Humans are far more olfactory than they admit: after a handshake people sniff their own hands, and invisible body odor can predict friendship, spread fear and cut men's free testosterone by about 14% within 20 to 30 minutes.

• What to do: Treat smell as a real social channel. Notice the hand-to-face sniffing that follows handshakes and give some weight to first impressions that "just click", because odor similarity predicted how friendly strangers rated each other.
• Why it matters: About 7 million receptors of roughly 350 types feed the olfactory bulb, which connects directly to the amygdala and hypothalamus, so odor can shift arousal, aggression and hormones without conscious awareness.
• How to apply it: Read "pheromone" claims with caution and use the term chemosignals instead. Remember that baby odor (hexadecanal) lowered aggression in men but raised it in women, so the same signal does not act the same way in everyone.
• Metrics: 14% drop in free testosterone after sniffing tears; 15 of 16 people identified digitized violets; a perceptual map of 4,000 molecules.
• Tools: Electronic nose with metal oxide sensors, the Taylor Aggression Paradigm and fMRI.
• Risks: Smell digitization is at the "1956 black and white TV" stage; rose and anise recreations failed, so do not expect products from it soon.
• Exceptions: Odor similarity predicted friendship ratings but not performance in the mirror game, and the tear effect was shown for men sniffing women's tears.

Bone mineral density predicts only about 70% of fracture risk because a two-dimensional DEXA misses bone shape, and lifting challenging loads can thicken the femoral neck cortex even when hip density barely changes.

• What to do: Do two strength sessions a week built on a squat, hinge, push, pull and carry, add balance moves and keep up daily activity such as walking, dancing or shoveling.
• Why it matters: Bone mass peaks in your 20s and about 5% of the skeleton is remodeled every year, so the goal after 65 is to hold on to bone and prevent falls.
• How to apply it: Use 8 to 12 repetitions, pick difficulty rather than maximum weight, try walking lunges and step-ups, and add a few sets of 10 to 12 small hops if your joints allow.
• Metrics: BMD explains about 70% of fracture risk, FRAX estimates 10 year fracture probability, and CTX and P1NP track bone resorption and formation.
• Tools: DEXA with 3D hip analysis, FRAX, a machine circuit for beginners, Function Health tests, Prolon and Momentous creatine appear in the episode.
• Risks: Calling an X-ray bone on bone can scare people away from exercise, and heavy loads with poor form raise injury risk for beginners.
• Exceptions: For someone using a walker with severe arthritis, the goal is function and fall prevention, not bone density.

Motivation does not arrive before action: the feeling follows it, so the fix is the 5 second rule, counting 5-4-3-2-1 and moving the instant you hit one, before your brain can talk you out of it.

• What to do: Answer "what do I want from now on?", pick one small action that a person with that life would take, and count backwards 5-4-3-2-1 to start it even if you do not feel like it.
• Why it matters: Hesitation lasts under 5 seconds before you talk yourself out of a choice, and a streak of 21 days is not a habit. The body keeps its capacity to change at any age, even for a person who has never lifted a weight.
• How to apply it: Put the phone and alarm across the room, lay out workout clothes, leave creatine and a protein shot on the counter, pre-pick the workout the night before and keep treats out of the house. Tie your goal to a personal reason, such as protected time for yourself.
• Metrics: Hyman went from 10 push-ups at 50 to about 75 push-ups and 15 pull-ups after starting to lift at 59; The Let Them Theory sold 11 million copies in 19 months.
• Tools: Function Health lab data, a pre-planned workout, an audiobook for walks, and the ABC model (apologize, back off, compliment) to influence others.
• Risks: Pressuring a loved one to lose weight or take medication triggers resistance. Talk to your doctor before starting hormone therapy or changing medication.
• Exceptions: For big decisions such as a contract or a marriage, stop and think. The 5 second rule is for everyday choices you already know are right.

Muscle gains slow because of strong diminishing returns, not because you hit a genetic ceiling: powerlifters gain about 10 percent in their first year or two and then need roughly 10 years to gain that much again, and going from 4 to 10 sets per week doubles results but repeating that jump means tripling volume.

