The Life Elevated Blueprint

1.  Thou Must Avoid Dieting (but Always Eat Well)

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter what “brand” of diet you choose–Keto, Paleo, Vegan, or Mediterranean. When push comes to shove, research shows that the quality of what you eat (and drink!) is far more important than the specific dietary format you follow for better health, wellness, and performance. Organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised and wild-caught are some of the more important attributes to prioritize, however. By-passing processed foods that contain added sugar, refined oils, artificial colors and other toxins is also very important–and well worth the extra cost. 

When it comes to living life elevated, pay it forward: purchase only clean, high-quality and nutrient-dense food. Eat as locally, seasonally and ancestrally as possible. Keep in mind plant-based diets are less than ideal at providing the body with the needed essential amino acids to build and restore. Minimize and control unhealthy (inflammatory) blood sugar spikes, go for a short walk after you eat. Remember there is no quick fix or magic diet, it doesn’t matter if it takes a year, five years, or more. It doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult. If you eat a simple, sustainable and varied diet, you can get where you want to go. When in doubt, refer back to the following five points:

1. Eliminate your intake of all processed foods. Shop the outer aisles of the grocery store. 

2. Focus on eating a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods. Eat a rainbow of color!

3. Minimize your intake of hydrogenated and/or polyunsaturated oils. Consume olive, avocado and coconut oils, (organic, grass-fed) butter and/or lard instead.

4. Prioritize protein in order to maintain muscle mass (and metabolic might). Strive to eat at least one gram of protein per pound of muscle mass daily. 

5. Make an effort to keep your blood sugar levels as even as possible. You can easily reduce both the frequency and duration of blood sugar spikes by eliminating refined sugars and processed carbohydrates from your diet.

2. Thou Must Move More (and Exercise Less)

When viewed through an evolutionary lens, it’s pretty easy to see how the human body has been genetically programmed to move–mostly long and slow with an occasional short, powerful burst of strength or speed. Contrary to current practice, going longer AND harder isn’t the most productive way to become fitter, faster, stronger (or healthier). A wealth of scientific research suggests that keeping the vast majority of your daily exercise intensity at or below a zone 2 effort level–adding in the occasional short, high-intensity interval session–is actually more effective. Zone 2 training combined with 30 to 60 minutes of strength training once or twice a week–and a single session of 8-10 short, zone-5 efforts with plenty of rest in between–-can help you achieve more by doing less. Let go of the outdated notion of “no pain, no gain” once and for all. To live life elevated, move more and train smarter, not harder. 

3. Thou Must Understand Nitric Oxide (the Miracle Molecule) 

Nitric Oxide is often referred to as “the miracle molecule” for a reason. Its ability to improve endurance, performance, energy, blood pressure, cardiovascular health, blood flow, longevity–and more–are unsurpassed in the natural nutrient world. The benefits of nitric oxide are derived from eating foods that are high in naturally occurring dietary nitrates (as opposed to the counterfeit chemical look-alikes that are often used as preservatives). Nitric oxide improves the rate of oxygen delivery to the body’s cells and tissues. The end result? With enough nitric oxide on board, a difficult physical effort feels easier, and you get healthier, too!

A number of research studies confirm that the optimal source of dietary nitrates is beetroot juice, due to its high concentration of natural nitrates, powerful antioxidants, and heart-healthy betalains. We highly recommend PureClean Beet™ Juice Powder, ChocoBerry Blast™, Superfood formula and UnbeetaBrew™ health and performance coffee as easy–and delicious–ways to boost your body’s nitric oxide levels. As an added bonus, these three products contain the juice of beets grown in USA high-nitrate soil. As a result, they contain a measured and relevant amount of nitric oxide 3x than normal. And this means you’ll be getting the benefits you’re paying for.

4. Thou Must Live Freely (but Thoughtfully)

While the modern era is filled with wonders and conveniences, it’s fraught with its fair share of dangers and difficulties, too. The “information explosion” is just one example. With the click of the button, we have immediate access to an almost-infinite body of information on any given question or topic. Some of this information is factual, but a growing percentage of it is not. Too often, it’s also based on fear. 

