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 22: How she won pro cards in strongman AND bodybuilding | Melissa Ficarra​ (Podcast)
•  ​The physician who reverses chronic diseases | Dr. Angela Solari ​(YouTube)

What's in store for today:

• Why is B12 so important for humans, and how to get enough?
• The truth about zinc and the best sources for optimal health.
• Examining the 'best' times to workout and breaking down this fallacy.

Health is the base.

Fitness is the icing.

But cake without icing isn't as great.

Last week, I spoke about health being the foundation.

Yet, cake tastes so much better with icing.

Just like life is so much better with fitness.

With strength, agility, power, and mobility, things feel 10x easier.

If you're over 40 and have kids (or pets), fitness is an x-factor.

As we age, we face atrophy after 30. Muscle loss is about 3-8% each decade. This rate speeds up near menopause for women and andropause for men. So, the odds aren’t in our favor as we grow older.

The best way to fight entropy, which is the tendency of things to become chaotic, is to add positive energy to a system.

The systems in this case are your exercise, nutrition, and health.

The more you pour in positive energy or take action, the better your results will be over time.

It's the difference between struggling to get up from the library floor during circle time with your son and feeling confident on your hands and knees for over an hour.

Turns out fitness is more versatile than just picking up heavy things and putting them down.

As a side note, after playing soccer last Saturday, 3 men above 30 had hamstring injuries.

All 3 of them blamed their age.

They didn’t recognize that you can bulletproof your body using resistance training and the right exercises.

It's easy to blame age when you're not taking ownership of your behaviors.

Being 10-15 years older than many of the soccer players I join up with each week reminds me of this truth, too.

I could be just like these older guys, blaming my age as I creep closer to my 40s.

Or I could take ownership of my exercise every week and stay on top of my strength and conditioning.

I prefer the latter.

It's why I blast past those same guys 10-15 years younger than me.

I plan on doing so for a long time.

It always comes down to ownership.

It's really that simple.

Lesson: Fitness is the icing on the cake of health.

Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

1.) Why B12 matters

B12 and Vitamin D are the only essential nutrients that plants can't obtain directly.

B12 comes from bacteria, and Vitamin D is produced by the body when it's exposed to enough sunlight.

Every other nutrient on this list can be completely plant-based.

B12 comes from anaerobic microorganisms. These tiny organisms are usually in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. B12 production is also found in soil bacteria used to grow our food.

However, due to soil depletion and animal nutrient status falling each year, a B12 supplement is no longer just a priority for plant-based eaters.

The majority of the human population could benefit from B12 (as well as other key nutrients).

There's serveral reasons why B12 is important for us:

• Building DNA and the maintenance of nerve cells.
• Metabolizing carbohydrates, fat, and protein to create energy for our bodies.
• Removing homocysteine is important because high levels are linked to health issues. These include heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

So how much B12 should you take daily? And what are the best sources of it?

Due to soil depletion, B12 from eating plant-based foods is no longer a viable option.

And if you're fully plant-based, neither are animal products.

This leaves you with a daily supplement option.

You could go 3-5 years without B12 supplements. But the risk of delayed symptoms isn't worth it.

If you eat a plant-based diet, check your B12 levels every few years. But first, focus on your daily actions.

Again, besides Vitamin D, B12 is the only essential 'supplement' you'll need to take daily to be on top.

Also, B12 absorption rates are often lower than expected.

So, the general advice for B12 is to eat fortified foods 2-3 times a day. This helps with how well your body absorbs it.

A daily B12 supplement, whether alone or in a multivitamin, is an easy option.

I personally prefer single-ingredient supplements. They offer a higher absorption rate and better quality. Plus, there's less dilution compared to combining them with 50 or more other vitamins.

