Intermittent Fasting, Dieting and Supplements

Working out and doing cardio are less than half of the battle when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle.  You can workout all you want, but if you eat pizza every meal and drink ten beers every night, you are not going to have a six pack (unless you are a genetic freak of nature).  There are plenty of debates on the internet, in books, in magazines, in gyms and on podcasts about the best diet or the best supplements - most of these things work in some fashion, but not all of these different diets and strategies are the right solution for everyone.  

The most important thing to remember regarding diet is that everyone’s body is different; we all have different genetics, different DNA and our bodies react to varying diets in completely different ways.  A keto diet might work great for one person, but not for another. A vegetarian diet might be great for one person, but the carnivore is better for another person. The key is to find out what works for you, what is doable for you in your lifestyle, then stick with it!  The biggest problem is when you pick a diet, then drop it two weeks later because it’s too hard, or it doesn’t realistically mesh with your current lifestyle! What did you accomplish!? Pick a diet that you can stick to on a regular basis; and if necessary, allow yourself to cheat every once in a while - or you will likely give up on it entirely.

Let’s start from square one.  How much should you eat and when should you eat?  One thing that has really helped me stick to good shape in my old age (early 30s) where I spend 80% of my time at work sitting at a desk and in front of a computer is intermittent fasting.  Intermittent fasting is when you only eat (or drink caloric beverages) within a specified amount of time during the day, what I like to call the feeding window. To clarify, I consider black coffee and non caloric sugar free teas OK to consume during the fasting window.

When I first heard about it on Joe Rogan’s podcast, I thought to myself “I could never do that… I love eating and love breakfast way too much.  Besides, the Rock eats seven meals a day... if I want to look like the Rock, I need to be constantly shoveling food down my mouth hole.” However, once I tried intermittent fasting (starting with a 14-10) using the “Zero” app on my iPhone, I found after about a week that I had increased energy levels and a good portion of excess body fat (my “love handles” in particular) finally disappeared, after working out and eating healthy for years - nothing else melted that fat.

So, I mentioned 14-10 above - what the hell is that?  It means I fasted for 14 hours with a 10 hour eating window throughout the day.  Generally I would open my window at about noon and stop eating at 10 PM. This worked best for me, because I go to the gym after work.  I usually don’t get home until about 8:30 PM, then I shower and eat dinner.

I have since upgraded to a 15-9 and sometimes get to a 16-8, but since I eat dinner so late, it makes it difficult.  If I eat lunch too late (2-3 PM), then I’m still full when I go to the gym at about 6-7 PM. I don’t want to workout on a full stomach, therefore during the work week, I find it more difficult to hit 16-8, but during the weekends, now that my body has become adept at fasting, I sometimes go all day without eating until dinner time (AKA “Warrior Diet”).

What fasting window is most recommended?

Most experts recommend at a minimum a 14-10 window, but for best benefits to do a 16-8 window.  There are other methods as well, but I prefer to stick to the time restricted eating methods of fasting, but have considered longer periodic fasts (like Tim Ferris’ monthly 3-day fast) to compliment the daily intermittent fasting.

What are the benefits of fasting (besides weight loss)?

There is a lot of research (mostly on mice) showing that fasting reduces inflammation, which can reduce the odds of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer risk and alzheimers.  In addition medical benefits include increased metabolism, insulin sensitivity and HGH levels. First-hand, I can tell anyone who tries intermittent fasting, the first week or two you might feel sluggish, but once your body adapts, you will notice increased energy levels, enhanced mental clarity, a greater ability to become hyper-focused (achieve workflow status) and the ability to go quite some time without hunger pains.  Honestly, it has many of the beneficial effects of taking adderall.  

In addition, you will likely save money, because you won’t be eating as much food throughout the day and you will save time not cooking as many meals.  