Fear has an insidious way of infiltrating our daily decision-making process. It can stop us from taking positive action by pulling us down into an endless cycle of paralysis and confusion. The truth is that fear holds many people back from reaching their full potential and living life on their own terms. By staying cognizant–and sometimes questioning–what you’re seeing and hearing in the media you follow, you can put a stop to any fearful thinking and/or decision-making patterns before they begin. Need some additional guidance? Here are a few strategies you might choose to follow:

1. Challenge your inner dialogue. This means dissecting the information we might be ruminating over. Stop and look at the evidence objectively, rather than allowing feelings of anxiety cloud your judgment. Ask yourself some simple questions like, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” 

2. Use activities like exercise, mindful movement or connecting with other people to force a break from any unhelpful thinking patterns. Give your mind the opportunity to recalibrate itself so that rational thought processes can prevail. Fear doesn’t have to have the final say over our lives, if we can consistently replace fearful thoughts with more helpful ones. 

3. Tune in by practicing self-awareness. Learn to identify and name your own thoughts and feelings so that you can recognize how these might be influencing your behavior. Practicing self-awareness fosters a sense of greater sense of control over our lives by helping us make informed decisions, rather than ones driven by fear or anxiety. 

4. Avoid falling into a trap of gaining convenience and ease but losing liberty or vitality.

5. If you want it done right, age old wisdom tells you to do it by yourself, and with those who care about you. 

6. Remember to be confident in yourself and be comfortable being uncomfortable, have compassion for yourself and others.

7. It can help to adapt an attitude that is open to change; to learn from failure instead of avoiding it.

8. Don’t give up or forget why you want to live life elevated.

5. Thou Must Put Health First (and Athletic Performance Second)

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “If you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything.”

At PureClean Performance, we believe that the pursuit of health–above all else–should serve as a compass for anyone who truly wants to live life elevated. It is only by focusing first on creating a firm foundation of health that achieving peak athletic performance becomes possible. In today’s world–with the almost-overwhelming amount of online health and performance advice that’s available, the fields of performance, nutrition and longevity are not collectively considered. The pursuit of one is often pitted against the other. At PureClean Performance, our goal is to help you achieve both your health and performance, without having to choose one over the other. 

To learn more about this no-compromise approach to living your best life, consider setting up some consultation time with Dr. Cohen, M.D. to discuss your specific life aspirations and goals. PureClean Performance also makes a wide variety of at-home laboratory tests and health assessments available at discounted pricing.

6. Thou Must Prioritize Protein

Protein is the most powerful life elevating nutrient on the planet. It contains amino acids that support muscle mass and power while it protects against aging, DNA damage, and metabolic disease. Protein helps total muscle and body recovery after bouts of intense or prolonged exercise. Protein fuels the body’s metabolic might. It burns fat, improves sleep, and enables the body to better handle and adapt to both physical and mental stress. It replenishes energy, supports mitochondrial (cellular energy production) function, and supports healthy hormone production and regulation. 

In order to live life elevated, it’s essential to view protein as the foundational building block of your diet; to ensure that your body has enough of the right kind of amino acids (from both food and supplements) that it needs to build and maintain muscle. Remember that essential amino acid supplements (EAAs) are more important than  BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) as EAAs cannot be produced by the body. 

Ideally, focus your intake on animal proteins, which contain all the essential amino acids the body requires for building, maintaining and repairing its tissues, organs and systems. Plant proteins are less optimal as they do not provide all of the essential amino acids. If possible, consume your protein with a “nose to tail” philosophy in mind. This means eating as close–as possible–to the whole animal. If you use protein powders on a regular basis, we strongly recommend PureClean Protein™ which offers 22 grams of protein per serving and also contains collagen for a more complete protein profile. We further highly recommend FundAminos™ as a full serving of this product will provide the equivalent of 40 grams of dietary protein with 4 calories at a 4x concentration vs. regular protein. Because FundAminos does not require digestion, it will be absorbed and available to use by the body in less than 20 minutes, too. 

7. Thou Must Sleep More (in Order to Really Recover)

Those who strive to live a life elevated are typically always on the go. There is always something to do, see, learn and accomplish! But if your zest for living life to its fullest sometimes leaves you feeling exhausted, it may be time to reexamine your priorities–and consider placing sleep at the top (instead of the bottom) of your daily “to-do” list. 

At this point in time, there are literally thousands of scientific research studies that prove sleep shouldn’t ever be considered as a luxury, but more of a bare-bones necessity for anyone who is truly invested in maximizing their personal health and performance. 

Sleep is essentially the only time the body has to dedicate the lion’s share of its inner resources to both mental and physical repair and recovery. Sleeping less than 8 hours a night can and will  compromise your overall health and performance. If you’re sleeping less, consider the following fine points:

1. Sleep is restorative. When you sleep, the body clears debris from the lymphatic system, which boosts immunity, muscle repair, protein synthesis, tissue (muscle) growth and hormone release.

