104: Ronda Collier - Sweetwater Health

# Episode 104 ** ** **Summary:** In Episode #104 Ari talks with [Ronda Collier](http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/about.shtml), CEO of SweetWater Health™, a company striving to revolutionize mobile health monitoring and stress management by combining verified medical research with the most recent mobile-tech innovations. During their conversation, Ari and Ronda touch on the frequently overlooked value of Heart Rate Variability and the future of health technology. ** ** **Sponsored By:** [BulletProof Chocolate Bars](https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.upgradedself.com%2Fchocolate-bars) – _Bulletproof Chocolate Bars are made from the best organic raw cocoa powder and cacao butter available. These chocolate bars are sugar-free, low-glycemic alternatives to the low quality, sugary chocolate bars you can find anywhere._ ** ** **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 02:05 – Happy Thanksgiving from Ari and the Less Doing Team! - 02:55 – Felix and Ari address tryptophan - Editor’s Note: Ari mentions that tryptophan occurs _naturally _in the body – this is **not-accurate** - 03:25 – Tryptophan is not what makes us tired…overeating makes us tired - 07:56 – June 9th-12th of 2015, Ari will speak at the _Fortune_ Leadership Summit - 19:27 – Ronda discusses her background and the journey to founding [SweetWater Health](http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/sb.shtml) - 20:40 – HRV: Heart-Rate Variability - 22:28 – It’s not that stress is a _bad_ thing of and in itself…it’s how quickly we can recover from that stress. - 23:00 – Why should we care about HRV? Why even track it? - 25:55 – [SweetBeat](http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/sb.shtml) and how the SweetWater apps work - 27:00 – The SweetWater and the Vital Connect [HealthPatch](http://www.vitalconnect.com/healthpatch) - 29:57 – HRV has been used by athletes for decades to help them mitigate the risks of overtraining - 29:05 – How can HRV monitoring work for a non-athlete? - 30:50 – SweetBeat can alert people to everyday behaviors that induce commonly overlooked stress - 32:10 – Meditation has _always_ been a challenge for Ari - 33:15 – How Ronda personally uses her HRV monitoring tools - 33:39 – _The bucket of willpower_ - 34:30 – When HRV is low; do busy work. When HRV is high; do creative work - 34:45 – When you are “in-flow”, HRV starts to go up naturally - 35:32 – Food sensitivity and how it relates to stress - 39:10 – Most people are not aware of modest heart rate spikes - 40:23 – The future of SweetBeat - 41:35 – The value of correlation - 43:27 – Ronda’s Top 3 Tips for Being More Effective: - 43:43 – Improving nutrition; eating fresh - 44:00 – Being self-aware of what’s going on inside your body - 44:30 – Exercise, even minimally, every single day - - 45:10 – BeatHealthy.com ** ** **7 Key Points:** 1. The heart does not beat at a consistent interval like a metronome 2. Stress isn’t “bad”; How we react to it – our inability to come down – is what makes it bad 3. People who are in constant “fight or flight” mode normalize stress in their brains, which makes it difficult for them to institute change because these individuals don’t “feel” stressed 4. Monitoring HRV is a great way to maximize recovery from physical training _and _keep track of stress 5. When HRV levels are low do “busy work”; When they are high do “creative work” 6. Sensitivity to certain foods can significantly impact stress and HRV levels 7. Good nutrition, consistent exercise and self-awareness are the pillars of healthy living ** ** **Resources Mentioned:** - [Import.IO](https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fimport.io%2F) – A