TV, saunas, Pilates & brain health

Sunday · 7:44 AM ET · Better Habits. Healthier Habitat.

^{──────────────────────────────}

Every 7 days, we begin here with 4x4 box breathing.

Soften your jaw. Let your tongue relax from the roof of your mouth. Drop your shoulders. Take one round, or stay for a few until you feel grounded.

Inhale 4 sec · Hold 4 sec
Exhale 4 sec · Hold 4 sec

Welcome back to The Nest
This Thursday is International Day of Friendship, a reminder to make room for the people who make life feel a little lighter. Reach out, make a plan, or simply spend some unhurried time with someone you care about.

A line to carry
“You cannot see your reflection in boiling water.”
Submitted by Martín Iragorri (Reply with a quote for next week!)

In today’s digest, we’ll be discussing:

Watching television is a common way to unwind, but how we spend our seated time may matter more than researchers once thought. In a long-term study of about 1,700 adults, participants who reported watching television “very often” in midlife later had smaller brain regions involved in memory, decision making, and visual processing. They also showed more white matter changes associated with cognitive decline and dementia.

More than 20 years separated the original television survey from the participants’ brain scans. Interestingly, spending much of the workday sitting was not linked to the same patterns and was sometimes associated with healthier brain structures. The researchers suggest that mentally engaging seated activities may affect the brain differently from passive viewing. Still, television habits were self-reported, and participants did not receive brain scans at the beginning of the study, so the findings cannot prove that television caused the differences.

The takeaway: Sitting may not tell the whole story. Breaking up long stretches of television and choosing activities that keep the mind engaged could make downtime more supportive of long-term brain health.

Infrared saunas have become a popular post-workout ritual, with claims ranging from reduced soreness to faster muscle repair. Unlike traditional saunas, they use infrared light to heat the body at a lower surrounding temperature. But the current research on infrared sauna recovery offers a more measured conclusion than much of the marketing.

Small studies suggest that using an infrared sauna after exercise may reduce perceived muscle soreness and temporarily help preserve certain measures of performance, such as jumping ability. In one six-week study involving 40 female team-sport athletes, regular post-workout sauna use improved some sprint and jumping measures but did not produce greater muscle growth. Researchers also have not shown that infrared heat speeds the underlying biological repair of muscle tissue.

Bottom line: An infrared sauna may help someone feel looser, less sore, and more relaxed after training, but it remains an optional recovery tool. Sleep, hydration, adequate nutrition, and appropriate rest still do most of the heavy lifting.

Pilates has become one of the most popular workouts for women, praised for building core strength, improving mobility, supporting balance, and strengthening the smaller stabilizing muscles that help control movement. According to a physical therapist’s breakdown of the benefits, its slow, controlled exercises can also improve posture, muscular endurance, and certain types of lower back pain.

But Pilates and traditional strength training do not produce exactly the same results. Pilates is more targeted toward core control, flexibility, balance, posture, and joint-friendly movement. Lifting heavier weights has the clearer advantage when the goal is to build greater muscle mass, muscular power, bone density, and metabolic health. Pilates can strengthen the foundation for lifting by improving stability, alignment, and movement quality, while progressive resistance provides the heavier stimulus the muscles and bones need to adapt.

The takeaway: Pilates may be the better tool for mobility, core stability, and controlled movement, while lifting is more effective for building muscle, power, and bone strength. Rather than choosing one, women may get the most complete benefits by using Pilates to support their movement and continuing to lift progressively for long-term strength.

After sitting for several hours (like during a long car ride or flight), which action is most helpful?

A. Drink a full glass of water

B. Take a short walk

C. Hold a deep stretch

D. Elevate your feet

Answer below ↓

Couples often share far more than a home. Over decades, they may develop similar eating patterns, activity levels, social routines, financial circumstances, and approaches to health. According to a nationwide study of nearly one million married adults in Taiwan, people whose spouse developed dementia were more likely to later receive a dementia diagnosis themselves than matched adults whose spouse did not have dementia.

The association was found in both sexes, with a 74% higher relative risk among women and a 69% higher relative risk among men. Dementia is not contagious, and the study cannot identify one explanation for the connection. Shared lifestyles and environments may play a role, while the chronic stress, disrupted sleep, isolation, and emotional strain that can accompany caring for a spouse may add another layer. The association was also stronger in some households with lower incomes and fewer children, where less outside support may be available.

What this means: Dementia care may need to extend beyond the person who receives the diagnosis. Supporting the spouse’s sleep, social connection, physical health, and emotional well-being could be an important part of caring for the household as a whole.

🍄 Big Pharma just placed a $3.8 billion bet on psychedelic medicine. Eli Lilly is acquiring AtaiBeckley, whose lead nasal therapy is being developed for treatment-resistant depression. The deal marks a major step toward mainstream interest in psychedelic treatments.

⌚ Garmin is taking on Whoop without the screen or subscription. The Cirqa Smart Band tracks sleep, stress, recovery, heart rate, and more than 80 activities through Garmin Connect. The screen-free tracker also offers up to 10 days of battery life.

🍬 A new candy was designed to help protect your teeth. Rox combines xylitol and arginine in a sugar-free sweet designed to reduce acid and support the mouth’s pH. The tooth-friendly candy is supposed to turn oral-care ingredients into a sweet designed to help neutralize acids after eating.

🌱 A healthier plate could cut farming emissions by 85%. New modeling suggests that healthier diets, less food waste, and more efficient farming could reduce net agricultural land-use emissions by 2050. The global food scenario would also shift production toward more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes.

Carrie Sisson is an entrepreneur, strength-training advocate, and clothing designer for Peluva. At 70, she shares her approach to aging strong through lifting, movement, nutrition, recovery, and the daily habits that help women remain capable and energized. She is also the creator of The Art of Aging Strong, a practical strength program designed to help women in their 30s and beyond build muscle, understand progressive overload, and train with greater confidence.

Why follow: She offers an encouraging, lived example of what strength can look like at every age, making weight training feel approachable while challenging the idea that growing older means becoming less capable.

Follow her here:

Instagram @carrielynnsisson ↗
Facebook Carrie Sisson ↗
Website TheCarrieCode.com ↗
Strength Guide The Art of Aging Strong ↗

B. Take a short walk

Hydration, stretching and elevation may all feel helpful, but walking activates the leg and calf muscles after a long period of sitting.

Try this week:
After your next long ride or flight, take a few minutes to walk before settling in.

If this brought a little calm or clarity to your Sunday morning, send it to someone who would appreciate it too.

If this week’s quote resonated with you, reply with one of your favorites.

We’ll choose one reader submission for next week’s line to carry.