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#017: 

Breakfast of Champions: Create Your 

Own Super Star Smoothie  

October 21, 2013 

________________________________________________ 

 

Introduction 

 

● The 5 am Miracle - Episode #17 

 

[Intro Song] 

 

● Good morning and welcome to the 17th episode of 

The 5 AM Miracle. 

● I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated 

to dominating your day before breakfast. 

● My goal is to help you bounce out of bed with 

enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and 

tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary 

energy. 

● The 5 AM Miracle is not necessarily based on your 

ability to wake up at sunrise, but rather the true 

miracle is the intentional development of fruitful 

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habits that lead to the achievement of what you 

want most out of life. 

● Here on the The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, we discuss 

early mornings, and we also dive deep into the 

topics of daily habits, productivity, personal 

development, and plant-based health and fitness. 

● When you excel in these areas, you establish a 

strong foundation for a more purposeful start to your 

day, which compounds into a highly successful life. 

 

● In today's episode I share my super secret all-star 

breakfast smoothie that starts my day with a bang! 

● Okay, it’s not really a secret, but it is really 

awesome and I’m sure you’ll enjoy today’s topic. 

 

● But first, let’s begin with the Tip of the Week! 

 

[Musical Interlude] 

 

The 5 AM Tip of the Week 

 

● Today’s tip is why I believe well-selected 

quotations and positive affirmations are more 

important than you may think. 

 

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● One of my favorite all-time personal development 

speakers is the late Jim Rohn. 

● Jim often spoke about the importance of surrounding 

yourself with people who would inspire you, 

encourage you, and lift you up - people who never 

drag you down, but instead would go out of their 

way to help you achieve your goals. 

● For many people, the best solution is to have a 

mastermind group. 

● A Mastermind group is a private club of people with 

similar interests and goals who get together to help 

each other grow. 

● Most people are not involved in mastermind groups, 

and many of us are just too busy to get involved in 

anything else! 

 

● For me, some of the best inspiration I get on a 

daily basis actually comes not from other people, 

but from well-selected quotations that rotate as 

needed. 

● You might be thinking that I am referring to those 

really hokey Inspirational Posters with pictures of 

boats that tell you to “set sail on your destiny.” 

● And yes, those could fall into this category.  

● BUT, the difference is that 99.9% of those posters 

have meaningless sayings that are not helpful -- they 

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are generically motivational. 

● They are not tailored to your life right now. They are 

intended to appeal to a massive audience, to be 

hung in corporate conference rooms, and often used 

by managers who don’t know how to lead their staff. 

 

● No, what I am envisioning is what I use every day 

-- quotations that I chose on purpose to help me 

with my current project or season in life. 

● Let me give a great example. 

● A few months ago I read the book, “Insanely Simple” 

by Ken Segall. 

● I mentioned this book previously on the podcast and 

I will mention it again because it’s just that good. 

● Seriously, you should read it. 

 

● When I read Ken’s book I was looking for inspiration 

and information to help me simplify my life.  

● I wanted to reduce the number of projects I was 

working on and eliminate physical and digital junk. 

● While reading the book I was reminded of one of my 

favorite quotations from Albert Einstein: “Out of 

clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find 

harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies 

opportunity.” 

● I have referred to this quote many, many times over 

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the last few years because the last line of the quote: 

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” was on 

display on the wall of my first job after college. 

● I was working a direct door-to-door sales job and my 

manager was fascinated with this quote to the point 

that he paid to have the quote hung on the wall with 

huge 3D metal letters -- the kind of words that pop 

out of the wall so it’s impossible to ignore them 

 

● Anyway, Einstein’s words about finding simplicity 

and reducing clutter spoke volumes to me. 

● So, I typed up the quote, printed it out, and pinned 

up the piece of paper on a corkboard next to my 

desk. 

● Now, whenever I am working and need a reminder to 

stay focused on the simplest answer to a problem, I 

simply read Einstein’s words and my focus returns. 

● I was in a season of simplicity and I wanted to have a 

“North Star” (so to speak) that would help me stay 

focused on my current major project. 

