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Devices

Whoop

  • What it does: I’ve been a Whoopist, Whooper….Whoopie? Not sure what to call it – doesn’t matter. I’ve worn a Whoop strap for over 4 years and I absolutely LOVE the data I can access. Sleep data, HRV, steps, RHR – there is SO much to be learned. They keep rolling out features that are incredibly useful. There is menstrual cycle tracking, stress monitoring, and most recently they rolled out a VO2 estimation. The daily journal feature allows you to log behaviors that could be affecting your health – caffeine consumption, work commute, reading in bed, screen time before sleep, late meals, etc. There is SO much you can learn if you wear a Whoop and use the daily journal tracking. They recently released their next generation tracker, which also offers blood pressure, an ECG screener, and a “healthspan” score which estimates the wearer’s pace of aging based on sleep, strain, and fitness metrics. I’ve recently upgraded and am loving the new features so far.
  • What I like: It is a wrist wearable without a screen. At first that was a major change. I’ve become very protective of my ability to focus over the past few years and the constant temptation and interruption of a little wearable screen…not cool. I also really like that the journal allows you to track a wide variety of behaviours and habits to so you can understand their effect on your health.
  • What I’ve learned: Over the last four years, Whoop has helped me dial in my sleep routine, and greatly improve my sleep. For example, I know that reading in bed for at least 15 minutes, taking a hot shower, and avoiding caffeine after 10AM all greatly improve my sleep quality, HRV, and recovery scores. Interestingly, I learned that working from home actually negatively impacts my sleep and recovery scores.
  • Integrations: At the time I’m writing this, Whoop integrates with Cronometer, Apple Health, Strave, Trainingpeaks, Withing, and Pliability. The integration with Apple Health can sometimes allow users to “leap frog” the data to another app that uses Apple Health data.
  • Why I recommend it: Whoop continuously adds features, which means there is always something new to learn more about the effect of my habits and behaviors. The customizability of the journal allows users to choose an area of focus (sleep, HRV, HR, etc.) and by modifying their journal, learn what factors affect that health metric. At first glance it seems like it may be “made for” high-performing athletes, but truly it is useful for people at any stage of their health journey.
  • It may not be a good fit if: You are not willing to log the behaviors in the journal most days of the week. If you don’t provide that input, you will learn very little about the factors that affect your sleep, recovery, HRV, etc. It also may not be a good fit if you LOVE having that little wearable screen on your arm.

Eight Sleep

  • What it does: The Eight Sleep “pod” is a mattress cover that automatically adjusts the temperature of your bed to help you get better and deeper sleep. The pod uses tubes that circulate warm or cold water through the mattress cover, based on your body temperature. Over time, it gets to “know” the temperatures at which you sleep best, and continually adjusts and improves. It also tracks your heart rate and breathing rate while you sleep. It uses an app to interact with the Eight Sleep and it does require a subscription to the “autopilot” service to use all the features. If you purchase the adjustable base, it automatically adjusts the bed to reduce snoring. The base also has great features like a reading and relaxation mode that raises the head and/or food of the bed (this works with flexible foam mattresses, not with coil mattresses).
  • What I like: Now that I’m at a certain stage of my life (my dearest friend calls it “wise puberty), the nighttime hot flashes can make a good night’s sleep a bit of a challenge. The automatic temperature adjustments help to cool me down on those nights when spontaneous human combustion seems a real possibility. The bed also allows for separate temperature preferences on each side of the bed, so if your sleeping partner prefers it warmer or cooler, you can each have your own settings.
    • I also love the base feature for reading in bed, as it allows you to sit up in bed to read. Whoop (see above) helped me identify that reading in bed is a key part of the routine that helps me get a good night’s sleep, so this feature has been a nice addition from 8 Sleep.
    • The last feature I really appreciate is the alarm/wake-up. As it gets closer to wake-up time, the bed gradually warms up. Personally, I love this feature for when I wake in the middle of the night. If I look at the clock, there is no way I’ll get back to sleep. I’ll get stressed about whether or not I’ll be able to fall asleep, and then I actually can’t fall back asleep easily. Now, when I wake in the middle of the night, I can tell if it’s getting close to wake-up time based on whether the bed feels toasty warm. When the alarm goes off, the alarm is a series of gentle vibrations on your back/torso. The vibrations gradually increase a bit until you turn it off. It’s a much nicer wake-up than the jarring sound of an alarm.
  • What I’ve learned: I have been convinced that I am adorable when I sleep and that I absolutely do NOT snore. I now have the unfortunate data that has proved otherwise. I am grateful there is no “drool detector” feature, as I’m not ready to have that level of ugly sleep quantifiably measured. I wouldn’t say I’ve learned as much from this as from other devices and apps. I think if you’re not already tracking your sleep in a different way, there is opportunity to learn more about your sleep using 8 Sleep.
  • Integrations: Apple Health and Google Fit
  • Why I recommend it: Sleep is absolutely vital to our health. Parents are often very attentive to the sleep of our children and often go to great lengths to ensure they have a regular bedtime routine to support a good night’s sleep. We ignore that for ourselves, though. Even though Eight Sleep may not help you dial in a better bedtime routine, it can help you get better sleep while you are in bed.
  • It may not be a good fit if: You don’t want to pay the price for it. I’ll be honest – it’s a little steep – over $2,000 for the pod and an additional fee for the adjustable base, which is optional.

