It's 3:12 a.m. and you're awake again, counting the hours till the alarm. Your doctor says your numbers look fine. You don't feel fine. You don't need to know a thing going in. I'll walk you through what we test, why, and what to do with it. Then I stay on you every week.
No needles for most tests. Done at your kitchen table.
"You can't out-train bad sleep, a stressed-out body and a gut that's working against you. I wanted to see what's going on inside, so I could coach the rest of it."
Look, I'm a strength coach first. I love the gym. But I kept seeing the same thing: good people showing up, doing the work, and still dragging. Coffee number three at 2:30. Up at 3 a.m. Pants fitting different around the middle even though they eat pretty good. I'm over 40 with kids and a full client load, and my energy has to stay high too. That's why I'm also a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner.
The labs give us real information. The coaching is me and you, every week, turning that information into how you eat, train, sleep and handle stress. That second part is where people change.
If you walked out of your last appointment feeling dismissed, I hear you. Keep seeing your doctor. They're checking for disease. I'm looking at how your body runs day to day, so you can train hard, recover and feel like yourself again.
You've got enough on your plate. You're the one everybody leans on. So I made this simple: you'll always know what's next because I'll tell you.
You tell me what your days actually look like. The 5:45 alarm, the afternoon crash, the 3 a.m. wakeups. I ask a lot of questions. Then I tell you which tests make sense and why. If you don't need one, we skip it.
You: be honest. I've heard it all.
It'll sit on your counter a day or two. That's normal. Everybody stares at it. Inside is everything you need and a card that walks you through it.
You: open it. Text me if anything looks confusing.
Pick a regular day, not your kid's birthday. Depending on the test, it's spit in a tube, a urine strip, a finger prick or a stool sample. The stress hormone one you do a few times across that day.
You: follow the card, seal it up, drop it in the mail.
It takes a few weeks. We don't just wait around. We start on your sleep and your plate now, and I'll hit you up the second results land.
You: keep showing up. That part doesn't wait on a lab.
We get on a call and I walk you through every page. What's off, what's fine, what we fix first. This is usually where people say, "So it's not in my head."
You: bring your questions. No dumb ones.
Training, food, supplements, sleep and stress, built off your numbers and your real schedule. Then I'm in your phone every week. When it's time, we retest and see what changed.
You: do the work. I'll keep you honest.
The test is the easy part. Here's what people really go through, start to finish, and where I come in.
You've been tired so long it feels normal. Your doctor says you're fine. Your spouse says you're fine. You don't feel fine. Most people almost talk themselves out of booking.
If you're asking the question, something's worth looking at.
Yep. One of them might be a stool sample. Everybody laughs, everybody gets through it, and it's five minutes in your own bathroom. The rest is spitting in a tube and following a card.
Text me. I've walked a lot of grown folks through this.
It takes a few weeks to come back. You'll wonder. You probably didn't. We don't sit around either. We start on your sleep and your plate while the lab does its thing.
Keep showing up. That part doesn't wait on a lab.
This is the moment. People get quiet. Some get emotional. Seeing your stress hormone flatline every morning explains years of dragging yourself out of bed. It was never laziness. Now there's a reason, and a plan.
Watching somebody realize they're not broken is why I do this.
Energy in the afternoon. Sleeping through the night. Getting off the floor with the kids without a groan. Moving weight in the gym again. That's what we're chasing.
I'm in your phone every week until we get there.
Based on what clients tell me. Everybody's body and results are different.
You won't do all of these. I only order what makes sense for what you're dealing with.
Your cortisol should be highest when you wake up and lowest at bedtime. When it flips, you drag all morning, crash at 3 and lie awake at 11.
Some "healthy" foods might be the ones keeping you puffy and tired.
"Normal" on paper can still feel like low drive and slow recovery.
Why you're bloated after meals that should sit fine.
Low D and magnesium can feel like no energy and bad sleep.
Examples of tests we may use. Functional labs are for coaching. They don't diagnose disease. Keep working with your doctor.
You've started over on a Monday more times than you can count. Week two, life happens, back to zero. A lab report by itself just sits in your email. What changes things is somebody in your corner every week who knows your numbers and won't let you slide.
Talk to me. How'd you sleep? Did you get those walks in after lunch?
In bed by 10:30 five nights. Walked 4 days. No 2 p.m. crash Thursday.
That's what I'm talking about. Next week we go heavier on legs.
Example messagesIllustrative only. Everyone's results are different.
Most of these tests don't involve a needle at all. Saliva, a urine strip, a stool sample. If a test needs a finger prick or a blood draw, I'll tell you before we order it. Quick pinch, then you're done.
A little. I'm not gonna lie to you. The kit makes it simple and clean, and it's over in a few minutes. It's also one of the most useful tests we run, so it's worth it.
A few minutes for most tests. The cortisol test takes four quick samples spread across one day. Results take a few weeks to come back from the lab.
You don't need a referral. Keep seeing your doctor, though. This is coaching, and I'm not giving you medical care. If anything on your results needs a doctor's eyes, I'll tell you to go.
That's good news, and it still tells us something. Then we know where not to waste time, and we put the energy into your training, food, sleep and stress. You'll still leave with a plan.
Labs come with private coaching. A report with nobody to help you use it doesn't do much.
Private coaching is an investment. We'll talk about it on the call if it's a fit.
Just want a training plan? Start with the free test and FLEX 40.
You want to be the parent still out there at 60, not the one watching from the chair. Same. Book a call, tell me what you're dealing with and bring any labs you already have. If this is the right move, I'll tell you. If it's not, I'll tell you that too.
Magnesium, a multi and K2. I take these every day. Start here, then grab protein, creatine and electrolytes in the store.
Check out my supplements →Check with your doctor before starting a new supplement.
What I train with and what I tell clients to buy first. No fluff, nothing you'll never touch.
See my gear →As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Jamal Powers and Powers Holistic Performance provide coaching and wellness services. Nothing on this site is medical advice, and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Jamal is not a physician or a licensed dietitian or nutritionist. Functional lab testing is used for coaching and is not a medical diagnosis. Consult your healthcare provider for any medical concern.