The benefits of longer periodic fasts, like the monthly 3-day fast mentioned above is that your body may activate autophagy pathways clearing out damaged cells and growing new, healthy cells.  Studies show these longer fasts (generally of 3-7 days) are proven to increase lifespan by shedding these old, damaged cells and activating stem cell regeneration of organ tissue and other bodily cells (I’m not a scientist, so that’s the best way I can put it).  Now, how does anyone fast 3 full days? Check this out.

Enough of the fasting if you aren’t into the Baelor the Blessed diet, there are a few diets I recommend giving some thought, but find the right one for you and stick with it!

I’m not going to discuss the vegetarian or vegan diets as legitimate healthy diets, because I don’t believe they are healthy.  Vegetarian and vegan diets lack necessary proteins, iron, vitamin B and zinc.  Eating veggies are healthy, but not when you are lacking protein. If you are doing it after watching an anti-meat documentary - I get it, but humans have been eating meat since the beginning of our species.  If you are going to go this route at least go pescatarian and eat fish along with veggies to get your source of protein into your diet, along with other healthy fish oils and good fats.

The most popular modern diet right now is the ketogenic diet.  Personally, I love the general idea of the ketogenic diet, but it’s a lot more difficult to stick to for people who train in the gym regularly than people realize.  The ketogenic diet is a low carb, high fat diet with a goal of replacing your body’s primary fuel source from glucose to ketones. Glucose comes from carbohydrates and sugars whereas ketones are generated from consuming and burning healthy fats.  The ketogenic diet has some of the same benefits as intermittent fasting; weight loss, cancer prevention, heart-disease prevention and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition the ketogenic diet is known to combat acne, diabetes and Epilespy.  

The issue I have as a workout nut with the ketogenic diet is the standard keto diet requires eating a diet of 75% fats, 20% protein and 5% carbs.  Personally, I eat way too much protein to hit those levels and don’t believe I eat enough fat - though I have been known to put MCT or coconut oil in my morning coffee and believe the foods stressed in the keto diet are all awesome.  Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, green veggies, avocados, cheese and other healthy fats.  Even though I don’t actually eat enough fat and eat way too much protein, I primarily try to stick to the keto foods in my diet.  

The next most popular fad diet right now (besides being vegetarian or vegan) is going to the opposite end of the spectrum with the carnivore diet, which is exactly what it sounds like - you only eat meat, fish and animal products.  Why would this diet work? Protein is more filling than carbs, therefore when you are on the carnivore diet, you simply eat less food with the side benefit that the foods you are eating are high protein and all natural.  There are certain individuals who report feeling better on this diet than any other, because high fiber foods like green veggies might cause issues. In my opinion, you are missing out on a lot of important vitamins with the carnivore diet and it’s not the best option, but it’s better than some.

Personally, I try to end up somewhere in the middle of the ketogenic diet and the carnivore diet with what some might call a low-carb, low sugar diet - but I add quite a bit more protein and meat to my diet than most of these diets call for.  What does this mean exactly? Let me take you through a walk in my average day of eating.

Morning:  I drink ice water and black ice coffee (with Lion’s Mane mushroom powder mixed in), while continuing to fast.  Sometimes on weekends I’ll go to Starbucks and get a QuadShot espresso on ice.

Vitamins:  I’ll pop my vitamin B and vitamin C first thing in the morning.

Lunch (usually around 1 PM):  My usual lunch contains mostly protein with some green veggies on the side (pre-cooked and reheated in a microwave).  I usually like to include a chunk of cheese and at least a half avocado.

Beverage:  Generally I reload the caffeine around lunch with either a kombucha (twice per week) or another ice coffee (this time it’s okay to add some half & half or goat milk - not sugar)

Vitamins:  I take the rest of my vitamins at lunch, see the stack below.

Snack (usually around 3 PM):  Pistachio and Almond mix (high carb, so just eat a small portion)

Pre-Workout (before gym, about 6 PM):  Honest Green Tea (no sugar) with PurePump pre-workout (2 scoops)

Post-Workout (after gym, about 8 PM):  “Zero” or “Quest” low sugar protein bar immediately after finishing the workout.  

