A healthier you — get more energy, master your breathing, and stave off dementia
Here’s what we’ve been up to:
Life & Learning
Millions of years ago, on the world’s micro stage, a prokaryotic cell was swimming along, having a blast. But our little prokaryotic hero wasn’t alone in those waters. There were monstrous eukaryotes lurking nearby.
In a matter of seconds, our little hero cell was snatched up without warning and absorbed by the eukaryote. Unknowingly, the eukaryote had acquired a biological startup that would give it more energy… since the little prokaryotic cell was what we now refer to as a mitochondria.
These two formed an endosymbiosis, and you and I have been benefiting from it ever since.
Why does this matter? Because understanding our mitochondria might be the key to a vibrant, energy-filled life. If your mitochondria stay healthy, they’ll produce more ATP, and you’ll have more energy. And lucky for us, science now knows that the number one way to optimize your mitochondria it through interval training.
The simplest way to get started is with the humble “plank.”
The plank is the most friendly exercise around. Everyone wouldn’t mind a stronger core and spine. All you do is simply hold the plank for as long as you can (in the proper form), time yourself, and then rest for double the length of time you held the plank. You can even work on increasing the time as you get used to it.
The best thing about the plank is you can do it anywhere, and there are endless variations on it:
Favorite Book of the Week
Warning: before breathing, exercising or doing anything that you read about online, consult your physician, attorney, and your mother :)
In the spirit of cellular health, anti-aging, and more energy, the single book that has the potential to transform your life is…
Before listening on Audible, I never had any idea how important breath is, and why refusing to teach children about proper breathing is downright criminal. The number one biggest takeaway? Always breathe through your nose. You’ll be less hungry, burn more fat, have more energy, and sleep better. For those who are brave enough to go deeper and explore the book’s “exercises,” you’ll be impressed with how quickly you can feel results.
History
Two research studies were published last week suggesting that 12,000 years ago, the earth was cataclysmically shaken by a comet impact. Had this type of impact happened today (with a slightly larger comet), it could be an extinction event for humanity.
Real history is terrifying to look at, whether it’s a descent into madness (most of the 20th century) or looking further back at events like asteroid impacts.
There are a handful of people in “Science” who are finally admitting that studying extinction events is actually sort of important, but the work still seems to be in the early stages. While self-taught archaeologists, storytellers, and shamans from ancient cultures incessantly told stories of cataclysm and rebirth, main stream science still needs to fully get on board.
Life on earth isn’t promised. If we want it, we’re going to have to understand and master the threats.
The Mission will be going more in depth on these topics and Graham Hancock’s work soon!
Art and Music
I’m convinced that the platform wars for music streaming (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and every other smaller player) will usher in a golden age for musicians. Amazon is investing heavily in this direction. Their Prime music service is great, and I think the old days of artists being left without publishing options and creative control are finished.
“When all our dreams felt like concrete, we couldn’t be shaken.” –Mitis, Foundation feat Adra
Thanks to these different platforms, I’ve been experimenting with stacking music. The idea is there are songs that are symbiotic to performing certain tasks. Is this just an absurd life hack or is it legit? After experimenting with it, my official vote is “Legit.”
Here are three of my favorites:
Waking up and doing stuff around the house- this Spotify Playlist
Productivity, flow and creative work- Rain Sounds, and this playlist
For monotonous digital tasks- Mitis, Foundations EP
Science & Makers
If you can reduce, manage, and understand cognitive overhead for your clients and those you serve, you’re going to win. The above article was an excellent look into cognitive overhead and how to master the balance between engaging people and overwhelming them. The right balance isn’t doing everything, but rather…
“The most successful products make people work more. It seems counterintuitive, but make your user press an extra button, or extend a flow that you can capture in a single screen into three,” says Lieb. “The more choices your user makes within your product, especially ones you could have made for them, the easier it is to use and understand.” –David Lieb
News
An eclectic millionaire, Forrest Fenn, has hidden a chest filled with treasure in the Rocky Mountains. He’s left clues in a poem that’s in a book he published, The Thrill of the Chase.
“No one knows where that treasure chest is but me,” Fenn says. “If I die tomorrow, the knowledge of that location goes in the coffin with me.” — Forrest Fenn, an 85-year-old former Vietnam fighter pilot, self-taught archaeologist, and successful art dealer. (from NPR)
Health & Food
This recent study offers new information about compulsive sugar consumption — An extremely harmful drug addiction.
“Excess sugar consumption has been proven to contribute directly to weight gain. It has also been shown to repeatedly elevate dopamine levels which control the brain’s reward and pleasure centres in a way that is similar to many drugs of abuse including tobacco, cocaine, and morphine.
We have also found that as well as an increased risk of weight gain, animals that maintain high sugar consumption and binge eating into adulthood may also face neurological and psychiatric consequences affecting mood and motivation.” — Professor Selena Bartlett
As someone who occasionally succumbs to my sugar cravings, I’ve resolved to permanently kick the habit this year. We know it’s bad, and sugar might be the central cause of almost every health problem. Because sugar negatively alters your gut or second stomach, scientists are considering treating sugar addiction like the abuse of alcohol or cocaine. As brain imaging becomes better, be prepared to see studies comparing the brains of people who consume sugar versus those of non sugar eaters. It’s not going to be pretty.
Travels
This drone footage is one of the first times a pod of 200 humpback whales has been caught on film, off the coast of South Africa.
Culture and a Quote
“Existentialism is a crusade on behalf of forgotten man, of the man who feels, and thinks, and does, against man as an object to be tested for aptitude and achievement, tabulated on charts and reduced to a punch card, experimented upon, casually explained away, utilized, fired, junked, liquidated, cremated, or atomized.” –Kenneth N. Douglas about his student, Jean Paul Sartre’s philosophies
To sum it up, here’s a recipe for more energy, a disease free body, a razor-sharp mind, and a fun and meaningful life:
- Breathe through your nose and learn how much breath your body needs.
- Cut out processed sugar.
- Get outside, move, and travel — get direct experience!
- Do interval training.
- Deploy a great soundtrack for your many adventures.
- Don’t be afraid to hide a buried treasure, or to set off looking for one.
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