October 2025
The Hidden Privilege of Modern Life
I recently read One Summer by Bill Bryson (highly recommend), and it was an astonishing reminder of how good we really have it. The world of 1927, barely a hundred years ago, had no antibiotics, few cars, limited electricity, and dangerous working conditions that most of us can’t imagine today.
Meanwhile, I’m sitting here in climate-controlled comfort, complaining about Wi-Fi speed while writing about sleep optimization. We’ve come a long way but the problem is that our brains haven’t. Evolution wired us to fixate on threats, not progress. That instinct once kept us alive, but today it just fuels anxiety. The antidote? Look backward once in a while.
Life expectancy: In 1900, the average lifespan in the U.S. was 47 years and 200 years ago it was 40. Today, it’s 78.
Medical progress: Childbirth, diarrhea, and infections were among the top causes of death. Now, vaccines, antibiotics, and emergency medicine save millions each year.
Basic comfort: In the early 1900s, less than 10% of homes had indoor plumbing or electricity. Families bathed weekly, hauled water by hand, and used outhouses.
Home size: The average home grew from 1,000 sq. ft. in 1900 to 2,400 sq. ft. today, filled with refrigerators, microwaves, and washing machines that would’ve seemed like science fiction.
Health shifts: There are now more people overweight or obese (1 billion+) than undernourished (733 million).
Perspective check: The richest man in 1900, John D. Rockefeller, didn’t have penicillin, air travel, or FaceTime. Warren Buffett put it best: “You’re living better than Rockefeller.”
We’ve moved the goalposts. Our grandparents dreamed of a small home, steady work, and healthy kids. We chase status-driven jobs, dream kitchens, and curated lives online. Maybe real progress isn’t about more, it’s about remembering how far we’ve already come and appreciating the simple things.
-Brian
🏆 Stuff of the Month
🖋️ Articles
🎙️ The Growth Kit (Podcast)
🥇 Best of the Month
“The key in a restaurant, and the key in any kind of high-pressure situation, I think, is that 75% of success is staying calm and not losing your nerve. The rest you figure out, but once you lose your calm, everything else starts falling apart fast.”
—Sam Kass
🎧 Podcast: What Boys and Dads Really Need with Richard Reeves by Good Inside with Dr. Becky
📖 Book: The Ageless Brain: How to Sharpen and Protect Your Mind for a Lifetime by Dale Bredesen
🎁 Product: NATPAT offers natural patches for sleep, mood, focus, and outdoor protection, but my favorites are the Kids Tick Repellent Stickers. They’re a go-to when we take the kids hiking.
❓ Question of the Month
Q: How can I improve my grip strength, and why is it important?
A: Grip strength isn’t just about strong hands; it’s one of the most powerful predictors of overall health and longevity. Large-scale studies, including one in The Lancet of over 140,000 adults, found that weaker grip strength was linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, dementia, and even early death, making it a stronger health marker than blood pressure. Researchers believe this connection exists because grip reflects neuromuscular efficiency, muscle mass, and overall functional resilience.
How to Improve It:
Farmer’s carries: Hold heavy dumbbells or kettlebells and walk a certain distance, forcing your grip and core to stabilize. Aim to carry your body weight for 2 minutes for men and 75% of body weight for women; each for 2 minutes.
Dead hangs: Hang from a pull-up bar for as long as possible to strengthen your fingers, forearms, and shoulders. Aim for a goal of 2 minutes for men, and 1 minute for women.
Deadlifts: These compound movements not only build total-body strength but force your grip to adapt to heavy loads. Aim to deadlift 1.5 times your body weight for men and 1.25 times your body weight for women for 5 reps.
Pull-ups and rows: Engaging your back and biceps automatically improves grip endurance and control.
Aim to perform 12-15 pull-ups for men and 6-8 pull-ups for women.
⏱️ Brutal by Design
Each month I share one brutally hard workout, something that challenges strength, grit, and capacity. These won’t be efficient or beginner-friendly. They’re designed to hurt.
Cardio Collapse
Purpose: Push VO₂ max and lactate threshold with high-output intervals
Equipment: Timer
Workout: (Tabata format: 20s work, 10s rest x 8 rounds each)
Burpees
Push-Ups
Jumping Lunges
Moujtain Climbers
Tip: Start controlled; empty the tank in rounds 6–8
Optional Misery: 10-minute ruck or jump rope after
💡 Things I’ve Learned
🧠 Mind
High-Carb Diets Quietly Harm the Brain
Researchers scanning nearly 10,000 middle-aged adults found that those eating the most carbohydrates were 40-50% more likely to have silent brain injuries and performed worse on cognitive tests. Diets richer in total fats, particularly olive oil and other monounsaturated fats, were linked with sharper thinking and better brain scans.
