October 30, 2025 • 12 mins
In this episode we discuss:
The demotivating fitness apps.
Pickleball? Wear Goggles.
Beat Boredom.
And many more topics.
Stream the John Tesh Sports Album now. Available on all platforms.
For more information, and to sign up for our private coaching, visit tesh.com
Our Hosts:
John Tesh: Instagram: @johntesh_ifyl facebook.com/JohnTesh
Gib Gerard: Instagram: @GibGerard facebook.com/GibGerard X: @GibGerard
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:00):
Gib. Hello and welcome to another episode of the
(00:09):
podcast. I'm Gib Gerard. We arehere with something new that we
are trying, something that I'mexcited to bring you. This is
just the facts, right? It's fromour radio show, intelligence for
your life, but there's nocommentary. It is just John
bringing you the stuff fromintelligence for your life the
radio show direct intelligencethat you can put in your pocket,
take with you wherever you wantto go. So I hope you enjoy it
(00:31):
here, without further ado, isJohn
Tesh, so whether you're countingcalories on my fitness pal or
tracking your runs on Strava oran Apple Watch, fitness apps
promise to keep us motivated andon track, right? But a study now
in the British Journal of HealthPsychology is saying those apps
may actually be doing theopposite. So listen, researchers
(00:52):
analyzed nearly 60,000 socialmedia posts about popular
fitness apps and focused on theones where people were
frustrated or negative, and theyfound a lot of people feel
worse, not better, when they usean app. The biggest complaints
apps that log data incorrectly,constant pressure to hit daily
goals and the emotionalexhaustion of tracking every
(01:13):
step, every bite, every workout,people said when they missed a
goal, the apps made them feelguilty, ashamed or like they'd
failed, and instead of tryingharder, a lot of people just
quit altogether. So the expertssay the problem here is that
these apps rely on rigidalgorithms. They don't account
for real life like being sick,busy, stressed or just
(01:34):
exhausted, and when technologymakes us feel like we're never
doing enough, our motivationdrops. Makes sense. The takeaway
from researchers is this, iftracking makes you feel anxious
or discouraged, it could be timeto take a break from the apps
and let your motivation comefrom within. Amen to this. So if
you've ever asked somebodyrepeatedly to change a habit and
(01:56):
nothing happens, science istelling us there's a reason
nagging does not work, accordingto researchers at the University
of Toronto who studied nagging,when we nag, we send a hidden
message that says, I don't trustyou to do this that can make the
other person feel criticized orcontrolled, so they dig in their
heels and tune out, and the morewe push, the less they respond,
(02:17):
which creates frustration foreverybody. So is there anything
that does work? Yeah, gratitude.
So instead of focusing on whatsomebody didn't do, acknowledge
the effort they did make, evenif it's a small one. In a long
term study of couples, thepeople who felt appreciated for
their efforts were far morelikely to keep changing over
time. After nine months, thosewho received the most gratitude
(02:39):
from their partners made thebiggest improvements in
behavior. Experts say this isn'tabout ignoring bad habits, it's
about reinforcing positive ones,and when people feel seen and
valued, they're more motivatedto follow through next time it's
worth a try. We've told you manytimes before that Pickleball is
still the fastest growing sport,but there is a downside. It
(02:59):
turns out, more and more peopleare ending up in the ER, with
serious eye injuries. A newstudy finding that last year
alone, more than 1200 playersneeded emergency treatment for
things like detached retinas,fractured eye sockets, bleeding
in the eye, even permanentvision damage. Most of these eye
injuries are happening toplayers over 50, by the way,
(03:20):
it's because as we age, ourreflexes slow down, our balance
isn't as sharp, and if we workglasses that aren't shatter
proof, a fast moving pickleballcan turn dangerous quickly, and
those balls are not floatingacross the court, they can
travel up to 60 miles an hour.
Have you seen this? That givesyou almost no time to react, and
(03:42):
there's no official rule aboutwearing eye protection in
tournaments or at public courts.
So the American Academy ofOphthalmology is now officially
urging players to wearprotective eyewear, specifically
the kind made for racket sports,right? My friends, do you ever
feel totally exhausted, but theminute your head hits the
pillow, you're wide awake. It'swhat sleep experts are calling a
(04:03):
second wind. It happens to me alot. Dr William Liu is a sleep
medicine expert. He says yourbrain actually gives you a
natural sleep window. That isthe 30 minute window, when your
brain signals your body to winddown. If you go to bed, then
you'll fall asleep quickly andsleep soundly. But if you wait
and miss that sleep opportunity,your nervous system kicks in and
(04:23):
gets you going again. Your brainthinks, Oh, you must need to
stay awake. So it flips theswitch and releases chemicals
that will keep you alert. Now,blue light from your phone
doesn't help, either it tellsyour brain it's still daytime
add in stress or racingthoughts. Now your body's
releasing stress hormones. Sowhat do we do? If that second
wind hits, you should get out ofbed, do something calm, like
(04:46):
reading, journaling or deepbreathing, and then try again.
