A smarter way to think about fitness, ruthlessly eliminating hurry, a lesson from Lasso, a podcast worth an hour, the 48-hour news fast, a push-pull circuit, & the grain bowl.
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In The Better Way Weekly
Article Review
Book Summary
Podcast Recommendation
Just Good Content
Weekly Challenge
Workout of the Week
Recipe of the Week
✅ ARTICLE
"15 Health and Wellness Trends to Watch in 2026" — Experience Life Magazine
The typical question is, “how much” — how many steps, how many reps, how many grams of protein — Experience Life is asking a different question here. Their 2026 wellness trends piece makes a quiet but powerful case for training with intention over volume, and living with versatility over optimization.
The line that got me was on hybrid fitness. Not the buzzword-y version. The real one.
“Hybrid fitness isn’t about being ‘pretty good’ at everything, but about developing a strong engine with efficient movement patterns and the ability to hold intensity, with the goal being versatility.”
That’s the goal, isn’t it? Not just to look fit — but to be capable. To hike a mountain with your kids, carry someone who needs carrying, and not fall apart at 60. Fitness as a form of readiness for life.
John Mark Comer was, by every external measure, killing it. Growing church. Full calendar. All the right things happening. And he was falling apart on the inside.
Sound familiar?
This book is his honest reckoning with what he calls “hurry disease” — the low-grade anxiety and spiritual dullness that comes from living life at a pace it was never designed for. The antidote is a fundamentally different way of being in the world
Hurry is the great enemy. Comer opens with a line borrowed from Dallas Willard that stopped me cold: “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Not manage it. Not reduce it. Eliminate it.
Silence and solitude aren’t optional extras. Jesus — someone with more on his plate than any of us — regularly withdrew. Alone. Quiet. Not to recharge so he could do more, but because connection with the Father was the point. Comer challenges us to build that same rhythm into ordinary life, not just retreats.
Simplicity is an act of rebellion. We live in a culture that profits from your complexity. More subscriptions, more commitments, more stuff. Simplicity isn’t just minimalism — it’s a quiet, daily refusal to let “more” define you.
🎬 JUST GOOD CONTENT
Ongoing Lesson’s from Lasso. Another very useful piece of advice.
🎙️ PODCAST OF THE WEEK
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos"What Time Really Costs Us"
Dr. Laurie Santos is one of the clearest thinkers I’ve encountered on the science of human wellbeing. Her Yale course on happiness became the most popular class in the university’s history.
In this episode, she and her guest dig into something most of us feel but rarely name: time poverty. The sense that no matter how much we try to free up space, we always feel rushed, behind, and stretched. Santos brings the research, but more importantly, she brings the practical — small, evidence-based shifts that can genuinely change how you experience your days.
If you’ve ever felt like your schedule owns you instead of the other way around, this one’s for you.
🚀 5 FACTOR CHALLENGE
(Factors of Health | Eat, Sleep, Train, Think, Connect)
Factor: Sleep
Factor: THINK
This Week’s Challenge: The 48-Hour News & Social Media Fast
For two full days, starting when you wake up, stay completely off social media and news.
The rules are simple:
No social media (Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube shorts, LinkedIn — all of it)
No news apps, websites, or podcasts
If you’d normally reach for your phone out of boredom, replace it with a walk, a conversation, or just sitting with the quiet
Why you benefit:Most of us have no idea how much cognitive bandwidth the news and social feeds are quietly consuming. Anxiety, comparison, outrage, FOMO — these are features of the attention economy, not bugs. Two days off doesn’t make you uninformed. It makes you clearer. Most people who try this are stunned by how different they feel by the second morning. Give yourself a full weekend where the world’s noise doesn’t have access to your mind.
💪🏻 WORKOUT OF THE WEEK
The Push-Pull Express | 30 Minutes, No Equipment
This workout pairs a pushing movement with a pulling movement in each superset, so you’re working opposing muscle groups back-to-back. Great for travel, home, or whenever you want a solid full-body session.
Complete 4 rounds of each superset. Rest 45 seconds between supersets.
Superset A - 4 Rounds
Push-Ups — 15 reps Work your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Keep your core tight and body in a straight line. Modification: Drop to knees. Make it harder: elevate your feet.
Inverted Row (or Towel Row) — 12 reps Get under a sturdy table, grip the edge, and pull your chest up to meet it. Keep your body straight. No table? Grab a towel around a door handle, sit back, and row yourself to standing.
Superset B - 4 Rounds
Pike Push-Ups — 10 reps Start in a downward dog position, then lower your head toward the floor. Targets shoulders and upper chest. Modification: Reduce the angle. Make it harder: elevate your feet on a couch or chair.
Superman Hold — 10 reps, 2-second hold at top Lie face down, arms extended overhead. Lift your arms and legs simultaneously, squeezing your glutes and back. Great counter to all the sitting we do.
Superset C - 4 Rounds
Diamond Push-Ups — 10 reps Hands in a diamond shape under your chest. Brutal on triceps. Modification: Drop to knees.
Doorframe Bicep Curl — 12 reps each arm Grab a doorframe at shoulder height, feet at base, and curl your body weight toward the frame. Silly-looking, surprisingly effective.
Finisher: Max set of elevated push-ups (put your hands on an elevated surface to make it “easier” so you can do a larger set here.)
🥑 RECIPE OF THE WEEK
A healthy, nutrient dense, minimally processed meal or snack.
Roasted Veggie & Farro Grain Bowl with Lemon-Tahini Drizzle
Ingredients:
1 cup dry farro (or sub brown rice or quinoa)
1 medium sweet potato, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups arugula or baby spinach
Optional toppings: sliced avocado, pickled red onion, pumpkin seeds
Lemon-Tahini Drizzle:
3 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove, minced
2–3 tbsp warm water (to thin)
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook farro according to package instructions (usually 25–30 minutes in salted water). Set aside.
Toss sweet potato, bell pepper, zucchini, and chickpeas with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast for 25–30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until sweet potato is tender and edges are caramelized.
Make the tahini drizzle: whisk tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and warm water together until smooth. Season with salt. Add more water if too thick — you want it pourable.
Build your bowls: start with a base of arugula or spinach, add a scoop of farro, top with roasted veggies and chickpeas, and finish with the tahini drizzle.
Add sliced avocado, pickled red onion, and pumpkin seeds if using. Serve immediately or pack for lunch.
Pro tip: Make a double batch of the roasted veggies on Sunday. They’ll keep in the fridge for 4 days and work well in wraps, on eggs, or stirred into soups.
