It's one of my favorite times each year when active VFR students worldwide come together to learn from each other.

While we've had in-person meet-ups with great success, this will be our first in-person retreat.

Having attended dozens of retreats, masterminds, and high-level events over the past 8+ years, I've experienced the magic of in-person connections firsthand.

They've changed my life.

I've been able to make new friendships.

Create powerful memories.

And learn from those ahead of me.

Every event or retreat I go to - changes my life.

Which is why I'm excited about this April.

There's nothing better than watching humans transform rapidly over a weekend.

And it's an honor to be part of the process.

Lesson: You can fast alone, or you can go far together.

Here's Your 5 Minute Friday:

3 Lessons Learned From My Weight Loss Journey

When I first became vegan, I had no idea how to eat for fitness.

Although I learned how to eat for health with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods, I was confused about how to sculpt my physique and tone up using plant-based foods.

I struggled to reorganize my meals, so I was healthy and fit.

Part of my struggle was the lack of organized information to implement into my fitness.

And when I finally started to get a hold of what could be ‘useful’ information, I encountered another problem:

I didn’t know how to implement it without feeling overwhelmed or confused.

But I also realized I couldn’t afford to keep trying to do things alone.

I had gained 30 lbs (mainly fat) over the past few years, and I looked the opposite of what a positive role model should look like.

And I wasn’t happy with my self-image or how I felt in my body.

I didn’t feel like the way I was eating or working out reflected how I looked.

I felt ashamed.

Which is why, looking back, I would attribute three things to my fitness success:

1. Seek mentorship and coaching:

Years of trying to do things by myself and figure them out on my own taught me one KEY lesson:

It’s far faster and more effective when you have an expert working with you in your corner.

Part of becoming a leader is also being open to being led.

We all like to think we know best.

But becoming humble and saying, 'I don't know everything' or 'I could use support' is a sign of maturity.

It's why I still invest heavily in my mentors and coaches each year.

2. Have a beginner’s mindset:

Part of why I struggled so much was also because I felt like I knew everything.

I didn’t.

Which is why I struggled.

Have an open mind that’s open to receive and learn.

Instead of staying stuck for years, I could have ended my misery by having an open beginner's mind.

I didn't.

Which is why I stayed stuck.

3. Have a specialized strategy that works for your body:

This last one was tough because I felt like I tried everything. All at once. All the time.

And nothing worked.

Until I learned to delegate and be open to receiving direction from someone else.

To be coachable and consistently act on what I was told to do.

Dropping the next 10-20 lbs can be straightforward and FAST when approaching your fitness using these three insights.

Or it can take much longer.

We determine the speed of results with how we approach our health.

Use a Fitness Dial For Sustainable Health

Imagine a dial on your fitness.

The dial goes from 1-10.

1 = the lowest intensity on your health & fitness

10 = the highest intensity on your health & fitness

Instead of approaching our fitness with the mindset of ‘If I can’t go all in, then why bother?’...

...what if there was a different approach?

According to Dr. John Berardi, the concept of the fitness dial can break your all-or-nothing mentality by turning up or down the level of intensity for your health.

For example, I recently hired a fitness mentor to help triple my strength and endurance going into Jan 1st, 2025.

This means I’ve turned the dial on my fitness to an 8-9, rather than the 6-7 I had on previously.

I’ve also used this approach when preparing for a men’s physique competition.

My fitness dial went up to a 9-10 consistently for an extended period of nearly 18 months.

This time, my fitness dial is a bit lower (8-9) and a shorter period (12 months).

However, the fitness dial approach lets you be flexible with your fitness year-round.

Instead of feeling like you need to start from scratch each time you work towards a new fitness goal, use the fitness dial method.

Turn UP the dial when working towards a new goal (possibly dropping 10-20 lbs, getting lean, or toning up).

Turn DOWN the dial when entering busier periods in your life (career, traveling, family time, taking care of kids, etc).

Just don’t turn OFF the dial.

Sustainable results > Short-term results

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Consistency > perfection.

Every week.

- Gabriel

Whenever you're ready, there are two ways I can help you:

#1 Join our free high-performance fitness FB group to get access to dozens of live trainings recorded along with a tight-knit group of leaders who want to get healthy, lean, and strong.

#2 Are you a high achiever who wants to be lean, strong, and lead by example? Apply for private 1:1 coaching and get in the best shape of your life (2-week waiting list).