Issue No. 57: Get Out of Your Head and Into the Gym

September 18, 2025

Good Morning! Welcome to this week’s edition of Morning Cowbell. Let’s take a look at the top stories and coolest trends shaping fitness and health.

💪  Get Out of Your Head and Into the Gym. Exercise doesn’t just build muscles - it rewires your brain chemistry, slashes stress, and fuels confidence in and out of the gym. From quick endorphin boosts to long-term mental resilience, movement is one of the most powerful therapies we have.

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Walking Backwards on the Treadmill
2. Tired of Being Tired? 17 Ways to Power Up Your Day
3. G-Vest: Power Up Your Workout
4. Why Doing Nothing Might Save Your Sanity
5. The Empathy Effect: Sharper Minds, Longer Lives

🐄 🐄 🐄 — John, Nolan and Josh

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now

You Should Be Walking Backwards on a Treadmill

Walking backwards on the treadmill may look ridiculous, but it’s a joint-friendly, calorie-torching, brain-boosting move that secretly outperforms your usual forward slog.

  • The big picture: Walking backwards recruits muscles in new ways. Quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes all get challenged differently than they do in forward walking. It also helps relieve stress on the knees and strengthens the muscles around them - making it especially good for people with joint pain or recovering from injuries. Moving in reverse forces your brain to pay attention. You can’t just autopilot like you might when walking forward. The added mental effort improves coordination, balance, and spatial awareness. Because it’s harder and less efficient, backwards walking burns up to 40% more calories than walking forward at the same speed.

  • The verdict: Backwards treadmill walking may look goofy, but it’s a simple, science-backed way to add spice to your workouts. Do it right, and you’ll strengthen your legs, protect your joints, sharpen your mind, and torch more calories.

Tired of Being Tired? 17 Ways to Power Up Your Day

The secret to feeling energized isn’t one magic fix, but a collection of daily habits that work together to supercharge your body and mind.

  • The big picture: Sync with your natural rhythms. A dose of morning sunlight, consistent wake-up times, and respecting your body clock can give you an all-day boost. Fuel wisely. Think protein-packed meals, fewer processed foods, and snacks that keep blood sugar steady - your energy supply will thank you. Shift your mindset. Positivity, stress management, and finding purpose aren’t just feel-good fluff - they actually help your cells produce more energy.

  • The verdict: Energy isn’t about guzzling caffeine - it’s about small, intentional choices that keep your inner batteries charged and ready for anything.

G-Vest: Power Up Your Workout

The G-Vest is a weighted vest product line from Omorpho designed for strength, endurance, and comfort - offering two versions with adjustable fit and premium materials.

  • The big picture: Two versions, two vibes. There's the full-weight G-Vest (10 lbs) for building strength, and a lighter G-Vest Sport (6 lbs) tailored for explosive movement and endurance. Fit & comfort matter. The vest features hundreds of weights distributed evenly, adjustable shoulder straps, and elastic side cords so it adapts to different body shapes without sacrificing freedom of movement. High quality all around. Materials are premium, durability is stressed (“built to withstand heavy use over and over”), and customer feedback is strong — high ratings and a large percentage of customers recommend it.

  • The verdict: If you want a thoughtfully engineered weighted vest that balances strength training, mobility, comfort, and durability, the G-Vest line hits the mark.

Why Doing Nothing Might Save Your Sanity

Choosing boredom over screen time helps recharge your mind, spark creativity, and restore balance in a world of digital overload.

  • The big picture: Boredom is Brain Fuel Instead of being wasted time, boredom provides your mind with the rare chance to wander, reflect, and connect ideas in new ways. Philosophy Holds the Keys. Great thinkers have long known that boredom, discomfort, and even silence are essential to human growth. Mindfulness and self-awareness can help you notice the impulse to check your phone, understand why it happens, and give you the tools to gently resist. Digital Overload Has a Cost. Constant pings, likes, and news updates might feel like harmless background noise, but they actually fragment your focus, increase stress, and feed a fear of missing out. Over time, this digital clutter leaves you restless and mentally drained.

  • The verdict: Choosing boredom over endless scrolling is a quiet rebellion that unlocks clarity, rest, and a healthier relationship with life’s moments.

The Empathy Effect: Sharper Minds, Longer Lives

Empathy strengthens your brain, boosts physical health, and extends life by deepening connections, changing brain structure, and reducing stress.

  • The big picture: Empathy means really feeling or imagining someone else’s perspective, not just pitying them from a distance. That leaning-in quality of empathy tends to strengthen relationships and inspires caring actions. Brains That Age Beautifully Have Empathy Built In. People called “SuperAgers” (80+ but with sharp brains) stand out not because they’re geniuses, but because they have richer, more positive relationships and higher empathy scores. Physical Health Also Wins When Empathy Steps Up. Caring and connecting reduce stress hormones (like cortisol), protect telomeres (the caps on DNA that age us), and trigger beneficial chemicals like oxytocin and dopamine. Basically, empathy can slow biological aging, lower inflammation, and even reduce blood pressure.

  • The verdict: Really caring about others isn’t just good for the soul - it rewires your brain, shields your body, and gives you a shot at aging not just longer, but better.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now