MVP Boulders – How to Optimize Your Mental and Physical Performance

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Over the years fads have come and gone. Everything from cure all diets and longevity supplements to compressed fitness routines, cold plunges, light therapies, stem cells, gene editing, and a hell of a lot more with promises of enhanced results. Social media platforms and influencers claim that such techniques and devices can take the place of many tried and true lifestyle factors. I think this is great and believe that we are on the cusp of some real profound advancements in AI driven health. I love to nerd out on this stuff, and I think there is definitely a time and place for everything. But what really moves the needle the most? I have experimented with more than most and researching these things has been an obsession of mine for over twenty years. In this article, I explain what the health minded person looking to optimize their mental and physical performance should prioritize first for the largest ROI – return on investment. I have color coded everything based on the ROI. The greatest return will be GREEN - boulders, moderate returns YELLOW - stones, and little return will be BLUE- pebbles.

Before I go ‘old school’ on you, of course there are some exceptions. If time and money are not an issue, there are other ways. Look up Bryan Johnson and his ‘Blueprint’ plan. Bryan’s life’s purpose is longevity and how not to die! Is yours? If so, there are clinics and teams that will run every test, lab, full body MRIs, and more to accomplish a result. There are also elite and Olympic athletes that rely on these tests and teams of professionals to help perfect their physiology for success. These people exist over 95% dialed in and are striving for 100%. They already perform the list below and are doing much more because that one percent is what makes a difference for them. There are also people who have tried just about everything with little success. Sometimes genetics can be a real son of a bitch. This is also a good time to try new things.

But for most people looking to kick a lot of ass in life, I believe that alongside a good functional medical practicioner and descent genetics, the list of boulders below will get you about 95% of the way there. You read that correctly. You could look like a 9.5 out of 10 and feel great with some consistency. The final five percent comes from the other stuff. The stuff that moves the needle just a hair. These are still fun and can be advantageous, just don’t start there or spend precious time and money on something so minimal unless you have really put some effort into everything else.

Everyone is different, and everyone responds differently to different things. Do a bit of experimentation and see what could work with your unique biology. As always, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one online. Consult with your medical professional before trying anything crazy. Speaking of medical professionals, a good functional medical practitioner is bigger than any boulder below, they are a freaking mountain. Find one and let them help dial all of this in for you.

A note on experimentation and individuality. We, as in the scientific world, are just now beginning to scrape the surface on genetics. Somebody just asked me today if collagen works? They said that they have seen studies showing both good and bad results and their doctor thought collagen was a waste of money. I raise an eyebrow to this doc and unfortunately believe that he just wasn’t educated on nutrition and genetics back in medical school. Anecdotal evidence and intuition are a real thing which is why we see a lot of different results with studies. Again, different things affect different people differently, - Period! Try twenty plus grams of collagen a day for a few weeks and see if you can tell a difference in your joints, hair, nails, and skin. If you don’t feel much, maybe try another brand. If you still don’t see a change, then collagen may not be for you, for a number of reasons. But your best friend may have a totally different experience from the experiment. This is just an example, but this goes for just about everything out there from hormones to food to drugs to gadgets.

Following the list in my opinion is based on importance. Get consistent with the first couple of items and start to work your way down. Each item has a basic summary of benefits. If you ever want to go deeper on any topic, reach out and we can dig in.

The Big Boulders! - with some stones and pebbles along the way. The common denominator throughout this list is allowing the body to thrive. This has been the biggest change for me over the years. I once would follow a less is more approach thinking that the body could repair and renew itself at a faster rate if I gave it less fuel and revved up the engine(workouts) at the same time. I now see how that approach can downregulate the bodies’ hormones and put you in a survival mode, constantly in an over-stressed state. I now live with a more nourishing theme where I give the body more of what it needs to thrive so I can prime my metabolism for improvement. Think of thriving like staying in the fight. Many believe ‘if you stop you die,’ which is why all of the hormetic stressors below really matter, - in moderation. If you stop giving your body a stimulus like exercise or protein, the body can lose the ability to move in a certain way. I still tap the breaks with fasting and senolytics for instance to bring down MTOR and stimulate AMPK, but it is all a delicate balance now. I will reference the thriving theme continually throughout this article to highlight its effects.

