Yesterday I blogged about how our actual body weight may not be a great indicator of our health. For many of us, as we build lean muscle mass through out training the scale may not change. Sometimes I see athletes in our gym get wrapped around the axle of the number on the scale and lose sight of the amazing things our bodies can DO! We lose sight of how incredibly fit we really are. That's because we live in a bubble. In our classes we are surrounded by folks who are managing our metabolic health through exercise, nutrition and lifestyle practices. Step outside the gym and into "mainstream America," like at an airport, and you realize just how incredible our TSCF bubble really is. Step outside our TSCF bubble and you'll find that only 1 in 8 of Americans are considered metabolically healthy – a measure of your blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, waist circumference and triglycerides – which is alarming considering metabolic dysfunction is the root cause of many chronic illnesses. Some of us see this in our own friends and family circles. As much as we want to be the example of good health to our friends and family, we can't do the hard work for them. The old adage is true, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make her drink." It is heart breaking to see our loved ones fall ill to chronic diseases that can be managed and completely reversed through exercise and a change in nutrition. Check out this Whoop podcast on how to help yourself and your loved ones take a sharp turn away from the fast track to chronic illness. As your Coach, I can use your Whoop data to help you customize the WOD so that you can get the optimal training intensity based on YOUR PERSONAL data. I want to help you use your Whoop to make the best choices for your training.
If you are interested in joining me on a Whoop journey, use my link to get your first month free. If you're already a Whoop user, join our True Spirit Whoop Group with the team code: COMM-AD6416
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I started wearing a Whoop strap in 2020 and have blogged several times about my experience. The Whoop strap is a wearable performance monitor that measures your strain (workout intensity), recovery and sleep. Since my Sleep Number bed monitors my sleep, I am most interested in Whoop's ability to measure my recovery and strain. WHOOP measures strain based on cardiovascular output and time spent in various heart rate zones. The longer you're above 70% of your max heart rate the higher your strain score. Whoop does best when workouts are 15 mins or longer. So for our classic short and intense workouts your strain may not get very high. That doesn't mean you're not working hard and gaining fitness. It just won't be reflected in the strain score, but it will be reflected in your recovery score. More on that later. What about lifting days? Here's how Whoop handles those training sessions: If you’re doing a strength-based workout with minimal reps and periods of rest (such as Olympic weightlifting), you will have a lower strain if your heart rate is not elevated for extended periods of time. Many WHOOP members have wondered how their data will reflect a strenuous strength session, so here’s the breakdown: Since all of our CrossFit workouts, both long and short, and our heavy days place some level of strain on our cardiovascular and neuroendocrine system our bodies must recover from the work. That is where Whoop really shines.
No matter your strain value for a specific workout, your recovery metrics are based on your personal biology (HRV, resting heart rate and respiratory rate) and those will absolutely be affected by the intensity of your workouts and the types of recovery practices you implement (hydration, nutrition, stress management, sleep, etc.). I have used my recovery values and the Strain Coach feature to guide the intensity of my training sessions. If my recovery value is low, then I will adjust the volume or load of my workout. If my recovery value is high then I know I can set my hair on fire and red line a workout. I have found that my body can recover from a weightlifting session if I'm in the Red recovery zone as long as I do not go for a one rep max lift. If you are interested in joining me on a Whoop journey, use my link to get your first month free. If you're already a Whoop user, join our True Spirit Whoop Group with the team code: COMM-AD6416. This week temperatures are predicted to soar into the 90s. Being active in that kind of heat demands attention and discipline to stay hydrated. We've all heard the statistics that our bodies are 60% of water. The truth is that we are made of slightly salty water. That's why drinking electrolytes when we exercise or when it's really hot out is so important. We recommend adding LMNT to your daily water bottle. It can be a bit too salty for some folks and you can easily make a dilute solution to sip on throughout the day. One of the reasons we recommend a dilute electrolyte solution is that can be absorbed more easily into your system. Have you ever drunk a bunch of water and felt it just sit there and slosh around in your gut? It sloshes there as you hike or run because it's not at the right salinity to be absorbed. Our blood has a specific osmolality (concentration of certain electrolytes and chemicals) and just plain water will not pass through the gut. If you're already dehydrated, drinking plain water can actually make it worse by pulling salts OUT of your blood into your gut so that the water can be absorbed. That's why a dilute electrolyte solution is more readily absorbed into your blood, and is important when you're super active in the heat. Read this blog from Whoop if you want to really dive into the benefits of hydration. TIPS FROM WHOOP TO STAY HYDRATEDThe following hydration tips can help make it easier for you to reach your daily goal of water consumption:
