Q2 2026 was a better recovery quarter than Q1: stress dropped, body battery improved, steps came back up, active calories increased, and VO2 max started to recover. It was not a clean win. Sleep stayed just under target, May had a noticeable dip, and weekly intensity was still well below the 800-minute goal. But after the injury-disrupted Q1, this looks like movement in the right direction rather than another quarter of drift.

Q1 2026 was a rebuilding quarter from a training and recovery perspective. The data shows reduced training load, lower daily steps, higher stress, and lower body battery relative to late 2025. As usual, there are four areas that I wanted to focus on: Improve fitness by training more. My goal is to maintain 800 intensity minutes on average per week. Sleep better by improving my sleep hygiene and experimenting with meal timing. Reduce stress by examining meal composition and avoiding anything that might impact my sleep. Improve biomarkers by looking at my nutrition, as well as the above items. Overall most metrics moved in the wrong direction this quarter, as we can see with the following key metrics.

2025 wrapped up with another hard quarter, unfortunately. Coming off some travel in September there were some events at work in October and November that were especially challenging, and in late November I got a little sick. Even worse is in early December I managed to break my ankle at the local Parkrun. This was well timed for a long road trip towards the end of December, which suited me well given my condition, but did mean exercise slowed down.

An overall successful quarter, with most metrics moving in the right direction, despite being challenging for external reasons (work and travel). As usual, there are four areas that I wanted to focus on: Improve fitness by training more. My goal is to maintain 800 intensity minutes on average per week. Sleep better by improving my sleep hygiene and experimenting with meal timing. Reduce stress by examining meal composition and avoiding anything that might impact my sleep Improve biomarkers by looking at my nutrition, as well as the above items. Overall most metrics are improving, as we can see with the following key metrics.

I remember reading somewhere that what a country deems as important changes as it becomes more affluent: people want a scooter, and then a car, and then move on to intangibles like clean air. It feels like longevity is the pinnacle of affluence, so it is worthwhile reminding myself that some of what I experiment with comes from a complete position of privilege. This post comes from that position of privilege.

About three years ago I read Longo’s Longevity Diet, and it helped me form a foundation about nutrition. Ever since reading it I have been wishing to do a FMD, but training, travel, or life always got in the way. I decided it might be a good match to try and eat slightly in surplus, and then do the fast once I hit the goal weight. Exactly as per the plan I added about 2.5kg by the end of June, so decided to go ahead with the fast. Coincidentally ProLon, the company that helps make FMD kits, had a 30% sale, so I got my kit and chose the week to give it a go.

A challenging quarter, as I spent three three weeks travelling; it took me at least a week to start feeling normal in each direction, and much longer to recover. Additionally, because I was leaving for such a long time, I think my work/life balance suffered prior to the trip. However, physical health isn’t the only thing that matters, and I think travelling helped me and my family grow. I finished some more Longevity-related books, like Longevity Leap, and then also The Art of Dying Well. I’ve also started learning more from Michael Lustgarten. In particular I like his minimalist approach and lifestyle, and that he prioritises whole foods over supplements.

I have a journal of all the travels I did when I was in my 20s, and sometimes it is enjoyable to re-read the various journeys that I went on. In those entries I could see my writing change, both in voice and theme, as I gained more life experience. Recently I wrote about my health journey in 2024, and I have a goal to write a quarterly entry. This is the first entry of what I hope to be many entries.

A few years ago, probably in late 2022, I was doing some self-reflection and was pondering what the next constraint was for improving my health. Depending on whom you ask, there are generally several areas of focus when it comes to health: Exercise Nutrition Metabolic health Sleep Testing or screenings Supplementation or pharmacological interventions The conclusion I reached after some reflection was that nutrition was the next area for me to focus on. My approach has typically been to deep dive on reading books, and since then I’ve read the following books related to nutrition and longevity: