I've Taken it Too Far: A/B Testing my Body

A mid-journey reflection on applying research principles in my personal life to achieve health goals (and where to draw the line)

Jul 21, 2025

What is Mondae Morning?

Each week, I explore how research, marketing, and design influence what we buy, use, and believe (particularly in the worlds of health + wellness, and wearable tech). With a background in UX research and public health, I share insights at the intersection of human behavior, branding, and trust.

This newsletter is part commentary, part case study, but more importantly, a space to think out loud about the products shaping modern life, and the systems behind them.

For curious readers, researchers, and anyone designing for real people.

Last week, I wrote about the rise of longevity tech and the psychological toll of constant tracking (🔗read about it here!)

This week, I’m here to confess: I might be part of the problem.

In the spirit of self-optimization (and science), I’ve started A/B testing my own body. Think baseline DEXA scans, tracking protein intake, adjusting workout routines, and running little n-of-1 experiments to find “what works.”

Spoiler alert: it’s fascinating. Admittedly, it’s also a little Type A unhinged. Here’s what I’ve learned, and what I’m still learning, about applying research principles to real life.

Biohacking, But Make it Personal

Last week, I explored the growing normalization of longevity and biohacking trends as they reach the mass market. In a country where healthcare costs are astronomical, optimization can feel like both a privilege and a survival tactic.

U.S. health care spending grew 7.5 percent in 2023, reaching $4.9 trillion or $14,570 per person. As a share of the nation's Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.6 percent. -Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

It’s no wonder people are turning to preventative, DIY approaches, whether that’s tracking REM cycles or daily cold plunges.

Depending on your intensity level, “biohacking” is either a clever rebrand of proactive health or a slippery slope into over-optimization. Lately, I’ve found myself somewhere in between.

As someone trained in public health and now working in UX research for wearable tech, this isn’t a cultural trend I’m sitting back and watching, it’s one I’m actively living and this time, I’m the user.

Why I Started DEXA Scanning

In May (2025), I got my first DEXA scan, with a follow-up scheduled 6 weeks later. Since then I’ve signed up for six more, committing to monthly scans through the end of the year. To be clear, it’s never been about chasing perfection, but rather because I simply wanted clarity.

I’ve been lifting weights for years. I feel stronger, but I wasn’t sure if I was actually making measurable progress, or just accumulating steps on my fitness tracker (a limitation of most wearable trackers at this stage in product development).

The DEXA scan offered a new strategy, one that is objective, consistent data on body fat, lean mass, and bone density. It gave me a true baseline to build from, and something to measure against as I adjusted my habits. In essence, it’s an A/B test of my body. As someone who thinks in hypotheses and feedback loops, it felt strangely fun to turn my body into a personal research project.

Where the UX Brain Takes Over // What I Measured

As soon as I had my first scan’s data, I did what any researcher might do: I started tweaking variables, with my DEXA scan expert’s approval, of course:

I increased my protein intake. Sounds simple, but it actually required a full-on shift in my eating habits. To hit my target consistently, I had to start making daily protein shakes and being far more intentional with my meals. It was one of those changes that seemed easy in theory, but in practice, it reshaped how I grocery shop, cook, and eat out.
I changed my workout rhythm. I’ve always loved movement, but am often exhausted after work. Before this experiment, I was hitting 2–3 workouts a week, mostly boutique fitness classes I pre-booked on ClassPass for the accountability. Once I started scanning, I bumped it up to 4 days a week of consistent lifting, structured, intentional, and tracked. After the first month, I scaled back to 3x again for the sake of enjoying summer (and not resenting the process). This felt like an important note-to-self that optimization should stretch you, not strangle your joy.
I stopped drinking. Between scans 1 and 2, I gave up alcohol entirely for a full month, purely as a variable test. I wanted to see how my recovery, energy, and mental clarity would respond. Since then, I’ve eased back into drinking very minimally, but that month gave me a much clearer sense of how even small habits affect my overall state. Not to mention it showed in the results!
I tracked hydration and recovery more closely, mentally logging how things like stress, cycle phase, and travel might be skewing my ability to stay consistent. Though an experiment, real life isn’t a clean lab test. There’s always context, and sometimes a variable I thought would be responsible for throwing me off track was really just background noise. For example, travel didn’t throw me off as long as I maintained a sense of control over 3 main variables: sleep, protein intake, and fitting in my workouts around the trip.

So far, I’ve seen very promising results: 6 lbs of muscle gained and 0.5 lbs of fat lost in one month.

Going into this, I had zero expectations and told myself I’d follow the expert guidance for the first two scans, then make more personalized decisions from there.

I’m also preparing for the moments when the novelty wears off and the numbers start to fluctuate. The inevitable juxtaposition of feeling tired but hitting a personal best is bound to take over at some point. When it does, I’m hoping to meet the moment with curiosity, not pressure.

