Good morning. It’s Tuesday, September 2nd.

In today’s email:

• Learn: Pain vs Suffering

• Try: The Pain Toolkit

• Watch: Limitless (again)

• In the News: Surf Parks are Booming

• Brain Games: Pips

Stat of the Day

The number of adults in the U.S. grappling with acute pain (lasting up to 3 months from injury or surgery) every year. (Vertex)

My Favorites

1. Weighted Vest - what used to be just for weekend warriors and CrossFit athletes ready to tackle the “Murph” workout, the weighted vest has officially gone mainstream. I see them on a lot of people walking Bayshore here in Tampa and my mom (who wears one) bought one for my wife. It’s the perfect way to boost cardio and strength without more pressure on your joints.

2. Lower Back Movements - I’m constantly thinking about my low back. There’s nothing worse than a slight tweak that makes everything feel off and takes you out from working out for a few days. So I’ve been going back to doing these three exercises everyday.

3. One Line Journal - everyone says that kids grow up so fast and before you know it they’re teens who don’t want to hang with you anymore. Even if you’re not into writing/journaling - this One Line Journal is a great way to capture what happened that day (even one memory) so you can look back and it’s not such a blur.

Learn

Pain vs. Suffering

We all feel pain.

A few weeks ago, I tweaked my lower back doing some deadlifts. I knew it wasn’t serious, but the ache lingered. Having been there before my first thought was, “Great, there go my workouts. Now I’m going to feel stiff all week.”

But that mindset meant the pain wasn’t just in my back anymore, it was in my mind.

That’s the key: pain is a signal from our body. But what we feel isn’t that signal - it’s the story our brain tells us.

The Science of Pain

Our body has nerve receptors all over our body - our built-in alarm system. Specifically, three of these are associated with pain:

• Thermoreceptors notice hot and cold.

• Mechanoreceptors pick up pressure and stretch.

• Chemoreceptors respond to inflammation or chemical irritation.

When things get extreme, these receptors send a warning message up to your brain. But your brain doesn’t just read the signal (it’s not that easy) - it interprets it.

See the signal hits the brain - but then it still goes to the hypothalamus (stress response) and then our limbic system (emotional response).

That’s why a soccer player can shake off a kick to the shin and keep running (after some real good acting on the ground), while a tweaked hamstring ends the game. The brain knows one pain is just unpleasant, the other signals real danger.

And that interpretation depends on our emotions, stress level, and context. The same nerve signal can result in two totally different experiences.

Pro Tip: This is why kids often learn best when falling or getting hurt. These experiences are what provide that context. The more we live (relatively safely), the more we’re able to deal with pain in the future.

Pain vs. Threat

The first step is a simple “threat check.” Ask yourself: is this harmful or just uncomfortable?

• If you’re bleeding, dizzy, or clearly injured → stop and get help.

• If it’s just sore muscles after a workout → your body is saying “I worked hard,” not “I’m in danger.”

This step is crucial because you don’t want to just go “tough it out” when your body is waving red flags.

But whether the threat is real (pulled hamstring) or not (sore muscles), we don’t have to live with debilitating pain in our mind.

Reframe the Pain

We can’t switch the signal, but we can change how we interpret that signal and guide our brain to a different sensation of the pain.

• Social Distraction. In Limitless, Chris Hemsworth sat alone in a room getting zapped with electrodes on his stomach. He could only make it up to level 3 (out of 15). But then he played Jenga with two friends with all of them being shocked. They laughed through the pain together and distracted themselves with the game. He made it all the way to level 15 without tapping out. Same pain, different mindset - laughter and connection literally changed his pain tolerance.

• Physical Distraction. Ever notice how a stubbed toe makes you forget your headache? That’s our nervous system prioritizing one signal over another. You can hijack this - taking a cold plunge or even eating spicy food creates an acute sensation that disrupts the pain you were feeling. When the distraction subsides, you can reframe the original pain so it’s not as intense.

• Move + Breathe. Gentle movement or deep breathing helps regulate pain signals by calming the nervous system. (see “Try Section”)

Pain is unavoidable. But suffering isn’t. When you learn how your brain interprets pain, you can choose to feel the signal without letting it control you.

Try

Pain Toolkit

1. Connect 🤝

Strong social bonds make us superheroes.

• Before something real tough: Lean into your crew.

• Science: Support dampens pain circuits. Even a quick text, call, or hand-hold lowers brain threat signals. Seriously - painful medical procedures are a lot easier if you’re holding someone’s hand.

2. Breathe 🌬️

Slow breathing (≈6 breaths/min, long exhale) activates your parasympathetic system.

• Try: Box Breathing (Inhale 4 sec → Hold 4 sec → Exhale 4 sec → Hold 4 sec) repeat 4-10x.

• Science: Raises heart rate variability (HRV), lowers pain intensity.

3. Reframe 🧠

Your story = your sensation. Our brain shapes our pain.

• Quick cue: “Wow - this hurts, but not harmful.”

• Science: Positive reappraisal lowers unpleasantness and engages top-down pain control.

4. Move 🚶

Moderate and intense exercise raises pain thresholds (exercise-induced hypoalgesia).

• Do: 5-10 min warm-up walk, cycle, or easy jog before something painful.

• Science: Regular training makes this effect stronger.

5. Accept 🙏

Fighting pain amplifies it. Acceptance frees energy for action.

• Try: Step away from the pain - like meditation - view it from the sidelines.

• Science: ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) reduces pain distress & disability.

6. Soundtrack 🎶

Music reduces pain & anxiety, even after surgery.

• Build a “calm power” playlist for hard efforts, OR

• Create a “power workout” playlist to embrace the pain.

7. Self-Talk 🗣️

Words rewire pain.

• Use crisp cues: “Strong & smooth” or “embrace the suck”

• (Yes, even a well-placed swear word has been shown to increase tolerance.)

Thrive25 Partner Spotlight

These are the cleanest supplements out there. I use the protein, the creatine (sparingly) and the magnesium l-threonate.

Do the basics first - but when it comes for that last 10% of longevity - you can’t beat Momentous.

Click to see the full lineup of the best line of supplements HERE.

Watch

Limitless: Live Better Now

Check out how Chris Hemsworth tackles his pain when being shocked on his stomach, working with monks in South Korea, and taking on the training with special forces (Episode 2).

H&L in the News

Please Don’t Drink This: The newest drink on golf courses this year is “Water Hazard.” A mix of vodka, blue Gatorade, lemonade, and Sprite (yes all together), this is not a way to stay hydrated on the course. (Business Insider)

Surf Parks are Booming: There are now more than 20 “surf parks” with artificial waves in lakes as the main attraction. It all started with Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch and is about to take off. (American Surf Magazine)

Life Past 100?: Longevity gains seem to be slowing down with the future of a 100-year expected lifespan not on the immediate horizon. (University of Wisconsin)

Brain Games

Pips

New game from the NYTimes - place the dominoes in the puzzle so all the math checks out.

• You can rotate the dominoes however you need.

• All spaces must be filled (unless it’s WHITE)

• Follow the rules for all number requirements in every space.

How quickly can you solve this one? Ready…set…go!

Credit: NYTimes

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

Thrive25 Referral Program

Thanks for being part of the Thrive25 community! Want to further support our mission of transforming science into digestible insights to support our health & longevity. Earn Thrive25 swag and other rewards from our Sponsors via our referral program:

Thanks for joining us today!

• Want to see what we’re up to? Sign up for early access to our platform

• Missed an issue? No problem, check out our newsletter archive

• Got feedback, recommendations or stories to share? Tell us what’s on your mind here

• Someone send you this email? Sign up here

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!