2. Sleep reduces stress. A lack of sleep not only reduces mental clarity but the body’s ability to cope with stress on a purely physiological level due to an overproduction of cortisol–the body’s stress hormone. 

3. Sleep helps you maintain a healthy body weight. When you are sleep deprived, your body alters the hormones that regulate hunger and appetite: leptin, which suppresses appetite and encourages the body to expend energy and ghrelin, which triggers feelings of hunger. When you’re short on sleep, leptin goes down and ghrelin goes up. So can body weight and body fat, too, go up.

If you’re having difficulty figuring out how to rework your daily (and nightly) regimen to include more sleeping hours, consider reaching out to Coach Jackie. She’s a highly-recommended resource. Using the FundAminos™ amino acid formula daily is an extremely easy (just add water) way to boost your overall recovery game as well.

8. Thou Must Avoid Over Supplementation (K.I.S.S)

In a world of countless health and performance gurus–from YouTubers and podcasters to an army of social media influencers–each with a different fast-track path to improved health and performance. And from complicated supplement regimens to (expensive) “miracle pills,” the promise of looking and feeling better is often sold a million different ways. 

But the truth is that there are no shortcuts to optimal health and performance. Living life elevated doesn’t require some mysterious combination of magical nutrients and it can’t be achieved with a quick-fix pill or diet. What it really requires is to keep things simple–to focus first on making health-affirming decisions (refer to this Blueprint) and taking a few, foundational supplements consistently that work. Keeping things simple is the key to sustainable, positive progress over time. Trying to do too much, too soon by spending too much will ultimately not be the best use of your time, energy or money. 

It’s time to put an end to all the guesswork (and hard work) that comes hand in hand with buying nutritional supplements. Reach out to our professional team to schedule a consultation with Dr. Rick Cohen M.D. or Coach Jackie. We would also encourage you to use our product use guide and/or check out the professionally vetted (and discounted) foundational supplements available on our MLP Formulary. 

9. Thou Must Connect to a Life Purpose

Life purpose is defined as having “clear goals and a direction for one’s life.” Living with purpose–engaging in purpose-driven behaviors–contributes to the attainment of a meaningful life. When you have an identified purpose in your life, you are more likely to feel good about the way you are living your life. Recognizing that there is some ultimate reason for your actions, that you are contributing to the world in some important way, lends a sense of satisfaction and connectedness which can help you achieve greater levels of health and wellbeing. Without a doubt, having a life purpose leads directly to living life elevated. 

If this piece of your life’s puzzle is missing, it’s easy to get lost in the minutiae of the daily grind, to lose your motivation; to forget what’s most important in life. Today, we enjoy luxuries and conveniences our parents could never have imagined. Despite what we might be led to believe on the nightly news, we live with an unprecedented level of safety, security, and satisfaction. Yet, it’s easy to become distracted, to be pulled “off course” to your elevated life. 

Remember that your life’s purpose doesn’t necessarily have to be rooted in your career–or your athletic achievements. If you’re in need of a dose of redirection, remember that these four things can help anchor you to your life’s purpose:   

1. Social Connection. Creating meaningful connections with others–in virtually any type of social setting–is a great way to increase life purpose while also boosting health and happiness.

2. Self-Expression. Expressing our opinions and ideas is both healthful and purposeful. Write, sing, dance, draw, or paint; work on developing your own “signature” clothing style; audition for a play at your local community theater. Opportunities for expression are everywhere! 

3. Personal Impact. Assess your daily activities and consider your interactions with the people you come in close contact with. If you are in a teaching or leadership role, make sure to acknowledge the positive impact you are having on the lives of others. There may be no greater purpose in life than this!

4. Ask Great Questions: Is what you’re doing heading you to your goal? Does your daily routine help you fly, or does it drag you down? What’s already great, and what can you improve? Remember it’s a journey. We are always here to help every step of the way.

10. Thou Must Have Fun (as Often as Possible) 

Adequate play is an essential–yet often neglected–behavioral component of human existence. In fact, numerous scientific studies confirm that it’s literally one of life’s necessities. Without play, humans cannot truly be healthy, happy, lean and fit–or live a meaningful, productive life. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom seems to have relegated play to the very bottom of life's priority list.

In our hectic, modern lives, many of us focus heavily on work and family commitments that we never seem to have time for simply having fun. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stopped playing. But when we carve out some leisure time, we’re more likely to zone out in front of the TV or computer than engage in the active, so let’s start rejuvenating play we did as kids. 

