What is inflammation? A precise definition seems altogether impossible. Inflammation manifests in different ways, which spans the spectrum of both helpful and harmful. Today we are working towards having a better understanding of inflammation and its role in our lives. The best attempts to define inflammation still lack the precision that we've been looking for more than a century. Inflammation is our immune system's primary tool in the elimination of toxic agents and the re

Chia seeds are a delicious and nutrition-packed treat. We use them all the time here in the Sweat Nation Kitchen. Chia seeds, you can think of them as mini powerhouses packing more calcium than milk(you want less dairy anyways), more antioxidants than blueberries(excellent add on), and more Omega-3 than Salmon. Their texture can make your treat interesting, they're so versatile and are a great protein-packed addition to many recipes because of their ability to thicken and gel

You're at the grocery store. A typical thought on your grocery list if your goal is to get in shape might go something like... – Protein (chicken, beef, fish, eggs) I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to eat protein. – Healthy fats (avocados, coconut oil, nuts) Fat! Am I supposed to eat it or not? – Carbs (sweet potatoes, oats) Aren't carbs the new devil? – Supplements (protein powder, creatine, glutamine) Which if any supplements should I be getting? – Frozen pizza. I'm pretty

Sometimes you just want a pile of something spicy-creamy-comforting… like Pad Thai. The original recipe includes the fixtures, rice noodles, soy sauce, peanuts, and sugar. To make it safe for Sweat Nation to consume it, We got working in the Sweat Nation kitchen and came up with this Super Star recipe that's sure to keep you feeling full and happy. We hacked the recipe by replacing the noodles with spaghetti squash, used coconut aminos instead of soy, recruited Sunbutter sauc

In the nutrition world, for many out there peanuts are a big no-no. It may not seem like a big deal to me to give up peanuts until you remember there are many decadent delicious recipes that call for peanut sauce. Veggies dipped in peanut sauce. Grilled chicken satay dipped in peanut sauce. Shredded beef wrapped in a butter lettuce leaf with diced red onion and drizzled with… peanut sauce. You get the idea. In looking for solutions for Sweat Nation clients I came across Sunbu

It's the week of July 4th and since you are an integral part of Sweat Nation today we are going to go over ways to live longer. With more days on this journey why not fill it with more friends, family, and freedom. It's been suggested that humans could live up to 120-140 years old. The current average U.S. lifespan has stalled at about 76 years. Chronic disease is the main culprit at this moment in the human story. Today we are going to talk about longevity, how to have more

I know you've heard that you need sleep, but just about everyone around you is proclaiming on high how they get by with "FOUR HOURS OF SLEEP, and I'm fine!". Are they? They seem like they're full of energy, whatever that means. What do we really know about sleep? Well, let's jump down the rabbit hole! Sleep. It's pretty clear that getting quality sleep is the lowest hanging fruit you could snatch to give you the greatest return. You'll feel good, and have energy throughout yo

What's good on your end of the screen? This past weekend I had the honor of officiating the Wedding of Rosalind Konikoff & Henry Rodriguez. The setting was magical. This was a destination wedding. The wedding took place in the hills/mountains of Dansville, New York at the Redmond House. Beautiful setting if you ask me. What an honor to be asked to preside over the public confirmation of the commitment of these two friends. The Sweat Nation Triumvirate is Mind/Body, Finances &

One of my favorite Sweat Nation clients has gone keto! In other words, she's cutting her carbs down real low. She wants to fit in some cool articles of clothing and is trying to get there quickly, So I told her I'd help keep her on track. She asked me "Flip? what can I do for a little something sweet just to get the feeling?" With that, I give you Keto blueberry Pancakes. Who doesn't want light, fluffy pancakes? Meet this Sweat Nation keto blueberry pancake recipe, "you're we

My "Boy Child" is a born introvert, I read and try to understand the struggle of what it's like to feel like he might when being in busy social situations. He's broken out of it as he's gone through his teenage years but my imagination thinks what if he's “that guy” at conferences or events, who ducks away to his room or heads outside to recharge his batteries every few hours – something accomplished by escaping the crowds and being utterly alone. Maybe you thrive on long, so

