The SHN #37: Travel, NuCalm, and Forever Strong

Welcome back to The Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

In this edition, we’ll explore my favorite app, Nucalm.

After that, should we be practicing magic or prayer?

Then comes a look at Dr. Gabrielle Lyon’s book, “Forever Strong.”

Finally, I’ll include some links to things I’ve found particularly interesting recently.

Joe Burt

🏞️ Greetings From Bariloche, Argentina

A) Travel Update: I have just arrived in Bariloche, Argentina after spending two months in Buenos Aires (BA), the “Paris of South America.” BA has already become one of my favorite cities. A major reason is because of its A+ walkability, the #1 attribute to look for in a city.

The “porteño” people are very friendly and watching them interact with each other is a treat. Very loving, animated, and present. They also talk super fast.

A major difference between the US and Argentina is the timing of everything. Here, you’re lucky to find a coffee shop open before 9am or a restaurant to open for dinner before 8pm. The best parties get going around 2am and go well past sunrise.

As you may have heard, the rampant inflation has led to challenging times for the locals here, but it does mean that the US dollar goes extremely far.

For example:
Haircut: $5-6 USD vs. $45+ in Austin/NYC
30-minute Uber: ~$3-4 USD vs. ~$30+ in Austin/NYC
12oz Steak: ~$12 USD vs. $45-65+ in Austin/NYC
Premium Cocktail: ~$5-6 USD vs. $16-22 in Austin/NYC
Furnished 1BR Apt in Premium ‘Hood: $700-1200 USD vs. $3000+ in Austin/NYC
5g Marijuana: $25 USD vs. ~$60+ in Austin/NYC
1lb. Premium Ground Beef: ~$2 USD vs $7-10 in Austin/NYC
Subway Ride: $.30 USD vs. $3 in NYC
Beer at a Bar: $3 USD vs. $7-10 in Austin/NYC

Currently it makes more sense for me to live in a place like Buenos Aires than an expensive US city.

I look forward to exploring more places throughout Argentina and to spending more time in the capital city.

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🧘🏻 NuCalm

I’m surprised I haven’t written about this yet.

For those that know me well, you already know how big a fan I am of the NuCalm neuroacoustic software. I have been using it almost daily for four years now, and it remains my #1 tool to manage stress.

“Neuroacoustics is the science of how sound influences the brain. NuCalm's unique audio journeys leverage this science to synchronize your brainwave frequencies, creating a bridge to mental states that nurture rest, recovery, rejuvenation, and peak performance.”

I was lucky enough to participate in a mastermind program for NuCalm where I received a discounted lifetime membership in exchange for assisting in research for the company.

The research included recording a two-minute voice sample into a clinical grade stress detection app, which gave a stress score of 0-100 after each audio sample given.

Before listening to a 50-minute NuCalm track, my stress scores usually ranged from 25-65 out of 100. After listening, my scores ranged from 0-10, and never were above 10 after ~25 trials. 

Tony Robbins is a big fan of the FDA-approved clinical system, who finds it an effective way to rejuvenate and refresh your body. Professional sports teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks, have also used NuCalm.

What NuCalm Does

NuCalm calms the brain by bringing alert beta wave function down into the alpha/theta wave ranges. Beta waves are associated with everyday activity and alertness, while alpha and theta waves are associated with relaxation and peacefulness.

NuCalm brings you on a pleasant sonic journey from being in a sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system state into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.

In so doing, regular listening to NuCalm tracks leads to reduced anxiety, improved sleep, sharpened focus, and boosted performance.

How I Use NuCalm

While NuCalm as a company has branched out to include audio tracks specific for sleep, focus, and performance, 95% of my usage is with their “Rescue” and “Powernap” tracks.

These are the restorative tracks designed to give your nervous system a midday bath, or at any time you need a quick reset.

The best times to listen are usually when you would take a afternoon siesta, in the 12-4pm range. I also have had great success using it during flights, first thing in the morning when I didn’t get a full nights sleep, and/or when I had a few too many drinks the night before.

If you want to learn more, here is NuCalm CEO Jim Poole discussing the basics for new users.

You can also listen to Poole discuss “The Neuroscience of Stress” on the Modern Wisdom Podcast, and in “How To Meditate Like A Monk in Minutes w/ NuCalm” on the Luke Storey Podcast.

You can also try a seven-day free trial.

Alternatives to NuCalm

Unfortunately, NuCalm is a bit pricey.

The best, free alternative would be Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) or Yoga Nidra.

Here is a link to a 10-minute NSDR meditation by Dr. Andrew Huberman.

