When you ask most people what the #1 cause of death is in women, they usually say cancer.

But it’s actually heart disease.

We call it the silent killer because a lot of the time, the first symptom women have is a heart attack.

This is why I’m such a proponent of making sure the mantle of “women’s health” includes your whole entire body, not just your reproductive system.

And it’s also why I’m a huge fan of exercise snacks. Small bouts of exercise you can do in just a few minutes.

For too long, we’ve been taught that a workout doesn’t “count” unless you’re in your gym clothes and tennis shoes.

And yes, if you can, get in several good workout sessions per week and surpass the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise.

But also, a lot of the time…

We tend to fall short of that goal because it feels too big and too heavy.

You start off the day with the best of intentions…and then life happens, and you just…don’t exercise one day.

One day turns into four, and the next thing you know it’s been a whole month.

The data supports them, too.

In fact, in a 2024 study of more than 13,000 women, everyday movement that lasted for just 3.5 minutes daily was linked to a 45% lower risk of major heart events.

>> 3.5 minutes in about 1-minute, fairly intense bursts

We’re talking activities like:

Pretty doable, right?

In midlife, your heart health changes in ways you can't feel. Estrogen does a lot of protective work on your blood vessels, and as it falls, heart risk climbs.

So there is no single better insurance policy than exercise, and fitting in small bits of it throughout your day intentionally is such an easy way to get more of it.

Be sure to check out all of the research on exercise snacks, and my picks for creating a plan you’ll actually stick to 👇

Here’s my favorite AI job this week: hand it tomorrow’s calendar.

Copy your schedule for tomorrow (or screenshot it), paste it in, and add this:

Drag the new blocks into your real calendar. A meeting invite is harder to ignore than a good intention. And seeing your day laid out hour by hour, sitting time and all, is usually the wake-up call on its own.

AI doesn’t know your knees, your heart, or your blood pressure, so treat its plan as a first draft. If you have a heart condition or haven’t been active in a while, check the vigorous ones with your clinician first.

>> I’m offering a self-study version of the Longevity Lab, my proprietary, completely anonymous, AI-powered health co-pilot at a massive discount for Black Friday. Make sure you get the invite by putting your name on the list here!

Can three short stair climbs a day really change your fitness? Researchers at McMaster University had sedentary adults climb a 60-step stairwell as fast as they could, three times a day with a few hours in between, three days a week for six weeks.

Compared with a group that didn't train, the climbers finished fitter and stronger.

The best part? You can start right now. If you have stairs at home or at work, you already own the equipment.

Read: the McMaster stair snack study →

If you work from home and you've been eyeing a walking pad, here's what I'd look for before you buy one.

A walking pad earns its keep only if it lives where you already work or take calls, so measure under your desk first. Look for a quiet motor (you'll be on calls), a safety stop you can reach without looking, and a top speed of at least 3.5 to 4 mph so it can keep up with a brisk walk. A slim, flat design that can stay out is worth more than one that folds away, because the one that folds away tends to stay folded.

And there’s one thing that makes walking while you work actually work: stop typing.

I talk my emails and notes out with Wispr Flow, and it cleans them up as I go. Highly, highly recommend this tool. 

This section may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I'd tell a patient to use.

When you counsel a perimenopausal patient on exercise, how often does the conversation end at "150 minutes a week" and a polite nod? A 2024 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine tracked more than 13,000 women who did no structured exercise at all. Those who logged about 3.4 minutes a day of short, vigorous everyday bursts had a 45% lower risk of major heart events.

"Find three and a half minutes" is an ask she can say yes to before she leaves the room.

Small, specific, repeatable advice like that is also the content patients look for online. The Clinician's Ladder is the framework I used to turn what I say in the exam room into a brand people seek out.

Grab The Clinician's Ladder →