👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #176 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):
🧑🎓 10 lessons from 2025 (a year that didn't go to plan)
I shared an instagram post with my best lessons from 2025. Here's my top 3...
👉 Lesson 2: Slow growth is good growth
My gym - Hexa Life - was in growth mode. By Feb, new members were rolling in. But the onboarding process was time intensive and taking my focus away from session prep. Quality had slipped. So I paused ads, capped sign-ups, and shifted focus to the experience. → Like in fitness, try to do too much too soon and something will break - injury, burnout, overwhelm. Start small and build slow.
👉 Lesson 3: Buy expertise
With a digital marketing background, I thought I could do all the sales and marketing myself. But wasted heaps of time with little to show.
I hired a marketing agency and cut the learning curve. One of the best investments I’ve ever made.
→ Paying for help/experience/coaching is the fastest way to get where you wanna go. And it pays you back in the long term.
👉 Lesson 6: You don't need perfect to start
I pretty much sat on my ass all of 2024 waiting for development approval for the gym.
With the gym recently being shut down by council, and moving all sessions out of the rugby clubhouse, I realised I could’ve started in that clubhouse. Built the base earlier.
But I had the belief that I needed the gym, the gym was the value.. It wasn’t.
→ We don’t need the perfect week, program, equipment or setup. We just need to start.
You can read the full post here.
📱Wellness app update that'll change your habits
Wellness app Insight Timer just got an update that's worth checking out.
I've been using it to start a meditation habit (see newsletter #165).
They’ve just rolled out a bunch of features that have science-backed habit formation baked in.
Stuff like:
- 🎯 Setting micro daily goals (e.g. 2 min meditation - what I do)
- 📆 Upgraded streak tracking
- 📱 Buttons you physically tap to say “I’m committed” (matters more than it sounds)
You can even add streaks as a widget on your home page. Keep it front of mind.
Subtle stuff. But effective.
🧊 Growing cells hungrier than cancer cells
Super interesting new research. Essentially brown/beige fat cells are found to be hungrier than cancer cells. Which deprives them of the fuel they need to grow.
Brown and beige fat cells are special, heat-producing fat cells. They burn energy (calories) to create heat to maintain body temp. Unlike white fat, which mostly stores energy.
The research is on a treatment where fat is extracted, modified to brown and replaced in the body.
But also alludes to how consistent cold therapy can increase brown/beige fat in the body too.
For me - with low cancer risk or history - it’s the push to make the ice part of ongoing routine.
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, watch the video and follow the instructions
- 🗓️ Lean & Lively 21 Day Sprint: A lite version of Adaptive Vitality designed to give you the momentum to get back on track in just a few focused weeks
- 📞 1-1 consult (60 mins): A one-off deep dive with me. Ask anything. We’ll unpack your situation and walk away knowing exactly what you need to do next
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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