WAKE-UP WATER Have a glass of water as the first thing you do when you get up each day. Make it part of your morning routine. SET A REMINDER Maybe it’s an app to track your fluid intake, or just an alarm on your phone that goes off once an hour (if you’re up and about for around 16 hours a day, that could be 16 glasses). Either way a regular reminder to drink water will go a long way towards keeping you hydrated. ALWAYS BRING A WATER BOTTLE Beyond when you’re exercising or working out, whether it’s a walk around the neighborhood, a drive to the store, or even just sitting at your desk, if you have water with you at all times you’re naturally going to drink more of it. INCORPORATE WATER INTO YOUR BREAKS Whenever you stop what you’re doing to stretch your legs, use the bathroom, clear your head, or rest from physical activity, drink some water too. CHOOSE WATER FIRST Whether it’s coffee at breakfast, other beverages at lunch and dinner, or maybe something recreational to drink with friends or at any social gathering, have some water before anything else you drink. DRINK WATER WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY Oftentimes we feel as though we are hungry when in fact we are actually dehydrated. Rather than having a snack right away, drink water first before you eat. ADD FLAVOR Many people don’t drink as much water as they should for no other reason than they aren’t excited by the taste (or lack thereof). A slice of fruit, splash of juice, flavor tablets, or even frozen berries instead of ice cubes may do the trick. HYDRATE WITH FOOD Lots of fruits (like melons, peaches, strawberries, oranges and grapefruits) and vegetables (examples include cucumber, zucchini, lettuce, cauliflower and bell peppers) have a very high water content, as do cottage cheese and oatmeal as well. WATER WHEN AIR IS DRY In places where humidity levels are very low, the dry air dehydrates you. This includes airplanes, high altitude in general, and anywhere with air conditioning running regularly. If you feel that AC blasting, have a glass of water. And lastly, it’s worth adding that alcohol is a major contributor to dehydration. Per the data analysis discussed above, it’s no coincidence that alcohol consumption is the behavior most associated with a decrease in WHOOP recovery (-8% on average). Click on the audio link below to listen to Whoop's podcast on the importance of hydration and its importance in recovery. Today, for Whoop Wednesday, I'm sharing a podcast with Whoop VP of Performance Kristen Holmes and Director of Analytics Emily Capodilupo who are joined by nutritionist Kassandra Hobart to take a deep dive into the science of calorie tracking. Kristen, Emily and Kassandra explore exactly what calories are and how your body uses them, as well as the difficulties that arise with trying to count them–both coming in and going out. They also discuss a recent update to the WHOOP app to improve the way we track your caloric burn, as well as some general tips for how to be smarter and healthier with the calories you’re putting in your body. 4:01 – What Exactly are Calories? “Calories are unit of energy,” Kassandra says. “They’re our fuel.” 4:26 – Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). “Your BMR is your very basic energy need for living. Anything like breathing, digestion, etc. You need a certain level of calories to function. … Your BMR is really the best baseline so that we can calculate things on top of it.” 5:39 – Factors that Affect BMR. “Your height, your weight, your age, where you’re living, you’re environment, your epigenetics,” and more. 6:07 – How Does WHOOP Calculate BMR? “We currently calculate BMR as a function of age, your reported gender, your height and your weight,” Emily says. We’re excited to improve on this with PNOE integration and using cardio-metabolic analysis. 7:56 – 3 Ways We Burn Calories. BMR, the thermic effect of food (“It’s a lot of work to eat!”) and active burn, “the calories that you expend to do anything above the bare minimum.” 9:04 – Recent Update to Improve Calorie Tracking. “Most of the literature out there has actually only been developed by data collected on much higher heart rates,” Emily explains. We updated our algorithm to better reflect caloric burn when you’re less active. “We have this really big data set that we can look at and find these discrepancies that the studies miss.” 11:09 – Food Label Inaccuracies. “The error bar on the other side of the equation is way higher,” Emily points out, “the FDA requires that all food labels are within 20% of the actual amount of calories that they claim, and they don’t even enforce or police this requirement at all.” Plus, human error plays a big part. For example, two chefs at a restaurant may make the same salad very differently. “The more ingredients you have, the more likely that it’s going to be more imprecise with the calories, even if it is whole-food based,” Kassandra adds. “It also matters how it was cooked.” 