And that's what works for me, bythe way. So we know resistance
training builds muscle, right?
But it turns out it could bestrengthening. Something else is
really important, something wetalk about all the time, and
it's our gut health. A new studyin the journal BioMed Central
(05:07):
found that people who startedlifting weights just two to
three times a week, even ifthey'd never exercised before,
they saw improvement in theirgut microbiome in as little as
eight weeks. Your microbiome is,of course, the massive community
of bacteria that lives in yourdigestive system and helps keep
you healthy. For the study,researchers followed hundreds of
people who didn't normallyexercise and had them do simple
(05:29):
resistance workouts. They alsocollected stool samples before,
during and after the study, andby the end, everybody's gut
bacteria had shifted in apositive direction, but the
people who got the strongest hadthe best results. Bottom line,
this adds to more and moreresearch showing exercise
doesn't just reshape our body,it may be reshaping our gut
(05:51):
health as well. So if you'refeeling bored or uninspired
lately, here are some tips tohelp you get out of your rut and
feel revitalized. They come fromcognitive neuroscientist tally
shereau, author of look again,the power of noticing what was
always there. I love it. Shesays, if you're feeling stuck,
take a break from your dailyroutine. That could be a
(06:11):
vacation, a weekend trip, or awalk around the block. This is
speaking to me. You can alsofeel reinvigorated by reflecting
on what you already have. Soreally imagine not having your
house, your family, your job,you get it because thinking
about life without the peopleand activities that bring
meaning and stability to yourWorld can help you feel grateful
(06:32):
for what you have right now andthen embrace variety. Yes, a big
change, like moving or switchingjobs can spark creativity, but
even small shifts like getting anew haircut or trying a new
hobby can give your brain a bigboost. In fact, research shows
that variety alone makes peoplehappier. Neuroscientist Dr Charo
(06:52):
also says having more variety inyour life and often makes people
happier. And if you're thinkingof a change, there's probably a
reason, because if everythingwas perfect, you wouldn't be
craving change in the firstplace. Amen, don't you know?
We've been told we peak in our20s and 30s. Our brain is
sharpest, then our energy ishigh. We have our whole lives
(07:13):
ahead of us. But new researchsays Not so fast, pal, when you
look at overall functioning,things like intelligence,
emotional stability, decisionmaking and life experience, most
people don't hit their truestride until their early 60s.
Sure, some things slow down. Youmay not process information as
quickly or remember every tinydetail like you used to, but
(07:35):
now, research in the journalintelligence found our judgment,
emotional balance, problemsolving, even financial wisdom,
all keeps getting better throughour 40s and 50s, and peaks
around the age of 60. So whywould you peak in your 60s?
Because you have lived you'vemade mistakes, you've solved
problems, you've raised kids,you've managed relationships,
(07:57):
many of them, you've handled alot of money and built a career
that adds up to somethingscientists are now calling
composite functioning, and itcontinues to grow long after
your youthful glow fades,composite functioning and even
after the age of 65 many peoplestay mentally sharp and
emotionally steady well intotheir 70s and beyond. So the big
(08:18):
takeaway, don't think of gettingolder as declining. It is
training, and your 50s and 60smight be the most capable stage
of your life. That's what I'mgoing with. All right, my
friends, there's a new trend Iwant to share with you, and I'm
loving it. It's called theanalog bag, or the stop
scrolling bag. It's basically atote you fill with old school
(08:39):
screen free activities, thingslike a book, watercolor paints,
no matter how old you are,knitting, crossword puzzles,
even a Polaroid camera. Nowfollow me here. You're going to
love this. We pick up our phonesmore than 100 times a day on
average, and we spend hoursglued to our screen. So people
are now packing analog bags totake back their downtime.
(09:01):
Instead of scrolling in thewaiting room or on the couch,
you pull out your sketchbook,some yarn, or that novel you've
been meaning to read. And youknow, parents and grandparents
are loving this trend. They'llload a bag for their kids with
little toys, puzzles, crayonsand coloring books. And of
course, the trend is blowing upon Tiktok, the hashtag analog
(09:21):
life is up over 330% from lastyear. Ironic. And you know who
totally approves of this trend?
