Issue #477: The #1 Activity for Longevity
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, October 28th.
In today’s email:
Focus: The Best Longevity Activity
Try: The 10 Hike Challenge
Measure: Albumin - Your Underrated Longevity Marker 🧬
Watch: Peter Attia on 60 Minutes
In the News: Why Chaos Leads to Clarity
Stat of the Day
The amount of time walking in nature to shut down the activity in your brain associated with stress and rumination. (Stanford)
Favorites
Here’s a few things I’m loving right now:
Sweetgreen - I can’t say I never win anything. Somehow my email was selected from their loyalty program and I earned free Sweetgreen for a year. $20 a day (use it or lose it) for their bowls and salads. It’s like Super Size Me - but with the best food you can eat, not the worst. I can’t think of a better win. But even if you have to pay full price - I know it can feel a tad too expensive, but your body will thank you for the right fuel without the junk.
Sunbutter - I always put a nut butter in my smoothies (and on my bananas and apples), but I’ve been on a Sunbutter kick and think it’s been a win for my gut. Combo of protein, healthy fats and some fiber - I’m a big fan right now.
Tune Up Balls - I’ve been going harder on my upper body lifting and gotten sore shoulders and traps. These have been awesome to rub out the knots and quicken my recovery. They’re also great because you can travel with them and I don’t dread them the way I do the big foam roller.
Focus
The Best Longevity Activity
We just got back from a weekend in the Smoky Mountains - that’s three national parks in the last 15 months!
We made the trip because my wife loves fall and my kids have never seen leaves change color.
Needless to say it was spectacular. We made it out for multiple hikes - and even saw a few black bears, including some tiny cubs.
It’s amazing how good you feel after a few hours of hiking. I didn’t take my running shoes and I didn’t work out.
But every day we were outside walking for miles in the woods; breathing in the fresh air and walking on uneven trails up a couple hundred feet in elevation change (carrying my stuff and my kids’ stuff too).
Why Hiking (and Rucking) Is So Good for You
Walking with a backpack burns up to 3x more calories than just walking. In fact, carrying a pack of 35 lbs you burn more calories rucking than jogging at a 10 min/mile pace.
Plus, the added load requires our legs, glutes, core and upper body to be engaged. It builds up our strength - science even shows that the weight creates a “mechanical load” on our bones, improving our long-term bone density.
And even though it’s not a sprint, it also improves VO₂ max (see below with Dr. Attia).
Plus, when we walk on these trails - it works our foot muscles in ways that both increases our strength and our brain health - literally strengthening the neural pathways that protect us from cognitive decline.
Try
The 10 Hike Challenge
So here’s our challenge -
Hike or ruck 10x before 2026.
There are 10 weeks left in this year - so that’s just 1 hike/ruck per week.
That’s it!
Imagine how good you’ll feel going into the New Year (especially with all that added holiday food around the house and office and parties).
There’s no better way to get outside when the weather gets colder - build your strength, your muscles (and bones), boost your cardio, breathe in the fresh air, and give your brain a boost.
Let us know if you’re in - we’re here to celebrate with you!
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Measure
Albumin - Your Underrated Longevity Marker 🧬
In Issue #475, we talked about how unfortunately many of us are biologically aging faster than our parents - and that study was built on eight key blood biomarkers.
One of them: Albumin.
It’s not as common a biomarker, but it’s something we all need to know about - it’s the most abundant protein in your body, accounting for over half of your total protein mass.
Think of albumin as your body’s FedEx system: it keeps your blood where it’s supposed to be (inside your vessels), while delivering hormones, vitamins, drugs, and nutrients all over the body - plus carrying toxins to the liver for cleanup duty.
Here’s the thing: albumin levels drop as we age.
But when we get older it’s when we need it the most. Low levels are a red flag for your liver, kidneys, nutrient absorption, and even immune resilience.
Low albumin often shows up in people dealing with inflammation, poor diet, or chronic illness - but even healthy people can see it decline if they’re not recovering or fueling properly. Hint: there’s a reason everyone is talking about protein.
Why it matters
Albumin isn’t just about “liver health.” It’s about how well your whole body functions. It influences your hydration, blood pressure, and your ability to transport key nutrients to every cell that needs them.
🩸 Optimal Range: 4.5 - 5.5 g/dL
Standard labs will often list anything above 3.3 g/dL as “normal” - but that’s not optimal for longevity.
If your levels are low:
Focus on high-quality protein - foods rich in leucine, lysine, and methionine (think eggs, fish, lean meat, dairy, or legumes).
Chew your food well. It sounds small, but proper digestion starts in your mouth. Better breakdown = better amino acid absorption.
Check your Vitamin D status (see HERE). Albumin actually helps carry Vitamin D through the bloodstream, so low D can be a sign your transport system’s lagging.
If your levels are high:
You might just be dehydrated - drink more water.
If it stays elevated, follow up with your healthcare professional - it can sometimes point to underlying metabolic issues.
This is just another example of why it’s so key to get your annual blood test - it’s a real-time reflection of how well your body’s engine is running.
Keep albumin in the optimal range - it’s not just for your liver, it’s for your longevity!
Watch
Peter Attia on 60 Minutes
Longevity continues to get more mainstream.
Dr. Peter Attia was featured on 60 Minutes this week and gave one message: you can’t live longer without training harder.
VO₂ Max (how efficiently your body uses oxygen) is one of the strongest predictors of how long we’ll live - even more than blood pressure or whether or not we smoke.
His prescription?
Train like an athlete for the rest of your life.
H&L in the News
Climate Change on a Plate: Your meat choices don’t just affect your body - they shape your city’s carbon footprint. Discover your local “hoofprint” and what simple swaps can shrink it for the planet and your wallet. (Washington Post)
Future You in the Mirror: Haut.AI’s SkinGPT simulates 40 years of aging in seconds. Discover how habits shape your future face - and how AI is transforming skincare into a personalized, predictive science. (Longevity.Technology)
Chaos Leads to Clarity: Your worst ideas are just warm-ups. Neuroscience shows that persistence, breaks, and creative chaos unlock originality - if you let the Clown speak before the Editor steps in. (Big Think)
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We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.