● What I have found over the last few years is that 

when you choose specific quotations that are 

meaningful to you, they are very likely to get you 

moving when nothing else will because they remind 

you of your purpose -- your mission -- your principles 

that you live by. 

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● Nothing is more motivating than a deep principle -- 

one that speaks to the core of how you view 

yourself. 

● I view myself as a person who values simplicity, so 

having a quote like this on the wall reminds me 

every single day what I believe in 

 

● Now, you might think this is overkill. I mean, do I 

really need a constant reminder to stay focused on 

simplicity? 

● YES! Holy Cow YES! 

● There are so many distractions, so many 

possibilities, so many roads to go down that having a 

“North Star” quotation like this ensures that I am 

always heading in the right direction. 

 

● Many people may choose a verse from the Bible, or 

from their favorite book, or they may use something 

smart a teacher once told them. 

● It doesn’t matter what words you put on the wall. 

● What matters is that the words matter to you and 

help you stay focused on your current major 

objective, whatever that may be. 

● I will also mention that my quote on the wall 

changes fairly often. Sometimes every week, other 

times only once a year. It totally depends on what 

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the quote means to me and if I still find it relevant 

and helpful. 

 

● Now, if you have a favorite quotation that you have 

used in the past, or that you are using now, I would 

love to hear it. 

● Feel free to leave a comment on the show notes 

page for this episode of the podcast at 

JeffSanders.com/017 as in Episode 17. 

● It would be great if everyone could leave their 

favorite quote and we could all be inspired by what 

inspires you. 

 

● On that note, I will leave you with one more quote I 

love that I have recently added to my wall of 

inspiration. And yes, it’s from Jim Rohn. 

● “Don’t ask for the task to be easy, just ask for it 

to be worth it. 

● Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. 

● Don’t ask for less challenge, ask for more skills. 

● Don’t ask for less problems, ask for more wisdom. 

It’s the challenge that makes the experience.” 

 

● And Now it’s time for the Feature Segment! 

 

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[Musical Interlude] 

 

● About four years ago when I began my personal 

health transformation, I used smoothies as the 

primary vehicle to get tons of healthy food in my 

body. 

● Why smoothies? Great question. 

 

● Smoothies are the first recommendation I give to 

anyone who wants to improve their health and here 

are a few reasons why. 

 

● #1: Smoothies are Tasty! 

● The primary ingredient in most smoothies is fruit, 

which is full of natural sugar. 

● The last national survey I saw concluded that most 

people love sugar. :) 

 

● #2: Smoothies are Easy to Make! 

● This is the best talking point because the first reason 

people don’t make specific foods is that it takes too 

long. 

● Smoothies are super easy and quick to prepare. I can 

make 64 ounces (2 liters) in less than 10 minutes. 

Oh, and that includes cleanup. 

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● #3: Smoothies Offer a HUGE Energy Boost! 

● The natural sugar in the fruit provides a great energy 

boost. 

● And it won’t artificially spike your blood sugar 

because you are also consuming a large amount of 

healthy fiber. 

● The sugar absorbs slowly, providing sustained energy 

that is great for exercise or a high-octane day. 

● The combination of energy and fiber alone should be 

enough to make most people start making smoothies 

immediately! 

 

● #4: When you make Smoothies, it’s very 

convenient to eat healthy foods that you don’t 

like! 

● We all can name a dozen vegetables we never eat 

because they taste like dirt. 

● We know they’re healthy for us, but unless someone 

is going to dump a gallon of salad dressing on top, 

it’s unlikely we would ever eat the foreign object on 

our salad. 

● With green smoothies, as they’re called, you can 

blend together all kinds of stuff that tastes bad, as 

long as you include a bunch of tasty food along with 

it to drown out the bad taste. 

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● #5: Smoothies are Filling! 

● Salads are healthy, but the average person doesn’t 

order a salad for their entire meal.  

● Salad, or a side of fruit, is just that -- a side. 

They’re rarely viewed as the meal. 

● With smoothies, you can make them as filling as you 

want by simply adding in more filling ingredients -- 

or just by eating more. 

