The Question That Changed Everything
Introducing The Optimization Audit concept... how to audit your healthspan related habits.
Over the years, I’ve met a lot of very smart, very disciplined people who care deeply about their health but still find themselves stuck in the same frustrating cycle: train hard, get hurt, back off, recover, start again.
They’re not lazy, nor do they lack commitment. And they virtually never need more effort.
They need clarity, which the 5 questions of the “optimization audit” provide. But first, let’s meet Paul—because in the end, only one question might be necessary.
Dr. Paul Kedrosky is one of those people. Paul is a runner, skier, biker, investor, and someone who, by any outside measure, seemed to be doing all the right things. He is also someone I have come to know personally, and his story captures a problem I see all the time among people who care deeply about performance, health, and longevity.
I’m sharing his words here because he tells the story better than I can.
“I haven’t told him this, but Dr Howard Luks saved my life with a simple question. Note that he didn’t do it via surgery (although he’s a talented surgeon), nor through personal contact (although he’s eminently approachable). And he didn’t do it in a TAKE MY EYE OF NEWT SUPPLEMENT THREE TIMES BEFORE LUNCH kind of way, or a IF YOU GET 30 MINUTES TOO LITTLE SLEEP YOU’LL DIE SOMETIME NEXT week health horror kind of way. It’s different.
What Howard did was ask me a single simple question:”
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For those of you who read my newsletter, you know I’m a huge skeptic of the vast majority of products. But a few do get my stamp of approval—see below. Note that some of these brands are my affiliate partners. I am highly selective about the companies I work with, and only promote products and services I have personally used and vetted.
Whoosh is one peptide company whose credibility and products meet my criteria. Why? Every single prescription is reviewed by a licensed provider, and every batch is third-party tested for potency and purity. And I use them myself.
For grab-and-go options I actually like, it’s Perfect Bars: real food, refrigerated, protein from nut butter, eggs, and milk, and ingredients you can recognize without needing a chemistry degree (like me 😉 ). With 20 grams of protein and a blend of whole-food ingredients, it’s more satisfying than the usual ultra-processed bar. It’s still a bar (not a magic health food), but for a quick snack or post-workout option, this is one of the better ones.
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Paid subscribers get a LOT of goodness. Starting with direct access to me, Dr. Luks, inside our exclusive Chat Forum, where I engage directly with my readers: answering specific questions, sharing bonus resources, and offering member-only perks along the way.
In addition, if you upgrade, you’ll gain access to paywalled articles that offer much deeper guidance on topics like injury recovery, strength training, bone health, metabolic health, and healthy aging — with practical frameworks, not hype. The type of guidance you would expect from a physician with 30 years of experience— and you get all this for far less than a copay for an office visit.
Lastly, when you start your trial, you’ll get access to important series, such as The Tendon Guide. A guide that explains why tendons hurt, how to treat them, how to prevent them, and why rest is almost never the right approach.
