Who’s Ben?

Ben, a self-proclaimed nerd, is super smart. In fact, he got a 4.0 GPA in advanced science courses. Here are just some of the most interesting facts about him.

• He was also accepted into not one, not two, but six medical schools. But, he chose to get his master’s degree in exercise physiology and biomechanics.
• Breaking the common stereotype, he dove into the fitness world. He partnered with physicians and opened a series of personal training studios, gyms, and physiology and biomechanics labs.
• Ben was voted America’s Top Personal Trainer in 2008.
• He is a New York Times Best Selling Author.
• He was also named as one of the world’s top 100 most influential people in the health and fitness industry.

I was really stoked to be able to interview Ben, and we were able to discuss a variety of topics, which I summarize here.

‘Unschooling’ Your Kids

Ben shares some pretty unique views when it comes to education. He talks about how once their kids come home from school, the ‘unschooling’ begins. This is when they focus on teaching their kids things that cannot be learned in school, like hunting, wilderness survival, chores, and caring for animals.

Now here’s something exciting. Ben’s twin boys are in fifth grade. Before they enter the sixth grade, they will be given a choice if they want to drop out of school. Ben plans to take them around the world to focus on a more experiential education while taking into account their love for cooking.

Ben believes that a lot of college courses are a waste of time, and that there are only a few careers that actually need a formal education. However, Ben agrees that his kids need to be well equipped to pass college entrance exams in the event that they want to be an astronaut or a doctor.

On intermittent fasting

Ben gives the rundown on intermittent fasting, and even shares his own intermittent fasting practices:

• 12-16 hour fast every single day
  • The most active and lean people Ben knows work best with 12 hour scenarios like an 8pm to 8am intermittent fast
• Seasonal cleanse four times a year
  • Practice spring cleaning for your body every quarter: eat low calorie intake for 5 days to cleanse your body.
• Dinner to dinner fast
  • He does this once or twice a month. He gives Saturday dinner to Sunday dinner as an example of this.

On networking

Ben also believes that ‘who you know’ is more important.

“I know a lot of brilliant people—unicorns—who have the expertise and body of knowledge, but don’t really spend time networking and making connections.”

He calls them ‘diamonds in the rough.’ Though they already have ‘what you know’ mapped out, their potential contributions don’t make it out into the universe because they lack the connections.

Listen to more of what Ben shared during the interview. Check out the full episode here.