● As an example, I drink a half gallon (or 2 liters) of 

smoothies every morning for breakfast. Some days 

drink twice that amount. It just depends on my 

exercise schedule and what fruit is in season. 

 

● #6: Smoothies are Quick and Easy to Consume! 

● This is a major advantage over eating a salad. In 

fact, the next time you decide to make a salad at 

home, skip the salad dressing and, instead, dump 

the salad into your blender along with some fruit and 

water. 

● Blend it up and chug it down. It’s that easy. 

● I can drink 2 liters of smoothies in about 30 minutes 

and that includes an incredible amount of nutrients.  

 

● #7: Smoothies are Easy to Transport! 

● All you need is a Thermos, which you can store in 

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your freezer, and then use it to carry smoothies with 

you wherever you go. 

● I almost always bring a large thermos full of 

smoothies with me when I travel or go to work. 

● I drink as much as I can before I leave the house and 

then I finish the rest off later in the day. 

 

● Finally #8: Smoothies Can Become a Healthy 

Addiction! 

● If you have the choice to be addicted to a harmful 

substance or a fruit smoothie, it makes sense to 

crave the smoothie. 

● Besides being tasty, smoothies are endlessly healthy 

because you can include any ingredients you want. 

● I often use kale, spinach leaves, garlic, ginger, and 

freshly brewed kombucha. 

 

Okay, now that I have you convinced that Smoothies 

are the way to go, lets discuss the equipment and 

appliances you need to get started. 

 

● #1: A High-Powered Blender 

● When I first started making smoothies I used a 

Cuisinart Duet Blender, which is around $90 USD.  

● It was a great blender, easy to use, and lasted a long 

time. 

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● But, it was far from the powerhouse that I use 

today. 

● If you are just getting started, you can use a basic 

blender from any major retailer, and you don’t have 

to spend a lot up front. 

 

● As you progress and you find yourself making 

smoothies every day or at least multiple times a 

week, you will want to upgrade to the high-end. 

● Currently, I use a Vitamix 5200. This blender has the 

power of a jet engine and can blend just about 

anything. 

● The retail price is $449 USD and it’s worth every 

penny. 

● I previously discussed this blender in the “Tip of the 

Week” segment in episode #3.  

● So, you can learn much more about the Vitamix 

when you listen or re-listen to that episode. 

● BlendTec is another company that makes incredible 

blenders, so check them out as well. 

● And as always, I will link to these blenders in the 

show notes. 

 

● #2: There is no #2. 

● All you need is a blender to make smoothies, but 

just for kicks, here are the rest of the supplies I use: 

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○ Refrigerator / Freezer to store fresh produce 

○ A High-Quality Set of Sharp Knives 

○ Multiple Cutting Boards 

○ Multiple Thermoses to store my smoothies in. 

○ Large Beer Steins to Drink my Smoothies out of 

(this is a personal preference, but I love drinking 

smoothies out of large beer glasses). 

 

Ok, now let’s discuss which ingredients are best for 

smoothies and optimal health. 

 

● #1: Fresh, Ripe, and Raw Fruit 

● Fruit is the most obvious ingredient because it has 

the best flavor. 

● But, fruit is also full of water, which makes it easy 

to blend as well. 

● On your next trip to the farmers market or grocery 

store, look for fruit that is the cheapest. 

● I’m not telling you this because I want to save you 

money (although that’s also true) -- the real reason 

is that typically the fruit that is in season is on sale. 

● Fruit that is in season is juicy, ripe, full of nutrients, 

and usually ready to eat the same day you buy it. 

 

● On that note, be sure to eat your fresh fruits and 

veggies within 48 hours of buying them. 

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● Some produce can last longer if it’s not yet ripe, but 

when you buy fresh ingredients, they are ready to 

eat very quickly. 

● If you wait too long you will end up with a bunch of 

rotten food in your kitchen. 

 

● On a quick side note, when I first began making 

smoothies four years ago I had no idea what rotten 

vegetables looked like. 

● So, I accidentally made a smoothie with very old 

spinach. 