The Boulders: 1. Sleep, 2. Exercise, 3. Nutrition, 4. Stress Management, 5. Environment, 6. Hot and Cold exposure, 7. Sun and Grounding, 8. Relationships, 9. Purpose, 10 Oral Hygiene.

Sleep prioritization: Sleep is when we renew and recover. Yes, you can wake up stronger and younger if you optimize your sleep. Quality sleep allows us to thrive! The things that REALLY help are:

Not eating at least two hours prior to sleep. A small snack before bed is fine if your blood sugar crashes in the middle of the night.
Not having any screen time at least one hour prior to sleep.
Having your cell phone away from your bed or in airplane mode.
Reading before bed.
Creating a cold and dark environment.
Creating consistency with a sleep schedule.
An honorable mention is investing in organic sheets and a mattress. Endocrine disrupters from synthetics are a real issue and should be minimized. I will touch on this a bit more under the environmental section.

Ok, so if you have consistently followed all of these steps and still cannot sleep well, then maybe try some other things. The two tried and true supplements for sleep are magnesium glycinate and glycine. Once these supplements have been tried then maybe we can go further into proprietary blends and pharmaceuticals. Do not start with pharmaceuticals due to their potential increased health risks… - that kind of defeats the purpose. Get my drift…

Dr James DiNicolantonio has great information out there on how to optimize mentally and physically. Check him out!

Effective exercise: Effective exercise gives you functional muscle which provides strength and the ability to perform necessary and fun tasks. Functional muscles also just make you harder to kill, which is a goal if you are trying not to die. Here are the most effective ways to exercise.

Strength train two to three times/days a week to safe exhaustion. These training sessions look like fullbody push and pull movements. Think of combining a type of each of the following movements: pullups, pushups, squats, deadlifts, and core. Rep ranges are your preference, but I believe higher reps to exhaustion lead to fewer injuries. These training sessions should be accompanied by pre or post functional training and mobility work focused to your life and hobbies. So, if you are a tennis player, maybe you would work on thoracic mobility and hand/eye coordination along with posterior chain stretches as a functional warm up and cooldown.
Hiit Training should be performed two to three times/days per week. These training days look like short bouts of intense exercise for a brief period of time. The hiit training should also be combined with a functional warm-up and cooldown that fits your life/hobbies.
Longer steady state cardio should be performed two to three times/days per week. These training days keep your heart rate around 60-75% and can last anywhere from one to three hours. Hobbies such as hiking, pickleball, tennis, golf(walking), bike rides, yardwork, etc. can work great in the event that you are not a runner or hate the elliptical. If you are trying to lose weight, extra cardio can be performed but lower intensities are often better, so it does not elicit a craving.
Perform the minimum effective dose of exercise to achieve the desired result. Do not crush yourself often or you will always be in a state of stress and recovery. Always being sore is a good sign to back off a bit. Remember, we are trying to thrive. To thrive we must go beyond recovery and get better by the day.

Once a routine has been established and performed consistently, it is probably good to mix in some other things to change it up and keep you stimulated and evolving. Pilates, Yoga, Spin, Dance, etc., are all great and encouraged. Just make sure these are not your primary form of exercise if looking and feeling great is the goal. Again, start with the items above and work these options in as you see fit.

Performance Nutrition. Yes, nutrition is supposed to help optimize your mental and physical performance. There is really a lot of BS in this department, and I think I have tried it all. The big boulders to help you thrive are:

Consuming a variety of well-sourced whole foods.
Consuming well-sourced processed foods to fill the gaps.

This simply means eating a variety of the best whole foods you can find and consuming processed foods to fill in what is lacking from the whole foods. I typically have all the time in the world at night to enjoy dinner, so I regularly eat a meal of well-sourced meat, veggies, a grain in some shape, form, or fashion, some fermented foods, and often broth. This changes by the season, but dinner is my staple. Breakfast and lunch are a bit more challenging since I am often out or in a hurry. These times are where processed foods can be helpful. - Obviously, I am not referring to hyper palatable garbage foods. I often start my day with overnight oats (processed) with a few eggs and blueberries. The oats contain 30 grams of protein which fills the gap of protein in my mornings since I like to have about 50 grams before I leave the house. Trying to consume 50 grams of protein from eggs would make me a sulfur bomb... I have switched my French press coffee over to an instant coffee called Strong Coffee (processed.) Lunch is often Greek yogurt or a shake (both processed.) Snacks are often jerky and sweet potato chips (processed.) Get my drift. I like to consume over 150 grams of protein per day which is difficult to get without processed foods. So, my view on processed foods has changed. I have also changed my mind on carb consumption. Low carb is great when you are trying to lean out. But when you are really trying to thrive, carbs are necessary for optimal hormone regulation, gut health (fiber,) and many other things. Well sourced fruit, honey, tubers, and soaked, fermented, or sprouted grains definitely have a place in the optimal diet. Meal timing is of less importance to me now. What is most important is that I get my optimal nutrition in daily. This can be eating as many or as few times a day as desired, but I tend to prefer three meals a day to optimize digestion and nutrient assimilation. I do still fast 12 hours between dinner and breakfast and do a weekly 24 hour fast and often a longer fast a few days a year to clean house.

