The Expedition: A trick to do 77% more workouts, critical info on kids and nutrition, the upside of problems, sauna, etc

The Expedition rounds up all the most useful, fascinating stuff I’ve encountered in the last month. It’ll help you live better.

This month, we’re covering:

* A book I enjoyed.

* Numbers on:

* How much your genes influence your strength.

* How many workouts a week younger people have to do to preserve muscle and strength.

* How many workouts a week older people have to do to preserve muscle and strength.

* A trick that will help you do 77 percent more workouts—and like them all.

* Hours of sleep a night that’ll make you sick, depressed, and anxious.

* How to prevent half of cases of dementia.

* How much money the casinos in my home state of Nevada won from gamblers last year.

* Just how strong 80-year-olds can be (hint: really strong).

* How we’re dying differently over the past five years.

* Weird strength science.

* Kids and nutrition—the competing problems of kids nutrition and what this can tell us about how you should feed your kids.

* A great story about how competition can fuel fitness.

* The true science of how sauna compares to exercise.

* A far-out idea that explains why the Scandinavian countries are so happy (it involves bloodthirsty Vikings).

* A smart, shocking take on smartphones (involving, um, McDonald’s?).

* Why you should love those who push you.

* Why problems can be opportunities (a wonderful case study involving Dead & Co).

* A good parting quote about how to live.

* A very important parting question (my answer involves guns and grapefruits).

See you on the other side …