● Can you guess what happened? Yes, I got very sick 

with food poisoning. 

● Since that one first experience I have never gotten 

food poisoning again from my own food. 

 

● Now, here are a few fruits that I use a consistent 

basis that taste great in smoothies 

○ Bananas 

○ Berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, 

raspberries, etc.) 

○ Tomatoes 

○ Oranges 

○ Pears 

○ Peaches 

○ Nectarines 

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○ Grapes 

○ Apples 

○ Lemons 

○ Limes 

○ Cantaloupes 

○ Watermelon 

○ Plums and 

○ Pineapple 

 

● I also venture out and buy other non-traditional fruit 

on occasion, but on an average week I tend to stick 

to a few standard fruits. 

● Depending on my budget at the time and what’s 

available, I try to buy organic produce that is on sale 

and ready to eat. 

● And yes, I spend a lot of time and money buying 

fruits and veggies. 

● If you are new to natural health or making 

smoothies, you may be surprised at just how 

expensive healthy food is. 

● I don’t want to begin ranting right now about 

government subsidies and the mockery of the 

American food system, so I’ll save that speech for 

another day. 

● Until then, take health into your own hands and find 

a way to make it work.  

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● It’s a journey and depending on what season of life 

you’re in right now, buying truck loads of organic 

produce every week just may not be feasible. 

● That’s okay. 

● Just start where you can today. 

 

● #2: Fresh, Ripe, and Raw Veggies 

● If you have ever heard of someone talking about a 

Green Smoothie, this is it. 

● Blending vegetables in with your fruits will most 

likely turn your smoothie green in color, which is 

where the name comes from. 

● As I mentioned before, my health journey four years 

ago began with green smoothies. 

● I mixed all kinds of fresh leafy greens in with 

bananas and strawberries to create super healthy 

smoothies that tasted like dirt. 

● I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one -- 

vegetables in your smoothies don’t taste good. 

● In fact, they taste terrible much of the time. 

 

● You may have heard Matt Frazier talk about his 

smoothies in the last episode.  

● Matt mentioned a bunch of things like chia seeds, 

kale, and walnuts that he uses in every smoothie. 

● Matt also mentioned how he doesn’t recommend his 

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recipes to anyone first starting out -- and neither do 

I. 

● My goal is to get you addicted to smoothies. There, I 

said it. 

● Now, like any good drug dealer, I want to give you a 

taste of the good stuff to get you hooked. 

● Vegetables are great for you -- but you will probably 

never get hooked on green smoothies in the 

beginning. 

 

● My recommendation is to start with 100% fruit 

smoothies and make those for at least 3-4 weeks 

before you begin including vegetables. 

● After about a month of fruit smoothies you should be 

ready to take the next step. 

 

● Now, fast forward 3-4 weeks from now, what 

vegetables are best in smoothies? 

● Here are a few that I use regularly, but feel free to 

expand this list and experiment. 

○ Leafy Greens like kale, spinach, lettuce, and 

swiss chard 

○ Avocados 

○ Zucchini 

○ Squash 

○ Green Peppers 

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○ Mushrooms 

○ Ginger 

○ Garlic 

 

● Many of these vegetables will taste great later on as 

your taste buds change -- and they will change. 

● My cravings for health food have only increased over 

the last four years and I expect those cravings to 

continue indefinitely. 

 

● #3: Frozen Produce 

● So far I have only referred to raw produce, but 

frozen fruits and veggies are great too. 

● On a side note, I don’t used cooked fruits or 

vegetables in my smoothies at all.  

● Everything is raw or frozen. 

 

● The best place is get frozen produce is from the raw 

produce you’re already buying. 

● Simply buy a bunch of fresh, raw produce and stick 

some of it in your freezer. 

● Then use a small portion of it every time you make a 

smoothie. 

● Smoothies taste better when they are cold, so be 

sure to use frozen produce in every smoothie if you 

can. 

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● I will discuss how much raw vs. frozen produce to 

use in just a few minutes. 

 

● Freezer bags are great to use, but you don’t have 

to use them unless you are storing the food for many 

weeks or months. 

