I have a problem…I drink hater-ade

My wife and I got Whoop bands about a year ago now, I just got the new one and I’m obsessed with all the new features. But one feature that drives me bonkers is the step counting feature.

My wife somehow gets like 15k steps/day without blinking an eye. ‘Farm Chores’ she says are here secret. I can hear hear her now - she’s cleaning the chicken coop, taking the donkeys some hay, while I type furiously away on my keyboard.

I average about 8,000 steps - and I’m mad. I don’t know what kind of voodoo she is practicing out back but I think she straps her whoop band to the goats horns and lets them run around for a few hours each day without me knowing.

So recently I thought - I want to see what it would be like to get in around 15k steps/day.

And wowza, I feel like it’s a job. I mean 15k steps is close to 7 miles by some estimates. That seems insane!

I decided to just take some calls/zoom meetings while walking (sorry to everyone I’ve annoyed by that)

I thought my working out hard core with weights 4x/week was enough.

But I have to confess, my recent whoop data shows some pretty interesting ticks in all the right directions.

• I’ve noticed my deep sleep and REM sleep have gone up. (around 4 hours/night combined)

• I’ve noticed my HRV has gone up to 47

• I’ve noticed my Resting Heart Rate has gone down to around 46-48bpm

• I’ve got more clarity on ideas

• I’ve noticed some more geeky stuff - respirations per minute have gone down while I sleep, blood pressure has gone down to around 111/64.

So yea I can only speak from seeing my actual metrics go in all the right directions to say - I think walking is kinda magical. I also think crossing that 10k mark is the secret sauce.

Here’s some of the science:

• Reduces risk of disease: Walking just 8,000 steps per day is associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality[1]. Even fewer steps—around 7,000—have been shown to reduce mortality risk by up to 70%[2].

• Improves brain health: Regular walking increases the size of the hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory and learning[3]. This is especially important in protecting against cognitive decline.

• Supports metabolic health: After-meal walks as short as 2 to 5 minutes can reduce blood sugar spikes by up to 58% compared to sitting[4].

• Boosts mood and lowers anxiety: A recent meta-analysis found that walking—especially in nature—has a significant effect on reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety[5].

• Protects joint health: Contrary to the idea that walking wears out your knees, consistent walking has been shown to reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis symptoms[6].

Excuses and Next Steps

"I don't have time for this." 

I am not doing this all at once. I’m getting in 10 minutes here and there. Just doing whatever to get to that 10K or more mark.

How to Make It Stick

• Schedule it. Add walking to your calendar just like a meeting or family event.

• Start small. Even 5 minutes is enough to start building a habit.

• Stack it. Tie it to another routine—right when you wake up, lunch, or before bedtime.

• Track it. Use a step counter or phone app to measure progress and build momentum.

Your body was designed to move. Regular walking won’t just improve your health—it will improve how you feel, how you think, and how you show up in your relationships. Few health investments offer this kind of return.

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I’d love to hear about your health journey. 👋

I write this newsletter each week because I feel my best when my body, mind and soul are all healthy. I want the same for you. If you feel like you’ve seen something valuable here, please do me a favor and forward this newsletter to a friend or let me know what you think by replying or texting me - (310) 879-8441

I think happy couples make the world go round. I also believe men can do more to lead and love in their lives. In light of that, I have found the following four books to be the 4 books every man should read and every woman should want their man to read.

• Good Energy - What makes for a Healthy Body and Mind?

• The Masculine in Relationship - How to Win the Trust, Lust and Devotion of a Strong Woman

• The Man’s Guide to Women - The Science of Happy Relationships

• The Desire of Ages - Leadership in a World of Cowards

Here are a few other links to things that have changed my life:

Whoop - Track your HRV and REM Sleep

Function Health - Optimize Your Health via 100+ BioMarkers

Here are a few topics I think you’ll love if you haven’t checked them out before:

How to Breathe for Better Health

How to Supercharge Your Sleep

The Power of the Sauna

-Jared

P.S. - This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The content, such as graphics, images, text, and all other materials, is provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual's medical condition.

Footnotes

[1] Paluch, A. E., et al. (2021). JAMA Network Open, 4(9), e2124516.

[2] Lee, I. M., et al. (2019). JAMA Internal Medicine, 179(11), 1498–1507.

[3] Erickson, K. I., et al. (2011). PNAS, 108(7), 3017–3022.

[4] Reynolds, A. N., et al. (2022). Sports Medicine, 52, 2285–2293.

[5] Kelly, P., et al. (2018). Health Psychology Review, 12(3), 297–318.

[6] Lo, G. H., et al. (2019). American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 57(6), 797–803.