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Welcome to 1-3-1 Fridays, my weekly newsletter, where I reveal evidence-based strategies to get lean, strong, and create optimal health.

You'll receive:

• 1 reflection from me
• 3 ideas you can use
• 1 question for you

Let's dive in.

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What's new this week:

• ​Why nutritionists have the pyramid all wrong​ (YouTube)

This August, we're running our next small private 30-day fitness challenge.

I'm calling it the 'Health Reset'.

30 days. $27. 10 spots. Application only.

If you want to drop 4-6 pounds or build your next 2-3 lbs of muscle in less than 30 days, even as a high-achieving parent, this is for you.

Less is more when you're doing the right things.

It's a great opportunity to reset your health without wasting time on fluff.

The early enrollment window is now officially open.

It comes with extra bonuses and a full health stack to give you the best ROI in minimal time. You can read the full details here.

Early bird enrollment will stay open until August 20th.

There's some cool extra bonuses if you apply and are accepted for the first 6 spots.

Here's the details again.

Your Health Promise

Love it or leave it — unconditional. Not satisfied for any reason?

I’ll send over a full refund. No questions asked. You can even keep the challenge course for free for the lifetime of the curriculum.

‘Stay consistent’ promise. Show up 90% of the time, follow the program, and still don't feel noticeably stronger, leaner, and more energized by Day 30 — I’ll refund you in full, give you a free spot in the next cohort, and I’ll personally build you a custom 30-day health protocol.

400+ clients. 8.5 years. This system works when you show up.

The main risk here for you?

Staying the same or continuing to decline in your health.

You're either moving forward or backward in health.

Maintenance is always an illusion.

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ONE REFLECTION FROM ME

Traveling internationally is a lot.

But it's gotten easier over the past decade.

In fact, this year has probably been the least hectic compared to prior years.

Organizing our trip to Poland has been much easier after years of doing this.

Every summer we go to Poland to see family.

The trip is long.

It's tiring.

It takes a toll on the body and mind.

Which is why having a strong body makes a huge difference for trips like this.

Working out and exercising isn't purely performance or aesthetic for me anymore.

It's also for having a high quality of life, especially when the demands on my body increase.

Dehydration and poor sleep take a toll on the body.

So preparation makes a big difference when traveling.

For example, even though I was at the top of my hydration game leading up to the flight, by the end of the flight, I was dehydrated.

Paired with poor sleep while flying and a long 24-hour trip from door to door, my body was beat up.

It's interesting how our minds can run us into the ground, but our bodies have their breaking points.

It's an interesting phenomenon to observe.

It's part of why burnout is so common, especially for parents and overachievers (even more so after 30 and again after 40).

Rest, rejuvenation, and relaxation are far from the norm.

Today, I spent most of my day restoring my body and health by doing the following:

• Sleeping in late
• Taking a late morning nap
• Eating high amounts of fruits
• Sunbathing while grounding for 30+ minutes
• Drinking lemon water, then watermelon juice
• Moving slowly and doing my best to stay centered

Relaxation restores health.

Most of us don't relax enough.

Yet, ironically, true high performance emerges when you relax more often.

The best athletes, thought leaders, and artists discovered this long ago.

I'm still learning this each day.

But it's never too late to slow down.

After a full day of restoration, I feel better in the evening finishing this newsletter than I did this morning waking up.

Qi Gong masters would say something similar about Qi Gong practice:

Lesson: Less is more... especially when you're overwhelmed and burnt out.

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3 IDEAS FOR YOU

I.

Can you do more? Of course.

You can always do more in health and fitness.

But finding your MED, or minimum effective dosage, is equally important.

‘What’s the bare minimum I need to do to see the best results possible?’

While MED is used more often in exercise science, it’s equally helpful for nutrition and health.

You don’t need to do everything to be very healthy and well.

When you pair energy balance (how much you’re eating) with anti-inflammatory nutrition, you create a unique place to live from:

Bulletproof health.

It’s a place free from disease, obesity, lack of confidence, and health crises.

