Leadership is at a pivotal point in time—balancing the demands of high performance while navigating the complexities of the AI era. The Work Innovation Lab by Asana, in collaboration with Greg Wells, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Wells Performance, embarked on a comprehensive study of 6,000 high-performing executives and leaders from the world’s top companies. What we discovered is a science-backed approach to leadership that goes beyond innate talent or working harder—it’s about working smarter.

Mitophagy is the process whereby old and damaged mitochondria are broken down and removed so that your brain and body can function properly and maintain health. It’s an ongoing process that you can influence through proper rest, moving your body, eating well, taking care of your spiritual and emotional needs, and so on—all the positive practices we’ve been exploring.

Energy practice is where the rubber hits the road—where you learn how to transform your understanding of scientific concepts like mitohormesis into real-life action.

Do you find yourself forgetting things more and more? Or feeling fuzzy minded when you need to be clear and sharp? You may be losing your edge if you’re not moving your body.

 Breathing moves oxygen into our lungs and blood and removes carbon dioxide from our bodies. Oxygen gets transported in our blood—bonded to the hemoglobin in our red blood cells—to the working tissues of our body, like our muscle cells or neurone cells in our brain.

In highly stressful situations, or even under the pressures of daily life, some of us crumble or merely survive while others thrive. These pressures can be occupational, familial, financial, social, or health-related, and they can have damaging consequences on our overall health and wellbeing.

I have a simple but powerful idea for you that in physiology is known as hormesis. This idea can help us cut through a lot of the noise in health and wellness content so that you know what you can do to improve your performance and wellbeing in a healthy way.

Mindful movement is a form of physical activity that involves being present and aware of one's body and movements while exercising or performing physical activities. It involves paying attention to the sensations in the body, the breath, and the environment, and practicing moving in a way that is mindful and intentional.

Breathwork is a holistic practice that involves using conscious, controlled breathing as a means of promoting physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. It can be done alone or in a group setting and may involve a variety of techniques and approaches.

Saunas and other forms of heat therapy have been used for centuries, and have been a big part of many cultures. But saunas are more than just an enjoyable, therapeutic, and often social activity. Research suggests that sauna use has many physical and mental health benefits.

One of the topics we're often asked about is fruit. Since fruit is high in sugar, is it okay to eat?

While fruit is high in sugar, it’s also high in fibre which helps to slow down digestion and stabilize blood sugar. You just have to make sure you’re eating the entire fruit, including the skin or peel to get all of the benefits!

Every few months we like to dedicate a week to answering some of our most frequently asked questions. We received a number of amazing questions from our community in our recent fall survey so we thought we’d share a few of them this week. Read below to learn more!

“People don’t think much about breathing. Of all the things we take for granted, breathing must be number one. It’s our main source of life and energy. When I started focusing on my breathing, I became a stronger athlete and was better able to control my levels of effort and pain.”
— LAIRD HAMILTON

“People don’t think much about breathing. Of all the things we take for granted, breathing must be number one. It’s our main source of life and energy. When I started focusing on my breathing, I became a stronger athlete and was better able to control my levels of effort and pain.”
— LAIRD HAMILTON

“People don’t think much about breathing. Of all the things we take for granted, breathing must be number one. It’s our main source of life and energy. When I started focusing on my breathing, I became a stronger athlete and was better able to control my levels of effort and pain.”
— LAIRD HAMILTON

In this era, we often don’t know the difference between a real and perceived threat, and we can get into a state of chronic stress and that can weaken our immune system.

Happiness and health are highly correlated. Happy people tend to be healthier physically and have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. A study on individuals with type 2 diabetes found that those who were happier had lower inflammatory markers, which might slow the progression of the disease. Happy people have also been shown to be more productive at work and there is even some research that suggests that happiness can improve mitochondrial health.

Everyone knows that alcohol isn’t exactly healthy. But how much is too much? Is having the occasional drink so bad. This week we’ll dive deeper into the effects of alcohol and how to limit your consumption in a “drinking encouraged” society.