Historically, I’ve promoted the idea of defining a minimum effective dose  of self-care—small, consistent actions that keep you grounded. After returning from deployment, I learned that to withstand significant daily stress, I needed to do just three things every day: Move my body. Learn something new. Let my family know I love them. When I did these consistently, I became more resilient. Dan John teaches a similar concept he calls a pirate map : a short list of 3–5 non-negot

Overview:  Very busy week. Close on the new office building for the practice on Monday and hopefully it’s another good step for patient care. It provides the practice with the ability to expand and have multi-disciplinary services close by. It will be an experience. Was feeling run down towards the end of the week. Started Dan John University with my wife and it’s been a wonderful experience so far. It’s great getting to hear her opinions and all of these topics. It’s always

The Pain Dial: Why We’ve Stopped Recognizing Our Own Stress A concept I’ve been thinking about lately is how few people recognize their own level of stress. I often hear patients say, “I don’t feel stressed.” Then I start listing what’s actually happening in their lives: marital conflict, a child struggling with addiction, looming retirement without a plan, the guilt of having to let long-time employees go, financial insecurity, and 50 extra pounds they can’t seem to lose. Su

Overall:  I still haven't recovered physically. Sleep overall has been OK.  Mentally not feeling as productive. A couple changes in schedule this week. Continuing to learn the lesson if I don't get it done in the morning I don't get it done at all. I need to make sure I'm actually getting to bed on time.   Started DJU IC this week: From a core value perspective came up with love, service/honor,  professionalism, strength, and curiosity. My wife is joining this cohort and it w

Overall:  Challenging week with the holidays. was able to complete all the podcast. behind from a timing perspective. made a mistake of not taking it down week from a training perspective and immediately restarting with a higher volume program. reps overall felt low and based on biometric scores not really recovered right now. no significant musculoskeletal issues which is beneficial on however under recovered from a sleep standpoint. need to focus on increasing calories.  Fi

The Heart of Charity This topic was covered previously in the financial series, but it’s worth revisiting — not as a matter of budgeting or tax deductions, but as a reflection on what it means to give. The Essence of Charity Charity is giving without the expectation of return. Yet many of us, even with good intentions, try to maintain a sense of control — to ensure our money or time is used properly . We want our generosity to be efficient, effective, and measurable. We look

Healthy, Happy — and Why “Happiness” Feels So Hard When I ask people, “What would make next year a success?”  the most common answer I hear is simple: “I want to be healthy and happy.” Health, I’ve written about before—metabolic flexibility, rest and effort, the dance between individual well-being and community responsibility. Happiness, however, is harder. Not because it’s mysterious, but because we often confuse a fleeting emotion with a state of being. When most people say

Overall:  As we approach the end of the year, I need to spend the month of December solidifying a plan for 2026. This year was one of the less intentional years I’ve had. Personally, I want to be deliberate about finding ways to write more, read more, and be intentional about continued education. Family - really want to support my wife and kids with their own development outside of the home - start to explore. Spiritually - considering doing another course of bible in the yea

Faith, Myth, and the Search for Meaning The biggest question behind faith often returns to the “original mover” — who created all of this, and what’s the point? When we talk about spirituality, we often use the word myth . In this context, myth  doesn’t mean falsehood; rather, it refers to the story we tell ourselves to make sense of existence. It’s our framework for understanding who we are, where we came from, and what it all means. As such we all have a myth based on our i

Training:  M:  Bike - read  Tu:  Squat: 460x3, 430x4, 405x16 Bench: 295x3, 275x4, 260x10  Pull up: BW x5x6 ECHO Bike: sprint intervals  W:  Comp BJJ  Thursday  OFF Friday  BJJ  Sat:  OHP: 205x3, 190x4, 180x15  Rack pull: 500x10x4  Run: LSS 30 min  Sun: BJJ & Sauna  Overall:  Challenging week. Have successfully put in the sprint intervals the past couple of weeks, but have taken an off day where I should be doing tempos from a run standpoint. Still trying to determine if this

What Is Church? People hold a wide range of perspectives on what “church” means—just as they do about most things in life. The word church  originates from the Greek ekklesia , meaning assembly  or gathering of people.  It never referred to a building. Instead, it described a group of individuals coming together, each with unique gifts, united in purpose. In that sense, the church is less an institution and more a family. At its best, church is a place for community, personal

Learning:  Podcasts:  Attia - Women’s Sexual Health  Was surprised at level of favor with progestins. Considering contraception and HRT strategies simultaneously. Consider asking about desire to continue ovulation in the setting of HRT.  Knowledge Project - Panera Lectures  Spirit Gym - 1  Training:  Rough week. Lifting felt good. Stress was high. R lat is still acting goofy. Need to just do some banded pull downs to warm up to get some blood in there prior to training.  M: B

Purpose and Meaning: The Lifelong Experiment A Privileged Question Purpose and meaning are theoretical topics most people only ponder when they have the time—or privilege—to think. Many spend their days running from one task to another without ever pausing to consider either question. Yet to even ask  what your purpose is—or what gives your life meaning—is a privilege in itself. Defining the Two Purpose is your mission—the reason something exists or is done. Meaning is the si

Learning:  Podcasts Attia - Longevity 101  Exercise  Minimize cardiovascular risk - target ApoB reduction Diet - don’t eat crap  WCI Real life retirement planning  Huberman - Sinclair Focus is on mTOR minimization and consideration of Sartuins  Pulsed fasting with regular exercise  Knowledge Project - Steve Wozniak Do the right thing Be an engineer Engineers often work best on projects alone  Acquired - Trader Joes  Started as liquor store Paid employees more than peers Emplo

Spirit, Faith, and the Search for Meaning Western thought has long been shaped by materialism — the belief that everything that exists is physical in nature and can be explained by physical processes. Within the familiar framework of body, mind, and spirit, the body represents the physical, the mind (the psychological), and we’re left wondering: what exactly is the spirit? Is it everything else  — or is it everything ? Is it something — or nothing at all? Recently I’ve been s

Learning:  Podcasts:  Attia - Protein 2 - Rhonda Patrick  More on how protein requirement should be higher. Caveat is always if someone has healthy kidneys  Knowledge Project Will listen today - forensic accounting  WCI On taxes  Chek - Christiane Northrup Talking about women’s health, PMS and perimenopausal disease. How many of these symptoms are the result of unhealthy lifestyles and how mistreated women have been by the health system  Acquired - Google  Recommended podcast

The Practice of Relaxation I’ll be the first to admit—I’m not an authority on relaxing. In fact, if you want to learn how to relax, you...

Learning:  Podcast:  Attia - Protein Debate Primary take away of this listen had nothing to do with protein. It was about having a reasonable dialogue about science and statistics. Primarily focus should be on the methods and results.  Huberman - How Brain Functions  Was a lot of talk on brain development, visual interpretation and plasticity primarily in the young.  Knowledge Project Jim Clayton - Pay off your debts in full, keep pushing despite failure, discipline beats hyp

Meditation: A Practice of Focus, Awareness, and Restoration Meditation is the practice of training the mind. Our minds are often filled...

Learning:  Podcasts Attia - Tylenol and Autism  Huberman - DJ Shipley  Importance of routines Up at the same time every day  Knowledge Project -  Lectures Spirit Gym  Relationships - progression through maturity  Quotes  "Proactive, not reactive" continues to be one of the keys to my happiness (and, ideally, success). I’ve been really focused on my walking and writing this year (and those two things go really well together) - Dan John  Training: Overall:  Past couple weeks ha