Two Percent with Michael Easter

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Today is the second Friday of the month—which means it’s time for Gear Not Stuff, the internet’s best gear column. We feature only gear, never stuff.This episode follows up on two recent episodes that covered microplastics:* This episode explained the basics of microplastics and how they harm your health (six things you must know).* This episode revealed 10 ways you can avoid microplastics.Today’s episode reveals 8 pieces of essential gear that will help you and your family take in fewer microplastics—reducing your long term health risks.

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Walking might be the best act to for recovery between workouts, building a foundation of health, and strengthening your mindset.Today’s episode is a quick primer on the power of walking—which you should do. Ideally outside. Daily.We’ll tell some wild stories and cover the impressive science around the power of walking. You’ll learn:* Why humans are built to walk.* The body benefits of walking. * The brain benefits of walking.* How I program walking into my overall health and fitness routine (it’s a cornerstone).

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The recovery phase after your workout is when you build back better and improve your health and fitness. But the rise of the “recovery” industry has led to recovery practices that take longer than the workout itself. Ain’t nobody got time for that. How you recover from a hard workout doesn’t have to be as labor intensive as the workout itself. This episode covers:* The two most important recovery practices.* Three other no-effort recovery practices that’ll help you recover quicker.The result: You’ll be able to recover from your workouts better and in less time.

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It’s the first Friday of the month. Which means it’s time for Burn the Ships, the internet’s best monthly group workout tradition. A couple of weeks ago, Two Percent featured two posts covering VO2 and how to determine your VO2 score at home for free (no lab-based, expensive testing involved).October’s Burn the Ships is inspired by what I learned reporting on VO2.* The workout will help you figure out where your endurance stands.* We’ve included a calculator so you can calculate how your performance in the workout equates to a VO2 score. This is good information for longevity.* You can return to this Burn the Ships to determine how your endurance grows or shrinks over time.To Burn the Ships with us, become a Member of Two Percent.

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On Monday, Michael covered microplastics. These tiny plastic particles are like air: All around us and within us. And they’re seemingly no good.Growing and troubling research suggests they’re linked to health issues like heart and brain disease and much more. But here’s some good news: There are simple ways to lessen the amount of microplastics you take in. We can seriously reduce the amount we and our families ingest. Perhaps even better news is that we don’t have to upend our lives and live like some back-to-the-land Earthers to lessen our load.In this episode, we’ll cover 10 high-impact, low effort ways to reduce your exposure to the next big health threat.

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We’re covering six topics you need to know about microplastics and your health.Earlier this year, the New England Journal of Medicine dropped a bomb of a study that made the world take notice of microplastics and what they’re doing to our health.It discovered that 58 percent of people having their heart operated on had microplastics in their heart plaque. Importantly, the presence of microplastics in the heart was linked to a 4.5 fold increase of death, heart attack, or stroke. Microplastics are literally everywhere in our environment—in our food, water, air, and earth.And new research is showing they’re linked to increase risk of heart disease, brain diseases, liver issues, and more.Today, we’re diving into microplastics and answering:* How pervasive they are.* Where they come from.* How they enter our bodies.* How they impact our health.* Whether you can totally avoid microplastics.* What we do and don’t know (Two Percent Sanity Sauce).Become a Member at TWOPCT.com.

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It’s the fourth Friday of the month—so it’s time for our AMA, where Michael answers your most pressing questions.We’re answering the following questions from Two Percent readers:* Can you give me a definitive answer on plant versus animal protein? Is there a practical difference between the two, and how much of each should I get? * I loved the VO2 test you wrote about on Wednesday, but don’t want to run. Are there any simple ways to test my VO2 that don’t involve running?* I quit drinking caffeine but work out in the morning and need a boost. How influential is caffeine for performance? Could I use a pre-workout instead?Why each question matters* The plant vs. animal protein question. * Whether plant or animal protein is “better” is a debate that has going on for years. And it’s more important now than ever, with more and more plant protein options on the market. * But, recently, protein researchers have settled in on how you should approach plant and animal protein for ideal health and performance. * We’ll also cover an ideal amount of protein for people who want to simplify but stay healthy, and for those who want to optimize for fitness.* The caffeine question. * Caffeine is one of the most potent legal performance enhancers. * But most people use it in a way that takes away its benefits and can even cause. * We’ll explain how to use caffeine around your workouts to get it’s performance enhancing benefits.* The VO2 test question.* Having a way to regularly measure and test your fitness can help you know where you stand, which can guide your exercise decisions in a way that helps you live better and longer.* We’ll give you five different tests that you can use to estimate your VO2 and how your fitness compares to other people your age. Become a Member of Two Percent at TWOPCT.com to get full access to the episode as well as resources, links, and citations for each answer.

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VO₂ max, a measurement of your fitness, is linked to athletic performance and longevity. Increasing your VO₂ seems to be one of the best things you can do for longevity.This is why many people are going to labs to get a VO₂ max test. But that might be unnecessary … … the research around VO₂ max and longevity and VO2 testing is often misunderstood and there are much simpler methods than a lab-based VO₂ test.We’ll explain some issues with VO₂ max and a simple, free way to get your VO₂ max.Full access to this episode is for Members of Two Percent. Become a Member at TWOPCT.com to get full access.

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Today Michael is covering how to bulletproof your ankles.Ankle sprains are one of the most common, debilitating, and uniquely human injuries.They can put you in danger outdoors and hurt your ability to exercise over the long haul.We worked with the wise and powerful Kyler Brown of WellSport and 10Squared to give you three exercises that will bulletproof your ankles.Watch the video at TWOPCT.com to see the exercises and get instructions on sets/reps.

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The Expedition covers the most worthwhile and impactful ideas Michael discovered in the last month. This month, we’re covering:* A documentary Michael loved.* Numbers on:* Ultraprocessed food and diabetes risk.* How accurate doctors are with lifespan predictions.* When to re-fuel after a hard workout.* Whether a “weekend warrior” approach to fitness works.* Energy drinks and performance.* How strength training impacts your metabolism.* Marijuana.* Heavy metals in tampons.* How to (maybe) not die in a plane crash.* How obese your state is.* Whether getting a DXA/DEXA scan to learn your body fat percentage is worth it.* My go-to hotel room exercise.* An awesome quote about performance from a genius.* An important parting question about books (weigh in in the comments).To get full access to the show, become a Member of Two Percent.

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