● Also, I would not recommend you buy packaged 

frozen produce unless it’s organic. 

● As a general rule I avoid processed and packaged 

foods, which helps to avoid any unnecessary 

chemicals or preservatives that may be present in 

foods designed to be stored for a long time. 

 

● #4: Liquid 

● Fruits and veggies naturally contain a lot of water, 

but not quite enough for a typical smoothie. 

● So, I always include extra liquid from water, 

kombucha, or fresh vegetable juice. 

● The most common smoothie recipes include some 

amount of water, but I like to use kombucha or juice 

as my main liquid most often. 

● If you are not familiar with kombucha, I discussed it 

previously on this podcast in Episode #12. ● You can also read my blog post about kombucha at 

JeffSanders.com/kombucha. K-O-M-B-U-C-H-A. 

 

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● Now, for juice you want to be sure you are not using 

processed fruit juice like bottled Orange Juice, 

Odwalla, or Naked brand juices. 

● Nearly 100% of bottled fruit and vegetable juices are 

pasteurized, meaning they have been heated up to a 

point where the nutrients have been killed off. 

● When I say use juice in your smoothie, I am referring 

to fresh vegetable juice that you make yourself in a 

juicer. 

● I don’t have enough time to discuss juicing on this 

episode, but I will very soon. 

● To read more about it now, check out my blog post 

at JeffSanders.com/juicing 

 

 

● #5: The High-End Stuff 

● You could get even more extreme and begin using 

nuts, seeds, and many other high-end powders, 

additives, and supplements. 

● As a general rule, I don’t use any supplements in my 

smoothies. 

● I don’t use protein powders, crushed up pills, or 

dehydrated produce. 

● I have used all of these things in the past and what I 

have found is that fresh produce that comes out of 

the ground is best for me -- not to mention that it’s 

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exponentially more expensive once you start adding 

in supplements. 

 

● Having said all that, I am NOT a doctor and 

everything I have talked about today is not a 

prescription. 

● Depending on your current state of health and what 

your doctor has recommended, I’m not going to tell 

you to not use any of these -- but do your homework 

first.  

● I had a blood test done two years ago that revealed I 

was low in Vitamin B12 (which is common for vegans) 

and low in Vitamin D (which is common for most 

people).  

● So, I do take supplements for those two Vitamins, 

but that’s all. 

● The rest of my nutrients come from fresh, ripe, 

whole foods. 

● As I have said before (and I will likely say again a 

million times) this is a unique personal health 

journey and everyone’s story is different. 

● The only way to know what works best for you is to 

experiment and get all of the information you need 

to make better decisions for you. 

 

Okay, now for the practical implementation. 

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● I’m now going to walk you through a simple 

step-by-step process on how to make a smoothie in 

under 10 minutes. 

● Yes, making a smoothie may sound too simple to 

need a checklist, but there are a few tricks that you 

will find helpful tomorrow morning when you’re 

making your next smoothie! 

 

● #1: Find a permanent location for your Blender on 

your Kitchen Counter. 

● Your blender is the core of this system and it needs a 

home where you can easily use it and clean it. 

● My blender sits right next to the sink and that works 

really well. 

 

● #2: Get out a cutting board and a sharp knife. 

 

● #3: Get out your liquid and all of your fresh and 

frozen fruit and set them on the counter. 

 

● #4: Pour your liquid of choice (water, kombucha, 

and/or fresh vegetable juice) into the blender. 

○ You should pour enough liquid in the blender to 

fill up 20% of the total volume. 

○ You can always add more later, but start with 

20%.  

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○ The more liquid you include the easier it will be 

to blend and drink your final smoothie. 

○ If you like a chunkier smoothie that you need to 

eat with a fork, then use less liquid. 

 

● #5: Cut up your fresh fruit (and veggies if have 

them) and fill up the blender to about ¾ full. 

 

● #6: Put the blender lid on top and blend your 

current mixture for about 5-10 seconds. 

 

● #7: Pour in your frozen produce, which should be 

about 10-15% of your total volume. 