Adjustable level desk

A few years ago, the idea that “sitting is the new smoking” became buzzy. Standing and adjustable desks became more popular and more available as a result of that buzz. While sitting for long periods of time is not ideal for one’s health, it certainly doesn’t fully equate to cigarette smoking. I will say, that even though it’s hyperbolic, it did get people’s attention and if it motivates people to get up and move around more, or to get a sit/stand desk, then it’s probably a net positive.

  • What it does:  I’m guessing you are clever enough that you’ve sorted out that it is a desk that can be raised or lowered. There are electric or manual versions available. The important thing in choosing one is to ensure it is adjustable to a height that will be ergonomically correct for you when you are both seated and standing.
    • If you go a-googling you will probably find things that point to a greater calorie burn for standing rather than sitting. I recommend that you don’t get too excited about that. While it is largely true that we humans burn more calories when standing than when we are sitting, it’s not going to be significant enough that you’re going to start losing weight from this change alone. It can be a positive contribution, but in the same way that general habits like this have a cumulative effect.
  • What I like: My hip joints get a little cranky if I sit for long periods of time, so it’s very nice to be able to alternate throughout the day. I’ve recently added a walking pad to my setup (see LINK for details) and have found that combination to be even better.
  • What I’ve learned: No real “learning” on this one. I do find it odd that people I’ve worked with for years still get freaked out when they walk into my office and I’m standing.
  • Integrations: Not really applicable here.
  • Why I recommend it: Being in any one position can cause joint discomfort and muscle imbalances over time. For example, sitting can result in shortening of the hip flexors (the muscles at the front of your hips) that can lead to imbalances in your back muscles. Since most people sit with poor posture, that can exacerbate the imbalances and joint pain. Similarly, you should not be standing all day either. The point: do not be in any one position for several hours per day. Having an adjustable desk (or a high desk with a high task chair) enables that.
  • It may not be a good fit if: You have existing joint or back issues. If you do, check in with a physical therapist and get those addressed. Make sure you understand the nature of any issues you have so you can be sure to not exacerbate them.

Walking Pad

  • What it does: Basically, it’s like a treadmill with a specific use in mind – just walking. There are usually not a lot of bells and whistles with these. The goal is just to get you off your butt and get in your steps for the day. They generally don’t go faster than 4 MPH (which, IMO is an impressive walking cadence while doing computer work) and they are great lower-cost alternative to a treadmill if all you’re looking to do is walk. You can use these during your TV time, as well, to make your screen time a little more active.
  • What I like: This was a level up from the alternating sitting/standing I was already doing. It can be challenging to get in enough steps during the day, even when regularly exercising. To me, this makes hitting my step goals much easier, as I’m tapping into time that otherwise would not have been available for physical activity.
  • What I’ve learned: It can take a bit of practice to learn to type while on a walking pad. I recommend starting off very slow and you’ll be able to find your ideal walking pace as you get more used to it. About 2-2.5 MPH is what works best for me if I walk while typing.
    • I’ve also learned that there are certain types of work I canNOT do while walking. For some reason typing a document, reading, or responding to emails is all totally fine. If I’m working in Excel or doing anything with data analysis or otherwise math-y though, I nearly fall off and break myself.
    • I’ve also learned that some people find it distracting to have you walking during a Zoom meeting. One person actually told me it made them feel a little bit of motion sickness. So, be polite if you’re on camera. Not everyone will be appreciative of you walking during meetings. And, of course, don’t be out of breath while on a call. That could be…misinterpreted.
  • Integrations: Mine does not have any integrations. I imagine there are some that do, if that is of interest to you, though.
  • Why I recommend it: This is a great way to squeeze in your steps. For many of us, we spend the majority of our waking hours at work and even if we are working out and being active most days of the week, the amount of active time still pales in comparison to the amount of time most of us spend sitting for work.
  • It may not be a good fit if: As with the adjustable desk, it may not be a good fit if you have certain orthopedic issues. Definitely get those sorted out first, or at least understand the issues well enough to ensure you don’t do further damage.

Percussive massage gun

  • What it does: There are a number of benefits reported – improved flexibility, reduced DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), improvements in muscle recovery time, and improved blood flow and lymphatic drainage. For me, the primary use is helping to reduce DOMS and relax my muscles before bed. I have piriformis syndrome (sometimes called deep gluteal syndrome) which is a fancy way of saying I have a muscle deep in my posterior hip (AKA my butt muscles) that gets overexcited and can’t relax. It compresses the sciatic nerve. It’s pretty unpleasant, and I find that percussive massage is one of the ways I can help get it to relax.
  • What I like: Easy to use and a great way to help relax tense or tender muscles in the evening. There are a variety of attachments available to help address various muscle groups. Most people can intuitively use it to work on sore areas, and there are also loads of videos available online to help individuals to target specific areas or issues.
  • What I’ve learned: No major learning from this.
  • Integrations: Mine does not have integrations, but I’m sure there are some models that may.
  • Why I recommend it: Again, ease of use, cost, and overall benefit. Who doesn’t like help relaxing?
  • It may not be a good fit if: It’s important to be mindful if you have iron deficiency, or any blood clotting issues that may cause you to bruise easily. It’s important to avoid using this on any area that is injured, has an open wound, has any skin irritation or blisters, etc. As a general rule, if you are managing any chronic condition, be sure to check with your PCP.