Stop Guessing: What I Learned From Metabolic & Biometric Testing

As athletes, we track EVERYTHING.

Calories. Macros. Steps. Training. Cardio. Sleep. Progress photos. Body weight.

But looking back on my own years as a competitor, there was a lot happening inside my body that I wasn't tracking nearly as closely.

That's one reason I've become such a believer in objective health testing—and why I recently went back to Optimize U for my second PNOĒ Metabolic & Biometric Assessment.

My First Test vs. Now

I completed my first PNOĒ assessment a little over a year ago (April 2025) during a season when I was still struggling to get my energy back after having my daughter. She was almost 2 years old so I didn’t really think I was still in the “postpartum” phase, but I was wrong!

I didn't necessarily want another fitness tracker giving me estimates. I wanted actual data that could give me a better picture of how my body was functioning, in addition to the regular lab work I had just started getting at the time.

PNOĒ uses breath analysis to assess different aspects of metabolic and cardiorespiratory health. While Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)—how much energy your body requires at rest—is part of the assessment, the information goes well beyond simply telling you how many calories you burn.

That first assessment gave me something incredibly valuable: a baseline.

And that's what made repeating it this year so interesting.

The Difference Was Night and Day

When we compared my newest results to the assessment I completed a little over a year ago, several of my markers had improved and it was so encouraging!

There was one result that REALLY got my attention.

On my first assessment, my calculated biological age was essentially the same as my actual age, which as a very fit and healthy person for most of my life… this was actually terrible news!

So this time, just a year later, my biological age came back almost 8 years younger than my actual age!

Of course, I didn't suddenly reverse the clock eight years—and no single metric tells the entire story of your health. But seeing measurable improvement across several markers was incredibly encouraging, especially when I did not do anything drastic to improve my health. Managing stress and getting as much rest as possible were my main priorities in this process.

Having objective data allowed me to see that some of those changes were actually showing up internally and gave me information on how to improve it further going forward.

This Is Why Baselines Matter

One of my biggest regrets from my competitive bodybuilding years is that I didn't consistently collect this kind of health data.

I knew exactly what I weighed. I knew my macros. I knew how much cardio I was doing. I could tell you whether my physique was improving from week to week. But I wish I had been equally intentional about tracking what was happening internally.

That's something I encourage competitors to think about now.

Testing isn't necessarily about finding something "wrong." And having more data doesn't mean you automatically need to change something. Sometimes the value is simply establishing what normal looks like for YOU.

Then, when you repeat testing months or years later, you have something meaningful to compare it to.

Data Is a Tool—Not the Whole Picture

Whether we're talking about comprehensive blood work, hormone panels, metabolic testing, or other health assessments, I don't believe numbers should replace how you feel or the guidance of qualified healthcare professionals.

But they can give you another piece of the puzzle.

Instead of relying entirely on symptoms, estimates, or assumptions, you can ask better questions and make more informed decisions about your nutrition, training, recovery, and long-term health.

And if you're a competitor, I'd encourage you not to wait until you're finished competing to start paying attention to this.

Your physique matters—but so does the body underneath it.

Want to See My Actual Results?

I recorded my full results review call with Katie at Optimize U, where we go through my latest PNOĒ assessment, explain what the different measurements mean, and compare where I am today to my previous test.

If you're curious about metabolic and biometric testing—or you just want to see what my numbers looked like—you can watch the full conversation on the Nashville Fit Show YouTube channel.

WATCH: My PNOĒ Metabolic & Biometric Assessment Results

Optimize U is also a proud sponsor of the Nashville Fit Show and a resource we're excited to connect with our athlete community for those interested in learning more about their health from the inside out. Let them know Whitney sent you and they’ll get you taken care of!

A behind-the-scenes look at my PNOĒ Metabolic & Biometric Assessment at Optimize U, where I repeated testing from a year earlier to measure changes in my metabolism, health markers, and biological age.