Turns out that multitasking, that Swiss army knife approach to task completion has increasingly been getting the side-eye by scientists and medical professionals alike. Multitasking is not a thing our brains are "good" at, and it seems nobody has a “gift” for it. What's more, it encourages a habit of perpetual distraction. Stanford Researcher Anthony Wagner put it this way: “When [we’re] in situations where there are multiple sources of information coming from the external wo

Today I want to share some personal news with you. Just the idea of sharing it fills me with jittery energy. On one hand, who even gives #AF about my personal life? And then, on the other hand, Sweat Nation is a personal brand and many of you have been with the brand for the last 10 years and have watched it grow up with me. What I know is that I want to honor your connection to Sweat Nation because we are a family. Many of you have asked me about this over the last year, and

Have you ever have an idea that led to a life-changing decision? Something that seems like it came out of nowhere, but now seems so obvious and important in hindsight? This happened to me and, as a result, it changed my career. This one out-of-the-blue insight laid the foundation for the way my life is unfolding. I remember what sparked me to do this, but after listening to a podcast, I sat down and began a monthly subscription to Audible. You could say it was much more than

My mom's dog, Hero, was on his last days. He turned 15 Last year. He slept longer and deeper than ever. He no longer wanted to go on afternoon walks. his hips hurt too much. “There are big differences every year as dogs get older,” a vet said. “One day he won’t be able to get up, and when that happens, it’ll be time to let him go.” Just like that, one day Hero just didn't get up anymore. Last week while thinking of hero it made me think of Our little guy Hercules(2-year-old c

These days with all the things that are happening in the world around you it's easy to get caught up in all the noise. With that said I'd like for us to go on an idea journey about equality and how it relates to ability and effort. I recently came across an article that talks about why ability beats effort. The author, Stephen Guise, introduces a simple formula for productivity: Productivity = Effort x Ability He states that in this equation, the ability is more important tha

You've felt it right? There's so much to get done that you don't want to do any of it. It happens to me, I hit a brick wall. I’ve spent the last 10 years learning how to build Sweat Nation. I've listened to podcast after podcast, I see clients, I producing my blog and podcast, create new digital programs(30/30 Rise), manage several companies, And all of this is happening against the backdrop of planning a huge summer wedding with my fiance. I did everything I could to take c

Ok, i'll confess, this past weekend I allowed myself to live like i did in my 20's and did some not so awesome things for my brain. It's like I put dirty, unstable oil in my car, it was not the best choices for the internal mechanisms that propel it. Thank goodness this is not my lifestyle. If it was, sooner or later, smoke would start rising up out of the hood. You've heard that "you are what you eat. "Which means how well you function relies on the quality of the food you p

Once upon a time I used to be real lazy, and what's worse would convince myself that I was busy being lazy. I would much rather watch a TV show and convince myself that I was doing something productive. What I failed to consider while building this, was that my apathetic ways were actually costing me money—and time. When I finally made that connection (Shout out to George Glason and his book The Richest Man In Babylon), I starting getting smart about how I spend my time. Squa

Last week while chatting with a client, we were talking about a number of different conditions, including eczema, pre-diabetes, depression, and anxiety. As we reviewed eating habit results, I pointed out that he had very low levels of beneficial gut bacteria foods. Client replied: “I don’t understand how that’s possible! I’ve been taking probiotics for years.” I understand the frustration and confusion. Until recently, scientists believed that taking probiotics was the best w

First of all, let me say that #InstantPot is a must-have tool for efficient batch cooking! After many months of debating if I really needed another kitchen appliance, The fiance and I said, let's do it!!! and brought one home. I'm sure she agrees when I say we have zero regrets....#AF...that's where you're supposed to use that right? We use it frequently, especially when we haven't thought about what we want to make. Since you can throw frozen meat in there it eliminates the