The Fitness 401(k)

One of the most powerful analogies for health & fitness is money.

Why?

Because everyone understands the value of money.

But there's something much more valuable than money.

Health.

Good health is the most valuable asset you could possibly ever own. It is the only thing keeping you alive, literally.

Without good health, you have nothing.

I will explain 4 big ideas that will help you understand the value of your health, and how you can build your fitness to protect it.

Let's get into it.

1) Energy = Money to Invest.

Our bodies only possess a finite reserve of energy.

We use energy that is sourced from the natural elements found on earth. The sun, water, plants, animals, oxygen, etc.

We must consume sufficient amounts of energy in order to carry on living. If we did not, we would expel all of our internal energy resources and die.

This is a natural process, governed by the first law of thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted from one form to another.

We convert food into a form of energy that is readily available as a fuel source for our bodies to perform essential survival functions and engage in movement.

Food is expensive nowadays, especially quality food (the only kind you should buy, if you can afford it). So what are you doing with the energy it provides you?

Are you wasting it by being sedentary, inactive, negative, and stressed?

Or are you intentionally converting this precious energy into movement, physical training, positivity, and progress toward your goals?

Wasting your energy is worse than wasting money.

Why?

Energy is required to earn money.

Energy is the basis of all things.

Energy is coupled with time, and time is a nonrenewable resource.

Eat high-quality foods, and convert that precious, powerful energy into productive efforts. Just like how you invest your income into a stock portfolio for massive growth over time.

The more energy you put into your training, the more fitness you build. The more fitness you build, the more you'll bank in your longevity and healthspan account.

Cha-ching.

2) Fitness = Savings & Dividends.

Your level of fitness is a direct indicator of your longevity and healthspan.

• Below average fitness? Health poverty. There's a lot of work to do.

• Average fitness? Middle-class. An average account, for an average life.

• Good fitness? Country club. You're rich in health, but there's more to gain.

• Superior fitness? Holistically wealthy. You're a health billionaire.

Fitness is directly correlated with how long your healthspan will last (or how long your retirement will be). Invariably, your fitness will erode as you age. Similar to how your 401k is spent during your retirement.

People with superior fitness almost always live longer, healthier, happier lives. Their quality of life, appearance, and well-being appear to be fixed in granite, as others decay around them.

This is because people with superior fitness have built bodies that have the ability to cope with tremendous amounts of physical stress and the inevitable factor of aging.

Think of it this way:

Which person will be able to afford a more luxurious and lengthy lifespan and healthspan retirement?

A big Fitness 401(k) account affords you ultimate mental and physical freedom.

What's the point of having f**k you money if, you don't have f**k you health to go along with it?

The more work you do to build and maintain your fitness at an early age, the more time your body has to compound that fitness interest and payout big dividends.

In your early years:

• You maximize your attractiveness.

• You have more confidence.

• You have more energy.

• You earn more money.

In your later years:

• You age more slowly.

• You maintain more muscle.

• You maintain more endurance.

• You maintain fantastic cognition.

• You maintain excellent energy levels.

• You maintain flexibility, balance, and agility.

These traits protect your longevity and allow you to have an exceptional healthspan, well into old age.

The good news is, it is NEVER too late to start. I don't care if you're in your 60s and beyond.

As long as you're alive, you have the chance to improve your health and extend your life through physical training.

Who doesn't want that?

3) Vision = Financial Plan.

What is your ideal vision for the final decade of your life?

Do you have one?

If not, I recommend writing down 50 things you want to do in your last 10 years of living. It will provide tremendous clarity on how important it is to protect your health and fitness into old age.

On top of that, develop your anti-vision.

What don't you want? This is even more powerful.

The sad reality is that we simply won't be able to do most of the stuff we do now when we are 70+ years old unless we maintain superior health and fitness.

The first time I saw this chart, it rocked my world (I'll explain it later).

Here are some examples of things I plan on doing in my 80s and beyond:

• Run along the Wonderland Trail.

• Bike along the Monterrey Bay.

• Trek the Annapurna Circuit.

• Swim in the Aegean Sea.

• Kayak in Lake Como.

