Practical Hacks For Making New Habits, Waging The War Against Alcohol, The Best Morning Routine Ever, Upgraded Overnight Oatmeal & Much More With Michael Chernow.

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My new friend Michael Chernow is a creature of habit.

Literally.

His company Kreatures of Habit (KOH) is an in-your-face lifestyle and wellness brand that reimagines how you establish healthy habits and routines in your life.

Michael is a serial entrepreneur, restauranteur, podcast host, and expert in the worlds of wellness, fitness, and nutrition. After years in the restaurant business in NYC, he realized that his calling was to be of service in a more personal way, with the ability to impact more lives. Honoring his 17 years of sobriety by launching his newest venture, Michael's goal with KOH was to create easily-accessible nutritional products rooted in adopting the positive habits that transformed his life (btw, his overnight oatmeal is crazy good and there’s a 20% discount with code BGL20 if you click here).

In this episode, Michael openly shares how he transformed his life from a struggling addict to a successful entrepreneur who developed multiple successful restaurants, eventually leading to the creation of Kreatures of Habit. He also gives you an inside look at his biohacked daily routine to maximize productivity and efficiency which includes various practices such as meditation, exercise, and a nutrient-dense diet. And you may be happy to find out that while his routine is thorough and structured, Michael does let himself watch an hour and a half of TV daily!

So, if you want to create new habits and discover daily routines that will vastly enhance productivity, fitness, health, and beyond while maintaining a connection to faith and family, then our inspirational conversation that goes way beyond restaurants and oatmeal is for you (but also, you need to try the oatmeal…trust me – especially the Maple or Peanut Butter flavors!).

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-Ben's morning habits…06:37

  • Ben's usual morning raw liver smoothie
  • Ben dramatically changed his morning routine after he stopped triathlons 
    • Overnight oatmeal for breakfast
    • Superfood meals
  • Kreatures of Habit (use code BGL20 to save 20%)
  • Ingredients in the peanut butter banana flavor
    • Rolled oats
    • Pea protein
    • Roasted pumpkin seeds
    • Peanut flour
    • Organic brown flax
    • Organic banana freeze-dried powder
    • Organic chia seeds
    • Himalayan pink salt
    • Cocoa powder
    • Amylase blend
    • Monk fruit extract
    • Bacillus subtilis
    • Organic vegan vitamin D3
  • 350 cal., 32g of protein
  • 6 different flavors
    • Apple cinnamon
    • Peanut butter banana
    • Maple caramel
    • Chocolate
    • Blueberry banana
    • Vanilla

 

-Michael Chernow’s early life and addiction…11:28

  • Magic Spoon cereal (use code BENGREENFIELD to save 5%)
    • Made to simulate old comfort food cereals
    • Ben's favorite cereals
  • Kreatures of Habit (use code BGL20 to save 20%)
  • Michael grew up in New York
    • Always wanted to make and create stuff
    • Got a job at a restaurant at 12
    • Worked at Couch Potato Videos delivery
    • Started delivering food for a restaurant
    • Worked in restaurants for many years after
    • Seamore's until two and a half years ago
  • Rough and tumble home
    • Wanted to leave as fast as he could
    • Exposed to nightlife in restaurants
    • Started with alcohol and drugs very young
    • An addict at 18 
  • Ben’s experience with marijuana
  • Michael hit bottom in his late teens/early twenties
    • Just wanted to die
  • Fired from his job and begged to get it back
    • Given a second chance
    • That was the last day he drank and used drugs

-The beginning of Michael's new life…21:39

  • Communication is his superpower
    • Loves connecting with people
  • Ben's mom's pub, Bucer's Coffehouse & Pub
  • Had no problem asking people for help
  • Introduced to kickboxing
    • Became a Muay Thai practitioner
  • He required certain daily routine
    • Wake up as early as you can
    • Kneel in prayer (get into the habit of asking for help)
    • Running
    • Healthy nutrition – bowl of oatmeal
    • Going to the gym
    • Chicken and broccoli salad
    • Going to work
    • Sleep and repeat
  • Went from a bloated, red-faced person hating himself to a shredded human in 90 days
  • Started to develop self-confidence, self-care, and self-love
  • Trained in Muay Thai for 12 years
  • Nutrition became very important in his life
  • Went from Muay Thai to bodybuilding