Things to avoid:

Ultraprocessed foods containing artificial colors and flavors.
Ultraprocessed foods containing seed oils: Canola, Corn, Soybean, Grapeseed, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Safflower, and Rice Bran.
Alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen like cigarettes and will most likely be thought of in the near future as cigarettes are now. Minimize it! There have been a couple of weak studies showing an improvement in cardiovascular disease (CVD) with moderate consumption of alcohol. But this is at the expense of literally every other disease. So if you want to increase your risk of cancer, dementia, liver disease, osteoporosis, and more, in the hopes of lowering your risk of CVD, then have at it. I think cardiologists often recommend moderate drinking simply for happiness for their patients. Doctors also allow quite a bit of junk food during pregnancies… I’ll quit now…
It’s worth mentioning the hormetic effect that alcohol can have on the body. Alcohol is a toxin and being exposed to it in small amounts could possibly make us a bit more robust. Due to this thought, some very smart people microdose alcohol. Microdosing alcohol is approximately a small glass of wine for a large adult and a half a glass for a small adult. I often microdose alcohol for the hormetic response as well as a shared ritual I have with my wife. One bottle of wine lasts me four to five days for perspective.
Cooking in, cooking on, and storing food in toxic materials. You can search up clean products pretty easily. But try to avoid tinfoil, Teflon, and storing in plastics and switch over to parchment paper, stainless steel, cast iron, and store your food in glass.

Things to caution

Fad diets. Keto, Carnivore, Paleo, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Raw, etc. They all have value, and I love an elimination diet at times. But let’s be honest, the one thing these diets all have in common is minimizing ultra processed hyperpalatable foods. Once you eliminate these ingredients from your diet, most foods will work for you. Fad diets can have amazing short term and specific results like helping with autoimmunity issues for example. Just make sure you are getting the nutrients you need to thrive!
Splurging on junk food. I am a proponent of splurge meals. I think they can have beneficial metabolic effects as well as helping stave off pallet fatigue. Have fun with whatever you may be craving. We make burgers, Mexican, and pizza, weekly with the best possible ingredients. That is the key to splurging - using the best sourcing possible. Just make sure you do not splurge on artificial ingredients and seed oils if your goal is optimal health and fitness. I believe these ingredients can last years in your body with severe downstream health effects.

The takeaway

Eat really freaking good whole food. When that isn’t possible, eat really freaking good, processed food.

As we discuss toxins throughout this article, understand that toxins can create a skinny fat garbage body. We have detox pathways that can handle some exposure to toxins, assuming our bodies are performing on all cylinders. But if you are constantly bombarded with pesticides, BPH, BPA, PFAS, and all of the chemicals in our food, water, cosmetics, and various household and consumer products, and your detox system is compromised, these toxins can begin to accumulate in our bodies and often in our bodyfat. At this point your cells and cell signaling are compromised. The cell membranes get damaged and can no longer function properly. Examples of poor cell signaling would be if a muscle wasn’t responding to the message from the magnesium to relax or from the insulin telling the cell to absorb the sugar. This is when our bodies go haywire and start turning on us. So, If you aren’t happy with your appearance and/or health and feel that you are living right, then maybe read a label or two and perform an audit on your environment to make sure that you are not a toxin reservoir. Storing excess toxins can make you squishy and sickly no matter how hard you grind. We are supposed to look lean and healthy not a country of 74% fat and sick zombies…

Hydration - I will loop hydration into the nutrition category too. Drink purified water out of glass or metal. Mineralized water could be beneficial based on your nutrition. I prefer to start my day with a 25oz Geralsteiner which has 80mg of magnesium and 260mg of calcium. Getting the majority of your micronutrients from whole foods and mineral water is possible and recommended.

