Sleep is the key to optimal health and performance. If you improve your sleep everything in your life gets better. You lose fat faster, your brain works more efficiently, and your sex drive goes up.  Shawn Stevenson, the author of "Sleep Smarter,” and host of The Model Health Show, is my guest on this episode of the #RenegadeRadioPodcast. We discuss how Shawn found fitness after being diagnosed with a devastating illness at the age of 20. He shares the three primary elements of his remarkable recovery and his approach to health and longevity. Shawn also explains why sleep is the most important factor for optimizing health and performance. He provides invaluable tips for improving your sleep, your nutrition, your business and so much more. Topics Include: How Shawn got his start in fitness and the diagnosis that changed everything.  3:15 Why Shawn says most people “try” to get well but should actually make the decision to get well.  9:43 A simple thing everyone can do to upgrade their diet.  15:36 Are deadlifts the ultimate healer for your spine?  18:06 How Shawn’s wife put her cancer into remission within 22 days of being diagnosed.  23:06 Shawn's 21 day fast.  30:23 His overall approach to nutrition and supplementation for health and longevity.  29:37 Gluten and other foods that often cause issues.  37:18 Why nutrition isn’t everything and what is actually more important.  40:03 The enzyme produced by sleep that can indicate how long you’re going to live and reverse the aging process.  40:38 Why sleep deprivation is shortening your life and making you fat.  42:08 What can increase your body’s ability to burn fat by 55%?  Hint - it’s not low carbs or more exercise.  42:59 Why are the outliers, like The Rock and Arnold, able to get by with less sleep?  46:48 Why alcohol will make you fall asleep faster but wake up feeling awful and Shawn’s explanation of REM sleep.  48:58 Does training in the morning lead to better sleep at night? 51:08 Which is better for sleep, a warm shower or a cold one?  58:18 Why you should minimize the time you spend on your phone and computer at night and why F.lux is a must-have.  1:03:48 How nutrition and meal timing impacts sleep.  1:07:45 Does cutting carbs too low cause sleep issues?  1:11:32 Shawn’s approach to intermittent fasting and his current nutrition plan.  1:16:15 Is quality more important than quantity when it comes to protein intake?  1:27:53 The right way to supplement with melatonin. 1:29:23 Shawn’s advice for building your brand and succeeding in business.  1:32:18 Connect with Shawn online Podcast  Twitter Facebook Instagram Listen to Renegade Radio: To listen, you can either hit the flash audio player below or browse the links to find your preferred format … Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to listen on SoundCloud Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Right click here and choose “Save As”to download this episode This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. With 75 ingredients working together to help with eleven different areas of health. You never know what’s going to come up in your day; however, with just one scoop of Athletic Greens when you wake up or add it to your morning smoothie, you know you have all of your bases covered. It’s easy, and it tastes great. Go to http://www.AthleticGreens.com/Jay to receive a special offer as a listener of the podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Caffeine and Kilos. We all know that coffee is probably the greatest thing ever. There are countless studies proving the benefits of coffee. Dr. Sanjiv Chopra said that drinking coffee is one of the five essential habits for long-term good health. Caffeine and Kilos is a brand that embodies an active lifestyle. They have great looking apparel you can wear in the gym or out of the gym. It's smooth, fresh coffee blended and roasted for high caffeine content, so you can get all kinds of cranked up. They also have all natural,  whole food caffeinated bars with macros de