Protein shake (when I get home):  2 scoops of Gold Standard vanilla whey protein, a handful of frozen fruit (usually a strawberry / banana blend), almond milk as necessary, a few leaves of spinach, 1 teaspoon of creatine, ¼ teaspoon of resveratrol and one scoop of natural (no filler) peanut butter.  

Dinner (about 9 PM):  A large portion of protein with veggies on the side.  Sometimes couscous is added to make kind of a dinner bowl, but usually not.  

Desert (only a 2-3 times per week, about 9:30 PM):  A small bowl of greek yogurt with natural cinnamon sprinkled on, a drizzle of organic local honey and a couple chunks of high cocoa dark chocolate.

I’ll likely go further into detail on some specific meals in a future blog post, but I’ll need my wife to contribute since she does most of the cooking in the family.  However, I am big on useful supplements and vitamins, so allow me to explain my “stack” as noted above.

I take the following vitamins first thing in the morning:

Solaray High Potency B-Complex Chewable

Kirkland Chewable Vitamin C

I like to take the chewable vitamins in the morning, because you can only take so many swallowable pills in a day and in addition chewable vitamins are easier on your stomach than whole vitamins.  You want to start your day without a stomach ache.

Vitamin B helps me wake up and provides a morning boost (also great when drinking to help prevent hang-overs).  Vitamin C, because I don’t drink morning juice (too much sugar).  

I add to my morning coffee the following:

Maju’s Mental Mushrooms (Chaga/Coryceps/Reishi/Lionsmane blend)

Quest MCT Oil powder

Zint Grass-Fed Beef Collagen powder

The MCT oil helps to add fats to get me through to lunch as I’m fasting - no carbs.  The mushrooms are great for mental clarity (especially early in the morning) and have tons of benefits you can read about here.  The collagen protein powder is great for skin and nail health.

At lunch time, as I eat I take this stack:

(2) 365 Multi-Vitamin gummies

(2) Zenwise Advanced Joint Support Glucosamine & Chondroitin

(1) New Sports L-Glutamine (1000 mg)

(2) Do Vitamins BCAA

(2) Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil (700 mg)

Multi-vitamins are a must, in case you don’t consume one of the food groups that day.  Glucosamine and Chondroitin help sore muscles and joints recover from general soreness and after working out.  Glutamine is a must for workout recovery - I workout almost every day, when I don’t take Glutamine, I really feel sluggish after consecutive workouts.

BCAAs are a new one for me - I have taken many pre-workout drinks with BCAAs, but I’m just now testing how the pure BCAA vitamins help.  Fish oil is great (when it’s the right product - there are a lot of snake oil vitamins out there.  Make sure you buy from a legit vendor.  

Pre-Workout:

Honest Green Tea with two scoops of Do Vitamins PurePump pre-workout formula (shake).

The best two mixers for this pre-workout are Vitamin water and Green tea (no sugar).  Try mixing it with water and you will be coughing your entire workout, because it doesn’t taste great, but it’s all natural and works great without giving you the jitters or the shits.

Post-Workout Shake:

2 scoops of Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Isolate (vanilla)

1 teaspoon of Bulk Supplements Creatine Monohydrate (5,000 mg)

¼ teaspoon of Bulk Supplements Resveratrol (399 mg)

Protein and Creatine are both the building blocks for building muscle.  See my entire shake recipe above. Check out the benefits of Resveratrol here - or drink a glass of red wine if you prefer it to a protein shake.

When it comes to health, going to the gym is important - but if you don’t control your diet and consume the correct supplements to boost your workout gains, you might just be treading water.  To read about my intense workout regimen, please click here!

