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Lessons From the Badass Muscular Neurobiologist

Have you ever noticed that as a whole, our society has its daily habits almost completely backwards?

We’re generally so “busy” that we don’t have time to get much exercise. And then we spend countless sedentary hours sitting in our cars each week because we think that car driving saves us time.

To fuel our bodies during these chaotic days, we pack ourselves with whatever convenient or tasty food we happen to crave at the moment, then add in additional snacks between meals, while watching TV, and perhaps a final treat before bed. 

In any leftover shreds of free time, we pack our minds with similarly tasty or convenient blobs of entertainment or “content” that happen to successfully push their way in front of our face like a pen full of hungry pigs fighting for the scraps of our attention.

And our food factories, magazines, newspapers, TV and streaming services and even politicians are only too happy to keep pushing out the crap. And the results are just as you would predict: crappy.

But there is some good news too: You can do everything in the opposite way, and the results tend to be astonishingly good. The biggest difference you’ll notice is dramatically better physical and mental health, which multiply together to create a better, happier, longer and more generous life in all dimensions. 

In other words if there’s anything worth striving for – even more than financial independence or early retirement or any other individual goals – it’s probably the overall package of a healthier you.

Over the past few months, I have found myself settling into a new routine that seems to be getting better and better as the positive results feed back onto themselves. It has become so good that I thought it would be worth sharing and comparing notes with you. 

To cut straight to the good part, let’s compare the flow of two hypothetical days, side-by-side: the typical American default life, and a somewhat optimized Science-backed Life. Then, we’ll go back and fill in the details on where all these details come from, and the reason for this blog post’s strange title.

Two different lifestyles (click for larger version). Text version of this table also available here.

So What is This All About?

If you didn’t recognize the man in the picture above, these ideas have been meticulously stacked into my head by Dr. Andrew Huberman, the Stanford professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology who has now also risen to the top of the podcasting field.

The basic information is only partially new – Huberman covers almost every aspect of the brain and body, and the field of science has been working on some of this stuff for a long time. But the rate of progress is faster than ever, so he has become my trained guide to filter and pass on the most useful findings, in an accessible and engaging style. I find the episodes thorough, detailed, and relentlessly focused on actual science instead of just speculation. 

The packaging is important to me too. I’ve been a health and fitness enthusiast since I was sixteen, but until now the field always had an uncomfortable split down the middle: there were the glossy and buff promoters – mostly salespeople for their own products with very little substance (and an inherent conflict of interest). And then there were the actual scientists, lacking in style and presentation skills and often sporting unenviable physical forms as well, making them less inspiring to follow even before the fact that they typically communicate mostly in the form of academic papers.

Huberman unites both personas into one – he’s a real scientist, but also a great presenter. And every time he shoots another two hour Laser Beam of Focus from his intensely intelligent eyes through the screen directly into yours, while gesturing precisely with that highly athletic form packed into a classy black dress shirt, it’s a lot easier to convince yourself that “Hey, this is probably pretty good advice if it will make me even a bit more like this guy*.”

Back in July as I was starting to work on this article, I posted a silly teaser to my Instagram account of me sitting in my roasting hot “car sauna” out in the sun-baked concrete driveway behind my house. This was the start of my experimentation with deliberate hot and cold exposure. I found it both fun and incredibly mood-lifting (Huberman reveals in certain episodes that the mood elevation from a cold water plunge is quite literally about equal to taking a dose of cocaine. Except this drug is actually good for you!)

The Molecule of More

It all started when a friend sent me a link to this episode on ADHD, knowing it’s something I am always trying to optimize my life around. It immediately revolutionized my understanding of how my own brain works, which led me to this episode on depression, and this one on Dopamine and its effect on our motivation and drive

Everything started to fall into place as I learned about the role of brain chemicals in general, but specifically the effects of Dopamine and Adrenaline on my own life. As it turns out, the flow of these molecules dictate not only my classic ADHD symptoms of difficulty focusing and remembering where I put things, but also my ability to feel happy, feel like making plans, and feel like doing anything at all. Which helped me understand why days with strong “ADHD” symptoms can also feel like depression symptoms. 

This led me to an entire side journey into Dopamine research, as I followed Huberman’s recommendation to read a book called The Molecule of More, which turned out to be a life-changing experience on its own. Not only does the book peel away some of the biggest mysteries of Human nature and leave you with a new level of understanding of why we feel and act the way we do, but it also has a compelling flow that’s much closer to a thriller novel than a science book.

I learned that while Dopamine is often labeled as the molecule of pleasure, this characterization is not quite accurate. In reality, it’s the molecule of motivation – the substance that causes us to be interested and take actions towards something that our mind expects to bring us pleasure (which in turn usually means food, mating or social benefits). But the actual attainment of that pleasure tends to temporarily quench our desire and decrease motivation.

Until our brain comes up with the next thing we don’t currently have, which triggers more dopamine, more motivation, and more seeking. Which can either lead to good things like healthy living and self-actualization, or addictions to drugs, success and status for its own sake, or the hedonic treadmill we talk about so much here in the personal finance world.

Applying this knowledge to my own life: ADHD is a condition which often comes with suppressed dopamine levels. When in this state, we sufferers have trouble with things like maintaining focus, keeping track of objects in the physical world or remembering names and faces, and making future plans. Some of us compensate with hyperactive and impulsive novelty-seeking behaviors, unconsciously seeking things that trigger more dopamine release. But for others like me it manifests as a mildly depressive state – turning away from the outside world and focusing on things that are more familiar and require less planning. 

By doing more of the things that help release and stabilize my dopamine levels (basically everything in the table above), I was able to start feeling more consistently energized and motivated, which gave me even more ability to keep the good routines going, and so on. It has become a virtuous circle that has me exercising more, sleeping better, eating better, seeing positive physical changes, saying “yes” to more plans with more people, and getting more done with my days.

70 Hours of Speed Learning

Here’ my “Huberman Report Card” so far. Each one of these red bars represents about 80 minutes of concentrated learning time, even when listening at an accelerated pace. This is how much I am drawn to this material (which means even more in my case because I’m easily bored by anything but the most interesting stuff!)

So I kept listening to more and more of his episodes. And as the knowledge flowed in, I started noticing the overlapping patterns in every area of health. It all seems to boil down to the same few things.

  • Exercise (especially outdoors plus lifting heavy things) 
  • Nutrition 
  • Mindfulness and Meditation-style breaks
  • Sleep

These things in turn affect the plumbing and the hormones in both our bodies and brains, which in turn controls EVERYTHING – from mood and energy to body composition to the immune system and even our chances of chronic diseases – including cancer.

