The single most evidence-backed lifestyle intervention for brain health. This month you'll understand why, build the aerobic base that underpins everything else, and feel the difference in your energy, mood, and focus.
4Lessons
1Live Call
10Recipes
4Weeks
Your Month 2 Checklist
Watch all 4 weekly lessonsOne per week — Week 1 unlocks now
Complete your 6-Minute Walk Test — if you haven't alreadyShould be done from onboarding — link below if you still need to complete it
Complete all 4 exercise sessions each weekVia Trainerize — gym or home version
Hit your aerobic target each week150 min moderate or 75 min vigorous — track in Trainerize
Level up your cognitive challenge from Month 1Increase duration to 20 min daily and add one new element
Attend this month's live group callDate and link sent by email — recording uploaded within 48hrs
Protect your sleep window this monthConsistent bedtime and wake time, 4+ nights per week
Work through your Meaning & Purpose Month 2 practices
Complete your Month 2 check-in at the end of the month
Lessons
4 this month
One lesson per week
Each lesson builds on the last. Watch before your first exercise session of that week — the science will make the session feel different.
Week 1~12 min
Why Cardio is the Most Important Thing You Can Do for Your Brain
VO2 max, BDNF, hippocampal neurogenesis, and blood flow — the four mechanisms that explain why aerobic fitness is the cornerstone of brain health. The evidence is stronger here than anywhere else.
VO2 MaxBDNFHippocampusNeurogenesis
How would you describe your current aerobic fitness — and what would it mean to genuinely improve it?
RPE vs heart rate zones, the case for Zone 2 steady-state cardio, when to push harder, and why consistency beats intensity at every age. Practical, not theoretical.
RPE ScaleAerobic ZonesExercise Dose
What's the biggest barrier between you and 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week — and what would remove it?
HIIT, Steady-State, and What the Research Actually Says
The HIIT vs moderate-intensity debate resolved — what the evidence actually shows for brain health specifically, and why both have a place in your program.
HIITSteady-StateResearch Review
Which type of cardio do you find easier to stick to — and does that match what actually feels good for your body?
Daily Movement — Why Steps and NEAT Matter as Much as Exercise
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, the independent risk of prolonged sitting, and practical strategies for building more movement into daily life without adding formal exercise time.
NEATSedentary RiskDaily Steps
What does your non-exercise movement look like on a typical day — and where's the lowest-hanging fruit?
One call a month, open to everyone currently in reMYnd regardless of which month you're working through. Most of the time the best conversations come from mixing fresh participants with people further along. Come with a question, come to listen, come to share what's working — all three count.
The format
~10 minWelcome and check-in — quick round of how people are tracking
~15 minOpen share and troubleshooting — what's working, what's stuck, what needs a second opinion
~25 minThis month's focus topic (see the rotation below)
~10 minQ&A — anything on your mind
Rotating focus topics
Each month we dig into one of these in the 25-minute block. The topic is announced by email with the call link — so you'll know in advance whether it's something you want to attend, or whether you'd rather wait for next month's.
Exercise
Effort levels, soreness, barriers, and how to progress without burning out
Nutrition
Protein, fuelling training, weight, and what's actually sustainable week to week
Sleep & recovery
What's getting in the way, what's helping, and the recovery side of training
Motivation & adherence
Keeping momentum, recovering from missed weeks, and the long-game view
How to make the most of it
Bring an honest question rather than a polished one. The answers that help most come from real friction — what you actually tried, what actually happened, what you're genuinely unsure about. Recording uploaded within 48 hours if you can't make it live.
Exercise Program
4 sessions / week
Month 2 shifts the emphasis toward aerobic capacity. You'll still do strength and mobility work, but cardiorespiratory training takes centre stage — building the aerobic base that underpins every other health outcome. Programs are in Trainerize; choose gym or home.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 1 FocusAerobic baseline — finding your sustainable pace. Two steady-state cardio sessions at RPE 5–6 (conversational pace), one strength session, one flexibility and mobility session. The goal this week is to establish what your aerobic baseline actually feels like.
Week 2 FocusAdding duration — same intensity, longer sessions. Aim to add 5 minutes to each cardio session. Introduce your first HIIT block: 4 rounds of 30 seconds hard / 90 seconds easy. RPE 8 on the hard intervals.
Week 3 FocusPeak aerobic week. Three cardio sessions — two steady-state and one full HIIT session (6–8 rounds). Push your steady-state sessions to 35–40 minutes. This is the week your body adapts most. Expect to feel it.
Week 4 — DeloadCut cardio volume by 30% this week — reduce duration, not intensity. Two shorter steady-state sessions (20–25 min) and one light strength session. No HIIT this week. Recovery is where the adaptation from Week 3 is consolidated.
