Stress test

Welcome back to Wellworthy, your weekly guide to living better. Here's what's lined up this week:

• Eudēmonia Summit’s Sean Hoess on balancing work and wellness.

• New research on how exercise impacts biological aging.

• The latest product drops for runners, energy, clean eating, and more.

— Let’s go!
Ash Read + Jake Heyen, Wellworthy

P.S. Huge welcome to everyone joining us from Active Overwatch this week. We’re excited to have you on board. 

The Health Stack: Sean Hoess

Founder and CEO of Eudēmonia Summit, Sean Hoess is in “crunch mode.” With less than 90 days until the event (November 13-16, 2025), he’s focused on staying sharp, healthy, and injury-free:

"My major goal right now is resilience: maintaining performance, staying healthy, and not getting sick (or gaining weight)."

Passion-driven wellness: Instead of forcing workouts, Hoess leans into what he loves, tennis. Beyond cardio, the sport doubles as mindfulness: “Presence in the moment, flow, release of negative thoughts—tennis mirrors meditation practice.”

He also treats yardwork as training: “I burn a lot of calories planting, chopping, digging, splitting, and mowing. It’s a time- and money-efficient form of exercise.”

Family fuel: As his family’s main cook, Hoess builds wellness into evening routines. Cooking forces him to stop work by 6 p.m., de-stress in the kitchen, and sit down for family dinner.

Experimental healing: A degenerated meniscus led him to try peptide therapy—despite his aversion to needles. Two months in: “I’ve lost 2 inches in my right knee’s circumference, with more mobility and less pain.”

To support peak performance at 55, his stack includes:

• AG1: “My daily driver. As a busy (and sometimes lazy) person, I love the fact that you can get a good solid supplement stack, plus probiotics and some greens, in a single product.”

• Oura and Whoop: “Yes, I’m a dork and wear both, but I find it fascinating to see the small differences between the two. Both are excellent sleep trackers. Whoop seems to be a bit better for exercise tracking, and I prefer Oura for sleep. Both seem to do well on HRV.”

• Function Health: “The perfect complement to the Oura and Whoop, allowing me to keep tabs on my most significant biomarkers and more importantly, track them over time.”

• Hyperice Set: “I have a percussion massager, the knee contrast therapy device, and the Normatec leg compression set. All 3 are critical to recovery, playing aggressive tennis at 55 takes its toll.”

• The NYT Cooking app: “If you lack inspiration, or want to search for a cool recipe based on what you find in your fridge, it should be your go-to. Most recipes are excellent, and the library is huge.”

On Our Radar 

Interesting stories we spotted this week → 

NYC's sweetest half-marathon. The Bakery Run combines a 13.1-mile route through Brooklyn and Manhattan with stops at eight top bakeries, each offering signature pastries.The social half-marathon kicks off September 21st at 9:00 AM from La Cabra in Bushwick. Only 100 participants will be selected via lottery, with sign-ups closing September 10th.

Kilian Jornet's 14er challenge. Trail running brand NNormal’s founder Kilian Jornet announced his States of Elevation project to summit all 60-plus peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado, California, and Washington while traveling between them on foot and bike. The month-long challenge involves over 600 miles of running, hiking, and climbing, plus 2,400 miles of cycling (more distance than this year's Tour de France). 

Turn back your cellular clock. Researchers analyzing DNA aging markers found that structured exercise reverses biological aging. Sedentary middle-aged women reduced their epigenetic age by two years after just eight weeks of aerobic and strength training. Beyond muscle, regular physical training also slows aging in the heart, liver, fat tissue, and gut.

Power up your training. Strava is introducing Training Zones to show runners and cyclists how much time they're spending in each power, pace, or heart rate zone across weekly, monthly, or 3-month periods. The feature helps athletes balance effort and recovery for peak performance. Other new features include a redesigned mobile Route Builder and Power Skills for cyclists with individualized power-based training insights. 

Erewhon expands. The cult LA grocer is making its New York debut inside Kith Ivy, a luxe members-only padel club opening later this year in the West Village. Instead of a full store, the nook will house a tonic bar serving Erewhon’s signature juices and smoothies to members, with delivery available to non-members via Postmates and Uber Eats.

Just Dropped

New products and launches spotted this week → 

YVOTY’s weighted vest for women in midlife 

YVOTY (pronounced ee-vo-té) introduced the Warrior Vest, a weighted vest built specifically for women in midlife, featuring a modular weight system with 2.5-pound iron sand pouches and adjustable straps. It’s priced at $249 for founding members (until Sept 7), then will retail for $299.

Each vest includes a free DEXA scan and community app access for tracking progress. Pre-order now.

Zest rethinks the wake-up call

Zest introduced Zest 2.0, an upgraded wake-up supplement with delayed-release technology designed to be taken before bed. The patented technology releases 80mg caffeine, L-theanine, B vitamins, and zinc after 7-8 hours to combat sleep inertia and morning grogginess. 

Developed by sleep experts, the formula aims to improve alertness and clarity upon waking while supporting circadian rhythm alignment. Try Zest.

More discoveries:

Polar unveiled the Loop, a screen-free WHOOP-like fitness band without subscription fees. The $199 device tracks activity, sleep, and health metrics, available for pre-order in three colors with a September 10 release. Pre-order now.

NOIZ launched Sour Energy Gummy Bears. Founded by a first responder seeking clean energy without crashes, each gummy contains 17mg caffeine, plus Vitamin B12, Beta-Alanine, Huperzine A, and L-Tyrosine for physical endurance and mental clarity. Power up here.

Everything Sourdough rolled out its clean sourdough cookies made with ancient einkorn flour and fermented for 72 hours to enhance flavor and digestibility. The cookies are made without seed oils or artificial ingredients, using traditional methods and thoughtfully sourced ingredients for better taste and gut comfort. Shop now.

lululemon updated its running shoe line with the Split Shift. The daily trainer features proprietary ShiftFoam cushioning designed to provide a responsive, springy feel. The lightweight shoe also includes a rocker-style footbed to encourage heel-to-toe transition. Discover more.

SunSip launched Classic Cola, reimagining the world's most beloved soda flavor with gut-healthy prebiotic fiber, vitamins C, B6, and B12, plus minerals zinc and selenium. The better-for-you cola contains just 5 grams of sugar, sweetened with fruit juice, monk fruit, and organic cane sugar, with no artificial ingredients. Order here.

Forward is pushing back against overly engineered and processed protein industry with its whole food protein bar made with 100% real ingredients, including dates, seeds, and raw honey. Each bar delivers 12g of complete plant-based protein without any powders, isolates, or synthetic compounds. Try it now.

Happy Head debuted StrandIQ™, the world's first DNA-powered hair growth system that analyzes over 500 genes to deliver personalized hair health recommendations. Get your kit here.

Chroma released the Radiance, a red light face mask featuring precision violet, red, and NIR light for 30-90 second treatments. Engineered to clear and tone skin, calm inflammation, and boost collagen production without chemicals or invasive procedures. Shop now.