Weekly Wisdom Episode 2, Aug 8th 2025
Cold Exposure - Brown Fat Starves Cancer
If you could patent and sell cold exposure, drug companies would be all over this study and it would be making news headlines everywhere: Finally, a Natural Cure/Prevention for Cancer!
In the first world we are mostly dying of diseases of comfort (see the archived Glassman video below). A little bit of regular cold exposure could make you more resistant to cancer. It’s a preventative measure as simple as dialling down your thermostat 2 or 3 degrees.
5 Buckets of Death
This one is 5 years old but it still rings so true. Most people in the developed world are dying of diseases of choice. This sounds harsh but exercise and healthy eating are consistently shown to be the most effective interventions to prevent heart disease, diabetes, many cancers and obesity.
No Reps
Think it's not a big deal if you shave an inch or two off your squat? Check out this study in which they quantified the difference. In a set of 50 wall balls not only did it cut 20 seconds, it also resulted in a significant reduction in total work performed which is essentially a double cheat. Not only does the rep shaver finish faster because they travel less distance but, because less work is performed, they are less fatigued.
If you’re training for fitness, shorting reps is just robbing yourself of the full benefits of the exercises.
GLP-1 and Satiety
GLP-1 plays a role in signalling satiety. In healthy weight individuals, GLP-1 worked to signal fullness whether they were consuming fats, proteins or carbs. In overweight individuals GLP-1 signalling worked for fats and protein but not when consuming carbs. In fact, carbs seemed to trigger more hunger. This may be why most people trying to lose weight see more success if they use a low carb approach in the early stages.
Debunking the Debunkers
https://x.com/nntaleb/status/1948422111170560123
The problem with science is so few journalists understand the results and end up reporting incorrectly. Here Nassim Taleb points out that the folks citing a recent meta analysis to debunk the 10,000 steps per day health recommendation (they conclude 7000 steps will suffice) fail to understand the data in the graph which shows continued benefits for 12000 steps and beyond. The takeaway should be: walking is good. More is better.
Nutrition for Women
What a divisive subject. So many opinions, so few facts. As per last week’s share, women should not train in a fasted state. What works for men may not work for their female counterparts. What’s good for the gander is not always good for the goose. It may work for men but, based on the evidence currently available, I cannot recommend intermittent fasting for women.
Training Differences Men vs Women
And while we’re discussing differences between the sexes, we may as well address training. This video explains why the women’s Rx in CrossFit is generally set at about ⅔ the men’s Rx. Though I harbour some unconventional views on the subject, this is the generally accepted view based on our current understanding of the science.
Toilet Tales
Poop. If you’re not in the habit of checking on your daily deposits, maybe it is time you considered it. Your poop can tell you a lot about the health of your system and whether or not your dietary habits are supporting your health.
I love when two or more of the feeds I follow put out info on the same subject at the same time. To me it feels like the universe is reaching out to double click on something important I should pay attention to. In this case, it double clicked on number two.