I am doing everything I can to protect these dreams. I refuse to resign to a mid-grade retirement community long before my death.

What about you?

4) Healthspan = Retirement & Compound Interest.

Healthspan is a new phrase.

One of my biggest inspirations, Dr. Peter Attia, popularized the term.

Healthspan - the part of a person's life when they are in generally good health.

This is critically different than lifespan.

Lifespan - the length of one's life.

Most people have a healthspan that ends at least 10-15+ years before their life ends. This leaves the final decade of life being lived as a perpetual prisoner of your own physical body.

That is your greatest nightmare. That is your anti-vision.

How do we increase healthspan?

There are many keys, but I will focus on the best ones to unlock the answer:

• Train your VO2 max, 1-2x a week.

• Train flexibility and mobility, daily.

• Adopt a natural 95% whole foods diet.

• Spend as much time in nature as possible.

• Build as much strength and muscle mass as possible.

How to Max Out Your Fitness 401(k) and Become Holistically Wealthy

Again.

• VO2 max.

• Mother Nature.

• 95% whole foods diet.

• Muscle.

• Movement.

Improve your VO2 max.

Research has shown that VO2 max is the single best predictor of all-cause mortality. People with a VO2 max below 27 ml/kg/min have a 40% higher probability of mortality than those with values greater than 27 ml/kg/min.

This is generally ignored, but it is the single most powerful factor in determining your lifespan. Period.

I know less than 5 people who truly understand and act on the insanely high criticality of growing the value of their VO2 Max score.

I have coached a few people to superior VO2 max, male and female.

One of my clients did my full program and boosted his score to 58 ml/kg/min (Superior).

He then had shoulder surgery and was out of the game for 6 months.

He got back on the program and quickly achieved his previous score.

I believe he has plans to run it continuously and improve well into the 60s.

Here is a very rough outline of my protocol.

• Buy an Apple or Garmin watch.

• 4x800m (or 3-5 mins)

• 90-95% Max HR

• 1:1 run to recover ratio

• 1-2x weekly

Running, biking, swimming, and XC skiing all work.

Currently, my VO2 max is pinned at 56 ml/kg/min. I took a 7-week layoff after training it to 58 and focused on sprinting power. I have plans to bump it to 60+ before my next mountaineering expedition. I'll need it for the high-altitude peaks, who knows where?

Sorry guys and gals. There is no room for laziness. This is so crucially important. Please train for this. It is just a small price to pay.

The higher your VO2 max, the less likely you'll die, from ANYTHING.

I believe in this so much, I wrote a book on it. And I'll be updating it in perpetuity.

Here's the link, it is free: The VO2 MAX Blueprint

Spend as much time with Mother Nature as humanly possible.

There are 1,000+ reasons for this.

For the sake of brevity, just know that there is nothing more powerful at healing the mind, body, and spirit than Mother Nature.

Your health and happiness are strongly linked to how much time you spend in nature.

Simply stepping into the grass barefoot kicks off a cascade of incredible health benefits.

• Stress, pain, and inflammation are reduced.

• Cognition, sleep, and mood are improved.

• Electrons cleanse your body of entropy.

Even something as simple as keeping live plants in your home purifies the air of toxins and chemicals.

There's a reason Monks live in the mountains, Scandinavians bathe in hot springs, and all of Earth's Blue Zones are embedded in beautiful, nature-rich environments.

Your health-conscious spirit will expand and evolve when you:

• Hike in the woods.

• Swim in the oceans.

• Run on the beaches.

• Climb in the mountains.

Pay homage to Mama Nature and she will reward you with health and vitality.

Alright, enough metaphysics.

What am I doing about it?

This winter I am headed to Sámara, Costa Rica, with my wife.

Sámara is located in one of Earth's Blue Zones, and Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet. Mountains, volcanoes, jungles, cloud forests, rivers, beaches, oceans.

We will be swimming in the ocean, hiking in the jungle, bathing in natural springs, eating local foods, and healing our minds, bodies, and spirits.

Adopt a natural whole foods diet.

Stop eating fake bulls**t foods. It's a waste of your time and money.

