I’ve been thinking a lot about numbers and their significance recently.
In November I turn 50 – half a century!! In September my cat Buffy turns 20 – 96 in cat years! And POINT3 Wellbeing celebrates 8 years this month – I wrote a few reflections on this milestone on our P3 website here.
Eight is considered a really lucky number in Eastern cultures, signifying balance, abundance, infinity… and it does feel like an exciting time for our business. We’ve refined how we talk about what we do and we’re still clear on our mission – to help people to stress less and smile more – and we are trying to embody that in how we run our business and personal lives too.
Balance is so important to me – I want to have as much energy to put into my business as I do into my relationships and my health.
And this is where focusing on the numbers doesn’t always help – what’s most important is noticing how we feel – not how old we are or what the data is telling us, but how we are actually feeling. Something I need to remind myself!
I’ve been focused on tracking the numbers over the last 10 years or so to measure my health.
First there was my Fitbit and I started obsessively tracking my steps. Then I traded that in for my Apple Watch and I started tracking my sleep, my resting heart rate, my VO2 Max…
I’ve also wanted to understand how other systems in my body are working. So I did the Zoe Nutrition programme a few years ago to understand better my gut health and how I respond to glucose and fat. That involved wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for three weeks, and I was constantly looking at those numbers!
This year I’ve just started Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s Do Health programme which tests 50 key health biomarkers in your blood every 4 months. It gives you a biological age and advice on how to optimise areas that could be improved.
Generally, I’m really loving the data. I do find it is helping me – either it’s reassuring me that my lifestyle is supporting my longterm health goals or it’s giving me some tips on areas to focus more on. I still implement learnings from the Zoe programme and I’m enjoying new habits that I’m trialling with the Do Health app.
One area that I did stop tracking was my sleep – as that started to stress me out looking at the data, especially when it told me I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. Which I didn’t need the app to confirm! It was like a double arrow of stress which I just didn’t need. So, that was simple, I stopped wearing the watch to bed and now I focus on going to bed as early as I can and sleep hygiene during the day to ensure I am set up for a good sleep. And I’m the best judge of whether I had a good night’s sleep or not. Fortunately, 9 out of 10 nights I feel good when I wake, so it feels like this strategy is working for me.
I have had a few conversations recently with people about how health data ironically can start to hinder our (mental) health, so it’s a bit of a watch out. We are our best judges of whether data is helping or hindering us to meet our health goals. If something feels like it’s putting too much extra pressure on, then I would say that’s hindering me…
This is front of mind for me as I think about my goal for the New York Marathon on my 50th birthday (1st November). And honestly, I feel the pressure of aiming for a time will detract from the adventure and fun of taking part in this iconic race. So, I won’t be aiming for a PB!! There I said it 😁
I have some other fitness goals that I’m working towards with Lexi my personal trainer this year. We’re measuring my VO2 max, how long I can dead-hang for and how long I can farmer carry 2/3rds of my body weight – both these measure grip strength. These three tests apparently are the greatest predictors for longevity, so they feel much more in line with my overall health goals. Peter Attia is the longevity expert so if you’re interested in learning more on this, check him out. I’ll share a separate blog on my progress with these tests this year.
In the meantime, I’ll monitor whether the data is helping or hindering me – especially from an added stress and mental health point of view. I do see the value in having goals to work towards, but it’s always a balance!
I’m really excited to say that next Friday I’m going to be featuring an interview with Lexi, my personal trainer – all about movement, so be sure to tune back in then for that!
Happy Friday x
Not The Mayo Clinic 