#5: Recover right

Hi and welcome back. In today’s issue: 

• Competitive runner Jonathan Levitt’s recovery routine

• Magic Mind CEO William Hicks shares his favorite wellness products

• What’s the perfect workout split?

• Plus, two new brand launches and the latest drops from Garmin and others

Recover: Recharge with Jonathan Levitt 🍒

Recovery is important. But what does that actually mean? We asked runner and podcaster Jonathan Levitt to break down his routine. 

Shake it off. After a run, Jonathan grabs a Scratch Labs Recovery Shake. He’s also experimenting with post-exercise ketones (like HVMN’s Ketone-IQ shots), something shown to help fight overtraining symptoms and improve sleep. 

At night. He also drinks tart cherry juice from Cheribundi. Packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, tart cherry juice can help reduce muscle damage and promote faster recovery. 

When training intensity ramps up, he increases protein intake to match, adding a whey shake before bed to aid overnight recovery. 

Compression and rolling. Compression therapy can help reduce soreness and Jonathan uses Hyperice’s Normatec Boots and Go calf sleeves a couple of times per week. He also frequently uses a Roll Recovery Roller while watching TV. 

Long-term: Once per quarter Jonathan does a blood test with InsideTracker to make sure everything's right on track. It also helps him to understand what he might need to adjust to reach optimal performance. 

The bottom line: “Having a recovery routine is essential,” says Jonathan. His routine enables him to “get back at it the next day feeling better.” 

Move: Half-cardio, Half-strength — the perfect mix? 🏃‍♀️

The perfect workout split depends on your personal goals, but new research found that hybrid training reduces cardiovascular disease risks.

The heart of the matter. Roughly one in three deaths in the U.S. is caused by cardiovascular disease. Aerobic exercises – like running, cycling, walking, or rucking — are known to reduce the risks. Until now, little research has compared aerobic exercise routines with resistance training or a combined program of half-resistance, half-cardio.

The research found that cardiovascular disease risk was significantly reduced by aerobic exercise and a workout regime split 50/50 between aerobic and resistance training. However, for those focused exclusively on resistance training, there was just a slight reduction.

Why mix it up? Duck-chul Lee, the study's lead author and associate professor in kinesiology at Iowa State University, says diversifying exercise types makes exercise less monotonous while accommodating individuals with joint issues (who can’t increase aerobic mileage) or those looking to add muscle and build cardio fitness. 

“You can replace half of your aerobic workout with strength training to get the same cardiovascular benefits,” says Lee.

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Health Stack: William Hicks 🧠

Welcome to our Health Stack series, where founders, operators, and experts share their favorite products, supplements, gear, apps, and routines…

This week we’re joined by William Hicks, the co-founder and CEO of Magic Mind, a beverage company creating products that unlock mental performance and flow-state.

Here’s William’s Health Stack:

Ka’Chava Shakes: “I’ve returned to the office in the last few months, and it’s harder to do real meal prep in the office kitchen. Ka’Chava has been my easy button for getting healthy nutrition very quickly in the office. I blend it up with some added protein powder, and it serves as a light but filling lunch.”

Ice Barrel 300: “My wife got me this cold plunge for Christmas, and I love the simplicity of it. If I’m being honest with myself, I need to do a better job of using it, but whenever I do, I feel amazing. I like this one because it looks good in our backyard compared to the other non-refrigerated models of cold plunges.”

• Magic Mind: “My secret weapon for mental performance. I drink Magic Mind every day after my morning cup of coffee to get dialed in for whatever the day brings me.”

• SideDish Sauces: “I’ve been trying to eliminate products with seed oils from our house, and SideDish’s sauces and dressings have been an amazing tool in that effort.”

• BRAMI Lupini Pasta: “For a quick, healthy meal, it’s hard to beat the lupini pasta from BRAMI. Throw some bolognese on top of al dente lupini pasta, and you have yourself a very filling, high-protein meal that takes less than 15 minutes.”

• Eight Sleep Pod Cover: “I finally invested in the Eight Sleep Pod Cover recently after using a cheaper, early-generation alternative. The smart stages of cooling/warming throughout the night have been a game changer for me.”

Check out William Hicks’ Health Stack on Wellworthy.

Add to wishlist: Cadence 🧂

Founded by Represent’s George Heaton and Daring’s Ross Mackay, Cadence is a new ready-to-drink electrolyte brand offering citrus-flavored hydration. Our team placed an order last night — we’ll report back on our thoughts soon. (Shop here)

A few more drops:

• A registered dietitian developed these JOVA smoothie kits, which come in flavors like peanut butter, double chocolate, and pistachio

• Garmin added two more affordable running smartwatches to its lineup, including the Forerunner 165 Music. It has built-in GPS, training metrics, daily suggested workouts, and can download music from Spotify

• If you’re inspired by the idea of adding tart cherry juice into your post-exercise recovery routine, Cheribundi has a nice little starter pack for you

• Very into this new Nike Storm-FIT sport wrap to keep on hand for those last-minute adventures when it’s a little wet or cold out

Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Ash Read and Melanie Ehrenkranz.

P.S. We’d love to hear from you! Send us your favorite gear, personal health stack, or feedback on the newsletter.