Team, We had a beautiful night at our Manchester campus. A new family joined us recently, a mother and her two young daughters. Watching them integrate so seamlessly into our community has been a wonderful reminder of what we’re building. They’ve found a place that serves as both a portal into their next level of mental and physical development and a conduit to an entirely new community. They were right at home in no time. In just a few short weeks, they’ve made remarkable progress, simply by learning how to perform exercises in positions best suited to their individual bodies. But even more meaningful are the evening conversations in the sauna. As we pour peppermint oil over the hot rocks, conversations unfold about everything from the future of artificial intelligence to the meaning of life, and the critical importance of human connection in an increasingly isolated world. Last night, their mother, Erandi, came in on her own for a yoga class. I could see the impact that a little bit of "me time" had on her, and how it likely impacted the entire family ecosystem. We’ll be offering a regular yoga and sauna combination moving forward. I joined the class and the sauna afterwards, but I also found myself observing from a distance, something I’ve learned to do to fully appreciate what we’re creating. This is the future of human connection. These are the health hubs that will bring intergenerational communities together, allowing people of different ages and backgrounds to participate in some of humanity’s most ancient practices while accessing an unprecedented level of personalized health education, assessment, and technology. This is the Reconnection Economy. And the opportunity is twofold. First, there’s an extraordinary economic opportunity in integrating leading-edge health assessments, sauna and cold plunge, women’s health, family health, and data-driven strength and conditioning under one roof. Building a model where independent practitioners share space, resources, expertise, and clients, while positioning the facility as a central hub for community health, represents a powerful evolution of the fitness and longevity industries.

After the autumn break, we’re moving into a new theme with the students i work with: SLEEP. We’ll work on it for 6-8 weeks, once a week, with one clear goal: every student should leave knowing how to set themselves up for a good night’s sleep. I’m deliberately keeping the information light. Instead of lectures and theory, I want it to be hands-on and a bit game-like: - Students design their own sleep routine (or sleep schedule) - They test it for a couple of weeks - We track the effect with simple self-ratings (how rested do you feel in the morning, how alert are you during lessons) so they can see for themselves what actually works for them. I feel that sleep can easily become theory-heavy and “do this, don’t do that”. So my question to you: 1. Have you worked with sleep with teenagers? What worked and what didn’t? 2. How do you make sleep fun and practical, not just information? Any games, challenges, experiments or formats that got teens engaged? 3. Any tips on measuring with self-assessment in a way that is simple but still meaningful? All ideas, big or small, are very welcome. Thank you! /Joel

Imagine this... Imagine if gyms were true health education centers. Places where kids, adults, and entire communities could expect world-class guidance on their mental and physical development. Imagine if every trainer had a fundamental understanding of human physiology: breath, sleep, nutrition, exercise, and brain health. Imagine if every program was designed for your body, not just anybody. Imagine if assessments of biomechanics, physiology, and individual health were the foundation of every training program. Imagine if philosophy, community, intergenerational mentorship, and 21st-century education were the expectation, not the exception. This is Beyond the Gym. A new program from Physiology First for independent gym owners and aspiring health entrepreneurs determined to raise the industry standard. For over a decade, our clients have come to us for one reason: it wasn’t their first rodeo. They’ve experienced the one-size-fits-all, fast-food fitness industry... They’ve visited clinics where they felt more like lab experiments than human beings... They’ve worked with trainers who knew next to nothing about their individual physiology. We believe people deserve better. Beyond the Gym brings together ambitious, forward-thinking entrepreneurs to build a new standard for personalized health education. From strength training and women’s health to family fitness, advanced assessments, revolutionary health workshops, and integrated recovery, we’re building places where entire community can learn, grow, and thrive. 2027 is the year we go Beyond the Gym. The future of health isn’t just about getting stronger. It’s about understanding ourselves, unlocking our potential, and building healthier communities for generations to come. Join us. Spread the word. Help us build what’s next in health and education. 8 spots left in our Foundng Cohort. https://beyond-the-gym-registration.replit.app/ ~ David BEYOND THE GYM

Happy Saturday all! The Beyond the Gym movement is growing... We've been busy filming curriculum for the new program all week. And we're excited to share it with all Physiology First Fellowship members and Beyond the Gym participants soon! The future is physiology first. This short article in Fit Insider offers a glimpse into where the health, fitness, and longevity market is heading. And where Physiology First has been for close to a decade. https://insider.fitt.co/building-the-gym-as-clinic/ As we work to bring together leaders in the global health and longevity community to build the personalized health hubs of the future we are beyond honored to announce that Dr. Tiffany Keenan has joined the team! Dr. Keenan is a functional and integrative medicine physician with nearly three decades of practice across Bermuda and New Brunswick. Her work focuses on women's health, from hormonal and reproductive health through perimenopause and beyond. She brings a root-cause, whole-person approach that combines functional medicine, mind-body medicine, lifestyle medicine, and patient empowerment. She holds undergraduate training as a nutritionist, is trained in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Craniosacral therapy and enjoys hiking and Qigong. If you know any independent gym owners, leading edge practitioners, or future gym owners please extend an invite to join us for our inaugural cohort on November 8th. The introductory pricing will never be offered again. Make 2027 the year to leap ahead of the pack and revision health and education for a new generation. https://beyond-the-gym-registration.replit.app/ The program will be available to all Physiology First Fellowship members as part of your extensive professional development and practitioner training services through the Fellowship. This leaves 8 spots for new members globally. Let's reach out, recruit, and build the health hubs of the future that each of you can leverage for the inspiring work that you're doing in the world!

And, having just completed this module, how absent breath awareness is at secondary schools. Dysregulated students may be told to ‘take a breath’ and the PSHE programmes may include 5 minutes of mindful breathing at the start - “in through the nose, out through the mouth” - but neither take the time to equip the child with understanding HOW and WHY. And therefore, does it become just another thing they are told to do by adults? Schools continually overlook PSHE and it’s often bolted on. Time poor teachers, with subject specialities elsewhere, are timetabled to 'lead' these sessions, but many will have no little to no understanding of the biomechanics/power of breathing themselves. If the information is lacking, students will never arrive at knowledge or wisdom. I loved @Cindy T. De Bonis 's explanation on an earlier post of why Co2 tolerance matters. Thanks for the visual traffic analogy - really helped my understanding! @David Bidler alongside tuning into my capacity for nasal breathing while running, what are the methods for formally measuring Co2 tolerance? I begin working with a couple former students next week - putting their physiology first - and looking forward to starting with the foundation of breath!