📚 Health Benefits of Water & Books, 3 Awesome Movies, and more.

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👋 Hey everyone,

Here are a few popular posts you may have missed:

• Reading books is the ultimate longevity hack.

• Does anyone read books on planes anymore?

• Read books to bridge the gap from where you are now to where you want to be.

PS: I flew to Toronto last week to hang out with a few authors, here’s one big takeaway from our conversation.

This week’s newsletter was made possible by:

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📚 Books Summary:

This week's book is “Blue Mind” by Wallace J. Nichols.

This book explores the scientifically proven health benefits of being near, on, or in water. It sounds dry, but it’s a fascinating book that will convince you to spend more time swimming, or at the very least, taking more trips to lakes, beaches, and other bodies of water.

If you’re into environmental science, neuroscience, or living longer, you’ll enjoy this book.

Here are 3 key lessons from it:

📖

1) Spend More Time In or Near Water

Around 2,000 years ago, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said that “water contributes much towards health.” Today, we have the science to prove it.

In 2009, researchers studied 67 veterans who went on a 4-day trip to rivers in the wilderness. A month after the trip, researchers found that PTSD symptoms decreased by 19%, stress decreased by 28%, anxiety decreased by 31% and depression decreased by 44%.

Additionally, sleep quality improved by 11%, positive mood improved by 47%, and feelings of serenity increased by 67%.

A 2006 study in Ireland found that people who lived within 5 kilometers of the coast enjoyed higher life satisfaction than those living inland. And those who lived within 2 kilometers of the coast had even higher levels of life satisfaction.

A similar result was found when researchers at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health analyzed census data for England’s 48.2 million residents.

The research team concluded that “individuals reported significantly better general health and lower levels of mental distress when living nearer the coast.”

📖

2) Spend More Time Exercising At Blue Gyms

After reviewing 11 scientific studies on physical activity, researchers found that exercising outdoors resulted in greater feelings of positive engagement and energy, and larger decreases in tension, confusion, anger, and depression.

More interestingly, a separate review of studies found that exercising near water enhanced both self-esteem and mood more than exercising in just a green space (such as a forest or park).

Furthermore, a study in the U.K. found that being near water resulted in a 5.2% increase in a person’s level of happiness than being in a green space without water.

In other words, if you have 3 options when going for a workout–jogging by the beach or lake is most beneficial, jogging in a park is second, and jogging indoors on a treadmill is last.

Most beneficial exercise environments:

1. Blue Gym = Exercising by a beach, lake, river, etc.

2. Green Gym = Exercising in a forest, park, etc.

3. Black Gym = Exercising indoors, at home, etc.

📖

3) Surprising Health Benefits from Looking & Listening To Water

In one fascinating study, people recovering from heart surgery looked at one of three pictures shown on panels at the foot of their beds.

One group had an image of a forest, another group had an image of open water, and the third group had a blank white image.

Patients who had the forest image had lower levels of anxiety than those who had the white panel, but interestingly, patients with the open water image had significantly lower anxiety levels than those looking at the forest.

Another fascinating study was done by the Schools of Dental Medicine that looked at different treatments to reduce anxiety in patients before oral surgery.

The experiment had patients view an aquarium, view a poster, or undergo hypnosis. Astoundingly, viewing the aquarium proved significantly more relaxing than the two other conditions.

Lastly, in 1997, a researcher showed cancer patients a nature video that included 15 minutes of the sounds of ocean waves, waterfalls, and creeks.

After viewing the video, patients experienced a 20-30% reduction in stress and cortisol.

It would be amazing if we could all spend more time in water, but the good news is that even looking at an image of water or listening to a video of it can provide much-needed benefits to improve our daily lives.

✅ Actionable Advice

1) Spend more time in or near water:

• Go for a dip in a river.

• Read a book by the ocean.

• Try kayaking at a lake (lots of fun and makes for a good date).

2) Spend more time in Blue gyms:

• Swim in a lake instead of an indoor pool.

• Do calisthenics near the beach instead of a gym.

• Play volleyball at the beach instead of an indoor court.

3) Spend time looking or listening to water:

• Buy a picture of a lake or ocean to hang up in your home.

• Listen to the sounds of water to help you focus or fall asleep.

• Set your phone or computer wallpaper to an image of open water.

💎 Weekly Gem:

3 Movies I enjoyed and recommend:

1) F1: The Movie (2025)

This movie is like Top Gun: Maverick but with Formula 1 cars instead of fighter jets. It’s the Hollywood block-buster film of the summer for good reason–it’s an exciting story about redemption and chasing your dreams, and has some of the best cinematography I’ve ever seen.

2) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

They say a cat has 9 lives, well the premise of this film is that Puss is on his last one (aren’t we all though?). It’s a funny and action-packed animated movie with wonderful life lessons for both kids and adults.

3) The Lives of Others (2006)

In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives. It’s a must-watch if you’re into spy/thriller movies (it’s in German, so you’ll have to read the subtitles, but still an incredible movie).

Your opinion matters!

Thank you for your support,

Alex W.