Stop Optimizing! Do This Instead
Too Much Data and Information is Not Always a Good Thing
We live in a unique and fascinating time. Each of us has access to limitless volumes of information, data, and research to optimize our lives and become the best humans we can be.
Wearable technology, with its ability to provide us with real-time data on various aspects of our bodies, is catapulting us into a future that seems straight out of Star Trek.
The question I pose is this:
Is this a good thing?
Too Much Information
There is such a thing as having too much information. We can wear continuous glucose and sweat monitors, get bloodwork to check our vitamin and hormone levels, monitor our sleep through smart mattress covers, check if we’re in ketosis, and accurately track every bite of food we eat.
An optimization level previously only available to high-level athletes is now accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a credit card.
Taking advantage of all this technology and information can be helpful to us in staying healthy and improving our longevity, but is it necessary?
Unless you’re competing at a high level, does anyone need to focus on optimization to the degree that we can in 2024?
Too much data is one thing, but all the research and studies that have emerged in the past several years are enough to make your head spin.
I’m old enough to remember the advice the ‘experts’ gave ten, twenty, and even thirty years ago. I’ve lived through so many fitness and health trends that these days, I’m wary of jumping on any bandwagons. At least not till I’ve thoroughly researched and made my own damn mind up about it.
The next ten years may upend our understanding of health and wellness, and the ten years after that may disrupt everything again.
Blindly Following
I can not count the number of podcasts, Instagram reels, TikToks, YouTube videos, or viral hacks that I’ve seen claiming to be the next best thing in health and wellness.
Sometimes they’re correct, but often it’s a load of crap.
Those of us who take five or ten minutes to fact-check these claims are inoculated against snake oil. Unfortunately, too many people see a thirty-second AI deep fake clip of Joe Rogan and consider it gospel.
The same goes for wearables. From watches to rings and even patches on our skin, we can track what our bodies are doing throughout the day. It’s easy to jump on the next big thing in this tech, but what do we do with this data?
Sure, many people will optimize over the short term, but how many people will wear a continuous glucose monitor for the rest of their lives when they do not have diabetes?
If you find out that you need more sleep, will you actually make changes to get those extra hours?
When was the last time you checked and analyzed the heart rate data your watch collects?
Many people are blindly collecting massive amounts of data that do little to improve their lives.
What to do Instead
Looking at and implementing all the available data and research are good for living a happy, healthy, and long life. We have more information about health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness than at any time in human history.
Past generations had the excuse of being ignorant when they engaged in unhealthy behaviours; we no longer have that luxury.
What are we to do when bombarded with all this information?
Keep it simple.
Don’t eat too much crap, don’t put poison in your body, get up and move, get a good night's sleep, and keep your mental health in check.
We know what we should do, so get up and do it.
I often remind myself of a few things when I start thinking too hard about what I’m doing to stay healthy:
Our ancestors didn’t know or care what heart rate zone they were in
80-year-olds are living in high-altitude villages, walking miles to fetch water every day
Fasting was not a nice option for most of human existence. It was a part of daily life and not by choice
We exercise because our lives are too easy and soft; only a few generations ago, fitness was a byproduct of everyday life
Our bodies are designed to lift, pull, push, and run, not to grow obscenely large muscles
We’ve survived on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years without tracking our steps
What I’m Doing
I’m not an expert, nor will I ever be. I am also suspicious of everyone who pops up on my feed talking with authority about the next best thing we all need to do to optimize for X or prevent Y.
Instead, I decided to be okish at a variety of activities rather than focus all my efforts on being awesome at one or two.
I want to:
Swim a kilometre without stopping
Run long distances
Sprint
Pull my body up
Get up off the ground easily
Fight
Carry weight over distance
Be able to hunt all day without getting tired
Instead of following fads and trends, I’m doing things with a long history of effectiveness.
Functional weight-lifting movements and calisthenics both of which have stood the test of time as effective ways to train the body
Regular sauna use, which people have done for thousands of years
Cold exposure, which dates back to at least 3500BCE
Distance running and sprinting
Long swims
Sun exposure, which is a great way to wake up and get some vitamin D
Taking creatine, which has been proven safe and effective in hundreds of studies
Meditation and breathwork both of which have a track record of thousands of years.
Martial arts
No alcohol because there is no benefit to it
Trends, fads, and new research will come and go, but I’m confident that what I listed above will stand the test of time.
Beyond that, I try not to eat too badly, get enough sleep and exercise daily.