Month: November 2018

Drinking Alcohol Will Destroy your Sleep Quality

I’ve been tracking my sleep for quite some time now using the Apple Watch. I used to use the now-defunct Zeo Sleep Tracker, a device worn on the head using EEG signals to track your sleep. I’ve also ordered the Oura Ring, one of the more accurate consumer devices to track sleep.

Using the Apple Watch’s Sleep Watch app, I can only estimate my “restful sleep”. The app does not claim to know when you are in REM or deep sleep, very important sleep cycles. Hopefully, the Oura Ring can provide more insights into those cycles of sleep.

Although the iOS app doesn’t detect REM or deep sleep, I rely on it to detect my heart rate during sleep. A dip in heart rate during sleep is healthy and indicates more restful sleep. Studies correlate a lack of a heart rate dip with all-cause mortality, with findings state that “those with very small or no dips in sleeping heart rate were about 2½ times as likely to die in the next 7 years as those with normal or large dips during sleep”.1

 

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Cheating Should Be Part Of Your Overall Diet Plan

Despite differences in the protein and fats I choose to eat and the seasoning I use, I can get bored of eating similar style meals every day (eggs, meat, veggies etc..). That’s why I allow myself to have cheat meals where I eat basically whatever the hell I want.

Cheat meals can involve drinking copious amounts of alcohol and eating appetizers, desserts, and fried foods, all of which can be pretty unhealthy and damaging. I’m not on a mission to be unhealthy but if unhealthy dishes is what the menu has and what people recommend, that is what I will try.

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First Progress Video: Deadlift, Power Clean and Snatch, Handstand Walk

This is the first of many video posts of my workout progress for specific movements. I am trying to improve not only the amount of weight, repetition or distance for these movements but most importantly for me, the correct technique and form.

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Testing “Easy Strength” Program to Get Stronger

I first came across the Easy Strength program by listening to an interview with its creator Pavel Tsatsouline on the Tim Ferris show. What drew me to the program was its simple approach to building strength which Dan John (a co-author of the Easy Strength book who has a great post on the easy strength program ) boils down to three core tenants:

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Eric’s Dexa Scan Results for 2017 and 2018

If you want to know your lean mass percentage and other cool metrics about your body composition, the DEXA scan is one of the easiest ways you can find out.

The DEXA (Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) is a fairly accurate way of measuring your body composition. This includes your bone mineral density as well as your lean body mass and fat mass.

The DEXA scan does this by exposing you to low level x-ray beams throughout your body while you lie on a table. There are few items of interest that the DEXA reveals. One is the lean mass versus fat mass percentage per region (head, arms legs etc..), the other is the bone report that tells you your bone mineral density per region.

I got my scans done at BodySpec, where you can get a scan for 45.00 or 2 scans for 85.00. You can also get your Vo2 max measured as well as your resting metabolic rate (RMR)

I’ve done this 2 years in a row. For consistency, both times I’ve done it was around the same time of day and in a fasted state.

Here are the results:

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Fasting: The Number One Forgotten Health Tool

Fasting sounds scary. It sounds like something you should only do before major medical procedures or if you are on some meditative monk-like journey to find yourself. All it really means is that you don’t have to stuff your face everytime you feel a tinge of hunger.

Think of fasting as a form of discipline. You don’t have to give into every evolutionary need all the time. Sometimes it may benefit you to practice a little restraint and discipline.

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Training and Fitness to Die At Your Peak

What is your attitude towards training and fitness?

Are you trying to get stronger for a specific competition? Are you trying to look better for beach season or are you simply trying to feel more energetic and be less winded when you play with your kids? Since everybody’s notion of fitness differ based on what they are trying to achieve, it’s important for you to decide what your goals are and develop a stance and direction on what you really want to accomplish.

Personally, I focus on a solid training routine that involves weights, HIIT, mobility, and recovery.

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My Consistent, Healthy and Cheat Filled Eating Schedule

Are You a Picky Eater?

I’m lucky I’m not a picky eater. I can adjust and adapt to most types of ingredients I find at the grocery stores. If my typical cheese, meats or veggies aren’t there, I move on and purchase other ones. Just as long as they meet my general criteria of no sugar and grains.

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