Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things

by Jeff Krasno

Ten protocols to counteract the “chronic ease” that creates our modern epidemic of dis-ease, from a wellness industry leader who can prove they work—because he’s tested them on himself.

Jeff Krasno, the founder and CEO of the global wellness platform Commune Media, thought he was pretty healthy. Though he suffered from brain fog, chronic fatigue, and bouts of insomnia, those symptoms seemed utterly normal in today’s society. When he learned he had diabetes, his first thought was, How can that be? I run a wellness company!

His diagnosis propelled him to consult every expert at his disposal and engage in intensive “me-search” in order to turn his health around. On this journey, he began to form a larger picture of what’s wrong with our health in the modern world. In Good Stress—co-authored with his wife, Schuyler Grant, who shepherded him through 300-plus interviews with doctors and helped distill the results into actionable information—Jeff shares what he’s learned and outlines a practical program for readers to reset their own health.

Jeff explains that the comforts and conveniences of modern life in the developed world undermine our biology. Humans evolved with Paleolithic stressors and scarcity, which conferred health and resilience.

Modern life sets us up for diabetes, dementia, heart disease, cancer, and more. Chronic disease is the result of chronic an endless abundance of calories, sedentary desk jobs, exposure to blue light, and separation from nature. To come back into balance, we need to thoughtfully subject our bodies and minds to the stressors we’re naturally built for.

This book distills the hundreds of conversations that Jeff has had with acclaimed teachers and practitioners in mind-body wellness, including Gabor Maté, Mark Hyman, Marianne Williamson, and Dr. Sara Gottfried. Jeff gives readers uncommonly wise and relatable guidance for 10 practices to extend both our lifespan and our healthspan,

Time-restricted eating Cold and heat exposureLight therapyEating “stressed plants”Building our “psychological immune system” and more
For each practice, Jeff shares his own experience (there’s a great story of how Wim Hof finally convinced him to get into an ice bath); unpacks the science behind it, the place it has in our culture, and the effects it has on body and mind; and explains how to undertake it safely and mindfully.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2025

Reviews

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, comprehensive book on cutting-edge health alternatives and "lifestyle as medicine" protocols. What makes this book stand out from the crowd is that Jeff Krasno is just an "every day man" who was sick and tired of being sick and tired and he did something about it. And then he wrote this book to share his extensive and sincere research and practical experience with the world. And he makes it an enjoyable read! Funny, self-deprecating, sincere. Sometimes the weeds are there when he goes into the scientific and medical understanding and terminology from his research. These bits won't be for everybody, but you can scan or skip and move on to the next chapter of interest. Well done! I will certainly keep this book handy for future reference. It is too full of amazing learning to really absorb it with just one read-through.

[Salman Mustafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

doing difficult shit is good for you. Like atomic habits, but written with a lot of compassion and focused on the aspects of life, work and leisure in which we fall into hedonic traps that make us sick, unhappy and unfulfilled.

this book was a gift from a dear friend and i am very much going through a time in my life where systems and processes of wellness and self care are of great importance and interest to me.

written with equal parts clarity, depth, and empathy. this is a great piece of nonfic/self help that rises above the quotidian drivel of the airport mag store self help shelf

[Lacey Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't for everyone. If you're someone who aims to live life doing everything the most minimal amount of effort possible then this book isn't for you. I would even venture to say that most of the people I know would not read this book. Which is unfortunate. Because the practices written in Jeff's book could very well save your life. If you want to feel good in your body, have the mental and physical energy to meet the needs of every day for years to come, you're going to have to get out of your comfort zone a little bit. A life of chronic ease destines you for a life of chronic disease (which is something that I have heard Jeff say from time to time on his Commune podcast). Before I read this book, I was skeptical about the notion of adopting any form of stress. I am already STRESSED OUT in a big way. But Jeff isn't talking about the bad kind of stress. I am not even sure Jeff has a very "stressful" life, in the way that most people do, facing the day to day struggles of our world (sorry, Jeff - you live in an essential Eden with a supportive spouse and a decent income). I digress: He's talking about another kind of stress altogether. Good Stress. The kind of stress that, when combined with listening to and respecting your body's current limitations, can incrementally lead to improved health, especially when they become a part of your regular modus operandi. So, my dear already-stressed-out friends, don't be afraid to pick up this book. You won't regret it.

[Tiffany Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I’ve been grounding barefoot for 2 weeks reading it, embracing Jeff’s recommendation of rewilding. If you’re a health and wellness junkie you won’t find anything earth shattering in here, but it’s a well thought out roundup of a healthy way of living and it’s broken down into easily manageable components of the overall protocol. He also delves into the scientific nitty gritty behind each area. I’m an avid listener to Jeff’s podcast so he genuinely does speak this way, but this book has words in it that I don’t understand. He has a very interesting way of speaking using a lot of unfamiliar terms to me - and I do not mean the scientific ones. His everyday language is “fancy” for lack of a better term. I take this learning of new English words/phrases as part of my education from him as well.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one got off to a rocky start with me. His humor wasn't my humor and it felt a little weird. There was A LOT of name dropping early on and at first, he was light on substance. Overall, he came across as a little "out there." I kept thinking, "Who is this guy?"

