Running with Sherman: How a Rescue Donkey Inspired a Rag-tag Gang of Runners to Enter the Craziest Race in America

by Christopher McDougall

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time. —LEONARD BERNSTEIN

“Why is this vacation? Why isn’t this just…life?”

Movement is big medicine; it’s the signal to every cell in our bodies that no matter what kind of damage we’ve suffered, we’re ready to rebuild and move away from death and back toward life. Rest too long after an injury and your system powers down, preparing you for a peaceful exit. Fight your way back to your feet, however, and you trigger that magical ON switch that speeds healing hormones to everything you need to get stronger: your bones, brain, organs, ligaments, immune system, even the digestive bacteria in your belly, all get a molecular upgrade from exercise. For that, you can thank your hunter-gatherer ancestors, who evolved to stay alive by staying on the move. Today, movement-as-medicine is a biological truth for survivors of cancer, surgery, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, brain injuries, depression, you name it.

Dogs are even more comforting than your guy, at least at night; in 2018, animal behaviorists at Canisius College researched the sleeping habits of people who shared their beds with a pet and found that out of nearly 1,000 women, the majority had “better, more restful sleep” when they cuddled with a dog rather than with their husbands. And not just because the pups are better about sharing the good pillow and turning off their phones: “Their dogs were less disruptive than their human partners,” the study found, “and were associated with stronger feelings of comfort and security.”

Sam’s uncle knew that happiness, health, and security come from devoting yourself to two things—your family and your friends—and anything that doesn’t bring you closer to both is pulling you in the wrong direction.

the five words that define Amish life: Slow down. Savor your world.

Dreams are the beginning of every new adventure, and our greatest dreams come from the person right in front of us.

The only thing you need to do is the thing you’re doing.

if you want to burn fat, relieve depression, get stronger, increase mobility, and stay healthier, you might want to start with blue lips.

The more joy you put out, the more you’ll see reflected back at you.