Subj: How to Get and Stay in Shape.
I was at the grocery store the other day picking up my usual haul of steak and eggs.
I typically get anywhere from 5 to 10 ribeye steaks and a few dozen chicken eggs at a time to get me through the week.
I arrived late and when I got there only a few steaks were left.
I asked the clerk if there were more steaks in the back of the store.
He wheeled out a cart full of freshly sliced steaks and I had my pick of the litter.
I filled up arms with the best looking steaks I could find and placed them all in my shopping cart.
The clerk was bewildered looking at the tower of steaks in my cart.
“How do you stay in shape eating all those steaks?” he asked.
We chatted for a bit then we went our separate ways. (I was getting hungry and had steaks to eat.)
The conversation was just another example proving the Average Joe doesn’t have a clue about nutrition.
Now, this clerk is a hefty guy. It was clear our lifestyles are different. And I could tell from our conversation that his knowledge of nutrition and fitness training was limited.
The sad part is I’ve had this same conversation over and over with people.
It’s painfully obvious that people are ignorant about exercise and nutrition.
There are many reasons for this but they are irrelevant because I’m going to tell you a few things you need to know about getting fit and staying fit.
First and foremost…
TO GET IN SHAPE YOU MUST PRIORITIZE YOUR HEALTH
Prioritizing your health means eating well and exercising on a daily basis.
People who prioritize their health realize that without good health nothing else really matters.
Prioritizing health means you go to the gym and eat like a human was meant to eat.
How to Stay in Shape
Nutrition accounts for 80% of your health, energy, mood and physical shape.
The best foods you can possibly eat for optimal health and high performance are animal meat, fish and high-quality eggs.
There’s nothing better for strength, endurance, power, health and well being.
A big plate of steak and eggs will power you through your day better than anything else.
Exercise is fine and good but your diet will make or break you no matter how much you train.
You can train more than Michael Jordan in the 90’s but end up nowhere if all you eat are Big Macs and milkshakes.
So let’s discuss what you should be doing with your diet if you want to get and stay in shape.
Ignore Conventional Advice about Nutrition
If you follow conventional advice you will get conventional results.
The current convention is being overweight and on at least one prescription drug for health problems.
Conventional health advice is broken.
Nutrition ‘experts’ tell me to eat 12 servings of grains a day.
I eat zero.
Nutrition ‘gurus’ tell me to eat plenty of fruits (sugar) and eat less fat.
I cut out fruit and eat ribeye steaks like it’s my job.
The result of being unconventional?
I have an unconventional physique and attitude – I’m shredded and my energy is through the roof.
I ignore these health and fitness ‘experts’ and am better off for it.
“But what about a balanced diet?“
Don’t kid yourself. There is no such thing as a balanced diet.
There is a healthy human diet and then there’s everything else.
The best healthy diet for healthy humans is the steak and eggs diet. (With generous portions of leafy greens.)
Eliminate Refined Carbohydrates
Processed food, refined carbohydrates, sports drinks, frozen meals, and anything sold as a ‘health food’ is terrible for you.
They all contain refined carbohydrates. Eat them and you will fatten up like a cow.
Look around and see all the people overweight and in poor health.
That doesn’t happen accidentally. And it sure as hell isn’t because of bad genetics. (Although you could agrue that the quality of the gene pool is deteriorating. But that’s a different topic for a different day.)
I don’t know where we went astray, but we (as in America) went off course in a BIG way.
The problem lies in the abundance of foods loaded with carbohydrates and sugar.
Avoid Added Sugar
Sugar turns sour in your stomach.
It robs your energy, harms your health and rots your teeth.
Anything that disintegrates your enamel, the hardest substance in your body, does a number on your other body tissues, I’m sure.
Eat as Naturally as Possible
Your only salvation is to eat like you were designed to eat.
Eat as nature intended and you will be healthy, just like natural intended.
Life wants to live.
That’s all there is to it. Just get out of your own way and eat the gifts Mother Nature has presented to you.
If man made it, don’t eat it!
Besides, fake foods destroy your metabolism.
