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.
What's new this week:
ONE REFLECTION FROM ME
Fruits make you fat.
Fruits cause diabetes.
Fruits should be avoided.
If you follow mainstream advice about fruits or plant-based diets, your health will probably match modern society.
Fruits are the most nutritious food group on the planet by a long shot. Veggies are great, but they're 4x less nutritious than fruits.
So if you're not eating fruits, you'll need to eat a lot more veggies to make up for the missing nutrients (many of which still come in fruits).
Fruits have been demonized for good reason: they heal chronic illness, disease, and symptoms.
The more you eat, the better you'll feel, especially after your body's initial detox period.
And this is coming from the guy who used to make fun of cleanses and detoxes.
There are a lot of crappy ways to detox out there, but high fruit eating isn't one of them.
I used to believe protein was the most important macro.
While it helps with muscle-building and fat-loss goals, I no longer value protein as much as I used to.
Protein matters, but only if your health is in a good place and you're training hard.
Lifelong health begins with clean carbs like fruit.
If you want to layer on high-protein plant-based sources, feel free to... after your fruit.
Most of the clients I've helped over the years have had a poor relationship with fruit (and vegetables).
It's not easy to overcome childhood associations with food, many of which were used as reward-and-punishment cycles for us.
I can relate, having experienced this too.
So it's not easy, but it is simple.
Eat more fruit, and you will literally add years to your life.
The more fruit you eat, the more you'll reverse disease, heal symptoms, and build your best health.
And it seems like I'll come full circle and now become the fruity guy in the plant-based and vegan space.
Sometimes you need to walk your own path to find out what's true in health.
Test, question, and verify everything for yourself.
Lesson: The best way to understand reality is by testing things for yourself.
3 IDEAS FOR YOU
I.
Lift weights to get strong. Run to build a healthier heart.
Practice Qi Gong to live a long, energetic life.
Qi Gong is one of the few ways you can build energy, along with proper breathing and eating.
Unlike lifting weights and doing cardio, which makes you 'feel' like you're building energy but in reality you're just moving your body's energy (I feel more energized but then crash later), Qi Gong is a practice which, over time, allows you to have as much energy in the morning as you do in the late evening.
I’ve preferred Qi Gong for several reasons:
- The longevity benefits have been well-documented for millennia
- Most of us never train or develop our ‘energy body,’ which is the basis of lifelong energy
- Qi Gong is one of the most well-studied practices from a practitioner’s perspective. While it has less documented research, a few promising studies still exist.
In Chinese thought, Qi is the basis of life.
Energy is at the basis of who we are.
It makes sense to understand who we are.
What else are we here for?
II.
Here’s how to prioritize your health from most urgent to least:
Breathing → Hydration → Sleep → Nutrition → Movement → Exercise = High Performance
Aside from nutrition, people rarely focus on the first five topics in health discussions.
Yet most of us stop breathing correctly by adulthood.
Sleep is another huge health topic most of us see as an afterthought.
We also toss hydration out with the bathwater.
So yes, energy balance and progressive overload matter.
But if your breathing, sleep, hydration, and stress are in the dumps, you’ll struggle to build muscle and drop body fat sustainably.
Put your health domains in the right order and then focus on the most important one.
Do the right things in the right order in your health.
III.
A simple way to stay on top of your hydration is to start your day with a glass of water.
Personally, I enjoy lemon water every morning and start with 32 ounces.
Drinking lemon water daily has many benefits. It helps detoxify the liver, cleanse your body, and keep you hydrated.
It can also support weight loss because a healthy liver can break down fats and protein more easily.
(9/10 people have a sluggish liver)
But if you’re not a fan of lemon, you can also add your favorite fruits to water to boost the flavor.
I’d also add that investing in a high-quality water filter for your drinking water, an under-sink filter, and even your shower can be a valuable investment in your health.
If you can only start with one, choose a drinking water filter.
Most water is contaminated. It often contains traces of pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, bacteria, and even feces (yes, you read that right).
We’ve used Clearly Filtered for years, and I’ve yet to find a company that matches the quality CF delivers (no affiliation).
So your good enough is simple here.
Drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily.
Start your day off with water (add freshly squeezed lemon if possible).
At a minimum, filter your drinking water.
ONE QUESTION FOR YOU
What's one health upgrade you can make this month? Create 5 minutes to take action on this.
Client Spotlight
1 QUOTE FROM OTHERS
I.
“The immortal words of Hippocrates, the famous Naturopath and Father of Medicine, apply here: “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be”
― Robert Morse
Went to the beach last weekend.
Forgot how much I love the ocean.
Nothing beats being by the water.
As promised, your 1-3-1 Friday in less than 5 minutes.
Until next week,
P.S. Best plant-based documentary I watched recently.
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