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
The deeper I go into health, the more I'm reminded of a constant reminder:
Simplicity creates sustainability.
The harder (more friction) you make something, the more likely it is not to last.
I spoke about this in last week's 1-3-1 letter.
But it's true.
Which is why it keeps coming up.
Less is more...
...provided you're doing the right things.
The right order in which you do things is also important.
Aka - the sequence, the way you prioritize different health actions is vital.
I mean, this is important stuff.
How many people do you know who go to the gym and track their macros... yet struggle with mental or emotional stress and get terrible sleep?
A lot of people.
Or how about the people who workout like crazy yet secretly struggle with a chronic health issue?
Health is a broad topic.
But it's not complicated.
It’s overcomplicated. The harder a problem seems to solve by yourself, the less likely you are to take ownership. Which means it's harder for you to go to the root cause of your health challenges.
Everything has a cause and effect.
The universe is built on it.
So today's a bit of a mental reflection for myself as I keep learning.
But health can be simple. In fact, it's quite simple when you do the right things in the right order in the right amount.
It's all about the right things.
Lesson: Health is simple despite all the noise out there.
3 IDEAS FOR YOU
I.
Skills matter.
What if high-performance fitness wasn’t a fantasy?
What if it were actually possible to create as your reality?
High-performance health & fitness over 40 isn’t common in modern society.
The problem isn’t aging or getting older, as most people believe. Our bodies and health were meant to last in great shape for our entire lives.
If you take care of your vehicle (body), it will take care of you.
Unfortunately, the world that we live in isn’t conducive to health or well-being.
If you try to build fitness on sand (poor health), high-performance fitness won’t happen.
That’s why having the right habits, standards, and systems in place will always defeat the best goal-setting techniques.
So, yes, goals are important.
But it’s just as important to have your skills, practices, and daily actions in place.
Goals ← Skills ← Practices ← Actions
When you know your goals and the skills needed to achieve them, you can make faster and lasting progress.
II.
One of the things you’ll realize fast when you start a health or fitness journey is that everything is fragmented.
What I mean is that everything is scattered in 10,000 directions in the health and fitness world.
You’ll have one camp of health world yelling one thing while another camp in the fitness world says another.
Sometimes one camp is right. Often, partial truths are shared.
I spent most of a decade feeling confused and misled about health and fitness. I didn't understand the right principles for lasting change.
It was frustrating.
In fact, the more I’ve learned, the more I’ve realized that nearly everything in health and fitness is backward.
If you follow what the mainstream teaches to eat for health, you’ll probably be unhealthy.
If you follow the fitness herd, you’ll probably be doing the incorrect things.
Awareness is the first step to change.
It means learning about the timeless principles that have helped many people.
Go for depth, not width.
III.
The world of health and nutrition is overwhelming.
Should you read books on a plant-based diet or a Paleo diet?
Or maybe it’s time to revisit Atkins’ low-carb, high-fat diet?
It’s full of charlatans and grifters who profit from people’s ignorance of real health outcomes.
Unfortunately, it’s not going to stop soon.
The most effective way to stop this problem is to take ownership of your education and focus on health mastery.
It takes time and effort, but it’s the single best investment you can ever make in yourself.
Nothing beats investing in your greatest asset... which is you.
One of the reasons why I love reading is that:
- It shortcuts your understanding and knowledge
- It helps you avoid the same mistakes, provided you apply the information
The second reason is important.
No amount of reading can change your habits until you take effective action, practice daily, and create new skills.
Change takes time and focus.
But when it comes to health, the ROI on investment is priceless.
ONE QUESTION FOR YOU
What would your health look like by September 1st if this summer went well for you?
Client Spotlight
Is it possible to get lean with a busy career?
Jennifer did.
She’s working full-time and becoming a veterinarian.
Her schedule is typically maxed out every week.
Yet, she was keen to prioritize her health and drop the stubborn weight that had crept up.
She felt unhappy with her body and looks. Still, she wanted to be a positive role model for her family, especially after going plant-based.
One of the biggest shifts for Jennifer was learning to let go of her perfectionism.
So we got to work.
Our strategy: We started initially with 4 days of lifting and tracking her nutrition 5 days a week. In moderate deficit, we also began working on her self-language and the way she spoke to herself.
She was an overachiever and a perfectionist. Often, she was her own harshest critic, even when she improved.
We later added silent meditation. This improved her sleep and helped her release stress in a positive way.
Our wins: She's lost 21 lbs of body fat, at her leanest body fat percentage, and feels stronger than ever. She also set personal records, like a leg press of over 680 lbs.
While working overtime, she took care of her family during tough times. She also learned to appreciate herself and let go of her perfectionism.
She’s a testament to what it means to be coachable and to have an open mind, even in difficult times.
Onwards and upwards!
1 QUOTE FROM OTHERS
I.
“You are already that which you want to be, and your refusal to believe it is the only reason you do not see it.”
― Neville Goddard
Quiet month here.
Hitting a blueberry farm this month.
Can't wait to freeze them for smoothies.
As promised, your 1-3-1 Friday in less than 5 minutes.
Until next week,
P.S. He gave up his father's business empire.
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