Inside Health Weekly: Endurance

Ft. Endurance

Inside Health
July 24, 2025

Inside Health Weekly

Inside The Issue: ENDURANCE

From 5 am workouts to 10-hour study marathons, Endurance is not about speed, it’s about lasting the damn distance.

This 5-minute read? It’s a blueprint to become an endurance beast.

Time to take control of your nervous system, make it fire on command, and recover like a pro. You want that Rocky mindset? The Mamba Mentality? Then get to work.

This week, we’re building endurance that breaks limits. No excuses. LET’S GO.

1. Eye of the Tiger, Brain of a Biohacker

When a quick set turns into a full-on flex session.

Movie Moments Where Rocky Wins

Running up the Steps
What’s happening: A fast-paced staircase climb boosts your mitochondria activity (the powerhouse of your cells), increasing your stamina to last longer in the fight.
Ice Bath Recovery
What’s happening: Cold exposure regulates cortisol (your stress hormone), cuts inflammation, and speeds muscle recovery, so you’re ready to come back stronger after every round.
The Speech: “It ain’t about how hard you hit...” (iykyk)
What’s happening: This quote sums up the power of your mid-anterior cingulate cortex, your brain’s mental coach. It fires up when pain hits, pushing you to get back up and keep going.
Training in the Cold, Sweating in the Ring
What’s happening: Intense physical stress rewires your nervous system, strengthening your fight-or-flight neural response, building mental toughness that holds up under pressure.
No Fancy Gym Needed
What’s happening: Repeated exposure to discomfort trains your brain and body to tolerate pain and fatigue, building resilience in your muscles and mindset.

2. Hack Your Hormones:

1. Sync with Cortisol
Between 6–9 am, cortisol peaks. Most people waste it. Not you. You rise and lock in.

Cortisol gets your body ready for action, boosting energy, sharpening your focus, and preparing you to perform. That’s why morning is prime time for fasted cardio, sprints, and heavy lifts.

While they’re still sleeping, you’re already working.
While they’re soft, you stay hard.

Pro Tip: Morning HIIT before class = hormone-aligned hustle (and if you haven’t heard of David Goggins and need a serious endurance boost… read his book, it’s life-changing)

David Goggins is the walking definition of determination. If you wanted to, you would.

2. Balance Blood Sugar
Here’s the deal: When your energy tanks, your game tanks.

Right after you get up, eat something with protein and good fats, fast. That’s how you keep your engine running strong.

And here’s the plot twist: It’s not just about your body, it’s about your brain too. There’s a part of your brain — the mid-anterior cingulate cortex — that acts like your inner coach. It keeps you going when everything screams quit. And the more you push, the stronger it gets. It literally grows.

Bonus Insight:Train the Brain Like an Olympian
The mid-anterior cingulate cortex is your brain’s endurance engine— this region is highly active in marathoners, Navy SEALs, and Olympians.

The harder you train, the stronger it gets.
Want elite mental stamina? Have the discipline to build it.

3. Neuroscience Secrets:

"You might be able to outrun depression, literally.”

In a study comparing the effects of antidepressants versus running on depression, running had similar beneficial effects on mental health as antidepressants did and surpassed antidepressants with better physical health.

Pro Tip: Movement is medicine. Use physical activity as more than a way to lose weight– use it as a way to alleviate inevitable stressors in life.

“Dietary nitrate may increase oxygen uptake and delay fatigue during longer exercise.”

Nitrate helps improve your endurance by allowing your muscles to use oxygen more efficiently, so you require less oxygen to perform the same amount of strenuous exercise.

Pro Tip: Nitrate is found in plenty of available foods, most likely sitting in your kitchen. Substitute the pre-workout for nitrate-rich food options, such as: Beet Juice, Watermelon, Spinach and Celery.

4. Our Take: Inside Health Updates

1. WE ARE MAKING A DOCUMENTARY!

Want to be part of THE NEXT GENERATION?

We’re making a documentary and looking for voices like yours… real stories, real passion, on camera.
This is your chance to step into the spotlight.
CHECK IT OUT: Sign up today and let your story be heard!

2. BECOME A CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR

Want to write for Inside Health? We’re looking for students to unlock health topics for our next issues.
Next Up: Hormones + Women’s Health
SIGN UP HERE

3. JOIN A LATINO RUN CLUB

Running with rhythm isn’t just fun, it’s functional. Meet RUMBA RUN CLUB, a Chicago-based Latino run club that helps you build stamina and heart health, one mile at a time.

Why it matters: Running is the original endurance biohack. Unlock the benefits:

Boost Heart Power: Runners have a 45% lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke compared to non-runners.
Run for your (long) life: Boosts blood flow to the brain, increases BDNF, and enhances neuroplasticity for sharper, faster thinking.
Sculpt a Stronger Body: Builds bone density + trains muscles to burn fat more efficiently.

5. Coming Next Week:

The Incredibles: Hormone Edition

Estrogen (Elastigirl; flexible & essential)
Progesterone (Violet; protective & balanced)
Testosterone (Mr. Incredible; strength & energy)

FOLLOW US: on Instagram and TikTok for daily breakdowns
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FORWARD THIS to a friend who...
…hits snooze harder than Rocky hits the punchbag.
BOOSTER productivity tip
Train your brain like Rocky trains his body: break your work into rounds. Focus hard for 25 minutes, then take your own mini “corner break” before knocking out the next set. No burnout, just steady wins.

That’s everything for now! Thanks for hanging out with Inside Health this week. Understanding how you function starts with education, and you’re already doing the work just by being here.

Until Next Time! —The Inside Health Team.