Days,
thought
differently.
Writing on sleep, food, training, and the craft of building days worth living.
Resonance breathing: a breathing exercise that calms stress
Breathing at six breaths per minute for five minutes calms your nervous system and raises your HRV. The 5-5 pattern, why it works and when to use it.
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Progressive overload: the real key to making progress
Gradually add weight, reps or sets: the #1 principle of progress. How double progression works, why you need a training log, and how to balance recovery.
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Night shift work: how to sleep better during the day
Total darkness by day, filtering glasses on the way home, regular hours, well-timed naps and caffeine: how to protect your sleep when you work nights.
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Stretching: before or after exercise, and what does it do?
Before: dynamic stretches, because long static holds right before exercise sap your strength. After: for flexibility. And no, it won't really prevent soreness.
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Active vs. passive recovery: which one should you choose?
Active or passive recovery? Active recovery gets your blood flowing after a workout; passive recovery is true rest. How to choose based on how you feel today.
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Calorie deficit: how to calculate it the right way
Calorie deficit: 300 to 500 kcal below your expenditure, or about 0.3 to 0.5 kg a week at first. How to calculate it, stick to it and keep your muscle.
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VO2 max: what is it, and how do you improve it?
VO2 max is the size of your engine and one of the best predictors of longevity. Here's how to improve it with zone 2 and intervals, at any age.
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Screens before bed: is blue light really bad for sleep?
Bright evening light does delay sleep, but the mental stimulation of screens matters just as much. What actually works for better nights, without gadgets.
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Returning to exercise after illness: the rules to follow
The above/below-the-neck rule, the gradual 60-70% restart and the fever warning you must never ignore: how to return to exercise after illness safely.
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Tired after eating: why it happens, and how to avoid it
The early-afternoon slump is circadian first (it happens even without lunch), and a heavy, sugary meal makes it worse. How to actually avoid it.
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Exercise for anxiety: what does the science say?
Regular exercise reduces anxiety and mild depression, sometimes as much as other standard approaches. The mechanisms, the right dose and the limits.
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Deload week: when to take one and how to do it
Cut your training volume by 40-50% every 4 to 8 weeks, or as soon as fatigue builds up. Keep some intensity. And no, a deload week isn't being lazy.
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Jet lag: how to get over it fast
Plan on about one day of adjustment per time zone crossed. Light as your No. 1 lever, meals set to destination time: how to get over jet lag faster.
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Ice bath benefits: real recovery tool or just a fad?
Ice baths really do ease soreness and reset your mind — but right after lifting, they blunt your gains. When to use a cold plunge, and when to skip it.
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Resting heart rate: what is a normal resting heart rate?
A normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 bpm, and 40 to 60 bpm in endurance athletes. How to measure it when you wake up, and how to read it as a trend.
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How many calories do you really need per day?
How many calories do you need per day? It depends on your metabolism and activity. Typical ranges, the limits of formulas, and how to find your real number.
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Zone 2 cardio: what is it, and why is it the best cardio?
Zone 2 is easy cardio where you can still talk in full sentences. Here's why this low intensity builds your aerobic base better than anything else.
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Caffeine and sleep: when to stop drinking coffee before bed
Caffeine has a half-life of 5 to 6 hours, so a 4 p.m. coffee lingers well into your evening. Why to cut it off 8 to 10 hours before bed, and what that changes.
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Deep sleep: how to get more of it
A cool bedroom, fixed sleep times, daytime exercise, an early caffeine cutoff: the levers that really boost deep sleep, and the ones that do nothing.
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Sore muscles: how to recover faster
Light movement, sleep, enough protein: what really speeds up recovery from sore muscles (DOMS), what makes no difference, and when to start worrying.
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Ideal nap length: how long should you nap?
10 to 20 minutes before 3 p.m.: the nap formula that recharges you without the grogginess. Why 30 minutes backfires, and when napping is a warning sign.
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How many hours of sleep do you really need?
7 to 9 hours for most adults, but the real answer depends on you. What the data actually says, and how to find your own sleep need in just two weeks.
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Readiness score: how it works, and how to improve it
HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, recent training load: what a readiness score really measures, where its limits are, and how to raise it for the long run.
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HRV: what is heart rate variability?
HRV measures the tiny variations between two heartbeats, the most accessible marker of your recovery. How to read it, and what makes it go up or down.
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How much protein per day to build muscle?
1.6 to 2.2 g per kilogram of body weight per day: what the research says, why eating more adds nothing, and how to spread your protein across the day.
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Overtraining: the signs you're doing too much
Stalled performance, worse sleep, a rising resting heart rate, fading motivation: the warning signs of overtraining, and how to react before you break down.
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How many workouts per week do you need to make progress?
How many workouts per week? From 2 to 5, depending on your level and your goal: what the WHO, the ACSM and the research say about strength training and cardio.
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Going to bed at the same time: what it really changes
For the same amount of sleep, a regular schedule improves sleep quality, energy and even metabolic health. Here's why it works, and how to make it happen.
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Why am I always tired? The real causes of constant fatigue
Hidden sleep debt, irregular hours, undereating, overreaching, deficiencies: the most common causes of fatigue that won't go away, in the order to check them.
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Stress and exercise: why your body stops recovering
Your nervous system can't tell a crunch week at work from a high-volume training week: mental stress gets paid for in physical recovery. Here's what to do.
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Alcohol and sleep: what really happens during the night
Alcohol can help you fall asleep, but it fragments the second half of the night: less REM sleep, weaker heart recovery. Here's what happens, drink by drink.
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