Genius Foods

Now before you throw your hands up in confusion, let
me clarify: there are two kinds of stress. There is chronic
stress—the kind that comes from a bad job, sour
relationship, prolonged financial hardship, or even what my
friend fitness author and mega-athlete Mark Sisson calls
“chronic cardio” (discussed momentarily). This kind of
stress accelerates entropy and decay. It leads to prolonged
elevation of the hormone cortisol, which can rob our
muscles of strength and redistribute our body fat to our
bellies, cause important parts of the brain to atrophy, and
even accelerate the aging process.
Acute (or temporary) stress is a different beast entirely
and may be one of our most powerful weapons in the fight
against entropy. This form of stress may take many shapes.
It may be the mental stress that one endures when learning
to play an instrument, engaging in a particularly challenging
and lifelike video game, or sitting through a tough lecture. It
can also be physical stress, in the form of exercise, brief
bouts of fasting, extreme temperatures, or even certain types
of “stressful” foods.
Hormesis, one of my favorite biological principles, is the
mechanism by which small doses of stress from, say, a
tough workout, a good sweat in the sauna, or even
temporary calorie restriction (which we call intermittent
fasting) can promote more efficient cells and greater long-
term health. While large doses of a particular stressor might
harm you, small doses actually cause your cells to adapt and
grow stronger. The following pages will explore how you
can leverage the power of hormesis to supercharge your
cognition and help you live stronger for longer.