Welcome to 4 Minute Fridays, my weekly newsletter, where I reveal cutting-edge tips to help you get lean, boost energy, and live longer.

What's In Store For Today:

• Do this for 2 minutes to lower your blood pressure
• What your sleep schedule says about your mood
• A documentary that lit a fire under my butt

Today's issue is brought to you by ​AG1​.

Shorter days are here, and the mornings are starting earlier. This is when having a routine matters most. The one thing in my routine I never have to think about is taking ​AG1 Next Gen​.

It contains a multivitamin, pre- and probiotics, superfoods, and antioxidants, and I’m getting it all in one glass of water before I start my day.

Something you may notice is that the effects aren’t dramatic. It’s steady: the extra bit of energy I have even when the daylight starts to shrink, and the lack of bloating in my stomach.

AG1 Next Gen​ is formulated to support energy production and immune health. It’s actually been clinically shown to enrich the gut microbiome, which is great, especially in a season when we want our immune health to be as strong as possible.

This habit has survived travel and bad weeks and has stuck in my routine because it’s just one scoop, not five different pills that I have to remember to take. I’m two years in, and it’s become a staple of what I take in the mornings.

For a limited time, through my ​link​, you get a FREE Immune Support Bundle, including Omega-3 Fish Oil and Vitamin D3+K2, with your first subscription to AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro.

Click here to get AG1 Next Gen

Hey friend,

A while back, my family and I were living in Maui, and aside from surfing, one of the things I loved to do was collect shells.

I don't know why I like it so much. Maybe it's the discovery, or maybe it's the fact that it puts me in the zone, where I can't think of anything else except looking for tiny hints that may point to finding an epic cone shell.

                          A small portion of my shell collection

One of my friends likes to watch birds. He has a little book where he keeps all the different species he journals, and he collects them for no reason. He just loves to do it.

One thing I do know is that it makes no sense as a hobby, and that's okay.

As we get older, we tend to lean towards logic. Things should have a means to an end.

My advice is to lean into that weirdness. Do things that make no sense to anyone else but you.

This is part of a healthy human experience. Don't let anyone talk you out of it. Own it, and if it gives you joy, go ahead and do it.

Here's what caught my attention this week.

Here Is Your 4 Minute Friday:

1. Do This 2-Minute Exercise To Lower Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the canary in the coal mine for your heart. It can rise quietly for years, showing no symptoms until your heart problems show up.

A new study shows there's one time-efficient exercise that can lower it.

Researchers had 100 adults suffering from high blood pressure and had them do four 2-minute squat holds 3x per week. After 4 weeks, their systolic blood pressure dropped by 9 points.

Then they split them up for one more month. The people who kept doing wall sits 3x a week dropped 14 points below where they started.

BTW, a wall sit is an isometric exercise where you do nothing but sit against the wall using no support. In one 2023 meta-analysis of 270 trials, they found that isometrics came out on top for lowering blood pressure.

Now, if you were my client and you're going through a busy month, I would tell you that you can still maintain progress by doing the bare minimum.

So if you find yourself too busy to hit the gym, do yourself a favor and sit on the wall for 2 minutes and keep yourself busy. Doing something is always better than nothing.

2. What Your Sleep Schedule Says About Your Mood

  
In my late 20s, I realized that most of my mental and physical problems came downstream from something not a lot of people talk about: ​circadian dysfunction​.

Up until then, my sleep was horrible. I stayed up late and didn't understand what keeps our body clocks healthy. A new study shows how much this matters for our mental health.

Researchers looked at 11,000 Australian adults with depression and found that one in four fit a circadian profile with things like staying up late at night, sleeping in on the weekends, morning brain fog, and dealing with a mood that shifted with the seasons.

This group tended to get depressed earlier in life, had more severe symptoms, and even said common antidepressants worked less for them.

To fix myself, I started by going to bed and waking up at the same times every day, even on the weekends.

I put in so much work to fix my sleep quality that now I can put my head on the pillow and time travel to the next day.

Once my body clock was on track, getting in shape got a lot easier, and I was also dealing with fewer mental health issues.

If you find that sleep is something you need to improve in your life. I put everything I learned and the protocols we use with clients into a free sleep guide that you can ​access over here​.

❤️ My Favourite Thing This Week

I love video games. I played the Atari when it first came out, and when we got a Nintendo, it was a revelation. I still find playing the right game beats scrolling social media any day of the week.

To me, video games are a microcosm of entrepreneurship, and building one is entrepreneurship in its purest form. That's why I loved this documentary about No Man's Sky.

The game launched in 2016 and was a disaster, losing 99% of its players on Steam within weeks. The creator, Sean Murray, didn't argue with critics. He sorted every complaint into a spreadsheet, then worked to fix them.

10 years and more than 40 free updates later, it's now rated as very positive.

Its creator could have quit when everyone dogpiled on his game. Instead, he took the criticism as feedback, fixed it, and people are still playing it to this day.

If you want to light a fire under your butt, you can watch ​the documentary here​.

Client Of The Week - Zach Barnhill, Entrepreneur

Zach is an entrepreneur who used to struggle with weekend overeating and staying on a consistent routine.

His goal was clear: lean down, build muscle, and boost his energy without overhauling his entire life.

In just 4 months, he’s down 17.4 lbs, has more energy, and for the first time since college, he’s starting to see his abs again.

Here's how we did it:

• Made high-quality, prepped meals automatic and consistent
• Combined strength training with a high-protein diet and daily walking
• Planned for social events and travel, so he always had a clear plan

Zach didn’t chase perfection, he built a system that fit his life. Amazing work, Zach!

Are you an entrepreneur who wants to drop the fat, gain muscle, and boost energy? Click this link to apply for our coaching program.

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Anytime I feel doubt or fear, I remind myself of a simple phrase: "It's not about you."

I put the focus on what matters most in my life, which is helping other people. It takes a lot of the pressure and anxiety away from what you're doing.

As promised, get healthier in under 4 minutes.

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help:

1. The Lean Body 90 System: When you’re ready to get in great shape, Lean Body 90 is the obvious choice. You can get in great shape and reach your fitness goals in just 90 minutes a week. Lose weight and build muscle even without hours in the gym or highly restrictive diets. Join 1000+ students here.

2. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape? Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.