However, once the author got down to the core content and moved past the attempts at humor, things definitely picked up. The information became interesting and I was impressed by how clearly he explained the Good Stresses, which are just hormetic stressors. He broke it down in ways that felt memorable and useful with his own personal experiences.

While much of the material wasn't new to me, I can see how this book would be valuable for someone just beginning their journey down this particular health and wellness rabbit hole.

Despite the rocky start, this author's sincerity for helping others really shined. I'm not sure how he managed to meet up with all the high profile figures he mentioned in the beginning, but he was clearly a good student. He learned. He did the work, and now he is giving back.

So while this wasn't a perfect fit for me, the value is definitely there if you stay to the end. So 4 stars.

[Cory Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you listen to a lot of podcasts about health and well-being, then most of this will be familiar to you. The information is good and useful and well researched, but the narrative portions can slog on a bit and be a little corny.

[Sanjiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Jeff Krasno has done in Good Stress is nothing short of remarkable. Krasno writes about spirituality and biology within the context of certain societal ills, doing so seamlessly. Equally important is that Krasno writes a desperately needed and necessary treatise that bridges the gap between the intellectual understanding of society’s “comfort trap” and provides actionable protocols that allow the reader to change their behavior for the better. Simple in its approach, Krasno helps us realize that emotional resilience, mental clarity, and spiritual growth are all within our grasp. If you stress about anything, stress about not reading Krasno’s Good Stress.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last a book on health and lifespan that I can understand, relate to and even get a giggle from. With the complexity of many of the latest health protocols broken down and made simple to comprehend I feel inspired to take action, if only in the smallest way, towards my health span.

[Gregory Brodnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never write reviews, but I must for this book. Both humorous and informative. The writing is something you don't often see in what may be called a self help book. Just reading the book made feel better without doing anything else. I even boaught a copy for a good friend.

[George Blesi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine. I really liked Jeff on the Rich Roll podcast but could have done without reading the book. His use of big words and long expositions on the lives of hunter gatherers felt pretentious and a waste of my time. The through-line of the book is important but I kept finding myself getting irritated by its tone.

[Alysa Johnsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read hundreds of health books over the years—mostly in an attempt to figure out an autoimmune disease—and honestly, most of them boil down to the same three things: eat well, exercise, sleep. Important, sure. But also, a little repetitive.

That’s why Good Stress by Jeff Krasno feels like such a refreshing take.

Instead of another list of things to cut out or control, Krasno makes the case for adding something in: stress. But not just any stress—good stress. The kind that nudges your body into strength and resilience, rather than burning it out. It’s a counterintuitive idea at first, but the way he unpacks it—with science, stories, and laugh-out-loud observations—makes it click in all the right ways.

The protocols are simple and grounded in biology, but also human. This isn’t a cold, clinical “optimize everything” guide—it’s real talk about how too much ease can lead to disease. (Even though, yes, sometimes it is fun to eat potato chips and stay up watching Netflix till 1am—haha, let’s not.)

Krasno reminds us that a little discomfort is where the magic happens. He tells the truth in a way that’s witty, accessible, and oddly comforting.

[Carolyn Illman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, good foundational information, but I had heard most of it already. This seems to be more for people just starting to learn about health and wellness basics (who maybe have recently relieved a diagnosis related to their lifestyle). I think the metaphor of thinking of cavemen is a bit heavy handed, given all of the assumptions made about that time. And I’m not sure who told Jeff to talk like Ron Burgundy, so I’d probably recommend reading vs. audible!

[Aows · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those new to these topics, this book might be a nice introduction to them. For those already familiarized with the almost cliché personal development topics (sleep, exercise, rewilding, meditation, fasting, blue light, cold showers, barefoot shoes…), it feels like this book goes extremely wide but stays extremely shallow.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, well researched. I’m not sure his protocol at the end is easily adapted to everyday life. Where is the time for errands, volunteering, family, etc. I get that it isn’t a specific prescription, but needs a bit more flexibility and suggestions for adapting. Definitely good information and worth reading.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff has great humor in this book and honestly if you like audio books you might prefer his voice it’s silly.
He did a great job researching the topics and makes it easy to digest, highly recommend and encourage listening to his podcast too. Thanks for a great book Jeff! I look forward to adding more of these protocols to my life

[Rose Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scratched the public health and science side of my brain! Definitely not for everyone and I think it has some “take what works for you” versus “do all of this or else” that you can decipher for your self and your lifestyle but so interesting about our culture around nutrition, food, diseases, exercise!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listen to his podcasts so not much new info for me but this is a great compilation of those insights (and more). If you are new to meditation, the Audiobook includes some great guided ones at the end. Highly recommend this style of life💖

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty simplistic and well-known health and longevity advice.

[MaryLynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of good information in this book, although it was several hundred pages too long!

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the writing was a little cheesy but overall it was a strong compilation of health, wellness, and longevity science insights.

[Launna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may be helpful for some but not my style.