Do this: Swap refined carbs for whole-food fats like olive oil, wild salmon, and nuts.
Not All Exercise Benefits the Brain Equally
In an analysis of 58 studies, adults over 60 who lifted weights twice per week for 45 minutes showed the biggest boosts in cognitive function. Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi improved focus and decision-making, while brisk walking and cycling strengthened memory.
Do this: Lift weights twice weekly, add 30-40 minutes of aerobic activity for cardiovascular-driven memory gains, and finish with mobility or mindfulness-based movement sessions.
Free Anxiety Tools That Actually Work
Many of my patients ask for simple but evidence-based ways to manage stress without adding more to their to-do list. I recently came across this free set of short, practical exercises designed to calm anxiety by retraining the body’s stress response. Techniques like guided breathing, sound therapy, and thought labeling area easy to use on this site. This will now be go-to recommendation.
Do this: Check out AnietyAidTools.com
💪 Body
Is Training to Failure Really Better?
In an 8-week RCT of 42 trained lifters, going to true failure was not clearly superior to stopping about 2 reps in reserve (RIR) for size or strength. Meta-analytic data suggest closer to failure modestly helps hypertrophy, yet the difference between failure and 2 RIR is trivial in most programs, while failure raises fatigue and recovery cost.
Do this: For muscle growth, stop each set when you have 0–2 reps left in the tank and aim for 10–20 total sets per muscle per week. For strength, stop your sets when your bar speed noticeably slows down by about 25%, and save true all-out sets for smaller accessory lifts.
How Much Walking Protects Against Back Pain
A large Norwegian study of over 11,000 adults found that people who walked more than 100 minutes per day had a 23% lower risk of developing chronic low back pain compared with those walking less than 78 minutes. Walking volume mattered more than intensity, suggesting that consistent daily movement—not pace—is the real protector for the spine.
Do this: Accumulate 100-125 minutes of walking daily in bouts of 10 minutes or more to maintain spinal mobility and lower back-pain risk.
The Dark Side of the Protein Craze
A Consumer Reports investigation found that two-thirds of 23 protein powders contained unsafe levels of lead, with some reaching 10x the limit! The highest contamination came from plant-based brands like Vega, Huel, Garden of Life, and Naked Nutrition, particularly those using pea protein. Even “organic” powders showed three times more lead than conventional ones, while whey-based products like Optimum Nutrition and Transparent Labs had the lowest levels.
What about my protein? This naturally made me nervous about the protein I use, Levels Whey Protein, which was not included in this investigation.. So, I reached out to them and this is their response: “We test for heavy metals….Lead < 10ppb, Arsenic < 3ppb, Cadmium < 3ppb, Mercury < 3ppb….We are also a proud recipient of the prestigious Clean Label Project Purity Award.”
Summary: Levels Whey’s results are well below any level associated with chronic heavy metal exposure and reflect a very high standard of product purity.
🎯 Dad
Plastics and the Developing Brain
A new study found that children with autism and ADHD clear plastic toxins like BPA 11–17% less efficiently than neurotypical kids. BPA and related compounds are common in plastic bottles, food containers, and can linings, and are known endocrine disruptors that may interfere with brain and hormone function. Researchers believe that gene variations affecting detox pathways could make these children more vulnerable to accumulation and long-term effects.
Do this: Avoid heating food in plastic, use glass or stainless steel containers, and look for products labeled BPA- and phthalate-free. Check out my book for a more detailed breakdown with recommendations.
More Screen Time, More Struggles
Toddlers watching over 1.5 hours of screens daily showed poorer emotional control, fewer friendships, and more misbehavior years later. By age 8, these children were more likely to rank in the bottom third of their class, while those under the one-hour limit scored higher in both academics and sociability. The researchers noted that screen time predicts school readiness as strongly as early reading exposure.
Do this: Find ways to use screens less. Replace passive screen time with shared activities like storytelling, outdoor play, or cooking together.
What Feeding Kids Right Does for the Brain
A systematic review of 12 clinical trials found that improving nutrition in preschool-age children (2–6 years) led to measurable gains in memory, attention, and language. Iron and multi-micronutrient supplements boosted cognitive performance, while increased fish intake improved IQ and processing speed in healthy children.
Do this: Prioritize nutrient-dense foods like iron-rich meats (beef, lentils, eggs) and omega-3 sources (salmon, trout, tuna, chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts) to support brain growth. We also give our kids a Hiya vitamin each morning for added coverage.
Like this newsletter? Check out previous monthly newsletters.
P.S. Help me bring health and happiness to more people--share this link with your friends and family so they can also learn awesome stuff.
