WHOOP Podcast

Metabolic health is far more nuanced than conventional nutrition advice suggests. On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Metabolic Health Expert Dr. Nick Norwitz MD PhD to discuss why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools for improving long-term health. Dr. Nick Norwitz shares how a ketogenic diet unexpectedly put his inflammatory bowel disease into remission after numerous conventional treatments had failed. This experimentation sparked a career dedicated to challenging assumptions with rigorous science and thoughtful self-experimentation. Together, Dr. Nick Norwitz and Dr. Kristen Holmes unpack the difference between "evidence-based" and truly individualized care. This episode continues to explore why muscle, sleep, and visceral fat play central roles in brain, heart, and metabolic health. From discussions on protein, the microbiome, and emerging therapies to Nick's famous Oreo-versus-statin experiment, the conversation encourages listeners to move beyond one-size-fits-all health advice, and partner with their healthcare providers to embrace safe, data-informed experimentation for a better understanding of their biology.

Shownotes:
(00:00) Trailer Intro
(00:43) Who Is Dr. Nick Norwitz?
(03:07) Nick’s Personal Health Journey
(08:29) Nutrition as a Medical Intervention
(12:41) What Does “Evidence-Based” Care Really Mean?
(16:42) The Key to Optimizing Your Health
(19:17) Debunking Metabolic Health Myths
(20:46) The Benefits of Training and Exercise
(26:29) How Metabolism Affects Strength, Cardio, and Brain Health
(30:03) How Does Sleep Impact Inflammation?
(32:35) GLP-1s and Your Metabolism: What’s Really Happening?
(34:47) Nick’s Take on Self-Experimentation
(35:43) The Oreo vs. Statin Study
(45:19) How to Burn Fat
(49:43) Do We Really Need to Focus on Protein?
(51:25) What Is Visceral Fat—and How Do You Lose It?
(56:08) Why You Should Stay Curious About Your Health

Resources:
Fitness and aging (Nature Aging 2026); https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-026-01150-x  
Visceral fat and resistant starch: (Nature Metabolism 2024): https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-024-00988-y 
Visceral fat and resistant starch, **YouTube Breakdown: https://youtu.be/wnEApLnKDRI   
Visceral fat and brain volume: (Nature Comm 2026): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71141-4 
Leg power and longevity (twin study): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26551663/ 
600-calorie exercise burn study (Nature Metabolism 2025): https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01236-7 
Microbiome and beige fat study (Nature 2026): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10205-3 
Oreo versus statin study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38276308/
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Heart rate variability (HRV) is one of the most powerful metrics for understanding your recovery and resilience. In this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki explain what HRV actually measures and what it indicates about the health of your autonomic nervous system. They unpack the biggest factors that influence HRV, including sleep consistency, hydration, training load, psychological stress, alcohol, and illness. You'll learn how to use HRV as a practical guide to balance stress and recovery, identify which habits are helping or hurting your physiology, and make small, consistent lifestyle changes that support better performance, healthier aging, and greater resilience over time.