Here is a link to a 20-minute guided Yoga Nidra meditation.

💪 Forever Strong

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a board-certified family physician based in NYC whose main focus is on skeletal muscle.

Her recent book, “Forever Strong: A New Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well” is an expansion of her message that “as the body’s largest endocrine organ, muscle actually determines everything about the trajectory of health and aging.”

If I had to sum up the entire book it would be:

A) Lift weights often
B) Eat more protein

Here are some key quotes I highlighted from the book to share:

“Specific, well-timed resistance training doesn’t just improve your body’s composition, but also allows you to perform your daily activities while boosting your metabolic health.”

“The key is metabolic health. By increasing your healthy muscle mass, you not only change your body’s physical structure but also direct how your body uses both food and energy.”

“The more healthy muscle tissue you have to process fat and glucose, the more metabolically healthy you will be, and the less you will need to rely on pharmacological interventions.”

“In response to resistance training, specifically, your body reaps the benefits of contraction-driven glucose uptake for up to two days after your workout because exercise improves insulin-stimulated glucose uptake.”

“What we commonly think of as diseases of aging are really diseases of impaired muscle.”

“The higher your healthy muscle mass, the greater your protection against all-cause mortality and morbidity.”

“My prescription, simply put, is that every adult should consume at least 1 gram per pound of their ideal body weight each day. In particular, your first and last meals of the day should each contain a minimum of 30 grams of high-quality protein.”

Check out her informative YouTube channel, follow her on IG, and listen to her on the Modern Wisdom podcast.

𝕏 Thread of the Week

🏋 Lifting Weights Lowers Your Mortality Risk and Non-Communicable Diseases: This study showed that “Muscle-strengthening activities were inversely associated with the risk of all-cause mortality and major non-communicable diseases including CVD, total cancer, diabetes and lung cancer.” Just 30-90 minutes of strength training per week is associated with 10-20% lower risk for death, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

☀️ Less Sunlight Exposure=More Diabetes: Sunlight is required for normal energy metabolism. This study shows that insufficient exposure to the sun “is part of an explanation for the prevalence for metabolic deregulation in industrialized nations where unnatural lighting has become the norm.” Go outside fam.

🏋 Full ATG Protocol for Lower and Upper Body: Ben Patrick, aka Kneesovertoesguy, has deservedly become one of the top online movement coaches. For anyone interested in improving movement quality and extending the longevity of your joints, his programs are an excellent choice for all ability levels.

Recently on his Youtube channel, Patrick discusses his movement principles for both the Upper Body and the Lower Body. Patrick teaches full range of motion in his prescriptions as well as strengthening muscles in both shortened and lengthened ranges and from all angles.

🌿 Effects of Ayahuasca on Gratitude and Relationships: While there have been plenty of anecdotes suggesting ayahuasca leads to positive health outcomes, there hasn’t been many studies done. This naturalistic study, however, found “that mystical-type experiences and awe occasioned by ayahuasca may be linked to prosocial changes in gratitude and relationships with nature that may be beneficial to mental health.”

“Compared to baseline, there was a significant increase in gratitude, nature relatedness, and nature appreciation at the one-week and one-month follow-ups.” An interesting note in the study is that participant age was negatively related to the occurrence of mystical-type experiences, indicating blunted psychedelic effects with increased age.

🔗 One Hitters

🧏‍♂️ Fix Jaw Pain FAST (Article)

😔 Circadian rhythm disturbances causes depression in young people (Study)

💬 “Stop judging your day by how productive you were. But instead, judge it be how PRESENT you were.”

🗑️ Plant-based entrees served as a part of the National School Lunch Program lead to increased waste compared to meat-based entrees. (Study)

💬 “When a man cannot find meaning, he numbs himself with pleasure.” -Viktor Frankl (Tweet)

🧼 There is no reason on earth anyone should EVER use antibacterial soap (Tweet and Article)

❤️‍🔥 How To Transmute Your Lust Into Endless Energy (X Thread)

💊 “The western medical paradigm is an extension of secular materialism. It’s an extension of a profit-based merchant culture. At the end of the day— it’s a business” (Tweet)

🌍 Climate change is not settled science 😬 (Video)

💬 “We aren’t who we think we are. That’s really the basic teaching of it all.” (Tweet)

📅 My Scheduling Page: Go here to book a 15-minute free call.

✔️ That will do it for this time! Hopefully you got some value out of it. If you have any questions/comments/things you’d like to learn more about please don’t hesitate to reach out.

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📰 To read all past newsletters, go here.