Biofeedback, what it is and how to use it.
Biofeedback sounds fancy, but it's really just additional data points to measure progress, and as coaches, it is usually what guides our decisions (increases or decreases in food, changes in training volume, additional rest days, etc.).
Oftentimes, people look to the scale or measurements to decide what their next move should be. This is not a good idea. Biofeedback should be the biggest factor in how you decide to move forward.
So, now that we know that biofeedback is just additional data points to guide us, what points should you be monitoring?
While there are many different things to monitor and each individual may benefit from additional data points, here are some starting points that *most* people would benefit from:
Sleep. Chronic sleep restriction will play a large role in your results. (Sorry parents, keep doing your best!) Consistent lack of sleep (less than 7-9 hours) can result in changes to hormones, making people more impulsive and making it difficult to stick to your plan and push yourself in the gym. Some simple habits to improve sleep: light exposure throughout the day (10 minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evening), caffeine management, supplementation, nighttime routine, and stress management.
Hunger. Monitoring hunger levels will be important and can be extremely helpful during all phases. I personally like to use hunger cues a lot with my clients; while macros are great, I never recommend completely ignoring what your body is asking for. There is a happy medium between the intuitive eating and macro tracking groups, but we'll save that for another email. While hunger is common when calories are restricted, getting to a point where it is unbearable may be an indicator that it's time for a refeed, diet break, or moving back to maintenance. Some ways to manage hunger include increasing protein, increasing fiber, focusing on high-volume foods, and bubbly drinks.
Recovery & Energy. This is an area I see overlooked often, and it is extremely helpful in deciding what you should be doing next. Oftentimes people are leaving training sessions feeling beat up and going back for more the next day even though energy levels are way down. Monitoring things like soreness, mental clarity, motivation, libido, etc., will make a huge difference in your planning. If you are routinely feeling exhausted or unrecovered from training, that's a good sign it's time to pull back (preferably before you end up with an injury or completely burnt out). Pulling back could look like a de-load, an additional rest day, increasing food intake, prioritizing sleep and stress management, manipulating macros, etc.
Digestion. If you're a client of mine, you've probably heard me tell you how the gut is connected to so many things in the body. It's not uncommon to see digestion impacted when struggling mentally, metabolically, with stress, or lack of sleep. Problems with digestion can impact things from absorption of nutrients to inflammation in the body. If you notice digestion is off, here are a couple things you can try to implement: make sure you are sitting down and fully chewing your meals (not on the go and choking it down and back to work), take 10-minute walks post-meal, make sure you are eating plenty of fiber (women 20 grams or more, men 30 grams or more), and try not to have large meals before bed. If the problem persists, an elimination diet may be helpful to identify trigger foods.
Stress. This is a biggie, and I notice it tends to effect my Type A clients in particular. (I include myself in this.) There is more than one kind of stress, from perceived stress to circadian stress, they will all play a role in your journey. Things like being overstimulated, relationship issues, stress from dieting and or training, will all affect your body. It's not uncommon to see stress influence things like cortisol levels, sleep, appetite, and even insulin sensitivity. Some tools to manage stress levels include time outdoors, meditation, and breathwork.
Mindset & Mentality. How you are feeling throughout the day about yourself and your progress play a very large role in your success. I would say this is one of the most underrated tools I see utilized. There is actually some fun research studies that back just how important your mindset is. It can become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Those that don't believe they will ever be successful or have what it takes tend to give up, while those that believe they can tend to persevere and push past the obstacles they run into. This is an area where coaching really comes in handy; however, I have found the question "why" to be extremely helpful. If you feel you can't do x, y, z, ask yourself why. Is that really a true statement or are you just bullying yourself?
If you're ever lost on what to do next, your body usually gives signs on what it needs. By keeping a log of the above variables, in addition to your training and nutrition log, you will almost always have a clear answer on how to adjust. Whether it be fat loss, maintenance, building, reverse dieting, diet break, or training adjustments.
