15 minute body weight workout as part of the 62 Strong Challenge that started yesterday. Had to take some humbling “before” pics. 6:15 “heavy” session with my trainer this morning (bench, bicep curls, abs). Did another workout for the 62 String Challenge this morning. Definitely feeling it in my best and biceps. Will be sore tomorrow. 💪🏻

Every man talks about it. Some fear losing it, some chase it, and many try to buy it in a bottle. We see ads everywhere, boosters, powders, miracle supplements, even clinics pushing injections for men who are simply tired or stressed. But often, your body isn’t broken, your lifestyle is. Our ancestors didn’t swallow capsules or run to clinics. Yet they carried strength, drive, and fertility long into old age. Why? Because their lives aligned with the signals that naturally keep testosterone thriving. Sunlight, sleep, hard physical work, real food, competition, brotherhood, and recovery, these were not “biohacks,” they were daily life. Today, staggering ammount of men live in ways that crush testosterone: - Wake up in the dark, scroll a phone instead of seeing the sunrise. - Sit indoors all day under artificial light. - Eat ultra-processed food made in factories. - Stay up late, blasted with blue light, sleep deprived. - Rarely train with intensity, rarely push themselves, rarely rest deeply. Then they wonder why energy is gone, sex drive is flat, and motivation is low. The answer isn’t a pill. It’s realigning with what men are built for. What Testosterone Actually Does for You It’s not just about muscle. Testosterone drives mood, focus, red blood cell production, and metabolic health. It sharpens your edge as a man — your ability to push, compete, and recover. Low levels aren’t just about gym performance, they’re about losing the very fire that makes you want to train, to build, to lead. The Lifestyle Levers That Move Testosterone - Light → Morning sunlight sets your circadian rhythm, and with it, your hormone pulses. Men who get early sun have higher natural testosterone than men who live in artificial light cycles. - Sleep → Most testosterone is produced during deep sleep. Cut sleep by 2–3 hours, and your T can drop 10–30%. Chronic short sleep can slash levels into clinical deficiency. - Strength training → Heavy compound lifts and explosive work signal your body to produce more testosterone. Lifting weights is the original “test booster.” - Nutrition → Testosterone is literally made from cholesterol. Men who avoid fats (eggs, red meat, seafood) often see suppressed levels. Micronutrients matter too — zinc, magnesium, vitamin D all support hormone synthesis. - Stress → Chronic cortisol (stress hormone) directly competes with testosterone. Long-term stress and constant phone notifications keep your body in “survival mode” where testosterone takes a back seat. - Connection → Men who compete, bond, and live in community consistently show higher testosterone than isolated men. Brotherhood isn’t just emotional health — it’s biochemical.

If your goal is to stay strong, sharp, and capable as you age, alcohol is one of the first things you should reconsider. Not because it’s “bad” in a moral sense, but because of what it actually does inside your body. For decades, we’ve been told that a glass of wine a day is harmless, maybe even “heart-healthy.” But multiple newest data tells a very different story. Alcohol interferes with your sleep, hormones, muscle recovery, and brain chemistry in ways that directly accelerate aging and harms mental health, even at doses most people still call moderate. What Alcohol Really Does Inside You: When you drink, the liver metabolizes ethanol into acetaldehyde, a toxic compound that damages cells and DNA. Your body prioritizes getting rid of it, meaning it pauses muscle repair, fat oxidation, and hormone synthesis until the toxin is cleared. This metabolic shift is one of the main reasons alcohol blunts recovery, no matter how “clean” your training or diet are. Even small doses trigger inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, particularly in regions tied to memory, motivation, and impulse control. That’s why alcohol doesn’t just make you tired, it can make you less consistent, less disciplined, and less likely to train with intent the next day. The Sleep Trap One of alcohol’s most deceptive effects is on sleep. It can make you fall asleep faster, but it fragments sleep architecture, reducing deep sleep (slow-wave) and REM. Those are the exact phases where testosterone and growth hormone are produced and tissue repair happens. Studies show that even two standard drinks can reduce deep sleep by 20–40%. And I'm sure many of you noticed this. The result, you wake up feeling foggy, weaker, and unmotivated, even if you “slept eight hours.” Over time, this compounds into lower testosterone, slower recovery, and increased fat storage, all markers of accelerated aging. Hormones and Strength For men, alcohol directly undermines the hormonal environment that keeps strength and energy high.

