Welcome to 1-3-1 Fridays, my weekly newsletter, where I reveal evidence-based strategies to get lean, strong, and create optimal health.

You'll receive one personal health insight, three actionable tips, and one concrete action step. Let's dive in.

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What's in store for today:

• How to activate your core and create a strong foundation for your body.
• Avoid radiation from these devices at all costs.
• Get 8 years younger with this exercise system, which helps you regain years on your life.

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I made a friend this weekend.

But most people complain that fitness is hard.

Fitness is simple.

But it isn't easy.

The main premise of fitness is move more and eat less.

The main premise of health is to nourish your mind and body.

Both are simple.

Neither is easy.

The world is designed to keep us constantly distracted and entertained.

I went for a walk in our community with my son the other night.

As we walked around, I spoke with a neighbor about our town.

Then, we walked to the tennis court inside our complex.

While inside, I saw a man walking his cat.

You don't see this every day, so I stared.

I asked my son if he wanted to see the cat.

He said no.

So we watched from afar.

The cat didn't seem to be enjoying his walk (he was lying on the ground).

Something tells me cats don't like being walked.

Call it my 6th or 7th sense.

I told the man walking his cat, Steven, that his cat seemed unsure about the walk.

Steven agreed and said he was walking his girlfriend's cat.

We spoke for a while.

Turned out Steven was dating a woman from my dad's home country (Ecuador).

It turned out that Steven also lived in the same complex as us.

Turned out Steven liked playing tennis.

So do I.

I haven't had a playing partner yet.

Now I do.

Fitness is simple but hard.

But fitness doesn't need to be hard and suck.

It can be hard and fun.

You can go fast by yourself or far together.

While I lift 3-4x a week and do cardio on my own, I prefer to add social elements to my fitness (like playing soccer 1-2x a week).

Playing tennis also helps me meet my cardio goals.

But it also makes me a better human and friend by being social.

I started my fitness journey years ago, selfishly for myself.

But these days, it's for myself and others.

Leadership and friendship are how you keep fitness for life.

Lesson: Fitness is simple but not easy.

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Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

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1.) How to activate your core

I've written about core stability before in a prior newsletter.

And it's a healthy reminder that our core is where most of our strength originates.

A weak core = a weak body.

Most of us are sitting humans.

According to the SAID principle, we adapt to specific adaptations from imposed demands.

Sit for 8 hours a day?

Your body will start to adapt to this.

The McGill Big 3 is one of the simplest and most effective ways to activate your core.

It's composed of 3 exercises that tackle your core activation in a streamlined manner.

These are:

• Curl up
• Side plant
• Bird dog

If you want to improve your core stability going into next year and create a resilient, strong body, the Big Three is the approach you'll take.

Here's a great video by Squat University on how the Big 3 works:

As a quick side note:

Dr. Kelly Starlett and his wife, Juliet, also shared a distillation of their top 10 habits for creating a resilient, strong body and core.

After decades of coaching and teaching as physical therapists, here's what they suggest:​

10 Fitness Success Habits

1) Move every day

2) Spend time on the ground

3) Hang from something

4) Carry something heavy

5) Squat often

6) Walk more

7) Sleep well

8) Hydrate properly

9) Eat real food

10) Manage your stress.

Six out of ten habits are directly related to movement and core activation.

Choose one habit to focus on this month and work on it for 5 minutes per day until it becomes part of your daily routine.

Then, layer in the next habit.

Take it one step at a time.

2.) Stop using your phone on 5G/4G

As humans, we're bioelectrical creatures.

As such, being aware of EMF waves (electromagnetic frequency) is helpful.

Everything in the universe can be broken down into two components: energy and matter.

Yet, as humans, our energetic body vastly outweighs our material body.

It's estimated that up to 99.9% of our body is energy.

This puts things into perspective when it comes to being exposed to different frequencies 24/7.

One of those is the EMF waves emitted from our beloved cellular technology.

The recent global changes, including the installation of 5G towers and antennas worldwide, are exacerbating this problem at an increasingly rapid rate each day.

​240 scientists from 40 different countries made an appeal.

According to the International EMF Scientist Appeal:​

“Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines.​Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, an increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damage, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans.

​Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.”

The cat's out of the bag.

Cellphones have been studied since their inception, and thousands of studies and pieces of literature point to their impact on our direct health.

It's not great.

I also recognize the pull to keep your phone on you (I experience this daily, especially as a remote worker myself).

Remember - we're bioelectrical creatures first and foremost.

Here's another study that further drives home this point:

The EUROPA EM-EMF Guideline 2016 states that ”there is strong evidence that long-term exposure to certain EMFs is a risk factor for diseases such as certain cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, and male infertility…​Common EHS (electromagnetic hypersensitivity) symptoms include headaches, concentration difficulties, sleep problems, depression, lack of energy, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms.”

The Nuremberg Code clearly states that all experiments on humans should NOT be performed when there's reason to believe harm or death can be caused.

