# Episode 104
** ** **Summary:** In Episode #104 Ari talks with [Ronda Collier](http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/about.shtml), CEO of SweetWater Health™, a company striving to revolutionize mobile health monitoring and stress management by combining verified medical research with the most recent mobile-tech innovations. During their conversation, Ari and Ronda touch on the frequently overlooked value of Heart Rate Variability and the future of health technology. ** **
**Sponsored By:** [BulletProof Chocolate Bars](https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.upgradedself.com%2Fchocolate-bars) – _Bulletproof Chocolate Bars are made from the best organic raw cocoa powder and cacao butter available. These chocolate bars are sugar-free, low-glycemic alternatives to the low quality, sugary chocolate bars you can find anywhere._ ** **
**Time Stamped Show Notes:**
– 02:05 – Happy Thanksgiving from Ari and the Less Doing Team!
– 02:55 – Felix and Ari address tryptophan – Editor’s Note: Ari mentions that tryptophan occurs _naturally _in the body – this is **not-accurate**
– 03:25 – Tryptophan is not what makes us tired…overeating makes us tired
– 07:56 – June 9th-12th of 2015, Ari will speak at the _Fortune_ Leadership Summit
– 19:27 – Ronda discusses her background and the journey to founding [SweetWater Health](http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/sb.shtml)
– 20:40 – HRV: Heart-Rate Variability
– 22:28 – It’s not that stress is a _bad_ thing of and in itself…it’s how quickly we can recover from that stress.
– 23:00 – Why should we care about HRV? Why even track it?
– 25:55 – [SweetBeat](http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/sb.shtml) and how the SweetWater apps work
– 27:00 – The SweetWater and the Vital Connect [HealthPatch](http://www.vitalconnect.com/healthpatch)
– 29:57 – HRV has been used by athletes for decades to help them mitigate the risks of overtraining
– 29:05 – How can HRV monitoring work for a non-athlete?
– 30:50 – SweetBeat can alert people to everyday behaviors that induce commonly overlooked stress
– 32:10 – Meditation has _always_ been a challenge for Ari
– 33:15 – How Ronda personally uses her HRV monitoring tools
– 33:39 – _The bucket of willpower_
– 34:30 – When HRV is low; do busy work. When HRV is high; do creative work
– 34:45 – When you are “in-flow”, HRV starts to go up naturally
– 35:32 – Food sensitivity and how it relates to stress
– 39:10 – Most people are not aware of modest heart rate spikes
– 40:23 – The future of SweetBeat
– 41:35 – The value of correlation
– 43:27 – Ronda’s Top 3 Tips for Being More Effective:
– 43:43 – Improving nutrition; eating fresh
– 44:00 – Being self-aware of what’s going on inside your body
– 44:30 – Exercise, even minimally, every single day –
– 45:10 – BeatHealthy.com ** **
**7 Key Points:**
- The heart does not beat at a consistent interval like a metronome
- Stress isn’t “bad”; How we react to it – our inability to come down – is what makes it bad
- People who are in constant “fight or flight” mode normalize stress in their brains, which makes it difficult for them to institute change because these individuals don’t “feel” stressed
- Monitoring HRV is a great way to maximize recovery from physical training _and _keep track of stress
- When HRV levels are low do “busy work”; When they are high do “creative work”
- Sensitivity to certain foods can significantly impact stress and HRV levels
- Good nutrition, consistent exercise and self-awareness are the pillars of healthy living ** **
**Resources Mentioned:**
– [Import.IO](https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fimport.io%2F) – A — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message
