“Sometimes success is less about making good habits easy and more about making bad habits hard.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits On Bedros Keuilian’s podcast espisode #196 entitled “Few Will Hunt”, Bedros interviews founders Joey Bowen and Drew Beech of the brand Few Will Hunt, asking them about their brand messaging. What’s interesting is that they started their brand, or movement, based off the ideas of earning over entitlement. Hard work over easy living. Everyone wants to eat, but few want to hunt for it. It’s a message that I resonate deeply with and align myself to – or try, anyways. It’s a ..read more

Meal planning, in it’s most basic boring definition, is the process of organizing your meals and snacks for the week ahead. This can be as simple as listing it out (while cooking each night) or as advanced as prepping all your food on one day of the week, freezing it, and using the meals throughout the week. It not only helps you save time and money, but it can also help you make healthier food choices. Why Meal Plan? Benefits of Meal Planning Meal planning offers several advantages, such as: Saving time by reducing the need for frequent grocery shopping and last-minute cooking decisions. Sav ..read more

I vividly remember reading about the “Twinkie Diet” back in 2010. Fried Twinkie’s I was a year away from joining the Coast Guard, and I had been looking for ways to get more in shape before heading off to bootcamp. The idea that I could eat junk food and lose weight was interesting enough to take a look. The originator of the “diet”, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, had embarked on a 10-week junk food diet capped at just 1,800 calories a day. He wanted to prove that energy balance (calories in versus calories out) was essential to losing weight and that the ..read more

In my post, “How To Shop Healthy At The Grocery Store (And Save Money While Doing So)“, I shared my best practices for the weekly grocery runs. My top tips included patrolling the perimeter of the store, don’t go hungry, and to make sure you bring a list. To help make those trips to the grocery store a success, I have an ultimate macro-friendly grocery list that you can save for reference (just right click, save). Abs Are Made In The Grocery Store They say abs are made in the kitchen, but really, it all starts in the grocery store. If you fail to plan what you need to buy (or worse, go in ther ..read more

Whether you’re just starting a workout routine, or you’ve been on a particular program for awhile, the question of what you should eat (or drink) before, during, and after a workout is likely to come up. You may have read the post on Nutrient Timing in the past (you should if you haven’t!), but today I want to expand upon that subject. Before I begin, it’s necessary to note that you should have a comfortable grasp on your overall quantity and quality of calories and macronutrients before moving onto any nutrient timing protocols. This is not an advanced subject, but it ..read more

Before we talk about how to take body measurements, we need to discuss why we take body measurements. Your fat loss journey is not just about seeing the numbers change on the scale, but also understanding how your body is changing and adapting to your workouts and nutrition habits. Most people use the scale to determine their weight loss success. But if you exercise, you are building muscle, which can lead to weight gain because muscle weighs more than fat. The scale only measures your total body weight, which can fluctuate due to a variety of factors such as water retention, muscle gain, or e ..read more

“With handwriting, the very act of putting it down slowly forces you to focus on what’s important.” Despite a world of apps, Fitbits, smart watches, and other trackers, the written journal still remains an option for recording exercise and nutrition metrics. The “old school” fitness journals have remained popular for several reasons, and I completely understand why they are still a beloved tool for many people. There is something special about physically writing down your progress, goals, and thoughts, and seeing the evidence of your hard work and dedication in a tangible form ..read more

Two things I hear from my clients are, “I’m having trouble hitting my protein goal” and “I’m craving something sweet, but don’t want to sacrifice all of my carbs and fats.” The key to staying on-track is making smart choices with minimum restrictions and this amazing one minute protein brownie does just that! Base Ingredients: Chocolate Protein powder (2 scoops) Cocoa powder (5 grams) Baking soda (5 grams) Water (105 grams) Optional Add-Ins: Cashew or Unsweetened Almond Milk (1/4 cup) Zero fat whip cream Melted chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder Cooking Instructions: Combine protein ..read more

What do you think about when you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning? Whether it’s right after the shower, or immediately upon waking, your mind will let you know if things need to be shaped up or not. Do you like the way you look? Are you happy with you see? Now, if you truly need to lose weight (or more appropriately, burn fat), you’ll likely have three ideas that immediately pop into your mind: I need to start running I need to get myself into the gym Or, I need to start a juice cleanse or diet What’s even more interesting is that if you ask anyone for help, they’ll likely give ..read more

In an age where governments and corporations would rather medicate you and profit on drug sales rather than advising their clients on natural remedies (such as exercise and better diets), it’s important to remember how to boost your immune system through what you eat. As mentioned in another post about keeping your immune system strong through sleep, hydration, nutrition, exercise, and low stress, there are ways to mitigate bacteria and pathogens with a healthy lifestyle. What Is the Immune System? The immune system is a complex organ system in the body comprised of white blood cells, skin, mu ..read more