First principles thinking is a tool to help break down complicated problems. You do so by reducing a problem to its most fundamental or basic truth. So how can we apply first principles to how you live your life? Your life is driven by agency, your ability to exercise control
Have you looked at pictures from history? We were not attractive looking, by modern standards. Terrible teeth, dishevelled hair, cracking skin. Even royalty was not spared. Look at the images of kings and queens in a museum. But things changed. Our image of what is beautiful and reality both converged
Many people feel an unmistakable dip in energy late in the day. You feel foggy, motivation drops, and the urge to grab something sweet kicks in. We call it the 5pm crash. So what is going on? While stress, poor sleep, or large meals can contribute, another reason may be
Inside every cell of your body, an extraordinary process is taking place every second. Your mitochondria are generating energy. At the center of this process lies a molecule few people have heard of. Succinate. So what is succinate? Succinate is a natural compound produced inside your mitochondria when it converts
Most people think of fat as something to get rid of. It’s what hides our muscles, weighs us down, and makes us feel sluggish. But not all fat is bad. In fact, there’s one kind of fat that actually helps you lose fat. It is known as brown
Have you ever wondered what happens to the sugar circulating in your blood? Why is excessive blood sugar a problem? The answer lies in something known as glycation. Glycation occurs when glucose molecules attach themselves to proteins in your body. The process happens randomly with no trigger. Think of it
When you think of health, you probably think of weight, muscle, or maybe blood sugar. But there’s a quieter, deeper signal that tells you whether your body is thriving. It is called the nitrogen balance. So what is nitrogen balance and how do you achieve it? Nitrogen is the
The gut is not just where food is digested. It is a living ecosystem thriving with bacteria. Literally trillions of them. By weight, they are between 1-3% but they are more abundant than human cells. You are home to trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi known as the gut microbiome.
hearing
If you are already forty, you may have started to notice small changes. You take longer to recover from workouts. Your eyesight starts to blur. What we rarely notice, though, is our hearing. It declines silently, gradually, almost politely. Until one day you realise you missed what someone said. Let
When we think of stress, we often imagine it as a mental or emotional. The anxiety of a task, or goal or a deadline. But stress is not just in your mind. It is biochemical. Each time you feel stressed, your body activates the fight, flight or freeze response. Your
What is the first thing you do in the morning? Me? I find books I can buy. Yes, I did say buy, not read. It is not possible to read all the books I have bought. There is a Japanese term for it. Tsundoku (積ん読), buying books that you wont
Did I get your attention with the headline? Ayurveda and naturopaths have for years asked you to avoid certain foods. The communication comes across as esoteric and confusing. But is there a scientific reason why? Foods often come with toxins. That glass of wine, the slice of bread, or the