A Friendly Nudge - Disappointed
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
I recently had one of my Nudge subscribers ask me why I haven’t had anything to say about Peter Attia since I have given his work on longevity so much visibility in this newsletter. For those of you who don’t know, Attia has been all over the headlines because he showed up in the latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein files. I thought it was a fair question to ask and to be honest with you, it’s a subject that I’ve been wrestling with.
I have a whole new level of appreciation for the phrase, “never meet your heroes” because they’re almost certain to disappoint or even disgust you. The email exchange between Attia and Epstein that grabbed all of the headlines was juvenile and disgusting. In the letter that Attia sent to his employees and patients he acknowledges how inappropriate the email exchange was and he claims that when he asked Epstein about his legal problems there was no mention of underaged girls. Attia stated that he didn’t find out about that until the November, 2018 Miami Herald investigative piece brought it to light. Attia claims that when he found out he confronted Epstein and urged him to take responsibility for what he did and to pay for the victims to receive lifelong therapy. Given Attia’s own acknowledgement of being sexually abused as a child and the role that therapy has played for him this didn’t come as a surprise.
I have a hard time believing that someone with Attia’s intellect and curiosity didn’t have unresolved questions about Epstein before 2018, but I’m not sure how motivated he was to uncover anything that would taint their relationship. I haven’t read all of the emails between Attia and Epstein but I’ve managed to wade through a bunch of them and they’re overwhelmingly about Attia trying to arrange meetings and introductions to help secure funding and support for a project he was working on.
Sometimes in the movies the villains are one-dimensional. They’re the personification of evil and we don’t have to think about it much. They’re abominable and loathsome and lacking any redeeming qualities. Unfortunately real life is more like The Sopranos where people are capable of doing despicable things one minute and being relatable sympathetic characters the next.
Attia can’t undo his involvement with Epstein with a letter of apology because you can’t talk your way out of something that you behaved your way in to. I hope that Attia doesn’t just go away as so many people have begged him to do. I hope instead he follows the advice that he gave Epstein and faces the storm of deserved criticism, uses some of his own wealth to help the women and girls harmed by Epstein, gains a greater level of humility and works to earn the trust and the respect that he squandered.
Only time will tell. But in the meantime you won’t be seeing anymore Attia references from me.
Next week I’ll get back on topic but this felt like it needed saying.
This week’s food idea is a sneak peek at next week’s theme, which is friction. When we’re trying to establish a habit like exercising or cooking more of our meals it helps if we can remove any unnecessary obstacles or friction. It doesn’t get much easier than this week’s meal.
2-Minute Omelet
I’ve said it before, but I love meals that are tasty but also super easy and accessible and this one from Jose Andreas checks all of those boxes. I recently read that this was his favorite way to prepare an omelet and I now understand why.
You can make this in under 5 minutes, so not having enough time to fix something to eat just disappeared as an excuse.
You’re going to need a microwave for this one. Or you could make it in a skillet but it might take a little longer.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 fork full of mayo
Cheese of your choice
½ avocado, sliced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Any fresh herbs like basil, cilantro or chives
A touch of olive oil to coat the plate or bowl that you’re using to cook the omelet
They don’t get much easier than this one.
Add just a touch of olive oil and spread it on the bottom of the bowl that has a fairly flat bottom. To the bowl add two two eggs and a generous fork full of mayo and then mix until the mayo is completely incorporated. This also adds a lot of air into the mixture.
Microwave this on high for between 1 minute and 45 seconds to 2 minutes depending on your microwave.
Add your cheese and any other fillings and then fold the edges of the omelet in with a spatula and put this on a plate. Top with sliced avocado, tomatoes and any fresh herbs and salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Here’s this week’s exercises and there’re several that you can do while you’re waiting on the coffee to brew or the water to boil. You’re looking for a level of exertion that challenges you some but doesn’t wipe you out. And remember to skip any that you don’t feel ready for yet. As you get stronger things that feel impossible now may start feeling a little more doable.