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Welcome to episode 6 of the BiOptimizers’ Awesome Health podcast! Today I have another good friend and mentor to share with you: Cory Holly. Cory has inspired me on my journey, and he will do the same for you on this show.
Cory is a living legend in Canada! He founded CHI, or the Cory Holly Institute. I believe in his work so much that I have a certification from CHI. And even though I attended university, I found CHI to be more practical, applicable and much more accessible.
Listen in to hear his philosophy on life, and the fundamentals of holistic nutrition for healthy living.
More About Awesome Health with Cory Holly
The first thing I wanted to know from Cory was for him to share who he is at a foundational level. He tells the story of a time he and his son took a trip together, and his son asked him this same question. Cory at his core calls himself a basic gym rat combined with a hippie and surf bum!
He expands on that by explaining that first and foremost a man must have a philosophy. However that philosophy is not to define who you are, because you are simply you. The most important questions to ask to find your philosophy are where are you? and what is existence? When you come to terms with those questions and your answers you start to get in touch with reality.
Very early in his life he found that in order to achieve anything he has to be well, that is the overriding principle of everything. Wellness is his destiny, his birthright and what Nature has designed in him. But this isn’t in concert with most of the human collective. He sees a lot of people not experiencing emotional, physical and mental wellness. The reasons they don’t experience well-being can be discovered by studying them – and you can learn one of the greatest lessons in life which is what not to do.
As he has learned what not to do, he has found what he strives to be: a great sportsman, a man of courage, a man of honor, and a man of integrity. Those three words: courage, honor and integrity are also the found in the letters of his institute (CHI).
Cory’s Biggest Nutrition Lessons
Because wellness and vitality is at the core of all he does, I also asked him to share the biggest lessons he’s learned about physicality and nutrition.
The biggest lesson Cory has learned is to reject all that was fed into his brain as a kid. The educational system didn’t prepare him for reality, it didn’t teach him the things he needed to know. When he graduated high school he wasn’t equipped to care for his health and well-being. Health consciousness is not what you see in a typical high school graduate, so no one is getting this education.
Very few of us know how to eat, or what real nutrition looks like and the importance of understanding our own biochemistry. Rarely are we taught how to design an exercise regimen either. All of these things are things we can’t be well in this world without knowledge of.
Cory began learning about these principles when he was young. He also began to learn he was not fit for being an employee, as so many of us are taught to become. He had to discover the entrepreneur he truly is at his core, but not before being greatly disappointed and betrayed by his employers and the system in general.
He also had to learn what he didn’t want to do, which led him to find what he did want and that was sport and overall wellness.
Since sport and wellness are at his core, I also asked him to share his basic tenets of living a healthy lifestyle. What keys does he consider to be non-negotiable?
Clean air, clean water and proper nutrition are his three keys.
Regarding clean water, Cory recommends 30 ml per kilogram of lean mass, he drinks 3-4 liters per day. He says the solution to pollution is dilution! You can avoid infection and degenerative disease by drinking clean water regularly. He also explains water-rich foods are important because most people who suffer from dementia have been found to have a dehydrated brain: their diet is dry, nothing they take into their bodies is very rich in water.
As far as proper nutrition is concerned this means whole foods and unprocessed foods. In general, the healthiest people eat the simplest foods that are rich in quality.
What Cory Eats Every Day
His daily intake is two big salads, which are typically made up of of 12 rainbow-colored raw vegetables. To his salads, he adds protein, usually chicken breast. He doesn’t eat a lot of protein, but he eats often: anywhere from 5-7 times a day.
He also restricts his eating hours to a maximum of 12 per day and keeps in accordance with the circadian patterns of the day (so he doesn’t eat at night).
When he gets up in the morning he drinks a glass of water, then he juices a grapefruit, lemon, lime and orange plus a tablespoon of abscorbic acid. Vitamin C is vital because it goes so far beyond scurvy! It goes into solidifying the collagen bed that makes us real and alive, and the typical athlete needs so much more than what we have been led to believe. He recommends starting off with 500-1,000 mg for a week. The next week go to 2,000mg, and over time work your way up to 3,000 mg in divided doses throughout the day.
A lack of Vitamin C shows up in many ways: adrenal fatigue, soreness of the eye, allergies, resistance to stress, etc. Vitamin C helps with stress because when we are stressed our bodies convert glucose into cholesterol and it gets oxidized, clogging up our blood. If you take a lot of Niacin and Vitamin C this will not happen. Animals don’t get cancer because they produce Vitamin C to protect themselves from stress hormones.
One day he does his citrus juice, and the next day he juices carrots, cucumbers, celery, ginger, cucumin and parsley. Parsley is included because the chlorophyll it contains is monumental to health and wellness. It is a great source of magnesium, has a strong alkaline and oxygen supply. Also with his juice he also takes tyrosine for the thryoid, it’s the anti-stress amino acid. He also takes CoQ10 to charge the electron transport chain which degrades as we age.
Then he waits an hour or so, before taking his protein shake. In that shake he uses a whey protein isolate, unflavored and unsweetened. He combines the protein with water along with organic berries, pineapple, mango and kiwi. He adds a teaspoon of rooibos. He does use creatine, but he does so after training because the absorption is enhanced by 50% after training vs. before.
He also puts in glutamine and spirulina from Hawaii, followed by 4-6 tablespoons of hemp seed oil. Hemp seed is included because it has the omega 3 parent, GLA (gama linolenic acid) which is ideal for reducing inflammation. He takes his vitamins when he drinks his shake, it’s the perfect time.
He also makes a coffee: he uses organic beans that he grinds himself and has just one cup a day. He says if you are well-hydrated and feeding on natural foods there is no evidence that coffee has any ill effect, it is typically well-received by the human body although there are exceptions. The key is to make sure you are well-hydrated and the coffee itself is clean without pesticides.
After his water, juices, pre-workout shake and coffee he gets ready to go the gym. He walks to the gym or the field, wherever he is training that day. At the gym he has a shaker cup of whey protein isolate, creatine, glutamine and rooibos. He also hydrates with water or coconut water while he works out.
Then he comes home and usually has his chopped up veggie salad with the chicken breast for protein. He uses virgin oil and balsamic vinegar, never store-bought dressings.
At night he has a choice of protein: bison, wild salmon, or wild halibut with a green leafy salad. The salad has pumpkin seeds, onions, and raw garlic too. Then he fasts after his evening meal, he drinks water and herbal teas.
During the day Cory eats a tin of sardines, and his wife eats liver once a week. They do this because eating entrails (the internal organs of an animal) is one of the secrets to health and longevity. Entrails are so healthy because they store all of the vitamins and minerals of an animal’s body.
And he does all of this to minimize and subdue inflammation, which is a byproduct of athletic training. When people are sore it is because of inflammation so Cory recommends looking at what you eat and what is eating you! You must answer both of these inquiries so you can fully address your needs physically and mentally.
On this episode, we also talk about why he rarely eats out, the importance of being still, paying attention to the small things and having down time. There is SO much amazing knowledge in Cory and he generously gives of it on this edition of the BiOptimizers’ Awesome Health podcast.
Episode Resources
- The Cory Holly Institute (CHI)
- Cory Holly on YouTube
- Cory Holly Institute on Facebook
- The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
- The Fountainhead, the movie
- The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde
- BiOptimizers web site
- Masszymes web site (promo code shake 10)