Health is based on three pillars: sleep, nutrition and fitness. I chat with some of the most interesting people I know to discover more about their Health Stacks: the behaviors and products they use to stay healthy and fit.
Recently, I had an hour-long Zoom conversation with Nat Eliason. Nat is the founder of Growth Machine, an SEO and content marketing agency. On the side, Nat also runs a popular blog and his own Youtube channel. I spoke with Nat about his biohacking lifestyle, which he started over 10 years ago.
Highlights
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10 years ago, Nat began his fitness journey when he first read 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
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Nat trains at Central Athlete with his personal trainer to meet his individual fitness goals
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Good sleep is important to Nat. His sleep stack includes BLU Blox blue light blocking lenses, Dohm noise machine, Dyson air purifier, Eight Sleep Pod, and an Oura Ring
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Cutting out alcohol has been Nat’s biggest health hack
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Nat uses recovery tools such as an Almost Heaven six person barrel sauna and his own DIY ice bath
When I started my fitness and health journey
In high school, around senior year, I became very interested in health. I was never a very fit kid growing up. I was always a little overweight, not super strong and I didn’t participate in sports. However, during my senior year, I read the 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss and began to get more into health and fitness. I also became more interested in everything related to biohacking. I started buying different products and experimenting to see what would help me reach my health goals. Over the past 10 years, I have learned even more.
My hacks to make sure I stick to my health routine
I’ve been in the process of trying to find ways to basically force myself to be healthier without having to use any willpower or mental bandwidth. For example, having a personal trainer has helped hold me accountable to working out so that I don’t have to muster up as much willpower on my own.
In October, I put up a bet on Twitter where I said that I don’t want to drink for the rest of the month. If I did drink any alcohol between the beginning of October and October 28th, which was my wife’s birthday, I would have to donate $100 to the Trump campaign for every drink, and post a screenshot of the donation on Twitter. Since I didn’t really want to do that, and I knew it would not be particularly popular socially, it became a good motivator for the whole month and I was able to stick to my goal.
The things I prioritize to stay health
For exercise, I go to a gym in Austin called Central Athlete, but they also do all of their coaching remotely. Their trainers set you up with custom workouts, nutrition, and any other lifestyle changes. They help you with your whole Health Stack, and not only workout routines. Once they give you a workout routine, you can do the workout on your own or workout with a trainer who helps you with form and answers any questions.
For exercise tracking, I use a Garmin Fenix watch. I found it’s more accurate than the Apple watch.
For nutrition, I use Levels CGM to track my metabolic health. To track my fat, protein, mineral and body water composition, I use InBody, a full body composition scanner. It’s not as advanced as getting a DEXA scan, but it’s the next best thing since most scales are very expensive. I also use the Traeger Grill for cooking practically all of my meals. It’s such a useful tool for cooking, especially meats, and I found that I eat healthier while using it since it makes cooking so easy.
At nights, I use BLU Blox blue light blocking lenses. To unwind before sleep, I also use a Dohm noise machine and Dyson air purifier. For sleep, I’ve got my Eight Sleep Pod. I love it and refer to people on Twitter all the time. I also use an Oura Ring.
I have been using SunUp CBD, and I recently discovered Delta-8-THC. Delta-8-THC is a very slightly chemically altered version of normal THC and I use it for relaxation. There is one tiny molecular manipulation to it, which legally changes it into a different substance, meaning it is legal in all 50 states. In Austin, there’s a cannabis store that’s allowed to sell Delta-8-THC, even though weed is still illegal here. It’s pretty much indistinguishable from normal marijuana and it’s completely legal, which blew my mind.
I also have the Almost Heaven six person barrel sauna. You can buy it directly on the Almost Heaven site, and they ship it to you in this giant box. It’s way hotter than most other saunas that I’ve been in and it’s super effective. I use it a few days a week after waking up on days when I’m not working out. It’s a nice way to sweat and I sit in there and read.
“Over the last few months, I’ve realized how important sun exposure is for my mood, wellbeing, and sleep quality.”
Lastly, I try to find more ways to get sunlight exposure throughout the day. I’ll sit out on my deck to work, walk to get coffee, work at an outdoor coffee shop, or anything else that ensures that I get more sunlight during the day.
The apps I use
I use the True Coach to communicate with my trainer and view my workouts for the week. Within the app, I can also watch tutorial videos to see the correct form. The app also tells me how fast to do each exercise and how much weight to use. I can also monitor my progression over time in terms of weight used and reps performed. I’m constantly talking to my trainer through the True Coach app and through text messages. Based on my fitness goals, I get all of my customized programming at 7:30am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I also have a Peloton that I use for cycling workouts.
Another app I use is Strava; I use it not only for exercise tracking, but also for the social community on the app.