SOURCES:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322293.php

https://humanwindow.com/tim-ferriss-intermittent-fasting-routine/

https://podcastnotes.org/2019/01/09/patrick/

https://fastlifehacks.com/tim-ferriss-3-day-fast-method/

https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/news/20180118/are-there-health-downsides-to-vegetarian-diets

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101#types

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carnivore-diet#downsides

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lions-mane-mushroom

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-benefits-of-fish-oil#section2

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/resveratrol#section2

The Modern Spartan Workout Regimen

To many people working out in the gym is just another part of the day, but to me it is THE part of the day to clear my mind, to de-stress, to keep my body limber and to gain strength.  It’s not only about trying to look good and to build glamour muscles to impress the ladies, but the workout is how I meditate. It’s how I bring my mind to neutral to recharge my batteries for the following day.  

Before I get into the actual workout regimen, I want to start off by citing multiple studies in which long distance cardio is proven to be unnecessary when it comes to health - contrary to what many people believe.  High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the best way to burn fat and from my experience HIIT training with weights is the best way to build lean muscle and increase strength (which is different than sculpting your tris, pecs biceps for looks).  There’s a lot of science behind it like improving VO2 max, hypertrophy, increasing blood flow and a bunch of other crap you can read here, but all you need to know is that it works.

I perform my sets in cycles with no rest moving from one set to the other without looking at my phone, reading texts or emails, sitting on the bench and waiting, etc.  The key is to hop from one set to the other until the cycle is complete, then repeat the cycle with no rest. Most of these workout routines should take between 90 minutes to 120 minutes non-stop with no rest between sets or cycles (except to take an occasional drink of water).  

How many sets per cycle?  Generally I stick to 3-4 sets per cycle (with 3 sets on the isolated lifts and 4 sets on the core lifts).  Each cycle is set with one primary core workout, supported with isolated muscle workouts cycled to avoid soreness as you are alternating muscle groups allowing one to rest while you work another, thus keeping your heart moving, but resting the isolated muscle groups as you cycle through the “super set.”

How many reps to do per set?  The real answer is as many reps as you can on the set.  Shoot for 4-6 from on the first cycle of the super set with increasing weights per super set, going up to a 1-2 set max by the final super set.  Many people will tell you to shoot for 8-12 rep sets, but other studies and my personal experience prove sets with higher weights and less reps build strength at a quicker pace.  

What about pre-workout? How do I get in the zone to workout?  As I mentioned in a previous article, I workout directly after finishing work for the day.  Stopping at home for any reason is a mortal error and quadruples your chances of skipping your workout for the day.  Not to mention the best time of day to workout for maximum gains is between 4 - 6 PM. So don’t hesitate, hit the gym right after work and before you eat any heavy meals.  Eating too much before working out is another mortal error, which can decrease productivity considerably. My go-to move is to eat lunch around 1 PM, maybe eat a handful of almonds or pistachios around 2-3 PM and not eat until after I finish my workout.  Before my workout I usually drink a green tea with a pre-workout (currently Pure Pump) mixed in to give me a boost.  

Enough chatter, what are the workouts?

I have alternated from this current regimen with a pull / push regimen in the past and will often switch-up some of the individual workouts of the order of the workouts, just so my body doesn’t get to used to my regimen and to avoid deep plateaus.  My general weekly regimen looks like this:

Weekly Regimen:

Sunday:  Legs

Monday:  Chest / Arms

Tuesday:  Legs

Wednesday:  Shoulders / Arms

Thursday:  Abs / yoga

Friday:  Back / Arms

Saturday:  Abs / yoga

Now, to get into the specific regimens, this is what my typical legs workout looks like (keep in mind, I often change the order of my workouts to keep my body guessing and each set has a minimum of three sets):  

**remember max out your weight on your final set, start 10-20% below your max. On your first set, then build up to your max weight by your final set.

Standard Leg Workout:

Warm-Up:

5 minute stretch.