○ I recommend you add in your frozen fruit here 

because it’s easier for the blender to chop up 

the tough frozen food when there is already 

liquid in the blender. 

○ If you try to blend frozen fruit by itself with 

nothing else in the blender, you will wear out 

the blade very quickly and possibly break your 

blender. 

 

● #8: Add a little more fresh fruit up the MAXIMUM 

fill line, which should be labeled on your blender. 

○ Word to the wise, don’t overfill your blender. 

You can always make another batch in 5 

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minutes. 

○ Your blender will work better and you will have 

less of a mess if you blend a smaller amount. 

 

● #9: Put the lid on top and blend the whole mixture 

for 30-60 seconds. 

○ In the Vitamix that I use, 60 seconds is perfect 

for blending a smoothie and it creates a very 

smooth final product. 

○ Other blenders may have different 

recommended times depending on the power 

and sharpness of the blades. 

○ The goal is to blend the smoothie long enough to 

make it very easy to drink but not so long you 

heat up the food, which is possible in some 

high-powered blenders. 

 

● #10: Pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy! 

○ If you want to store your smoothie in a thermos 

for later, this is a good time to do that. 

○ The last step is to clean up the kitchen and 

you’re all finished. 

 

● Since I make smoothies every day I have refined my 

system to the point that I can complete this entire 

process, including cleanup, in under 10 minutes. 

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● It may take some practice to get that fast, but it 

won’t take long. Smoothies are easy.  

 

On a final note, I want to briefly talk about how to 

integrate smoothie preparation into your every 

lifestyle. 

 

● Smoothies really are fantastic. If you can’t tell 

already, I’m pretty obsessed with them. 

● I try to never miss a day without a smoothie because 

they are just so essential to getting the best 

nutrients in my body. 

● I recommend you make it a habit to make a 

smoothie every morning for breakfast.  

● It’s the best time of the day to consume that much 

high-energy food, and it’s a great way to jump start 

your blood sugar. 

● If you don’t currently eat breakfast, you should. 

● If you do eat breakfast, and it’s not as healthy as a 

smoothie, consider making a switch, even for just a 

trial period of 30 days. 

● The best way to see if this works is to experience it 

for yourself. 

● Don’t take my word for it. 

● I may be obsessed with smoothies, but you will never 

share that passion unless you make them yourself, 

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everyday, for at least a couple of weeks 

 

● I hope you have seen the power of smoothies in 

today’s episode and I’m looking forward to hearing 

about your experience. 

● Feel free to leave any comments on questions about 

smoothies on the show notes page at 

JeffSanders.com/017.  

[Fade In Music] 

 

Announcements 

 

● Just 2 quick announcements here at the end of 

this episode. 

 

● The first, if you have not yet joined The 5 am Club, you can easily do so today for free. 

● When you join the club you will get a free copy of 

The 5 AM Miracle eBook, which shows you exactly 

how to wake up each morning with vigor and make 

enormous progress on your biggest goals. 

● To join The 5 AM Club AND jump start your morning - 

visit 5amMiracle.com.  

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● My 2nd announcement is that my next podcast 

episode will be an interview with Jennifer Pharr 

Davis, the current World Record Holder for hiking 

the Appalachian Trail faster than anyone, ever. 

● Jennifer and I discuss her 46-day journey to set the 

world record on the AT and her insightful thoughts 

on the joy of spending time in nature.  

● If you have a question about hiking, running, 

achieving big personal goals, or any other burning 

question that you’d love me to answer here on the 

podcast, please leave me a voicemail message at 

JeffSanders.com/podcastquestion.  

Final Thoughts 

 

● Also, I would be grateful if you would rate my 

podcast in iTunes with a full 5 stars. 

● That helps tremendously with keeping my podcast 

visible so that people who have never heard of it can 

discover it. 

● Just head on over to JeffSanders.com/itunes 

 

● Also, if you would like to see all of the resources I 

mentioned in this show, please visit the show notes 

page at JeffSanders.com/017, as in Episode 17. 

 

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● Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle. 

● Until next time remember, you have the power to 

change your life, and the fun begins bright and 

early. 

 

[Fade Out Music]