Things to avoid:

Drinking from the tap. Tap water can have a very high toxic load – forever chemicals (PFAS) and glyphosate on tap! Birth control medications have been found in city water. Tap water might be a descent way to lower your testosterone if you are feeling too good.
Drinking out of plastic. More forever chemicals and microplastics! Most straws are plastic too. Unless you want smoker’s wrinkles around your mouth, just get rid of the freaking straw already!

Things to caution

Alkaline water is a bit suspect. The PH of our body is a delicate balance that rarely needs tinkering if you are a healthy person. Just save your money and drink some good ole purified water out of glass or metal. To be fair, I don’t think you should drink acidic water either. There is a time and place for most things, just make sure you don’t drink alkaline water around meals which can neutralize your stomach acids that are responsible for digestion.
Distilled water. Distilled water is void of all minerals and often stored in plastic. If you are using distilled water during a fast or cleanse, just make sure to add key minerals back in and purchase from a safe source.

Supplements: Good ole supplements. Social media has shot this industry through the roof. This is a fun space but there is so much BS in the supplement industry that I still try to get most of my nutrition through whole and minimally processed foods. For example, well sourced sardines are a very bioavailable source of protein, calcium, collagen, algae, fish oil, and more. I could simply eat a can of Fishwife sardines (my new obsession), or I could take expensive supplemental protein, fish oil pills, spirulina and chlorella pills, calcium, and collagen, for the same nutritional result. Get my drift. But back to the point, like processed foods, supplements fill the gaps where whole food nutrition falls short. Below is a list of supplements that have held the test of time and still benefit most people greatly.

Protein. Animal protein is superior in terms of use and bioavailability but whatever you choose, choose wisely. This goes for all the supplements on this list. The supplement industry is a very loosely regulated industry, and you don’t want to be shoveling junk in your body daily. I normally supplement with a quality A2 undenatured goat whey protein from Mt Capri, a collagen protein from Paleo Valley, and an EAA protein pre workout, especially when fasting. All links for products will be on the last page.
Electrolytes. I have become more and more obsessed with electrolytes for mental and physical performance, especially when fasting. I use Redmond’s Sea Salt in my coffee/tea, and LMNT during exercise.
Caffeine and some of the supplements below have no color because they are not necessary for most to move the needle at all. But, I am a fan of caffeine in moderation. But full disclaimer, I am a fast caffeine metabolizer and it just makes me feel great. Get a genetic test to see if caffeine really is your jam or just a crutch. I prefer about 100mg in the morning and mid afternoon from a quality, mold free coffee or matcha. I like Strong Coffee and Matcha Kara. Strong Coffee does come with a proprietary blend of adaptogens that I will speak on later.
I believe in the value of healthy rituals. Coffee is a crutch for most. But a cup with your spouse or friends at the coffee shop has value and purpose way beyond your adrenals. The same goes for alcoholic beverages. The alcohol is toxic, but the shared time with friends and laughter often accompanied with the drink can be great. Drinking alone on the other hand, while scrolling, is an anti-boulder that will turn you into ‘The Walking Dead’ with consistency.
Vitamin D3. I have a genetic SNP that does not allow me to synthesize adequate vitamin D, so I supplement with it daily. Many of my biomarkers have greatly improved since adding Vitamin D into my regiment. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that is responsible for hormonal health, immune health, bone health, and much more.
Vitamin K2. (MK4 and MK7.) Vitamin K2 pairs well with D3 and helps shuttle calcium into the bones. Bone health has become more important to me with age.
Magnesium pairs well with D3 and activates many other enzymes and important nutrients which contribute to overall energy production. Refer to the chart I included in the sleep section for specific uses for the many different types of magnesium.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA.) EFA’s are necessary for optimal health and wellness and must be consumed from the diet. EFA are responsible for every one of your cells to perform optimally. A few servings of wild fish a week should be enough. I do not supplement with EFA’s anymore but not everyone likes sardines and salmon as I do...
Methyl Doners. This is irrelevant to you unless you have run some genetic tests. But due to my MTHFR status, I take TMG for methylation purposes- to help optimize my detox pathways.
I find organ blends to be the best multivitamin. Most regular multivitamins are full of synthetic ingredients which I avoid. Organ blends have been finding their way into food, shakes, and beef jerky lately which is making life a bit easier.
I use antioxidants acutely based on how I feel. If I am under the weather or exposed to excess stressors, I will often take a whole foods vitamin C supplement, molecular hydrogen tablets, astaxanthin, Allicin Garlic, Sulforaphane, Glutathione, and Colostrum.
Same as antioxidants. If I am overwhelmed in any way, I dose up with ashwagandha, and functional mushrooms found in my coffee as well as a Matcha Kara adaptogenic latte.
Nootropics help improve cognitive health and function. This is an emerging class of compounds with a lot of excitement around them. A few popular nootropics are magnesium threonate and a proprietary blend called Qualia Mind. Lithium is currently emerging as a powerful nootropic with a host of other anti-aging benefits as well. Keep your eye on this one.
Senolytics and sirtuins. Senolytics and sirtuins are a class of drugs/supplements that help eliminate senescent cells. The big boulder here is fasting. Fasting for twenty-four hours a few times a month or longer a few times a year is great at removing senescent cells for most people. Adding some senescent or sirtuin based agents such as Rapamycin, Qualia Senolytic, fisetin, and Spermidine, can enhance the effectiveness of the fast.
Honorable mentions. NAD, Urolithin A (Mitopure), creatine, nitric oxide boosters, pre-biotics, probiotics, ketones, and methylene blue. These supplements can help out for different circumstances.
IVs are a very efficient way to administer certain supplements. Talk to your functional medicine practitioner on what IV’s would work best for you.

