Moment 88 - Daily Habits That Everyone Needs To Hear: Will Ahmed
This episode explores lifestyle hacks for optimal performance and well-being, including sleep optimization, morning routines, hot/cold therapy, and the importance of breathwork and heart rate variability (HRV) for physiological regulation.
Deep Dive Analysis
7 Topic Outline
Will Ahmed's Night Before Routine for Optimal Performance
Morning Workout and Post-Workout Recovery Routine
Rationale for Morning Workouts and Cold Showers
Discussion on Breathwork and its Growing Popularity
Understanding Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Autonomic Nervous System
Historical Uses and Importance of Heart Rate Variability
Factors that Decrease Heart Rate Variability
5 Key Concepts
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
HRV is the amount of time between successive beats of the heart, which is not perfectly consistent. This variability is a positive indicator, showing the body's ability to regulate itself in its environment and reflecting the balance of the autonomic nervous system.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The ANS is a system that controls involuntary bodily functions and consists of two main parts: sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. HRV provides a lens into the activity of this system, indicating how restored the body is.
Sympathetic Activity
This part of the ANS is associated with activation, leading to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. It's often engaged during stress or exercise, preparing the body for 'fight or flight'.
Parasympathetic Activity
This part of the ANS is associated with rest and recovery, leading to decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. It helps the body relax and fall asleep, promoting 'rest and digest' functions.
Breathwork and ANS Control
By consciously controlling breathing, one can influence the autonomic nervous system. Inhaling is sympathetic (activating), and exhaling is parasympathetic (calming), allowing individuals to intentionally increase or decrease their heart rate variability.
6 Questions Answered
Sleeping in a cold and dark bedroom is shown to give you higher quality sleep, contributing to better recovery.
Working out in the morning ensures that exercise is completed before other commitments arise later in the day, preventing missed workouts due to unforeseen work or personal obligations.
Cold showers provide a jolt of adrenaline, force proper breathing, and can induce a feeling of happiness afterward, contributing to overall well-being and mental clarity.
HRV is a powerful statistic that indicates the body's ability to regulate itself, providing a lens into the autonomic nervous system and helping to understand the body's readiness and sleep quality.
Factors that decrease HRV include dehydration, a bad diet, alcohol consumption, heavy exercise, and significant psychological stress, even from everyday interactions like a difficult conversation with a partner.
While it can vary, Whoop users can track whether they sleep better or worse with a partner by recording it in the Whoop journal, providing personalized data on the impact of coexisting in a bedroom environment.
8 Actionable Insights
1. Prepare the Night Before
Pack workout clothes and lay out work clothes for the next day to streamline your morning. Write down two or three key things you plan to focus on the next day to set a clear agenda.
2. Prioritize Morning Workouts
Exercise in the morning to ensure it gets done, as it’s easier to control your schedule before work demands arise. This ‘checks the box’ for physical activity, preventing missed workouts due to evening commitments.
3. Incorporate Cold Exposure
End all showers with cold water, as cold exposure can provide a jolt of adrenaline, force proper breathing, and induce a feeling of happiness afterward. It’s also linked to increased longevity when combined with hot therapy.
4. Utilize Hot Therapy (Steam/Sauna)
Engage in steam room or sauna sessions a few days a week, as research suggests this practice can contribute to increased longevity.
5. Practice Intentional Breathwork
Actively control your breathing to influence your autonomic nervous system; inhaling is sympathetic (activation) and exhaling is parasympathetic (calming). This allows you to consciously increase or decrease your heart rate variability (HRV) and regulate your body’s state.
6. Identify & Avoid HRV Reducers
Be aware that factors like dehydration, bad diet, alcohol, heavy exercise, and psychological stress (including relationship issues) can significantly decrease your heart rate variability. Minimizing these can improve your body’s readiness and sleep quality.
7. Start the Day with Connection
Give your partner kisses before leaving in the morning, even if they are still sleeping, as this can serve as a nice relationship hack.
8. Fuel with Protein-Rich Breakfast
Consume a breakfast primarily composed of proteins, such as egg whites, avocado, and bacon, to provide sustained energy.
4 Key Quotes
I end a hundred percent of showers that I take cold and as cold as possible.
Will Ahmed
Just by controlling your breathing you can decide whether you want to be sympathetic dominant parasympathetic dominant.
Will Ahmed
This is a pretty powerful statistic that I've never heard of that feels like everyone should be measuring.
Will Ahmed
Anything you can do that helps you breathe properly or forces you to breathe properly is good for you.
Will Ahmed
1 Protocols
Will Ahmed's Daily Performance Routine
Will Ahmed- Pack workout clothes and next day's work clothes the night before.
- Write down 2-3 key focus items for the next day.
- Sleep in a cold, dark bedroom, aiming for a consistent bedtime (e.g., 11:30 PM - midnight).
- Wake up around 6:30 AM.
- Give wife kisses before leaving for the morning workout.
- Work out for an hour with a trainer.
- Use a steam room after the workout.
- Take a freezing cold shower, ending 100% of showers cold.
- Eat a breakfast high in protein (e.g., egg whites, avocado, bacon).