It sounds somewhat obvious, but I think the key is understanding this stuff down to the deepest fibers of your soul: everything affects everything. So if you want a better life, take care of every part of yourself, by making the entirety of your day something that improves you, rather than wears you down.

You don’t have to be perfect, of course. But you do have to understand which stuff is good for you, which is neutral, and which is counterproductive. At that moment, a little Scientist Angel will materialize on your shoulder and start advising you on every decision. And it will just naturally become easier to make positive choices. And when you do decide to be decadent and naughty, it will be a deliberate conscious and fun choice, which you will do in moderation.

Call To Action

The best way to live life is to combine a constant appreciation of the present moment, with a general program of consistent improvement. That way, you get to feel good about both the present and the future. 

So if you’re up for the challenge, I’d love to see both of us – you and me – continue to iron out our daily routines so they bring us both more moments of feeling great and more decades of personal growth. That means doing our best to learn something new every day, and do something hard every day. 

And if you’re looking for somewhere specific to start, I think that taking a long walk with a great podcast is one of the most simple yet powerful options. 

Listening Tips:

I typically enjoy listening to podcasts and audio books with the playback speed set to 1.5x, which helps make them more engaging (it gives my easily distracted brain less time to wander because the information flow is faster plus it saves a lot of time). It’s definitely worth experimenting with speeds if you have never done so before.

The next revolution for me was switching from standard headphones to good quality wireless earbuds* so I can combine the learning with my long daily walks, workouts, carpentry and chores around the house. The better models even have good microphones built in so you can use them for phone calls and meetings.

Finally, many of these podcasts have a long “sponsors” section built in which can be a chore to listen to more than once. On the YouTube app on your phone, you can do a two-finger double-tap on the right side of the screen to immediately jump through this section and get to the good stuff. Other media and podcast players have similar things, or at the very minimum a double-tap feature to jump ahead 10 seconds.

Bonus Technique: Successful Transformation through a Madwoman’s Scribblings

As I was writing this article, I happened to reconnect with a longtime friend who revealed that she too had made some great progress in feeling better and improving her health and fitness after a rough patch in life. Her secret to success was revealed in the strange photograph at left.

The idea is that you put your ideal daily activities down the left hand side of a page, and the days of an entire month along the top, and stick this thing on your fridge. Then you color in the squares for each day as you achieve each activity. 

You probably won’t get them all, but every square counts. And because this chart is right in your face every time you visit your kitchen, you are reminded and motivated to get as many as possible. Easy accountability, and you can just keep it going and making adjustments for month after month. I just printed out my first one today!

Shortcut: Here’s a first version of a Badassity Tracker chart I made for myself, then select file->make a copy so you can keep and edit it for yourself.

In the Comments: What habits and self-inflicted problems do you struggle with the most? And if you feel you’re doing well at something, what has been the cause of that success? I’d love to see more people working and sharing with their peer groups, to make healthy self-improvement much more of a national pastime.

* Superstar Scientists: An article like this would not be complete without also mentioning Peter Attia, an equally prolific researcher, doctor and educator who has also pulled me in to dozens of hours of his teachings on health, medicine and longevity. For best results, I recommend following any and all of these types of people – as long as they seek and present real science, choose whoever inspires you the most.

** Wireless earbuds – if you’re looking for a research shortcut, I’ve been using this Anker Liberty Air 2 Pro set (affiliate link) for about 6 hours every single day for the last year. Here’s another similar option, on sale at the time of writing. Insanely good yet cheap which makes you wonder why the hell Apple airpods cost so much (!?). And they were transformative for me because the noise canceling feature eliminates not only airplane noise during flights, but all the engine noise of urban life, making walks much more pleasant.

  • Lisa October 3, 2022, 8:44 am

    Kurzgesagt (In a Nutshell) does science-backed, animated educational videos for adults. They did one about how to change habits and become the “you” you want to be a few months ago. They said the habit part of your brain is an impulsive toddler who hates difficulty, so you have to establish small, simple routines until the toddler finds it effortless and therefore *easier* than not doing it. I started cardio a year ago and I notice that I will get up to do it without thought, even on days I have previously thought “eh, maybe I’ll skip today”. I am so happy to have established that habit!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75d_29QWELk

    Reply
  • indio October 3, 2022, 9:16 am

    I’m part of the Huberman fan club and have been listening to his podcasts and IG lives for a long time. I’ve adopted a few of his recommendations in my life that I’ve found very helpful. Haven’t used hot water for a shower since Nov 2021 and my hair looks great. Never get out of shower with dried out skin and always invigorated. Water comes out of the tap a few degrees warmer in summer so now I’m getting adjusted again to cooler water temps for winter. His recs on room temp for sleep I’ve been doing for a while because I like temps on cool side to stay snuggled under blankets. The mattress pad company with cooling pad covers is out of my price range but living in northeast is sorts a workaround. Don’t have access to a sauna but considering joining Y to use theirs and a cold plunge pool. This encouraged me to look up Wim hof and his recommended breathing techniques, which is great for staying chill while teaching teens how to drive and seeing them take on 18 wheelers.
    Adopted his recs on red light phototherapy and have been using it whenever I get aches and pains, especially my pickle ball tennis elbow. Bought my diabetic parent a red light belt – using NIR and 680 nanometers – for treating foot sores. After 4 months of daily use, the sores have healed nicely. He mentioned studies that attribute improved eye health to red light spectrum that I’ve been trying.
    Fasting, eating only 10am-5pm, has been another huge addition to my life to regulate satiation and sleep patterns. Recently, started using his NSDR on youtube but I always fall asleep before I get to the end. :) Was not really an alcohol drinker, aside from kombucha for the priobiotics for gut biome regulation, but that was a great episode for a friend that needed inspiration to go to rehab.
    The other scientists like Dr. David Sinclair and Dr. Rhonda Patrick have also educated me greatly. I make sure that I eat broccoli weekly and will start growing microgreens for the sulphorphane benefits this winter. Added a cranberry powder extract to my yogurt, chia, walnut, blueberry breakfast bowl based on a study Dr. Patrick mentioned.
    Dr. Brein, also out of Stanford, is another neuroscientist that I enjoy following on IG.
    Was thinking of going to see Huberman’s body brain contract talk, but I know his content so well that I’m sure that I’d get that much more from going to theater to see him lecture.

    Reply
  • charlie October 3, 2022, 9:28 am

    “Which helped me understand why days with strong “ADHD” symptoms can also feel like depression symptoms. ”

    Do you have depression or is this something that looks similar, but comes from ADHD?

    I’m interested in learning more about ADHD and Depression, and feel like when I read symptoms that I could have these conditions, especially due to genetics playing a large role (mom is bipolar), however I’d rather pretend that these are just normal symptoms that everyone experiences and just need a bit more salad and another round of weights =). Are the two linked?

