General Info & Getting Started

VitaMen is a specialized wellness program designed for men in midlife offering personalized coaching and a holistic approach to reclaiming vitality and improving health. What sets VitaMen apart is that it is offered by Steven Shewach, a midlife man who practices what he teaches. By leveraging his vast knowledge of longevity, health, exercise, and nutrition coupled with evidence-based strategies, Steven also integrates dealing with midlife-specific challenges. VitaMen is a supportive community of men in midlife who are taking back their health and wellness to live as long as they can for as healthy as they can.

First off, I am also a man in midlife having gone (or going) through many of the same issues my clients are dealing with. Several years ago I decided to take charge of my health and my future health—to actively and intentionally increase my chances of aging healthfully and avoid the medical and physical pitfalls so many men encounter as they age. I became deeply involved in the longevity sector and began to apply the techniques with great success.

Building on my Master's of Science in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration, where I spent nine years in the outdoor recreation industry as an educator and trainer (I got paid to be outside doing cool stuff in the wilderness), I’ve coupled my lifelong love for recreational and adventure-based exercise with the established and emerging science and technology of the longevity sector—which focuses primarily on nutrition, exercise and sleep— and add to that my knowledge and experience in men’s work surrounding relationships, midlife transitions, and purpose.

To a large extent, I see myself as the product. Nearly everything I use and teach in my coaching, I do myself. How I look for my age (53), my fitness level and my solid biomarkers equate to social proof that the protocols work, at least for me. And by extension should work for you. And before you say that it must be my genes that are giving me the edge, I would vigorously debate this often misunderstood perspective based on epigenetics; which is the effect of one's environment including thoughts, beliefs, and habits.

I’ve also worked in Project Management in Construction Consulting and earlier in my life in the Arts & Entertainment industry. Having followed and built a non-traditional life path I bring a unique mix of experience in coaching/teaching, healthy living, career transitions, adventure and travel, and expat life. Soon I will be pursuing a health coach certification.

Personal trainers, nutritionists, and doctors are each specialists in their area and there usually isn’t a lot of crossover knowledge to the related disciplines. They’re typically siloed in their scope of knowledge and often do not adequately, if at all, understand the interdependency between disciplines and therefore offer limited and non-complete assistance. Whereas I take a holistic perspective because of the intertwined dependency of what you Eat, how you Move, and how you Sleep—along with your mental state, quality of relationships, direction of purpose, and social infrastructure.

Most personal trainers have secondary nutrition knowledge and nutritionists have secondary exercise and fitness knowledge. And while a specialized doctor (or nearly any doctor) is crucial they rarely get involved with your day-to-day regimens. You go to them for tests, check-ups, and strategic guidance. So none of them are really in the position to be, nor should they be, your health transformation “conductor”.

Depending on your situation, you may need local reinforcements for more nuanced tracking, exercise technique, and biomarker testing; so some or all of these specialists may be needed on your team. I’ll help you determine which ones and how to find them locally.

The VitaMen Community is growing with men on a similar path such as yourself. Considering that loneliness is considered to be a crisis for men, being connected to other men to share and collaborate with and get support from is an invaluable resource. Becoming part of the VitaMen Community is automatic after completing either VitaCoaching packs or VitaElite Immersion. My two introductory consulting services, VitaInsight and VitaBlueprint, do not include becoming part of the VitaMen Community.

If you have more questions about the VitaMen community, simply reach out through the contact form.

Absolutely! I can arrange for you to connect with current or past clients who have volunteered to share their experiences with the VitaMen program.

I offer a four difference services. Two are are one-time consulting sessions and the other two are coaching services over a set time period—all are conducted virtually, via video or phone, depending on your preference. I understand some people want to suss things out first before jumping into the deep end and others are ready (or desperately need) the full-tilt, fire hose approach. The main differences between my services are:

• One-time Consultations are designed to easily get started on your health transformation. The two services are:
  
  -------Vita Insight, 1-hour, no pre-assessment, Summary Action Plan
  
  -------VitaBlueprint, 2.0-hour, pre-assessement, VitaBlueprint plan

Typically you’d only choose one, not both, of the consulting options. And then decide if you want to continue with the various coaching services options; which are all discounted having completed either of the two consulting services.

• Custom Coaching is offered with my VitaCoaching (4 or 8-pack sessions) or with my premium offering—VitaElite Immersion. Both allow us to break down old habits and establish new routines related to your overall health and involve goal setting, progress tracking, and tailored guidance to address your unique health needs. And both include access to a free client-coach app for tracking, posting, and monitoring your progress.
  