Supplements I am not a fan of are:

Greens powders. I still recommend these to college kids that eat crap all day, but if you are having a few servings of greens a week, you should be fine. Too many greens can burden your thyroid and aggravate your gut.
Most ‘Proprietary Blends’ are garbage and don’t contain enough of any one ingredient to make a difference. Look carefully at labels when buying an ‘all in one’ product.
Supplements with artificial and synthetic ingredients. These ingredients are often cheaper and if a company is cutting corners on quality, who knows what else is in there…

I do believe there is value to taking time off from regular daily foods and supplements and often repetitive stimuluses. I regularly ‘dry out’ on weekends by taking zero supplements. Fasting also helps with intermittent breaks in routines. A lot of my clients will ‘autoship’ a month’s supply of a product for five weeks instead of four, so they have a week off before starting the food/supplement back.

Stress Management: Stress management is a huge boulder, and excess stress can derail one’s health even if the other nine things are dialed in. Everyone deals with stress differently but here are a few techniques that seem to work well for most.

Hobbies with awesome people – this also helps with mental stimulation which is a boulder in preventing cognitive decline. Other boulders in the cognitive health space are playing instruments and speaking other languages.
Breathwork practices.
Mindfulness and meditation practices
Stacking a lot of these practices can really have a large impact on your overall stress load and health. For example, walking the beach with a dear friend and throwing in a bit of nasal breathing can hit boulder #4, # 5, #7, #8, and #9, which can in turn help optimize sleep - #1!
Prioritization, discipline, and time management can greatly decrease stress and help maximize happiness. I have known plenty of couples that work full time with kids and still manage to stay fit, have fun, and try new things. You have time… Refer to the Eisenhower Matrix when batching tasks.

Bandaids to stress – ‘Running away from the problem only increases the distance from the solution’ – The Buddha

There are better ways to deal with stress than carcinogens and a fat gut.
I like my libido too much for this stuff. That’s all I’ve got to say about that…
Anti-depressants – These medications like most medications can have great benefits. But they often come with a dark side. Consider trying a few of the items in the list first to see if you cannot resolve the issue.

It is worth mentioning again that if you prioritize your life correctly you can pretty much do anything you want.

Environment. The environment you spend your life in really matters. Polluted junk air, junk light and screens, and junk noises all blanketed with junk frequencies, insert EMF’s, is bad news. Maybe top it off with mold exposure. Not good! Do your best here. If you cannot breathe fresh air, purchase a quality air purifier. Maybe try to use less scents in your house and on your body so your exposure to toxins like phthalates are minimized. Maybe purchase some blue light blocking glasses… You get my drift. It’s not really that profound how good you feel after hiking in the forest when you consider that all those pollutants I just mentioned aren’t present.

