Saturday 7

Published: Sat, 06/28/25

Updated: Mon, 06/30/25

Good morning!

Here's your Saturday 7 roundup!

🌞 What's dangerous:

You may have felt it this week—it's officially summer.

This is my annual reminder about the health dangers of sun avoidance.

The American Academy of Dermatology has a zero-tolerance policy toward the sun.

They tell you to lather on the sunscreen. Put on a hat. Cover up.

Yet...

Dr. Lindqvist's research equated SPF 50 sunblock to a pack of Marlboros:

"Avoidance of sun exposure is a risk factor of a similar magnitude as smoking in terms of life expectancy."

Sun exposure triggers critical compounds in the body like nitric oxide for vascular health, an endorphin surge that makes you feel good, vitamin D synthesis for bone and teeth health. It regulates circadian rhythms that improve sleep. It decreases the risks of cancers, CVD, and mental health disorders.

The current sun exposure guidelines need to step out of the dark ages.

Think of the sun as a vital nutrient that you need to soak up.

😎 What summer was like back in the day:

With the Earth's northern hemisphere tilting toward the sun, summer kicked off. And it started with a bang. Half of the U.S. got 90 to 100-degree temperatures, thanks to a heat dome, a zone of high pressure that traps hot air, kind of like a lid on a pot.

This is what summer was like the year you were born (old pics).

💗 What is painless (for awhile):

Cavities grow for months without pain.

Most heart attacks come without warning.

You don’t feel the symptoms of cancer until late stages.

Don't wait until it hurts to take action on your health.

I'm biased, but I think this is the best place to start.

💡 How to check in:

Summer also marks the halfway point in the year, a good time to check in on your annual goals, progress, and if you need to make any adjustments.

Here are a few questions to win the rest of the year:

1. What was your biggest win and challenge from the first half?

2. If the future you, the one that has achieved all your goals, dropped in to offer advice, what would he/she tell you to start doing and stop doing?

3. If you had to achieve a 3-year goal by the end of the year, what would you do?

4. Is there one thing, a domino that could fall, that could make everything else easy and imminent?

🧠 What quote I've been thinking about:

"One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity. ... Don’t stop to marvel."

— Albert Einstein, on staying curious

📑 How prices are going up (and down):

The government's playbook is to inflate away its debt.

You can track this hidden tax by buying beef.

Parker Lewis has tracked the same ribeye, in the same store, for the last 5 years.

His steak has risen from $19.99 per pound in 2020 to $32.49 today, an average annual inflation rate of 12%!

The steak has not changed. But the dollar’s purchasing power has. It takes more dollars to buy the same thing.

Here’s the take home message:

If Parker had held Bitcoin instead of dollars over that same period, he could buy more steak today, not less. That’s the power of saving in bitcoin, life gets less expensive over time.