Every week, I feel like I'm building something new...

I've built a wall bookshelf.

A desk (actually three desks).

And more recently, this past week - our couch.

The reason I'm sharing this is because of my initial approach to HOW I built each thing.

My approach most of my life has been to do things fast and move on to the next project.

Yet, I've realized that the faster I do things, the more stress and impatience I've created within myself.

While I don't see myself (yet) as a DIY guy, I'm learning to be more at peace with building things for my family.

And the interesting thing?

The entire process becomes more enjoyable and peaceful.

It's interesting how much our minds can create chaos and equanimity.

And maybe that's part of growing up, too.

Lesson: Your mind can create suffering and peace. Yet, the choice always lies within us - what reality do we want to create for ourselves?

Here is your 5 Minute Friday:

How to Bulletproof Your Body

Strength training is how you create a lean, strong, resilient body that's built to last.

Here's why, according to MayoClinic:​

• You develop strong bones
• You can manage your weight in a healthy way
• You enhance your quality of life
• You can sharpen your thinking skills
• Your connective tissue can get stronger
• You can preserve and build lean muscle mass
• You can stay strong and age gracefully year after year

Bulletproofing your body is how you can enjoy life at a high level yet stay strong and injury-free.

It's also a great way to create a resilient body while massively improving your body shape and aesthetics.

When done correctly, strength or resistance training is how you can carve and sculpt a powerful body that commands strength and presence.

Unfortunately, for most people, this isn't their reality.

80% of Americans have lower back pain.

Two hundred fifty million Americans have chronic, mystery, or autoimmune diseases.

And nearly 50% of Americans will be overweight or obese by 2030.

Strength training isn't just how you bulletproof your body.
It's exactly how you'll bulletproof your body.

Strength training = medicine.

Take your exercise dosage seriously.

3 Ways To Track Your Nutrition

Tracking your nutrition is spoken about often in the health world.

Yet, most of us don't need advanced nutrition tracking (at least not for the long term).

Here's how to track your nutrition correctly (courtesy of Precision Nutrition).

Level One: Create an environment for healthy eating & start a basic exercise program

When it comes to nutrition, your environment = success.

If you want to win with your food choices and health for life, this is a prerequisite to succeed for the long-term.

Beradi's Law dicates that what's around us, we'll eventually eat.

Always have junk vegan food around you?

You're going to eat it.

On the other hand, if you stock your kitchen and pantries correctly with the right foods (e.g. fruits, vegetables, whole foods, etc), you'll also be influenced by this.

Striking a healthy balance between the foods our bodies need and want (like fruits) and the foods our mind wants (like ice cream or chips), is how to create a sustainable nutrition transformation.

This is the foundation that you work from FIRST.

Pair this with a basic exercise program like a few workouts in the gym or at home for 2-3 days a week, and you'll start seeing positive changes in your body composition.

When building a nutrition foundation that lasts - start with building your nutrition pyramid correctly.

Level Two: Establish correct portion sizes, increase exercise regimen, and establish correct nutrient timing

Level two? Learn how to eat the right portion sizes at the right time while increasing your exercise progressively.

Most of us still eat like 10-year-olds.

We overeat.

We undereat.

We don't eat at all.

We eat all the time.

Regaining awareness of your portion sizes will move mountains for your nutrition journey.

Establishing correct nutrient timing will also enhance your body composition as you learn best practices to eat food around your workouts to help build lean muscle and minimize fat gain.

Finally, stepping up your exercise and using progressive overload will continue to enhance your body, shape, and overall lean muscle mass.

Make sure you're challenging yourself when you lift weights and start to increase one of the multiple training variables (sets, reps, tempo, equipment, frequency, volume, etc).

We're ramping up here.

Level Three: Setup caloric intake amounts and advanced nutrition strategies

Level three focuses on your caloric intake via a nutrition tracking app and advancing your exercise and nutrition strategies.

Yet, most people do NOT need to do this forever.

According to PN, most clients won't need to be a Lv2 or Lv3 client (at least not for long).

Most of us are Lv1 clients who want to stay healthy, fit, and strong without obsessing over our fitness and 'macros'.

Calories and macros play an important role in losing and dropping body fat.

And they'll also help teach you how to understand food at a deeper level, especially from a body composition perspective.

There's plenty of value and research that shows when you track your food - you make different decisions.

However, it can also be a pitfall that leaves you either depressed about your calories or obsessing about weighing everything you eat.

I'll contradict myself for a second.

I do believe tracking your calories and possibly macros can play an important role if you've never tracked your nutrition before.

However, if you haven't mastered Lv1 or Lv2 - you have no place tracking your calories and macros.

Master the fundamentals.

Then, move on to more advanced levels.

That's how you create a nutrition foundation that lasts for life.

One Lesson That Can Transform Your Health

One of my consistent habits growing up was being self-critical.

I grew up in a divorced household with emotional turmoil and created the belief that I needed to be a 'perfect' little boy.

The oldest of 3 at the time (now 6), I found myself always wanting to be 'perfect' with everything I did.

Maybe it was my desire to look good for my parents.

Maybe I thought if I was 'perfect', my parents would get back together.

This desire to always be 'perfect' haunted me for decades.

Until, I started to burnout.

Being an overachiever, I began to see how I would have extreme levels of productivity and high performance mixed with extremes of being lazy and bum-like.

Like both sides of a seesaw, I fluctuated back and forth.

Working in two different 7-figure organizations didn't help.

And the self-critical voice within continued to get louder.

So, I started to take the time to listen.

And initially - it didn't get better.

It got worse.

But over time, I started to understand myself better.

I started to learn that the self-critical voice was never truly mine (it was a family member's voice).

The criticism and self-judgment weren't truly from me (since we aren't born as self-judgemental and self-critical creatures).

And the opportunity to release was there for me, too.

We all talk to ourselves.

The question is, do we truly listen to ourselves?

And do we have the courage to listen and speak to ourselves, too?

Inner growth and maturity are what human development is all about.

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

One of my favorite recent quotes I've read?

We need to take responsibility for everything we were never responsible for.

Only we can do this for ourselves.

- Gabriel

P.S. Keep an eye out for a SPECIAL offer tomorrow morning at 10 am EST - my holiday gift to you for being part of our VFR Community. :)

Whenever you're ready, here's one way I can help:

Every week until the end of the year, you'll see our End of Year VFR Special.

If you ​apply for a coaching spot​ and qualify this week, we'll coach you for FREE until the end of this year.

(e.g., if you apply and are accepted this week, that would equal 5 weeks of free coaching with your start date for your 4-month Accelerator Program starting on Jan 1st, 2024.

We'll deduct a week from this special every week until the end of this year.

So this week is the maximum bonus week you could qualify for (5 extra WEEKS) each week after deducting one week less.

You’ll also be able to lock in our 2023 tuition before tuition rises in 2024 (due to all the incredible upgrades we’ve made over the past 12 months inside of VFR).

Spots fill up fast due to a 2-week waiting list, so your application is not guaranteed to be viewed so I’d recommend applying now even if you’re unsure when to start.

Happy holidays! :)