Morning, Greg here!

Welcome to Midlife Male, the fastest-growing, #1 newsletter and lifestyle brand for men 40+. In this issue, my How I See It shares my years-long struggle with overindexing in fitness, Jon’s Manologue Profile shares the incredible double reinvention of world-famous author Elmore Leonard, and we share our curated list of recommendations, as always, in the 6Fs. If a fellow MLM reader shared this with you, subscribe here:

I haven’t lifted a weight in two weeks. And I feel glorious.

It’s the first time in six years, since I started Midlife Male, before it even had a name, when I decided to get my health back on track.

Back then I wasn’t thinking about durability. I wasn’t thinking about longevity or sustainability. I was thinking in very simple terms: lifting weights or not lifting weights. Better one or better two. The answer was obvious.

So I went all in.

Like most things in life, though, too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. I set my sights on building a Daniel Craig body. The scene in Casino Royale where he walks out of the ocean and you realize this is not the Roger Moore version anymore. Mature. Powerful. Functional. Not bulky. Not sloppy. Not dad bod.

I made it my job. And if I’m honest, at that time I wasn’t deeply passionate about my real job, so this became the mission. Within a few years, and yes, years, not weeks, I had overshot Bond and drifted closer to Stallone in Rocky IV (at least that's how I saw it anyway).

Then something happened around 50.

I started feeling tired more often. Parts of my body hurt at the gym. Not soreness. Pain. I convinced myself that if something wasn’t tight or strained, I wasn’t working hard enough. Being strong meant being beat up. Being jacked meant being tight.

That became my normal.

And I’d convinced myself that was the best way to go. That training for strength and aesthetics was the same thing as training for durability, longevity, sustainability. But that wasn’t the case… 

Read the full How I See It to hear my diagnosis and the realization it led me to HERE:

I’ve been thinking a lot about reinvention lately. Not the Instagram kind where some dude goes from a fitness bro influencer to a real estate agent to a crypto “expert” selling courses in about three years.

I’ve been thinking about the real kind. The kind where you torch the version of yourself that’s working okay or maybe adjacent to what you really want to bet on something that might not work at all. Our founder Greg Scheinman did this, ditching an high-paying insurance job to go all in on Midlife Male. We talk about it a lot.

I’ve been a writer and author for my whole career, which is why I keep coming back to one of my favorite writers of all time, Elmore Leonard, on this topic. If you don’t know, Leonard, AKA, “Dutch”, was one of our greatest writers, with dozens of bestsellers and over twenty of his books turned into hit movies and TV shows over a fifty year career that you’ve definitely watched and enjoyed. 

My personal favorite is probably the Justified TV show, though there are close seconds.

Leonard is one of my favorite writers for a lot of reasons. The dialogue. The characters. The simple, yet brilliant plots. But what I want to share with you today for a little inspiration is his career arc. Because it’s absurd. And instructive. And incredibly encouraging for anyone over 40 who’s wondering if they’ve still got another act in them. Or two.

Elmore Leonard didn’t just reinvent himself once. He did it twice. And both times it came down to one last-ditch creative decision…

Read the full Manologue and find out how Elmore Leaonard fought to keep his writing dream alive HERE:

My Patriots got demolished in the Super Bowl, something that would have legitimately bummed me out for weeks in my twenties. Back then I’d have watched every post-game show, read every article, had long discussions about what “we” needed to change, haha. Like me and my friends were the GM.

Now? Of course it sucks when your team loses. Our offensive line got manhandled. Drake couldn’t make a play. The defense showed up and battled. It was an infuriating game.

But the older I get, the more my perspective has shifted.

The loss took a backseat to what was actually happening that day for me: three generations of Finkels watching the game together. 

About five years ago, my brother and I both moved to South Florida to be near each other and our parents. I moved from Dallas. He moved from Los Angeles. Days like the Super Bowl are exactly why we made that decision.

I made my famous Meat Bomb. The kids played hoops and football outside all afternoon. Everyone hung out. There was yelling at the TV, sure, but there was also laughing, storytelling, and that feeling of family you don’t appreciate enough when you’re younger.

So yeah, the Pats lost.

But the day was a win.

The older I get, the more I realize it’s the memories and the moments that matter more than the scoreboard (but damn, it sucks losing).

— Jon

I sat down with Olympian, Ironman Age Group World Champ, and ultra-performance coach Chris Hauth to talk about the elite mentality that builds success, both on the racecourse and at home. Check it out here.

As soon as I shared that I was dealing with a shoulder injury, the texts and calls started rolling in. Doctors. Friends. Trainers. Everyone had the same suggestion: you need to look into Shockwave Therapy.

So I am.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, or ESWT, is a non-invasive outpatient procedure that uses high-energy acoustic waves to treat chronic musculoskeletal issues like plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, and stubborn tendonitis. The idea is straightforward. The waves stimulate blood flow and kickstart the body’s healing response in areas that have stalled out.

Most treatment plans involve three to five sessions. It’s not surgery. There’s no anesthesia. Side effects tend to be minimal, usually some temporary soreness.

If you’re dealing with something that won’t resolve and you’ve tried the usual route of rest, PT, and anti-inflammatories, this is one of those modern tools that seems worth exploring.

I’ll keep you posted.

—Greg

We’re not giving financial advice here, but we recently got a lesson on something called a Pledged Asset Line, or PAL, and it was interesting enough to share.

A PAL is a revolving, non-purpose line of credit that uses a taxable brokerage account as collateral. Instead of selling securities and triggering capital gains taxes when you need liquidity, you borrow against the portfolio. It functions a lot like a HELOC, but instead of your house backing the line, it’s your investments.

Rates are typically variable and often competitive, depending on the size of the portfolio.

It’s not for everyone, and it’s definitely something to discuss with a qualified advisor, but it’s one of those financial tools that many people don’t even realize exists.

The message is clear: most men need more protein.

The challenge is that when you’re juggling work, travel, workouts, family, and everything else, consistently getting enough high-quality protein isn’t always easy. And even when you try, you’re often stuck with shaker bottles, messy powders, or those oversized pre-made drinks that feel heavy and overly processed.

That’s why we’ve been liking these Pure Genius Protein Shots.

Each one delivers 23 grams of high-quality protein in a small, portable shot. They taste good. They travel well. There’s no mixing, no cleanup, and no carrying around a clunky bottle all day.

They’re simple and efficient, which is exactly what most of us need.

They’ve officially made their way into our regular rotation. Check them out here.

We’ve always appreciated midlife men who don’t take themselves too seriously, and Kevin Durant’s new partnership with CeraVe falls squarely into that category.

KD has been famous, or infamous, for having dry, ashy skin for years. He’s been openly nonchalant about grooming, which has almost become part of his brand. So seeing him partner with a skincare company actually feels authentic.

The reality is that dry skin becomes more of an issue as men age, whether we talk about it or not.

CeraVe happens to be Greg’s moisturizer of choice and has been for years. It’s good quality, reasonably priced, and it works.

Pro tip: buy the tub.

It’s nice to see KD embracing what most of us already know. Taking care of your skin doesn’t mean you’re soft. It just means you’re paying attention.

MLM Founder: Greg Scheinman / Follow Greg on Instagram & LinkedIn

Love Greg’s How I See It column? Visit the full How I See It Archive HERE where he shares his personal insights, experiences and perspectives on everything affecting midlife.

Buy My Book Here / Book Coaching/Speaking Here

MLM Editor-in-Chief: Jon Finkel / Follow Jon on Twitter/X and Instagram

Love Jon’s Manologue column? Check out the full Manologue Archive HERE where he writes about pop culture, parenthood, sports, nostalgia & everything in between.