- Andrew Herr is a human performance expert who has worked with professional athletes and the Navy SEALs.
- He said the experiment helped him optimize his routine and improve his focus and energy.
- His go-to breakfast is olive oil and almond butter, but there’s no panacea for the best results.
Imagine your ideal breakfast. But when you wake up, instead of a bowl of cereal, a plate of eggs and bacon, or even a pile of waffles, you’re eating a sticky sludge of olive oil, almond butter, and water.
This is the perfect way to start your day. At least if it’s Andrew Herr, his elite performance coach who has worked with Navy SEALs and professional athletes and was honored as a “Mad Scientist” by the U.S. Army.
He is also the CEO and founder of fountainis a startup with a philosophy of using lifestyle experimentation to optimize performance, targeting clients ranging from military operators to high-level business executives.
Herr uses the same process of experimenting with exercise, diet, sleep, and other habits in her own life, with unconventional yet effective results.
“I’ve found that a mixture of almond butter, olive oil, and water is absolutely the ideal breakfast for me every morning,” he told Insider. It makes me feel so good and so energetic that I take it with me when I travel.People find it very strange for obvious reasons.”
But that doesn’t mean you should try it at home.Finding the optimal routine is different for everyone, says Herr, but looking for certain patterns can help your body and mind perform at their best. Unleash what you need to perform.
No one size fits all for best performance
While trying to figure out how to fuel up for a 24-hour Spartan race, Herr came up with a unique breakfast pairing. He said a blend of olive oil, almond butter, and water worked very well to provide him. enough calories, energy, and focus, he added it to his morning routine. This ratio contains just enough water to make this substance drinkable, but with the texture of a pudding.
However, he said part of the experimental process involves trying and leaving unrewarded strategies.
“There are no failed experiments,” he said. “Failing interventions are often the ones that provide the most valuable data. Didn’t this change help? Great, no need to make that change.”
For example, Herr low carb dietalso reacts badly to omega-3 supplements. As a result, while these tweaks may be beneficial for many, they are not part of his ideal routine.
Andrew Herr’s work with the elite military put him in a unique situation. In one project studying stress and leadership for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he worked with Kazakh nomads in western Mongolia to train eagles to hunt.
Courtesy of Andrew Herr
When working with clients, he tailors each recommended experiment to that person’s unique needs and goals, but there are some general patterns for finding what works.
As an example, clients complaining of lack of energy in the afternoon often don’t. to eat breakfast, says Herr, and doing so can prevent a dip in energy. or, low energy occurs after lunchit may be related to what they were eating at the time, he said.
“You’ll start to see recognizable patterns right away,” he said.
Another example: Herr says A Routine That Prevents Jet Lag For Most People.
Balance what feels good for you with what helps you reach your goals
According to Herr, it’s a misconception that optimizing for performance means doing bad things. According to Herr, feeling good is an important part of the process, with proper planning.
“You have to lean into hedonism, but ideally it’s hedonism about tomorrow,” he said.
There are exceptions to this managed approach — Herr said no one is a robot, including him.
“If someone takes me to a three-star Michelin restaurant, I’ll gladly accept the invitation. I’ll eat the program and feel a little sick tomorrow, but it’s worth it.