Cycle #1:

Smith machine calf raise using platform (x4 - sets)

Kettlebell swings (x3)

Kettlebell squats (x3)

Cycle #2:  

Smith machine vertical leg press on bench (x4)

Seated leg curls (x3)

Ab scissors on bench (x3)

Ab straight leg raises on bench (x3)

Ab reverse crunch on bench (x3)

Cycle #3:

Squats (x4)

Farmer’s Walks w/ hex bar (x3)

Cycle #4:Barbell lunges (x4)

Hex bar squats (x3)

Cycle #5:

Front squats (x4)

Cable Pull-throughs (x3)

Cycle #6:

Overhead squats (x4)

Decline bench reverse crunches (x3)

Cycle #7:

Romanian deadlifts (deficit) using platform (x4)

Decline bench crunches with 25 lb. weight overhead (x3)

Cycle #8:

Bench barbell glute bridge (x4)

60 second planks (x3)

Cycle #9:

Calf leg presses (x4)

Leg Press (alternate foot stances - x4)

Seated calf raises (x3)

Oblique plate crunches (x3)

Cycle #10

Hamstring leg curl machine (x3)

Side crunches (x3)

Single leg side-press (alternating with cables - x3 per side)

Cool Down:

5 minute bike

15 minute yoga session

Standard Chest Workout:

Warm-Up:

5 minute stretch.

Cycle #1:

Decline bench press (x4 - sets)

Tricep kickbacks (x3)

One-arm decline bench press (x3)

Weighted (plate) pushups (x3)

Cycle #2:

Flat bench press (normal grip - x4)

Wrist curls (palm up and palm down - x3)

Ab scissors on bench (x3)

Ab straight leg raises on bench (x3)

Ab reverse crunch on bench (x3)

Cycle #3 (drop set, starting at max - drop 5 pounds for 5 cycles):

Flat bench press (close grip)

Standing barbell bicep curls

Flat bench press (underhand / reverse grip)

Cycle #4:

Incline bench press (normal grip - x4)

Zottman / Hammer curls (alternating - x3)

Decline bench reverse crunches (x3)

Plate raises (x3)

Cycle #5:

Dumbell presses (rotational grip x4)

Preacher curls (x3)

Cycle #6:

Decline bench crunches with 25 lb. weight overhead (x3)

Decline chest flies (x3)

Decline skull crushers (x3)

Cycle #7:

Cable flies (x4)

Standing cable bicep curls (duel - x4)

Pull ups (alternating grips - x4)

Cycle #8:

Dips (x4)

One arm cable tricep extensions (x3)

Standing cable woodchoppers (x3)

Cool Down:

5 minute bike

15 minute yoga session

Standard Shoulder Workout:

Warm-Up:

5 minute stretch.

Cycle #1:

Barbell shoulder press (x4)

Standing dumbbell curls (x4)

Standing shoulder flies (x3)

Zottman / Hammer curls (alternating - x3)

Cycle #2:

Military Press (x4)

Standing barbell curls (x4)

Dumbbell shoulder press (x3)

Sitting bicep curls (x3)

Standing tricep extensions (x3)

Cycle #3:

Behind the neck barbell press (x3)

Decline bench crunches with 25 lb. weight overhead (x3)

Cycle #4:

Reverse barbell curls (x3)

Barbell wrist extensions (x3)

Decline bench reverse crunches (x3)

Cycle #5:

Flat bench press (wide grip - x4)

Dumbbell skull crushers (x3)

Shoulder rolls (x3)

Ab scissors on bench (x3)

Ab straight leg raises on bench (x3)

Ab reverse crunch on bench (x3)

Cycle #6:

EZ bar preacher bench bicep curls (x4)

EZ bar shoulder raises (x3)

Dumbbell preacher bench hammer curls (x4)

Cycle #7:

One arm EZ bar shoulder flies (x4)

Dips (x4)

Forearm bar twists (x4)

Cycle #8:

Standing cable bicep curls (duel - x4)

Pull ups (alternating grips - x4)

Cycle #9:

Forearm reverse cable curls (x3)

Cross-body standing one arm cable flies (x3)

One arm cable tricep extensions (x3)

Standing cable woodchoppers (x3)

Cool Down:

5 minute bike

15 minute yoga session

Standard Back Workout:

Warm-Up:

5 minute stretch.

