Ryan Holiday, a clear favorite self-help author of mine and the modern-day ring leader for stoicism, has a new book coming out in a few weeks: Wisdom Takes Work - a new installment to his stoic virtue series. Each book focuses on a core tenet of stoicism, and they are all masterfully crafted and written to be short, actionable reads.

In preparation for the new book, I went back and scanned through a few of the older titles, and found this perfect passage to get us started for our week this week. From “Courage is Calling”:

“You think it’d be better if things were easy. You wish you didn’t have to take this risk. If only the leap didn’t look so damn dangerous. That’s just the fear talking.

It’s good that it’s hard. It deters the cowards and it intrigues the courageous.”

Deters the cowards…Intrigues the courageous…Damn! Let’s get to moving now.

Brain - A Mental Diet

When we think about health, diet is often the first thing that comes to mind: what we eat, how much protein we get, or whether we’re cutting out junk food. It is easy to neglect in this process that your mind is on a diet too. Every podcast you listen to, every Instagram post you scroll past, every conversation you have - it’s all a form of “mental nutrition.”

Just like your body responds to what you feed it, your brain responds to what you consume. Studies show that exposure to negative news increases stress and anxiety levels, while even brief positive content boosts mood and resilience. Think of it as calories for your brain: junk input leads to junk output.

Dr. Andrew Huberman often talks about the brain’s “plasticity” - the fact that our thoughts and habits literally rewire neural pathways over time. If you’re constantly scrolling outrage-driven content, your brain gets wired to expect it. Conversely, intentional inputs like books, deep conversations, or educational podcasts create more focus and clarity.

Former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink puts it more bluntly: “Discipline equals freedom.” That includes discipline over what you let into your head.

I can speak from a place of personal experience - over the last 4 months, I have only accessed my social media on Sundays. What you quickly come to realize in a pattern loop like this is that the world is a pretty good place when you experience it for yourself. But spend just 30 minutes on Facebook consuming content from your friend rage posting about the latest thing the President has done, and realize how quickly your optimism on the world can be shifted.

So if you’re feeling like your brain is experiencing the content consumption version of the Sunday after Thanksgiving, here are a few practical tips to kickstart a mental diet:

1. Audit Your Inputs – Take one day to track where your attention goes: social media, TV, podcasts, news. At the end, ask: did these inputs energize me or drain me? Awareness is step one.

2. Set a Daily Ratio – Aim for a 3:1 balance of positive or growth-oriented inputs to negative ones. For example, three chapters of a book, one long-form podcast, then limit yourself to one quick scroll session.

3. Replace, Don’t Just Remove – Cutting out mindless content leaves a vacuum that your brain will rush to fill. Instead, replace it with something intentional: swap 15 minutes of news for 15 minutes of journaling, or listen to a podcast on focus while driving instead of the same playlist.

4. Morning & Night Guardrails – What you consume right after waking and right before bed has the greatest effect on mood and focus. Avoid negative or distracting inputs in those windows and feed your brain something clean - quiet time, gratitude, or a few pages of a book.

Your physical diet determines how your body looks and feels. Your mental diet determines how you think, act, and show up in the world. Feed it wisely.

Body - Why Incline Treadmill Walking is the #1 Go-To For Fat Loss

Incline walking is the stealth weapon for fat loss. It raises calorie burn dramatically, recruits the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, quads), is low-impact, and is easy to do reliably - which is the real secret to results. A few studies over the years have shown that calorie burn increases ~52% at a 5% grade and ~113% at a 10% grade versus level walking. That’s why programs like the viral “12-3-30” (12% incline, 3 mph, 30 min) actually show a higher percentage of fat used as fuel compared with running, even if running burns more total calories per minute.

My first introduction to the reasoning behind incline walking came in my bodybuilding days. As a bystander, repetitious long blocks of just strolling up the treadmill don’t seem to be taxing the body at all. We’ve all seen the bro in the hoodie, arms strapped to the handles, strolling up to the ceiling for what seems like an hour (bro is me). But there is also a reason you see those same people doing the same thing consistently every single day. It’s reliable.