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache October 3, 2022, 11:45 am

      Yes, they are definitely linked – and often through the role of dopamine in the brain. This is why Huberman’s long and detailed (and admittedly sometimes repetitive) episodes have been so powerful for me: they help me rise above the powerless state of just feeling my current mood, into the much more useful state of understanding what is going on in my brain at a more detailed level. The molecules and mechanisms.

      Once you understand that, you have tools to start running experiments on yourself and figuring out what works. Prescription medications are certainly an option too (I don’t have any form of clinical depression, but I do have an actual ADHD diagnosis and make light use of the drug Concerta which works wonders on me). But my goal is to depend on it as little as possible, which means understanding how they work and making the rest of my body and brain work as well as possible too.

      The cool part is that making these improvements also improves every OTHER part of your life (health, fitness, injury resistance, ability to do useful work), so it’s just an incredible win all around.

      Reply
  • cow October 3, 2022, 10:30 am

    Good article, it all makes so much sense. It feels like deep down I already know this… it’s all obvious and simple stuff, but maybe your suggestion of integrating that knowledge in the ‘fibers of my soul’ will unlock more actual changes, ha. I’ve never heard of Huberman, but I feel like I struggle with ADHD-like symptoms often. What is typically hard for me is focusing on my desk job and avoiding procrastinating and binging on infotainment sites like Reddit, YouTube, etc. ‘Depression-like’ is a good way to describe how I feel on those unfocused days.

    I also struggle with keeping a consistent exercise routine- I am fairly fit, but I would like to be a lot fitter and achieve bigger fitness-related and sport-specific goals. I love exercise and movement and honestly I feel like if I had more time and freedom I would want to do so much more of that- long distance hiking, biking, climbing, wilderness camping, etc. My conundrum is that I have my full time job, plus two young children, which definitely takes time and energy away from personal pursuits… on the bad days, I feel trapped by all my responsibilities. But, I love my family, and I’ve realized somewhat recently that to be a good father and husband I do absolutely need to take care of myself! I’ve been trying to view it as a problem worth solving, rather than an unfortunate situation I have to accept.

    Anyways… reading your suggested daily schedule with elements of mindfulness, intentional technology avoidance, intentional focus periods, and exercise reminded me of the concepts from Cal Newport’s Deep Work, and Digital Minimalism. I really enjoyed reading both of those books and have found value in applying some of his suggestions to my life (albeit with varying degrees of consistency). Especially time block planning, deep focus, and technology use minimization, all seem like stuff resonant with this article.

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache October 3, 2022, 11:38 am

      Yes! Cal Newport’s books have been an inspiration to me as well (and in fact I think you’ll find he makes some references to us Mustachians in the pages of Digital Minimalism so it’s a full circle).

      I hear you on the issue of being trapped by responsibilities: trying to do parenting AND child-raising at the same time is an inherently huge challenge, which is why I felt I needed to retire before even starting a family in my case. But it can certainly be done – it just becomes even MORE important to make the most of those free minutes you have before and after work and on the weekends. So, cutting out less valuable media consumption and replacing with stuff you care about is a huge one.

      And of course, if you have a car commute that could be wasting several hours per week, doing the work to eliminate that is also a huge life win that is often overlooked. Car dependence is 100% avoidable, if you make it a high enough priority and work on it over time as you design your career path and your living arrangements. And once it’s gone, you won’t believe how much it improves all areas of life.

      Reply
  • Robin October 3, 2022, 10:54 am

    First let me say I’ve been reading your blog for many years now (maybe close to when you started it) and have always found your posts spot on. This one, however, game me pause and I feel compelled to comment for the first time. I agree with and already do most of the things you mention. But what’s with having to constantly be “learning” about new content and doing it 1.5x faster?? When you’re outside taking a walk or running, listening to a podcast or even music is a distraction. It’s the opposite of being mindful. Just sayin’. Also, I wasn’t super into the hard sell on the wireless earbuds. Thanks again for the ongoing awesome FIRE motivation.

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache October 3, 2022, 11:32 am

      Good point Robin, and I agree with you – it’s not necessary or even wise to be on constant quest for learning and achievement during all waking hours. I think a balance is necessary, with some stimulation and also plenty of quiet time. I tried to address that with the periods of “device off” time, the journaling and the meditation.

      But from my perspective, a certain amount of learning is a huge boost to my life. It’s food for the brain and a source of motivation and energy, just like socializing, close relationships, and meeting new people is a very necessary food for the brain as well.

      As for the earbuds link on Amazon, sorry if that didn’t go over well, but I am still glad I shared them because those things have been life changing for me. Because they are an easy way to subtract negative environmental noise like cars/planes and replace it with either great music or educational books and podcasts. As a highly noise-sensitive person, this is an amazing quality of life improvement.

      I don’t care about any particular brand, people are free to research and buy whatever type they like. But yes, I do think it’s fine to share my own product recommendations and use an affiliate link when there is one available, because it will save people some time in searching, and it allows me to earn income for my work in writing this blog. Seems very fair to me.

      Reply
      • Genep October 4, 2022, 8:21 pm

        For the record, I appreciate the cheap earbud recommendation. Please keep the product recommendations coming as trial and error is costly and time consuming.

        Reply
  • Louisa October 3, 2022, 11:24 am

    The Huberman Podcast and Peter Attia’s The Drive are probably my two favorite podcasts right now, so it made me really happy to read this post this morning :-) It honestly took me a long time to get healthy – both on the healthy eating side and on the exercise side of things. But I feel like I’ve finally established a routine that I can stick with, and honestly listening to these two podcasts helps me stay on track – or get back on track if I’ve gotten off course!
    Great blog post as always!

    Reply
  • Michael B October 3, 2022, 12:55 pm

    Maybe I have freakishly misshapen ears but I had to try probably dozen earbuds before I found something that worked for me. My biggest issue was that they would pop out during workouts.

    Worse, if something did fit okay the audio quality would be crappy. Too crappy to listen to.

    I eventually found something that worked for me. These JBLs linked below are great, because they clip to my ear ensuring they don’t fall out. Also, JBL is a pretty decent brand of low cost audio hardware (by which I mean, not infinitely priced audiophile stuff) so it doesn’t crush my soul to listen to music through them.

    Either way, good luck in your optimization journey, fellow Mustachians.

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08LQTJHLL?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

    Reply
  • Marcia October 3, 2022, 12:57 pm

    Ha, I wondered if I’d ever read a blog post of yours mentioning Huberman. One of my coworkers turned me on to him a few months ago. I admit that I follow him on IG, and I’ve listened to exactly 1 podcast because: they are just too long. It was a long car trip on my summer vacation. I sat with a notebook in my lap and took notes. I do not remember which podcast it was.