The Bottom Line: None of these variables matter if you don’t have the time, energy, or headspace to act on them. The tracking is easy but changing takes lifestyle changes and commitment (not to mention actual room in your schedule to do the work).

What I’m Learning & What I’ll Adjust Next

So, where do I go from here? After some surprisingly strong results, especially for the female body, I have a few ideas for what I’ll tweak next. And yes, I know a good research experiment shouldn’t change multiple variables at once. Alas, I’m just a girl trying to reach some big goals.

Here’s what’s next in the iteration loop:

Alcohol. As I mentioned, I’ve reintegrated alcohol back into my lifestyle casually, after cutting it out for a full month. I had already been unintentionally reducing my intake, so going cold turkey wasn’t difficult. Now that I’ve added it back, my overall consumption is still far lower than where I started. If this experiment changes nothing else, I still call that a win.
Targeted Muscle Focus. Most of my muscle gain has been in my arms, so I’m pivoting my workout split to focus more on back and legs. This gain surprised me at first, but in hindsight it makes sense. I’ve been pushing heavier weights in upper body lifts more than anywhere else. I don’t anticipate this shift will heavily impact my overall body composition, but we’ll see what happens by Scan 3.
Cardio Integration. I’m slowly weaving more cardio back in, mostly through boutique classes like Barry’s or CycleBar, which blend strength and sweat. I anticipate this might slow muscle gains a bit, but I’m okay with that. Bulking up is not my goal. I’m reducing lifting to 3x per week and pairing it with conditioning work to feel more balanced.
Creatine. I’ve started adding creatine to my protein shakes. Worth noting this is my first time ever using it. There’s a ton of research backing its benefits for women at various life stages, and within 1 month of use I can feel the difference throughout my day. Primarily, fewer afternoon crashes and noticeably better focus at work have been the two biggest pros’s. I’m curious to see what other payoffs shows up in my workout routine.

BONUS: Two Things I’ll Definitely Keep Doing

Protein shakes. They’ve been instrumental in helping me hit my daily intake goals and have become part of my routine, so continuing this feels easy and impactful. Now with creatine added, they’re pulling double duty.
Post-lift sauna sessions. I haven’t touched on this yet, but I have a strong suspicion that my ability to lift consecutive days with minimal soreness is due to sauna + protein. To be clear, my muscles still get tired, but I haven’t hit that “too sore to sit down” level. That alone is reason enough to keep it in the mix.

Lessons I’m Taking With Me (and Leaving Behind)

I’m only two scans in, with six more to go. I decided to make this is a year-long project through the end of 2025, and I already know I’ll need regular reminders: I’m striving to improve, not be perfect.

There will be moments in the middle of the process when I won’t look or feel how I hoped (like somehow ended up in bulky girl summer?) That’s part of the deal when you sign yourself up for a rigid lifestyle experiment. There are tradeoffs and periodic fatigue. There’s that nagging voice that tries to creep in and say, “If you’re not actively progressing, you’re slipping.”

However, this is supposed to be a light-hearted test, to measure without micromanaging myself. I’m here to learn, adjust, and (ideally) enjoy the ride.

In future posts, check-in again to share what changes actually moved the needle, and which ones weren’t worth the stress. So far DEXA scans are living up to the longevity hype, but we’ll revisit this sentiment after the “newness” excitement wears off.

Designing Solutions for Long-Term Users

At the end of the day, optimizing health for longevity purposes shouldn’t mean outsourcing my intuition to a dashboard. It should mean becoming more connected to how my body actually feels with data as a tool to optimize. It’s a vehicle for sustainable healthy habits, not to a scorecard. As we enter the era of Wellness 3.0 with less green juice, more diagnostics and dashboards, I’m continuing to ask:

How do I design a lifestyle that supports my quantified self without losing my human self?

Yes, the progress is addictive and yes, the scans are motivating, but I also have a life to live between all the variables. There are birthdays to celebrate, new babies in the family, dinners that aren’t tracked, and workouts I’ll skip for no other reason than I simply don’t feel like it.

My conclusion is quite similar to last week’s post, that users crave to find meaning behind the numbers. When building products in healthcare, health + wellness, CPG subscriptions, or any adjacent space aimed at improving longevity the tools must have empathy built-in. Make room for users to mess up, take breaks, and offer an easy way to jump back into your solution - help the user re-establish habits.

Further updates to come once I cross over the halfway point at Scan 4. Until then, if you’re tempted to jump into your own health journey, a helpful reminder: The efforts doesn’t have to be perfect to be worthwhile. You’re allowed to pivot. You’re allowed to rest, and that’s even if the data disagrees.

Final thoughts:

The early results are in, if you follow the prompt, your body will change. The DEXA machine makes it impossible to ignore the message your body is sending. However, the real success is feeling more informed, more capable, and more in control of what you say yes (and no) to.

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