Over 40 Fitness Hacks 490: Brad Williams - Month 5 Fitness Challenge Update: Improving Sleep With The Whoop Tracker
Month 5 Fitness Challenge Update: Improving Sleep With Whoop Tracker
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In this podcast episode, Brad Williams of Over 40 Fitness provides a month 5 update on his six-month personal fitness challenge, which began at the start of the year. This month, Brad focused on improving his sleep using the Whoop device, a wearable fitness tracker. Despite not having significant sleep issues before, Brad decided to optimize his sleep duration and quality. He typically slept around six to seven hours but aimed to increase this to improve his deep REM sleep, crucial for overall recovery.
Brad detailed his experience with the Whoop device, explaining how it tracks various sleep stages and provides an overall sleep score. Initially scoring well, he noticed his deep REM sleep was lacking, prompting him to extend his sleep duration to seven or eight hours. This adjustment led to better scores, although he didn't always feel more refreshed.
The Whoop device also tracks strain, recovery, and daily calorie expenditure, giving Brad insights into his physical exertion and metabolic rate. He maintained a consistent workout routine of three to four 30-minute sessions per week, focusing on efficiency rather than high strain. The data confirmed that his workouts were effective in building lean muscle mass without excessive calorie burn, aligning with his goals.
Additionally, Brad monitored his HRV (Heart Rate Variability) score, which varied based on his lifestyle choices, showing improvement during the weekdays and decline over weekends due to dietary indulgences.
Despite his aversion to wearing devices, Brad found the Whoop device useful for gaining insights into his sleep and physical activity patterns. He committed to using it for a year and would reassess its value afterward.
Brad also recapped his progress in previous months, mentioning ongoing challenges with inflammation due to allergies and a recent stomach flu that led to a new egg allergy. For the final month, Brad plans to focus on stress management through meditation and circadian rhythm optimization.
Listeners are encouraged to join the challenge, revisit episode 429 for detailed instructions, and connect with Brad through a free 15-minute Zoom call or his new Facebook group.
If you're interested in online personal training or being a guest on my podcast, "Over 40 Fitness Hacks," you can reach me at brad@over40fitnesshacks.com or visit my website at:
Additionally, check out my Yelp reviews for my local business, Evolve Gym in Huntington Beach, at https://bit.ly/3GCKRzV