Building a resilient body and mind: the science of stress, adaptation, and recovery, with Dr. Elaine Lee

We talk about resilience all the time, and yet that term still seems elusive. What does it mean in biological terms? Is it a sense? A neurological process? An emotion? Can we get better at being resilient? And more importantly: can we use resilience as a tool to live better and longer? In this episode, Greg and Charlie sit down with Dr. Elaine Lee, Professor of Molecular Biology and Applied Genetics at the University of Connecticut, where she also directs the Human Performance Laboratory. Elaine's research focuses on the physiology and genetics of resilience; how our bodies respond and adapt to stress, and how we can enhance our capacity to cope with it. Her work spans exercise, heat stress, human performance, and she has a particular interest in translating the science into tools for everyday life. This is why we wanted her to join us on the Method. In our science segment today, Elaine explains how resilience works in our body. It doesn’t just mean “bouncing back”, but getting better at coping. Greg and Elaine will discuss the concept of hormesis: the idea that by microdosing stress, we could train our bodies to recover better, and be less susceptible to panic. Elaine will also delve into the science of heat acclimation and the remarkable changes the body undergoes when exposed to heat regularly. We will then discuss how softer and less biology-oriented factors like relationships or positive self-talk can play their part too. In the practice segment, Elaine, Greg, and Charlie get into what this means for daily life. Including: Why recovery matters to build better resilience day-to-day (21:32) Signs that you’re pushing your body beyond its stress capacities (24:00) How to use a wearable to enhance resilience (27:22) How to build heat tolerance using a sauna or steam room if you've never tried it before (28:34) Finally, in the experience section, we turn to your listener questions. We hear from listeners who are trying to bring more mindfulness into a busy life, who are trying to make new habits stick, or who need advice to better prevent or recover from burnout.  If you'd like to send us your health questions for future episodes, you can email us a voice note or write in at [email protected]. To Explore Further: Elaine Lee - University of Connecticut faculty profile: https://kins.uconn.edu/person/elaine-choung-hee-lee/ Elaine Lee - STEM-Talk podcast appearance: https://www.ihmc.us/stemtalk/ Greg Potter - Website: https://gregpotterphd.com/ Greg Potter - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregpotterphd/ Thriva - Website: https://thriva.co/ About Thriva: Thriva is a proactive health platform built for the modern age. The promise of longevity often comes with years spent in poor health. We want to bridge the gap between lifespan — how long we're living — and healthspan — how well we're living. We combine powerful at-home blood testing with wearable insights and expert guidance. So you can know exactly what's going on inside your body — and what to do about it — before issues arise. With this podcast, we hope to bring listeners confidence in everyday health decisions. To learn more about Thriva's values and services, visit https://thriva.co/