Though this isn't a long post, it's 20 years in the making, as tomorrow marks my 20th year as a fitness professional.



As I look back on the 20 years, I realize how much my eyes have opened to the myths and misinformation (or is it disinformation) surrounding health and fitness. 



Sadly, much of the pseudoscience and ridiculous public health recommendations persist today, passed along by some well-meaning personal trainers and dietitians, and many charlatans hoping to make a bunch of money from people looking for quick fixes and “cutting-edge” gimmicks.



I don’t know that there’s been a week that’s gone by where I haven’t read health-related research papers and books over those two decades. I’ve never stopped learning because, in my opinion, doing so wouldn’t just hurt me. It would hurt anyone I had a chance to train or educate.



Through it all, I’ve tried to simplify what it takes to get and stay fit and healthy. I’ve also tried to help people think differently about the choices they make each day, which lead them closer to health, or closer to disease.



When I first considered writing this “20-Year Anniversary” blog post, I thought about listing out all of the myths and misguided recommendations health and fitness professionals pass along to patients and clients.



Instead, I decided to outline the three overarching factors that affect whether you get fit, or whether you get fat; whether you get healthy or succumb to disease, and whether you live many years with great quality-of-life or wither away in the comfort of a recliner.



When I make nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations, I do so with the goal of improving one or each of these three factors, and never negatively impacting any of them.



Of course, the following are the three overarching aims of VIGOR Training, my online fitness membership.



Hormone balance



You tell your body to burn or store fat, build or breakdown muscle, feel hungry or satisfied or frisky or flat, fall asleep or lie in bed wide awake, and so much more, with the hormones you secrete.



You affect a myriad of hormones by:




The types, not quantity of foods you eat



Your choice of exercise (cardio, high-intensity training, or resistance training)



When you go to sleep



How late you expose yourself to blue light from the TV and mobile devices



Medications and supplements you take



Your reaction to your family, friends, and what’s going on in the world



The number of meals you eat each day




I could go on and on. The point is, if you live like much of the world, you’ll:




Produce excess insulin, making you fatter and more fatigued, eventually leading to Type II diabetes



Suppress leptin and increase ghrelin, making you chronically hungry



Suppress thyroid and testosterone, making you feel depressed and fatigued, causing muscle loss and making it difficult to think clearly



Suppress growth hormone and melatonin, making it difficult to sleep well and repair damaged tissues



Raise cortisol, leading to muscle loss, a shrinking brain, and suppressed immune system




None of what I’ve stated is new information. It’s been documented for decades. And yet, if you talk with a typical doctor, he or she rarely discusses your hormones.



Instead, they’ll recommend reducing calories, which suppresses thyroid, increases hunger, and does nothing to impact your health or fitness long-term. Maybe they’ll prescribe a medication, which can further disrupt the hormonal imbalance you’re already experiencing.



They don't measure your hormones, and they certainly don't give you advice that helps you optimize them. At least most doctors don't.



Do you know the three most important choices you can make in optimizing your balance of hormones?




Sleep at least seven hours each night



Eat a high-protein diet



Strength train at least four days per week




Are there other factors that improve your balance of hormones? Absolutely.