Make an effort to wear more organic clothing too. Synthetic clothing can leach chemicals into our skin transdermally. Try some organic products with cotton, bamboo, and wool.

Hot and Cold exposure: Probably more of a large stone, but I am still going to add this to the boulders. Like exercise, hot and cold exposure elicit a hormetic response that can help strengthen the body and mind. Hot and cold exposure each offer many other benefits that one can use based on their goals. I love to sweat daily. I try to end my fast with a good sweat which I feel has massive detoxing benefits. I also love to start my day with a cold shower. The cold turns my brain on like nothing else. I also like to jump in cold water when it is available. It just freaking feels good. A few hot and cold techniques that really move the needle are:

Sweat daily if possible. A few days a week are probably enough.
Shiver every now and then. If you live in the north, shivering should be a piece of cake. Get creative here in the south.
Again, stacking many of these techniques can have a profound effect.

Overkill.

Sauna’s. If I wanted to age as fast as possible, I would sit in a 175-degree box every day. Come on people… Really!? Like we are not dehydrated enough. Yes, a sauna is great after surfing on a cold grey day, or in the middle of the winter, but let’s stick with a mild sweat for the most part, outdoors, in the heat of the day. This might require some layers…
Hot yoga. I am a fan of a good sweat in the winter and hot yoga is a great way to do this. But southerners performing hot yoga routinely in the summer is a great way to demineralize your body and accelerate the aging process.
Cold Plunges. This is almost comical for the average person. Sending a massive stress response, literally that you are going to freeze to death, first thing in the morning is somehow good for your health? It’s not. Just because Joe Rogan and Laird Hamilton cold plunge daily does not mean you should too. Both men train most likely harder than you or I ever have and use the baths as a tool for recovery and performance. If you are at this level, I would recommend advanced strategies too.

The climate and seasons should at least partially govern your hot and cold exposure as well as food, circadian rhythms, and much more. This has always been the pattern for optimal living. I am not saying that it cannot be improved upon, but again, let’s start simple. In the summer and warmer months, you should get more sun exposure and heat. This is probably why most fruits are in season during these months to help hydrate you. In the winter, you should probably shiver a bit more and consume more seasonal leafy greens and root vegetables for microbial diversity and immunity. But never in history have we gotten consistent cold and hot stimuluses daily. I’m thinking its probably a bit much in many ways. The ‘Doctrine of Signatures’ is a medical theory that plants, minerals, and animals have ‘signatures’ that indicate what disease or organs they can cure. These ‘signatures’ often correlate with the seasons. This is a fun rabbit hole to run down if you are into wholistic healing!

Sun exposure and grounding: I can literally feel these two things charge my batteries. Maybe it’s the optimized metabolism from less indoor toxins, maybe it’s the negative ions, maybe it’s connecting with something bigger, maybe it’s the vitamin D synthesis, maybe it is a combination of all of the above. Whatever, I am a believer. I always prioritize about twenty minutes to get outside with as little clothes on as possible and connect with the earth. I think if you can figure out how to perform your exercise or hobbies outside without much clothing on, you will see at least a 2X gain in results from doing them elsewhere. It’s no mystery that my two favorite hobbies are beach volleyball and surfing. Two hobbies that don’t require shoes or shirts, so you are always connected.

Though I try to get about 20 minutes of sunshine daily, this normally equals about every other day at best. There are often days and sometimes weeks when the sun never comes out. This is ok and likely beneficial. It is probably good to take a break from all of your routines from time to time. But the point is, if you average two hundred days a year with sun exposure, why do you think that daily sauna is king? I’ll quit bashing on sauna’s now…

Relationships. This is huge. Awesome people make life more awesome! Find your tribe and grow your tribe. Finding your people takes a lot of work and creating good and lasting relationships takes even more work. We definitely need our alone time, but we probably need our friend time even more. Look at your phone usage this week and make sure you have spent at least that amount of time with your friends, - not just your family and coworkers, but your friends. Working on quality relationships will move the needle much more than a freaking cold plunge.
Your phone is not your friend!!!

