And Some Numbers that Matter to Me (Most Have Nothing to Do with Health Measurements!)

In my Life Yet to Live, I’m not a numbers guy in general. I don’t wear a fitness watch or ring or any other device (other than a simple chest strap and heartrate monitor, but only when I train). Nor do I care about measuring every aspect of my medical health every day, such as blood pressure, steps, sleep patterns, and blood oxygen level. I prefer to feel that health, or not, by checking in with myself. The experience of just moving, and living, is too pleasant and engaging to be distracted by numbers, comparing myself to others, or comparing my daily readings to someone’s idea of “optimal” readings. I wonder if people who are perpetually focused on all their daily health numbers are missing the experience of the rich “here and now” that has become so much of my current life. I’ve spent too much of my life concerned with numbers, and time, and money. And while all that is still necessary to some degree, I avoid being micro-focused on them, as well as the never-ending stream of data in modern life.

My attitude towards all this certainly puts me apart from Peter Attia’s mantra: “If you can measure it you can manage it.” That said, I do ponder some “wonder” numbers and they are a regular feature of being aware of and grateful for the ultimate wonder of life itself.

A Lesson from the Universe

According to astrophysics, 70% or more of what goes on in the cosmos is the product of “dark energy” or “dark matter.” In one rather candid interview with a physicist I recently listened to, he said that dark energy and dark matter were mis-named, that they are not sinister or negative, they are simply names given to the vast amount we don’t know about, i.e. can’t measure, in space. Things like why the universe keeps expanding is in this category, calling into question all the theories and measurements we have so far about time, space, energy and matter.

Our health and bodies were created by, and function on, the same universal power that created the cosmos. I would venture a hunch that, like the universe, at least 70% (or much more) of what we know or can measure about ourselves and our health is still unknown, still in the dark waiting to be discovered. And while many of these numbers matter in modern medicine and health, they make up only a small part of how I experience health and life on a daily basis.

Some “Miracle” Numbers to Wonder About

Yet there are many numbers out there and in here that cause me to stop in my tracks and wonder about it all, one of the most pleasant aspects of my life these days. They also open my eyes, heart and mind to the parts of the universe and my body that I don’t often pay attention to yet are real and vital parts of my human existence.

For instance, we are all moving at about 1,000 miles per hour as the Earth spins on its axis every day. Yet we don’t experience this movement. We experience ourselves standing still. Even when we watch a sunrise or sunset, it seems to us like the sun is moving, not us. In an inspiring little book I just finished, The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos by Brian Swimme, he asks that the next time we witness a sunrise or sunset that we try and feel ourself and the earth moving, towards or away from sun. I tried it, and the sense is awesome and almost overwhelming, to the point of making me feel dizzy.

Or take what’s happening inside me every second, some numbers from the miracle of what keeps me alive at all. Every second, my body is creating 4 million new cells (and hopefully getting rid of that many old or worn-out ones.) That’s 330 billion new cells every day. That’s 1% of the total number of cells I have, giving me a whole new physical self every 100 days!

We age for the combination of 3 reasons: 1) the number of new cells produced goes down; 2) the quality of those new cells goes down, that is, more of them are “misformed” and not genetically viable; and 3) not enough of the old cells and misformed cells are identified, cleared away, and discarded, which provides the possible foundation for disease. My job is to keep that reproductive and disposal system, the immune system, as fully operative and capable as possible with “hormetic” activities. Without even being aware of it, every cell in my body is carrying out over 1 billion bio-chemical reactions every second. That’s 37 billion trillion in our whole body every second. This is part of the almost unbelievable effort my magnificent body is doing to keep me alive and healthy!

And while I was having my morning tea and doing my morning routine today, my heart pumped roughly 100 gallons of blood, which translates to about 2,500 gallons per day, enough to fill a small swimming pool. My heart beats about 100,000 times a day to move this blood to every cell in my body, bringing nutrients, removing waste and serving as the delivery system for hormones and other vital chemicals.

The wonder of these kinds of numbers fill me with awe, respect and gratitude for the hidden work my wonderful body is doing to keep me alive and healthy every day.

Health Numbers in My Daily Life

The only measured numbers that are a regular part of my daily life and health practice, other than some exercise readings and timings I’ve mentioned in Zone 2 and HIIT articles, are Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Resting Heart Rate (RHR).

I take an HRV reading every morning. It tells me, from a baseline developed from a history of readings, what my HRV is on that day, how ready my body is for the day ahead, and how balanced my energy systems, sympathetic and parasympathetic, are. Depending on “how I feel” and the workouts or other activities I did the day before, I don’t always follow the reading’s prompts. But it is a good indicator of the reality of my inner self, both physical and emotional, and a telling sign if something is off when it is too low. It is also a great indicator of how well I am doing compared to others my age. HRV tends to decrease as we age. Keeping it at higher levels is a valuable indicator of longevity. (My baseline HRV is around 60.)

Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is my heart rate when I first get up or when I am sleeping. The better cardiovascular condition I am in the lower it will be, indicating that my heart, lungs, and circulation are operating efficiently. I take this measurement first thing every morning, and I have found that when I am stressed, overtired, or have overeaten or overtrained, my RHR goes up. This is a clear reminder if I need to pay attention to an area of my life. For example, am I stressing about something that needs to be resolved? Did I push too hard during yesterday’s workout and need to take it down a bit today? (My normal RHR is 55-60.)

That’s it, a regime that I find works for me. I know others who prefer to know more data about virtually every aspect of their health and subscribe to the “measure it and manage it” (or obsess about it) mantra. But the choice is yours. It doesn’t really matter which method you prefer or use. The most important thing is that you are doing it at all!