👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #178 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter.
Here are my 3 favourite ideas, learns and resources to help you improve your performance this week (4 min read):
🍑 The missing nuance in the more fibre = more better advice
When it comes to fibre, more is better.
At least, that was my philosophy up until last week.
See the data is pretty undeniable. Across huge populations, the more fibre people eat, the less likely they are to die at any given moment.
Lower risk of:
- 💓 cardiovascular disease
- 🤢 metabolic disease
- 🏥 all-cause mortality
E.g:
So my default advice (and personal bias) has always been: more = better.
Then, on a warm Sydney morning last week, I paired a weights session with one of the more testosterone-maxxing podcasts to date… Huberman on Alex Williamson’s Modern Wisdom.
And Huberman shared research that forced me to rethink my stance.
The study compared a high-fibre diet with a low-sugar fermented foods diet.
In the high-fibre group:
- 👍 About half saw inflammation markers improve
- 👎 The other half saw inflammation worsen (sometimes pretty significantly)
This doesn’t change the fact that fibre is broadly good for us.
But it has reframed for me the difference between population truth and individual truth.
At a population level, higher fibre intake is associated with longer, healthier lives.
And at an individual level, specific fibres can still create what Huberman called “gentle harm”. Meaning:
- 💥 low-level inflammation
- 🤢 gut irritation
- 🦠 and even an immune response (like what would happen if you were sick)
(especially in people with autoimmune dramas, chronic stress, or a sensitive gut)
The practical takeaway is:
IF you’re getting your 25-30g+ of fibre daily, AND feeling good doing it, THEN bueno - keep it up.
But:
IF you’re pounding your fruit, veg, beans, etc BUT experiencing some of those symptoms above, THEN it might be time to experiment...
Because not all fibre is equal.
You might flare up from one type, while tolerating others sweet as.
Try different fruits, cooked vs raw veg, different starches, different plant families.
Find the fibre that works for you.
(and pray to sweet baby jesus that aussie yellow flesh nectarines work for you, because they are firing down here right now)
Now, as an interesting addition to the above study…
The fermented foods group (those eating things like kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi) showed a consistent reduction in inflammation and improved the gut microbiome across the board.
So something everyone should consider as a baseline.
Go well.
🧠 Brain health as a trainable metric
Biotech company Atlas just raised $14M USD. They’re building a “brain-sensing wearable”.
Likely a little thing that sits behind the ear. That can decode different types of brain signals.
Then combine this data with behavioural metrics (e.g. activity patterns, stress, sleep, phone usage).
The connected app would then give insights to help users improve brain function.
Love this cause current consumer technology is great at tracking the body.
Steps. Sleep. Heart rate. Training load.
And tech like this'll help us train our brain health like we do our fitness.
Observe patterns. Experiment. Adapt.
Supposedly ready next year 👀
🔥 The hunter-gatherer fantasy
I love looking at how our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived for clues on how to live more in tune with how our bodies and brains evolved.
It can remind us that:
- 🚶Our bodies are built to move
- 🌳 Our nervous systems regulate best in nature
- 🤝 Our relationships are strengthened through in-person connection and community
But it can also go the other way...
We can confuse evolution for instruction.
Hunter-gatherers didn’t eat irregularly, fast, or live in scarcity because it was optimal.
They did it because that was reality.
And yes, that stuff shaped us.
It can remind us what we’re capable of. How resilient the human body (and species, more generally) can be. And even hint to the types of stress we thrive on.
That’s useful.
But copy-pasting them can be sub-optimal.
For example, our bodies tend to thrive on predictable patterns:
- 🍖 Regular meals
- 😴 Consistent sleep and wake times
These are things we can lean into way more easily now than when food was scarce, predators were nearby, or weather dictated the night.
So when thinking through this lens, consider:
👉 Evolution gives us context, not command.
If curious, here's how we can work together:
- 💪 Adaptive Vitality Program: This is my 1-1 online coaching program. If you want to work closely with me to build lifelong health, watch the video here and follow the instructions
- 🗓️ Lean & Lively 21 Day Sprint: A self-led program using all the proven systems from Adaptive Vitality to give you the momentum to get back on track in just a few focused weeks
- 🏋️ Get a custom 12-week training program ($250). Reply to this email if interested.
That's it!
Have a great weekend 🤙
Matt
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The Everyday Athlete Newsletter is not a licensed health service nor a substitute for professional health advice, treatment or assessment. The information shared in this email is general and written for a specific audience. If you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional.
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