Growth

Welcome to Sync & Thrive. You design everything else together. Why not your health? Every Friday, we share how to move, connect, nourish, and recover as a team. New here? Subscribe.

👋 Happy Friday, Ladies and Gents,

When something isn't growing, whether it's a habit, a goal, or a relationship, it's easy to look for something or someone to blame. But the lettuce was never the problem. It just needed the right conditions, and often that means giving more of what's already helping it grow.

You may notice things look a little different this week.

When Aaron and I started Sync & Thrive, it was because we noticed something we couldn't ignore.

Our health didn't live in separate lanes.

It lived inside our relationship, and every choice one of us made shaped the other. Chances are, the same is true for you. That idea became our four pillars: Movement, Connection, Fuel, and Resilience.

Starting today, every issue walks through all four pillars with things you can bring into your own week: the podcasts and books we're learning from, the recipes we eat on repeat, and the frameworks we're using to stay on the same page. Take what fits your life together and leave the rest.

You'll also notice a new look at the top: Sync & Thrive, living well together. Going forward, you'll hear from us every Friday. We're pausing the Tuesday Reset for now, because we have something in the works for The Couples Lab. Stay tuned.

In the spirit of this week's theme, we looked at what was working and chose to grow it. We'd love to know what you think. Hit reply and tell us whether you like the new format or want the old one back. [We read every response.]

J + A

In partnership with

The most fun stretching app.

Noodl: Stretching you'll want to keep doing

Noodl turns tiny daily stretches into a game you'll look forward to playing. The stretches are quick, so it's an easy habit to build side by side.

Martin created it after every stretching app he tried felt like homework. Noodl is still in alpha, and Founding 50 members get to help shape it:

Join the Founding 50

Sync & Thrive partners with Noodl. We don't earn a commission; we just think it's worth sharing.

How I’m building on the movement I still have.

Day one of PT
Today I start physical therapy. It's my evaluation, where I'll find out what my recovery will look like. The orthopedist gave me a timeline of six to twelve weeks, and I'm treating it as time to rebuild, not time lost.

It's the landing that counts
This week, Aaron and I also had our follow-up with Dr. K, and he pointed out something I hadn't considered. Jumping, and even more the landing, is what builds strength in the muscles and tendons. So once I'm cleared, I'll be adding plyometrics to protect against reinjury and keep my mobility and flexibility.

Whatever happened to the racquet club?
Dr. K also pointed out that in the '70s and '80s, racquet sports and clubs were part of how people lived. This LA Times article from 1986 captures how racquetball was once the hottest recreational sport in America, until the aerobics and bodybuilding boom took its place.

The gym gave us strength and flexibility in how we train. But we lost something too: movement that came with people and play built in.

The sports linked to a longer life
A 25-year Danish study of 8,577 adults compared the life expectancy associated with different sports against being sedentary:

What the top three have in common: each one needs another person. One of the researchers said the most important part of an exercise routine may be that it involves a play-date.

We need more play and a little competition
I'll be honest, these numbers surprised me. I hadn't come across them in my own research, and the conversation with Dr. K opened my eyes.

Aaron and I have lost some of the play in how we move. We get out for pickleball now and then, but mostly we've been set on the gym and walking. But games give you something the gym doesn't: fun, a little healthy competition, and other people.

I believe that competitive edge matters more than we give it credit for. It keeps our drive sharp, and when you're building a business together, that drive has to come from somewhere. It's no wonder pickleball and padel have the following they do.

We've been bringing in more fun and adventure by exploring our own backyard, but I think we can do better.

The gym isn't a cure-all
The gym has its place, but this injury made it clear that I need more mobility work and calisthenics in my routine.

Our friend Chad, a former personal trainer, reminded us literally a month ago to focus on calisthenics. “A day or two in the gym is great, but calisthenics is what keeps you from getting injured.” I thought about that right after I got hurt.

Dang it, Chad.

🏸 Try it together: Pick one active thing you can play instead of train, like pickleball, padel, or a tennis lesson. Bring the fun, bring a little competition, and bring your partner.