💪 The everyday athlete newsletter #164

👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #164 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 sleep deprivation protocol (how to perform on sh*t sleep)

5 months out from entering dad mode…

And as a mate described it: ”military-camp-like sleep deprivation”...

I’ve been digging up my old newsletters (how self-indulgent) to put together the: 

💤 New parent sleep deprivation protocol: (how to perform on sh*t sleep)

The following tools all have early research supporting performance and resilience under sleep loss.

• 🏃 HIIT: buffer metabolic hit
• 🧠 Creatine (high dose): brain energy fuel 
• ☕️ Theacrine: caffeine alternative without sleep impact
• ⚡️ L-tyrosine: neurotransmitter top-up
• 🦠 Glucosamine: immune insurance

👉 Here’s the full protocol

🏃 The science trap that misguides your training

Looooove this post from Steve Magness (author of Do Hard Things).

He essentially says that big results in 6–8 weeks look sexy. But they rarely stick.

Most “research-backed” exercise programs are short studies where anyone doing something hard gets fitter.

That doesn’t mean it’s sustainable.

Everything works in the short term. Even the crazy stuff.

The question is: what can you keep doing?

Because fitness isn’t about what works for 8 weeks.

It’s about what still works 8 years from now.

🧠 The Alzheimer’s escapee

Doug Whitney was supposed to lose his memory 25 years ago.

He's got a rare mutation (called Presenilin 2) that almost always causes early Alzheimer’s. The same one that killed most of his family in their 50s.

But at 76, Doug is perfectly sharp.

And scientists are trynna figure out why..

• His brain is full of amyloid (the sticky protein linked to Alzheimer’s)
• But shows almost no tau (the one that actually wrecks brain cells)

Something in his biology is stopping the damage. Researchers reckon there's 3 likely reasons:

• 🛡️ He's got gene variants that calm inflammation and block tau buildup
• 🧘 An unusually chill immune response to amyloid
• 🔥 Very high levels of heat shock proteins (HSPs) (molecules that protect other proteins from dying)

They think those HSPs came from Doug’s years working in the scorching engine room of a Navy ship (4-hour shifts at 110°C heat).

Raising HSPs helps protect the brain (maybe even from Alzheimer's).

How? Sauna.

👉 60 mins/week of sauna (3x 20-min sessions at 80–100°C).

That's it!

Have a great weekend 🤙

Matt

📬 Did someone forward this to you? I send an email like this every week. Join free here.

👇 If these emails aren't for you anymore you can unsubscribe below. No stress, they're not for everyone.

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.