Most men talk about recovery like it’s something you do after the work. But recovery is the work. The older you get, the more that truth becomes non-negotiable. You can push hard in your 20s and still bounce back with pizza and five hours of sleep. But in your 30s, 40s, and beyond, the rules change. Your hormones are less forgiving, your nervous system less elastic, and every choice — light, food, sleep, stress — either builds you or drains you. Longevity isn’t about slowing down. It’s about learning how to rebuild stronger every time you fall apart a little. 1. Hydration & Electrolytes You wake up dehydrated — every single morning. You’ve lost about a liter of water through breathing alone overnight, and that means low plasma volume, thicker blood, and higher morning cortisol. The fix: Before caffeine, drink 500–750 ml of water with a pinch of high-quality salt (or ~¼ teaspoon sea salt). If you train hard or sweat a lot, add magnesium (100–200 mg glycinate or malate) and potassium (300–500 mg). Why it works: Sodium drives fluid into cells, improving circulation and nutrient delivery. Magnesium relaxes the nervous system by binding to GABA receptors. Potassium balances electrical activity in muscle fibers, preventing cramps and tension. The science: A 2022 Frontiers in Nutrition study showed that electrolyte balance directly affects heart-rate variability (HRV) — a key marker of recovery and biological resilience. 2. Light Exposure Your hormones follow light. Morning sunlight — 10–15 minutes outdoors, eyes exposed (no sunglasses) — tells your body it’s daytime. That triggers cortisol release, which wakes you naturally, and sets a 12–14-hour countdown for melatonin production. Why it matters: You can’t sleep deeply at night if your body never got a clear “daytime” signal. Morning light anchors your circadian rhythm, sharpens focus, and keeps testosterone and growth hormone aligned with sleep cycles. The science: A 2023 review in Current Biology found that consistent morning light exposure increased melatonin onset by 40% at night and improved deep sleep duration.

Most people think aging is just about losing muscle size, but the real story goes deeper. As we get older, we lose muscle fibers themselves and not evenly. The type II fast-twitch fibers (responsible for power, speed, and strength) shrink and disappear much faster than the slower type I fibers. That’s why you see guys in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who can still walk miles or ride a bike (endurance), but they can’t sprint across the street, jump, or move weight explosively. Because losing type II fibers means losing the ability to get up off the floor quickly, catch yourself if you trip, or lift heavy objects safely. This selective atrophy is called sarcopenia, and research shows type II fiber loss is the biggest reason men lose independence as they age. Falls, fractures, slower reflexes, they all connect back to this decline. Here’s the good news, resistance training directly fights this. Studies show that lifting heavy and focusing on power-based work (explosive lifts, jumps, loaded carries, kettlebell swings) can preserve and even recruit type II fibers into old age. In fact, a 2023 review (and many more) confirmed that older men who trained with resistance and power maintained better muscle quality and functional capacity than those who only did cardio or lighter/non explosive activity . From a longevity perspective, this is about keeping the ability to: - Get off the floor quickly - Catch yourself if you stumble - Carry groceries, luggage, or even your grandkids - React fast enough to avoid injury Think about it, endurance keeps your heart and lungs healthy, but strength and power keep you capable. Without type II fibers, you may live long, but you won’t live strong. Practical approach: - Keep lifting heavy (2–3 times per week) with compound movements. - Add power work that’s safe for you: vertical box jumps, kettlebell swings, medicine ball throws, or even explosite push-ups. Don’t train like a bodybuilder chasing fatigue and failure, train like a man preparing for decades of stregth.