0:07
Building strength and muscle mass: how to optimize training, nutrition, and more for longevity (AMA #71 rebroadcast)
Large cohort studies link higher muscle mass to lower mortality, and a meta‑analysis of resistance‑training trials shows modest gains in strength and insulin sensitivity across ages.
For most people, two to three full‑body sessions per week, each with 3‑4 sets of 6‑12 reps, hit the sweet spot—enough stimulus without overdoing recovery. Progressive overload—adding a little weight or a rep each week—keeps muscles adapting.
Protein matters: about 1.2–1.6 g per kilogram of body weight daily, spread over meals, supports synthesis. Timing isn’t critical, but a dose soon after training can help.
Don’t forget sleep and mobility work; quality rest and regular movement preserve joints and keep the nervous system responsive, which together support long‑term strength and health.
0:45
Sunday Edition: You'll Never Guess Where I Spent This Week
The Sunday Edition is Tuesday’s little sister—off-the-cuff updates I’d bring up over a coffee catch-up with a friend.
Being a novelist is the coolest because it provides a container for curiosity…
Some of you may remember that two summers ago, I happened to notice that the bushes alongside a hike I’ve done a million times in Tryon, just outside of Portland, were glittering with spider webs. On closer inspection, I noticed that the webs were perfect half-domes, tiny architectural marvels that each housed a tiny spider. The discovery sparked a million questions that ultimately led me to the research by , an evolutionary behavioral ecologist who’s devoted his career to answering these questions.
As I began to draft the outline of my current novel, I kept returning to these spiders and realized that their courtship rituals provided a rich metaphor for my protagonist, and my curiosity around them wasn’t going anywhere. So guess what?? I reached out to Dr. Watson, who generously offered that I join for part of his next research trip to visit the population he studies in Montana (!!).
Over the past few days, I’ve been following Dr. Watson himself through bushes at a biological station on Flathead Lake, asking one million questions and observing the incredible, intricate mating rituals of Sierra Domes (I shared as video below of two males measuring each others’ sizes before fighting; watch at your own level of spider comfort!).
More than anything, I feel so wildly grateful to be here, and amazed by how many opportunities there are in life to learn something completely new. I still have a few days here, and cannot believe how much I’ve already learned. I feel like I’ll have a masters in these spiders by the time I leave, or at the very least, a newfound level of appreciation for this tiny creature.
Read on for more updates and photos from another memorable week in Montana, including my new favorite concert venue and recommendations from Bozeman:
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2:09
Scientists may have finally found how Alzheimer's kills brain cells
Researchers have identified a previously overlooked mechanism of brain cell death that appears to play a major role in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. The finding could lead to new treatments aimed at slowing neuron loss by interrupting the process before cells are destroyed.
2:26
You Haven’t Even Said Hi—And They’re Already Telling You Everything
You arrive intending to have an ordinary day.
Within twenty minutes, someone you barely know is describing their divorce, their burnout, or a memory they usually reserve for close friends. You listen, regulate the emotional tone, and ask a thoughtful question that helps them feel understood. You even put in your headphones, look away, try to change the subject.
They leave feeling relieved.
You leave feeling strangely invisible and somewhat violated.
Many of us assume this means we attract oversharers or emotionally intense people. Clinically, the pattern is rarely about who we attract. It is about what our nervous systems and communication styles signal almost immediately.
The Rapid Safety Signal
Many high-capacity individuals process social and emotional information quickly. We track tone, contradiction, emotional shifts, and implicit meaning without conscious effort. In early interactions, we tend to communicate three cues:
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3:09
Lychee Ice Cream
Hi!
When I was in London recently I met the loveliest American couple living there. We talked a bit about ice cream, favourite flavours and among many delicious ingredients, one that stuck with me was lychee! I have mostly had lychee sorbets and I typically find that they bring out the rosy-floral and lemony flavour of them rather than the soft, woody undertones of caramelised honey. For this ice cream I wanted to try and bring out that flavour as well without overpowering the juiciness of the fresh lychees.
I am so pleased with how the flavour turned out and my partner said that this is his favourite ice cream I have made so far (and he is typically a sorbet-bro - sorbro? - or a rum raisin fiend).