Purpose. Yep, it’s a boulder. Purpose makes everything better. Ok, hypothetically the kids are out of the house so you can no longer say that they are your purpose. You raised good little humans, congratulations! Now what? Don’t overthink this. You can start with little purposes. For example, maybe you want to learn how to play pickleball. Ok, so now you can do some agility drills in your workout. Boom! Now your workout has some purpose. It’s easy to find purpose in nutrition, like I want to lower blood sugar or blood pressure. And the same goes for hobbies. Bigger picture purpose takes a bit more soul searching, but I will leave you with these few questions to help you find yours if you haven’t yet, inspired by Ben Greenfield: 1. What did you like to do when you were a kid? 2. What puts you ‘in the zone’ now? 3. What naturally comes easy to you? Hmmmm…

Oral Hygiene. This normally isn’t bundled into the ‘low hanging fruit’ category but its freaking important. Cavities, gum disease, oral cancers, and basically a gnarly mouth, can lead to a shortened life expectancy. I am not going to run down this rabbit hole too far but a few things to get a handle on are minimizing mercury fillings, minimizing fluoride-based toothpastes, minimizing alcohol-based mouthwashes, tongue scraping, and just keeping your mouth pretty damn clean. Following the above nine principles will really help, but don’t be afraid to pay a little bit of extra attention to your mouth. A few things to consider:

Mercury is a neurotoxin that can cause cognitive decline.
Fluoride can be neurotoxic in high amounts.
Alcohol based mouthwashes can lower nitric oxide levels.
A gnarly mouth makes friendships more of a challenge!

There you go. The heavy hitters that deliver the largest ROI. If you consistently perform the ten items above, it is very likely that you will achieve all of your goals. But maybe you want to take it a bit further? Or maybe you are like my friend Josh that believes ‘you should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.’ If this is the case, here are some secondary items that can move the needle. I again list these in order of importance.

Boulders

Find a good functional medical practitioner and get your labs performed. If your hormones are off, you will always be fighting an uphill battle. YOU CANNOT BE OPTIMAL WITHOUT OPTIMAL HORMONES! The previous list can often help but sometimes you need a bit more. Testosterone and thyroid are crucial for performance. Many others factor in as well.
Pharmaceuticals can effectively help with acute and chronic conditions. Pharmaceuticals can also help with more advanced optimization strategies if used correctly. Get with your functional medical practitioner and do some research. The Kaufmann protocol is a great place to start.
Semaglutide (GLP-1) for weight loss, Sermorelin for metabolism, BPC 157 for recovery, GHK-Cu for hair and skin renewal, and much more. I have seen athletes try everything for an injury and after a few injections of BPC 157 become healed. I think you all have experienced the efficacy of GLP -1 agonists already. I know there are plenty of negative side effects at the moment with some of these peptides, but we are on the cusp of solving these issues. I believe that AI will help these peptides evolve into a much more user-friendly experience in the near future.

Stones and Pebbles. These are mainly for healing and recovery because it seems like everyone is always hurt and sick these days, which isn’t cool. Our injury rates going up also bring out all of the trolls marketing loads of crap on us. But I get it. It feels good to feel good. And the better you feel the more you will do. The more you do the more stimulated you are. The more stimulated you are the better life is! So hell yeah, stay healthy! If you are performing the ten boulders above you probably will not need these items, nevertheless, they can be very helpful at moving the needle.

Physical Therapists: A good PT is a game changer for a strong body.
Chiropractors: Same as PT’s.
Personal Trainers: A good trainer can help navigate which exercises will best optimize your goals.
Massage therapists. A good massage therapy session is great for recovery! - probably ten times more effective than a foam roller or massage gun.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): HBOT can really be a boulder in terms of wound healing, collagen production, an anti-inflammatory, blood vessel health, and much more. Hyperbaric chambers are rarely available and often very expensive. But hopefully in the near future, HBOT will become more readily available.
Traction, Decompression, Inversion Tables. I have always said that floating (zero gravity decompression) and an inversion table will fix most backs with consistency.
Float Tanks. Swimming in the ocean is still my jam. Zero gravity in mother ocean is the most freeing feeling ever to me. But if it’s a cold rainy day and I am beat, sign me up for the float spa. The magnesium load I absorb in a sensory deprivation tank in total relaxation with zero worries is epic. This form of recovery is pretty damn profound.
Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS): I am a fan and always use EMS when injured. I typically put four electrodes around the injury and compress with ice packs and elastic bands. I swear this speeds up recovery.
Lymphatic drainage, - vibration platforms, rebounding, skin brushing. These techniques are used to increase circulation and immunity. They all have their uses, but some mild impact in nature will probably do the trick even better if possible.
Stem Cells, Exosomes, PRP, Ozone. This group of therapies effectiveness varies from person to person. I have seen great results from some and nothing from others. I think we will see these therapies advance very quickly in the near future and they will become much more commonplace as they do. Soon to be at least a stone if not a boulder…
Red Light: Some frequencies can penetrate the skin and help induce recovery. Same as above. Some people swear by them, others nothing…
Sauna: Meh…., already touched on above…
Cold Immersion: Meh…., already touched on above.
Essential oils: Some users find great value in essential oils, some nada… I have tried aromatherapy and essential oils topically without noticing much. Again, different things affect different people differently.
CGM: Continuous glucose monitors have value, and I have figured out a few things about my biology for sure while using them. But I kind of already knew it anyway. Practice listening to your body and being mindful. Most of the answers are already there.
Sleep Trackers and quantifying gadgets: Same answer as #15.

