I remember getting my first phone when I was 17.

I saved my allowance for years to finally buy it.

However, I didn’t get it with my parent’s permission.

I secretly went into Target after school to buy a prepaid phone.

I was thrilled.

Finally a way to communicate with the external world.

Most of my childhood was sheltered growing up in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania going to private catholic school for 12 years.

Everyone knew each other.

Neighbors spoke to each other.

Yet, our home was run by a tyrannical stepfather.

So buying a phone was my way of rebelling.

For nearly two decades afterwards, I’ve had a phone.

I’m at the point where I’m considering discarding my phone.

There’s a price (not just monetary) that we pay for things in our lives.

Our energy. Our focus. Our attention.

These are all priceless.

There’s quite a few cons to having a phone in our modern age (happy to share in a future letter if there’s enough interest).

But one of the biggest?

Our presence.

I’ve spent most of my summer with my family.

The main bulk of that time together.

With everyone on their phones.

Scrolling away.

Even with family members we see once a year.

I’ve done this myself.

I’ve done it while holding my son.

When I was 17, having a phone was my happiest moment.

I’m no longer sure it’s such a good thing.

Lesson: Your full presence is your greatest gift you can give someone else.

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Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

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#1.) Why We’re Addicted to Social Media

Speaking about phones - part of the reason why we can’t put them down is due to social media.

But why are we addicted to it?

The psychology behind social media has been researched by some of the smartest minds on the planet.

There’s a lot of thought that goes behind these apps.

There’s a lot that isn’t shared about how they study our behaviors.

Everything that you do online is tracked.

It’s carefully studied.

This data is then used to put content and media in front of you that’s even more compelling.

The main goal of these platforms is to keep you on them for as long as possible.

The longer you’re on them?

The more likely you’ll spend even more time there.

All social media platforms use this (including FB, IG, YouTube).

They understand how the human psyche works.

Our ego or lower soul is constantly fueled by desires.

The powers that be understand this at a deep level.

Unfortunately, schools, parents, and society don't teach this.

As you do more inner work, you’ll discover that living with a never ending stream of desires isn’t the only way to live.

But that takes effort on your part.

Learning to let go of your ego’s desires is part of growing up.

Which is why many of us have fallen victim to social media’s traps.

However, there’s another way to avoid getting trapped.

Use these platforms to add value.

It’s the same approach I’ve used for nearly 8 years.

I no longer go on social media to scroll for hours on end (since that’s what they want you to do).

I write out my posts.

I schedule them out.

Then, I reply to comments on my posts and add value to others with what I want to share.

Like all tools, social media is a tool.

It can hurt you.

Or it can help others.

It’s up to us to use it wisely.

As a final thought: if you haven’t watched the ‘Social Dilemma’, this is a great documentary on how social media manipulates our behaviors.

Check it out. 🙂

#2.) Use This For Your Shower

I’ve spoken about water before.

However, our water isn’t just polluted from tap water.

It’s also contaminated in our shower water.

Chlorine, fluoride, residue pharmaceuticals, and even run off pesticides can end up in our shower water (especially if you live in the States).

Chlorine and fluoride calcify your pineal gland.

(yes, chlorine - the same thing we’re told helps keep our pools clean; it will calcify your pineal gland).

For those of you who care about high performance, intuition, and higher levels of consciousness, your pineal gland is the source for all of this and more.

I’ll defer to Scott Jeffrey’s 4-part series on the pineal gland and how to decalcify it, since it’s one of the best guides I’ve read on this topic.

With that said, having a quality shower filter has been one of the key investments I’ve made this past year.

There aren’t that many great ones on the market.

Unfortunately, as far as I’m aware of, there aren’t any that filter fluoride out either.

(another reason to have a private well).

But Aquasana has a solid option with their model that filters out a majority of the toxins in our water.

(no affiliation; feel free to check it out).

Our bodies are 60% water.

Water fuels our life.

Give your body the best chance for life-long health and protect your water.

#3.) 2 Mindset Shifts from Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee, kung fu martial artist, often spoke about the importance of being an individual.

Why having our own perspective on life matters.

He also shared 2 key mindset shifts that you can apply to your fitness this week.

The first one:

“Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless. Like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

How to apply to your fitness:

• When you’re stressed out and disconnected to your center, breathe deeply
• Life isn’t what happens to us. It’s how we respond to what happens to us that makes life
• Approach your fitness from the mindset of being detached and relaxed rather than trying to force results
• Trust that by being consistent with your fitness, results will follow instead of worrying about progress

“To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to either spend or waste, and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone forever. If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

• How you choose to spend your time is how you choose to spend your life
• If you want to live a life in radical health and fitness, what are you choosing to spend your time on?
• Get clear on how you spend your time each day and notice where you can reinvest your energy towards who you want to become

I also recommend the book ‘Striking Thoughts’ by Bruce Lee if you’d like further aphorisms on how to approach life.

Great read and insightful on how he viewed life.

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1 Action Step

Choose a water filter to protect your home and family’s health from pollutants.

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Client of the Week

Kylie travels and works non-stop. A military woman, she’s on the go year-round working around the clock.

She had also gained an extra few kilos and wasn’t happy with her body.

She wanted to get lean, toned, and strong but hadn’t been consistently lifting or eating well for years.

She had tried WeightWatchers, Beachbody, and fad diets in the past but nothing worked for her.

Until, we started working together.

Strategy: Our first approach was to create a set of robust routines that would work for her no matter where she traveled. Implementing our ‘Rapid Meal Tracking System’ and our ‘Micro Workout Method’ were two of her first steps.

Creating a simple and sustainable strategy around her health become our #1 priority especially since she didn’t want to fall off track during her busy seasons or during work training.

It wasn’t easy.

We also had to do a temporary metabolic reset in the beginning of her program due to the fact that she had been undereating for years.

She wasn’t happy with this.

But she trusted the process.

Our hypothesis paid off.

Wins: Kylie dropped 22 lbs. 5 inches off her waist. She also doubled her strength. She learned how to create sustainable routines even while traveling. She rebuilt her confidence and belief in herself. And she started eating foods that served her body.

She’s a prime example of what can happen when you have the right support and accountability in place.

Great work Kylie! 🙂

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

Health is our first wealth.

What you do for yourself each day compounds over years.

Keep your health for life.

- Gabriel

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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.

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