Good morning. It’s Tuesday, December 23rd.

In today’s email:

• Learn: 25 Daily Habits (<10 min)

• Try: Pick Just One. Make it Stick

• In the News: Make Winter Legendary

• Brain Games: Kyudoku

Stat of the Day

The average time to truly develop a daily habit. (Scientific American)

Learn

25 Daily Habits (<10 min)

MINDSET

1. The Pause Practice | Before responding to a stressful situation today - an email, your kid's tantrum, traffic - take ONE deep breath through your nose. This single pause activates your prefrontal cortex (your brain's CEO), prevents reactive decisions that spike cortisol, and compounds into better emotional regulation over time. The positive snowball effect is huge.

2. Box Breathing (4-4-4-4) | Start your day with 5 minutes of box breathing - inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol and improves focus and emotional regulation. Do it right when you wake up or during your first coffee.

3. Gratitude Journal | Write down 3 things you're grateful for each morning. This simple practice rewires your brain for positivity, reduces stress hormones, and has been linked to better sleep and cardiovascular health. Keep a journal on your nightstand and write before checking your phone.

4. Daily Win Planning | Write down 1-2 things that will make today awesome before you start your day. This sets your intention, boosts motivation, and gives you psychological momentum that carries through challenges. Do this during breakfast or elsewhere in your morning routine.

NUTRITION

5. Protein-Packed Breakfast | Start your day with 30+ grams of protein. This stabilizes blood sugar, reduces cravings (snacking) throughout the day, and supports muscle maintenance - critical for longevity as we lose 3-8% of muscle mass per decade after 30. Need ideas? A plant-based smoothie or a quick egg scramble both work.

6. Eat the Rainbow Daily | Consume at least one colorful fruit or vegetable you don't eat most days. Different colors provide unique phytonutrients that reduce inflammation, support gut health, and optimize biomarkers like hsCRP. Add berries to your breakfast or try a new veggie at dinner.

7. Pre-Coffee Water Rule | Drink 16 oz of plain (salt + lemon optional) water BEFORE your first coffee. Overnight you lose 1-2 pounds of water through breathing and sweating. Rehydrating first improves energy, mental clarity, and prevents the afternoon crash. Set it out the night before to make it impossible to forget.

MOVEMENT

8. 25 Movements Next to Your Bed | Do 25 basic movements (push-ups, squats, jumping jacks) immediately after your feet hit the floor. This raises your body temperature, supports your circadian rhythm, and gives you your first win of the day - building momentum for better decisions. No equipment needed - just move!

9. Movement Stacking | Attach 10 squats or 10 push-ups to something you already do multiple times daily - every bathroom break, every time you refill your water, every time you hang up a call. This leverages existing habits (habit stacking) and you'll easily hit 50-100+ movements daily without needing a dedicated workout time.

10. Daily Mobility Routine | Spend 5-10 minutes on stretching or foam rolling, focusing on hips, shoulders, and spine. Mobility reduces injury risk and keeps you moving pain-free as you age. Do this right after your morning movements or before bed.

11. Core (Lower Back) Strengthening | Set a morning routine (just 5 minutes) of targeted lower back exercises like bird dogs, dead bugs, or bridges. A strong lower back prevents the chronic pain that sidelines most adults over 40 and supports all other movements in life. Build this into your morning or evening routine.

12. Single-Leg Stance Challenge | Stand on one leg for 30 seconds while waiting - for coffee to brew, your colleague to hop on the Zoom, or your computer to boot up. Balance is one of the strongest predictors of longevity. This version ties to existing "waiting moments" and feels like a game, not a chore.

GROWTH

13. Curiosity Question of the Day | Ask yourself or someone else one genuine question you don't know the answer to: "Why do we yawn?" "How does my retirement account actually work?" Then spend 5 minutes finding out. The point isn’t a Google rabbit hole. Curiosity is the engine of neuroplasticity and makes learning feel like discovery, not homework. Do this during your morning coffee or lunch break.

14. Reflect on One Win | Write down one thing you did well today or one lesson you learned from a mistake. Reflection consolidates learning, builds self-awareness, and creates a growth mindset that sees every day as progress. Keep a small notebook on your nightstand. Oh and don’t worry about perfection - that’s not the point!

SLEEP

15. The 10 Min Sleep Primer | Create a 10-minute wind-down routine before your target bedtime. Dim lights to 50%, change into pajamas, stretch, and read or reflect. This consistent signal tells your brain it's time to produce melatonin and prepares your body for quality sleep. Set a phone reminder and protect these 10 minutes like a meeting.

