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Good morning. It’s Tuesday, December 31st.

Happy New Year - here’s to 2025 being your best year yet! (It’s going to be for us - I mean ‘25 is literally our year).

In today’s email:

• Learn: The Top 8 Quick Wins for 2025

• Try: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

• Explore: The Tides

• In the News: AG1 - Miracle Greens or Hype?

Sign up NOW to join the Waitlist for the Thrive25 Membership!

We’ve started to release our Membership beta and it’s a game-changer for anyone who really wants to optimize their health & longevity.

Stat of the Day

Increase in gym visits from December to January. (Exercise.com)

Learn

The Top 8 Quick Wins for 2025

The #1 question we get from readers: "What's the ONE thing I should focus on for my health?"

There's no universal answer - everyone is on their own journey with their own goals.

But we've compiled our top evidence-based Quick Wins over the last 12 months that can help transform anyone’s health in 2025.

1) MASTER THE PAUSE 🧘‍♂️ When pressed for the single most important health hack, this is our go-to response: Learn to respond, not react.

This one pause can alter the direction of our day and the accumulation of all these decisions are what changes our life. Most of us go through our day reacting like a driver who was just cut off in traffic.

But what if, instead, we slow everything down and, like a hall of fame athlete, can see what’s going to actually happen before it does?

Quick Win: Before responding to any stressful situation, take one deep breath. That's it. Just one breath can activate our prefrontal cortex (our brain's CEO) and change everything.

2) MOVE - A LOT 🏃‍♀️ There’s no shortage of recommendations for the best workout routine. Everyone touts Zone 2, or lifting heavy weights, or high intensity training. I’m guilty and am really trying to dial in my workout plan for 2025 (hint: going to add in more yoga).

But here's the truth - 80% of what you need to do happens outside the gym. You just need to move all day long.

Our 2025 Movement Formula:

• Morning: 25 basic movements right next to your bed

• Hourly: 2+ minute movement breaks

• Daily: 10K+ steps

• Weekly: Mix of strength, cardio, and fun

Don’t overthink it - just move!

3) MOBILITY IS YOUR SUPERPOWER 🦸‍♂️ After 40, one week of immobility = months of trying to play catch up. The reason most of us stop moving is that we get hurt.

• 80% of people experience low back pain that prevents them from working out.

• 3 million Americans have rotator cuff injuries that limit their arm movement.

• Nearly half of back and knee problems are from tight and weak hips.

• We have 33 joints in our feet, but neglect our foundation of stability.

So take care of your body! Here are the exercises to stay on your feet and moving in 2025:

• Lower Back: 3 Key Exercises and Strengthening Workout

• Shoulders: Mobility Exercises

• Hips: Flexibility Exercises

• Feet: Toes Workout (yes, toes) and Ankle Mobility Exercises 

4) HEALTHY EATING ISN’T COMPLICATED 🥗 The online diet wars make this seem impossible. It’s true that all nutrition studies are flawed and incomplete, with research changing all the time.

But we know what’s healthy and not. We know how we feel after we eat something good vs. bad. We know when we overeat.

It really all comes down to this:

• Eat real food (fruits, veggies, organic sources of protein)

• Skip the processed stuff and simple carbs

• Don’t drink sugar

• Eat slower so you feel full

• Take at least a 12-hour break from eating

• Don’t have food 3 hours before bed

It’s really that simple. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

The reality is we still live in a world of abundance and convenience with food designed to get us hooked to eat more.

Don’t try to do everything all at once - just pick ONE thing to start.

5) BUSY ≠ IMPORTANT ⏰ Guess what - nobody's watching your hustle. They're too busy with their own life.

Don’t let being busy be a sign of prestige or importance. Get done with what you need to do at work - but when nothing is urgent and you can be present, don’t lean into being tied to your phone because you think that’s who you are - you’re much more than that.

Challenge: This week, say "no" to one thing that only makes you feel "important busy."

6) GO TO BED 😴 5AM club or night owl? Doesn't matter. What matters is getting those 7-8 hours - with high quality deep sleep.

There’s a ton of focus on what time to wake up - but not enough about when to go to bed. Don’t stay up for anything you wouldn’t set your alarm to do in the morning. Ahem - binging Netflix isn’t worth tomorrow’s brain fog.

7) GET IN THE GAME 🎯 Life's too short to be a critic. Too many people are judging other people. That’s easy to do standing on the sidelines. It’s why there’s so many trolls on social media hating on others instead of creating anything of their own.

Surround yourself with people who support and celebrate you - and stop hanging with anyone trying to bring you down.

When great people are all around, you’re more likely to try something new and embrace being a beginner again.

8) BELIEVE IN YOUR COMEBACK 💪 Age isn’t just a number. There’s no doubt that our bodies evolve over time. BUT…we can slow down that decline and it starts with your beliefs.

What we believe turns into our reality. No matter your age, your injury history, your current health - I guarantee that there are things you can still work towards right now that you think are impossible.

What's your "impossible" goal for 2025?

• Run a 10K?

• Surf a 5-ft wave?

• Hike Machu Picchu?

• Touch your toes?

• Do a deep squat?

Whatever it is - write it down. Now.

Don’t let 2025 go by thinking “I wish I would have…” Instead, make it the year you did.

Your future self will thank you.

Try

Write to Your Future Self

We treat other people better than we do ourselves. Think about that person who will be here reading Thrive25 on December 31st, 2025. What would they think about what you did or didn’t do this year?

Write a letter to that person about what you’re going to do for them - how you’re going to spend your time to make their life and health better.

What could be more important than that?

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Explore

The Tides

It’s always a great idea to shift your way of thinking…

daily.science.reels

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H&L in the News

Health Insurers vs. Everyone Else: Frustrated by endless denials and delays, doctors say dealing with health insurers is worse than ever, jeopardizing care, practices, and patients' trust in the U.S. healthcare system. (WSJ)

AG1 - Miracle Greens or Hype?: AG1, the $1.2B greens powder, claims to replace multiple supplements and boost health - but does it deliver? Experts weigh in on its ingredients and science. (Outside)

Food Waste - A Global Crisis: Despite record food production, 40% goes uneaten - wasting energy and resources. Discover why food waste persists and the urgent need to tackle this growing environmental challenge. (WIRED)

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We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.

This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

To health!