For adults below 65 years, there are a few ways to cover B12 intake:

• Take 2500 mcg of B12 (cyanocobalamin) once a week
• Take 150-250 mcg daily
• Consume B-12 fortified foods (e.g., 2 tsp of fortified nutritional yeast 3 times a day, eaten 4-6 hours apart)

As I mentioned, the path I prefer is the one of least resistance and simplicity.

So the middle option, which I highlighted above, can work for you too.

As a final note on cyanocobalamin B12, which is one of four forms of B12 that you can take.

Cyanocobalamin has been researched more than methylcobalamin and other forms of B12.

It needs to be converted to methylcobalamin in the body, but it's more stable. It has also been shown to effectively increase B12 levels.

Studies show that methylcobalamin is less stable. This means we may need higher doses to meet our B12 needs. A daily intake of 1000-1500 mcg is recommended.

Keep it simple: research your supplements carefully. Look for a quality product with cyanocobalamin B12 as the main ingredient.

That will cover your B12 base.

2.) Add zinc to your nutrition

Zinc is another essential trace mineral.

It's the second-most abundant mineral in our bodies, after iron.

It helps our immune system work, heals wounds, supports cell division, and allows us to taste and smell.

Zinc helps build proteins, DNA, and blood. It also helps remove carbon dioxide. Zinc is also important during growth and reproduction.

Because we don’t store zinc, we need to consume it daily. The RDAs in the U.S for the general population are 8 mg for women and 11 mg for men above 19.

Good sources of zinc include:

• Legumes, oatmeal, seeds, and nuts

Plant based eaters face absorption issues. Phytates make it harder to absorb zinc. Some sources say plant-based eaters should get 50% more zinc than meat eaters.

Research shows that many vegetarians have lower zinc status compared to omnivores. However, they seem to adapt to these lower intakes by increasing their zinc absorption and retention.

To get the most zinc from your food, use cooking methods that reduce phytic acid. This helps boost zinc absorption.

Soaking beans and grains before cooking helps. Toasting nuts and seeds also boosts zinc absorption. Sprouting, fermenting foods, and eating sourdough and yeast-leavened products are good too.

Eating a whole food, plant-based diet solves this problem (again).

Keep it simple and eat more plant-based foods.

3.) The best time to workout

The best time to workout?

While there's several suggested times, I prefer consistency over optimal.

After 15 years of lifting weights and 8 years of coaching, I’ve found that simpler workout systems lead to better results.

The harder you make it, the harder your results will be.

Therefore, the solution is clear:

Create simple health systems that last for life.

Easier said than done.

A system you create for one season may need to change later.

When I became a father several years ago, my first months as a dad threw my health into a funk.

But my exercise system stayed alive.

The main reason was adaptability.

The all-or-nothing mindset is the biggest killer of fitness results worldwide.

It will derail you faster than you can say 'Carmen San Diego'.

So the best workout time is the one that works for your schedule and life.

Currently, my best time is mid-morning.

Except today, I overworked and ran into my workout time block.

So even though I normally lift and run around 10:30 am EST, today I'll be doing it at 11:50 am.

Progress must come before perfection.

Will I still get a perfect workout? Probably not.

Will it still get done? Absolutely.

So focus on time blocks that are adaptable, can shift with your schedule, and don't stress you out.

Change is always constant.

It will impact your workout times.

How adaptable you are is different. You can always raise your skill level in this area, even though most people don't.

You don’t need much to reach above-average health and fitness. The standard for average health is quite low today.

Raise the bar on your health.

You'll see the difference 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, and 10 years from now.

Health is the greatest investment you'll ever make in yourself.

Do it today.

1 Action Step

Upgrade your nutrition by adding more B12 or Zinc sources.

Client Spotlight

Meet Ashley.

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

As a busy sales leader, she values her time, 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 calorie intake to a negative caloric deficit of ~500 kcal/day.

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 2-3 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.

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

My son drinks a lot of smoothies.

So do I.

Don't forget the correlation between what you say and what you do.

The second one is usually more impactful.

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.​