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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Here's what's new this week:

• ​Ep 15: The strongest man on the East Coast and alt proteins | Dr. Bradie Crandall (Podcast)

We'll be running our next spring 30-day fitness challenge in a few weeks.

You can check out more details here or hit reply to this email if you have any questions.

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What's in store for today:

• Why generational health starts from the top down.
• A simple but radical way to disease-proof your body and health.
• The exact protocol I gave to my dying grandfather to help him in his last days.

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My abuelo passed away on Feb 16th, near 5 pm EST.

He died at home surrounded by those he loved.

Our flight arrived at 1 pm EST.

We managed to spend the last few hours with him before his spirit left his body.

Today's letter commemorates my abuelo and the impact he had on my life.

Until the past few weeks, I hadn't reflected on how much of an impact he had on my life.

But I realize now that you don't need to say much to influence someone.

It's who you are that does the talking.

Or as the quote says: 'Who you are speaks so loudly, I can't even hear what you're saying'.

Today's letter will be a long one, so bookmark this for future reading if you're short on time now.

My mother asked me to speak at his wake and funeral.

I had no words at that moment.

I didn't know what to say since I was grieving.

So here's my personal eulogy to a man I loved dearly.

Lesson: Influence starts by leading by example.

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Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

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1.) Generational health

As I started writing today's letter, I started crying.

I couldn't think of what I wanted to say, but I knew what I felt.

Even though my abuelo passed away a few weeks ago, things moved so fast.

He died on February 16th.

Wake was on Wednesday. Funeral on Thursday.

Writing is healing.

So today I'll write.

My grandfather moved to the USA from Colombia in the 1960's.

He was an immigrant who worked hard his whole life, got his green card, and met my abuela in NY.

They married in Colombia. They couldn’t have their own kids, so they adopted my uncle first and then my mother.

Abuelo worked his butt off.

They saved up to get their family home in Briarwood, Queens, to create a family base for my mom and uncle.

This would later be our favorite spot in NY. We visited from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, every few months.

A few things that stood out from my grandfather:

• He was highly active; I hardly ever saw him sitting or relaxing except in the evenings or mornings. The guy moved and walked a lot.
• He took care of his family first, but still valued his routines and daily habits.

Abuelo wasn't a perfect role model of health.

But he was a great example of moving your body and staying active.

Late into his 70s, he was still taking care of his home, doing chores, and making repairs.

Generational health doesn't need to be perfect.

But it does need to have a foundation.

Abuelo treated movement like the base of his home. He walked daily, going everywhere on foot.

5 ways you can create generational health are:

• Health
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Psychology
• Environment

If you can instill a solid habit from each of these 5 pillars, you'll set your family up for life.

The more habits you share with them from each area, the better their quality of life, health, and well-being will be.

The whole neighborhood knew my abuelo as Don Pedro.

Hanging out with the 'Don'.

Everyone respected Don Pedro. His community, family, and church all admired him. When he entered Alfonso's pizzeria, everyone recognized him.

We ate at Alfonso's after my abuelo's funeral.

Near the end of the meal, someone asked how we were splitting up the meal amongst the large group of us who had come to celebrate his life.

My mother then shared that the meal had already been paid for.

My abuelo had left his card on the tab with the restaurant in preparation for this meal, so no one had to pay.

He also paid for his own funeral to avoid leaving debt to his family.

Generational health is the greatest gift you can give to your family.

If you do it right, you'll set your kids, grandkids, nephews, and nieces up for a lifetime of great health.

For me, the lesson I learned was how to stay active.

An object in motion tends to stay in motion.

While rest and recovery are equally important, so is exercise and movement.

Balancing both is how you create high levels of health.

Abuelo embodied this late into his life.

2.) Disease-proof your body

My abuelo had colon cancer for 10 years.

They found out in the last 2 years.

While he was an active and strong man, his nutritional habits reflected his upbringing.

Latin culture is heavy on meat and dairy products.

For those of you familiar with the China Study insights, the more animal products you eat (especially high-fat options), the higher the risk of diseases of affluence.

