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 one personal health insight, three actionable tips, and one concrete action step. Let's dive in.

What's in store for today:

• A dieting trap that most people get caught in... and how to avoid this.
• Improve your brain health using this exercise consistently.
• What living on 3 different continents has taught me about health.

I'm preparing for our trips to Colorado next month.

One thing I've been focusing on has been three areas of health that get overlooked.

These are:

• Posture
• Breathe
• Intention

I'm heading to CO for an in-person Qi Gong retreat.

The three areas above will be part of the core focus of this weekend.

As a quick refresher, Qi Gong is the practice of working with your energy.

Qi means energy (life force).

Gong means work.

So you learn how to develop and work with your energy.

Anybody can generate chi.

Most people don't know how to develop the vessel (their body) to hold and retain chi (energy).

Over the past few years, I've been reconnecting with my martial arts background, and it's been a fun ride.

I've remembered the importance of form and technique (equally important for strength training).

I’ve begun to appreciate the value of natural breathing. It helps in daily activities too.

And I've reconnected with setting my intention.

The three areas of Qi Gong apply to your strength training and everyday exercise.

Posture. Breath. Intention.

Many of us slouch when we sit for hours and carry this habit into our workouts.

Many of us have lost touch with our bodies and how we breathe naturally.

Most of us have forgotten that our mind is a mental magnet—it attracts to itself what it is in harmony with.

I've struggled with all 3 of these myself too.

It's been a work in progress to remind myself to stay centered and grounded.

To slow down and respond before reacting.

The ego complex is full of unconscious patterns.

It's hard to change what you're not aware of.

But it's also what excites me about this year.

I've learning to deepen my body practices and bring this to life in other areas of my life.

I foresee facing more challenges as I uncover more things within my body and mind.

But that's where the real growth lies.

Where you and I are uncomfortable.

Looking forward to the journey ahead.

Lesson: Wisdom comes from applied experience, not reading books or posts.

Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

1.) Avoid this common dieting trap

The most common dieting trap I see people get stuck in?

Trying to drop weight too fast for too long.

Your body can only take so much without pushing back.

As a quick reference, the longer you're in a caloric deficit, the higher the rebound rate.

The more body fat you have before dieting, the slower you should cut fat.

The simple reason is that your body already has extra fat cells.

Once you have a fat cell, you have a fat cell.

Same goes for muscle cells.

Muscle memory, anyone?

So, the common dieting trap I often see is trying to drop weight too fast for too long.

Again, if you're starting a diet with a higher body fat percentage, you'll want to be even more mindful.

Here's the solution to this problem:

#1 Start shredding fat using a sustainable approach

Dropping 2-3 pounds weekly is a great way to keep motivation high.

But eventually, this will taper off.

The real goal of weight loss shouldn't be solely to drop weight.

It should be dropping body fat.

When you focus on fat-loss over weight-loss, your body will change permanently.

The number on the scale is helpful, but it's not the overarching principle of success.

Body fat in high amounts harms your health in many ways... many of which you're probably aware of.

Instead of focusing on the downsides of body fat, let’s examine a simple standard for fat loss.

Aim for 1 pound of body fat loss per week.

The gold standard for fat-loss per week is about 1 pound per week.

Some weeks you may drop 2 pounds.

Others you may drop 1/2 a pound.

Over weeks and months this will average to about 1 pound per week.

This is fat-loss done correctly.

Pull this fitness level, and you're ahead of 90% of people in fitness.

Let's move to step 2.

#2 Use the 4:1 ratio.

The 4:1 ratio is simple.

After every 4 months of being in a deficit from food, aim to return to your maintenance calories for about 1 month.

This is a general rule of thumb though.

I've found this works best when specialized per individual.

For example, during my last shred, I was able to be in an 8-month deficit before a nice long reset for 4-5 weeks.

I then pushed into my next deficit and fat-loss phase once I felt rejuvenated.

The 4:1 ratio is great. It helps your body adjust to your new weight and body composition.

Let's say you're 200 pounds and want to drop 60 pounds.

You can lose all 60 pounds quickly but may regain it later. It's also tough to drop all the weight at once.

Instead, break your fat loss ('weight loss') into mini sprints.

Fitness is a marathon made up of small sprints.

See each of your fat-loss phases as a sprint towards fitness freedom.

Like paying off debt, improving fitness takes time. Focus on one area at a time.

Tackle the first 20-30 pounds in your first cut.

Then, reset and stabilize the new weight and body composition.

Then tackle the next goal.

That's how you keep off weight and body fat for good.

#3 Plan your metabolic reset from the beginning

The third step here is simple.

Plan your metabolic reset from the get-go.

The 4:1 ratio comes with a pre-built mini reset.

You may need to stick to your maintenance calories for a while.

This is okay.

If you have been dieting hard for a long time, it's fine to come back and reset your metabolism.

This is common in our VFR coaching practice.

By the time most women (and men) reach us, they've tried everything under the fitness sun.

And more often than not, they've been undereating and been in a deficit for way too long.

Again, your body can only take so much before it starts to push back.

A proper reset can help boost your metabolism, hormones, and blood markers. That's exactly what the fitness doctor recommends.

So give yourself grace.

Rome wasn't built in one day.

