I love family time.

It’s great to see loved ones.

It’s also been stressful.

The past 3 weeks, we’ve traveled through 10+ states going up to NY from NC then back down.

Our stay with family also came with its fair share of learning experiences.

Moments when I noticed I was triggered.

When dormant archetypes (which we all have) sprung to life.

I’ve spoken about triggers before.

But as a reminder, part of maturity is recognizing when we feel triggered.

It’s often something that’s unresolved within us.

I still have plenty of inner work to continue to do based on my experiences the past few weeks.

But I’ve also grown.

Acknowledge where you’re at.

But notice the opportunities for continued growth.

On another note, as we were packing our bags to go from Philly to visit Atlantic City for the day, I finished packing our car.

With the last bag in my hand (and a sigh of relief that the packing was done), I closed the driver’s door…

…on my left hand and 3 fingers.

I haven’t felt such physical pain in years.

I almost broke down crying.

Later that day, while choosing smoothies for our lunch, I began to wobble.

I mentioned to my wife that I didn’t feel well.

She told me to sit immediately.

Between the heat, pain, and not having glucose (healthy carbs), I nearly passed out.

A few minutes later, we had our smoothies.

It’s a reminder that a healthy stream of glucose every few hours is a powerful antidote for energy, strength, and well-being.

I won’t forget that lesson again.

Lesson: There’s always a reason why things happen.

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Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

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#1.) Why Sports Increase Lifespan

After the age of 30, we start to decline in bodily functions by 1-2% each year.

Our bodies start to get weaker.

We lose muscle mass.

Bone mass declines.

Strength diminishes.

Energy levels drop.

The future looks bleak.

Unless…

You move and exercise.

But this is common knowledge.

Lifting weights, getting more steps, and improving your cardiovascular health are core pillars of creating high levels of health and fitness.

But sports can have a dramatic impact on your longevity and lifespan.

They can also radically improve your quality of life.

But there’s a few important factors to keep in mind.

According to Dr. LeBrasseur:

‘It’s important to get a mix of aerobic exercise and resistance training. Aerobic exercise — for example brisk walking, cycling, pickleball — will get your heart rate up and help prevent cardiovascular diseases, says Dr. LeBrasseur. Meanwhile, resistance training — like yoga or strength exercises like pushups — helps maintain your muscle mass and improve functional ability.’

So having a mix of cardiovascular activity paired with resistance training.

Sounds like the winning formula.

But are there specific sports that are better for longevity?

Well, it turns out there are.

In a study done on 8,577 participants over the span of 25 years, which focused on monitoring the impact of various recreational activities on lifespan, there were several interesting conclusions.

• The sports they found with increased lifespan included tennis, badminton, soccer, and cycling
• They also found that sports with more social interaction had higher longevity (because we all love our friends)
• Older adults who exercised or participated in sports also were able to sustain their exercise and sports longer AND lived up to 14 years longer (wow)

Even if you don’t enjoy or play the sports mentioned above, playing a recreational sport can have a multitude of benefits.

I personally love soccer and ping pong.

What do you love to do?

#2.) Get Stronger Using This Simple Tactic

Want to get stronger fast?

Use the 8-12 rep range rule.

Over the past 8+ years my team and I have coached 100’s of high achieving men and women.

One of the biggest concerns we’ve heard is how to workout more efficiently.

(aka how to save time working out while getting great results).

If you have 2+ hours to workout 4-5 days a week - then this won’t apply for you.

For those of you who are time restricted (like myself), this is the same exact system I've taught to our students over the past decade.

Here’s how it works:

When you’re lifting weights aim to choose a weight that challenges you and you can get at least 8 reps with.

As you progress through each set, focus on improving your technique or adding a rep.

Most of us have poor form and aren’t challenging ourselves enough in our workouts.

Keeping a crisp technique and adding volume (reps and sets) is a simple way to guarantee rapid strength increases.

Once you hit 12+ reps on a particular weight (let’s say 25 lbs on a dumbbell bench press), increase the weight from 2.5 - 5 lbs then start again at the bottom of the rep ladder at 8 reps.

Work your way back up to 12+ reps and increase the weight.

Rinse and repeat.

You may not increase your weights every workout.

But you can improve your technique and add reps nearly every workout.

Use this tactic to fuel your plant-based strength gains.

Expert Tip: The 8-12 rep range is also scientifically proven to be the best range for optimal muscle building. Use this range as your unfair advantage and streamline your workout results.