Cycle #1:

Weighted back extensions (x3)

Decline bench crunches with 25 lb. weight overhead (x3)

Weighted oblique extensions (x3)

Decline bench reverse crunches (x3)

Cycle #2:

T bar row (x4)

Kettlebell swings (x3)

Kettlebell oblique crunches (x3)

Bottom up kettlebell presses (x3)

Cycle #3:

One arm T bar shoulder press (x3)

Meadows row (x3)

Russian twists w/ medicine ball (x3)

Cycle #4:

Swiss ball prone leg raises (x3)

Swiss ball crunches (x3)

Cycle #5:

Reverse fly machine (x4)

Preacher bench dumbbell bicep curls (x4)

Cable lat pull downs (x4)

Preacher bench dumbbell wrist extensions (x4)

EZ bar lat raises

Cycle #6:

Plate lat pull downs (x4)

Zottman / Hammer curls (alternating - x3)

Cable rope tricep extensions (x3)

Cycle #7:

Standing cable bicep curls (duel - x4)

Pull ups (alternating grips - x4)

Cable rope overhead tricep extensions (x4)

Cable rope face pull (x3)

Cycle #8:

One arm cable lat pulls (x3)

Dips (x4)

One arm cable tricep extensions (x3)

Standing cable woodchoppers (x3)

Cycle #9:

Flat bench press (wide grip - x4)

One arm dumbbell rows (x3)

Barbell skull crushers (x3)

Ab scissors on bench (x3)

Ab straight leg raises on bench (x3)

Ab reverse crunch on bench (x3)

Cycle #10:

Bent-over row (normal grip - x4)

Standing barbell curls (x4)

Reverse bent-over row (x4)

Cycle #11:

Deadlifts (x4)

Reverse barbell curls (x3)

Barbell wrist extensions (x3)

Cool Down:

5 minute bike

15 minute yoga session

To sum up the workouts on my ab and yoga days, I generally swap out some standard yoga exercises I do to stretch out my hips and lower back (which is great for someone who sits at a desk to work way too much) and then I mix into my session a good amount of high intensity ab training for about 30 minutes with no rest.  There are a number of good yoga and ab workout videos on YouTube - remember to keep switching up the workouts for best results.

In the case you are only beginning to lift, please make sure to start with lower weights and work your way up to heavy weights.  Don’t begin lifting for the first time in years trying to lift your max, start small and see where your strength is at before you attempt high weight, low rep lifting as I’m recommending in my workout regimen.  Once you have a basis of where you are at in your training, then you can start pushing the limits.

Additionally, I recommend not trying to take my full routine on from scratch.  This routine is not for the faint of heart. I’ve had plenty of military personnel, professional athletes, etc. tell me my routine is the hardest workout they have ever seen.  One thing to keep in mind is you are in the gym to WORKout, not to socialize, play on your phone, etc. Please maintain proper gym etiquette when working out by avoiding your phone (I personally turn my phone notifications off, then play podcasts while working out), putting your weights away when done (prepping your workouts is only another part of the workout) and by wiping your sweat off equipment with provided gym cleaners or using a gym towel.

Why podcasts?  I prefer podcasts to music in the gym, as it keeps your mind focused and active.  If you can learn while you are working out, then why not keep bettering yourself. I’ve learned a ridiculous amount about investing, health, science, technology and futurism while working out and making my body physically better at the same time.  You may not retain everything you are hearing, but it’s better than listening to the same songs over and over again.

Nothing will change if you don’t take action.  So make a change in your life, make a plan to go to the gym at least 3 times per week and then do it!  The best way to make sure you do it is to make it a part of your workday - don’t go home after work, go straight to the gym.  Once you start going to the gym directly after work, the rest is easy. Happy lifting.

