Issue No. 35: Weekend Warrior Mode - Your Shortcut to Health

April 10, 2025

Good Morning! Welcome to this week’s edition of Morning Cowbell. Let’s take a look at the top stories and coolest trends shaping fitness and health.

💪  Weekend Warrior Mode - Shortcut to Health: New research suggests that you don’t have to work out daily to gain serious health benefits. It's not how often you move — it’s how much you move over the week that matters most.

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Three Moves to a Better Back and Posture
2. Do Women Need More Sleep than Men?
3. The Beast Blender: Powerful, Sleek, and Efficient
4. How Running Keeps Things Moving (and Less Gassy)
5. Can a 30-Minute Grind Outrun Science?

🐄 🐄 🐄 — John, Nolan and Josh

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now

Three Moves to a Better Back and Posture

Whether you’re trying to correct your WFH slouch or finally fill out the back of your T-shirts, these moves are your golden ticket to a sculpted spine and better posture.

  • The big picture: Lat Pull-Downs: This classic movement zeroes in on your upper and outer lats, helping create that enviable V-taper. Proper form is key: no yanking the bar behind your head or turning this into an ab crunch contest. Stick with smooth, controlled movements and feel the burn where it counts. Dumbbell Deadlifts: Grab a pair of dumbbells and you’ve got yourself a flexible, core-challenging alternative. These help strengthen your erector spinae (the thick muscles running along your spine), all while demanding balance and posture control. Pro tip: keep your chest proud and your hips hinged—your lower back will thank you. Cable Diagonal Raises: A workhorse for your traps, delts, and rotator cuffs. The cable diagonal raise is like the Swiss Army knife of upper-back exercises, especially for those wanting a more stable shoulder girdle. No cable machine at home? Swap it with a light dumbbell and still reap most of the benefits.

  • The verdict: Incorporating these three exercises into your routine will not only enhance your back's strength and appearance but also improve posture and contribute to a more balanced physique.

Do Women Need More Sleep Than Men?

Ever wake up groggy and think, “I clearly need more sleep than everyone else”? Well, if you’re a woman, there might be some truth to that — but don’t go blaming biology too fast.

  • The big picture: Research indicates that women tend to sleep slightly longer than men, but the variance is minimal and not significantly influenced by biological factors. ​Women are more frequently diagnosed with sleep disorders such as insomnia, being 40% more likely than men to experience such conditions. Hormonal changes during pregnancy, menopause, and menstrual cycles can impact women's sleep quality, potentially leading to increased sleep needs during these periods.

  • The verdict: While women might snooze a tad more than men, the difference isn't substantial; prioritizing good sleep hygiene is essential for everyone, regardless of gender.​

The Beast Health Blender

The Beast Blender: Powerful, Sleek and Efficient

With its good looks and powerhouse performance, the Beast Health Blender collection has become the smoothie-sipping secret weapon of minimalists, meal preppers, and design nerds everywhere.

  • The big picture: ​Whether you're a countertop king, a space-saver, or a freedom-loving adventurer, Beast has a blender built for your lifestyle, complete with sleek colors and industrial design charm. With up to 1200 watts of motor muscle and smart features like timed blend cycles and “blade with a brain” tech, these blenders crush ice, nuts, and TikTok smoothie trends without breaking a sweat—or a seal. From 12-ribbed vessels that improve blending, to leak-resistant lids and to-go convenience, every Beast product is clearly designed by someone who’s been personally betrayed by a leaky smoothie.

  • The verdict: The Beast Health Blender lineup doesn’t just talk the talk — it pulverizes the pulp, looks good doing it, and might be the only appliance that makes your kitchen sexier and healthier.

How Running Keeps Things Moving (and Less Gassy)

Your morning jog could be quietly helping your digestive system stay in rhythm, reducing bloating, and keeping gas levels in check.

  • The big picture: Running helps reduce gut gas buildup: Breath hydrogen levels— an indicator of fermentation happening in your gut — tend to decrease after exercise. This means running might be speeding up digestion and helping your body clear out excess gas more efficiently. Staying sedentary leads to inconsistency: Without movement, the gut seems to work a bit more erratically. Gas levels fluctuate more when you're inactive, suggesting your digestive system prefers a little hustle to stay on track. Science backs the gut–run connection: Studies show that regular exercise improves gut motility (how food moves through your system) and encourages a healthier microbiome, potentially reducing bloating, discomfort, and fermentation-related funk.

  • The verdict: If you’re looking for a natural way to keep your digestive system smooth, stable, and maybe a little less gassy, lacing up for a run might just be the simplest (and cheapest) solution.

Can a 30-Minute Grind Outrun Science?

This brave soul traded needles and blood samples for a treadmill and sweat puddles to see if a no-frills, 30-minute grind could really match up with the high-tech world of lactate testing.

  • The big picture: The field test (a brutal 30-minute all-out effort) delivered heart rate data that was virtually identical to the results from a controlled lab-based lactate threshold test. This suggests you don’t need blood samples to pinpoint your performance sweet spot. It not only aligned with the lab results but proved to be a practical, repeatable method athletes can use regularly—without needing to schedule a lab visit or empty their wallets. By using the 30-minute test to find your lactate threshold heart rate, you can tailor your training zones, improve endurance, and increase efficiency.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now