I could go on and on with things that kind of work. But again, the point is to find a routine that allows you to consistently and effectively perform the ten boulders. I believe this will yield the largest ROI – return on investment. Once this routine has been established very few other things will be needed to accomplish your goals. Good luck and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

The Stuff:

Fishwife Sardines: Amazon.com: Fishwife Sardines with Preserved Lemon 3-Pack (4.20 Ounce) | Wild-Caught & Hand-Packed with Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil | MSC-Certified Sustainable Seafood, High Protein, Gluten Free, Paleo Friendly, Keto Friendly : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Mt Capri Clean Whey Protein: Amazon.com: Mt. Capra Since 1928 Clean Whey Protein | Grass-Fed Undenatured Goat Whey Protein Powder, 24 g Protein Per Serving, All Natural, NonGMO, High in Branch Chain Amino Acids, Unsweetened - 16 Ounce : Health & Household

Essential Amino Acids: Amazon.com: Kion Aminos Essential Amino Acids Supplement - Amino Acid Powder, Amino Energy Powder, Essential Energy Without Caffeine, Essential Amino Acids, BCAA EAA - 30 Servings, Cool Lime : Health & Household

Collagen: Amazon.com: Paleovalley 100% Grass Fed Bone Broth Protein Powder - Chocolate - Rich in Collagen for Hair, Skin, Gut Health, Bone and Joint Support - 28 Servings : Health & Household

Strong Coffee: Amazon.com : STRONG COFFEE COMPANY, INSTANT BLCAK COFFEE - 30 Servings, Extreme Focus, Adaptogen Coffee, No Jitters, No Crash : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Vitamin D3: Amazon.com: THORNE Vitamin D + K2 Liquid with a metered Dispenser - Vitamins D3 and K2 to Support Healthy Bones and Muscles* - 1 Fl Oz (30 ml) - 600 Servings : Health & Household

Vitamin K2: Amazon.com: THORNE Vitamin K (Formerly 3-K Complete) - Vitamins K1 and K2 (as MK-4 and MK-7) - Supports Strong Bones - 60 Capsules : Health & Household

Vitamin C: Amazon.com: Paleovalley Essential C Complex - Vitamin C Supplement for Immune Support - 3 Pack, 450mg - From Organic Superfoods Unripe Acerola Cherry, Camu Camu, Amla Berry - No Synthetic Ascorbic Acid - USA Made : Health & Household

Spermidine: Amazon.com: LONGEVITY LABS + spermidineLIFE Natural Supplement, Plant-Based, Wheat Germ Extract with High Spermidine Content and Zinc for Cell Renewal, Vegan-Friendly, 60 Capsules : Health & Household

Molecular Hydrogen: Amazon.com: Quicksilver Scientific H2 Elite - Molecular Hydrogen for Energy + Metabolism Support, Water Tablets Perfect for Open Containers - Magnesium Malate Drink Additive (60 Molecular Hydrogen Tablets) : Health & Household

Probiotics: Amazon.com: Seed DS-01 Daily Synbiotic - Prebiotic and Probiotic (60 Capsules) - 53.6 Billion AFU - Digestive Health, Gut Health, and Immune Health - Multi-Strain Probiotics for Women & Men - Vegan & Shelf-Stable : Health & Household