Charles Duhigg, the best sellingauthor of The Power of Habit,
the new trend that we love hereon the show. It's called the
analog bag, or the stopscrolling bag, basically, again,
a tote that you fill up with oldschool, screen free activities.
You know, for years we reportedon the open concept home. It was
(09:45):
the dream. Tear down the walls,open up the space. But today,
more homeowners are realizingthat maybe walls weren't such a
bad idea. After all, real estateagents say buyers are now
starting to. Push back, tellingthem they don't want their
kitchens and their dirty disheson display, and the president of
a huge construction company ishearing the same thing. He puts
(10:07):
it simply, quote, the reality isthat life can be loud. For many
families, open concept livinghas turned into open concept
regret without walls, there's noprivacy, there's no quiet and
definitely nowhere to hideclutter. So some homeowners have
even spent 1000s of dollars toput walls back up after
realizing their open conceptdream space added to their
(10:30):
stress. It's not just homes,either. A Harvard study found
that open plan offices, theworkplace version of the trend,
actually killed teamwork andmade people less likely to
interact face to face. Soperhaps that pendulum is
swinging back now, after decadesof open spaces, people are
admitting they miss walls. Whenyou hear the word investing, you
(10:53):
probably think of stocks,savings, maybe real estate,
right? But now there's a newmindset catching on, especially
among Gen Z, that actually worksfor any age group, and it's
called memory investing. Insteadof spending money on physical
stuff, memory investing is aboutputting your dollars toward
experiences that will stick withyou, like concerts, trips or
even just a family night out.
(11:15):
Think of it as investing in joy,relationships and stories you'll
tell years from now, and memoryinvesting has real benefits.
Studies show experiences bringmore lasting happiness than
material things. They canstrengthen relationships, give
you a sense of purpose andremind you that money is a tool
for creating the life you wantand remember. Memories don't
have to mean a pricey vacation.
They can be small, everydaymoments, a coffee date with a
(11:39):
friend, a picnic in the park, ora Sunday dinner with family.
Sometimes little things end upbeing the biggest memories. It's
the new investment strategy.
Memory investing.
That's it for the show today.
Thank you guys so much forlistening. If you like the show,
please rate, comment andsubscribe on Apple podcast.
Spotify, wherever you get yourpodcast. It helps us out a lot.
(11:59):
When you do that, we also try torespond to every mention the
show, every DM about the show.
You can tell us what you thinkabout it, because ultimately, we
do the show for you guys. Sothank you so much for listening.
You.
Gib. Hello and welcome to another episode of the
(00:09):
podcast. I'm Gib Gerard. We arehere with something new that we
are trying, something that I'mexcited to bring you. This is
just the facts, right? It's fromour radio show, intelligence for
your life, but there's nocommentary. It is just John
bringing you the stuff fromintelligence for your life the
radio show direct intelligencethat you can put in your pocket,
take with you wherever you wantto go. So I hope you enjoy it
(00:31):
here, without further ado, isJohn
Tesh, so whether you're countingcalories on my fitness pal or
tracking your runs on Strava oran Apple Watch, fitness apps
promise to keep us motivated andon track, right? But a study now
in the British Journal of HealthPsychology is saying those apps
may actually be doing theopposite. So listen, researchers
(00:52):
analyzed nearly 60,000 socialmedia posts about popular
fitness apps and focused on theones where people were
frustrated or negative, and theyfound a lot of people feel
worse, not better, when they usean app. The biggest complaints
apps that log data incorrectly,constant pressure to hit daily
goals and the emotionalexhaustion of tracking every
(01:13):
step, every bite, every workout,people said when they missed a
goal, the apps made them feelguilty, ashamed or like they'd
failed, and instead of tryingharder, a lot of people just
quit altogether. So the expertssay the problem here is that
these apps rely on rigidalgorithms. They don't account
for real life like being sick,busy, stressed or just
(01:34):
exhausted, and when technologymakes us feel like we're never
doing enough, our motivationdrops. Makes sense. The takeaway
from researchers is this, iftracking makes you feel anxious
or discouraged, it could be timeto take a break from the apps
and let your motivation comefrom within. Amen to this. So if
you've ever asked somebodyrepeatedly to change a habit and
(01:56):
nothing happens, science istelling us there's a reason
nagging does not work, accordingto researchers at the University
of Toronto who studied nagging,when we nag, we send a hidden
message that says, I don't trustyou to do this that can make the
other person feel criticized orcontrolled, so they dig in their
heels and tune out, and the morewe push, the less they respond,
(02:17):
which creates frustration foreverybody. So is there anything
that does work? Yeah, gratitude.