Neither was your dream body.

Focus on the 5-year vision of your dream body and health.

And win each day at a time.

2.) Improve your brain health using this exercise

What is the best exercise to improve your brain health?

It's not one exercise but rather two groups of exercise:

(disclaimer: you won't be surprised...) ;)

Surprise, surprise...

It's what you suspected:

• Strength training (resistance training)
• Cardiovascular training (cardio)

Both support brain health and neurogenesis, which is making new neurons.

Combine both with the right exercise dosage, and you get a powerful medicine for lasting results.

I grew up as an athlete and loved moving and running around.

Yet, in my late teens, I started working 60+ hour weeks as I learned to manage 2 Italian restaurants.

This was when I first met weightlifting.

As a kid, I dreamed of being a pro soccer player. I loved playing competitive soccer and wanted to make it my career.

While this dream never actualized, I learned much on my cardio adventures.

Steady state cardio offers long-term brain health benefits. However, new research shows that HIIT can also positively affect brain health.

When it comes to strength training, the results are similar.

When you lift weights, you have an intensity scale that you can use to gauge your training.

The RPE and RIR scales are two of my favorites with clients.

However, I mainly use RIR, with clients these days.

RIR means reps in reserve.

The fewer reps in reserve you have, the harder the exercise will be.

The more reps - the easier it will be.

When it comes to brain health, using a mix of intensities tends to reap the best results.

Brain health depends on various factors, but regular exercise is the most important.

As an added note, while I didn't discuss it too much here, Qi Gong may be the best exercise for longevity.

But that's a topic for another day.

Eating Well put together a clear outline using the guidelines from the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine):

• Exercise for 2 days each week. Aim for moderate to vigorous intensity. This means 20-30 minutes of activities like walking, jogging, biking, rowing, using the elliptical, or swimming.)
• 2 days per week of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise (20-30 minutes)
• Resistance training twice a week is ideal. Aim for 20-30 minutes. You can lift weights, exercise bodyweight, or follow an at-home workout.
• 1 day per week of rest, including deep breathing exercises

Keep it simple.

Keep it sustainable.

3.) What living in 3 different continents has taught me about health

I've lived in South America, North America, and Europe.

I've also lived on the east and west coasts of the states, with plenty of places between them.

 

I've learned one simple lesson that has changed my relationship with health.

You can adopt this into your life (if it's helpful).

The lesson I've learned is slowing down to speed up.

Let me explain what I mean.

I've tried to go too fast and hard for most of my life.

I've learned to slow down my expectations over the past few years.

I’ll be impatient with my actions but patient with the outcomes.

What I do (my actions) are within my sphere of control.

The results will come if my actions are based on proven methods and evidence.

The speed of results depends on how my body responds to the protocol.

You can't rush greatness (you can tell yourself).

I've caused myself more harm and detriment by trying too fast and hard.

It doesn't work out for me in the long term.

We live in a society that's addicted to short-term satisfaction.

But nothing great was ever created from two-week programs or three-month booty builders (is there such a thing?).

Instead, take a multi-year approach to your health.

3 years since it gives me enough time to build a habit, create a lifestyle, and change my identity.

I can relax without the pressure of a 60-day program. Time moves quickly, so now I can focus on my long-term health.

Once I have my three-year vision, I'll break down my goals into annual themes and quarterly sprints.

The value of 90-day programs is helpful when in the right context.

Our VFR High Performance Vegan Accelerator is a 4-month program.

Using it correctly helps build strong fitness habits. These habits lead to stage 2, which focuses on creating a lasting and healthy lifestyle.

Our entire curriculum is built with sustainability in mind.

I rewrote our entire roadmap and lessons from scratch a few months ago.

I wanted to incorporate these principles at a deep level for our clients.

Slow down to go fast.

Living on three different continents has shaped my life and approach to health.

But slowing down to speed up later on has been my biggest lesson.

Make this year your best health year, too.

1 Action Step

What's been your biggest fitness win from the first 60 days of this year? Write it down and acknowledge your efforts.

Client of the Week

Kelly has a busy life with four kids, a corporate job, and taking care of her family.

She was also selling her house, while moving to a new one.

She had zero energy, was 30 lbs overweight, and was tired of putting herself at the bottom of the list daily.

She wanted to be a positive role model for her kids and family but kept falling short month after month.

So she applied and we got to work.

One of the things I acknowledged from Kelly was her perseverance.

She took multiple hits each month with work, getting sick, and leading a busy lifestyle as a mother, wife, and professional.

Yet she stuck through it all.

Wins: After four months, we’ve dropped 33 lbs, 5 inches off her waist, and given her back day-long energy to power through her work and projects.

Our strategy: a moderate caloric deficit, lifting weights four days a week, zero cardio, 8,000 steps per day, and focusing on eating more fruits and vegetables.

Excited to keep rooting her on and seeing what she creates in health.

​Apply here to get lean, strong, and healthy using plants. Deadline to apply each month is the 20th. Create your best health and body using a fitness system that's handcrafted for you.

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

I'm testing a new style of writing over the next few weeks.

I want to add more personal experiences, insights, and storytelling vs pure scientific references.

Let me know what you think below.

See you next week,

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References

• https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7944120/best-exercises-for-brain-health/