A Friendly Nudge - Info vs Obsession
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
I’ll admit up front that I’m a health nerd.
Sleep quality, recovery status, weight, calories consumed, body fat and muscle percentage and even how it’s distributed, active heart rate, resting heart rate, heart rate variability– the amount of information available can be staggering. It can be helpful or overwhelming, depending on your perspective.
I try to focus on trends and not get too obsessed or spun up by the day to day.
I used to be more in the blissfully unaware camp. But I found out that what you don’t know can literally kill you, and shy of that it can definitely impact the quality of your life. I also know that becoming overly obsessed with your minute by minute health minutia can be counterproductive and problematic.
I guess it’s like a lot of things, the secret is finding a balance that works for you.
If I wake up feeling fantastic, but my Whoop Strap tells me that I had a lousy night’s sleep, I avoid the urge to convince myself that I should be feeling lousy. I just chalk that one up to an outlier. But if the subpar numbers start becoming the norm, I know it’s something I need to dig into.
For me, one of the impacts of sleep tracking was seeing how much alcohol messes with my sleep quality. That’s not exactly a news flash, but it’s a little more sobering when you actually see the numbers.
I haven’t sold my wine rack or liquor cabinet but it’s definitely changed my relationship with alcohol. I still enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail on occasion, but it’s a lot easier now to stay well shy of the “overserved” category.
I don’t think there’s such a thing as the perfect diet or the perfect exercise routine, the magic is in having a way of eating and moving that you can be pretty consistent with.
I think health information is similar. It needs to be something that’s not too intrusive and that not only gives you helpful information, but something that you act on.
Have you found a wearable or some piece of technology that’s been particularly helpful at tracking your progress or moving you towards your goals?
Now let’s get cooking and spice things up a little with some hatch chile salsa verde!
This is hatch chile time in and around Austin, Texas. Even though they’re grown in New Mexico most of the grocery stores here have a large hatch chile display and Central Market, a great store that’s part of the HEB grocery store family, has hatch chiles in sauces, baked goods and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen hatch chile ice cream.
So to celebrate, we’re making salsa verde with hatch chiles. If you don’t have access to hatch chiles you can use poblano peppers and maybe add a jalapeno to dial up the heat if desired.
Ingredients:
1-2 pounds of hatch or poblano peppers
1 pound tomatillos (outer paperlike husk removed)
1 bunch cilantro
1 large clove of garlic
½ white onion
Juice of 1 lime
Fat pinch of salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Avocado oil spray or a little olive oil on the tomatillos and onion prior to grilling
This one is simple and gives a way to elevate almost any dish, but I’m not convinced that it will ever be a viable option for an ice cream topping. Maybe I’m just being closed minded.
We want to char the chiles and grill or roast the tomatillos, onion and garlic clove. I used a grill but you could use the broiler in your oven, a grill pan on your stove top or over an open flame.
Put the charred chiles in a paper sack and let them sit for a few minutes. The paper bag captures the steam and helps loosen the skin and makes them easier to peel.
After 5 minutes, under running water loosen the charred skin from the chiles and discard, same with the seeds and stem.
I added the 4 tomatillos, 3-4 chiles, ½ onion, 1 garlic clove, a good glug of olive oil, 1 bunch of cilantro, fat pinch of salt and juice from 1 lime to the blender and blended.
Taste to see if it needs more salt or lime juice.
This stuff is delicious on eggs, grilled meats, grilled veggies and who knows maybe even the key to award winning desserts.
Now, for our exercise…
Here is a series of exercise snacks that can be done as a circuit or done as brief bouts of exercise throughout the day and week. Skip any that you don’t feel ready for.