• What to do: Aim for 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week, since 6 to 8 sets is still good. Train close enough to failure that rep speed slows, which means about 3 to 4 reps in reserve, and keep some heavy work at your 8 to 10RM for strength.
• Why it matters: The more muscle you have, the less you can add, so newbie gains cannot be repeated. A real plateau feels like walking through mud, while two months of abrupt stalling usually points to training, not to your limit.
• How to apply it: Raise volume gradually and only if you can sustain it. Use isolation work for size in the 8 to 25 rep range, do sets of 4 to 6 with your 8 to 10RM on compound lifts, and split sessions or use supersets when time is short. Compare yourself to yourself.
• Metrics: Average gain of about 10 percent in the first year or two, with a range of roughly 7 to 12 percent, a velocity loss of about 20 percent as a sign of a productive set, and 30 sets per muscle per week as an extreme approach for competitors.
• Tools: The Open Powerlifting database, a training log, supersets, drop sets and rest pause, and the Muscle and Strength Pyramids books.
• Risks: Very high volume brought elbow tendinopathy and quadriceps tendinitis. Exogenous testosterone can shut down natural production, and anabolic use raises a muscle baseline that disappears after stopping.
• Exceptions: Heavy compound lifts do not need to reach failure, and when loads are heavy enough failure matters less. Most recreational lifters between 40 and 60 get great results with far less volume.

GLP-1 medications quiet the constant mental chatter about food that doctors call food noise, and when people stop them, in roughly 60% of the people studied blood sugar, blood pressure and waist circumference climb back up as hunger returns.

• What to do: Treat obesity as a medical condition, not a character flaw. Ask your doctor why you do or do not qualify for a GLP-1, and combine medication with strength training, protein, fiber and a registered dietitian rather than waiting to "earn" treatment.
• Why it matters: Hunger is biology shaped by genes, hormones and environment, so shame does not work. The guest says some antidepressants, antipsychotics and steroids drive appetite, and menopause changes how fat is stored.
• How to apply it: If you feel nauseous or constipated on a GLP-1, aim for 25 g of fiber a day for women and 30 g for men, spread protein and fiber across the day, drink around 1.5 liters of fluid and do not raise the dose until symptoms settle. Struggling to reach your protein minimums usually means the dose is too high.
• Metrics: The new lipid guidelines for 2026 aim for LDL under 100, under 70 if lipoprotein(a) is high, and total cholesterol under 200, with screening from age 30. Roughly 1 in 10 women of reproductive age has PCOS.
• Tools: Cost Plus Drugs buys directly from manufacturers and GoodRx finds the lowest prices. The guest paid about $35 at CVS for Repatha with a GoodRx coupon.
• Risks: Compounded GLP-1s skip the FDA approval process and some are mixed with other ingredients. Stop the drug straight away if you become pregnant, and plan a two month washout before conception.
• Exceptions: Not everyone who asks for a GLP-1 qualifies. Someone with a BMI around 23 and PCOS may do better with metformin or a lower impact option.

You can keep doing hard things by switching between several drivers instead of relying on one, as ultra endurance swimmer Ross Edgley did over a 157 day swim around Great Britain, a 56 hour Yukon swim and 30 marathons in 30 days.

• What to do: Name your spokes before a hard task: because I said I would, fear of letting people down, love, anger, doing it for others, gratitude for what you can do and the absurd hero mindset.
• Why it matters: The anterior mid-cingulate cortex reportedly grows when you do hard things and shrinks when you avoid them, and one driver alone tends to fail during long, painful efforts.
• How to apply it: Focus on the next stroke or step instead of the clock, lower the stakes in your head when pressure builds, protect deep sleep and switch spokes when one fades.
• Metrics: Edgley swam almost 2,000 miles in about 157 days, 317 miles of the Yukon in 56 hours went 70 hours without sleep on the Yukon expedition and uses his pull-up one rep max as a strength reserve.
• Tools: Electrolytes, a glucose wearable, a temperature regulating mattress cover and a protein snack are mentioned as sponsor products, not as part of the model.
• Risks: Motives such as anger or ego can fuel you, but Edgley found records alone felt shallow and sleep loss can drain dopamine and serotonin.
• Exceptions: In ultra endurance an imperfect stroke is fine, while high stakes in precision tasks can overload the motor system and hurt performance.

A registered dental hygienist names four 2026 favorites they use and recommend to patients: the Quip Rev oscillating toothbrush, GUM Professional Clean floss picks, Sensodyne Clinical Repair toothpaste and the Quip rechargeable cordless water flosser.

• What to do: Choose an affordable oscillating toothbrush, durable floss picks that do not fray and a sensitivity toothpaste with enamel remineralization, then add a water flosser if you want extra cleaning.
• Why it matters: Technique decides results. Guide an electric brush slowly from tooth to tooth and never scrub, and floss by hugging the tooth up and down on each side.
• How to apply it: Subscribe to brush head refills every 3 months, keep floss picks in your bag, car and desk, and start the water flosser on its gentle mode before moving to deep clean pressure.
• Tools: Quip Rev, GUM Professional Clean Floss Picks, Sensodyne Clinical Repair and the Quip water flosser.
• Risks: The Sensodyne version they use contains SLS, which can irritate some mouths. Check the label for an SLS-free option if you have irritation.
• Exceptions: Sensodyne costs more than some pastes, and the water flosser category is crowded, so compare options if budget matters.

