The Cardio Math I Didn't Want to Know
5M Fridays
Michigan's nuclear comeback, your iPhone's hidden toolbox, a Michael Jackson footnote, the cardio math nobody likes, and cereal as midlife metaphor.
The Map
Michigan may become the first state to bring a retired nuclear plant back online. The Palisades Nuclear Plant, located near the Lake Michigan shoreline in southwest Michigan, is being prepped to operate in 2026.
The global turn away from nuclear power was irrational. There is no more clean and consistent power source. And with Michigan hosting one of the most expensive, unreliable, and slow-to-repair power grids in the country, we could use the juice. I hope the facility comes online next year.
The Machine
Don’t sleep on your iPhone’s accessibility features. There’s plenty of useful customizations in there.
One example: I use the Back Tap feature (Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap) to reduce screen brightness.1 Three taps on the back and I reduce eyestrain and spousal annoyance when using my phone in the dark.2
Open Settings —> Accessibility, and poke around for things. It’s a hidden toolbox. Take advantage.
(I may do a whole column on Accessibility features at some point.)
The Music
Don’t start with Thriller.3
The Muscle
We need to sweat it out more. A lot more. Today’s exercise guidelines say to get 150 minutes of cardio a week. That’s not enough to make a material difference.
We need 8-9 hours a week for substantive cardiac protections to show up. The problem is that this seems like a ton, and it discourages people, who then do nothing.
Some exercise is better than nothing. Build from where you are.
The Middle
I’ve been eating too much cereal. It’s a crime to leave milk in the bowl, you know. Another round is always warranted. A little weight gain comes with that strategy.
That’s a leak.
Lots of midlife content is about total life reinvention. Practically, midlife change is often small and simple, with big results: fixing our leaks.
Energy leaks, like too much focus on news or scrolling. Food leaks, too much cereal.4
There are so many other leaks: time, needless daily frictions, mood killers, doomscrolling.
Small but important improvements come when we pay attention to where we leak5, and then tighten things up.
A vague way of saying I use for bedtime doomscrolling.
Again, in bed. Doomscrolling. I’m working on it.
First video ever shared here. Terrifying. Your mercy is appreciated.
It’s the crunch, man. My remedy? Start with a banana in the bowl. Sprinkle cereal to add a little crunch. For snacking, carrots are surprisingly satisfying. We’ll see how it adds up.
No, I’m not doing the obvious joke.