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.

Here's what's new this week:

•  ​ Ep 9: A reliable system for fitness goal-setting (your 2026 roadmap)​   (Podcast)

Busy start to the year.

Been working hard on the podcast, getting new guests on the show. Just finished recording an interview with a certified life coach and long-time podcaster, Michele Olender.

Have another interview next Thursday with Bryan Mirabella, who healed his body from chronic health issues and now helps high achievers with breathing.

If you know a guest you'd like to see on the show (an expert in health, nutrition, exercise, or psychology), just hit reply, and I'd be happy to put them in the queue.

What's in store for today:

• The worst diet to eat if you don't care about longevity or health.
• How to use carb timing for the best workout performance.
• Improve your VO2 max with this simple technique instead of using the treadmill.

A few weeks ago, I was in Connecticut.

I was visiting my dad, stepmother, and sister in their home.

Going to bed that first night, I struggled to breathe.

The overwhelming scent of air freshener hung in the air.

So I unplugged all the air fresheners in the house.

Yet over the next 10 days, I had a nagging cough that wouldn't go away.

Anthony and Anna experienced the same thing.

The phlegm at the back of my throat made me realize something was off. I recognized that it was throwing my body out of balance.

While it's easy to blame a cold or the flu, I know my body well enough to recognize when I have one.

This was an environmental imbalance.

Coming home last week gave my body (and mind) the reset it needed to heal.

Hyperhydration, heavy metal detox smoothie, and raw living plant foods fueled the way.

With cleaner air, I started breathing better.

Breath. So underrated. So needed.

I did some digging and found 2 disturbing topics. I'll probably cover them in the next few weeks:

• Phylates
• Formadelyne

Both are key components of air fresheners and have long been recognized as toxins.

Most health organizations advise against both, especially for animals, kids, and pregnant women.

These chemicals might also be linked to cancer. This makes me uneasy about how companies market their products to the public.

It’s unsettling to see how much of our modern world relies on disease and suffering.

A healthy human doesn't create a new customer.

Sick, unhealthy, unhappy humans do.

Feeling out of balance a few weeks ago reminded me that health is the first foundation.

Without it, you're exposed. Vulnerable. Easy to prey upon.

I’ve shared my journey with psoriasis and how I'm taking back my health.

It's been a hell of a battle, but I'm confident that with enough time, I'll finally beat the virus that took my health at 10 years old.

I’ve recently added a few upgrades to our health environment.

These include marine phytoplankton for better nutrition and shower filters for cleaner water.

Your mind and body are a workshop.

Your spirit is the driver.

Your nutrition and exercise are the tools.

Put it all together, and you've got a well-oiled system to create lifelong health.

This is my life's work.

Glad to have you here, too.

Lesson: Health is your greatest wealth.

Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

1.) The worst diet to eat

The worst diet you can eat is one void of nutrients.

But why would anyone eat a diet like this?

Welcome to the modern world of eating, where nutrient-based food is becoming rare. Instead, eating for pleasure is everywhere.

Enter the ultra-processed diet.

While most people don't call it this way, eating ultra-processed foods has become increasingly common.

In the States alone, the obesity rate is over 40%.

In Japan, it's 4-6%.

We're 10x fatter than another world-leading country.

Sure, we have more people per mile, so the numbers might be skewed. But I’d bet my breakfast smoothie (and lunch, too) that if Japan had our land and population, it wouldn’t have an obesity rate above 40%.

That's almost 1 in 2 people.

So why do UPFs cause so much damage?

The main reason is their lack of nutrient density. The second reason is their high palatability and their tendency to make people overeat.

Ever hear a commercial for potato chips where they'll say 'You can't help eating them...'.

Well, they're right. You can't help eating them. And you'll end up eating the whole bag.

UPF's lead to a ​​host of health problems​ ​,​ including:

• Increases risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 50%
• Increases risk of anxiety by 48%
• There is "strong evidence" that eating more of these foods increases the risk of death from heart disease by 66%.
• Increases the risk of obesity by 55%
• Increases sleep disorders by 41%,
• Increases Type 2 diabetes by 40%,
• Increases early death from any cause by 21%
• Increases depression by 20%

The main idea is that foods high in chemicals and artificial preservatives aren't good for us.

If it wasn't made from the ground (earth), it's not meant to be in our bodies naturally.

The incredible thing about the human body is that it can adapt to so many different ways of eating.

Carnivore. Keto. Plant-based. High carb. Low carb. Low protein. High protein.

And everything between.

Yet, just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you should.

We've killed over 250 million humans over the past 100 years through war, famine, and self-inflicted suffering.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean it's optimal for your health.

So the takeaway here:

Eat real food from the earth.

Real food = real health. Real health = healthy humans.

Now, let's talk about carbs.

2.) Carb timing for workouts

When it comes to workout performance, carbs are your main fuel.

The better your carb choices (aka whole foods, plant-based), the better your fuel.