    I definitely have worked to incorporate some of these things into my daily life, as well as other recommendations from experts like Stacy Sims, PhD.

    – I do set an alarm, but 90% of the time, awaken before it. It’s still dark out, so I don’t go out to see the son.
    – I drink a cup of coffee and eat a small snack (1/2 a banana with peanut butter), and do a bunch of puzzles on my phone.
    – About an hour after I’ve woken up, I work out. This depends on the day – I run with friends 2x a week and lift weights with my husband several days a week. I no longer exercise fasted, based on the recommendations from Dr. Sims. (Women are not small men.) I aim for heavy lifting on some of the lifts.
    – 3 days a week I walk the dog after the workout
    – breakfast involves carbs, protein, and fruit (slice of toast with an egg, protein smoothie with fruit)
    – THEN it’s the craziness of packing up lunch (protein and vegetables), and a snack (protein and fruit), and dropping off the small child at school.
    – BUT – I WFH 2 days a week AND we just got an E-bike, so DH and I will bike E-biking 2 days a week. (We each will bike in one direction.) I have really missed biking. This will cut my office commuting down to 1 day a week.
    – Large child gets deposited at high school by one of us, on the way to the office, depending on the day. With his bicycle, so he can either bike home or to his job.

    – On office days, I eat lunch THEN go for a 15-30 minute walk to help digestion.

    – On non-office days, I may do a quick workout in the morning between meetings (I have a pullup bar and bands for assist, or jump rope), or sometimes I take the dog for an extra stroll.

    – I work late a few nights a week because of the job. After that, I really only have the energy for dinner, dishes, walking the dog, and reading my book or books.
    – Into bed at 9, lights out by 9:20. I wake up between 4:55 and 5:20 most days.

    I’m really trying to avoid the need for perfection. I am struggling with menopause weight gain, hence the book by Dr. Sims. She’s done a TON of research on women athletes. I’m trying to learn to work with my body, and give it what it needs, and not stress too much about the rest.

    Reply
  • Nick October 3, 2022, 12:59 pm

    I’ve been picking up on some Huberman in my social media. I like his style, but interestingly straight away in the comments of course he has supporters and detractors.

    As others pointed out, the majority of basic advice is above question…..develop good routines, eat well, lots of time outside etc.

    I think at this point I have reached a stage where I realise my issue is not a lack of good information or a sound idea. It is the inability to take action on this knowledge.

    I enjoy podcasts and have consumed a lot of fascinating information but after hours and hours consumed and very little actually acted upon a realised this is a parallel binge to over-eating!

    At this stage I am considering hypnotism to try and help break the cycle between knowing what to do and not doing it!!

    Reply
  • Andrew October 3, 2022, 1:03 pm

    Thank you all, all are good suggestions that I will think over. There’s no obvious easy way. There is some flexibility in working hours some weeks, with greater flexibility coming next year. We have one child in kindergarten. The best thing about the commute is that most of the people there are nice to work with!

    Reply
  • AdamS October 3, 2022, 1:31 pm

    Hey MMM – Great article, per usual. Quick question as I’ve been pondering the bluetooth headphones lately and am [not especially, but a little] concerned about placing EM transmitter/receivers directly in my cranium. There’s a bit of conflicting data out there about the risks, some of it appearing to be of questionable origin (lots of those websites that are peppered with advertisements and/or look to be funded by biased sources). It seems that the big thing is the ‘prolonged exposure’ question as listening to good Podcasts and audiobooks often leads to some longgggg sessions. Anyhow, appreciate your sage thoughts if this is something you’ve researched and pondered. Otherwise, I’m apt to ditch the cords that constantly get in my way while out tinkering or strolling.

    Reply
  • Nicole October 3, 2022, 2:24 pm

    Completely agree with reducing media consumption, but as a younger millennial-aged person I have found that my friends’ primary (sometimes only) method of communicating is via social media. I want to cut down or cut out my time spent there; has someone done the same while maintaining socialization?

    Reply
  • Craig October 3, 2022, 6:19 pm

    Hormetic stress aka doing hard things, has been an obsession of mine lately, mainly through following the Wim Hof method. Although after reading “Obesity Code” I was encouraged to increase my fasting times and exercise during the fasts. You feel pretty Badass running 5 miles on a 19 hour fast! Our bodies are capable of much more than we think.

    Reply
  • Dopaminologist October 3, 2022, 6:33 pm

    Neuroscientist here. My specialty happens to be dopamine and how it contributes to the neural circuits that produce motivated behavior. I tried listening to this podcast and had to stop because so much of what Huberman says is a big stretch. The first problem is that the question of what dopamine fundamentally *does* is far from settled. There are a lot of assumptions in the field and partial results that sort-of support them, but that’s a far cry from a conclusive, widely-accepted, rock-solid theory that is supported by multiple forms of experimental evidence.

    The second problem is that in many cases he takes results from animal studies that used very specific behavioral situations that were intentionally simplified by the experimenters and stretches them to come up with some explanation for human behavior or emotions. But people’s situations are far more complex. You can’t just take a study in which a mouse or a rat is trained to press a lever to get a reward, and dopamine neurotransmission was measured and shown to reflect some variable, and extrapolate that to humans. That’s because our behavioral situation “in the wild” is far more complex because it wasn’t simplified intentionally by an experimenter – and we don’t know if a similar relationship between dopamine and our behavior exists. Furthermore, you can’t really ask a mouse what he feels (well, you can ask, you just won’t get an answer), so any claim that an animal study supports some relationship between dopamine and emotion is immediately suspect. To put it simply, there is a LOT of guesswork in connecting animal behavior studies to humans. Huberman seems to be very good at making those guesses, but that doesn’t make the guesses any more factual.

    I don’t want to be too negative here – I’m delighted that people are interested in dopamine, which is the most fascinating molecule in the brain (I’m a bit biased). And if Huberman has helped you lead a better life, kudos to you and him both. But ultimately it’s his charisma and presentation skill that is impactful, not so much the content. I think he could have come up with a set of equally compelling explanations, valid to an equivalent degree scientifically, without mentioning dopamine at all.

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache October 4, 2022, 10:23 am

      Thanks for the review, Dr. D!

      I’m curious as to which episode you started listening to – was it Dopamine, Motivation and Drive, or a different one? Just because in general (having outdoor-walked my way through about 100 of these 2-3 hour episodes, almost everything he has released), I found there’s a consistent theme of extreme caution in terms of Huberman NOT wanting to over-generalize.

