Co-Founder | Physician
David A. Edwards
MD, PhD
How I approach health in real life
A practical look at training, food, recovery, and the tools I use to stay consistent.
01
On a good week, what is your health activity strategy?
I try to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise in my Zone 2, 5 times per week, but I really probably average 3 times a week.
Twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, I do HIIT and get my heart rate up into the 180s for 15 to 30 seconds at least 3 times, separated by 2 minutes of Zone 2 rest.
I do some weight lifting 2 to 3 times a week.
On Saturdays, I go for a long run early in the morning, usually 6 to 13 miles, and then I go rucking for an hour or so, followed by sauna.
02
On a good week, what do you eat?
I eat breakfast 5 out of 7 days a week at 5:30 AM. It typically includes eggs, Greek yogurt with berries and granola or honey, and sometimes a 40 g protein shake with or without 10 g of creatine.
I’m lucky if I get lunch. If I do, it is typically a salad with double chicken.
Dinner is commonly chicken tacos, grilled fish, or grilled chicken with mushrooms, asparagus, and other vegetables.
I like grilling it all. Fresh is best.
03
Are you a good sleeper? What helps you get good sleep?
I am a good sleeper when I’m not too busy. I do like to try to be a perfect sleeper though.
These days I love my Manta sleep mask, Eight Sleep bed cover, cool dark room, and air filter.
I take magnesium, but I’m not sure I need it.
I don’t get up in the night to go to the bathroom anymore, now that I taper my liquids at night.
04
What health or nutrition apps do you use?
Too many: Headspace, Runna, Strava, The Conqueror, Daylio, Lose It!, and SuppCo.
05
What health devices do you use?
Frequently: Oura Ring, Morpheus, Whoop, Eight Sleep, Apple Watch, Arboleaf scale, and Lingo CGMs.
Occasionally: Garmin, Hume Scale, Lumen breath analyzer, ActiveLook, Airofit, Truvaga, Omron blood pressure cuff, and Kardia.
I have tested most devices out there, including Fitbit, H Band, ErgZone, Withings, Function Health, Polar, Zepp, and Eko.
Dr. David is a physician, neuroscientist, and doctor of physiology. He was born in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada and moved to the United States after high school to seek a medical education.
He attended the University of Maryland where he completed a combined MD / PhD degree on full scholarship. During his doctorate of Neurophysiology he discovered and described some of the initial mechanistic pathways of the endocannabinoid system of the brain. This is the brain’s natural marijuana signaling system that enables learning and memory.
He then spent 4 years at the University of Florida training in Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology as Chief Resident. His research at the University of Florida involved the effects of anesthesia on the pediatric brain and AI predictive models of the development of post-surgical pain.
Dr. David then did fellowship training in Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) of Harvard University in Boston. He taught at Harvard Medical School while leading the Acute Pain Service and Pediatric Pain Clinic at MGH. He worked as a Neuroanethesiologist at MGH and a Pain Specialist at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
In 2015, Dr. David and his wife, Amber, moved to Nashville with their 3 children. Dr. David established the first Chronic Pain Service at Vanderbilt, the Cancer Pain Clinic, and Pain Medicine clinics in Clarksville, Spring Hill, Mt Juliet, and Nashville. He recruited and built teams of psychologists, rehabilitation specialists, anesthesiologists, and research nurses to serve patients better and help Tennessee overcome the opioid overdose epidemic.
Dr. David served as the Chief of Pain Medicine at Vanderbilt University in the departments of Anesthesiology and Neurological Surgery, He is past President of the Tennessee Pain Society and has published over 60 articles, authored 8 books, and spoken regularly on topics focused on optimizing health, preventing and treating pain, and the discovery of new tools to bring relief to patients who suffer.