Resilience in Health: Finding Ways to Keep Coming Back

Hello friends,

Hey, it’s issue #100.

There’s a mix of amazement and pride for me. I started these newsletters back in 2023- and while I haven’t always been consistent, I’ve kept coming back to it.

It’s helped me practice resilience.

And a big thing I’ve learned is: It's less about motivation or willpower, and more about being willing to look foolish, to fail publicly, to keep coming back even when you feel like an impostor.

Whether in writing, health, or life in general.

This week in building health 👇

Find Ways to Keep Coming Back

I’m sharing an article this week that isn’t really about workouts or meal plans.

But it is a reminder of why we chase health in the first place.

It's a story about a young man's battle with depression and how an abandoned puppy and an NFL player's kindness helped save his life. More than just surviving trauma, it's about finding unexpected lifelines that help us stay in the game.

I've spent years writing about health and fitness, but lately, I've been confronting some hard truths.

Sometimes our bodies struggle despite our best efforts. We work on our health as best as we can- but sometimes life throws us curveballs that no amount of meal prep or perfect form can fix.

The key is resilience - finding ways to keep showing up, even when progress feels slow or nonexistent.

→ Read more on this here

My favorite health things for the week

// one

Why Real Food Will Always Be Better

14 minutes | Megha Lillywhite

We're seeing an explosion of food alternatives - from protein powders to lab-grown meat. But there's one simple reason why real, whole foods will always have the edge:

We don't know what we don't know.

Every year, scientists discover new compounds and interactions in natural foods that we never knew existed. Technology can only recreate what we've already identified and measured.

Nature, meanwhile, has perfected these foods over millions of years.

That's why I'll always bet on real food over imitations, no matter how advanced they become.

→ Read more on this here

// two

Pleasure and Pain Look Similar in the Body

11 minutes | Paul Bloom

In the pursuit of health, we're always dancing on the edge of a knife.

Push too hard in your workout, and you risk injury or burnout. Take it too easy, and you'll never see results.

Eat with too much restriction, and you'll rebel against your diet.

Indulge too freely, and your health suffers.

This delicate balance between pleasure and pain isn't just about fitness—it's fundamental to how our bodies and minds work. And understanding this relationship might be the key to making health sustainable.

→ Read More About it Here

// three

Find Your Own Life Template

21 minutes | Jessica Livingston

We often think success in health and fitness requires fitting into a specific mold: the disciplined athlete, the nutrition expert, the wellness guru.

But what if the key isn't changing ourselves to fit that mold, but building healthy habits that work with who we already are?

I want to share a piece by Jessica Livingston, co-founder of Y Combinator, about how success often comes not from forcing yourself into an existing template, but from "growing the puzzle around you."

While she's writing about startups, her insights perfectly capture what sustainable health looks like:

Instead of trying to become someone else's version of "healthy," the real breakthrough happens when we build habits that match our unique combination of strengths, preferences, and quirks.

→ Read More About it Here

Until next time

Just a genuine thank you to all those who read this newsletter and find value in it!

It’s helped me a lot to keep this going, and I’ve learned a lot in the process.

Have a Healthy Weekend