#AD I asked Olympic Medal Winners two questions...

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I got the chance to ask Olympic Medal winners 2 questions each. Their answers were surprising.

[Matkatamiba]

It's funny you're so front and center about it being an ad, but it's less of an ad than like 99% of videos. Have fun at the games!

[VicJang]

Mike Boyd: AD!!!
Video: inspirational and heartfelt
Me: where the heck is the ad!??

[QuincelSC]

Mike trying climbing and immediately getting so obsessed he needed a separate channel for it is the correct response to trying climbing.

[neolsviskon]

should've asked the clay pigeon shooting medalists

[finren]

If you had to “Day 1, hour zero” an Olympic sport, which would you choose?

Great video! Always a delight to see your work.

[sirvere]

Hey Mike, as a frenchman i have to say that your english subs were perfect, exactly what was said and how it was said. doesnt happen often, surprised me.

[rosserobertolli]

It's strange how we as a society always ask: "Oh, you don't drink? Why not?". It used to be the same with "Oh, you don't smoke? Why not?" while nowadays you are more likely to be asked "Why do you smoke?". I believe not drinking alcohol is not far away (at least here) of being accepted or maybe even the standard. Good luck!

[bexxy]

Hi, I am over 3 years sober (problem drinker)and it is insane how much alcohol has an effect on society. From champagne for any celebration to pubs being the focal point of many people's social lives to the expectation that everyone drinks it is not until you stop you see how ingrained it is in our society. I don't miss booze, I sometimes miss the feeling booze gave me but I don't miss the hangovers or my actions while drinking. Good luck and I believe in you!

[paul-franz]

I quit drinking alcohol eleven month ago and it was the best decision ever! Go for it man!

[secretivesquirrelstudios]

I know this isn't an ad for the mic, but the person from 4:20 is an excellent demonstration of a mic handling variable levels really well.

[hughloganellis]

Very rarely comment on YouTube videos but this chimed a lot with a few things I've been thinking about recently.

I'm a doctor doing a PhD and my thesis is entitled heath-e-measures. It's all about how we can measure someone's overall health.

So there's a few thoughts I had on this and I'll do my best to structure them as best as i can.

Athletes are at a peak of physiological fitness. We can measure their VO2 max, how much oxygen they can extract from the air and deliver to their muscles during exercise, and it's incredibly high. I was really stuck by the nz triathlete saying he did 5 minutes at 480W during the triathlon knowing he had to run a 10k once he was done.

But I think it's worthwhile considering the long term effects of pushing one's physiology to extremes. Whilst it's certainly streets ahead of a sedentary lifestyle, is it really superior to being fit. We know the benefits of further exercise taper with age, whilst the risk of some conditions increases rapidly with further exercise, most notably atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm. Atrial fibrillation occurs when the currents in the top heart chambers aren't conducted smoothly to the ventricles, and instead the chamber flaps, like a flag in a breeze. The analogy I use with patients is that instead of a Mexican wave, it's like everyone in the stadium standing up at random times. The bigger your atria are, the more likely you are to develop AF, and so it's much more common in ex athletes than the general population.

(As an aside it follows a U shaped distribution, so to anyone reading this thinking that sitting on the sofa eating crisps is good.. it's not)

And that's the physiological risks, there's also all the other risks associated with playing high level sports, injuries and arthritis, brain injuries in contact sports and mental health.


With the Olympics being on I've really been thinking about this. I love the Olympics, but as i get older i consider more and more the toll, the cost of being a top level athlete. As a junior doctor I've missed countless weddings, parties and occasions due to my job, and for athletes, this must be on another level.

Of course we focus on the medal winners, but the vast majority of athletes competing at the Olympics won't win medals, and as we've seen, many leave disappointed. All that training, all that sacrifice.

And that's where I come to alcohol. You're absolutely right, there is no j shaped distribution with alcohol consumption in terms of overall health, Mendelian randomisation studies have put that hypothesis to bed. Yet this is on a population level. For the majority of people alcohol consumption won't be the rate limiting step on their lifespan.

Martin Amis ( famously chimney-esque smoker) said nothing is worth avoiding to spend two more years in a nursing home in Bournemouth (or words to that effect).

We could all spend our lives in cotton wool, not flying, not socialising, but what sort of life would that be?

So with Alcohol, and other "vices" i think it's vital to have some understanding of the risk: reward ratio. If alcohol brings you no pleasure, or if you think that your consumption is hurting you, or more importantly those dear to you, it's a no brainer - cut it out. But if not it's really worth considering what you lose through omission. The opportunity cost vs, what might be quite a marginal benefit, if you're not an excessive drinker.

So in summary, and maybe I'm only saying this to myself; don't use Olympic athletes as a yardstick of health. Remember to think about the costs of omission when you think about the benefits.

[LukasJanMarekThe]

I love this! There was a campaign in Czech republic called "It's normal NOT to drink" And I stand by it. People are giving you faces if you order a lemonade in the pub in Czech republic... I also don't drink and I am super happy about it :-)

[matthewharper]

Loved the video. Going outside this past week I’ve noticed that many more people out running, and you can see how inspiring the Olympics is to people. It’s great to see!

[Shayz]

31 years sober here.

It was a choice I made early on in life to never drink and at this point I don't want to ruin my high score lol

As they say today is the very first day of the rest of your life. You only get one body, one mind. Best take care of it

[Toastybear]

Try not drinking for 6 months, then having just 1 beer in the evening.
The next day, you really realise how that “just one” all those years had a HUGE impact on your body, and performance.

[broadboard]

Haven't had much alcohol since my son was born. Might just never go back. Need to stay fit and pass a physical fitness test to keep my job anyway

[BaldrianSector]

When I started bouldering 3 years ago I also quickly started looking at my diet, sleep schedule and alcohol consumption.

Just like you I realized how much of a disadvantage I put myself at by drinking, not just in terms of calories but also recovery. It’s now been 3 years without any alcohol and I haven’t looked back.

I’m 10kg lighter, sleep much better and in general have a much easier time committing to my training as I feel like it all plays together in terms of mindset. I’m by no means an athlete, but I still feel like it generally benefits my life a lot.

[AdventureOtaku]

I am a 57 year old outdoor educator. I spend my days teaching, but teaching means hauling gear to do a sport. Kayaks, bikes, backpacks. For a long time I didn’t have to train outside of doing the thing. That changed in my early 40’s. I literally felt my body change. Now at 57 I spend more time training than I do, doing the things. I have no choice. So at 34, mike. The journey is just starting.

[DeclanH]

23 years old. Never had a sip. In great shape.

[TmyTune]

Surprisingly deep. Good, eye opening thoughts and conclusions. I too was surprised at their answers, even tho it was what i expected, some how. Love it. Thank you, felt like i really learned something here. Keep doing you brother!