Playing with your partner, friends, co-workers, pets and children is a sure way to fuel your imagination, creativity, problem-solving skills and emotional wellbeing. Adult play is a time to forget about work and commitments, to simply enjoy life in an unstructured way. And this could look a lot of different ways–sharing jokes with a coworker at lunch, throwing a frisbee to your dog on the beach, dressing up for Halloween with your kids, building a snowman in the yard, acting out charades at a party, going for a bike ride with your spouse with absolutely no destination in mind. 

The point is that there doesn’t have to be a point to the activity–beyond having fun and enjoying yourself. By giving yourself permission to play like you did when you were a child, you can reap loads of benefits on your path to living a more elevated life. 

11. Thou Must Master Thy Metabolism (or Pay a Huge Price)

The inability to cover the costs of outstanding medical bills accounts for 70% of all bankruptcy cases in the United States today; it’s the number one cause of bankruptcy. What’s the number one cause of medical bills, you might ask? Chronic, lifestyle-related disease. You’re probably familiar with the list–obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure are the common culprits. The common denominator in battling the onset of all these debilitating (and expensive) conditions is the building and maintenance of a strong and healthy metabolism. 

Simply put, metabolism is how our bodies use the calories from food we have consumed or have stored to create energy. While a properly working metabolism is important for burning fat and preventing unwanted weight gain, it’s important to understand that every single system within the body–from the endocrine system to digestive system–is linked to the body’s rate of energy production at the cellular level. Maintaining a strong metabolism will not only reduce your risk of developing a chronic, degenerative disease, it can boost your immune function, make it easier for you to add lean muscle mass and even lengthen your lifespan. Your brain is actually one of the biggest beneficiaries of a strong metabolic rate, since its energy demands are extremely high. Approximately 16 times more energy is needed to keep the brain working than to support skeletal muscle!

Here are some ways you can support your metabolism:

1. Stop dieting. Give your body the calories it needs. Keeping your body properly fueled will pave the way for improved health and performance in all areas of your life for many years to come. If you live in a chronic calorie deficit, your metabolism will slow down all of the body’s physiological functions in order to conserve energy. This, in turn, causes hormonal and cellular changes that increase hunger and thirst, while decreasing your ability to burn fat and grow muscle.

2. Get enough sleep. There’s a proven link between a properly functioning metabolism and  getting an adequate amount of sleep. This is why sleep deprivation can lead to poor body composition and an increased risk for chronic disease. “Running on fumes” will slow down your metabolism since the body works to conserve energy when it’s fatigued. If you’re wiped out, you won’t burn calories like you would if you were well-rested.

3. Try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Exercise of any kind is important for keeping metabolic function working into older age. Some studies have found that while metabolism usually declines as someone gets older, this isn’t necessarily the case if you stay active and maintain muscle mass. FundAminos™ amino acids will help you with this, too!

4. ​​Start Lifting Weights. Strength training (with weights or the use of your own body mass) can increase your resting metabolic rate because it builds lean muscle mass, which naturally uses more calories than body fat does.

12. Thou Must Set Measurable Goals! (Get S.M.A.R.T)

Striving to live your best life is a commendable goal. But HOW are you actually going to get to your peak? By setting some concrete goals–but not just any goals!

Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals are useful because they contain five, measurable aspects that provide you with a reference point for constant focus and reevaluation. To ensure that your path to living life elevated is a streamlined as possible, make sure that each and every one of your goals is: 

1. Specific. When drafting your goal, try to answer the five "W" questions: What do you want to accomplish? Why is this goal important? Who is involved? Where is it located? Which resources or limits are involved?

2. Measurable. A measurable goal should address questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished or how do I measure improvements?

3. Achievable. Your goal should be realistic and attainable; it should stretch your abilities but still remain possible. An achievable goal will usually answer the questions: How can I accomplish this? How will I know when I have reached my goal?

4. Relevant. This aspect of goal setting should ensure that your goal matters to you, and that it also aligns with any other relevant goals you have. If your goal is relevant, you can usually answer with  a "yes" to these questions when evaluating it: Does this seem worthwhile? Is this the right time? Does this match my other efforts/needs?

5. Time-Bound. Every goal needs a target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on and ensure progress is made to your peak. This part of the S.M.A.R.T goal criteria helps to prevent less important, everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals.A time-bound goal will usually answer these questions: By when? What can I accomplish six months from now? What can I accomplish six weeks from now? What can I do today?

Thank you for reading!

P.P.S. Is there a written in stone scientific formula for living a longer, healthier, and happier life? Download Dr. Cohen’s top Top 10 Seeds to Success Handbook to find out!