👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #184 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):
🧠 The dementia risk you haven't heard of
Hearing loss is strongly linked to cognitive decline and dementia.
(now you'll get the HILARIOUS title's pun)
Studies show a clear dose-response relationship:
- Mild hearing loss → ~2× dementia risk
- Moderate → ~3×
- Severe → up to 5× increased risk
MRI studies also show that people with hearing loss experience ~30–40% faster brain atrophy.
Why this happens:
- 👂 Less auditory input → less brain stimulation
- 🧠 More effort spent decoding sound → higher cognitive load
- 😞 Increased social withdrawal → independent dementia risk
Recent randomised trial research suggests that treating hearing loss (e.g. hearing aids) can slow cognitive decline.
Bottom line:
Untreated hearing loss accelerates cognitive aging.
Protect your hearing, test it regularly, and address problems early.
🥋 Talent vs discipline according to the master
Interviewer: What matters more: talent or discipline?
Bruce Lee: Long. Term. Consistency.
🫡 Thank you SD for sharing
On that note...
✅ Consistency ≠ rigidity
I’ve been writing this newsletter for 3.5 years now. Every week. Zero misses.
I can’t really remember why I started it (I was still a full-time web designer at this point).
I liked reading newsletters from some cool people.
And I had stuff I wanted to share.
So I combined the formats, styles, and cadence I liked from those newsletters.
I messaged 50 friends and family.
And newsletter #1 went out.
In those early days, hitting send every week was the hardest part.
To share ideas. To put myself out there…
It went dead against the social media hermit life my nervous system was used to.
But I built the muscle.
Since then, nearly 200 weeks later, it’s become my university.
A space for me to sit down each week, stay on top of the latest research, comb through the bullsh*t, and write about it all.
They say the best way to learn something is to teach it. I’ve found this to be true. The writing process has been the best teacher for my understanding of these topics and ideas.
And now - each week - I’m really writing for myself. Selfish bastard.
It’s also been a space to grow. In newsletter #1, I wrote about hydration. In newsletter #183, I wrote about aligning your identity with your actions to influence behaviour most powerfully. Lol.
And as edition #52 went out, #104, #156… I started to identify with the fact that I’d never missed a week.
If I preach about long-term consistency, sh*t, I better walk the walk.
If you re-read the first line, you’ll see I’ve given it another hammer into my subconscious again.
Dammit.
And so even through 4 months of overseas travel, Christmas, holidays, life events, sickness… I became the guy who never missed.
Consistent, sure.
But rigid.
Particularly some weeks when I’d be shovelling sh*t. Nothing to really share. Scrolling socials, scanning newsletters, surfing the web to find 3 cool things to suit the newsletter’s format.
But recently I’ve learned, long-term consistency doesn’t mean rigidity.
Sometimes we have to pivot.
Sometimes we have to be flexible.
Sometimes we have to adjust.
And so on the verge of entering a new season of life - becoming a dad + increased work load - I can't be rigid.
So…
As an experiment, this Everyday Athlete newsletter will become a monthly newsletter.
Lower cadence. But higher quality.
And importantly, the right form of consistency so I can sustainably keep it moving.
Cause we gotta keep it moving.
Thanks for being here.
See you next month ✌️
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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