Upgrade Yourself

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10x your business by starting with your health | Helping entrepreneurs to be more confident & energetic, one bite at a time.

Hey there, thanks for stopping by my profile!

🙋🏻‍♂️ For my TL;DR buddies ↓

I started with business education, but life took a turn towards nutrition. Battling health problems, I have crafted an innovative way to improve my relationship with food. Now rocking as a nutrition advisor and making healthy eating easy for entrepreneurs.

Here's the extended version:

🎓 Education in Finance, Life in Nutrition.
Despite coming from a finance and accounting background academically and having worked in various business sectors in my mid-20s, I have dedicated my life to nutrition and wellness. 

My interest in nutrition began when I found myself falling sick frequently during early adulthood. 

Determined to optimize my immune system, I conducted research and experimented with different diets, refining my approach over the years. 

Today, my innovative approach to nutrition has enabled me to coach the CEOs and founders across the world.

⭐️ Upgrade Yourself, Love Yourself
My team and I believe that healthy eating should be accessible to high performers, allowing them to unleash their full potential and further grow their businesses.

It all starts with understanding what you put into your body.

We aim to empower you to make informed decisions about your food choices, so you can upgrade your eating habits, achieve a healthier lifestyle and enjoy your wealth more.

🧠 Empowering Health Is Controllable
With the increasing awareness of the role of food in maintaining health, including brain and mental health.

It is crucial for people to be aware of the issues in the current ecosystem in our well-being.

Our ultimate goal is to inspire and motivate executives and founders towards a healthier lifestyle while they grow businesses.

We've successfully helped entrepreneurs despite busy schedules (or no time) to:
- 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬. 
- 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.
- 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 & 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.
- 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 
- "𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬" 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧.
- 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡.

If you want to learn more about how and what we do, check out our website: 
👉𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐮𝐲-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞.𝐜𝐨𝐦

Ray Hau

I help ambitious professionals 40+ get strong, energized, and calm through holistic fitness → functional strength & mobility, the med method, and somatic stress release

I used to be a high-performer stuck in a low-performance body.

→ Back stiff.
→ Mind foggy.
→ Chest tight.

My friends would say, I was “fine.”
In practice, I was fraying.

That was me at 35.

One morning, I caught myself in the mirror. 
Slouched, hollow-eyed, barely breathing deep without discomfort.

I had success. I had money.
But I didn’t have myself.

That slow burnout nearly took it all.

So I made a choice: not just to heal my body, but to upgrade it.

For 8+ years, I immersed myself in:

→ Functional strength
→ Mindful mobility
→ Breathwork, somatics, nervous system regulation

Slowly, I rebuilt my energy, my resilience, and my presence.

Now, at 44, I feel sharper, calmer, and stronger than I did in my 20s.

And that’s what I help my clients unlock, too.

Here's an example…


A client, James, is a consultant constantly on the road.

Dinners with clients. Long flights. Stress stacking up. He thought fitness meant “go hard or go home,” but that approach left him drained.

We built him a plan using our LUC Framework for functional strength, Mediterranean-inspired nutrition swaps he could make anywhere in the world, and nervous system resets he could do in 10 minutes between calls.

Now he bikes and hikes with his kids on the weekends (something he thought was behind him).

Over the past decade I found…


Most people don’t need more discipline.

They need a system that integrates fitness, food, and stress regulation into their daily life.

That’s what I do. Together with Ketty.

We help ambitious, driven people build body-first holistic fitness & health so they can keep showing up strong, sharp, and steady → at work, at home, and in life.

Less stress.
More energy.
Deeper presence.
Sharper performance.


How we can work together:

1) 1:1 Coaching → personalized holistic fitness integration
2) Online Course → remove restrictions + get pain-free
3) Executive & Team Coaching → holistic fitness for performance-driven teams

If you think this is “wellness,” it’s not.
This is about building the body you need for the life you want.

A regulated nervous system.
Energy that lasts the whole day.
A body that feels free, strong, and reliable.

That’s your unfair advantage → in business, leadership, and life.


Curious where to start?

I recommend starting with our 5-Day Holistic Fitness Email Course (scroll to top).
Alternatively, send me a DM with “STRONG” and let's see how I can help.

Or explore: https://theenergylab.co

Let’s build your strongest, clearest, and most resilient self… from the body up.

— Markus

Markus Kneissl

98.3% of people don’t train their hips or deep core

And it shows… everywhere:

In how they walk.
Sit.
Breathe.
Lift.
Sleep.

The hips and core aren’t just "aesthetic" zones.

They’re the center of gravity:

• the stabilizer
• the power source
• the stress reservoir

Neglecting them leads to:

→ Low back pain
→ Stiff hamstrings
→ Pelvic instability
→ Shallow breathing
→ Poor posture & energy leaks
→ Even anxiety and poor digestion

Why?

Because your psoas (deep hip flexor) connects spine, pelvis, diaphragm, and emotional tone.

When it’s locked, so are you.

Most training programs focus on abs and glutes (which is good)

But often they forget the deep stabilizers.
The breath-spine-hip connection.
And the nervous system layer underneath.