14:50 – Does Weighing Food Work? “Counting calories is fraught with issues,” Kristen concludes. “Weighing does get you maybe a tiny bit closer to understanding what’s in your food, but as far as calories are concerned, you’d have to weigh each individual ingredient, and you’re still taking an average,” Kassandra says. “Also, what you’re eating is going to be different than what you absorb.” 16:09 – Overcoming Challenges of Calorie Counting. “I think that we need to get away from this quantity approach, and more look at quality,” Kassandra states. “One thing that is good about weighing and measuring food is that it gives you a better understanding of how nutrient-dense your food is.” 17:28 – Nutrient Dense Foods. “Even at a cellular level, it’s more important to have nutrient-dense food than it is to worry about being in a calorie deficit or surplus,” Kassandra says. “Let’s worry less about being precise on your calories in and calories out, and being more in-tune with your body.” 18:16 – Eating Slowly Matters a Lot. “Getting into this parasympathetic state is really important,” Kristen explains. “That’s one thing I love about WHOOP,” Kassandra adds, “you guys really do a good job of explaining and understanding how important that parasympathetic system is. … If we want to absorb more of our food, than we need to be calm when we’re eating it.” 19:27 – Rest & Digest. “You need to be chewing each bit like 10-15 times. … You’re going to feel better because you’re a little bit more balanced as far as what happens during digestion and absorption, especially of carbohydrates.” 21:14 – Microbiome. “When we’re eating more whole foods and eating them slowly, those good gut bugs are able to grow and help us absorb more nutrients.” 22:19 – Liquid Sugars. “When we drink liquids it’s a very different process than when we’re actually eating sugars,” Kristen says. Recent studies, A and B. 22:56 – Where Should Your Calories Come From? “A good rule of thumb is 30% of your calories from protein, 30% from fat, and 40% from carbs,” Kassandra suggests. “That’s before we look at any of the other factors or your goals, but that’s a good baseline to start.” 25:06 – Daily Goals. “Glycogen storages take up to 36 hours to replenish,” Kassandra points out. “If I have an athlete who’s running on Thursday, I want them to be increasing carbs and even some protein on Wednesday, even Tuesday.” 26:25 – Performance vs. Longevity. “What is your goal, and how important is it? … If it’s a lot of volume short term, I’m even less worried about the quality because I just need you to be so fueled and calorically ready for that particular event.” But, you have to understand the consequences of what might happen long term, Kassandra says. Emily gives the example of how runners’ “goo” makes sense in the moment, but not under regular circumstances. Conversely, it also doesn’t make sense to eat a salad while you’re running. 29:12 – Food Timing. “I’m going to eat foods that enable me to optimize whatever that behavior is that I’m doing,” Kristen says. 30:33 – Keto and Cognitive Health? “Right now we only know the short term of it,” Kassandra notes. “We don’t know the long-term effect of someone doing such a high-fat diet in the endurance world.” 32:18 – Sleep and Nutrition/Calories. “We have our athletes start a ‘power-down’ routine” before they go to sleep. “We don’t want have a lot of fat before bed,” that’s going to be hard to digest. Kassandra recommends cool food as opposed to hot food prior to bed as well. “If we don’t sleep enough, our body will start to look for that energy in other forms. In particular, it’ll crave junk food.” 34:53 – Leptin and Ghrelin (Hunger Hormones). “If you’re not sleeping well, if you’re not getting recovered at night that next day most likely your metabolism is going to be a lot lower too,” Kassandra explains. “You’re now going to crave things that you normally wouldn’t need or wouldn’t want. … Your REM and your deep sleep are so important for this.” 36:23 – If You Wake Up Hungry at Night? “That lets me know that we have to increase your calories, and carbs in particular. … A lot of times if you’re waking up in the middle of the night it’s because your muscles are trying to recover and they just can’t.” 38:55 – Big Takeaways. “The way that we’re counting calories at WHOOP is internally consistent … the trends are very reliable,” Emily says. “On both sides of the equation calorie counting much noisier than people appreciate.” Kassandra adds “Quality is just so important. Calories are a unit of fuel, we do need them. At the end of the day, we all need macronutrients.” And from Kristen, “Really try to get in that parasympathetic state when you are eating.” If you are interested in joining the dozen TSCF members on our on a Whoop journey, use my link to get your first month free. If you're already a Whoop user, join our True Spirit Whoop Group with the team code: COMM-AD6416.
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