If you had told me ten years ago that I could get in shape by being in the gym less than 5 days a week, create my own meal plans with foods I enjoy, and get better results than the plans offered on bodybuilding.com, I would have laughed in your face. I’ve always been one to want the exact formula, recipe, or plan for a way of doing things, and early in my fitness journey, there was no shortage of ‘perfect’ plans to get the exact body I wanted. It’s amusing to look back on now, because almost all of the bodybuilding.com programs followed the same formula: a list of exercises to do, a list of su ..read more

The day I started playing the guitar was the same day I became enthusiastic about guitar tools and accessories that could help, speed up, and amplify my success. I would go into Guitar Center and look around at the different guitars I’d eventually buy before stumbling into the amps, cases, and other tools that every career guitar player owns. Sometimes I’d pick up a tool that I didn’t really need as much as I wanted, but the cool thing was that whether or not I needed it, the tool helped some aspect of guitar care or guitar playing. It’s basically the same process with any hobby or interest I ..read more

If you want your kids to live longer, as well as yourself, you better up the protein intake. And if there’s one thing my clients know I preach on, it’s more protein. It’s a soapbox that I live on, and I won’t be getting off of anytime soon. And while there’s a HUGE host of reasons why, today we’re going to touch on life expectancy – both kids and adults. A study published on February 22, 2022 entitled, “Total Meat Intake is Associated with Life Expectancy: A Cross-Sectional Data Analysis of 175 Contemporary Populations“, suggests that the association between plant-based (vegetarianism) and ext ..read more

This might seem like a no-brainer, but defining the carnivore diet can get messy. There are so many offshoots and different branches of the diet that it can be hard to keep up with. So what is carnivore? What are the benefits of the carnivore way-of-eating, and how does it stack against other low-carbohydrate options like Atkins, paleo, or keto? What Is Carnivore? A carnivore diet is not just a meat-based diet, but a animal-based diet, particularly one focused on red meat. Depending on which goal you have when trying it, or how strict you want to be, other types of meat and foods by animals c ..read more

What is a non-negotiable in your life? Depending on what stage of life you’re in, your answer might vary. If you’re in your early twenties, your non-negotiables might be your college choices or what you’re looking for in a potential marriage. If you’re a businessman in the prime of life, your non-negotiables might be your investment portfolio, stocks, and the real estate you’re eyeing for a new house. We prioritize aspects of life based upon what we currently deem the most important for us. It’s never completely set in stone, and that’s alright, because it’s meant to change and grow as all of ..read more

“The peak of the mountain is important only because it justifies climbing, which is the real goal of the enterprise.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow. When Sir Edmund Hillary became the first man, along with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, to successfully ascend Mount Everest, he spent all of 15 minutes at the top of the world. This man, having summited the very heights of the most dangerous mountaintop (hovering around the cruising altitude of jet airliners) in the world, took in the view as well as a few photographs and started back down. It was a monumental feat, but it ..read more

The “throwing your BCAA’s out” meme isn’t new. It’s been around for some time, but I’ve noticed it trend recently in the circles I visit. It’s funny, but I don’t think it’s entirely accurate. Right now, there is a huge problem in the quality of our food. It is clear that the current produce and meats provided today do not have as many nutrients as the same foods of even just 50 years ago. Take out nutrients in your food intake, and add in high-intensity training, and you have a possible problem in getting the right amount of macro and micro nutrients. But the question it’s making you ..read more

“It’s easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time.” – Clayton Christensen, famed Harvard Business School professor.   I still vividly remember the day when my direct supervisor told me he would never be lean and fit. “I just don’t have the right body type. I’ll always be like this because my family’s genes suck.” I had just started the beginning of my Coast Guard career at the time. After reporting to my first unit out of bootcamp, I was placed within the Engineering Department. It was a motley group of Machinery Technici ..read more

“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