“I’m a simple man. I like pretty, dark-haired women, and breakfast food.”

 – Ron Swanson

Challenge 21: cook more, lift heavy, and take lots of pictures

I had a problem. Eating at restaurants was making me lose weight. Peruvian portions are nothing like their American counterparts. In the U.S. you can get done lifting and then eat two dozen hot wings for protein. Here it’s a different story.

If you’re trying to build muscle you have to be willing to cook.

While I’m no Wolfgang Puck I do know a bit about meal preparation. I can make steak and eggs, burgers, meatloaf, and pretty much any other dish where ground beef is the main ingredient. This is great… For about two weeks. Eating meatloaf or steak 10 times a week gets old.

In order to break out of my routine I had to learn new recipes.

Why cooking is something that should interest you

A lot of guys think that cooking is stupid. There are plenty of dudes who won’t cook. Either they eat pizza and prepackaged foods, or they have a girlfriend who makes meals. Both of these are bad for your health.

I have never met anyone who looked even remotely healthy after eating Hungry-Man or Dominos for an extended period of time. In fact, I know two guys who each gained over 30 pounds of fat after eating frozen food for one semester of college. They ballooned up in less than six months.

Additionally, relying on your girlfriend to make all your food can cause problems too. Home-cooked doesn’t automatically translate to healthy. Olivier salad, fried chicken, and empanadas aren’t going to keep you in shape. Most regional foods are pretty bad for you.

Being dependent on someone else also makes you helpless. I’m always amazed by how many grown men are incapable of making even the most basic of dishes.

This month I want to show you the importance of cooking. You’re going to see how it can be used to:

• Increase your gym performance
• Create a profitable side hustle
• Save money
• Improve your sex life
• And plenty more

I think it’s going to be a good month and I look forward to sharing some health secrets with you.