That’s why we start from the center out.

With clients, we integrate:

→ Breath-led core activation (transverse abdominis, pelvic floor)
→ Functional hip mobility (internal + external rotation)
→ Stability under slow, intentional load
→ Nervous system downregulation so the body can actually integrate it

One client came in with tight hips and constant lower back tension.
He was fit – but rigid.
Strong – but stressed.

Within 3 weeks of restoring core function and hip mobility, he said:

“I feel like I have space to move. And I’m less reactive… even at work.”

Exactly.

You don’t just unlock movement.
You unlock capacity.

Keep on moving my friends.
It's a way better life if you're fit and functional, don't you think?

Move your body. Calm your mind. Thrive in life.
— Markus

The secret to staying fit & healthy

Most people struggle with consistency.

For me? 

It's always been the easy part.

I trained:

☑︎ 5 days a week as a consultant living out of hotels.
☑︎ while backpacking the globe for 365 days.
☑︎ while building a business across 8 countries over 4 years.

Why?

Because I never needed a gym.

The thing is: 

If you need a gym to train, you're never truly free.

You become dependent on machines and weights. 
You waste time commuting. 
And when you travel, you're at the mercy of whatever equipment is available.

But your body is the only gym you need.

Strength isn't about equipment.
It's about progressive resistance.

Your body adapts to imposed demand:

1) Start with 10 push-ups against a wall. 
2) Progress to a table. 
3) Then a bench. 
4) Then the floor.

The body doesn't care where resistance comes from.

So make it frictionless.

The easier the entry, the faster you progress. 
Sure, you could start with floor push-ups. 
But if you can only do 1, you'll get discouraged.

That's why we build on easy wins.

That's the whole secret.

If you're an executive, entrepreneur, or business owner with a packed schedule, you need simple and easy.

So let me ask you:

What's creating the heaviest friction when you think of exercise?

Move your body. Simplify exercise. Thrive in life.

— Markus

When consulting for Porsche & Audi I traveled weekly for 3 years.

I lived out of a suitcase most weeks.

And body weight training kept me fit & strong.
That was before I built my system.
I did what I knew and could.

So... wherever you are in your journey, I want you to know this:

Perfect is the enemy of growth.

Start where you are with what you have.
Log in the habit. Then buy the tools, 
the equipment, the stuff.

Have an active weekend my friends.

Move your body. Do what you can. Thrive in life.
— Markus

Nutrition & Wellness Coach for High-Performers | Stress Management · Weight Balance · Energy Coaching | Co-Founder @ The Energy Lab

You don't need a full workout to take care of yourself.

You just need to go above zero.

Most of our students travel constantly.
Tight schedules.
Back-to-back meetings.
Hotel rooms more than their own bed.

And when they tell me they couldn't do their full session, I always say the same thing:

"Perfect days are rare. Above-zero days are everything."

On busy days, needs care instead of intensity.

15 minutes is enough.
Even 7 minutes is enough.

What matters is that you showed up for yourself.

Without adding stress.
Without guilt.
Without making it harder than it needs to be.

We just shared a video with a 7 minutes work out. 

No equipment.
No excuses.
Just your body and a bit of space.

You can do it in a hotel room.
At home before the kids wake up.
Between calls.

Anywhere.

Consistency isn't about perfection.

It's about choosing yourself, even on the messiest days.

So today, if you can't do the full thing?
Do something small.

And be kind to yourself for showing up.

That's already enough.

What's one small thing you could do for yourself today, even if it's just 7 minutes?

If you want to try the 7 minutes work out, I put it below 👇🏼

#consistency #holisticfitness #travelfitness #healthyhabits

“Getting stronger after 40 is impossible.”

I heard someone say that next table the other day. 
You could tell from a mile that he was frustrated, and I get why.

In your 40s, the old playbook starts to fail.

Hormonal shifts show up in real ways. 
Recovery takes longer. 
And most men are still training the bro-split like they’re 25.

Some try to push harder. 
Some try more random workouts.
Some try that new YouTube thing they found.

All feel worse.

I’m 45, and I’ve been coaching movement for 10+ years. 

I’ve also seen men and women in their 60s who are 

✅ leaner, 
✅ fitter, and 
✅ stronger 

than people in their 40s.

The difference?

Strategy.

Use age-appropriate progressive overload.

That means:

1) Easy before hard:
Master clean reps before you load them.

2) Simple before complex:
Repeat a few basics long enough to progress.

3) Think functional movement:
Train patterns (squat, hinge, push, pull, carry), not body parts

If you add small load or reps weekly + recover like a pro
→ Strength returns fast.

Comment or DM me STRONG and I’ll show you how.

Or access our free 5-day Holistic Fitness email course to learn our entire framework: https://lnkd.in/ecfm49Cj

Move your body. Calm your mind. Thrive in life.
— Markus

———
#strengthtraining #over40fitness #executivehealth #functionaltraining #healthyaging

Your tight hips aren’t the problem ⬇️

Most people try to stretch their way out of pain.
But that’s a temporary fix. 