Processed foods are toxic, cancerous, and addictive.

Your amazing, complex body is designed for real food from real plants and real animals.

Mama Nature designed our systems to process the organic energy it generously provides.

Everything you need can be raised, caught, or grown organically.

Avoid pesticides, they kill. Wash your produce before cooking.

I recently wrote about 7 Foods I Could Never Live Without, check it out here.

Build as much muscle mass as genetically possible. (No, I'm not kidding).

Muscle mass is the organ of longevity. Without it, we lose independence and increase the risk of injury, chronic diseases, and social isolation. Muscle is crucial for maintaining movement and cardiovascular fitness.

Muscle mass is your reservoir for health and independence. You fill it when times are good and preserve it when times are hard. It will sustain you through the drought of old age.

Humans naturally peak in their strength and muscle mass before the age of 40, afterwards it declines. But you can build muscle and mitigate atrophy until the day you die.

• Perform strength training at least 2-3x a week.

• Train your entire body.

• Focus on quality of movement.

• Focus on intensity.

• Eat adequate protein to recover and grow.

The more muscle you build now, the more you'll have when you're 80 years old.

Become holistically jacked.

Train mobility and flexibility, daily.

Name a bigger flex than being able to run, get on the floor to play with your grandkids, and do yard work, in your 70s and 80s.

You can't.

But to do that, you've at least got to be able to perform a full squat.

• Practice yoga.

• Practice stretching.

• Practice physical therapy.

You can learn all of this, from professionals, on YouTube, for free.

Here's one of the best PT Docs on YouTube.

When I was mountain climbing in Colorado earlier this spring, I ran into a man shredding high alpine snow, backcountry style, above 14,000ft.

As I was trekking through the snow, he looked over and waved me down.

I walked over to the island of boulders he was standing on, as he shook the snow off of his skis.

We had a quick chat.

He was in phenomenal shape, 6 feet, 190 pounds, a formidable physique. Full head of hair, clean shaven, tan, and lean. You could tell he took care of himself, very well.

He was getting ready to head to the airport and fly to Chicago that afternoon.

He told me the San Juan Mountains are some of the most beautiful in the world, referring to them as "so aggressive looking".  I could hear the passion and vitality in his voice.

He was radiant and full of positive energy. He called the mountains home.

Next up was Norway, for work. He owned a consulting firm.

He had been all over the planet.

He said he was 67 years old, and "didn't have as much endurance as he used to".

Didn’t look a day over 50 to me.

How could you not desire that level of athletic freedom and physical prowess at 67 years old?

This is the kind of thing that cannot be bought, it must be earned.

Scratch that. It is a birthright you must protect.

Lack of flexibility and mobility is one of the biggest contributors to falls in the elderly population. And if you fall and break your hip or femur at an old age, boy that is not good news.

We must maintain, as much as humanly possible, a full range of motion in each of our joints. Injuries or not. I know this is not what you want to hear, and it is not a sexy thing to work on, but it is critical.

I've had reconstructive ACL surgery on my right knee, and a history of dislocation of my left shoulder from playing sports. Your joints accumulate wear and tear from training as well.

What am I doing about it?

Yoga, stretching, physical therapy.

I do this to stave off arthritis, relieve pain, maintain joint integrity, and preserve fully functional movement patterns. I cannot stress this enough.

You need to be able to do the following, pain-free:

• Walk up and down stairs.

• Lift things overhead.

• Pull things closer.

• Push things away.

• Sit and stand.

• Bend over.

• Squat.

• Walk.

• Jog.

Here's my Therapy Toolkit:

• Yoga Mat

• Foam Roller

• Massage Gun

• Massage Ball

• Resistance Bands

If you'd like to see content on mobility, flexibility, and basic therapy exercises, let me know in the comments. I will gladly deliver. I find many people have nagging injuries they don't know how to fully heal. You can do it, but it takes work.

That's it, folks. If you made it to the end, thanks for reading.

I appreciate each and every one of you.

Now get out there and invest heavily into your Fitness 401k. Max it out, if you will.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Love, peace, and longevity to you all. ✌🏽

P.S. - 4 quick updates:

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