Diseases of affluence (aka modern-day diseases) include:

• Heart disease
• Most forms of cancer
• Diabetes

Colon cancer is one of the easiest cancers to beat.

Yet, a lifetime of eating carcinogenic foods like processed meats, red meat, and dairy can make healing a harder process.

The World Health Organization lists many of these foods as off-limits. This is especially for those fighting health conditions.

Some of the key risk factors for colon cancer are:

• Diet: High intake of red and processed meats, low intake of fruits, vegetables, and fiber.
• Lifestyle: Obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption.
• Chronic inflammation: Long-standing inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
• Age: Risk increases significantly after age 50, though incidence is rising in younger adults.
• Microbiome: Certain bacteria, such as Streptococcus gallolyticus and pathogenic E. coli, may contribute to carcinogenesis.

Old habits die hard.

Can you teach an old dog a new trick?

I believe we can all change.

But change has to start within.

A desire to change is the catalyst for change.

After nearly ten years of studying behavioral psychology and coaching people around the globe, I believe change is simple but not easy.

It comes down to one simple thing: a decision.

When you decide to change, you take your fate into your own hands.

You say, 'if it's meant to be, it's up to me'.

Disease-proofing your body is simple (not easy):

• Eat whole food plant-based foods as often as possible (as a minimum, eat whole foods first)
• Load up on fruits and vegetables at every meal (especially with soil depletion)
• Drink and hydrate daily, hitting 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces as a minimum standard
• Create a clean, healthy living environment, avoiding 5G, 4G, cage your wifi router, get filters for your shower and tap water
• Ground daily to reduce chronic inflammation (get grounding mats for winter)
• Eat low-fat as often as possible and load up on healthy carbs first, then lean proteins, and finally, minimal fat
• Eat each meal slowly and stop eating 3 hours before bed
• Walk daily. The more the better.
• Lift weights to bulletproof your body and do cardio to strengthen your heart.
• Qi Gong and meditation will add years to your life and weaken viruses and bacteria that thrive in high-stress bodies.
• Sleep 7-9 hours daily and reduce blue light from your life.

You can summarize the list above with the following sentences.

Eat more plants and less fat. Walk more often. Slow down and breathe. Drink clean water and fruits/veg. Stay outside more often and get off tech. Lift weights, do Qi Gong, and play like a kid daily. And get some rest every day.

That's it.

Do that every day imperfectly for the rest of your life, and you'll have a long, full, healthy life.

Abuelo did the best he could with the knowledge he had and the life he led.

Habits die hard.

But we can all change and take ownership of our health and life.

It's always possible.

3.) A cancer-fighting protocol

Abuelo was stable with his health after his surgery.

During the last 2 years of his life, he had several ups and downs.

Fear is a powerful motivator for humans.

Ignorance creates fear.

Fear leads to ignorant actions.

The circle of samsara (suffering) continues.

November 2025, the flu fear began again for my uncle.

In the past few years, starting in 2020, he, my abuela (who died in 2021), and my abuelo got more shots each year.

The more media they consumed, the more shots they got.

Despite my warnings, they persisted, and in November 2025, my abuelo got the flu and Covid shots at the same time.

He then faced his worst health period. Everyone believed abuelo would die that Thanksgiving.

My abuelo's willpower was stronger than that of the average man.

But pouring heavy metals into his body took a beating on him.

The Chinese believe in the 3 treasures:

• Jing
• Qi
• Shen

Jing is an energetic substance that is the closest to the physical body.

You can see the 3 treasures using this analogy:

• Ice
• Water
• Steam

Jing is stored in the sperm of the male body and the eggs of the female body.

Like the metaphorical sand in the hourglass, once you burn up all your Jing, your life ends.

So Jing = life force.

The faster you burn it up (use it), the faster you age, get weak, and eventually die.

In my abuelo's case, cancer, shots, and poor nutrition habits ate up his Jing.

The shots most likely were the killing blow.

Viruses thrive on heavy metals. So do bacteria. It's one of their favorite foods.

In December, I went up to visit my family and see my abuelo.

He was weak. But he was still fighting.

