Celebrity Trainer Harley Pasternak Swears By His Fitbit for Quality Sleep
Welcome to Sleep Diaries, where interesting people share a week’s worth of late-night habits. They’ll tell you, the reader, how they wrap up their day, how they get to sleep, stay asleep or fall back asleep, and how they feel when they wake up in the morning. Why? Because sleep is America’s Most Wanted thing. We chase after it like an elusive elixir that'll make us look younger and feel less stressed. (Maybe because it will.) We thought by getting people to share what works for them-and doesn’t-it might help you find better ZZZs. Or at least give you something entertaining to read. This week, we have Harley Pasternak, a celebrity trainer, nutritionist, and New York Times bestselling author who has worked with the likes of Halle Berry, Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, and many more.
In my youth, I slept like a rock. You could’ve put a heavy metal band at the foot of my bed with the speakers on full blast, and I would not have noticed. Even during an earthquake, I still would not have noticed. Sadly, this is no longer the case. With two little kids calling for daddy in the middle of the night, arthritis in my lower back, and the stresses that come along with doing business in multiple times zones, sleep has become a challenge. So I take a very scientific approach to increasing its quantity and quality. Aside from the obvious behavior modifications like avoiding caffeine consumption in the afternoon, minimizing my alcohol intake, turning my phone and laptop off at least an hour before bed, and keeping up my daily Fitbit step goal of 14,000 steps, I’ve employed a number of tools to help me sleep like an angel.
Sunday: Sleep Tracking With Fitbit
Most of my day was spent sitting on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles. I’ve been enjoying my newly appointed roll with the Four Seasons where I get to design my dream gyms all around the world. The downside is constant jet lag and long flights. I landed at 6 p.m. and raced home to see my family. My wife is an amazing cook and greeted me with grilled wild salmon, grilled vegetables, and a sweet potato. This made me so happy after eating foods very foreign to my palate in Saudi Arabia over the last week. I decided I was going to hit my Fitbit step goal of 14,000 steps no matter what before I went to bed, and hopped on the treadmill as I watched the NBA playoff games. (By the way, my hometown Toronto Raptors, they’re on fire!) After a shower, I decided to try milk a melatonin tablet to help me with my jet lag. I put my CBDMedic cream on my lower back, turned on my sound machine, put on my eye mask and earplugs, stuck a firm pillow between my knees, and quickly fell asleep.
Overnight, my Fitbit tracked my sleep. It's gone from being the thing that motivates me to move more throughout the day to my most useful tool to measure how much and how well I sleep, as well as calculating the best times for me to go to sleep and wake up based on my current sleep patterns. It has a program called Sleep Stages that analyzes how much light sleep, REM, deep sleep, and restlessness I have on a given night. This data will help me manipulate my nighttime habits to improve my sleep quality for the rest of the week and beyond.
Monday: Extra CBDMedic
Morning came early today, with my son and daughter excited that I’m home, running into our bedroom at 6:15 a.m. and showering me with kisses. Makes the jet lag worth it. I take a look at my Fitbit sleep analysis for the night, only to realize that while I slept for a solid 7 1/2 hours, I was awake or restless for over an hour of that sleep. Moreover, I had very little deep sleep. These are really important markers that could explain why I am often tired or have a suppressed immune system. We always have breakfast as a family, and my wife made sure we all had a nutritious and filling meal before we left the house. Even though I wrote the recipes for The Body Reset Diet, my wife has absolutely perfected my apple pie smoothie. A great way to start the day. My next daily routine that I never miss is coffee. I beelined straight to Blue Bottle for a Cortad0. (This is my medicine. Shh.)
After a day of seeing clients and a delicious Japanese dinner with the family, my wife and I had a family shower with the kids and got ready for bed. Then, back to my same routine of CBDMedic on my lower back. After years of playing competitive sports, my lower back is a mess and at its worst at night. This formula takes the edge off the pain and allows me to lay still for longer periods of time without feeling like I need to move to release the discomfort.
Tuesday: Overnight at the Four Seasons Montreal
Today I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to catch a flight to Montreal for the grand opening of the new Four Seasons. Four-thirty hurts. so. bad. The silver lining is that I got a decent amount of deep sleep for once, according to my Fitbit. The confluence of my pre-existing jet lag from Saudi Arabia, a long day at work, and a whopping 18,000 steps on my Fitbit fatigued me enough that I was tired and relaxed enough to sleep deeply. I made a quick berry cobbler body reset smoothie and headed off to the airport. After a long flight and a gross airplane meal, I landed in one of my favorite cities in the world. I went straight from the airport to Schwartz’s Deli, the only true deli in the world. I had a smoked meat sandwich, coleslaw, and a pickle. Words cannot describe how happy that sandwich makes me. In an effort to hit my step goal, I hiked up Mount Royal, walked to Humboldt Lion for a coffee, and made it back in time to the Four Seasons hotel for the opening party. What an incredible night! I toured the Gym by Harley and had an incredibly restful evening in my room.
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