Dual-task this month (Phase 2): During steady-state cardio — alternating categories (animal, city, animal, city — one per step). During strength sets — recite the alphabet backwards. During cool-down — recall 5 things you learned or noticed this week, spoken aloud. See the Cognitive Challenge page for the full protocol.
Month 2 Nutrition Focus
This month is about fuelling what you're doing — not overhauling your diet. Two things matter most right now: enough protein to support recovery (aim for 25–30g per meal), and enough carbohydrate to actually perform in your cardio sessions. If you made one change in Month 1, keep it. If you're ready for a second, pick one from the strategies below.
Practical strategies that actually work
Cook double on quiet nights
If you're making a stir-fry, bolognese, roast lamb, or a tray of chicken thighs — make twice as much. Tomorrow's lunch is done. This single habit removes more weeknight stress than anything else.
Eat one, freeze one
On a Sunday or any night you have energy — make a batch of something that freezes well: lamb stew, beef bolognese, chicken soup, pork ragu. Label it, freeze half. That's a future busy-night dinner that requires zero effort when you need it most.
Plan 4 dinners on the weekend, shop once
You don't need a full meal plan — just 4 dinners written down before you shop. One red meat, one fish, one chicken or pork, one flexible. Everything else falls into place, and you stop making decisions when you're tired and hungry.
Hit 25–30g protein at every meal
Most people get enough protein across the day but front-load it poorly — small breakfast, light lunch, big dinner. Spreading it evenly supports muscle recovery and keeps you fuller. Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, and full-fat dairy are your best levers. Red meat is one of the most bioavailable sources of both protein and iron — don't take it off the table.
Eat something before harder sessions
If you're training at RPE 7–8, going in fasted makes it harder and blunts adaptation. Something small 60–90 min before is enough — toast, a banana, oats, or leftovers. You don't need a sports nutrition protocol, just something in the tank.
Drink more water — especially on training days
Even mild dehydration measurably impairs both physical performance and cognitive function. A practical target: 500ml before midday, another 500ml by mid-afternoon, and sip during and after exercise. Just keep water in front of you.
What a solid day looks like
Breakfast~25g protein
Eggs your way + wholegrain toast
3 eggs scrambled or poached, 1–2 slices toast, butter. Add smoked salmon or leftover steak if you have it — both lift the protein and iron significantly. Quick, no thinking required.
Lunch~30–35g protein
Last night's dinner — reheated
This is the cook-double strategy in action. Leftover lamb, beef, chicken, or fish with whatever was on the side. Zero effort, no decisions. This is the whole point.
Pre-session snack~10–15g protein
Greek yoghurt + fruit, or rice cakes with cottage cheese
If you're training in the afternoon, eat this 60–90 min before. Gives you the carbohydrate to perform and the protein to start recovery. Skip it if you're not training that day.
Dinner~35–40g protein
Steak, lamb cutlets, pork, chicken, or fish + roasted vegetables + potato or rice
Make double. One portion for tonight, one portion in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch. A 200g steak with vegetables and rice takes 20 minutes and provides everything you need. The carbohydrate here also helps with sleep and overnight recovery.
This isn't a prescription — it's a template. The point is that eating well doesn't require complicated recipes or exotic ingredients. It requires a bit of planning and a willingness to eat the same thing twice.
Every aerobic session you complete this month is directly building cognitive reserve — through BDNF release, hippocampal blood flow, and neuroplasticity. The dual-task protocols layer additional cognitive load on top of that. You're doing more than you think.
This month's Meaning & Purpose thread asks a simple question: why do you move? Not what you should do — what actually pulls you out the door. Finding the intrinsic connection between your movement and your values is one of the strongest predictors of long-term exercise adherence.
"What does it mean to care for this body — and who does that caring serve?"
Choose one stream or work through both. Stream A is evidence-based and available to everyone. Stream B is Naomi's personal Christian perspective — clearly labelled, completely optional.
Pick a realistic bedtime and wake time that gives you 7–9 hours in bed, and hold it within about 30 minutes most nights this month. No app, no tracker required — four nights out of seven is already a meaningful improvement for most people.
Adaptation to cardio training happens during sleep, not during the session. If you add aerobic load this month without protecting recovery, you'll feel flat by Week 3. One practical note: increased exercise volume can temporarily disrupt sleep in the first one to two weeks as your body adapts — if you find yourself sleeping more deeply by Week 3, that's the adaptation working exactly as it should.
Cardio is the work this month — everything else is supporting. Stress, sensory health, and connection each get their own dedicated month later in the program. For now, just hold your sleep window.
Community
Facebook group
One short prompt per week drops in the private Facebook group this month — reflections on your cardio sessions, what's working, what isn't. Reading what others share is where the real value is.