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Hey Legacy Lifters,

Welcome to another edition of The Standard: The Disciplined Road To Building Stronger Kingdom Men.

It's not enough to wait until the time is right to start getting ready.

If you're waiting to get ready, it might be too late when your opportunity comes.

The standard is to stay ready: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Below you'll see this covered across the physical - mental - spiritual pillars as BUILD - RENEW - TRANSFORM.

Neither one is enough on its own. Yet it's also impossible to have one without the other.

If you're ready to stretch yourself to a higher standard, stick around to answer that call alongside other growth minded men looking to do the same.

All it takes is one decision to change the future for yourself and your family.

Read it. Pick one thing that resonates. And go take action on it ⬇️

💪 BUILD [2+2 = The Easy Fat Burning Meal Formula]

How I Set Up My Meals To Effortlessly Burn Fat and Build Muscle

This one is for all my math majors out there...

Well more so for the people who like easy math and easy solutions.

I'm going to share a simple formula to help take some of the guesswork out of what to eat when it comes to burning fat and building muscle.

It's something I've used for years personally, and several clients have loved the simplicity this has given them to reach their goals (without meticulously counting calories)

If your goal is basic fat loss and muscle building, nutrition doesn't have to be overly complicated

Creating meals that are healthy and support those goals are much easier than you think. For this formula, notice that the less ingredients the better.

This formula focuses on simple meals created with whole foods.

This works for a few reasons:

• Less ingredients and processed foods typically means less calories
• Whole foods tend to have higher fiber and micronutrient breakdown, leading to better satiety
• It sets you up to hit your calorie and macronutrient goals in a simple way that still gives you variety
• It's an easy formula you can use anywhere whether you're cooking at home or out at a restaurant

The✌🏼+✌🏼 Formula: Prioritize 2 + Pick 2

Prioritize 2: Protein and Veggie

Pick 2: Fat, Fruit, Starch

Every meal should prioritize a protein and a veggie. Getting these 2 things on your plate first will work wonders for your physique and your health goals.

Prioritize a protein first: beef, chicken, fish, turkey, or eggs can all work good here. This will help with building and maintaining muscle while leave you feeling very satisfied.

Next, prioritize a veggie (ideally a non-starchy vegetable if your goal is fat loss): A few of the favorites in our household are leafy greens, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, or squash. These will give you the micronutrients and fiber you need, and help you to feel full for longer (with less post-meal blood sugar crashes)

Finally, pick TWO of the following: Fruit, Fat, Starch.

Fruits can include: apples (honeycrisp or pink lady for the win), berries, banana, melon, or any fruit of your liking.

Fats can include: added oils/dressings/dips, avocado, nuts/seeds, olives, cheese

Starches can include: rice, potatoes, beans, oats, breads

The Pick 2 is set up the way it is because this is where people tend to overeat and overdo it on their calories.

It's hard to gain fat if you're primarily eating protein and veggies. It's a lot easier to overeat when it comes to carbs and fats.

By Picking 2, you're setting yourself up to get adequate energy from fats and carbs without overdoing it.

Yes portion size still matters - if you're opting for bigger portions I would still recommend doing so on the protein and the veggie instead of the fats and carbs (if your goal is fat loss)

Theory is great, but here are a few samples of how this can look in real life:

• The Basic Breakfast 🍳
  • Protein: 2-4 egg omelette
  • Veggie: spinach and mushrooms
  • Fruit: handful of blueberries
  • Fat: whole milk latte to wash it down
• The Bunless Burger 🍔
  • Protein: beef or turkey burger
  • Veggie: lettuce wrap with tomato
  • Starch: sweet potato fries
  • Fat: cheese
• Surf and Turf 🥩🍤
  • Protein: shrimp and steak
  • Veggie: roasted brussel sprouts
  • Fat: oil used to roast veggies
  • Starch: baked potato

And here are some ways to apply it to eating out:

• Chipotle Order #1 - salad bowl 🥗
  • Protein: steak
  • Veggies: salad
  • Starch: brown rice
  • Fat: guacamole
• Chipotle Order #2 - burrito 🌯
  • Protein: chicken
  • Veggies: fajita veggies
  • Starch #1: burrito wrap
  • Starch #2: black beans OR Fat: cheese

*notice here if your goal is fat loss, you might have to pass on getting all the fixings. If you want cheese and guacamole - you might have to pass on the rice and burrito wrap. If you want chips, go for it but pass on the rice or the guacamole

Hopefully that helps simplify your meals. At the end of the day, calories in vs calories out is still the main driver for weight loss or muscle building. This formula just helps provide a simple framework to move closer to your goals without having to overthink every single thing you're putting in your body.

