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:

• A simple strength workout that takes 20 minutes or less while 3'xing your results.
• A practical step you can use to avoid fat gain during the holidays.
• 1 nutrient I get for optimal brain health and improve my thinking.

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72.7% of those who voted last week said 'yes' to me creating a brand-new health & fitness podcast.

So that's my new project.

With that said, I need some help choosing a potential podcast name (as well as artwork).

Since the podcast is for you, the listener, it makes sense to build this together.

Here's the four names I have in the queue for potential podcast names.

(open to your feedback as well; hit reply and send me your thoughts or even just 'Keep Going!' if this is something you're looking forward to)

I've been spoiled for 8 years.

And I liked it.

I've realized that having my wife cook great vegan meals for me each week was holding me back.

I have also become 10x more curious about nutrients and what fuels our bodies.

For most of my life, I've relied on my mediocre meal-prep skills to get by.

While I could prep my own meals (if I wanted to), I relied on my wife's love of cooking and recipe creation as my own crutch.

For many years, I secretly hated shopping and cooking.

Meal prep was the one area of my life I despised.

I could work out and train in the gym for 2+ hours vs do 90 minutes in the kitchen.

Heck, I would triple the time in the gym vs doing 60 minutes making a recipe.

But part of maturity is recognizing your skill sets.

While I don't have to upgrade my cooking skills, I want to.

I also recognize that not many people are as fortunate as I am to have a partner who loves to cook for their family.

So I'm grateful.

But over the past few years, part of my curiosity has been fueled by my own health journey.

I love eating great food.

If I could have restaurant-style food every week, I'd do it.

But I no longer compromise with my health standards.

Food quality and ingredients are often low in restaurants and many food products.

After investing so much in my health over the past four years, I really don’t want to pay for crappy food.

Hence, my slow-burning desire to eat great food without the toxic ingredients.

All of which has led me to invest in a vegan cooking course.

It's led me to ask my wife if she wants to watch a recipe video with me (who the heck is this guy...)

Or sharing that I'm excited to cook meals for our family when they visit us for the holidays.

Again, this is all very strange and unusual for me to observe.

But it does start with curiosity.

I never thought I would become passionate about cooking and meal prep.

(still doesn't feel real to be honest).

But curiosity leads to interest. Interest leads to passion. Passion leads to action.

Action leads to transformation.

A curiosity-based mindset is another word for a growth mindset.

Which means I've had a fixed mindset about nutrition for a long time.

That's okay, since I can see this now.

But a fixed mindset is insidious.

It will blame everything and everyone else for your shortcomings.

It's perfectly fine not to be interested in something.

But it could be worth examining if your mind is completely closed off to change and growth.

It all starts with curiosity.

Lesson: Live in a state of wonder each day.

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Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

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1.) Simple workout for busy people

The best workout you can do?

The one you can be consistent with.

The holidays are around the corner. I’ll share more quick tips for your health and fitness. This is the time of year when 95% of people struggle to stay on track.

It tends to stay this way till Jan 1st when everyone wakes up, hits the gym in a frenzy, then things cool off by March 1st.

As humans, we're cyclical, not linear. We have clear behavioral patterns that repeat every year.

It's not a nice truth, but our flaws and weaknesses become clear when you look closely at your own history.

The same can be said for your success and strengths. Slow down to speed up later on.

2019 version of me acting like I knew how to use resistance bands ;)

Here’s a quick strength workout you can do in under 20 minutes.

It's perfect for staying lean during the holidays.

Use this template below:

1a. DB bench press: 3 x 8-12 reps x 80%

1b. DB single-arm row: 3 x 8-12 reps x 80%

2a. DB sumo squat: 3 x 8-12 reps x 80%

2b. DB Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8-12 reps x 80%

(Bonus Finisher)

3a. Mountain climbers: 2 x 15-18 reps

The first four exercises will hit all of your major muscle groups in under 20 minutes.

The best way to use this type of workout is to superset them. That means you'll do 1a first, then immediately follow it with 1b.

You'll rest for a maximum of 60 seconds before diving into your second round of 2 exercises.

