What I’m thinking about…
We know that we can only improve what we measure. A group of products that have gained increasing popularity over the past few years has been wearables. These come in the form of rings, watches, shoe straps and even your trusted cell phone. The wearable market has ballooned to a 45 million dollar industry with over 60% of the population relying on these devices to track step count.
Companies like Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, and Withings are all competing to earn your mighty dollar. But how accurate are these devices? This is a challenging question as variables with trackers include placement on the body, and technology and algorithms employed. According to a systemic review, wearables underestimate your steps by approximately 9%.
Now let’s look at the origin of the infamous 10,000 step daily target. The actual study looking at physical activity in the form of steps was done in Japan in 2013 where ~4,000 males and females above 65 years of age were studied. The study showed the number of steps that led to a decrease in heart-related issues was 7,000. Walking more than this amount did not provide any longevity benefits. However, for those walking less than 5,000 steps per day, an extra 1,000 steps lowered their death risk by 23%. Take this number with a grain of salt though, because the same study group was only studied for 4 years.
So where did the 10,000 number come from? A marketing company in Japan that thought selling 10,000 steps was more impactful than what the research showed. If you want to go deeper and see what wearable options exist, click HERE.
What I’m listening to…
For one of my work breaks, I took a timed YouTube break and found this clip from the 2020 Oscars. If you haven’t seen the movie A Star is Born, it is must-see tv. It is a Western Bollywood production with a love story that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. With more and more movies focussing on car chases and machines taking over the world, few bring together good acting and great singing. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga crush both and make you feel emotions that stir your pot. For those who know me, I am a pretty equanimous person. This clip brings up emotions and feelings that encourage me to sing at the top of my lungs and join in. Time to let go and give it a whirl.
Weekly Breathwork Tip
Being in the middle of winter, there have been days when my mind has drifted to the thought ‘It’s too cold to go to the gym’. Being aware of these thoughts and doing some Breath of Fire breathing exercises has helped move me into action. Breath of Fire or Bhastrika breathing is a cleansing pranayamic breath technique that falls into the coffee category. It is an upregulating breathwork technique that stimulates your sympathetic nervous system. It wakes you up by increasing your internal body temperature and heart rate.
This technique involves a forceful exhale through your nose (have some Kleenex nearby). This exhale requires you to quickly contract your abdominal and diaphragm muscles creating a pulsating rhythm. The inhale happens passively (all the attention is on the exhale). It is best done cyclically where you would do 20 breaths, take a 30-second break and then continue for a total of 3 rounds. You should not do this exercise if you are pregnant, have a history of seizures or have recently had heart or head surgery.
Quote I’m resonating with…
The bigger your heart, the more you love, the more you control your life.
The bigger your ego, the more you’re scared, the more others control your life.
~ Maxime Lagacé
Lots to unpack here. The theme of this week’s newsletter seems to be creating conditions and the awareness to feel things. Rather than numbing ourselves to avoid or distract ourselves, we must dig into uncomfortableness to see what is lurking beneath. Our ego and our mind focus on self-preservation and protecting ourselves. When our heart is open, it yearns for safety, security and connection. The word control in this quote is interesting. I interpret it to mean more letting go than making things go your way. In this context, being in control is more about being the bystander witnessing what is happening without attachment. My definition of love is strong feelings of connection without attachment. When you are not attached to outcomes, you can feel without expectation or fear of being hurt. This is not easy to do. Feeling in this way prevents emotions from taking control of your reactions (ie. your mind and ego taking over and ‘controlling’ outcomes).
Action Items
Listen to a song that you haven’t listened to in a while that means something to you. It can be your wedding song or a song you listened to get you through a breakup. Whatever it is, close your eyes, put it on repeat and just allow yourself to feel whatever comes up. We are far too disconnected from ourselves and it is important to do things that take us into our bodies and encourage us to feel emotions and atoms jumping around inside us.
Join us on January 31st at 8:30pm EST for a practical and experiential breathwork journey that will help you reconnect with your body and feel rather than ignore. You can register HERE.
Registration is still open for the upcoming Rx for Renewal Winter Retreat happening on February 25th. Check out the event page here.