Good morning. It’s Tuesday, May 20th.

In today’s email:

• Learn: Intentional Friendship

• Try: 5 Day Challenge

• Move: Be All You Can Be

• In the News: You’re Swimming in Air

Check out the Thrive25 Health HUB and Personal Longevity Advisor:

Stat of the Day

The percentage of young Americans unable to qualify for military service without a waiver due to physical or mental health issues (including being overweight) or using drugs. (Military.com)

Learn

Intentional Friendship

Longevity = taking care of your body.

But the longest running study on happiness found that the people that live the longest in good health are different in one unique way - and it wasn’t about how they ate, moved, or slept.

They have strong social connections.

These relationships actually change our physiology - they literally reduce our probability of getting chronic disease.

How?

We’re wired to respond to stress by going into fight-or-flight mode. But human brains have trouble telling the difference between life-threatening situations and modern day stress.

Back in the day, when hunted our cortisol and adrenaline kicked in - giving us superhuman strength and speed to stay alive.

When the hunt was over and we were safe, our nervous system calmed back down. Our heart rate dropped and we went back to “normal” state.

Today - life is different. We’re stressed by a work deadline for a project due at the end of the month. So we hold on to that stress (and cortisol) for 2 weeks - much to the detriment of our long-term health.

Strong relationships are the antidote to stress. They give us a reprieve to refocus our attention on them (not what’s stressing us). When we feel that connection our heart rate goes down, along with our anxiety.

But it’s not enough to just say “I’ve got a lot of friends.”

Think about the things we spend a ton of time and focus on - our work priorities, our career plan, our financial future.

These things don’t just happen - the progress is a result of the attention and INTENTION that we give to it.

Relationships are the same thing.

I have quite a few friends from when I was at Northwestern undergrad and at UCLA for grad school. But since moving to Florida I rarely see them. And I take for granted that “we’ll just pick up where we left off.”

I’m missing out on knowing what’s going on in their world, knowing that they care about me, and having them as a part of my life.

It can seem like we don’t have time for this - but if you’re eating lunch, send an invite to do it with someone; if you’re going for a walk, text a friend to join.

And it’s not just our friends - but everyone we see. The Harvard researchers also call out the value of looking at the person serving you coffee in the eyes and calling them by their name.

Think about how you feel walking out with your latte after saying nothing, and how you feel when you connect with someone who is going through their day - just like you - but you have a real human moment.

Check out the full talk from Dr. Robert Waldinger at the recent Well Conference:

Try

5 Day Challenge

For the next five days, text a different friend who lives far away and that you rarely talk to anymore.

Just tell them you were thinking about them and ask what’s going on in their life.

BONUS: Actually have a live conversation with them.

I got my list ready for this week! How about you?

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Move

Be All You Can Be

The Army just released its new fitness test that all recruits have to pass to join their ranks.

It’s the same assessment for both men and women. Do you have what it takes? Let’s find out:

1. Deadlifts

Perform 3 deadlifts of at least 150 lbs using a hexagonal bar.

This is maybe the best all-body exercise you can do. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of doing heavy weights for risk of injury to the low back. But doing it with weights where we can keep the right form is something we should be doing - yes, at any age.

2. Hand-Release Push-Ups

Complete 14 in under 2 minutes.

Alright - stepping it up from just “down and give me 20.” Lower your chest to the ground pick up your hands and spread them wide in a T-position, then do another push-up. 

Can’t do that yet? Start with push-ups against a wall, then on your knees, then regular push-ups to work your way to this. 

3. Sprint Series

Complete 5 down and back sprints of 25 meters in 2:32.

• Set 1 = sprint

• Set 2 = pull a 90-lb sled

• Set 3 = side shuffle

• Set 4 = run/walk carrying two 40-lb weights

• Set 5 = sprint

Talk about a full body exercise!

4. Plank

Hold a plank for at least 1:20.

Key part of any core workout. And just think - aiming for 80 seconds is nothing. Remember the world record is over 8 hours! 

5. Two Mile Run

Complete in under 19:45. 

That’s just under a 10-min pace - no problem! 

So how do you stack up?? 

H&L in the News

Rethinking A.D.H.D. From Scratch: As A.D.H.D. diagnoses and prescriptions skyrocket, scientists are reexamining what the condition really is - and whether biology or environment matters more for how we treat it. (NYTimes)

Mind Meets Machine, Seamlessly: Synchron’s brain-computer interface, now powered by Nvidia AI, helps people with paralysis control their environment with thought alone - paving the way for truly cognitive assistive tech. (WIRED)

You’re Swimming in Air: Carl Zimmer’s Air-Borne reveals the invisible life teeming in every breath we take - and how our changing world is reshaping this vast, microbial ocean above and around us. (Big Think)

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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!