The Expedition: February '26 Edition

21 new ideas to make you smarter, healthier, and wealthier this month.

The Expedition is our monthly journey into thoughts, opinions, ideas, observations, studies, facts, figures, etc.

Good ones, insightful ones, interesting ones, weird ones, and ones you can use to live well and long.

It’s a roundup of all the worthwhile stuff I’ve discovered in the last month. The Expedition is a bit of an island of misfit toys. But, hey, the greatest journeys are winding.

My Homies and I All Love:

• Janji, an independent running brand making gear built for ultra-distance pursuits. They’re the only brand making gear specifically for 200-plus-mile adventures—my favorite kind. Check out the Circa Daily Long Sleeve, great alone or as a layering piece. Find Janji at Janji.com and at REI stores nationwide.

• Maui Nui: Eat ethically. Maui Nui’s harvests wild Axis Deer, which are invasive to Maui. They’re also the healthiest meat on planet earth. Try the Stick Starter 6-Pack at $39 each. High-protein, low-calorie, and wildly clean.

• David Protein Bars have the highest amount of protein per calorie of all protein bars. That makes them a great option for anyone who wants protein on the go without the excess sugar and fat of most bars. Visit DavidProtein.com.

In this month’s Expedition, you’ll learn:

• Rucking appears on NPR!

• Numbers on:

  • The heart attack risk of eating ultra-processed foods.

  • The specific weekly exercise dose that reverses brain aging on an MRI.

  • How much time it takes for intense exercise to switch on DNA repair genes.

  • The daily step count where mortality risk drops significantly (hint: it’s not 10,000).

  • Injury risk among runners who get poor sleep.

  • The surprising difference in mental health between schools that ban phones and those that don’t.

  • The rise in self-reported mental disorders among young people in the UK.

  • The link between endurance sports and ADHD diagnosis.

  • The weight of “Bear Force One,” the champion of Fat Bear Week.

  • How many Americans use marijuana daily.

  • The risk increase linking cannabis use to schizophrenia.

  • What Polymarket markets say about the odds of weed rescheduling.

  • The odds of a future disease-related travel ban.

• What Norway’s medal count teaches us about athletic success.

• The physics of uphill skiing (and the most insane physical feat I’ve ever seen).

• A roast of “morning routine” culture.

• Why you should kill your optimization spreadsheet and just live.

• How a CIA case officer is now helping us live on the moon.

• A modest proposal to save sports from betting apps.

• A parting quote.

Let’s roll…

Rucking on NPR

I recently appeared on NPR’s Here & Now to talk about rucking and my new book, Walk with Weight: The Definitive Guide to Rucking. Here’s the segment:

Thanks to Indira Lakshmanan for the great questions and to all of my dorky, NPR-loving friends who texted me after hearing the interview live.

The book comes out on 2/24. You can get a signed copy at a 15% discount through this button if you order by 2/23:

To offer these signed copies, I teamed up with The Writer’s Block, a local bookstore that runs writing programs for disadvantaged kids. ❤️🧒✍️