SOURCES:

https://www.popsci.com/what-is-hiit-for-lifting#page-2

How To Gain Confidence and Feel Great

When you look good, you feel good.  It seems like a cheap axiom, but when it comes to health the axiom can be reversed and be just as true - when you feel good, you look good.  A healthy lifestyle has a near infinite number of pros and very few cons. You trade time (working out) and gluttony (shoving numerous pastries into your facehole) for a healthy, working body, an alert and vigorous mind, the right to look lean, jacked, cut, bootylicious, etc. and unmatched discipline and confidence.  Those reasons alone make it a pretty good tradeoff.

One of my general principles in life is that being healthy and looking good instill a confidence not only to perform better in the gym, or to help pick up chicks in the bar, but to perform better at your job and in life.  If you are in good shape and you know you look good day-in or day-out, then that is one less thing you have to worry about. If you are healthy and in good shape, it puts less stress on your daily outfit choice - you will look good no matter what you wear.  Looking good and being healthy gives you a measure of respect in your business dealings, work relationships and personal relationships. Some people might think you are a meat-head if you go to the gym daily, but more often than not, these same people are lazy cynics jealous of your discipline and ability to sacrifice your time and energy, when they are not willing to do the same.  Most people respect discipline (just ask Jocko) and this self-discipline can spread to other aspects of your life.

The self-knowledge of the discipline you must have to regularly instill healthy habits provides a confidence boost in the fact you know if you can go to the gym daily, or resist tasty treats when others can’t, it means you can likely do other things most people can not do.  Good habits are a matter of discipline in life and if you can be disciplined enough to forgo delicious dishes or drinks on the regular, you can likely forgo other bad habits like partying all night, sleeping all weekend, watching TV all day, surfing the web when you could be working to get ahead, becoming obsessed with social media, etc.  First you must have the self-discipline to know what is best for you, to break bad habits and to commit to a healthy lifestyle. Once you start down this path, the rest of your life will improve drastically. You will begin looking better, your confidence will grow, you will outshine your peers and your discipline and commitment will to your self-improvement will be acknowledged.  

So, most people want to know - where do you start?  How do you go to the gym on a consistent basis? What diets or foods are healthy and what aren’t?  

The first thing everyone needs to realize is that a healthy lifestyle is more than going on a diet, or going to the gym a couple of times a week - if you want to be healthy, it takes a full commitment on multiple levels.  You need to go to the gym on a regular basis, eat healthy, sleep 7-9 hours every night, stretch and learn some yoga, research fasting, learn about meditation and living in the moment, get outside and move around, get up from your desk or couch - the list goes on and on, but one change to a sedentary lifestyle will not cut it if you want to be healthy, though it is a start.  To start, take the first step - don’t let yourself become overwhelmed. Commit to three gym sessions per week. Commit to eliminating deserts, soda and other high sugar, non whole-foods from your diet. Commit to 7-9 hours of sleep. Start there and we will expand upon it in due time.

How does anyone find time to go to the gym during the week?  Aren’t you tired after working all day?  

Some people counter this by waking up early and working out to start the day.  I’ve personally done used this method before many times (mostly before traveling), but I find my energy levels are higher in the afternoon than first thing in the morning where I can only go about 80-90% my maximum effort.  There are studies confirming the best time to work out at your optimal levels are right around 4 PM (or right after work for a lot of people).  My weekly work schedule is about 9 AM to 6 PM, therefore I find I get my best workout right after work.  The trick I have found is to go to the gym straight from work, don’t stop at home first. If you stop at home, you are more likely to stay at home and skip the gym.  If you treat going to the gym directly after work as a part of your daily routine, you are less likely to miss it. Therefore, you might be served picking a gym closer to your office than to your home.

What’s the best work routine?

You can search the internet all day to find different workout routines for different people.  One thing most people won’t tell you is that every individual needs a unique workout plan. We all have different body types and genetics that react differently to different types of workouts, so you need to find what works best for you.  If you want to try my routine, I go into deep detail here. Something to always keep in mind is that the point of working out is to put stress on your muscles and on your body, you need to change your routine on a regular basis to continue putting stress on your body.  Change the workouts you do, the routine from push / pull to isolated muscle workouts and you will see changes more drastically in a plateau phase.

