I’ve been in the health and fitness industry for over 16 years and here’s 3 new things I’ve learnt from 6 months of wearing my Whoop (health and fitness tracking band).
What is a Whoop?
A Whoop device is a screenless, continuous health and fitness tracking band rather than a traditional smartwatch. It has no watch face, buttons, or notifications, which prevents daily distractions and maintains a low, minimalist profile. It continuously measures critical physiological data around the clock, including heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, and respiratory rate. Strain (cardiovascular and muscular load), Recovery (readiness of the body based on sleep and biometrics), and Sleep (stages, quality, and consistency).
Learning #1 – Sleep Consistency Wins
Sleep consistency beats overall sleep quantity for peak recovery. Meaning your body responds better to a consistent bedtime and wake time over the course of a week, rather than longer sleeps at different times. I find my recovery and sleep score on the Whoop is much better with less sleep (still getting at least 7hrs) and getting to bed at a similar time each night and maintain my early wake time for all 7 days of the week (yes, skipping that Sunday sleep in actually helps my recovery and leaves me feeling fresher for the next week).
Learning #2 – Training Hard Helps
We all know exercise is good for us, taking all the obvious benefits out of play such as an increase in strength, heart health, fitness, body composition, bone health, etc. We’re still left with one interesting factor I never knew about until now.
Training hard naturally increases our levels of adenosine. This is a natural chemical in your body that builds up when you use energy. The more energy you use, the more adenosine you create. Higher levels of adenosine correlate to higher sleep drive and feelings of sleepiness. It also helps giving a sensation of being well rested when waking. So in summary, adenosine helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle (linking to better sleep consistency as above in learning #1).
If you don’t train hard at a good intensity you won’t build enough adenosine to get restful, deep sleep and recovery.
Learning #3 – Nighttime Routine Over Morning Routine
There seems to be a lot of people preaching the cool new morning routine for energy and productivity. However, a few people out there have figured out that the energy, productivity and morning routine you bring to the table is all dictated by your nighttime routine.
Ensuring you focus on a good routine each night will help you sleep and recover better so that you wake up with energy and clarity for the day ahead.
Three factors that I’ve noticed I can control at night have had the biggest impact on improving my sleep and recovery and setting myself up for a great following day.
Number one is having my last meal 2hrs before bedtime. I used to eat supper right before bedtime and go to sleep on a full stomach. Since wearing my Whoop I noticed that was affecting my deep sleep drive early in the night and elevating my resting heart rate. So I’ve moved my ‘supper’ meal to earlier in the day. Same daily food intake, different timing, better sleep.
Number two as already discussed is consistent bedtime. Set a bedtime alarm not a wake up alarm. Waking up at a consistent time for a productive morning starts with going to bed consistently.
Thirdly, screens off 20mins before bed, magnesium supplement and 10mins of reading in bed. A simple wind down routine that my Whoop data has shown to help me fall asleep faster and get a more restful sleep.
Summary
Technology can be helpful to point us in the right direction with our health and wellness. However it won’t do the work for you, we still need to train hard, eat well and get adequate rest for best results. Listen to your body, implement small changes and be consistent with them so that it becomes a lifestyle.
If you want any help moving forwards with your health and fitness please reach out to the team at Vision Personal Training Mona Vale.