If you have any questions or need more examples, reply right here.

It's as easy as 2+2 🤓  

🧠 RENEW [Habit Stacking]

What Are You Already Doing (On Autopilot) That Can Help You Build Better Habits?

I want to share a strategy to make healthy habits much easier to start (and maintain)

Too many men make building new habits way harder than it needs to be.

They rely on discipline, willpower, and grit to get things done.

Sorry for all the David Goggins fans out there - I don't want to have to crush myself to see results.

Don't get me wrong - 10 years ago I was that guy.

The more suffering the better.

It's not that I've gotten soft - I've actually become more mentally tough and resilient - but I no longer do hard things unnecessarily when there's a better way.

Introduce Habit Stacking:

James Clear has popularized this concept in his book Atomic Habits, and that is well worth the read if you haven't already.

The habit stacking formula referenced in the book is:

After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

There are things you do every single day on autopilot.

Things you do without even realizing it.

You brush your teeth. You take a shower (hopefully). You brew coffee. You get into your car.

If you pay attention, you can identify hundreds of 'habits' throughout the day that are so ingrained you probably don't even realize you do some of them.

If you want to effortlessly develop a new habit, simply attach it to a habit you're already doing.

• After I brush my teeth, I will do 25 pushups
• When I turn the car on, I will say 5 things I'm thankful for
• While the coffee is brewing, I will drink 16 oz of water
• Whenever I make myself a plate, I will put veggies and protein on the plate first
• When I get to the store, I will park further away

Hopefully you get the idea.

Take something you're already doing throughout your day and your week. 

Pick one desired habit you want to start doing more of.

Combine the two together.

It'll take some effort at first, but once you do it for long enough the new  desired habit will become as second nature as the habit you're already performing.

Want effortless habits? Go give habit stacking a try! 📚

⚔️ TRANSFORM [Destroying 'Enemies']

Are You Tolerating A Problem That Needs To Get Addressed For Good?

There are themes throughout the Old Testament where God commands His people to 'utterly destroy' their enemies.

There are phrases used alongside that such as:

• Do not spare them
• Let nothing that breathes remain alive
• Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy

That probably sounds harsh to some, especially in this day and age.

While I'm not going to get into the scriptural significance of these commands from God (nor do I pretend to fully understand a lot of it), there is certainly some significance you can apply to your own life.

Ephesians 6:12 says: 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places

You have 'enemies' in your life.

And many of them are probably unseen if you're not aware.

These are things that are dragging you down and tripping you up.

I have a hunch they probably aren't physical opponents that are literally trying to kill you.

But there are certainly things in your life that are keeping you from living the life that you're capable of.

These can be things such as:

• Pride (focusing too much on yourself)
• Negative thinking or self-destructive habits (doing the same thing over and over that you know isn't beneficial)
• Escaping to social media, food, alcohol, porn, or other substances
• Excessive focus on work, working out, or obsessive tendencies
• Fear (wanting to take a big step in your life but playing it 'safe' instead)

There are countless other things you can add to this list.

Here's the big takeaway today:

If you identify something that you know you need to address, then it's time to quit tolerating it.

It's time to stop being okay with it hanging around in your life.

It's time to quit partially working on getting rid of it, only to let it come back into your life.

It's time to utterly destroy the things that are keeping you from living the life you deserve.

Letting these 'enemies' hang around your life will continue to trip you up.

If you've identified something, you know what I'm talking about.

It's already hung around for too long.

It's caused way too much worry, stress, and been a barrier to your growth.

Instead of beating yourself up for letting it hang around for longer than you should, turn that energy to doing everything you can to get rid of it for good.

This can be deep. Reply right here if you need any support. I'm in it with you ✊🏼

Be The Standard,

Dave

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