If your hips don't move?
Your lower back has to pick up the slack. 
That’s why you’re always stiff.

To "fix" it, we don't just need "stretching"… 
we need active mobility. 

We have to teach the hip joint to rotate properly so your spine can finally relax. Simultaneously, we teach the nervous system an increase in range of motion. In safety.

Try this: 
1) Sit like this.
2) Tap your heel to the floor.
3) Then your knee. 

The key is to keep your foot suspended the whole time. 
Don’t let it rest. 

You'll feel the deep stabilizers in your hip start to fire.

Do 10 reps on each side daily. 

Save this so you don't forget the form.
♻️ Share with someone who complains about tight hips.
🔔 And follow for more mobility tips.

Move your body. Feel the safety. Thrive in life.
— Markus

Want to keep making progress in training 
+ staying sharp in business?

Protein is probably the most underrated lever.

You train 3–4x per week.

You lift.
You sweat.
You stay "consistent."

But if your meals are light on protein, 
your body can't keep up.

Here's what I see with clients who train hard but eat “healthy” without enough protein:

1) Recovery takes forever
Protein rebuilds muscle after training.
Low protein = slow recovery.
Example: Leg day soreness lasting 4–5 days.

2) You train hard but don't see the shape
Training breaks muscle down. Protein builds it back.
Without it, you keep the effort but miss the results.
Example: Regular workouts, but arms and legs stay the same.

3) Fat loss stalls even with "clean eating"
Muscle helps your body burn more at rest.
Low protein makes it harder to build and keep muscle.
Example: Steps and workouts are up, but the scale won't budge.

4) Energy crashes and cravings spike
Protein steadies blood sugar and keeps you full longer.
Low protein meals turn into snack attacks later.
Example: 3pm slump, sweet cravings, hungry again after lunch.

5) Your strength plateaus
You want to lift heavier, but you're under-fueled.
Example: Same weights, same reps, week after week.

6) You lose muscle when cutting fat
Dieting without protein often strips muscle first.
The scale drops, but you look softer.
Example: Weight down, but waist and shape barely change.

The simple rule I use with clients:

Every main meal needs a clear protein anchor.

Are you eating enough protein?

Move your body. Fuel it right. Thrive in life.
— Markus

Most high-performing professionals make this mistake when they want to lose weight, fix pain, and lower stress:

They pick the "loudest" problem…
and attack it in isolation.

Weight creeping up?
→ Start running.

Back hurting?
→ Stretch more. Maybe a massage.

Stress chronically through the roof?
→ Push harder and “power through.”

It looks disciplined.
In reality, it backfires.

Why?

• Running increases load on joints that already lack stability.
• Back pain flares because the core isn’t doing its job.
• Stress rises because you’re adding strain to an already overloaded system.

So what happens?

→ Pain increases
→ Motivation drops
→ Schedule feels tighter
→ And eventually… you stop… again

Because you’re overwhelmed.
Because you’re treating outputs, not inputs.

Whoever needs to hear right now:

Chronic stress.
Chronic pain.
Weight gain.

They aren’t separate problems.
They’re different signals from the same system.

One nervous system.
One metabolism.
One body adapting to years of pressure.

That’s why “just running” rarely works long term.

It burns calories, yes, but:

❌ Doesn’t build structural strength
❌ Doesn’t stabilize the spine
❌ Doesn’t regulate stress or late-night eating

What does work is boring. 
And effective.

Three habits we focus on first with clients:

1) Strength before sweat
3-4 short sessions per week.
Basic strength patterns.
Enough to build muscle, improve posture, and unload the spine.
Home or park are good.

2) Nutritional anchors, not rules
Protein-forward mornings.
Simple meal planning.
Fewer decisions when you’re tired.

3) Nervous system downshifts
Short breathing resets..
Daily walks. Just you. Nothing else.
Actual recovery, not scrolling or stress-snacking.

Our client L., a 50+ executive, came in exhausted.
Significant weight gain.
Constant back pain.
Tried fasting, running, stretching.
Zero energy in the morning & at night.

2 months later:
✅ 5.3 kg (10.6 lbs) down
✅ Pain 85% gone
✅ Cravings under control
✅ Energy steady even on busy days

No running.
No “punishment.”
No white-knuckling.

Just a system that addressed the root cause.

If you’re tired of fixing one thing only to fail on another,
it might be time to stop chasing solutions…
and start building a system.

And if you want cut through the noise and see results fast, DM me SYSTEM and let's get to work.

What’s the one issue you keep trying to “solve” that never really sticks?

Move your body. Calm your mind. Thrive in life.
— Markus

Let's be honest... we're all sitting too much.

And it costs:

Your health.
Your sanity.
Your longevity.

Today I'm showing you 3 investments you can apply now ↓

Over 80% of people in the Western world now work desk jobs. Eight. Out of ten. And if we’re not sitting at a desk, we’re sitting in cars, buses, airpl

Open article: The Hidden Cost of Sitting All Day by Markus Kneissl • 5 min read

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