5 Healthyish Things, including at-home saunas and chiseled jaws

So, I’ve got a bad back—and I’ve been working to get it under control. I’m finally at a place where I don't have to worry about it as much, but I've been looking for a physical therapist to help avoid flare-ups. Thanks to a friend's recommendation, I found one I liked and went to my first session last week. The last thing the PT did was stick a bunch of ANF devices on my back and tell me to wear them for 72 hours. But wait, what the heck are they?

Basically, ANF (Amino Neuro Frequency) devices are one-inch carbonized metal discs that stick to your skin. They’re supposedly “charged” with frequencies that help with pain and inflammation. My PT said they help 80% of their patients feel better, but after three days, I felt no different. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Of course, I looked into it. They claim when ANF discs are applied, your body’s infrared heat “activates” these devices, emitting frequencies that work with your nervous system to address the root causes of your health problems. However, critics dismiss these discs as energy-healing gimmicks, comparing them to Power Balance bracelets popularly peddled at mall kiosks or calling them “a theatrical placebo.” 😬

The one study I did find referenced very positive results, BUT it was short-term, observational, and had no control group, plus some authors had a conflict of interest (one author received consulting fees from ANF Academy, and another works there). Not super convincing without a rigorous, unbiased randomized controlled trial.

Basically, I think they may be bullshit. Buuut, at the same time, these discs are non-invasive, and if they help some people—even as a placebo—great! They also looked cool with black kinesiology tape. There are plenty of evidence-based back pain treatments, so at best ANF discs should probably be considered a complement, not a replacement for pain management.

Hypermasculine chins are in—and so is chin surgery? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, chin surgery demand rose in 2023. The cost of chin surgery averages $3,641, but some people—particularly men—are shelling out upwards of $12,000 to achieve a chiseled jaw a la Chris Hemsworth or David Beckham. Men getting chin implants cite wanting to increase their confidence, control their appearance as they age, and to “look masculine without looking like a meathead." Do you even sculpt, bro?

While I've never personally been self-conscious about my jawline (😎), I completely get why someone would want to sharpen their features. I don't see chin surgery being all that different from getting a nose job or breast augmentation. If you have the means, if it boosts your self-esteem—and if it gets you a Henry Cavill-level jawline (my personal man crush)—I guess why not? 🦸

Anyway, swoon:

My friend recently got a fancy new car. I think he regrets it…but he’s never regretted investing in his built-in sauna.

The sauna market is heating up across the U.S. and is projected to grow by over $151 million by 2029. The driving force? A growing focus on wellness and self-care, including the rising demand for at-home sauna setups. To me, investing in a sauna signals you care about your health, much like wearing an Oura ring casually does (more on my Oura ring below), or saying you do CrossFit (one of the OG health flexes) does, er, aggressively.

This growing trend “showing off” a health-conscious identitlev excites me. It’s clear we’ve entered a world where the pursuit of longevity and wellness isn’t just increasingly mainstream, but increasingly cool. And I couldn’t be more thrilled about this shift, given I’ve been working to make health more accessible my whole career since I launched Greatist fifteen years ago (!). 

A concern: When I started Greatist, “health and wellness” felt exclusively for rich people—basically Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop-ers. I realize that in-home saunas are expensive and not exactly accessible for all—the way health and wellness should be. (Although I did just learn Amazon sells an indoor infrared sauna for under $1,200 now, just saying.) What this trend clearly shows though is that we’re shifting away from showing off your wealth and toward showing off your health. For some, that could be an at-home sauna; for others that could be sporting a Stanley water bottle. More ideas below. 

Anyway, in case you were wondering, yes, my wife and I are redoing our backyard and adding a sauna and I just can’t wait to share it in this newsletter. (See what I’m doing here?)..

• Bottle service → Non-alcoholic beers

• Gold Rolex → Oura ring or Whoop band

• Expensive table at the club → DAYBREAKER parties

• Grand piano in the living room → Cold plunge in the backyard

• Owning a racehorse → Basically anything from HigherDOSE (hi, Lauren!)

• Country club membership → Remedy Place membership or Equinox Tier-X

• A Rolls-Royce and private chauffeur → Extension Health membership or concierge medicine

• $10,000 night in a Vegas penthouse → $10,000 Aman/The Ranch Wellness Retreat

• Fine china & silverware set → Caraway PFAS & PFOA-free & Lodge cast iron cookware

• A hand-carved mahogany bed, important from an English manor → Eight Sleep mattress

• Fur coats & diamonds → Athleisure & a Levels continuous glucose monitor 

• On-call family physician → Annual Prenuvo & GRAIL Galleri test

• Evian bottled water → Tap water in a Stanley 

• Caviar & champagne → Organic bone broth & rosé (feels right—unclear why)

• Personal chef → Personal chef (who are we kidding, dream)

As a part of my weight loss journey, I've been tracking everything—food, drinks, and workouts—in MyFitnessPal for the past month. This week, I exported that data and my Oura stats and fed them to Claude and ChatGPT to see if they could spot any correlations or insights. (Fair warning: ChatGPT fumbles spreadsheets. I find Claude is better—it even offers visualizations!) 

To get the full picture, I used the following prompt:

Ultimately, I found out a few interesting things—beyond learning that I need more sleep but am finally getting enough protein:

• Strength training days took a toll on my recovery. My readiness the next day after strength training always took a dip, suggesting I should eat more complex carbs the night before to offset that energy depletion.

• Alcohol lengthens my sleep but worsens my recovery? Makes sense—I’ve only had drinks on the weekends (when I don’t wake up at 5am), but my sleep efficiency and readiness suffer the next day.

• There’s a significant difference between two and two-plus drinks. On the few nights I had more than two drinks (which, for me, means three), my recovery metrics were noticeably worse. Small sample size, but a good reminder when one glass of wine turns into three.

This exercise is only from one month of data, and I look forward to continuing to use these tools to help me make connections I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Want to try it? Use these guides from Oura and from MyFitnessPal to export your data.

• FitLab announced they’re acquiring Y7, a popular yoga studio known for its infrared-heated, music-driven, candlelit yoga classes. (My wife and I are friends with the owners—they’re as cool as the studio.)

• This trending YouTube video “busting” fitness myths is entertaining… and mostly right?

• True Food Kitchen announces they've gone 100% seed oil-free. This is a trend!

• Some nice health tech raises last week. Delfina raised $17M (go, Senan!) to revolutionize maternal health and Bicycle Health raised $16.5 million in new funding for their virtual addiction clinic. (Also, the rumor mill says both Function Health and Superpower are raising BIG rounds, but you didn’t hear it from me. 🤫)

• Want to trend on TikTok? Talk about egg prices.