Without going on a tangent, we are most definitely in the midst of MAJOR human experimentation.

Whether it's injections, EMF, GMOs, fluoride water, etc, it's our responsibility to take responsibility for that which we were never responsible for.

A few action steps to protect yourself:

• Turn off your 5G as often as possible. I personally use Wi-Fi as much as possible and keep my 5G off when traveling (if you travel as much as I do, download Google Maps offline mode). And whatever you do, keep your cell phone away from your body as MUCH as possible (especially near your head or groin).
• Turn off your wifi router when you're not using it. I turn ours off every night to help limit exposure during resting hours. Additionally, consider investing in EMF blockers for your phones, Wi-Fi, and any other EMF-emitting devices you may have.
• A big goal to aim for can be to go phone-less. It's something I'm working towards by moving more of my work to my computer and relying on my phone less (i.e., no email on my phone, no WhatsApp, fewer apps).

Essentially, I'm making my phone less and less appealing to myself.

Stepping out of the matrix can be uncomfortable. Hence, why only 2% of humans ever fully mature.

Part of maturity is facing the uncomfortable truths that we all live in.

It's an interesting world in which we live.

3.) Become 8 years younger

​The Strength Clinic shared a great study on two groups of people.

The median age of the first group was 68.

The median age of the second group was 24.

Both groups were relatively inactive, participating only in recreational activities, and had never undergone a structured resistance training program.

After conducting a screening and evaluation to exclude any potential health concerns, the two groups then entered their six-month training program, working out four days a week.

They started with 50% of their 1RM and gradually increased to 80% throughout the first few weeks.

The results?

596 genes were differentially expressed between the two age groups.

Out of the 596 genes, 179 were specifically associated with age and exercise, and their expression profiles showed an incredible reversal after six months of training.

The takeaway?

Not only does strength or resistance training slow down the aging process, but it can also reverse it.

A few other benefits were observed:​

The genetic expression of the elderly individuals became similar to that of the younger group. The researchers also noted that mitochondrial dysfunction (closely related to physical inactivity) began to reverse after six months of training.​

As for muscular strength, the results were as expected: those who strength trained got stronger.

The initial gap of 59% in maximal isometric strength in older people vs. young adults was reduced to 38% after six months of resistance training."

If you want to stay younger each year, strength training should be part of your exercise regimen.

Here's the framework I'm currently using to stay young for life:

• Lift weights 4x a week
• Use 2 upper days/2 lower days
• Lift to 80-90% intensity each workout, leaving 1-2 reps in reserve
• Focus on moving each muscle group through a full range of motion
• Tracking my data and focusing on hitting a new personal best next workout

Rinse and repeat.

Fitness is simple but not easy.

But things become easier the longer you do them.

While my workouts are still hard, even after almost 15 years of lifting, they've become easier to execute because of the tens of thousands of reps I've put in.

You can do the same, too.

Try it out this week.

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1 Action Step

What's one way you can use your phone less to protect your health and be more present with your family?

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Client of the Week

Meet Ashley.

As a busy single mom with 2 children, she has a lot on her plate.

As a busy sales leader, her time is valuable, yet over the years, she hadn’t been putting herself first (as she wanted to)...

When we first met, she was eager to drop body fat, tone up, and get stronger.

Our strategy: We initially set her calories with a negative caloric deficit of ~500 k/cal daily.

We added 3 weekly strength workouts, with 1-2 cardio days, since Ashley enjoys running.

She practiced yoga every day. We also included foam rolling 2 to 3 times a week. This helped improve her mobility and speed up workout recovery.

We began to improve her mental and emotional health through fitness. We also clarified her 5-year goals and broke them down into quarterly targets.

(this turned out to be extremely helpful in her case).

Now?

Wins: She’s down 5.5 inches from her waist. Down 15+ lbs. She has built several pounds of lean muscle. Her body adapted well to consistent training and lifting heavier each week.

... even while flying across the country for meetings, taking a quick trip to Puerto Rico, and raising her two kids.

She's a great example of what it means to be committed.

Even in the midst of chaos.

It's what we're all capable of when we set our minds to a goal.

Most of us have no idea what we're truly capable of, as we rarely challenge ourselves.

But magic can happen when you make a decision.

It's your journey after all.

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One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

So, thinking about creating a brand-new health podcast sharing the best strategies for optimal health, strength, and longevity for career-driven vegans and aspiring vegans over 30.

I would probably interview world-class plant-based health & fitness experts, as I want to learn from them myself (and share what I've learned).

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

You're the reason I write these in-depth letters, guides, and the work we do inside VFR.

The podcast is first and foremost for you.

So let me know what you think! :)

As promised, get leaner on plants in under 5 minutes.

Till next week,

Whenever you're ready, there's 3 ways I can help you: Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram and let's be friends. ​Join our free Facebook Group. Get free trainings on how to get lean and strong with plants. Want to drop body fat and build lean muscle in a fraction of the time with ease? Apply for Accelerator 1:1 coaching.