So instead of focusing on whatsomebody didn't do, acknowledge
the effort they did make, evenif it's a small one. In a long
term study of couples, thepeople who felt appreciated for
their efforts were far morelikely to keep changing over
time. After nine months, thosewho received the most gratitude
(02:39):
from their partners made thebiggest improvements in
behavior. Experts say this isn'tabout ignoring bad habits, it's
about reinforcing positive ones,and when people feel seen and
valued, they're more motivatedto follow through next time it's
worth a try. We've told you manytimes before that Pickleball is
still the fastest growing sport,but there is a downside. It
(02:59):
turns out, more and more peopleare ending up in the ER, with
serious eye injuries. A newstudy finding that last year
alone, more than 1200 playersneeded emergency treatment for
things like detached retinas,fractured eye sockets, bleeding
in the eye, even permanentvision damage. Most of these eye
injuries are happening toplayers over 50, by the way,
(03:20):
it's because as we age, ourreflexes slow down, our balance
isn't as sharp, and if we workglasses that aren't shatter
proof, a fast moving pickleballcan turn dangerous quickly, and
those balls are not floatingacross the court, they can
travel up to 60 miles an hour.
Have you seen this? That givesyou almost no time to react, and
(03:42):
there's no official rule aboutwearing eye protection in
tournaments or at public courts.
So the American Academy ofOphthalmology is now officially
urging players to wearprotective eyewear, specifically
the kind made for racket sports,right? My friends, do you ever
feel totally exhausted, but theminute your head hits the
pillow, you're wide awake. It'swhat sleep experts are calling a
(04:03):
second wind. It happens to me alot. Dr William Liu is a sleep
medicine expert. He says yourbrain actually gives you a
natural sleep window. That isthe 30 minute window, when your
brain signals your body to winddown. If you go to bed, then
you'll fall asleep quickly andsleep soundly. But if you wait
and miss that sleep opportunity,your nervous system kicks in and
(04:23):
gets you going again. Your brainthinks, Oh, you must need to
stay awake. So it flips theswitch and releases chemicals
that will keep you alert. Now,blue light from your phone
doesn't help, either it tellsyour brain it's still daytime
add in stress or racingthoughts. Now your body's
releasing stress hormones. Sowhat do we do? If that second
wind hits, you should get out ofbed, do something calm, like
(04:46):
reading, journaling or deepbreathing, and then try again.
And that's what works for me, bythe way. So we know resistance
training builds muscle, right?
But it turns out it could bestrengthening. Something else is
really important, something wetalk about all the time, and
it's our gut health. A new studyin the journal BioMed Central
(05:07):
found that people who startedlifting weights just two to
three times a week, even ifthey'd never exercised before,
they saw improvement in theirgut microbiome in as little as
eight weeks. Your microbiome is,of course, the massive community
of bacteria that lives in yourdigestive system and helps keep
you healthy. For the study,researchers followed hundreds of
people who didn't normallyexercise and had them do simple
(05:29):
resistance workouts. They alsocollected stool samples before,
during and after the study, andby the end, everybody's gut
bacteria had shifted in apositive direction, but the
people who got the strongest hadthe best results. Bottom line,
this adds to more and moreresearch showing exercise
doesn't just reshape our body,it may be reshaping our gut
(05:51):
health as well. So if you'refeeling bored or uninspired
lately, here are some tips tohelp you get out of your rut and
feel revitalized. They come fromcognitive neuroscientist tally
shereau, author of look again,the power of noticing what was
always there. I love it. Shesays, if you're feeling stuck,
take a break from your dailyroutine. That could be a
(06:11):
vacation, a weekend trip, or awalk around the block. This is
speaking to me. You can alsofeel reinvigorated by reflecting
on what you already have. Soreally imagine not having your
house, your family, your job,you get it because thinking
about life without the peopleand activities that bring
meaning and stability to yourWorld can help you feel grateful
(06:32):
for what you have right now andthen embrace variety. Yes, a big
change, like moving or switchingjobs can spark creativity, but
even small shifts like getting anew haircut or trying a new
hobby can give your brain a bigboost. In fact, research shows
that variety alone makes peoplehappier. Neuroscientist Dr Charo
(06:52):
also says having more variety inyour life and often makes people
happier. And if you're thinkingof a change, there's probably a
reason, because if everythingwas perfect, you wouldn't be
craving change in the firstplace. Amen, don't you know?
