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The High Performance Journal - September 10th, 2024

"I eat pretty healthy"

Those were the words Mark Manson used when we first sat down with each other.

We met at a mastermind, and he reached out to me because he wanted his health in order.

So we got on a Zoom call to discuss the DEXA scan (aka. Body fat scan) he had just completed.

The results? Not good.

His body fat was in the mid-30s. He had an unhealthy amount of visceral fat and little muscle to show for it.

He was what we call in the fitness industry: Metabolically Unhealthy.

Unfortunately, he's not alone. Around 88% of adult Americans are considered to be metabolically unhealthy.

When people are metabolically unhealthy, they are more likely to experience greater variations in blood fat, blood sugar, and insulin levels after eating, along with dietary inflammation.

This is toxic for your health and puts the person at greater risk of metabolic syndrome and preventable disease.

Along with his body fat, Mark had his bloodwork done and found out he was pre-diabetic as well. Double uh-oh.

Thankfully, with my help, Mark turned things around and got into the best shape of his life.

Btw if you don't know Mark, he's a multi-New York Times Best Seller, author of the Book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***, and an all-around great dude.

After working together, we went from Metabolically Unhealthy to Metabolically Fit.

Here's how we did it...

The Step-By-Step Guide To Getting Metabolically Healthy

Step 1 - Know Your Numbers

Every peak you see is a weigh-in. Releasing weight is more about trends than it is about events.

The first step in Mark's journey was to gather data.

We first gathered the basic numbers of his weight, waistline, hips, and chest. We also took pictures every month.

We had him track not only his food but also the workouts he was doing to ensure we could make weight loss and muscle building as predictable as possible.

We then took it a step further by getting his DEXA scan done and his bloodwork taken.

Key biomarkers we look for in bloodwork are:

• Fasting glucose
• Fasting triglycerides
• HDL cholesterol
• Hemoglobin A1C
• Total cholesterol
• Blood pressure

Knowing your numbers is the most crucial step, yet most people try to avoid it because they fear what they'll discover.

But much like directions on a GPS, we can't reach the destination of being metabolically healthy until we know where we're starting from.

Step 2 - Burn Fat Using Our Diet

One of the worst things Mark was doing was trying to use his workouts to burn fat.

He'd do Crossfit sessions after Crossfit sessions, only to leave exhausted and with minor injuries to tend to.

We needed to overhaul his diet as well as his eating behaviors completely.

Mark was on the "See-food" Diet. He saw food and ate it.

We fixed his diet in 3 ways:

1. Set the frame: We ate three meals and an optional snack on a schedule that was natural to him. We matched his eating times to his circadian rhythms and this helped put his hunger on autopilot.
2. Quality control: We created a steady flow of nutrient-dense foods through meal prep services and his wife's cooking. Thankfully, his wife Fernanda was already eating healthy meals, which made the switch easier.
3. Optimize protein intake: We needed to retain, if not build, as much muscle as possible while leaning out his body. The best way to do this was to increase his ​protein intake​ to 1 gram per pound of body weight and spread it out over 3-4 meals.

We switched his meals from eating whatever he wanted whenever he wanted to a simple framework he could follow regardless of where he was in the world.

Step 3 - Build Muscle Using Progressive Overload

One of the best ways to increase your metabolism is to raise your metabolic floor. The best way to do that is through retaining and building muscle.

We dropped the CrossFit workouts and adopted a mentality of getting stronger in the gym.

This means basing his core exercises around...

1. Squats
2. Trap bar deadlift
3. Dumbbell bench press
4. Farmers Carry
5. Pull-ups
6. Chest-supported dumbbell back rows
7. Seated dumbbell overhead presses
8. Lunges
9. Mobility drills
10. Hip thrusts

...and using the principles of ​progressive overload​ to get stronger and do more volume.

Every 12-16 weeks, we'd slightly change his workouts based on the goal we were after.

The most important part of all this is Mark's dedication to consistency. He loved working out and rarely missed them.

Consistency and small improvements are the most important factors in building muscle, and he crushed them.

Step 4 - Low-Intensity Movement

When the body starts to lean out, it subconsciously becomes lazier to preserve itself.

Also, with the amount of stress Mark was experiencing at the time (launching Will Smith's autobiography, press conferences, launching a YouTube channel and podcast, etc.), he needed to manage the stress in his life.

So we made a simple rule to get 8k to 10k steps daily by walking outside.

Walking is the most underrated exercise for the mind and body because of its low intensity and accessibility. It's also a massive tool for de-stressing.

Not only was Mark burning calories, but he was also improving his brain function and stress levels.

Step 5 - Identity Change

It's not enough to just change the body. We need to change our minds.

Specifically, we must transform our relationships with food, exercise, and ourselves. We do this because we don't want to just lose weight; we want to keep it off!

During this time, Mark changed many aspects of his identity when it came to his health:

• He stopped drinking alcohol
• He prioritized sleep so he could perform at his best the next day
• He craved his workouts because of how they made him feel afterward
• Even though he indulges from time to time he prefers to eat a healthy diet because of its effect on his brain and body
• And much more...

In short, through introspection, he created an identity around health where getting in shape was inevitable because of his adopted behaviors and mindsets.

This is the most important aspect of releasing 60 lbs off his body and keeping himself in his best shape.

Bonus Step - Get Accountable

One of the best ways to get lean is to create an environment of accountability to keep you committed.

Mark hired me to help guide him, and he also started hanging out with people who shared his standard of being fit.

With coaching and hanging around people who share your values, you are guaranteed to hit your fitness goals and keep them long-term.

Systems > Goals

The most important aspect of this article is that you need a SYSTEM.

A goal is just a dream. However, a goal with a system becomes a REALITY.

I've just presented a system of getting lean that's helped Mark (and many others) get in shape and he did this while he was in the busiest season of his life.

If he can become metabolically healthy, then you can too.

Now, all you need is the patience and accountability to make it happen.

Onwards and upwards 🚀

- Dan

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