What’s the best diet?

Everyone wants to know what’s the best new diet.  The thing is just like with working out we all react differently to different diets.  Some people have found success with the carnivore diet (all meat), others with a vegan diet, one new fad which most people don’t understand whatsoever is the keto diet.  Personally I do a hybrid form of the keto diet mixed with fasting (read more about my diet and the benefits of fasting here), but I eat too much protein for full keto, so a better definition might just be low carb, low sugar, high protein.  Find what works for you - you will be able to tell what works best based on energy levels in your body and your mind. There is no real best diet, because it depends on what you are trying to do. Do you want to get lean? Are you trying to bulk up?  Are you just trying to be healthy? Are you trying to lower cholesterol, these are all questions you need to ask yourself before you commit. More often than not, the best answer is to not pick an extreme diet, because you will never follow it. Just be smart, eat whole foods (not man made crap) and use moderation and you will find success.

Why should I fast and what’s the best way to do it?

I highly recommend intermittent fasting on a daily basis and while I have no experience with long-term fasting, it has many benefits including repairing damaged auto-immune system cells.  Tim Ferris often recommends one 3-day fast on a monthly basis (or at least on a quarterly basis) to help prevent cancer.  I’ll be experimenting with this method soon and will report back on how this treated me.  

When it comes to intermittent fasting, I was a bit skeptical at first (especially as a lifter in the gym), however once I gave it a shot for a week or so, the benefits to my energy levels and the way the difficult “love handle” fat melted off my body was mind blowing.  Don’t believe me? Read this.

So how do you fast intermittently?  What does it even mean? Intermittent fasting is sometimes known as time restricted eating - in English, eat all your food and meals (drinks too) within an 8-10 hour window during the day.  There is a great app for this by Dr. Satchin Panda called “Zero” that will alert you when your window for eating is open every day. Generally during fasting times you can only consume water, tea with no sugar or calories and black coffee with no sugar or calories.  

Personally I do a minimum 14-10 fasting window, meaning I fast 14 hours daily and my eating window is 10 hours daily… I usually try to constrict this to 15-9 or 16-8 when possible, which is better for health, but with work it is sometimes difficult.  During fasting I generally only consume water and black coffee mixed with Lion’s Mane mushrooms, which is discussed here. For more information about fasting, check out this page.

What nutritional supplements are worth taking?  (what isn’t snake oil?)

Generally I attempt to stay as whole and healthy as possible by taking only natural supplements and avoiding some of the stuff that feels too chemically or lab created for my liking.  Basic vitamins are a good start, like good multi-vitamins, vitamin B supplements and more which can be read about here. I take vitamin C supplements daily and I have not been sick for one day (not counting hangovers) the last 10 years of my life (except for one time I got the flu and still went to work every day and went to the gym every day).  

In regards to workout supplements try to stay natural with BCAAs, caffeine, whey protein and creatine.  The supplements I choose focus on whole, gluten free compounds. I go into great detail on these supplements, why I choose each supplement and what they are right here.

Conclusion:

Being healthy and taking a proactive role in your health has even more benefits than just looking good, having a six-pack or looking ripped.  When you are healthy your cognitive brain health and bodily energy are enhanced significantly giving you a competitive edge in the rest of your life (work, investing, thinking, getting ahead of the competition) you could not even imagine.  Those who don’t take health seriously and see it as a “meat head” thing to do are only harming themselves and their own energy levels, giving those who see the entire picture of health a competitive advantage. If you want to live the best life you can on this Earth, it is entirely in reason that living a healthy life and maintaining your bodily functions and cognitive functions is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.  Don’t take health for granted when you are young, get ahead and create good habits.  

SOURCES:

https://www.active.com/fitness/articles/when-is-the-best-time-to-exercise

https://chriskresser.com/the-carnivore-diet-is-it-really-healthy/

https://fastlifehacks.com/tim-ferriss-3-day-fast-method/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasting-benefits#section6