We've been told we peak in our20s and 30s. Our brain is
sharpest, then our energy ishigh. We have our whole lives
(07:13):
ahead of us. But new researchsays Not so fast, pal, when you
look at overall functioning,things like intelligence,
emotional stability, decisionmaking and life experience, most
people don't hit their truestride until their early 60s.
Sure, some things slow down. Youmay not process information as
quickly or remember every tinydetail like you used to, but
(07:35):
now, research in the journalintelligence found our judgment,
emotional balance, problemsolving, even financial wisdom,
all keeps getting better throughour 40s and 50s, and peaks
around the age of 60. So whywould you peak in your 60s?
Because you have lived you'vemade mistakes, you've solved
problems, you've raised kids,you've managed relationships,
(07:57):
many of them, you've handled alot of money and built a career
that adds up to somethingscientists are now calling
composite functioning, and itcontinues to grow long after
your youthful glow fades,composite functioning and even
after the age of 65 many peoplestay mentally sharp and
emotionally steady well intotheir 70s and beyond. So the big
(08:18):
takeaway, don't think of gettingolder as declining. It is
training, and your 50s and 60smight be the most capable stage
of your life. That's what I'mgoing with. All right, my
friends, there's a new trend Iwant to share with you, and I'm
loving it. It's called theanalog bag, or the stop
scrolling bag. It's basically atote you fill with old school
(08:39):
screen free activities, thingslike a book, watercolor paints,
no matter how old you are,knitting, crossword puzzles,
even a Polaroid camera. Nowfollow me here. You're going to
love this. We pick up our phonesmore than 100 times a day on
average, and we spend hoursglued to our screen. So people
are now packing analog bags totake back their downtime.
(09:01):
Instead of scrolling in thewaiting room or on the couch,
you pull out your sketchbook,some yarn, or that novel you've
been meaning to read. And youknow, parents and grandparents
are loving this trend. They'llload a bag for their kids with
little toys, puzzles, crayonsand coloring books. And of
course, the trend is blowing upon Tiktok, the hashtag analog
(09:21):
life is up over 330% from lastyear. Ironic. And you know who
totally approves of this trend?
Charles Duhigg, the best sellingauthor of The Power of Habit,
the new trend that we love hereon the show. It's called the
analog bag, or the stopscrolling bag, basically, again,
a tote that you fill up with oldschool, screen free activities.
You know, for years we reportedon the open concept home. It was
(09:45):
the dream. Tear down the walls,open up the space. But today,
more homeowners are realizingthat maybe walls weren't such a
bad idea. After all, real estateagents say buyers are now
starting to. Push back, tellingthem they don't want their
kitchens and their dirty disheson display, and the president of
a huge construction company ishearing the same thing. He puts
(10:07):
it simply, quote, the reality isthat life can be loud. For many
families, open concept livinghas turned into open concept
regret without walls, there's noprivacy, there's no quiet and
definitely nowhere to hideclutter. So some homeowners have
even spent 1000s of dollars toput walls back up after
realizing their open conceptdream space added to their
(10:30):
stress. It's not just homes,either. A Harvard study found
that open plan offices, theworkplace version of the trend,
actually killed teamwork andmade people less likely to
interact face to face. Soperhaps that pendulum is
swinging back now, after decadesof open spaces, people are
admitting they miss walls. Whenyou hear the word investing, you
(10:53):
probably think of stocks,savings, maybe real estate,
right? But now there's a newmindset catching on, especially
among Gen Z, that actually worksfor any age group, and it's
called memory investing. Insteadof spending money on physical
stuff, memory investing is aboutputting your dollars toward
experiences that will stick withyou, like concerts, trips or
even just a family night out.
(11:15):
Think of it as investing in joy,relationships and stories you'll
tell years from now, and memoryinvesting has real benefits.
Studies show experiences bringmore lasting happiness than
material things. They canstrengthen relationships, give
you a sense of purpose andremind you that money is a tool
for creating the life you wantand remember. Memories don't
have to mean a pricey vacation.
They can be small, everydaymoments, a coffee date with a
(11:39):
friend, a picnic in the park, ora Sunday dinner with family.
Sometimes little things end upbeing the biggest memories. It's
the new investment strategy.
Memory investing.
That's it for the show today.
Thank you guys so much forlistening. If you like the show,
please rate, comment andsubscribe on Apple podcast.
Spotify, wherever you get yourpodcast. It helps us out a lot.
(11:59):
When you do that, we also try torespond to every mention the
show, every DM about the show.
You can tell us what you thinkabout it, because ultimately, we
do the show for you guys. Sothank you so much for listening.
You.
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