      He often repeats the caution that animal studies don’t necessarily translate to human studies, and regardless of that study design is often flawed and it is important not to draw big conclusions from any small set of studies. In fact, he goes off onto these cautionary tangents so thoroughly and so often that I feel the podcasts could use some serious editing because it’s not SUPPOSED to be a pure, incontestable science podcast. It’s supposed to be “science-based tools for daily life”

      Anyway, I appreciate your forgiving conclusion that it’s still useful if it gets us to do healthier things, and for me that is overwhelmingly true.

      Reply
  • Daniel October 4, 2022, 1:21 am

    Thank you for the article! I have checked out the Huberman podcast and currently listen to the episode on alcohol. (I think I might further reduce alcohol consumption.)

    Even though I am somebody who struggles with bad habits, over the last couple of years I have already adopted quite a good number of positive habits, in several areas of life (savings/investments, productivity, exercise, among others). What I am the most proud of is that I quit smoking 5 months ago, after about 25 years of addiction (I am 43 years old). For the last couple of months I have experimented with the 5Am Club philosophy (getting up earlier and find time before office work for some really important things such as exercise, reading, studying). That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see so many items on your badassity tracker that I am already doing! :)

    I love the tracker tool; that’s why I have adapted it to my own needs. I like the flexibility: I do not expect to practice all habits every day, but it is work in progress and it gives me a good idea if I’m moving in the right direction. Since I love to quantify progress, I have included formulas to show success percentages per day, per habit, and per habit category (health, focus, learning, control) – I hope this will give additional motivation to stay at it. After having done it for a couple of months, I will be able to see trends per habit category, and figure out where more (or less) effort is needed. Overall it seems to me that the tracker is a really great tool to get better at changing habits. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Ali October 4, 2022, 6:11 am

    I’m curious to hear what hobbies people do to fill their time in place of screen time. I eat well and exercise but find myself with the “problem” of 4 empty hours each night which I currently fill with television.

    Reply
    • Karen October 5, 2022, 10:06 am

      I do crafts – holidays are coming so that’s fun for me. I read or listen to podcasts, walk the dog, go to the gym/sauna, play board games, have friends over. I tend to clean more in the evenings. I have some spirtual practices that fill up some time. In the past I’ve taken a class or 2 at the commuity college, just for fun and to learn something new. I also have a great outdoor space that I can spend time in that keeps we away from the TV. I prefer quieter activites but I’ve found a lot of fun groups on Meetup.com and made some other friends that way. I actually got a dog because during covid I was seriously lonely and sleeping all the time. He’s been such a joy. I know pets are not for everyone, but I can’t imagine my life without my puppy dog. I hope you can find something you enjoy!

      Reply
  • Ryan Dehn October 4, 2022, 6:17 am

    Oh. My. God. I’m so stoked to listen to these podcast episodes and read this book. Right on time.

    I was in my yin yoga class on Sunday night and my teacher grabbed me after class and asked how my practice was. I mentioned all of the times I was focused on right or wrong rather than just being, and he said that he had noticed my body tensing and where my mind and my body were not talking to each other.

    We sat down on the floor and I started discussing how busy and distracted my brain gets and I mentioned in passing that I have ADHD. He stopped me and asked me to back up because he knows people with ADHD and he never would have guessed it with me. We sat on the floor for over 1 hour talking and he asked me about my other physical fitness regimes (like non-yin yoga, etc) and I mentioned that’s a long story: I have an unhealthy relationship with physical fitness.

    I grew up in Kansas, a college football mecca town. Physical education was only taught to me in the context of competition. If you aren’t competing with yourself or with someone else then it isn’t worth doing. The goal is to beat someone, not to treat your body well. As a 37 year old adult I have spent many years trying to overcome that and shut out those situations where competition can cause me to give up.

    Then my yoga teacher asked me: “so how do you stay motivated?” and I was briefly stumped. I mentioned that I enjoy hiking and riding my bicycle, because of my joy of looking at nature (that’s my dopamine hit). And I like going to instructor led classes because of the social interaction and correction from an expert.

    Just from briefly reading your blog today that led me to a few connected thoughts: a) dopamine as a pleasure but dopamine as a MOTIVATOR, wow, so then I googled and found that b) competition has been shown in studies to give dopamine hits to the brain, and so c) since every brain is not the same and does not derive a dopamine hit from the same drivers as everyone else, this likely means that competition does not give me any dopamine hit (more it gives me stress and anxiety).

    And that there is a very mindfulness opportunity to sit down and look at what your motivators are for certain activities (like fitness). My motivators are social interaction and nature/views.

    Reply
  • gofi October 4, 2022, 7:39 am

    Excellent post. And something I’ve been thinking of for a while, but not acting on it. Exercise, Nutrition (more water for me) and Sleep. My challenge has mostly been time management. I’m inclined to give my free time to my family, and feel guilty when I take time out for myself. I need to get out this, for our overall long term benefits.

    Reply
  • Sawyer Lubke October 4, 2022, 7:51 am

    I recommend the “Habits” app for simple/free tracking of daily tasks. It helped me build general habits: 100 push ups 3 days per week, stretch 5 days per week, short meditations etc. I feel good checking the box and It has a nice visual to give you an idea of how you are doing. Cheers!

    Reply
  • Kathy O October 4, 2022, 9:32 am

    After listening to the Huberman sleep tool kit podcast, I woke up this morning before sunrise and turned on all my indoor lights full blast. It felt very un-Mustachian, really almost painful. I did my stretches outside as the sun was coming out. That actually felt wonderful. I am VERY MUCH looking forward to my first cup of coffee at 10 am.

    Thanks for recommending the handsome neurologist’s podcast.

    Kathy

    Reply
    • Karen October 5, 2022, 9:47 am

      He is nice to look at as well :-)

      Reply
  • Amanda V October 4, 2022, 12:46 pm

    I appreciate your openness with mental health struggles. We all have them and can all be helped by sharing our journey. (I am 95% sure I am on the Autism Spectrum, but don’t see any benefit to getting formally diagnosed since Adult life is going fine)

    I was recently able to significantly improve my health using the Optavia system. It combines healthy micro habit formation with managing your weight, healthy eating, healthy motion, healthy sleep, a healthy mind and healthy surroundings. You can find all of the science behind it in “Dr. A’s Habits of Health”.

    They also sell fuelings (AKA snacks) that are engineered to make you feel full (protein and fiber) and have all your daily vitamins and probiotics. These are quite pricy, but I have more money than time. So they work well for me since I can grab one when I get hungry instead of something bad for me that is engineered to make me hungry/crave more. This is a MLM scheme which I don’t ever promote, but at least this has good products. I think these would actually be cheaper than regular food for someone who eats out multiple meals per day.

