If you haven’t been following Andrew Huberman, PhD, I suggest you hop on the bandwagon.

His Huberman Lab podcast – https://hubermanlab.com/category/podcast-episodes/ – is a fascinating mix of science, fitness, wellness, aging and brain/body connections that is a wealth of surprisingly useful information.

He is a regular guest on other podcasts as well – and I recently watched his appearance on the Commune:  https://www.onecommune.com/andrew-huberman-objective-measures-live-call-replay?utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=▶%EF%B8%8F+Press+Play%3A+Recording+of+Andrew+Huberman%27s+Live+Webinar

The topic was “Objective Measures of Health and Performance” – and I’ll list the quick takeaways below, but one thing Andrew pointed out was just how important subjective data is.

He stressed combining both objective and subjective measures (use and track both) so you are not blindly lead by an objective measure (e.g. sleep tracker vs. how well rested you feel in the morning)

I think this is really important – especially with the flood of data we can get everyday from our smart watches, fitness trackers and other devices. And more is coming (the investments is health and wellness devices for personal use is one of the hottest trends in VC now).

How do you feel? What is your body telling YOU? 

I’m not a data driven athlete by any means – in fact the only device I regularly use is an older GPS watch, just so I can track the miles I run.

When I’m not training for an event, which is most of the time, I run because I love it. I run in the woods, on the trails – and the pace is largely dictated by how I feel that day. If I feel good, I go for it. If I feel bad, I’ll go slow and short.

Often times, I leave the watch at home because I have so many known routes, I know the miles I’m going to run.

Sometimes, when I run with my dog – I let her lead and I just do what she does – which is a weird mix of walking, jogging and hauling ass! It’s actually a great, fun workout. You never know what you’re going to get.

I guess the point I’m trying to make, along with Dr. Huberman, is – don’t discount how you feel – regardless of the data.

In fact, Dr. Huberman suggests you track and take note of your subjective measures first, so you are not swayed by the data.

If you’re going to be swayed – let the positive vibes have a chance!

Let me know what you track and how you listen to your body. I’m curious how you balance the two.

Here are the quick takeaways from Andrew Huberman’s appearance on the Commune:

  • Track when you wake up. This is a key indicator to a number of things like identifying the best times of the day to exercise or being very focused at work
  • Light and sunlight exposure is key to both waking up and falling asleep
  • Andrew also suggested combining both objective and subjective measures (use and track both) so you are not blindly lead by an objective measure (e.g. sleep tracker vs. how well rested you feel in the morning)
  • Three keys to health and wellness (sleep, exercise, morning sunlight or bright light)