I've blogged about my fitness routine, and readers have asked for me to go into more detail about how I have gotten in shape and how I maintain that shape. This work is the result of those requests. It is full of controversial claims, so be warned. I truly believe that if people follow the handful of principles in this short read, they will improve their health and change their lives.

The world outside has grown toxic, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. The remnants of humanity live underground in a single silo. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they want: They are allowed to go outside.

The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost. Their father was a sand diver, one of the elite few who could travel deep beneath the desert floor and bring up the relics and scraps that keep their people alive. But their father is gone. And the world he left behind might be next.

The path to personal and professional fulfillment is rarely straight. Ask anyone who has achieved his or her biggest goals or whose relationships thrive, and you'll hear stories of many unexpected detours along the way. What separates those who master these challenges and those who get derailed? The answer is agility - emotional agility.

In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo's algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair.

After her plane crashes, a 17-year-old girl spends 11 days walking through the Peruvian jungle. Against all odds, with no food, shelter, or equipment, she gets out. A better equipped group of adult survivors of the same crash sits down and dies. What makes the difference?

Joe De Sena has one ultimate goal: to help improve everyone’s physical and emotional health by teaching them the tenets of Spartan living from ancient Greece: simple eating, smart training, mastering resilience, and an all-out commitment to achieving a goal.

When was the last time you tried something new? Something that won’t make you more productive, make you more money, or check anything off your to-do list? Odds are, not recently. As Karen Rinaldi explains in this eye-opening audiobook, we live in a time of aspirational psychoses. We humblebrag about how hard we work, prioritize productivity over play, clamor for likes on social media, and are told not to accept failure as an option. As a result, we are more anxious and depressed than ever. This audiobook provides the antidote.

The Happy, Sober Solution is not just a way to break the cycle of alcohol addiction but a complete life overhaul. The end result being a return to the old, happy version of you. A you with more energy, better health, amazing relationships and starting everyday with vitality and excitement. Yes, I know it sound far too good to be true - but don't let that stop you taking a chance.

Twenty-six point two miles isn’t enough anymore. Obstacle course racing, which combines the endurance challenges of a marathon with the mind-bending rigors of overcoming obstacles along the way, is taking the world by storm. At the center of this phenomenon is Joe De Sena, the driving force behind the enormously popular Spartan Race. De Sena offers a simple philosophy: commit to a goal, put in the work, and get it done.

Described as one of the best-known life coaches in America, in media such as Psychology Today, O columnist Martha Beck has demonstrated a rare gift for helping people who have gone off course to find their way back to authentic, rewarding lives. Now, in Steering by Starlight, Dr. Beck describes the step-by-step process she uses with her private clients to help them find their way back to their "homing instincts" - their true destinies.

Many people believe that if they were only wealthy then they could finally be truly happy. However, most soon realize that money and wealth are not the cause of happiness but rather the by-product of it. True peace is like a wheel and money is just one of the many spokes.

While hiking on a solo vacation in a remote, uninhabitable region of Arizona, Zachary Anderegg happened upon Riley, an emaciated puppy clinging to life, at the bottom of a 350-foot canyon. In a daring act of humanity that trumped the deliberate savagery behind Riley’s presence in such a place, Zak single-handedly orchestrated a rescue. What didn’t come out in the initial burst of publicity this story received is that Zak and Riley’s destinies were intertwined long before they improbably found each other.

Who are we...really? As depression and addiction become more commonplace in today’s culture, it seems we have lost sight of who we actually are. Like a whale on a beach, too many of us are finding ourselves breathing shallow, feeling stranded and alone. The truth is we can cut free from the things that hold us back if we can catch a clear vision of the true character of God. And like a mighty redwood tree, we can choose to live healthy lives filled with purpose, rising confidently above the chaos.

The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease based on evidence that brains change with drug use. But in The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do - seek pleasure and relief - in a world that's not cooperating.

Wayfinding is the ancient seafaring art of navigating according to the natural signs. As a self-help philosophy, Wayfinding means being aware of our environment and our responses to outside stimuli. It also means learning about the environment for which we evolved, and how it differs from the environment in which we live. Wayfinding is not a destination. It is a neverending journey. It doesn't have to be yours; it is simply a description of the path that I am on, with all my bumbling and lack of expertise on full display.

In part one of this series, we looked at a series of experiments that called into question the concept of free will. Here, we confront that idea more directly, and the exploration reveals a path whereby we might gain more control over our lives. At the same time, the adventure with Billy continues as the boat breaks down and Douglas and I find ourselves marooned on a strange island in the middle of nowhere.

I've blogged about my fitness routine, and readers have asked for me to go into more detail about how I have gotten in shape and how I maintain that shape. This work is the result of those requests. It is full of controversial claims, so be warned. I truly believe that if people follow the handful of principles in this short read, they will improve their health and change their lives.

In part 6 of this series, I tackle depression, its origins, and techniques for dealing with both it and anxiety.

In part five of this series, we take a step back from examples of the struggles we face and solutions for conquering those struggles and delve deeper into the two levels of thought that are often in conflict. We look at the consciousness and subconsciousness and how the two are in dialog with one another. More importantly, we examine how the consciousness likely formed, and how its adaptation may have been for a different purpose entirely.