    I don’t think the eating program would work for MMM as it seems like you are wired like my husband and trend towards an intermittent fasting eating style. But it works great for someone who wakes up hungry and then needs to eat every 2-3 hours to maintain their sanity.

    Reply
  • Aaron Hemry October 4, 2022, 1:50 pm

    Great ideas!
    I also listen to podcasts while working alone or running. I’ll check this guy out.
    I like the baddassity chart and have done something similar for the last fifteen years.
    I keep a big desk style calendar mounted to the wall in my workshop.
    I put it next to my pull-up bar and weight set so I can write down my workouts, runs, and hikes along with a note about each day. I try to fill at least 21 days/month of a noteworthy workout/runs/hikes, and if I slip up and pig out late or otherwise make myself older fatter and weaker…it shows up right away in my workout results and as a frowny face on the calendar for that day.
    For me, booze is something that crept up on me. I’d be moderate and then extreme then I would slow way down for a bit then would zoom way back up and finally I decided to just quit drinking alcohol altogether three years ago…and that’s something that recording your progress or slippage everyday helps.
    I’d stay up late working in the office, ignoring my family and justifying it all as “downtime” because I was “relaxing” with some box wine…
    Note to self: Really? Stupid. Really, Stupid? Really stupid…
    Try working out in the morning with a hangover…kinda cuts into the motivation…But it got dutifully recorded as a weak ass workout and a frowny face till I wised up.

    As far as motivation, waiting for it to appear doesn’t work for me. The only way I know how to do anything consistently is to start in on it regardless of the circumstances. 9 times out of 10 I feel continuing, and for the other ten percent of the time, I let it go and figure I need the rest and rejuvenation.
    I have found sunshine to be my greatest friend. I get majorly depressed without it.
    If it’s sunny out and I can be outside with my shirt off and not instantly freeze I make sure to get at least an hour of peak ‘shine whether I’m working that day or not.
    I’m the boss so my lunch break is whatever I want it to be….
    When I didn’t know what the problem or solution was I felt lost without this knowledge.
    Knowledge is power and now that I know myself better when it’s the dead of winter here in Ohio, I supplement vitamin D and Superfood greens, go to a tanning bed once a week and head to Florida for a week or two every winter.
    Everyone is different and it’s neat to read in the comments what works for other people. Hopefully what I said will help someone else too.
    Thanks!

    Reply
  • Shels October 4, 2022, 10:53 pm

    You need to check out David Goggins and his book, Can’t Hurt Me. He writes a lot about suffering and how there is much to gained in not seeking what is comfortable and pushing yourself. He believes most of us our functioning well below our potential. He focuses a lot on the physical aspect of things, a very good and raw read. He isn’t for everyone, he is not PC and he uses some colorful language, but he’s spot on and made me really think about what I was doing with my time everyday.

    Reply
  • Karen October 5, 2022, 9:42 am

    I’ve been listening to the Huberman Lab for months and I love it. I found him by searching for a podcast about sleep, and getting better sleep. He has an episode with a Dr. Matthew Walker I believe his name is, and it it was very helpful for me. I also recommnend LifeSpan with Dr. David Sinclair which Dr. Huberman collaberates. He is a great motivator for those of us that struggle with our diets and exercise habits. The science is so interesting and he makes it easy to understand. Cold exposure is probably my greatest discomfort – I absolutely hate being cold – but I’ve been turning off the hot water in my showers at the end and working up my tolerance. I live in NE Texas so I should get a chance for some cold days this winter :-/ Not sure if I’m excited about that or not! – Mr. MMM I’m so glad you found him and its been helpful for you!!!

    Reply
  • Mark October 5, 2022, 11:35 am

    Great post, MMM! Without info like this, the benefits of early retirement can’t be maximized.

    Reply
  • Frugal Bazooka October 5, 2022, 3:38 pm

    Thanks for getting back to the kind of blog posts that I can actually use to make my life better… whether it be financially, mentally, physically or any number of other areas of growth that I surely need additional insight – your post hits all the cylinders that I am interested in priming.
    I esp love learning more about this area you are delving into – how our daily habits affect the quality of our lives.
    Your implication that good daily habits – that create more dopamine – can act as a kind of inoculation (or ubermedication) for several potential deadly afflictions is as mind-blowing as it is obvious. Equally mind blowing is the suggestion that dopamine could be a solution for lack of motivation!! I’ve spent a good deal of my life searching for ways to increase motivation not just in my personal life, but in the the lives of others (as part of my job). If dopamine really is a gateway to motivation – it could change the entire trajectory of our society esp as relates to our education system and improving productivity in the work place.
    On another note, my existence has been blessed (and cursed) with empirical data in the area of how ADHD can get in the way of daily happiness. ADHD in its pure form has probably benefitted me as much as it’s harmed me…having said that, I was surprised you didn’t connect the dots to ADHD’s ugly cousins: generalized anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. In my experience they often go hand in hand and I suspect those who feel depressed as a result of ADHD are actually experiencing some form of anxiety and/or OCD as well as ADHD.

    It’s always hard to convince someone who has a moderate to severe case of ADHD that simple things like eating right, exercise, meditation and sleep will dramatically help people with mild or moderate forms of ADHD. In my experience, more severe cases can be positively affected by eating right, exercise, mediation and sleep, however in extreme cases of ADHD working with health care professionals and considering additional appropriate medication should also be on the table.
    If you’ve ever seen a severe case of ADHD you know that person will typically need more than the basic good habit adjustments to change whatever imbalances exist.

    Reply
  • Karolina October 6, 2022, 5:57 am

    Hello, this is all very true! I have a couple of books recommendations that nicely complement the wisdom from the article :The circadian code by Satchin Panda (on natural light etc) , The glucose revolution by Jessie Inchauspé (on how we’re all suffering from by glucose spikes and how it influences barely everything health related) finally The real happy pill by Anders Hansen (on what to do to help our brain) . Happy reading! And thanks for the spreadsheet, just added a couple of fields to it inspired by these books and will use it :)

    Reply
  • MKE October 6, 2022, 8:12 am

    I like that MMM started this post casually mentioning the evils of the car. Most of his reasonable life strategies will be extremely difficult if you drive everywhere and have a cell phone that connects to the internet. Prepare for a struggle.

    Most of MMM’s suggested life changes will border on inevitable if you ride a bike or walk for transportation, and you do not have a phone that connects to the internet. You might not listen to as many podcasts, but your system will not miss them.

    You won’t need any special equipment (other than the bike itself) for walking and cycling to create a structure and organization to your existence that will nudge you into positive habits. Physically, emotionally, and financially, your car will take you straight to hell, and you’ll slowly be ruining the world for everyone else.