-Several successful restaurant businesses that led to Kreatures of Habit…35:19

-Michael’s daily routine…1:01:49

  • Took years of trial and error to build his routine
  • Habits as a 3-phase process
    1. Chore – from 2 weeks to 2 months
    2. Habit phase – a month to 2 years
    3. Becomes part of your life
  • A habit missed several times is a new habit
  • Habits can cause what Napoleon Hill called hypnotic trans; not allowing habits to inhibit you
  • Ben’s experience with triathlon and reprograming his brain
  • Michael has a structured morning and evening routine
  • Morning to evening routine
    • Wakes up between 4:45 and 5:00 a.m. (8 Sleep mattress warms at 4:45 – for Ben's recommended sleep system, check out SleepMe)
    • Smiles from ear to ear (smiling first thing in the morning releases serotonin)
    • Gratitude
    • Get out of bed with intention
    • Pre-made jar with water and LMNT
    • Splash cold water on face
    • Morning prayer (prayer he's been saying for the better part of 18 years)
    • Serenity prayer multiple times during the day
    • 50 push-ups – straight, full, chest to floor
    • Stretch practice from 5 to 7 minutes
    • Red light panel for 20 minutes with breathwork
    • Meditation and reading in the sauna for 10 – 15 minutes
    • Rolfing
    • Cold plunge with a 30-second sort of Wim Hof-style breathwork
    • Journaling with The KOH Habit Stacker
    • Hugs and kisses for the wife and kids
    • Coffee
    • Taking the kids to school or working on the computer for about an hour and a half
    • Meal One, a can of sardines, meat stick, slate milk in the bag
    • Crossfit training from 10:00 to 11:15
    • Eat the Meal One
    • Go to the office and work from 11:30 to 03:30
    • Meetings from 03:30 to 05:30
    • Clean desk and the room (leave it the way you want to find it – environments impact how we feel)
    • Home at 05:55
    • Breathwork before getting down from the truck
    • Family time from 06:00 to 08:30
    • Do rose, thorn, bud and seed around the table
      • Rose is one thing that you loved about your day
      • Thorn is one thing that you didn't love about your day
      • Bud is something that you're really looking forward to
      • Seed is something that you did to be of service and help someone else out today
    • Dinner for 30 to 40 minutes
    • Brushing teeth together
    • To the kids' bedroom – read chapters of 2 books
    • Crawl in bed and do the 13 things
      1. Always protect your brother
      2. Ladies always go first
      3. Squeeze and eyes when you give somebody a handshake
      4. Remember people's names
      5. Lift up the toilet seat when you need to go to the bathroom
      6. Put the toilet seat back down when you're done
      7. Always wash your hands
      8. Look to the left when you're crossing the road
      9. Look to the right when you're crossing the road
      10. Highness always wins
      11. Be kind to mommy when daddy's away
      12. Always walk with courage
      13. I love you
    • Sing 2 songs – one is always “Stand By Me”
    • PT stretches and exercises while waiting for the kids to fall asleep
    • Go downstairs to make a protein smoothie, typically every night at around 8 o'clock
      • Ice
      • Half a cup of frozen blueberries
      • 2 ounces of frozen cauliflower
      • A scoop of protein powder
      • A little bit of cinnamon
      • About half a cup of almond milk
      • A cup of water
    • Watch something on TV for about an hour and a half
    • Bed at 09:30
  • Others
  • LMNT
  • Joovv
  • Sauna
  • Morozko Forge
  • Dr. Nathan Bryan
  • N1O1 Nitric Oxide Releasing Lozenges
  • Spiritual Disciplines Journal
  • Boundless Cookbook
  • Kion Energy Bars

-And much more…

Upcoming Events:

  • Health Optimisation Summit: June 17th – 18th, 2023

Join me at The Health Optimisation Summit in London! This is your chance to be part of a community of 2,500 like-minded people and learn from world-leading health speakers. You'll be able to fast-track your health journey, discover cutting-edge secrets and hacks, explore the latest tech and gadgets, and find the cleanest and healthiest supplements and nutrient-dense foods. Don't miss out on this incredible experience! Learn more here.

  • Hum2n Event: June 19th, 2023

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from the best in the field and take your biohacking journey to the next level. You’ll get the chance to be involved with a private network of biohackers, a live discussion with myself and Dr. E, a live Q&A, an experiential biohacking experience, tasty food, and a chance to win some mind-blowing prizes! Learn more here.

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Michael Chernow

– Podcasts:

– Other Resources:

Episode sponsors:

HVMN: Visit  hvmn.com/BenG and use code BENG20 for 20% off any purchase of Ketone-IQ️. This is an exclusive offer for podcast listeners. You can now find HVMN in California Earthbar locations (located within Equinox).

Organifi Green Juice: Start your day with essential superfoods that help detox the body, lower cravings, reduce stress, and reset your morning with a juice. Organifi Green Juice contains a clinical dose of Ashwagandha and supports healthy cortisol levels, aiding in weight management. Go to organifi.com/Ben for 20% off your order.

Naboso: Naboso features sensory-based product lines, created for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and biohackers as a way to optimize their foot health and foot recovery. Better movement begins now. Visit naboso.com/ben and use code BEN for 10% off.

BON CHARGE: Holistic wellness brand with a wide range of products that naturally address the issues of our modern way of life. They can help you sleep better, perform better, recover faster, balance hormones, reduce inflammation, and so much more. Go to boncharge.com/GREENFIELD and use coupon code GREENFIELD to save 15%.

Kion Aminos: Aminos are building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more. Go to getkion.com/ben to receive 20% off on monthly deliveries and 10% on one-time purchases.

Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Michael Chernow or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

Ask Ben a Podcast Question

6 thoughts on “Practical Hacks For Making New Habits, Waging The War Against Alcohol, The Best Morning Routine Ever, Upgraded Overnight Oatmeal & Much More With Michael Chernow.

  1. free games says:

    Excellent performance as usual, however be aware of the sunflower seed oil on the roasted seeds in the finished product!

  2. Dylan Prestwich says:

    Hey Ben!

    How much liver do you typically use in your smoothie?

  3. Frederik says:

    Great show as always although look out for the sunflower seed oil on the roasted seeds in the product!

    1. Yvette says:

      Yes, I was also wondering about the sunflower oil as well……

    2. Brandon Terrazas says:

      It’s just odd because I though sunflower seed oil is incredibly bad for you…

  4. Brandon says:

    Great show. Rose, thorn, bud and seed is a new one for me – love it.

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