The benefit of this workout style is that it uses antagonistic paired sets.

That's just a fancy way of saying that your first exercise warms up your muscles for the next one.

In other words, you’ll get more for your money. Your muscles will be ready for the second exercise before the first one.

Three sets usually take under 20 minutes. Aim for 80% intensity per set. This should leave you with 1-2 reps in reserve.

It should be hard. It should be effective. That's what you're aiming for here.

The finisher is the icing on top if you have an extra 2-3 minutes and want to pound your abs for a few sets.

You don't need much to create a great training session.

You need the right puzzle pieces in the right order.

Try this out and save this workout if you want to give it a shot.

2.) Post-meal walks

A simple way to avoid fat gain during the cold weather?

Walk after each meal.

The main benefit here is to allocate where your food (new calories) gets stored.

Walking after meals may help you use that energy soon. This could reduce the chance of storing it as fat later.

When you’re active, your body signals that it needs energy. In contrast, when you’re sedentary, your body understands it doesn’t need to use the energy from your recent meal.

You have to think about the law of thermodynamics. You can't just gain fat by eating a meal and then not moving.

One pound of fat equals 3,500 k/cal.

So to gain 1 pound of body fat, you'd need to eat more than 3,500 k/cal per week to gain that extra pound of fat.

With that said, I'll contradict myself for a second.

I've spoken about the power of chronobiology here and here before.

So food timing isn't a 'nice to do' idea.

It actually works.

I'm also in the midst of a small experiment where I'm cutting off my eating after 7 pm EST each night.

That means 'no mas comida' (no more food).

So, back to post-meal walks. Post-meal walks, like chronobiology or reverse fasting, can help improve body composition.

You can improve your body composition by using them. At the very least, you’ll avoid unnecessary fat gain.

You need to overeat to gain body fat. During the holiday season, people often do just that. Instead of feeling guilty, use this tactic for damage control.

Does it solve the real problem of why people overeat?

No.

But it does give you a practical tool you can use post-meals, especially during the big holiday weeks.

Keep your fitness simple, especially during the last few months of this year.

Try it out for 1 month and watch your body composition.

You might find some interesting results.

3.) 1 nutrient for brain power

Vitamin C is a powerhouse.

Yet it's a nutrient often overlooked in favor of the other 'sexier' nutrients.

B12, Zinc, and Calcium often steal the spotlight in plant-based diets, and they deserve it. But don't forget about Vitamin C. It's also essential for brain and overall health.

Here's a few reasons to add more vitamin C to your nutrition:

• Boost immune system
• Could impact cognitive sharpness (aka think better)
• Supports central nervous system
• Helps absorb iron more easily (must be in the same meal)

So Vitamin C is worth the investment.

It's my secret weapon against bugs and viruses. I take a Vitamin C shot whenever I feel something coming on.

The last benefit of iron is another massive benefit to Vitamin C.

Iron from food isn't as easily absorbed.

Adding Vitamin C (e.g., a squeeze of lemon or orange) to your meal can improve iron absorption.

Vitamin C supports neural function, as shown in this study here​. However, there are limitations. The data isn't fully clear yet.

Regardless, Vitamin C is one nutrient I plan on keeping for life.

It's the unsung hero of deep health, and it can do the same for you.

Add it to your nutrition arsenal this fall.

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1 Action Step

Set up your workout schedule for the next 90 days. Schedule your workout times on your calendar like a doctor's appointment.

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HPV Challenge Reviews

Thought it would be fun to share some of our High Performance Vegan Challenge experience reviews from the past 30 days.

We finished our first beta challenge on Oct 2nd.

It was a blast, and we had a great group show up inside VFR.

Our leaderboard was enjoyable, we had a great group thread, and the bonus Mindset Classes were fun.

All in all, it's something I really enjoyed and plan on doing again (soon).

Most likely aiming for January 1st, 2026.

Might be a bit longer, and plan to make some cool upgrades now that I have data on what's worked (and what can be improved).

Here's a few screenshots of how students liked their experience too:

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong