Modern Rituals by Exhale

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4 Keys To Resiliency Revealed: Supplements, Science & Mindset Explained

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Jan 20, 2026

Guest

Alex Manos

In this enlightening conversation, Alex Manos, a functional medicine practitioner and gut health expert, delves into the multifaceted nature of resilience. He breaks down its four quadrants—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—offering insights into the role of hormesis in building strength. Alex emphasizes practical strategies like strength training, fiber-rich diets, and breathwork while debunking the myth of over-complication in health. Listeners will learn how to harness HRV, cultivate mental toughness, and embrace simple rituals for long-lasting well-being.

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insights

INSIGHT

Resilience Defined As Return Or Adaptation

Resilience is your ability to respond to demands and return to baseline or find a new baseline after change.
Alex Manos frames resilience in four interconnected domains: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

insights

INSIGHT

Small Stress Builds Resilience (Hormesis)

Hormesis explains how small amounts of stress (fasting, heat, cold, polyphenols) build long-term resilience.
Too much or chronic stress overwhelms capacity and reduces resilience by preventing return to baseline.

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ADVICE

Use HRV Trends, Not Single Values

Use HRV as a top biomarker of psychophysiological resilience, watching trends not single readings.
Interpret HRV with context since very low or deceptively high values can both indicate dysfunction.

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What resilience means and its four quadrants

02:50 • 4min

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Hormesis: small stress builds resilience

06:30 • 1min

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Finding the line between helpful and toxic stress

07:52 • 1min

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HRV explained and what it reveals

09:00 • 4min

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Using HRV to guide recovery and training

13:00 • 4min

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Physical resilience and allostatic load

16:49 • 15sec

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Building microbiome resilience with fiber and fermented foods

17:04 • 4min

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Should most people supplement fiber?

21:10 • 50sec

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Exercise as a resilience cornerstone: muscle as an organ

22:00 • 4min

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Strength training without the gym

25:43 • 2min

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Exercise improves mental and emotional resilience

28:02 • 2min

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Mental resilience: values and staying on course

29:57 • 4min

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How to identify values and long-term vision

34:10 • 5min

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Preparing for adversity and role of relationships

38:50 • 1min

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Nervous system regulation: breathwork and therapy

40:16 • 5min

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Emotional resilience and cultivating optimism

45:00 • 4min

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Simple breath practices to regulate the nervous system

49:11 • 4min

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Meditation, micro-pitstops, and habit formation

53:20 • 17sec

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Spiritual resilience: connection to something bigger

53:37 • 3min

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Cold water therapy: benefits, context, and limits

56:38 • 3min

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When cold plunges help and when they harm gains

59:24 • 3min

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Practical cold exposure: frequency, temperature, face dunking

01:02:29 • 4min

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Keep rituals simple and avoid overcomplication

01:06:28 • 30sec

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Final habits: stop snacking; add contemplative practice

• Mentioned in 1,241 episodes

Atomic Habits

James Clear

Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth.

How do you actually build resilience and reduce stress in today's world?

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In this episode of Modern Rituals, functional medicine practitioner Alex Manos breaks down the science of resilience and how to build it through simple daily habits. We cover HRV and stress, gut health and fibre, breathwork, strength training, cold water therapy, and why most people are overcomplicating health. This is a practical, evidence-led conversation on how to improve your nervous system, immune resilience and long-term health – without chasing endless biohacks.

🎙️ About the guest:

Alex Manos is a functional medicine certified practitioner with a master’s in personalised nutrition. He’s the founder of Healthpath and creator of the Resilience Programme, specialising in gut health, breathwork and nervous system regulation.

✍️ Alex's modern rituals:

• Track your HRV

• Fermented foods

• Fruit, veg, wholegrains, lentils, chickpeas

• Psyllium Husk, PHGG

• Strength training

• Resistance training

• Values list

• Breath work and therapy

• Calm or Headspace app

• 5 mins of breathwork in the morning

• Cold water on your face daily

• Journal straight from the mind

Stay up to date with Modern Rituals podcast on:

Instagram: @yourexhale

TikTok: @yourexhale

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourexhale/

Follow Alex Manos on:

Instagram: @alexandermanos

YouTube: @healthpath

Alex's resiliency program: https://www.alexmanos.co.uk/the-resiliency-program/

Gut microbiome testing: https://healthpath.com/gut-health-test/?referral=15

☕️ Brought to you by Exhale Coffee: https://exhalecoffee.com/

00:00 – Quick-fire health questions: Sleep trackers, supplements and gut myths

01:50 – What resilience really means (and why it’s hard to define)

04:30 – Hormesis explained: Why small stress builds long-term resilience

07:50 – How to know when stress becomes harmful (and where people go wrong)

08:55 – HRV explained: What heart rate variability actually tells you

11:20 – Low vs high HRV: Stress, burnout and nervous system states

14:40 – Using HRV to guide training, recovery and illness

17:45 – Why health tracking can increase anxiety for some people

18:55 – Physical resilience explained: Returning to baseline vs burnout

21:20 – Gut health and microbiome resilience

24:05 – Fibre intake explained: The most underrated longevity tool

26:25 – Supplements vs foundations: Why fibre beats biohacks

27:50 – Exercise and resilience: Strength, muscle and ageing

30:15 – Do you really need the gym to stay strong?

32:00 – Movement, strength and everyday resilience

34:35 – Mental resilience: Values, focus and decision-making

37:10 – How to identify your values and long-term direction

39:45 – Emotional resilience and managing stress responses

42:35 – Social connection and community as a health pillar

45:15 – Breathwork for nervous system regulation

47:10 – Why most people add too many habits (and should subtract instead)

49:10 – Cold water therapy explained: Benefits, risks and myths

51:20 – Cold exposure for immunity, recovery and mental resilience

54:00 – How often to do cold water therapy (and who should avoid it)

56:00 – Face dunking, vagus nerve stimulation and cold showers

58:40 – Building mental resilience through discomfort

01:01:00 – Simple daily breathwork practices anyone can start

01:03:40 – Spiritual resilience and staying grounded during stress

01:06:55 – Preparing for adversity before it happens

01:09:40 – The most overrated health advice

01:11:00 – One daily habit everyone should add

01:14:00 – Where to find Alex + current projects

#longevity #chronicstress #exhalecoffee

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