me. If I found out that I have a very low tolerance for carbs, I would stop eating carbs and just have vegetables and protein for dinner. All of a sudden the numbers started declining faster and faster for me, and I got more and more encouraged. That was a big thing for me.”

Tom, 70, Oregon