#3.) 3 Best Foods For Vitamin C

Why is Vitamin C important?

Many of us know about this essential nutrient.

Here’s why it matters:

• Vitamin C helps the body grow and repair tissues in all parts of the body. It's needed for the production of collagen, a protein that's used to make skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C also helps heal wounds and form scar tissue, and repair and maintain bones and teeth.
• Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants, which are nutrients that help block damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are created when the body breaks down food, or when exposed to tobacco smoke or radiation. A buildup of free radicals over time is a major factor in the aging process.
• Vitamin C can help strengthen the immune system by protecting against oxidative stress and helping to kill microbes. Vitamin C concentrations in the body decline during infections and stress, and supplementation has been shown to improve components of the immune system.
• Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from non heme sources.

So what are 3 of the best foods for Vitamin C?

1. Citrus fruits: A medium orange has 70 milligrams of vitamin C, while a grapefruit has about 96 milligrams. Citrus fruit juices also have a lot of vitamin C, with a cup of orange juice providing around 71 milligrams.
2. Kale: A 100-g portion of raw kale provides 93 milligrams of vitamin C, or 103% of the DV. Cooking kale reduces its vitamin C content, but a 2017 study found that boiling and frying leafy greens can increase the bioavailability of health-promoting compounds.
3. Broccoli: A cup of broccoli contains as much vitamin C as an orange. Broccoli is also a good source of other vitamins and minerals, such as calcium and iron.

Vitamin C is a powerhouse.

It’s a HUGE power-up for your immune system especially when you’re fighting a bug or pathogen.

I personally stock up on the fruits and vegetables above but I also use Vimergy’s Vitamin C due to soil depletion. ​

With the amount of work, travels, and busyness in my life - getting knocked out by a virus or bug won’t fly.

Keeping my immune system in tip-top shape is one of my key priorities.

​Here’s the link if you want to use the same Vitamin C I’ve used to protect my health and family’s the past 3+ years.

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1 Action Step

Increase your weights during your next workout. Focus on keeping a crisp technique. Then, challenge yourself to add more reps, improve your form, or increase the weights.

Getting stronger is simple when you use the right approach.

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 Client of the Week

Maggie is a busy mother. Wife. She’s also a vegan activist and vocal leader in her community.

Yet, over the years, Maggie stopped putting herself first.

In fact, in one of our first conversations, Maggie shared that she despised working out.

She never really liked it.

Yet, she recognized that going deeper into her 40’s that she needed to take care of her health.

Feeling out of shape, overweight, and ‘weak’ in her body were her biggest concerns.

So we got to work.

Strategy: We focused on a gradual ascent with her habits. The first order of priority was learning to enjoy her workouts. 3 days of lifting and starting to fall in love with exercise. We then focused on increasing her plant based protein due to her low protein numbers.

Finally, we began to work on specializing her training even more due to having a knee procedure in the first few months of working together.

We focused on optimizing her health routines due to gut issues and worked together with her naturopath to create even better health results.

Wins: Maggie didn’t skip a beat. She could have missed a workout during her knee surgery. She didn’t. She could have stopped tracking nutrition during her stomach issues. She didn’t.

Part of Maggie’s success came down to her mental and emotional transformation.

She went from having a victim mindset to creating a growth mindset. She consistently showed up on our weekly mindset classes inside our Accelerator Program.

She dropped 5+ inches from her waist, 12+ lbs, and tripled her strength to the point she could carry 50+ lb cat food bags easily even with her small stature.

If she could do it - so can you.

If you're a busy vegan, plant-based human, or plant-curious and want to get in the best shape of your life while leading by example, apply here to get lean, strong, and healthy in 2024. ​

(2-week waiting list and capped at 5 new spots per month)

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One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Stay focused on your health vision.

What you focus on expands.

You got this. 🙂

- Gabriel

P.S. Apologies if you received last week’s 1-3-1 letter late. Seems like there was a system error that sent out letters later than usual.

P.P.S. Anyone else see what Dr. Gregor has been testing for highly effective fat-loss?

Whoa🫨

References:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30193744/
• https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/healthy-aging/how-physical-activity-keeps-you-young-playing-recreational-sports-for-a-longer-healthier-life/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32044986/
• https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/

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Whenever you're ready, there are three 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).

#3 Want to fuel your fitness curiosity and follow along with the latest findings, insights, and evidence-based practices? Let's be friends on Facebook and Instagram. :)