Once your metabolism is derailed you’ll pack on fat faster, build muscle slower, and feel tired all the time. This creates a painful and sad downward spiral.
Eat an all natural, whole food diet and your body will heal itself. You will feel better, lose weight and have energy to conquer your day.
Eating the right foods creates a positive reenforcement loop where you can build yourself up and be as productive as you can be.
Eat 2 meals a day
“To Lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.” – Benjamin Franklin
You don’t need three square meals a day.
In other news: Breakfast is overrated.
Food slows you down. Your mornings are the most productive time of day. Don’t waste those prime hours digesting soy-enriched bran flakes.
Eating six small meals a day in nonsense. Don’t eat more to lose weight.
Eat two, big satisfying meals per day and leave it at that. Eat plenty of animal protein and animal fat and you’ll stay energized all day.
Avoid carb-loaded foods and you never have to worry about a mid-afternoon crash.
If you need a pick-me-up between meals take some beef liver tablets. They give you energy and focus. They are also one of the only supplements that actually works. And they work better than advertised.
Don’t Snack
Only snack when you want to pack on pounds.
Overweight people have one thing in common: They eat constantly.
There is a trend in the Animal Kingdom: All grazing animals are fat.
Stop snacking and watch your weight drop.
Make a Commitment to Yourself
You have to make a commitment to yourself that you will do what it takes to get healthy.
It’s hard navigating the health world these days. There’s a lot of misinformation, half-truths and full blown lies.
If you you ever have have a doubt where someone is coming from, just follow the money trail. It will lead you to the source of any scientific study or health claim.
You must decide for yourself what’s right for you.
Trust Your Gut
People are woefully misinformed about nutrition.
Many folks are brainwashed into thinking foods that are horrible for them are actually good.
We used to just eat food we killed or grew ourselves.
Hunting and farming our own food is much less common these days. We really on food from factories to fill our bellies. Not surprisingly, heart attacks, stroke, cancer, diabetes and obesity are much more common as a result.
You put your trust in food companies that do not have your best interest in mind. Just because they say something is healthy doesn’t mean it is.
They don’t want to be healthy. They want you hooked on their product.
Don’t do what they tell you, do what you know deep down is right for you and your family.
Take responsibility for Your Health
It’s up to YOU to take care of YOUR health.
No one cares about your health more than you, so why let anyone decide what’s best for you?
That means taking personal responsibility for your actions. It means exercising and eating right every day.
You need to read, research, learn and apply your knowledge of nutrition, health and fitness. It’s the only way to truly know what works and what doesn’t.
Granted, you never know what your genetic predisposition might be, but if you’re overweight you can bet that you’re not doing yourself any favors.
Control what you can control. And you control what you pout in your face hole.
How to Get and Stay in Shape: Starter Kit
Here’s the secret to health:
- Long walks
- Resistance training (i.e. Weight lifting)
- Sunshine on your skin
- Fresh air
- High protein, high fat diet
- Low carbs with zero added sugar
- Avoid eating Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Do all of the above every day without fail and you will get and stay in shape.
Bonus Tip: Cook all your own food, keep your diet simple, eat all natural whole foods and stay away from sugar and excess carbs.
That my friends is the big secret get and stay in shape.
Stop Making Excuses
We all have that friend that’s always on a diet. But every time you see them they’re stuffing food down their face.
Or they always have an excuse why they can’t lose weight or why they can’t make it to the gym.
I’m too busy.
I have have a head ache.
I’ll do it tomorrow.
I don’t know what to do.
Sounds familiar?
Cut the crap. It’s time to get serious.
Just do it. And keep doing it until you figure it out. This is YOUR LIFE we’re talking about.
“But it’s hard.”
Yeah, it’s supposed to be hard. That’s the point. The struggle is what makes you. The struggle builds character.
Everything is hard until it becomes easy. When it becomes easy you need to make it hard by raising the bar. That’s how you get better.
What Will You Do Now?
Time’s a tickin’.
You’re not getting any younger.
But you can look and feel younger with a little old fashioned American work ethic and a coach to push you (me).
Change is hard. It can make you feel alone. If you need help navigating reach out to me and I’ll help you out.
-Jordan
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