Peak MD

06/04/2026

The goal isn’t weight loss. It’s preserving the engine while reducing the load.

I spend a lot of time talking about protein and strength training because muscle is not just about appearance.

Muscle is one of our most important metabolic organs. It helps regulate blood sugar, supports healthy aging, protects against falls, and influences how many calories we burn at rest.

When people lose weight without preserving muscle, they may end up with a lower number on the scale but not necessarily a healthier body.

As an obesity medicine physician, I care less about how much weight someone loses and more about what they lose.

Fat loss and weight loss are not the same thing.

The best weight loss plan is really a muscle preservation plan. The fat loss is the byproduct.

06/03/2026

The best longevity interventions are often surprisingly simple. Sauna won’t replace exercise, sleep, nutrition, or connection, but it can be a powerful addition to the foundation. Studies have linked regular sauna use with cardiovascular, cognitive, and overall health benefits. As always, check with your physician if you have cardiovascular disease or other medical conditions before starting a sauna routine.

06/03/2026

Check out my latest substack! If you have ever found yourself avoiding something that you actually enjoy see if this one resonates. I enjoyed writing it and in fact helped me change my thoughts. Peace.

What happens when exhaustion masquerades as dissatisfaction

06/03/2026

☕ Coffee Thought

It is surprisingly easy to mistake exhaustion for unhappiness.

Over the past few months, I found myself wondering if I needed a different pace, a different routine, maybe even a different life.

What I eventually realized was that I wasn’t unhappy.

I was tired.

As a physician, I’ve seen versions of this play out in exam rooms for years. When we’re depleted, it’s easy to mistake fatigue for dissatisfaction and overwhelm for evidence that something is fundamentally wrong.

Sometimes change is needed.

But sometimes what we need most is rest, perspective, connection, and a clearer view of the life we already have.

Before making a major life decision, it may be worth asking:

Am I unhappy?

Or am I exhausted?

Stay North.

06/02/2026

I almost didn’t have this party.

Life was busy. I was tired. Part of me thought it would be easier to let my 50th birthday quietly pass by.

I’m so glad I didn’t.

What I remember isn’t the decorations or the details. It’s the laughter around the campfire. The conversations that lingered. The music. The hugs. The feeling of being surrounded by people I love.

We often underestimate the power of community, friendship, and shared moments. Yet when I look back, those are the things that matter most.

A collection of small moments. Tiny fragments.

Together, they become a life.

Stay North

06/02/2026

Longevity is not a destination. It’s a way of living.

It’s strength that allows you to keep doing what you love.
It’s resilience when life gets hard.
It’s awe that reminds you there is something bigger than yourself.
It’s alignment with what matters most.

This summer, we’re bringing those ideas to life through The North Summer Series—a collection of hikes, forest bathing experiences, longevity talks, recovery events, and opportunities to connect with others in our community.

Nature. Science. Community. Purpose.

Four months. Four themes. One direction.

Stay North. 🌲✨

05/31/2026

I almost didn’t have a 50th birthday party.

The thought of planning it felt overwhelming. Life is busy. There were plenty of reasons to keep it small or skip it altogether.

I’m so glad I didn’t.

This weekend reminded me of something I talk about often but don’t think we can hear enough:

Community matters.

Not in a vague wellness way. In a real, human way.

The laughter around a campfire. The stories. The shared memories. The feeling of being surrounded by people who have witnessed different chapters of your life.

We spend so much time chasing the next thing that we sometimes forget one of the most powerful predictors of health and longevity has been there all along: connection.

I left this weekend feeling grateful, energized, and deeply loved.

If there’s something you’ve been putting off because it feels like too much work, maybe this is your sign.

Host the dinner.
Plan the trip.
Gather the friends.

You might need it more than you realize.

Stay North

05/30/2026

Today’s run was about self-love.

I played a little game: whenever a love song came on, I imagined it was me talking to myself. When a breakup song came on, I imagined I was saying goodbye to a version of myself I no longer needed.

It sounds silly, but it was surprisingly powerful.

If you’ve been feeling critical of yourself lately, try it on your next walk or run.

You might be surprised by what you need to hear.

Stay North

05/30/2026

50 Things I’ve Learned by 50

1. Health is easier to protect than to rebuild.
2. Strength is a longevity strategy.
3. Most people need less punishment and more consistency.
4. Sleep solves more problems than supplements.
5. The scale tells a story, not the whole story.
6. Muscle is one of the best investments you can make.
7. Nature regulates what modern life dysregulates.
8. Joy is not optional.
9. Most transformations are invisible before they’re obvious.
10. You don’t have to earn rest.
11. The body keeps score, but it also keeps healing.
12. Perfection is usually procrastination wearing a disguise.
13. Relationships matter more than optimization.
14. Walking is underrated medicine.
15. You can be both evidence-based and deeply human.
16. Midlife is not a crisis. It’s a crossroads.
17. Confidence comes from keeping promises to yourself.
18. Most people underestimate what five years can do.
19. Most people overestimate what five weeks can do.
20. Recovery is where adaptation happens.
21. Adventure keeps us young.
22. Curiosity ages better than certainty.
23. Community is a health intervention.
24. The nervous system matters.
25. Breath matters.
26. Purpose matters.
27. The best workouts are the ones you’ll actually do.
28. There is no magic bullet.
29. Small habits compound.
30. Awe changes perspective.
31. Being outdoors is rarely the wrong answer.
32. Kids grow up faster than you think.
33. Friendship deserves a place on your calendar.
34. You can start over at any age.
35. Failure is data.
36. Most fear shrinks after action.
37. The goal isn’t to avoid aging.
38. The goal is to age well.
39. Nobody regrets building strength.
40. Nobody wishes they’d spent more time scrolling.
41. Meaning beats motivation.
42. Alignment creates momentum.
43. Progress is rarely linear.
44. Health is a way of living, not a destination.
45. You are allowed to change your mind.
46. You are allowed to reinvent yourself.
47. Gratitude gets better with age.
48. The life you want is built one day at a time.
49. Fifty feels a lot younger than I expected.
50. I am just getting started.

05/29/2026

Heart rate variability (HRV) has become one of the most popular metrics in health and longevity, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood.

One of the most common questions I hear is: “My HRV is only 35. Is that bad?”

The answer is usually: compared to whom?

Unlike blood pressure or fasting glucose, HRV does not have a single “optimal” number that applies to everyone. Age, s*x, genetics, fitness level, training status, sleep, alcohol intake, medications, illness, and even the device being used can influence the value.

A healthy 25-year-old endurance athlete may have an HRV of 100.

A healthy 55-year-old woman may have an HRV of 30.

Both can be entirely normal.

What the research consistently shows is that lower HRV is associated with reduced autonomic flexibility, poorer recovery, and increased risk of a variety of chronic diseases. Higher HRV is generally associated with greater physiologic resilience. But the key word is generally.

HRV is not a diagnosis. It is not a report card. And it is certainly not a competition.

What makes HRV useful is its ability to provide context over time. A sudden drop from your normal baseline may reflect accumulated stress, inadequate recovery, illness, poor sleep, increased training load, or simply the realities of life. Likewise, gradual improvements often accompany better fitness, sleep, metabolic health, and recovery practices.

This is why I rarely compare one person’s HRV to another’s.

Instead, I ask:

Are you trending in the right direction?

Are you recovering well?

Are you becoming more resilient?

HRV is best viewed as a compass rather than a score. The goal is not to chase someone else’s number. The goal is to build a body and nervous system that can adapt, recover, and thrive.

Because resilience, not perfection, is what ultimately supports longevity.

Stay North.