Here’s why your fellow gym-goers lean on this source for their cardio:

• Muscle-friendly: Incline walking recruits leg and glute muscles more than flat walking, so you’re burning calories while still stimulating muscle (less catabolic stress than long, high-intensity sessions).

• Low interference: Coaches who prioritize muscle preservation recommend low-intensity, low-fatigue cardio (incline walks, elliptical) to avoid blunting lifting performance.

• Sustainable: it’s easy to add frequency without wrecking recovery, and consistency = results. Scroll, watch Youtube - zone out. It’s easy to do day in and day out.

If you are going to the gym already, here is a quick protocol from Jeff Nippard, a self-proclaimed science-based lifter:

• Frequency: 3–5 sessions per week, 20–40 minutes. This can be done before or after your lift

• Intensity: Start 3.0 mph at 4 to 6% incline (beginner). Progress to 8–12% for 20–30 minutes as fitness improves (12% is the 12-3-30 template from the Cleveland Clinic)

• Don’t hold the rails: Gripping/leaning can reduce calorie burn by ~31.8%; standing upright matters. (A 10% incline while holding rails burns about the same as a 5% incline without holding on.)

• Pair it with resistance training + protein: Keep your weights 3–4x/week and aim for 0.8 - 1.2g of protein per pound of bodyweight to protect lean mass.

Book - If You Liked That Movie, You’ll Love This Book

Even after 82 weeks of writing to convince people reading should be a part of their health protocol, I STILL have a lot of people tell me, “I’m not a reader.” What they usually mean is, “I haven’t found the right book yet.” If you can binge a Netflix series or get hooked on a movie franchise, you can absolutely get hooked on the right novel - it just has to scratch the same itch.

So, today I have put together a guide - a guide to match some of my favorite fiction reads with movies or shows you already know and love. If you liked that show, you would like this book…

If you liked Game of Thrones…
Try The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.
Think sprawling world-building, political intrigue, and unforgettable characters, but with tighter storytelling and a payoff that keeps building. It’s epic fantasy done right, with action sequences that feel as cinematic as a battle for the Iron Throne.

If you liked The Hunger Games or Gladiator…
Try Red Rising by Pierce Brown.
Darrow’s story is a brutal, high-stakes climb from the bottom caste of society into the ruling elite, filled with war games, rebellion, and betrayal. Imagine The Hunger Games on steroids - smarter, bloodier, and with a touch of Roman epic thrown in.

If you liked Oppenheimer or The Imitation Game…
Try Babel by R.F. Kuang.
This isn’t swords and dragons, it’s a dark, historical fantasy about language, empire, and power. Think of it as an academic thriller with the moral weight of Oppenheimer. It asks big questions about who holds knowledge and who gets exploited because of it.

If you liked House of Dragons or Divergent…
Try Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
It’s fast-paced, emotional, and unapologetically fun. With dragons, military academies, and a high-stakes romance, it delivers the same adrenaline rush and drama you’d get from a blockbuster action-romance movie -

If you liked The Martian or Interstellar…
Try Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
From the same author as The Martian, this is a survival-against-the-odds story in space -with humor, science, and one of the most surprisingly heartwarming alien friendships ever written.

If you liked Harry Potter or Dune…
Try The Will of the Many by James Islington.
It’s got the academic setting and secret societies of Harry Potter, layered with the political and philosophical depth of Dune. A fresh take on the chosen-one trope, but more mature and with the kind of plot twists that keep you turning pages until 2 AM.

Reading isn’t just about finding time - it’s about finding the right story. Movies pull you in for two hours. Books? They give you an entire world to live in. If fantasy and sci-fi isn’t your thing, take a list of your favorite shows and movies, and ask ChatGPT to curate a list of books to read in a similar vein.