ABOUT COACH DENYS

As an IT veteran with executive management experiences, a 2019 IRONMAN Finisher with 10 years’ races in triathlon, and an earnest biohacker for the past 8 years, I have been blessed to undergo a journey of personal transformation in the past 12 years that have led me onto the road of becoming a Health Coach.

At age 60 (as of March, 2020) and for the past 10 years, I have been healthy and fit, rarely got sick, never took any prescription drugs, and raced dozens of triathlons and marathons. What’s unique about me as an endurance athlete has nothing to do with athletic accolades (I have never stood on a podium). Rather, my greatest achievement has to do with my experience on the racecourse. In 10 years of triathlon and marathon racing, I have had zero injuries and never experienced runner’s stomach, heat exhaustion/shock, or the dreaded feeling of hitting the wall, not even the infamous post-race cold symptoms.

Such feats by a 60-year old man are far more remarkable in human health than in athletic performance. I attribute them to the three pillars that make up the foundation of my current optimal healthspan – my diet, lifestyle, and biohacking regimens.

ABOUT
COACH DENYS

At age 60 and for the past 10 years, I have been healthy and fit, rarely got sick, never took any prescription drugs, and raced dozens of triathlons and marathons. What’s unique about me as an endurance athlete has nothing to do with athletic accolades (I have never stood on a podium). Rather, my greatest achievement has to do with my experience on the racecourse. In 10 years of triathlon and marathon racing, I have had zero injuries and never experienced runner’s stomach, heat shock, or the dreaded feeling of hitting the wall, not even the infamous post-race cold symptoms.

On Diet

I started with paleo in 2009, endeavoured into the ketogenic diet in 2012, and later refined and mastered it as cyclical ketosis, which empowered me with metabolic flexibility. As of 2016, I was already a keto-adapted athlete when I finished a 113 km triathlon in 7 hours with no breakfast before the race and only 10 grams of carbs in the form of resistant starch plus a small amount of MCT oil and EAA powder during the race. The benefits of metabolic flexibility for longevity and health is profound and solid.

On Lifestyle

Beyond a multi-sport active lifestyle of swim, bike, run, and weight training, I am big on exposure to sunshine. I enjoy running shirtless and in shorts, be it 38 degree celsius (100F) or minus 5 (23F). And I rarely use sun screen lotion. The health benefits of exposure to sunshine abound in scientific research and are still being uncovered.

Other highlights in my anti-aging lifestyle include cooking my own meals, giving highest priority to quality sleep, using a standing desk, wearing fivefingers shoes, getting in touch with nature, and daily meditation.

On Biohacking

My favourite biohacking regimens include cold therapy (for enhancing mitochondria health, immunity, para-sympathetic nerve system, and many other health benefits), breathworks (for destressing and a primer for deep meditation), earthing (for anti-inflammation and adjusting circadian rhythm), photobiomodulation therapy (a.k.a. “red light therapy”, for faster muscle recovery, better sleep and younger skin), PEMF devices, coffee enema (for detoxing and enhancing glutathione production), HRV monitoring/modulation, fasting, and sleep hacks (experimented with 30+ regimens in the past 3 years and recorded a 3-fold increase in my deep sleep in the past 6 months according to my Oura Ring). This is only a partial list. I haven’t even gotten into the topic of nutrition supplements. I take about 30 types of supplements daily. Including situational needs (such as pre-race energy boost or adjusting jet-lag), in my cabinets are close to 100 types of supplements.

Beyond the physical transformation

Just as important as the physical aspect of my health journey was the mental transformation I went through in the past 10 years, especially the last 2 years when I was training for IRONMAN.

In the months leading up to the IRONMAN race, my aspiration to help people restore and preserve their health looms higher and more clear.

On September 15, 2019, two weeks before IRONMAN Taiwan, I signed up for ADAPT Health Coach Training Program (AHCTP). Aside from an intensive curse track on functional-medicine-based health information covering nutrition and lifestyle, more than 50% of our learning has been on generic coaching skills – that is, life coaching. A Health Coach as developed by AHCTP is basically a Life Coach with a niche in helping clients improve their health.

The first ADAPT-Certified Functional Health Coach in Taiwan

After 18 months’ hard work, I finally received my certification. As of November, 2021, at the writing of this paragraph, I am still the only coach in Taiwan with such certification. I started offering my 1-on-1 coaching service in May. For more information about the 1-on-1 health coaching service I offer, please visit this page.

ADAPT is one of the most prestigious health coach training programs globally. It has been approved by National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBC-HWC), UK Health Coaches Association (UKHCA), Health Coach Alliance Approved School, Health Coaches of Australia & New Zealand Association Approved School. For more information about the credential of the program, please visit this page.

"An ideal health coach is one who walks the talk with sustainable results to inspire clients." - Anonymous

Coach Denys holds an MS in Computer Science from Northeastern University, Boston, U.S. and a BS in Applied Mathematics from National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan. Management positions held include Department Manager at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Chief Information Officer at Chilin Technology, and Senior Associate Vice President for Big Data at Foxconn Technology Group.