    Reply
  • Juliana Arthuso October 6, 2022, 9:04 am

    This post is perfection!
    I’m trying to quit smoking to have a healthier life, and your list is gonna help me a lot.
    big hugs from brazil

    Reply
  • Justin October 6, 2022, 9:56 am

    Hey MMM…Are there any other podcasts you listen to regularly or would recommend. Thanks!

    Reply
  • Jess October 6, 2022, 9:09 pm

    It’s funny in the last few years to think of all the “tricks” I’ve tried to use to make life/myself work better. Bullet Journaling to increase productivity, snippits of stoic philosophy to salvage sanity, whole30 to fight all known issues experienced by humans, no coffee, more coffee, standing desks… I recently quit my job before FIRE. The last 6 months I’ve hiked and run and soaked up hours of sun. I’ve eaten great and I’ve eaten pizza. But I’ve been so so happy!! Long story short, I agree with you 100% that’s it’s necessary, not nice, to get outside and eat stuff from the local farm, and limit consumption of crap news and entertainment. I might never FIRE, but this break has put living in perspective and I’ll never sell all my time and health again. BALANCE.

    Reply
  • Margaret October 6, 2022, 9:17 pm

    Love the table above! Your principals and habit remind me of the way that monks and nuns have been living in the Catholic tradition for hundreds of years =) You should rename this post “an ode to the wisdom of St Benedict”… Especially the part about staying in the present
    Moment and joyful excitement about the future. That’s exactly part of the benefit of praying the Hail Mary. It ends with “NOW and at the hour of our death.” The whole prayer focuses us on the present moment (NOW) and the passing to eternal life (which should motivate and inspire us to spend time on valuable things here) http://www.Catholicscomehome.org

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache October 7, 2022, 12:33 pm

      Yes! The religions of the world have a lot of wisdom about Human nature baked into them. And as a non-religious person myself, I really enjoy seeing where Science ends up aligning with the teachings of the past, but equally important where it differs.

      I think searching for new evidence and testing it (and learning to ENJOY being proven wrong and modifying our past beliefs), and then putting it into practice to make life even more fun and meaningful, is pretty much the ultimate joy of life.

      Reply
  • Victor October 7, 2022, 2:15 am

    Huberman is well known in the biohacking space. I think many of the general advice on his podcast is good.

    By the way, I am surprised you are recommending true wireless earbuds; they are the opposite of what a moustachian should buy (in my opinion).

    True wireless earbuds have a tiny battery that if you use often, will degrade and you will be unable to replace, so in two years of heavy use you will find yourself with a piece of e-waste. Wired earbuds on the other hand last way longer; around 2003 I got a pair of AKG earbuds that sounded good, but what astonishes me is that even though as a teen I have forgotten them in my pocket and they have been through the laundry machine at least 100 times, they still work (though the sound has degraded, obviously you shouldn’t put them in the laundry).

    I think even something stupidly expensive like a $700 pair of durable and modular IEMs are cheaper long term than buying $100 wireless earbuds every two/three years, not to mention the environmental damage these things cause. Now if you consider that you can find some amazing quality wired IEMs for $20 (Moondrop Chu) that will blow any wireless earbuds (even the most expensive ones) out of the water, I don’t think it is wise to buy any wireless device unless you really need the noise cancelling feature.

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache October 7, 2022, 12:30 pm

      Yeah, I do think about these tradeoffs (things that with a not-easily replaceable battery, especially a smartwatch and a phone, both of which I also own). And I think it’s great if each person does that type of mental math before buying anything, so thanks for suggesting it!

      In my case, the wireless option wins by a factor of several hundred, because they are MUCH more compatible with daily life. With wired buds, you need to have a direct connection between your phone and your ears. Back in the day, this meant meticulously routing the wire through my shirt, or from the backpack to my ears, and trying to avoid sudden head motions that would jerk the earbuds out of my ears.

      If you do most of your listening on the couch, bed, desk etc., wired could be just fine. But for me, even a SINGLE DAY’s convenience for wireless over wired is worth more than $50. So they pay for themselves in terms of the value of my time every single day. Which means if they last two years, that’s 730 paybacks.

      Yes, there’s a tiny bit of e-waste, but I have much bigger sins that I can (and sometimes do) cut back on that will make a bigger difference. You don’t have to be perfect, the goal here is just to be slightly less ridiculous than the average high-income American and we’ll all be fine :-)

      Reply
  • Matt October 7, 2022, 10:30 am

    Both days are to regimented for me. But to each their own.

    Reply
  • Heather October 7, 2022, 2:11 pm

    I’m a therapist and I often reflect that what all the science comes down to (even the conflicting science) is a “back to basics” approach. Exercise, nutrition, sleep, safety, and community. The best thing I’ve done for my own mental health was to establish a routine where I go to my CrossFit gym 5 mornings a weeks, before work/household responsibilities. It sets me up to feel energized, it boosts my mood, helps me process difficult feelings, and I crave healthier food.

    Reply
  • Steve Brophy October 9, 2022, 8:05 am

    Maybe it’s just me, but personally, I’d rather listen to the birds in the trees and the sound of the breeze (why would you want to block these out?) when I am out running. If I’m on that boring mouse-on-a-wheel treadmill (which I avoid) at the gym, that’s another story.

    Reply
    • Colleen October 10, 2022, 1:56 pm

      That hit me like a snack in the face too. Noise cancelling in a city.. Yes please. In a forest… Nature sounds trump any other sound every time.

      Reply
  • Andrew October 9, 2022, 4:52 pm

    Outdoor light upon waking. HAHA that’s a good one in MN about 6-8 months out of the year.

    Reply
  • Sylvie October 9, 2022, 7:27 pm

    I recall that the movie “what the bleep do we know” had a great visual of the dopamine cycle. Worth a watch as it relates to your post and was pretty funny and entertaining.

    Reply
  • Brian October 10, 2022, 3:32 am

    Great article and there’s a couple of elements that are really interesting to add/overlay to this. Anna Lembke’s video ‘How to find balance in the age of indulgence’ covers a lot of similar ground but adds depth to the pain/pleasure equilibrium. My take away from that video is essentially that pleasure that has been worked for (had precedent pain) is good whereas ‘easy’ pleasure (beer, instagram etc) is bad, basically as without precedent pain there is a balancing (dopamine low related) pain to follow. The idea that there is a mental layer above and inter-relating with the physiological element (the ‘knowledge of knowledge’ impact that Huberman mentions) is also fascinating. Again, my takeaway from this is that if you can gain (presumably non-dopamine stimulating) satisfaction from making yourself do the good stuff (a sense of being ‘on the right track’) you can be happy in the precedent pain phase, while still building your dopamine baseline, rather than destroying it with easy convenience. Seems like it’s the scientific proof for badassity being the way forward.