16. Get Some Heat | Take a warm shower or spend 10 minutes in a sauna 60-90 minutes before bed. The subsequent drop in body temperature signals your brain it's time to sleep and significantly improves deep sleep quality. Make this your transition from "doing" to "resting."

17. Red Light Reading | Switch your phone to red light mode (or use blue light blocking glasses) 30 minutes before bed if you must use screens. Red wavelengths don't suppress melatonin like blue light does, protecting your sleep quality while being realistic about modern life. Enable it in your phone's settings under "Night Shift" or "Bedtime Mode."

CONNECTION

18. Morning Hug | Give someone you love a 20+ second hug each morning. Physical touch releases oxytocin, reduces cortisol by up to 30%, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens relationships - all linked to longevity. Make it part of your goodbye routine before work.

19. Daily Check-In Call | Call or text one friend or family member you care about. Strong social connections are connected with dramatically lower mortality risk - equivalent to quitting smoking. Schedule it during your commute or lunch break.

20. Two-Question Dinner Connection | Ask two genuine questions at any meal: "What was the best part of your day?" and "What's something you're looking forward to?" This creates meaningful connection in just 5 minutes, works for solo dinners too (self-reflection), and the quality of questions matters more than perfect conditions. Make it a daily ritual.

FUN

21. Laugh Daily | Watch or share something funny with someone. Laughter reduces stress hormones, boosts immune function by increasing antibody production, and releases endorphins that improve mood and pain tolerance. Keep a playlist of favorite comedy bits or funny videos ready to go.

22. Play Time | Spend 5-10 minutes doing something purely for enjoyment - throw a ball with your kids, play with a pet, dance to a favorite song, or do a hobby you love. Play reduces stress, increases creativity, and reminds you why you're optimizing your health in the first place. Schedule it like any other important appointment.

ENVIRONMENT

23. Morning Sunshine Exposure | Get 10 minutes of direct sunlight within 30 minutes of waking (no sunglasses). This sets your circadian rhythm, can boost vitamin D production (in summer), improves mood via serotonin, and enhances sleep quality that night by 40%. Take your coffee outside or walk around the block.

24. Outdoor Movement Break | Take a 5-10 minute walk outside during your day (even if it’s cold). Nature exposure reduces cortisol by 20%, improves focus and creativity, and provides gentle movement that accumulates toward your daily step goal of 7,000-10,000. Make it your mid-morning or afternoon break.

25. Floss Your Teeth | Floss every night before bed - it takes just 2 minutes. Oral health is directly linked to cardiovascular disease, inflammation (elevated hsCRP), and systemic health because poor oral hygiene allows bacteria into your bloodstream, triggering immune responses. Keep floss on your bathroom counter as a visual reminder.

Try

Pick One. Make it Stick.

The long list can feel motivating - but also paralyzing. The point isn’t to do all of them.

Just pick one habit that feels right for you to start 2026.

The goal isn’t perfection - it’s consistency. This is where we can help.

Inside the Thrive25 Personal Health OS, you can:

• Track your daily Quick Wins in one place

• Keep all your health records, labs, appointments, and notes organized

• Understand your biomarker results and what’s going on inside your body

No more scattered apps. No more wondering if you’re “doing enough.”
Just clarity, structure, and confidence around your health.

👉 Check out the Thrive25 Personal OS - so you don’t have just another thing to remember.

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H&L in the News

When Cold Signals More: Cold hands and feet are usually harmless - but not always. Learn why circulation, hormones, and stress matter, when to watch for red flags like Raynaud’s, and simple ways to warm up fast. (NYTimes)

Make Winter Legendary: From Japan’s powder stashes to Finland’s frozen lakes and Alaska’s wild frontiers, these seven winter destinations transform cold into adrenaline, culture, and unforgettable outdoor adventure - no ski pass required. (Outside)

Fungi Built the World: Before plants or animals reshaped Earth, fungi did the heavy lifting. Fungal networks paved the way for complex life - turning barren land into a platform for evolution. (Big Think)

Brain Games

Kyudoku

This one is a 5/5 on the difficulty scale, so block a few minutes for this puzzle!

Kyudoku is a 6x6 grid where you need to use logic to find nine unique numbers (1 to 9) so that each row and column has a sum of 9 or less. The 9 highlighted in yellow is given.

Here’s a little help to get started. Because we know 1 is given, we can’t use 1 again (gray boxes) and we can also eliminate any numbers that would make the sum of the row or column with the given 1 more than 9 (blue boxes). Again, this is a little tougher - good luck!

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!