You ever wake up in the morning, scroll your phone, and see a guy in a Speedo sitting in an ice barrel, eating raw liver, and yelling about testosterone? And you’re like, “Is this health now?”

Welcome to modern wellness, where everyone’s a biohacker, nobody sleeps, and eating chicken with broccoli is suddenly too basic. But let me ask you something. If I told you a few hundred years ago, doctors used to drain your blood to treat the sniffles—you’d laugh, right? "Oh, you have a sore throat? Let’s bleed ya out a little. That’ll fix it."

No joke—President George Washington, the guy on the one-dollar bill, literally died because they drained too much of his blood trying to cure a throat infection. The crazy part? Back then, this wasn’t fringe. This was standard practice. Like, the WebMD of the 1700s. Why? Because people followed what everyone else was doing.

The “science” said your body had four “humors,” and if they got outta whack—bam! Out comes the leech. That’s what I think about every time I see some 45-year-old guy on TikTok injecting himself with testosterone because “aging is optional now.”

Let me be clear: You can’t reverse aging. You can slow it down. You can even look and feel younger than your biological age. But unless you’re secretly Benjamin Button, you’re not backing up the clock. So why do otherwise smart people fall for these fads? Because the promise is seductive. It sounds like a shortcut. And who doesn’t want to skip leg day and still look like a Greek statue?

How to Stick with What Works

The problem isn’t curiosity. It’s when people start treating theories like gospel. Just like bloodletting, these ideas get traction because no one stops to ask, “Hey, does this actually work?” They just follow the trend. “Everyone else is doing it, so it must be right.” You know who else said that? The guy who tried to pet a bison at Yellowstone. Google him. Didn’t end well.

So here’s a crazy idea. Instead of chasing the next miracle cure, why not double down on what’s already proven?

Let’s cut through the noise. I’ve coached clients for over 25 years. You know what’s never changed? The five fundamentals. These are the cornerstones of your health, strength, and longevity. No hype. Just results.

1. Mindful Nutrition

You don’t need to eat like a caveman by restricting your foods to only seeds and steak. Just eat real, whole foods. Balance your meals with lean protein, veggies, healthy fats, and slow-digesting carbs. Don’t eat like a child at a birthday party—cupcakes, soda, and hot dogs. You’re an adult. Fuel accordingly.

2. Resistance Training

Three to four strength-training sessions per week. Nothing revolutionary. Nothing extreme. Just smart programming. Progressive overload is your best friend. It means you gradually increase your weights, reps, or difficulty over time. You don’t need to “shock the muscle” with a brand-new workout every week. Choose consistency over intensity.

3. Deep Sleep

This is the original recovery supplement. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep. If you can’t get it at night, sneak in a 20-minute nap. No, scrolling Instagram until 1 a.m. and then taking a 2-hour “nap” at your desk doesn't count. You’re not a raccoon.

4. Stress Management

Life’s gonna throw you curveballs. You can’t avoid stress, but you can manage it. Exercise is my therapy. Journaling helps too. Breathing. Nature. Talking with someone you trust. But if your only stress relief is doom-scrolling with a pint of Chunky Monkey, we need to talk.

5. Accountability

Left to our own devices, most people default to what’s easy, not what’s effective. That’s why you need a coach, a community, or a committed training partner. Someone to call you out when you start making excuses like, “Oh, I couldn’t work out today because Mercury was in retrograde.” Buddy, Mercury’s not the reason your jeans don’t fit.

The Problem with False Gurus

Let’s talk about these so-called wellness influencers. One minute they’re the “Keto King,” next week they’re selling you colon-cleansing gummies that’ll “burn fat while you sleep.” Meanwhile, they look like they’ve been living off gas station jerky and five hours of sleep a week. They don’t live the lifestyle. They’re just actors in a very well-lit play.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t evolve. I’ve evolved plenty. But the core principles? They haven’t changed. Because what works, works. I’ve been doing this for nearly three decades. And let me tell you—nothing replaces the basics.

Some stuff is just time-tested. Like eating vegetables to lose fat. Drinking water to hydrate. Lifting heavy things to build muscle. Sleeping like a baby to recover. People want the latest gadget or protocol because it feels like progress. But real progress looks like doing the same simple things—over and over—until you’re great at them.

It’s not sexy. Nobody’s going viral for a video titled: “I Ate Chicken and Broccoli Again.” But it works.

My Weekly Schedule

This past week, I kept it simple.

• Trained four times (about 40 minutes each session)
• Followed progressive overload (increased either weight or reps)
• Ate balanced meals with a protein source and vegetable at every sitting
• Slept 8 hours per night
• Managed stress by moving my body
• Checked in with my coach

No magic pills. No red-light sauna therapy. No ice bath in my driveway while shouting, “Let’s GO!” Just fundamentals. Stacked.

Don’t Get Distracted by Shiny Objects

Fitness trends come and go like TikTok dances. But the principles that actually transform your body and health? They’ve been around since the first barbell was lifted. If you’re constantly switching plans, hopping from program to program, diet to diet, all you’re doing is spinning in place. It’s like trying to drive to California but taking a different route every day—and never leaving New Jersey.

Pick a proven strategy. Stick with it. Show up. Do the work.

What You Can Do Starting Today

Here’s how to apply all this starting right now:

✔️ Build Your “Big 3” Habits. Pick three foundational habits:

• 3 resistance training workouts per week
• 1 vegetable with every meal
• 7+ hours of sleep per night

Stick to these for 30 days. Track your progress. That’s it. Don’t complicate it.

✔️ Eliminate One Trendy Distraction. Unfollow one biohacking guru on Instagram today. You don’t need someone telling you to eat raw bull testicles at sunrise.

✔️ Reinvest in the Basics. Instead of buying another supplement stack, invest in:

• A quality water bottle
• Meal prep containers
• A great pair of training shoes
• A coach or mentor

✔️ Find Your Anchor. What’s your “why”? Maybe it’s your kids. Maybe it’s living long enough to walk your daughter or granddaughter down the aisle. Or maybe you just want to look awesome in jeans. Write it down. Keep it visible. This becomes your North Star when motivation fades.

You don’t need a miracle. You don’t need a cleanse. And you definitely don’t need a vampire to suck out your humors. You need consistency. You need basics. And you need belief in the process. It’s not flashy. But it works—every time.

Summary:

In a world obsessed with quick fixes and flashy health trends, the most effective path to long-term health and fitness is sticking to what works. Never forget the importance of time-tested principles: mindful nutrition, consistent resistance training, quality sleep, stress management, and accountability. Skip the biohacking circus and master the basics. If you want lasting results, focus on simplicity, repetition, and a proven strategy—because the fundamentals never go out of style.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online longevity personal trainer, or you want to visit the best age-management personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.