What if the very constraints we fight against — not enough time, not enough resources, etc. — are the necessary ingredients for success? That’s the basic idea at the heart of David Epstein’s new book Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better. His argument is that boundaries are not blockers to creativity, they actually drive it. Watch him talk through the ideas driving his book here.
The Study: Eighty heterosexual couples were given four suction-blister wounds on their arms. They were randomized to receive either daily oxytocin nasal spray or a placebo. Some of the couples completed 10-minute Partner Appreciation Tasks (PAT). Each couple recorded their daily interactions in a journal, including affection, intimacy, and conflict. They also provided saliva samples to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
The Takeaway: Couples who engaged in PAT and received oxytocin had improved wound healing — most significantly when they had daily affectionate physical touch or sexual activity. Not only that, but daily sexual activity also corresponded with lower cortisol levels.
Keep in Mind: It’s not clear what the main driver was: oxytocin or intimacy. Plus, the study was limited to only young, healthy, heterosexual couples.
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Sponsored
Why Bees Deserve a Month of Their Own
Courtesy: Comvita
Bees are easy to romanticize, but their role in our daily lives is surprisingly practical. Pollinators help support roughly one in three bites of food we eat, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee, and cacao. In other words, protecting bees is not just about saving wildflowers. It is about protecting the food system that keeps us healthy.
That’s why World Bee Month is a good time to pay attention to brands like Comvita, which has spent more than 50 years working with bees and building its Mānuka honey heritage around responsible beekeeping. A few bee-friendly flowers in your yard, a little more awareness of where your honey comes from, and a better understanding of pollinator health all add up.
Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.
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Nutrition & Food
How Climate Change Is Making Our Food Less Nutritious
Sofia Rodrigues/Unsplash
You Should Know: Extreme weather, rising sea levels, environmental loss — these are the impacts most of us associate with climate change. These effects can feel abstract when they’re not unfolding in our own backyards — but now, researchers have identified a consequence that hits much closer to home. Rising atmospheric CO2 may actually be making our food less nutritious, even when the results of the harvest look totally fine.
Going Deeper: Plants thrive on CO2 and convert it into energy, thereby growing bigger and faster than ever. The problem is their mineral uptake doesn’t scale with that growth, so the nutrients get diluted across a larger plant. A recent study tracking 43 crops found that overall nutrient levels — including protein, iron, and zinc — have decreased by about 3.2% since the late 1980s.
Takeaway: Researchers have floated dietary supplements as a potential solution. However, the honest answer is that the evidence on their effectiveness is still pretty limited.
Bottom Line: The most grounded advice right now is to take in a varied diet, which, yes, you’ve heard before, but it holds up even when the produce aisle seems to be working against you.
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Fitness
The ‘90s Workout Tae Bo Is Back, Thanks to TikTok
Brooke Cagle/Unsplash
The Trend: Tae Bo — Billy Blanks’ high-kick cardio workout from the ‘90s VHS era — is back in, thanks to TikTok. Creators (mainly millennials showing off glory-day favorites) have been posting clips following along to Blanks’ old routines, and they’ve gone viral, with one popular video declaring “the girls are bringing Tae Bo back.”
What People Are Saying: Fans are loving Tae Bo both for the nostalgia and the workout. Millennials are reliving their youth, while Gen-Zers are finding Blanks’ YouTube channel for the first time and learning the workouts are actually hard. Comments seem to be mostly variations of “Billy Blanks does not play.” The New York Times reports that Blanks (now in his 70s) is chiming in, uploading short routines and going live with a new era of fans. Even Blanks notes the high-impact workout style isn’t great for everyone, though, and encourages modifications.
What to Know: Tae Bo pairs taekwondo and boxing with aerobics-style cardio, working your arms, legs, abs, and glutes. There’s no peer-reviewed Tae Bo trial out there, but the different workout components are well studied. In general,it’s just a fun, modifiable way to get a sweat in. Plus, the soundtrack is a whole vibe.
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Quick Picks
PFAS Problem — These veggies are the most exposed to “forever chemicals.”
Most fitness competitions measure how fast you finish. The Super Age Games measures eight things longevity researchers actually use to predict how well you'll age: grip strength, aerobic capacity, balance, agility, working memory, functional strength, relational capacity, and endurance under load. Each trial was designed with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. You leave knowing exactly where you stand and what to train.
23 teams are already registered: The 6AM, The A Team, The Fam Squad, and more. Our youngest athlete is 28, our oldest is 80. You can join them solo or build your own team. There are 960 founding athlete spots. Join us on November 7, 2026 at the Armory Track in NYC.
Light spring ingredients — artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh kale — come together with creamy white beans in this easy, flavor-packed skillet. With a Mediterranean style and rich in fiber and protein, it strikes a perfect balance between comfort and nourishment. Finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and you’re left with a vegetarian, budget-friendly meal that comes together in under 30 minutes.
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Sponsored
The Wellness Case for Bees
Bees sit at the center of a surprisingly large wellness story. They support the foods we want more of in our diets, keep gardens and ecosystems thriving, and produce ingredients like honey that have been part of daily routines for generations. Comvita is one of the brands that understands that connection. With more than 50 years of beekeeping experience and a deep heritage in Mānuka honey, the brand is a reminder that what is good for pollinators can also be good for the rituals that help us feel connected to nature.
Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.
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HEALTHY HABIT
Start With Warm Water
Once a day, drink a cup of warm water instead of cold. It’s gentle on digestion and can feel more grounding, especially in the morning or evening. A small sensory shift that can change how you feel.
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Final Thought
Take the world as you find it, and you will, I trust, find heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