In the case of workouts, there are 2 main areas you'll want to optimize to see better results in your workout:

• Pre-workout
• Post-workout

Let's talk about pre-workout first.

Digestion and performance often conflict.

For example, a few months ago, I played my weekly morning soccer game with friends here in Greenville.

Yet, a few minutes before the match, I drank my morning smoothie.

I wanted to make sure I had enough fuel in the tank before running for the next 2 hours.

Bad idea.

I spent the bulk of my time playing with stomach cramps due to the 2 processes conflicting with each other.

Note to self: consume my calories at least 1 hour before sports or workouts.

To contradict myself a bit more, here's a simple way to approach pre-workout meals:

• Keep big meals, or higher-calorie meals, separate from your workouts. Wait at least 1 hour before training to aid digestion.
• Small snacks, like fruits or a protein shake, are fine within about 30 minutes of your workout. Just keep an eye on larger meals.
• Focus on carbs before your workout. You can have a big meal an hour before or a smaller snack 30 minutes prior.

For post-workout meals, you can carb it up (again).

Here's why:

• Boosts MPS (muscle protein synthesis). Carbs support muscle building, not just protein (assuming your workout involves lifting).
• Refuel your metaphorical gas tank by focusing on glycogen storage (your muscle gas tank).
• Helps stabilize blood sugar levels for the rest of the day

Carbs, specifically from fruits, are some of the best sources of pre-workout meals (like a banana with berries smoothie - yes!).

For post-workout meals, a moderate-to-large meal is best. Aim to eat this 2-4 hours after lifting.

This is when your body is ready to synthesize muscle protein (MPS).

Take advantage of this and rebuild smart.

3.) Improve your Vo2 max

I've been focusing on improving my cardiovascular health for the past few months.

Playing soccer competitively again has reminded me of how important a balanced approach to fitness really is.

Years ago, I dove into bodybuilding and muscle building. This experience helped me solidify my expertise in fat loss and weight loss.

Yet my fitness origin story was tied to running, specifically soccer (football for my European readers).

My dad played professionally for his home country, Ecuador, when he was 16.

I dreamed of playing on the world stage since I was 10.

I never realized that dream, but I did learn many lessons along the way.

Cardio health is one I'll never forget.

Here's how to improve your VO2 max heading into 2026 with evidence-based training.

Dr. Martin Gibala pioneered 1-minute workouts for years.

His theory was simple.

Training at a higher intensity, rather than the usual steady state, could boost your VO2 max.

This approach also quickly improves many health metrics.

After years of promoting his methodology and backed by years of evidence-based results, his theory was proven correct.

HIIT training is a highly effective way to improve your V02 max in minimal time without having to live on the treadmill.

For those of you who were former athletes (or still are) or aspire to be more athletic, HIIT can be the medicine you're looking for.

For those of you hesitant due to the high intensity of HIIT, you can relax.

You can do HIIT safely without risking injury. But if you have knee problems, it's best to skip plyometrics or jumping movements.

The main goal of HIIT is to elevate your heart rate.

This method can deliver results similar to, or even better than, traditional steady-state aerobic training.

The best way I've found to maximize VO2 max benefits for cardio and performance is to combine anaerobic and aerobic training.

This means I'll use HIIT protocols 1-3x a week and aerobic 1-3x a week to create a blended approach that works together.

Note: If your cardio takes up more than 50% of your weightlifting time, you might see an interference effect. This means your cardio workouts could hurt your muscle and strength gains.

That said, I'm in a season focused on health and on building sports performance.

Muscle and strength gains will come later on for me.

Everything in good time.

Here's a simple HIIT protocol I've been using to help improve my V02 max over the past few months.

You can model and try this out too:

• Start with 3 minute warm-up (I like the air bike due to joint safety at high speeds)
• Go hard (80% intensity) for 4 minutes
• Come back down to 50% intensity or less for 3 minutes
• Repeat for 4-6 rounds

Gibala has dozens of protocols that deliver maximal cardio health in minimal time.

I use many of them in my own health and with private coaching clients.

You can try shorter versions of the protocol. For example, use the 30:60 method.

In this method, you exercise hard for 30 seconds, then rest for 60 seconds at baseline. After that, you push hard again for another 30 seconds.

Since those are shorter, you can do more rounds, close to 8-12+, depending on time constraints.

Either way, it beats 60 minutes on the treadmill per workout.

Get it done and done right.

1 Action Step

Add 1 cardio workout to your weekly habits. In 90 days, your heart will thank you.

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Lost my focus while driving on Tuesday night.

Broke my front bumper.

Grateful to be alive and well.

Life is too fragile to take for granted.

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:

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

References

• https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/07/ultra-processed-food--five-things-to-know
• Helgerud J, Høydal K, Wang E, Karlsen T, Berg P, Bjerkaas M, Simonsen T, Helgesen C, Hjorth N, Bach R, Hoff J. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 Apr;39(4):665-71. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e3180304570. PMID: 17414804.