Issue #490: Stress is Aging You
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, January 27th.
In today’s email:
Learn: The Biological Effects of Stress
Try: Treat Yourself Like a Friend
In the News: Injuries for the SF 49ers
Brain Games: Calcudoku
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Stat of the Day
The percentage of U.S.-based employees who report that work-related stress affects their physical health. (hrstacks)
Learn
The Biological Effects of Stress
Something seems different in 2026. There’s a pattern taking hold that’s consistent with just about everyone I’m talking to - Thrive25 members, friends, and colleagues.
Everyone’s locked in - it’s January and most of them are on a health kick.
They’ve got new goals - working out consistently; skipping dessert; tracking those workouts; taking supplements; even scheduling doctor visits.
Multiple people have shared with me their latest results on losing weight and increasing their VO₂ max.
And yet all I see is stress.
The clenched jaw. The shallow breathing. Everything feels rushed. There’s just this sense that we’re all being forced to sprint through life, even when everything is ok.
Something’s different. Slack and phones have been the norm for a while now. But with AI everything just seems to be operating at a different pace - a speed our biology was never designed to sustain.
We’re trying to keep up - with work, with AI, with rising costs, with expectations - often tying our identity and self-worth to performance.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Stress isn’t just something that affects our lifestyle.
It directly changes our biology - and actually accelerates aging.
We all intuitively know this. You see it in new parents. In people under constant pressure.
But deep down, we believe we’re different.
That it’s ok that we need to wake up at 5am to find time to work out and that if we eat clean and get through the day, that we’ll be alright.
I thought that too.
On the surface, I was doing the right things - exercising, eating well, checking the boxes. But what others couldn’t see (or at least most people), I was letting the stress of a startup and young kids quietly crush me and my health.
Most of us think stress is harmful indirectly:
We’re stressed → we order takeout
We’re stressed → we skip workouts
We’re stressed → we sleep poorly
That’s all true - especially the sleep part.
But stress also causes direct, measurable biological damage.
Chronic stress means chronic cortisol exposure. And prolonged cortisol:
Shrinks the hippocampus, the brain’s center for memory and learning
Enlarges the amygdala, the brain’s threat detector
The result is a brain that’s constantly on high alert - more anxious, more reactive, more prone to depression and burnout.
And it doesn’t stop at mental health.
Elevated cortisol also:
Suppresses melatonin → poorer sleep and cognitive decline
Forces the liver to release more glucose while blocking muscle uptake → metabolic dysfunction
Raises blood pressure → increased cardiovascular risk
Even the immune system suffers. Chronic stress drives low-grade inflammation. Immune cells release cytokines meant to heal, but in excess they damage tissue and increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
This is why we talk so much about stress management - pauses, breathwork, meditation, gratitude.
But sometimes the stress isn’t situational - it’s constant.
Always on. Always evaluating. Always feeling slightly behind.
And one of the most overlooked contributors is how we talk to ourselves.
And…one of the most overlooked tools isn’t another habit - it’s kindness.
Not just toward others - toward yourself.
Many of us speak to ourselves in ways we’d never tolerate from anyone else. We judge ourselves harshly. Every missed workout becomes a failure. Every slow week becomes a character flaw. Rest feels like weakness. Pausing feels irresponsible.
You might be working long hours not because you want to, but because stepping back feels unsafe.
You might feel pressure to prove you’re still relevant in a faster, more automated world.
You might feel like slowing down isn’t an option - even if your body is clearly asking for it.
None of that makes you weak.
It makes you human in 2026.
Giving yourself a break doesn’t mean giving up.
It means treating yourself like someone worth taking care of.
That’s often the first step - not just in reducing stress, but in reclaiming your health.
Because when you take care of yourself as a whole human, everything else becomes easier.
And sometimes, that’s enough to make today just a little lighter - and tomorrow a little better.
Try
Treat Yourself Like a Friend
Catch yourself just 1x per day when your self talk goes negative and change the conversation.
You don’t have to force positivity - just think about what you’d tell your best friend. You wouldn’t tolerate a coach, manager or partner talking to you like that - don’t do it to yourself.
Being relentlessly hard on yourself isn’t discipline. It’s cumulative stress.
Thrive25 Partner Spotlight
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H&L in the News
EMF and Football Injuries?: We’re not into unproven science and clickbait - but the San Francisco 49ers have seen their injury report be among the worst in the league just about every year and are now looking into “everything” that could be contributing. Is this the beginning of a startling finding (see proposed science here) or just noise? (ESPN)
Fiber, Made Effortless: Most people fall short on fiber - but small, smart swaps can close the gap fast. From whole-grain upgrades to fiber-packed snacks and smoothies, these four expert-backed tips support gut health, heart health, and blood sugar without overhauling your diet. (NYTimes)
Rewriting Cellular Aging: Scientists are exploring small-molecule drugs that can partially “reprogram” aging cells to act young again - without gene therapy. By resetting epigenetic signals and cell pathways, this approach could unlock safer, whole-body rejuvenation therapies. (FightAging.org)
Why Progress Feels Hard: Struggle isn’t failure - it’s how the brain learns. Break down the 5 myths that make people quit too early and see how small experiments, not perfection, lead to real mastery and lasting progress. (Big Think)
Brain Games
Calcudoku
The objective is to fill in the grid with the correct digit in each cell, between 1 and 5:
Each row contains exactly one of each digit
Each column contains exactly one of each digit
Each bold-outlined group (with same color) must equate the result with the numerical operation - addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*) and division (/)
It’s go time - this one is a little bit easier than others we’ve shared - try to solve this in under two minutes. Ready…set…go!
Credit: Brainzilla
** For answer, scroll to the bottom of the email
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Brain Games Answer
Why Thrive25
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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To health!
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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.