My mother asked me to help write up a nutrition and health protocol to help abuelo out.

I agreed.

This ​​document​​ is the healing plan I wrote to help my abuelo recover.

I knew, writing this, that there was a small chance he would fully heal.

My abuelo's Jing was nearly all used up. He used most of it fighting the cancer virus and heavy metals.

But it did help ease some of the suffering he had in his final days.

He vomited for weeks as his body tried to get rid of toxins, metals, and other pathogens. But soon after starting this plan, he began to stabilize and feel calmer.

I wasn't able to influence my grandparents' health from hundreds of miles away.

It's possible that even if I lived close by like I used to, they wouldn't have changed their health habits.

Or they might have.

When my abuela died, I was driving back from Washington State as we moved back to New York.

I missed her last moments, wake, and funeral. All I have is her tombstone.

I'm grateful I could be there for abuelo's final moments.

On Saturday, 2 days before he passed away, my abuelo told my mother to bring the whole family together for a meeting.

By Saturday night, I had a flight booked for Monday morning, headed up to NY from SC.

Abuelo knew his time was short.

He put his family first, even at the cost of his own health.

Education and action go hand in hand.

It's why the word "action" is in "education" (edu - action).

To educate yourself means to develop yourself within.

It means cultivating your mental and emotional faculties to get the result you want.

Don Pedro touched my life.

He loved building things with his hands. It was his favorite hobby when he had rare free time.

He built our basement when we lived in PA. A wall for my bedroom. He helped build our garden fence. He made us laugh and played Parcheesi and dominoes with us each time we visited.

My favorite memory with abuelo was visiting abuelos each year.

While we waited at the table and spoke with my abuela, my abuelo would walk in a few minutes later with bags brimming with fruit.

Grapes. Mangoes. Papaya. Melon. Strawberries. Blueberries.

Abuela would then make a huge fruit bowl, cut all the pieces up, and serve it for her 3 grandkids at the time.

I loved every bite.

Abuelo was a quiet man. He lost half his hearing when playing with fireworks as a kid.

But when he spoke, we all listened.

I was at abuelo's home when I spoke to Anna for 5 hours on WhatsApp, and finally told her I love her.

I remember heading downstairs after chatting with Anna for hours. I had missed lunch, and now it was dinner time.

I was famished.

I told them I was talking to a woman I cared about.

My abuelos smiled. They understood.

I flew out a few months later to England to be with Anna.

Abuelo loved his caps, and in his memory, all his grandkids wore one of his caps to honor his life.

Honoring abuelo's caps and his memory.

He was loved deeply by his family and will be remembered.

Thank you, abuelo.

Siempre estarás en mi corazón.

1 Action Step

Slow down and be present with those you love.

Client of the Week

Does having 2 kids mean fitness is over?

Or is it a new beginning?

For Heidi, being a full-time mom and founder of a nature-based school, health was important.

It just wasn't working.

And we all know the definition of insanity.

So we got to work.

Strategy: Since her schedule as a leader and parent was already jam-packed, we kept things simple.

Our non-negotiables for her health were:

• 3 strength workouts (we had 4 for a bit, but then reassessed our standards)
• Conscious of her food intake and tracking her data 5 days a week
• Get daily walks and spend time in nature
• Get quality sleep and in bed earlier
• Focus on increasing lean plant protein intake per meal without living on shakes

It wasn't an easy ride. We had some ups and downs and even had to take a 1-month pause in December as Heidi navigated some personal challenges.

But progress isn't made by being perfect.

It's made by being consistent imperfectly.

Wins: Heidi transformed her health. Her 2 sons joined her for most of her workouts as she continued to lift heavier and get stronger.

She dropped 10 pounds of body fat and 3.5 inches from her waist, and, equally as important, reclaimed her strength and confidence in her body.

She became a role model for her boys and her mission.

That's what taking ownership of your health can lead to.

Getting fit always comes down to one thing: a decision.

You're one decision away from your best body.

Get after it.

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Changed my gym schedule to work out in the mornings again.

Went pretty well.

Going to keep this up.

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.​