Dr. Berry argues that bacon nitrates are harmless because your salivary glands concentrate them tenfold and mouth bacteria turn them into nitrite and then nitric oxide, a vasodilator that relaxes blood vessels; in a study of 19 adults, an antibacterial mouthwash cut salivary nitrite by 90% and raised blood pressure within a day.

• What to do: Understand the nitrate to nitrite to nitric oxide pathway before fearing the word "nitrate". Berry notes that celery, beet greens and many vegetables carry 5 to 10 times more nitrates than Berry's bacon.
• Why it matters: Berry's point is that your body would not concentrate nitrates 10 times in saliva, and your kidneys would not hold on to them, if they were a poison. Berry links the nitric oxide effect to lower blood pressure.
• How to apply it: Stop using antibacterial mouthwash if you want to keep the mouth bacteria that convert nitrate into nitrite. Read the label: in the United States "uncured" or "no nitrates added" bacon can still contain nitrates from celery or beet greens.
• Metrics: 19 healthy adults took chlorhexidine twice a day, their salivary nitrite dropped 90% and their blood pressure rose within a single day. Berry also cites two drug company attempts at nitrate pills or inhalers that did not deliver enough benefit.
• Risks: This is one physician's view and it runs against mainstream guidance. The WHO's cancer agency classifies processed meat, including bacon, as carcinogenic to humans, and most health authorities advise limiting it.
• Exceptions: Berry says to watch oxalates if you rely on celery and beet greens for nitrates, which is not a concern with bacon, bologna or hot dogs. Chlorhexidine, not every mouthwash, was the product in the study.

The five most common mistakes before a dental visit are scrubbing too hard, arriving starving, whitening beforehand, hiding symptoms and hiding anxiety, and the biggest is hiding symptoms, because some radiographs are only taken when something looks or feels off.

• What to do: Brush and floss normally, eat a regular meal beforehand, and tell your hygienist about any pain, sensitivity, bleeding gums, lump, swelling or bad breath from the past months, plus any dental anxiety.
• Why it matters: Scrubbing harder does not clean better and can cause gum recession and tooth wear, while a hidden symptom may go unnoticed until it gets worse.
• How to apply it: Note your symptoms on your phone a few days before. If you come straight from work, say "I could not brush". Eat before a filling or crown and wait until the numbness fades to eat again. After a fluoride varnish, wait a little before eating or drinking. Clean first, whiten second.
• Tools: A tongue scraper, if it is already part of your routine.
• Risks: Whitening right before your visit can raise sensitivity and may affect the bonding solution used for restorations.
• Exceptions: Fast only if your provider tells you to. If you are getting fillings or crowns, whitening beforehand can help match the shade, but ask your dentist first.

Healthy cell membranes need an omega 3 index above 8 percent and enough choline, yet Mark Hyman says 95 percent of Americans fall below 8 and about half are under 4 percent, a level tied to higher cardiovascular risk.

• What to do: Test your omega 3 index and aim for more than 8 percent. Eat fatty small fish such as salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines or herring two to three times a week, get choline from eggs, liver or soy, and cut your exposure to toxins and mold.
• Why it matters: The membrane is the interface where every hormone, immune and insulin signal arrives. When it stiffens or is built from odd fats, cells receive static instead of clear messages, which shows up as insulin resistance, brain fog and faster aging. About 60 percent of the fat in your brain is DHA.
• How to apply it: Cook with olive oil and avocado, and avoid trans fats and oxidized industrial oils. Keep a good ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. Add third party tested omega 3, and consider phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylserine. Sleep, exercise, use sauna and eat colorful plants for polyphenols.
• Metrics: Omega 3 index above 8 percent is optimal and below 4 percent is high risk. Red cell membrane fatty acid profiles and lipidomics give a deeper view.
• Tools: The omega 3 index test, fatty acid panels, third party tested fish oil and the Environmental Working Group as a guide to reduce toxin exposure.
• Risks: Oxidized or rancid oils, trans fats, sugar, mold and metals damage membranes. Intravenous phosphatidylcholine with glutathione is poorly tested and reserved for chronic cases.
• Exceptions: No single membrane test exists, and seed oils are fine when properly made, for example cold pressed or expeller pressed.