Dear Reader,

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Nia Day, Founder of the Halestra Wellness platform, interviewed me about my 2026 Fasting Challenge (5 days fasted in a forest wilderness) and wrote a beautiful, contemplative text.

I loved this framing so much I feel obliged to share it with you. Thus I am reproducing it below (with her blessing).

"I've been thinking a lot this week about discomfort.

The things we instinctively avoid because they're inconvenient, unsettling or simply a little harder than the easier option.

In many ways, modern life has made us incredibly comfortable. If it's getting chilly, I'll probably reach for the heating before I've really given the jumper a chance. If it's hot, the fan's on in no time. And if there's an easier way of doing something physically, I'll usually take it.

That doesn't mean I shy away from hard things.

Like many of us, life has a habit of presenting enough challenges without us having to go looking for them. I fast every Ramadan, I'll often work through being tired if something needs finishing, and more often than not Poppy gets her walk before I get my workout.

But deliberately choosing physical discomfort? That's a very different mindset, and not one that comes naturally to me.

That's one of the reasons I found my conversation with Roderick Lambert so interesting.

For the past few years, he's set himself an annual water fasting challenge. This year, he combined a five-day water fast with four nights sleeping in the forest, carrying everything he needed on his back and moving camp each day.

What stayed with me wasn't just the challenge itself.

It was his mindset.

He talked about deliberately doing difficult things because he believes we gain something from them. Not because suffering is the goal, but because stretching ourselves, even in small ways, can build resilience.

It made me wonder whether we've become so good at making life comfortable that we've started to lose some of that resilience.

That doesn't mean we all need to sleep in a forest or take on extreme challenges.

But perhaps there are smaller ways we can become a little more comfortable with discomfort.

Having the difficult conversation.

Trying something we've been putting off.

Embracing the heat or the cold instead of immediately trying to escape it.

Putting the phone away for an evening.

Doing something simply because it's challenging, not because it's easy.

But I came away with a huge amount of respect for Roderick and what he achieved. More than that, I came away questioning my own relationship with comfort.

I think that's a conversation worth having.

If you'd like to hear the conversation that inspired these thoughts, simply click below.

I'll be sharing many more one-to-one conversations over the coming months with people whose stories, experiences and perspectives have challenged my thinking, broadened my perspective and encouraged me to look at things a little differently. I hope you'll enjoy following along."

Watch the whole conversation here.

About Halestra:

Whatever your entry point into midlife health, you'll find advice and support that suits you on Halestra's carefully curated knowledge base and practitioner portal, encompassing everything from Qi-gong, meditation, hormones, weight loss, nutrition and more. Explore for yourself by clicking here.

An invitation for you to the Forest Circadian Retreat:

• October 2nd-4th, 2026
• Max 5 men (only 2 places left)
• Special pilot price: £120 including transfer from/to Prague.

View the brochure here for more info.

See you in October?

Roderick

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​MidlifeMetabolicHealth.com​ ​Robot clicks here​

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