(00:00) Cold Open
(00:35) What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?
(01:48) Why HRV Matters For Recovery
(03:20) How WHOOP Measures HRV
(04:44) Why You Shouldn’t Compare Your HRV to Others
(05:43) Understanding the Autonomic Nervous System
(11:28) Why WHOOP Measures HRV During Sleep 
(12:36) How Your Behaviors Impact HRV
(21:30) Impact of Sleep Consistency on HRV
(23:19) The Relationship Between High Stress and HRV
(26:54) How to Improve Your HRV
(30:33) The Habits Negatively Impacting HRV
(36:26) Why You Shouldn’t Obsess Over HRV
(37:51) HRV-CV: Understanding Weekly HRV Trends
(41:49) How HRV Changes Over Time
Listen to Our Episode on Heart Rate Variability Coefficient of Variation (HRV-CV)
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Women's health has long been underserved by research, leaving many women without the information they need to understand their own bodies. On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, Co-Founder & CEO of Natural Cycles° and Nobel Prize-winning particle physicist. The conversation explores how data is transforming women's reproductive health.
After helping discover the Higgs boson, Dr. Berglund Scherwitzl turned her expertise in physics and data science toward her own health journey by creating the world's first and only FDA-cleared birth control app. Together, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Berglund Scherwitzl discuss how wearable technology and physiological data are giving women unprecedented insight into fertility, pregnancy planning, menstrual health, and perimenopause.
The conversation explores the new WHOOP and Natural Cycles° integration, designed to make women's health feel less overwhelming and more intuitive by combining continuous wearable data with advanced insights on fertility, hormonal health, and perimenopause. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Berglund Scherwitzl discuss how body temperature and other biomarkers reveal hormonal changes, why perimenopause often begins earlier than many women realize, and how passive, personalized insights can reduce uncertainty, ease mental load, and empower women to make informed decisions about their health at every stage of life.
(00:00) Cold Open 
(00:37) Meet The Scientist Behind Natural Cycles°
(01:00) Why Dr. Berglund Scherwitzl Started Natural Cycles°
(04:35) The Only FDA-Cleared Birth Control App
(05:54) The WHOOP x Natural Cycles° Partnership
(07:51) The Early Signs of Perimenopause (And How To Track Them)
(13:08) What Really Happens To Your Hormones Over Time
(17:34) Why Understanding Your Body Changes Everything
(19:09) Your Sleep Could Reveal Early Signs of Perimenopause
(22:03) The Small Habits That Make A Big Difference
(24:14) The Most Common Menstrual Cycle Myths
(26:09) What Your Wearable Can Tell You About Your Hormones
(27:07) The Truth About Fertility Timing
(29:16) Knowing Which Symptoms Matter Most
(31:36) HRT: What Women Should Know
(34:10) What You Can Expect From The WHOOP x Natural Cycles° Partnership
(37:05) The Future of Women’s Health
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After reaching nearly 300 pounds, WHOOP Member Daniel Day committed to changing his life, turning WHOOP to give him the guidance he needed. On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki sits down with Daniel to discuss his unique journey to optimize his health using WHOOP. After ultimately losing more than 125 pounds through sustainable lifestyle changes, endurance training, and a relentless focus on long-term health, Daniel decided to challenge himself to complete a Half Ironman. Daniel shares how WHOOP became an essential part of that transformation, providing the accountability, and daily insights that helped him build better habits and stay motivated through every stage of his journey. 

(00:00) Cold Open
(00:44) Daniel’s Weight Loss Journey and Life Motto
(07:43) Daniel’s Motivation, Family History, and Journey to WHOOP
(10:02) Finding Your “Why”
(12:29) Breakthrough Moments: Daniel on Running His First Mile
(14:44) The WHOOP Metrics Driving Behavior Change
(16:56) Impact of Strain Coach
(19:20) Daily Tracking and Daniel’s Biggest Wins
(28:23) WHOOP Advanced Labs and Healthspan
(33:06) Picking Up New, Active Hobbies and Habits
(33:40) Improving Energy and Mindset
(35:53) Training For A Triathlon
(37:04) First Open Swim Sprint Anxieties and Lessons
(39:59) Building Resilience for Half Ironman
(44:04) Daniel’s Half Ironman Race Day Experience
(46:41) Impact of Strength Training on Race Day Results
(52:03) Daniel’s Reflection on His Journey

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On this episode, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist, Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with exercise scientist Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple for a refreshing, evidence-based conversation that cuts through some common myths in fitness. Together, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Colenso-Semple unpack how social media has fueled misinformation around hormones, menopause, menstrual cycles, strength training, and recovery.
Dr. Colenso-Semple challenges popular narratives around cycle syncing, hormone optimization, and sex-specific training. The episode makes the case that while men and women are biologically different, the fundamental principles of building strength, improving fitness, and maintaining health are remarkably similar. The discussion also explores hormone therapy, hormonal birth control, testosterone, Zone 2 training, and why consistency is the true path to long-term results.
Whether you're new to exercise or a seasoned athlete, this conversation offers practical, empowering advice rooted in high-quality human research rather than hype. If you've ever wondered whether you're "doing it wrong" because of your hormones, this episode will leave you feeling informed, confident, and ready to focus on what actually matters.
(00:41) Who is Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple
(01:24) The Misinformation Around Fitness
(03:48) Understanding Fitness Facts
(06:50) The 3 Biggest Fitness Myths
(08:29) Addressing Fears Around Training in Perimenopause
(17:36) What Habits Work and What's Just Marketing?
(19:19) Improving Bone Health and Avoiding Fracture Risk
(23:26) Does Hormonal Birth Control Affect Your Training? 
(29:23) "Women Are Not Small Men"
(32:56) Should You Be Cycle Syncing Your Training
(38:49) The Secret To Strength Gains & Achieving Body Composition Goals
(44:06) Is Resistance Training The Key To Longevity? 
(46:05) How To Fit Movement Into Your Busy Schedule
(48:55) The Important Role of Recovery on Fitness Gains
(55:02) Should You Be Cycle Syncing Your Training?
(01:01:35) Risks of High Testosterone For Training
(01:10:24) Are There Any Fitness Shortcuts?
(01:15:40) Combatting Misinformation Onlines
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