Sahil Bloom Profile picture
Dec 1 13 tweets 3 min read
Researchers studied the effects of a 20-minute walk on the cognitive performance of a group of children.

This is fascinating…
Reading comprehension performance was significantly better after exercise.

Spelling and arithmetic performance were better, though the results were not statistically significant.
Researchers concluded:

“Single, acute bouts of moderately-intense aerobic exercise (i.e., walking) may improve the cognitive control of attention…and further supports the use of moderate acute exercise as a contributing factor for increasing attention and academic performance.”
One other conclusion from the paper:

"These data suggest that single bouts of exercise affect specific underlying processes that support cognitive health and may be necessary for effective functioning across the lifespan.”
My conclusion: Go for more walks.

You’ll improve your:

• Physical health
• Cognitive performance
• Mental health
• Creativity

It’s a simple, free unlock for life.

More to come in an upcoming newsletter. sahilbloom.com/newsletter
I started walking 10x more in 2022 after the birth of our son.

Averaged about ~2-3k steps per day in 2021—averaging about ~20k steps per day in 2022 since May.

Having a kid —> walking more —> living longer and better

(or something like that!)
I have two types of walks:

Active Walks:
• Listening to something or thinking about something
• 30-60 minutes
• Brisk pace

Passive Walks:
• No technology
• Mind free to wander
• 60+ minutes
• Slow, leisurely pace

I find that both have a clear, necessary role in my life.
The Active Walks are typically done at Zone 2 HR level (often wear a weight vest during these to get to that level if flat terrain).

This allows me to easily hit the 180+ minutes per week that @hubermanlab recommends we all get.
I also used to get a TERRIBLE bout of drowsiness after lunch.

I started taking a 10-minute walk immediately after eating and it has worked wonders for keeping my energy steady into the afternoon.

More effective than the large black cold brew I used to rely on for that purpose.
"Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it." - Søren Kierkegaard

Follow me @SahilBloom for more content like this!
This research also points to the lunacy of punishing children with “no recess” for bad behavior or not paying attention.

The punishment actually makes it more likely for attention and performance to continue to suffer.

Recess is sacred (for children and adults alike).
A simple challenge for all of you:

This weekend, go for a 30-minute tech-free walk.

• No phone
• No music
• No podcasts
• No articles
• No audiobooks

Just you, your thoughts, your gratitude, and the fresh air.

A simple reset that will change your life. I guarantee it.

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More from @SahilBloom

Dec 3
The most powerful paradoxes of life:
The Productivity Paradox

Work longer, get less done.

Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

When you establish fixed hours to your work, you find unproductive ways to fill it.

Work like a lion instead—sprint, rest, repeat.
The Advice Paradox

Taking more advice can leave you less well-prepared.

Most advice sucks.

It's well-intentioned, but it's dangerous to use someone else's map of reality to navigate yours.

Winners develop filters and selectively implement advice—take signal, skip noise.
Read 22 tweets
Nov 30
Was out on a walk with my son and heard an enormous crash behind us.

Turn around to see this on the sidewalk we had just been on.

Absolutely insane how fast everything can change.

Go hug someone today 🙏🏽
I basically ran away as fast as I could with the stroller. Never had a scarier experience in my life.

Came back alone and took the footage about 30 minutes later after first responders arrived and the scene was safe.
And miraculously Roman slept through the entire thing…
Read 5 tweets
Nov 30
How to retain everything you learn.

The Spaced Repetition Method (science-backed):
Spaced Repetition leverages cognitive science to help you retain new information.

It plays on the way our brains work to convert short-term to long-term memory.

With Spaced Repetition, information is consumed at increasing intervals until it's committed to long-term memory.
Here's how it works:

You first consume some new information at 8am.

Now you start the repetitions:

• Rep 1: 9am (1 hr later)
• Rep 2: 12pm (3 hrs later)
• Rep 3: 6pm (6 hrs later)
• Rep 4: 6am (12 hrs later)
• and so on

The memory is reinforced at increasing intervals.
Read 8 tweets
Nov 29
Most bad decisions are made in moments where emotions cloud our logic and judgement.

Learning to identify those moments is a critical life skill.

If you feel like your emotions might be swaying you, don’t send that email or text.

Wait 24 hours and decide.
One simple trick:

Set a 60-second delay timer on all emails.

This gives you a built-in backstop to pull the plug on those emotion-laden messages before they actually send.
When you make a habit of the 24-Hour Rule, you’ll quickly find that 99% of those emotional responses weren’t actually worth sending.

It’ll save you a whole lot of relationship challenges and stress.
Read 4 tweets
Nov 28
This is a really interesting graph.

Young people are much more optimistic about the future. Image
Stage on the development curve is impactful. Countries on a steeper portion of the development curve seem to have higher levels of optimism. This makes sense.
The pessimist sees this graph and says the young people are naive.

The optimist sees this graph and says the young people have yet to be corrupted by the pessimistic narrative of the global media.
Read 7 tweets
Nov 27
When you find out you’re going to have a baby, you get a lot of advice.

Unfortunately, most of it sucks.

Here is the straight talk parenting advice I wish I had received:
Do What Works For You

The most important piece of advice.

Everyone has an opinion on how you should raise your kids, what tools you should use, how you should sleep train them, etc.

It's well intentioned, but it's mostly bullshit.

Do what works for you and makes you happy.
Reject the Cynicism

There's this weird trend of cynicism around becoming a parent:

• "Have fun never sleeping!"
• "Hope you got your fun in!"

It's dumb—the good outweighs the bad by 1000x. The frictions are just a tiny tax on all the benefits.

Lean into gratitude instead.
Read 17 tweets

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