Good morning. It’s Tuesday, June 3rd.

In today’s email:

• Focus: Health Savings Accounts (HSA) - New & Improved?

• Try: Creatine for the Body & Brain

• Move: Team Sports

• In the News: Be Creative

• Brain Games: Calcudoku

Stat of the Day

The percentage of adults in the U.S. participating in formal team sports leagues - this is up from just 11% in 2020. (eMarketer)

Focus

Health Savings Accounts (HSA) - New & Improved?

New legislation has passed in the House that would expand the scope of the HSA.

The most notable changes for most of us:

• Fitness expenses - like gym memberships and personal training - are now eligible up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for families (per year).

• Direct Primary Care memberships (concierge medicine where you pay a subscription to your primary care doctor) are eligible up to $150 per month.

The bill would also effectively double the HSA contribution limits for households earning less than $150K per year ($75K for individuals).

It’s just another step in the direction of preventive care.

Everything related to longevity is real medicine - from mindset to nutrition to fitness to sleep to connection to a clean environment.

The more we can get prevention to be a part of our health blueprint - the more people have the chance to keep their health from getting in the way of life!

Try

Creatine for the Body & Brain

Creatine is getting a lot of airtime right now…

A new meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials found that creatine supplementation isn’t just for going to the gym - it improves memory, focus, and processing speed.

Another study showed that even a single dose of creatine improved cognitive performance in people who were sleep-deprived.

So, what is creatine - and why might you want more of it?

Your body naturally produces about 1 gram of creatine per day (from amino acids like arginine, glycine, and methionine). You also get about 1 gram per day from diet, mainly from red meat and fish.

Creatine is stored in your muscles (about 95% of it) as phosphocreatine, which helps regenerate ATP - how we make energy!

More ATP means:

• Lifting heavier weights

• Sprinting faster

• Pushing through more reps before fatigue

Creatine also supports muscle recovery by pulling water into cells (which promotes protein synthesis) and buffering acidity (which delays fatigue).

Who Should Consider Creatine?

Vegans and Vegetarians

Since most of the creatine we get from our diet is animal protein - it’s tough to get full creatine capacity with just a vegan diet.

Women

Women naturally produce less creatine and often consume less from food sources. As Dr. Stacy Sims points out, this makes creatine a key supplement for women, especially those active in resistance training.

@melrobbins

This is the one of the most important supplements you should be taking as a woman. Check out this must-listen episode of The Mel Robbins P... See more

Anyone Over 40 (and Especially 60+)

Two major health priorities as we age are maintaining strength and preserving cognitive function.

Creatine helps with both. The research is so compelling that I’ve considered recommending it to my own parents.

• Muscle & Strength: after age 30, we lose ~1% of muscle mass per year. Creatine can slow this decline and support muscle growth when combined with resistance training.

• Bone Health: Stronger muscles = more load on bones, which stimulates bone remodeling. Some studies show increased bone density in older adults taking creatine.

• Brain Function: Your brain needs a lot of ATP too. Creatine may improve memory and processing speed, especially under stress, and may protect against age-related cognitive decline.

Is it Safe?

The short answer is that, across the board, medical groups and health experts say that creatine is safe. However:

• If you have kidney disease or elevated creatinine levels (you can check this in your labs on Thrive25), talk to your doctor first.

• Be cautious if you take NSAIDs or other medications (especially for arthritis).

From my personal experience:

I’ve found creatine definitely increases my muscle mass and strength. But I also feel a bit bloated and “heavy” when I take it regularly - it’s water retention.

That’s why I only take 5g about 1x per week (not daily), and I double down on hydration - lots of water and electrolytes.

Everyone’s different - listen to your body and adjust as needed.

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Move

Team Sports

Looking back - I’ve got so many awesome memories playing sports.

From the time I could walk playing soccer to traveling the country in junior high for national basketball tournaments (thanks mom and dad 🙏) to playing intramural dodgeball in business school.

That last one is interesting - might seem silly for a bunch of 27 yr olds to pretend like we’re still in college playing intramural sports. But honestly - why should all the young kids have all the fun??

I remember visiting my friends in Chicago and seeing the beaches on Lake Michigan absolutely packed with sand volleyball leagues - it was awesome.

For some reason - we think we grow out of this and stop playing. But is there honestly a better way to combine working out, getting outside, and being with friends???

That’s like the longevity trifecta!

Now, I’m not advocating we should all go blow out an achilles playing basketball in our 40’s and 50’s. But I highly recommend making the effort to not just work out - but seek out a team sports league.

Here are some options (ok - maybe bowling isn’t outside or very active):

This summer - add the goal of not just working out, but joining a team.

H&L in the News

Spark Joy, Boost Creativity: Creativity lifts mood, sharpens thinking, and builds resilience. This 5-day challenge starts with fun doodles to awaken your imagination - no art skills required and ends with you doing one new thing. Ready to energize your mind? (NYTimes)

Rebuilding the Brain with RNA: Stanford’s breakthrough CRISPR-TO tech delivers RNA directly to damaged neurons - unlocking new potential to repair brain cells and combat neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and spinal injuries. (Stanford)

Live the Question: Not all questions seek answers. Explore how unanswerable questions - rooted in philosophy, Zen, and self-inquiry - can sharpen awareness, dissolve illusion, and expand the mind. (Big Think)

Brain Games

Calcudoku

The objective is to fill in the grid with the correct digit in each cell, between 1 and 4:

• Each row contains exactly one of each digit

• Each column contains exactly one of each digit

• Each bold-outlined group (with same color) must equate the result with the numerical operation - addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*) and division (/)

It’s go time -  solve this in under a minute. Ready…set…go!

Credit: Brainzilla

** For answer, scroll to the bottom of the email

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Brain Games Answer

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!