It’s a place all of us can achieve.

But it requires saying no to many things in the health & fitness industry.

No to things like:

• Yo-yo cycling with your weight
• Carnivore, keto, or high-fat diets
• Dieting for years on end and then binge eating
• Trying every new diet fad or technique that comes out

It means less is more and less is better when you’re doing the right things.

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II.

The best 2 principles to get 'your good enough' in nutrition are:

• Eat the right amount of food for your goal
• Eat the right foods to create optimal health

Is it helpful to learn more about food timing, how to eat, and the best food combinations?

Of course. There’s a time and place for this.

For 98% of our clients, tackling the first two nutrition issues solves 95% of their health and fitness problems.

Don’t major in the minors.

Don’t minutiae in the minutiae.

Don’t lose the forest for the trees.

Just by following the two nutrition insights for the next 365 days, your health could change dramatically in one year.

Health is simple.

But it isn't easy.

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III.

You don't have to be a bodybuilder or a full-time martial artist to gain great benefits from exercise.

You just need to find your good enough.

For 95% of our clients, lifting weights 3-4x a week is good enough.

Personally, I’m biased towards 4x a week since it helps create a more consistent habit.

It also lets me spread out my upper and lower body parts more equally, vs trying to fit it all in 3 days.

So, 4 days of lifting weights. 30-45 minutes. Leave 1-3 reps left in reserve, with fewer reps the further you get into a training cycle.

Practice good form.

That’s it.

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ONE QUESTION FOR YOU

What's one thing you'd like to acknowledge with your health actions recently?

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Client Spotlight

‘It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had - the workouts, nutrition, habits, mindset, all of it’.

Before we began working together, Barbara had a hard time losing weight and getting lean, toned, and fit after her pregnancy.

Lost and confused, she was uncertain how to drop the weight in a permanent, sustainable way.

She was also brand new in her fitness journey, married, with 1 son, and a busy teacher working with special needs children.

Barbara was uncertain which way to go when it came to getting lean, toned, and strong.

Before we started working together, she was:

• Keen to drop 20+ lbs and shred inches from her waist, arms, and legs
• Busy raising her son and taking him to after-school activities while managing her full-time role as a phenomenal teacher in her field
• Not familiar with fitness or health practices and didn’t feel certain about walking into the gym. She also didn't know how to manage her nutrition while enjoying her favorite foods
• Didn’t feel confident in her body and was overstressed, overworked, and hadn’t worn a bikini in months

It’s kinda like wanting to change your financial life, yet all you do is keep spending and not controlling your budget.

It’s unrealistic to expect changes in your bank account without first reviewing your situation. Then, you need to decide on a new plan.

The difference between people who succeed in their fitness and health year after year and those who don’t is :

They get clarity (and support, if needed) and persist until they reach their goal.

Which is why Barbara was able to:

• Drop 20+ lbs while shredding 4+ inches from her waist and drop 3 clothing sizes
• Increase her squat from 20 lbs to 155 lbs, deadlift from 15 lbs to 165 lbs, and bench press from 12.5 lbs to 40 lbs
• Become confident in her body and health, and transform into a positive role model of health for her son and her family

Confident to show her belly and wear a two-piece while showcasing her lean, toned body

Less is more. But you have to do the right things.

If you want clarity (and support), feel free to apply for our next private 30-day challenge or get a free high-performance health assessment.​

Either way, your health is always in your hands.

Here's what Barbara said about her experience.​

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1 QUOTE FROM OTHERS

I.

“As Joseph Campbell once said, watching birds speeding through webs of branches and never even grazing a wing tip, animals may dwell in a realm beyond mistakes, totally present to life in ways our concept-crowded thinking cannot fully understand.”

― Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet

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In Poland, safely.

My wife's cousin's wedding is tomorrow.

It's been a busy week.

But grateful for the family time.

As promised, your 1-3-1 Friday in less than 5 minutes.

Until next week,

P.S. Did you know the world's biggest castle is here?