    Reply
  • Colleen October 10, 2022, 1:54 pm

    Thank you. Will check this out.
    Ps. Maybe when taking a walk in the woods you might want to take it your head phones and enjoy the sounds of nature.

    Reply
  • Connelly Barnes October 10, 2022, 3:23 pm

    I used to enjoy alcoholic drinks (especially port) occasionally but also suffer from migraines, so every (small) glass of an alcoholic drink would be a coin flip for whether I would have a headache all day long the next day. This eventually made me question “why I am drinking alcohol at all?” I finally resolved this problem by switching to non-alcoholic wines, which I recommend. They are also nice because there are fewer regulations unlike alcoholic drinks, so less bureaucratic annoyances: I just push a button and a few days later, a bottle shows up at my door. There are a variety of different ones you can find on e.g. Amazon; personally I like the one called Sutter Fre.

    I listened to one of Huberman’s podcasts but didn’t like how he was promoting so many goods and services, and then the free app he recommended for binaural beats also did not allow binaural beats without paying them some fee. I’m also not into listening to podcasts generally since I find it so much faster to just read transcripts. Are there any books people might recommend on these topics?

    Reply
  • Chris October 13, 2022, 8:56 am

    This science formula that you speak of is really interesting. All that is needed is of course great self control and the ultimate system to be totally fulfilled in life. And be financially prudent. I wonder how much of the worlds population actually achieves this? I mean… just follow the system silly and have a little common sense restraint🙄… why is it that so many… I mean sooooooo many ( like the majority fail so bad) even the rich, the successful, and the famous have troubles galore and speak about not at all being fulfilled even though they have so much!! Tragedy, sickness, war, surprise negative circumstances, ….. just stick to the well planned out system and all will be fine! I’m sorry MMM but the world is much more complex than that 🫢 but I do like your prudent financial advice.. keep up with the great work

    Reply
  • Nate October 14, 2022, 12:49 pm

    Pete, this is a fantastic post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts (and links) on this. It’s good to see your evolution away from money topics to overall wellbeing. I look forward to more of this.

    Though my family is not quite FI, it seems an inevitability in the near future, and I have made peace with money (mostly). The original MMM got me through the mindset and nuts and bolts needed to arrive here. Now it’s time to think about the bigger picture.

    Reply
  • brandon c October 16, 2022, 2:43 pm

    MMM, tremendous article….as per usual! This all dovetails perfectly with the work of Dr. David Sinclair – he’s a world renowned researcher on the science of longevity and works at Harvard Medical school. He explains the science of why intermittent fasting leads to longevity by serving as an “adversity mimetic.” The fasting period tricks your body into thinking it lives in a food-scarce, adverse environment and turns on vital longevity pathways such as sirtuins and AMPK and inhibits the mTor pathway.

    With these three pathways in mind, he explains the effects of exercise, metformin, alcohol, resveratrol, extreme heat, extreme cold, olive oil, green tea, red meat, sugar and other low glycemic index carbs, NAD boosters such as NMN, hormesis, autophagy, sleep and other factors on aging of the body. He even can administer a blood test to detect certain bio markers that can approximate your biological age. As an interesting aside, he’s in his mid-50’s and looks about 30.

    You should really check his stuff out.

    Reply
    • Brandon c October 16, 2022, 2:46 pm

      I feel certain Dr. David Sinclair would be a Mustachian, even if he doesn’t know it yet. :-)

      Reply
  • Seth October 16, 2022, 6:56 pm

    Thanks for another great article. This article, Huberman’s podcast on alcohol, and plenty of other recent research led me to ditch the nightly one or two beer habit. And it’s great. Better sleep, more cash, better mood, and my six pack abs are back.

    You’ve been a great inspiration for years. Keep up the great work. It is appreciated.

    Reply
  • adv4nced October 19, 2022, 1:32 am

    Reply
  • Shawna October 19, 2022, 8:34 am

    Another resource I’d recommend is Michael Greger – MD and FACLM – whose nonprofit Nutrition Facts (nutrition facts.org) provides free daily videos and articles on nutrition and the interdependent benefits of sleeping, reduced alcohol consumption, and regular exercise – using only scientific studies as basis for his recommendations.

    I used his most recent book How Not to Diet to guide my approach to losing a stubborn 15 pounds (I’m only 0.5 lbs away from my goal). He has no sponsors and donates all proceeds of his books and speaking engagements to charities. Given our MMM community is full of critical thinkers and skeptics, I think he more than passes the sniff test as a credible scientist who really understands how “everything affects everything.” Plus, his videos are super entertaining – extremely basic and straightforward and his enunciation of “blueberries” gets me every time.

    Reply
    • Wade October 25, 2022, 12:11 pm

      Dr. Greger is an amazing helper to society.

      Eating better and dumping alcohol could change so much for the masses.

      Thanks for bringing NutritionFacts.org up in this area.

      Reply
  • kp October 19, 2022, 9:38 am

    MMM – this is great stuff!! Long time follower of yours and this POST was very Ironic…. I have two son’s in their 20s that I try to push your blog to (Since Pop’s voice/message can get annoying). Well I sent them both the link to this post and my older boy fired back that “Hey that’s the same guy (Huberman) – I told YOU about last year! So that saying “The teacher will appear when the student is ready” is pretty real. Our household suffers quite a bit w ADHD so was very interested in listening to this podcast from Doc H. Thanks for suggesting at the 1.5 speed, never knew that was an option.

    I listened to that podcast as well as a few more and really am learning a ton not only about the WHY but WHAT to do. Some of the stuff my wife have been practicing for years. We know have set up a daily list like you have and tweaked for us and are really trying to tune into where some of our downfalls are. We both agree SLEEP or lack of it contributes to some of our weaknesses in other areas, so we are focusing on tips to get that sleep needed and shutting off devices/eating patterns n such.

    Keep up the good work and I know your posts have slowed down in recent years but really enjoy when you do post because they have substance.

    Reply
  • Wade October 25, 2022, 12:09 pm

    Once again, MMM points us sheeple in the right direction.

    I listened to the alcohol podcast (episode 86). It is filled with fascinating information.

    Drinking as a sport (and eating as a sport) explain so many issues that society as a whole experience.

    There is really zero reason to consume alcohol.

    Thanks for pointing us to information to improve our wellbeing.

    Reply
  • JustAnotherBadass October 26, 2022, 11:33 am

    Dr Attia was recently on Rich Roll

    https://www.richroll.com/podcast/peter-attia-695/

    Reply

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