When it comes to the world of fitness and dieting, few things are true “firsts” anymore. There are thousands of diets sold to consumers, with most simply repackaging older ideas and giving them catchy names. But what do you say about a healthy vape that gets “annoyed” at you for eating the not-so-good things at the not-so-right times? That’s what the Lumen device is — it’s not a fitness regimen, it’s not a diet, and neither is it a heart rate or a continuous glucose monitor. It’s a breathalyzer that analyzes whether our body is burning carbs or fat — the first ever. Furthermore, this analysis will help us understand our metabolic flexibility, which is imperative for improving overall health and fitness, as well as weight loss.
This subscription-based device and app work together to analyze our breath for carbon dioxide levels at various times of the day. Furthermore, the app crunches the numbers, eventually suggesting dieting plans, carb levels, and eating schedules based on our stated goals. So, are you ready to get started on this journey of personalized wellness? Here’s a wellness enthusiast’s guide to this nifty breathalyzer health device.
Corrects Your Sleep Cycle
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We all usually put sleep at the bottom rung of our priorities when it comes to good health. However, sleep cycles are extremely important when it comes to good metabolic health and overall wellness. When the body’s natural 24-hour cycle, a.k.a. the circadian rhythm, is disrupted, it not only negatively impacts sleep quality but also drags your metabolic health down.
The Lumen tracker changes all that by asking for morning and before-bedtime breath measurements, thus giving us valuable biofeedback on our circadian rhythms. It not only helped us pinpoint and correct any imbalances in our sleep cycles, but it also worked in tandem with suggesting personalized meal plans to promote good sleep cycles further.
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Transforms Food habits
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You’d think that going on a diet involves giving me all your favorite foods. However, that’s far from the truth. The only thing you need to remember is: a balanced and nutritious meal and everything in moderation. Eating healthy food day in, dand ay out can be a tedious task, especially given our hectic routines. This is where the Lumen app steps up, offering a fantastic starting point in the form of its partnership with chef-made meal delivery service Metabolic Meals. It’s a great way to start understanding what you need to eat to work your way towards good metabolic health.
Not only does the service have an early menu for Lumen, but they also send users meal kits based on their Lumen scores, thus giving them exactly what their bodies want. Furthermore, they not only have choices across cuisines, but they also feature specific meals, like gluten-free, diabetic-friendly, and sodium-free options. In fact, with more than 30 choices for meals every week, we didn’t even have to repeat the same meal in a month when we were starting out! Gradually, when we started whipping up meals at home, we realized that our eating habits were changing — for the better.
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Holds You Accountable
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Lumen works towards our overall wellness by holding us accountable. Since we needed to enter every gram of every morsel of food we ate at every meal to get the most accurate readings, we ended up closely observing everything we ate. Another aspect that Lumen ensured we got right is hydration, as it assessed our water intake for the day so far, letting us know if we needed to drink more water. Since hydration plays a huge role in metabolic health, we began seeing positive changes almost immediately.
As weeks went by, we began to understand our Lumen readings, our bodies, and how the food that we ate affected our bodies. Since we also had to update how many hours we slept, how we worked out, and our weight, we began to be in more control of our routines and our bodies as the days went by. Thus, the Lumen device holds you accountable for everything you do, putting you on the path of wellness without even realizing that it’s become part of your routine.
Are you someone who’s willing to make huge changes by putting in lots of effort? The Lumen is for you.
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Improves Your Workouts
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Have you ever thought about whether those pre- and post-workout protein smoothies are actually working on you or not? Fret not, for Lumen takes the guessing out of the game. It not only gives insights into optimizing workouts, but also gives feedback on whether we should eat breakfast and work out, or do so in a fasted state. What’s more, the app even asked us to relax and wait for 20-30 minutes minimum after our workout before asking us for our post-workout breath to see how it impacted our metabolism. Are you unsure about what time of day is best for exercise? Read what Lumen has to say about workouts.
“We no more had to wonder if what we were eating and drinking before and after workouts was even helping our weight goals or not – all thanks to Lumen!”
Dizzzi
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Supports weight goals
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Lumen‘s biggest selling point is, undoubtedly, weight loss. In fact, its weight loss methodology via metabolic management is a breath of fresh air in an industry flooded with some truly abominable ideas, regimens, and products. Practically every word, sentence, and paragraph in the app pointed toward lifestyle shifts that were long-lasting and sustainable. It certainly was not along the lines of extreme or exploitative “Lose 10 Pounds In & Days” type of tall claims.
Never while using the Lumen did we feel shamed for what we wanted to eat, nor did it bully us into eating overly restrictive diets. Instead, it sent a steady stream of useful information our way, including things we could add to our diet, the best time to eat food, etc. After a few months of steady use, you’ll have found that the device has changed how, what, and when you eat. While the process takes time, the device supports your weight loss goals, no matter how rigorous they are.
Here’s a daily step-by-step guide to using the Lumen.
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Teaches you how your body uses fuel
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Understanding the Lumen scores really changed the way we looked at our metabolic health. While a score of 1 and 2 puts us in the fat-burning zone, a score of 4 and 5 puts us in the carb-burning zone. Meanwhile, a score of 3 is a relatively even mix of carb and fat-burning. What’s more, using the app for more than two weeks gave us our metabolic flexibility score, helping us understand what our bodies’ tendencies were. It also had a serious impact on how we approach working out, what we were eating, and when we were eating. If that wasn’t enough, we could even set a “goal” in the Lumen, which would direct us on whether we had to be fueled by energy-rich fat or carbs, and at what point in time.
No matter what your body type, eating habits, or health goal is, the Lumen — either directly or indirectly — ends up training you how to use it effectively to understand and zero in on what’s going on in your body.
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How many people can use a lumen device?
While a single person can exclusively use the device, a couple can also purchase a DUO plan on a single device, using it with two profiles to keep their progress separated and distinct.
Is fasting involved with Lumen?
Yes, but not as a lifestyle. Rather, it incorporates fasting methods in its recommendations, as it has its own set of health advantages for the body.
How do I Take a Lumen Measurement?
You need to place the Lumen in your mouth and inhale strongly and assertively, making sure that the ball is inside the circle on the app screen. Once the ring turns green, stop inhaling, take the Lumen out of your mouth, and hold your breath before placing it back into your mouth and exhaling consistently and gradually. Do so until the time ring runs out, turning purple, while also keeping the ball inside the circle.
Are you taking your first Lumen measurement? Check out the breathing tutorial.
Some images on this article are copyrighted by Lumen.