  -------VitaCoaching 4-pack (can be once/week for a month or bi-weekly for two months)
  
  -------VitaCoaching 8-pack (can be once/week for two months or bi-weekly for four months)
  
  -------VitaElite Immersion. This daily contact service, lasting one month, virtually guarantees that you’ll break old habits and lay down new roots that will extend your Lifespan and Healthspan. It comprises once-daily asynchronous communication with me. This means we’ll trade—depending on your preference or the type of content needed to be shared—voicemail, video message, or written via text or email at least once per day over a month-long period. It does not automatically renew.

Think of the entire process like a road trip. You’re driving and I’m the co-pilot. More than likely you’ve been going down the road of life in a vehicle that you know needs a tune-up as it’s not performing the way it used to. And you’ve been going kinda, sorta going in the right direction but you often find yourself lost, distracted, or running into unplanned traffic. Or you’re now wondering if a new route may be better for you.

Your body is the car of course and to the degree of how well you’re fueling it, driving it, and maintaining it, it’s natural degradation is inevitable, but how well are you slowing that process down and thereby increasing the lifespan of your car (er, body); rather than leading it to a premature end of life by driving it too hard, not maintaining it well, and filling it with shitty fuel.

As your co-pilot, I will advise, counsel, coach, support, and cheerlead the overhaul of your car, how it’s taken care of including how it’s fueled and maintained. Additionally as your navigator, I will chart a new course, a new route to extending not only the lifespan of your car, but the entire roadtrip itself. You feel me?

The process, the ‘system’ if you will, is centered around the Vitality Trio: Eat, Move, Sleep⁴ (aka EMS). Sleep also includes: Silence, Self-Reflection, Social, Spiritual. The Vitality Trio are dependent on each other. Like a three-legged stool, if you remove any one leg it’ll fall over. The truth is there are a voluminous amount of sub-topics for Eat, Move, Sleep that are all important, some more than others. My intention to simplify them into the three broad categories of EMS xxxxxx

And if you’ve got surmised so far, I’m a bit brash and intense. This is what is makes me a great coach, but also one that’ll push you.

Benefits include personalized guidance, unwavering accountability, a holistic approach to longevity, a supportive community, and expertise in evidence-based, data-driven strategies for optimal health. In my previous work as a teacher, trainer and men’s coach I strike a unique balance that I call Compassionate Hardcore Coaching.

Rarely. As I live in Portugal. However, most of my clients are Americans. Most of our work together will take place using various digital communication methods. As I love technology, the use of tracking devices, apps, and other e-tools is heavily relied upon in my programs. I will help you better utilize or attain such tools so we can easily share data, metrics, training, and resources.

As you may have read in the About section of this site, I’ve taken a rather different life path which has yielded a generous supply of exciting adventures, choices, and outcomes. I have bucked the traditional path, some might call it the ‘American Dream’ as I realized early on it wasn’t for me and the world is a big place beyond the borders of my country of origin. So I’ve spent a lot of time out here in the world.

Depending on which package you choose, I will also help you assemble a local team of professionals, depending on your needs, which will almost always include firing your current doctor and replacing them with a special type of doctor, and may also include a nutritionist or personal trainer or both.

Coaching sessions cover a range of topics, including exercise, nutrition, stress management, sleep, and overall well-being. The focus is on creating sustainable habits for a healthier and more vital midlife. Most topics fall into what I refer to as the Longevity Trio: Eat, Move, Sleep. Of course, this is a simplified framework where each of the trio comprises a wealth of information; enough to study and practice for a lifetime. For example, Sleep includes other “S” facets such as Silence, Self-Reflection, Social, and Spiritual.

VitaMen recognizes and addresses midlife pain points through personalized coaching, community support, and strategies to slow down, halt, or even reverse certain aspects of the aging process. The following is the same list of common issues as on the VitaMen homepage:

• Lack of Energy and Vitality
• Weight Management Challenges
• Stress and Overwhelm
• Empty Nest Syndrome
• Balancing Work and Life
• Chronic Health Issues
• Career Transition Anxiety
• Aging Parents with Health Issues
• Social Isolation and Loneliness
• Lack of Motivation
• Poor Nutrition Habits
• Retirement Planning Stress
• Identity Crisis / Reevaluating Life Goals
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Navigating Shifting Friendships
• Lower Self-Esteem and Confidence
• Mental Clarity and Focus
• Confusion/Overwhelm About Fitness and Exercise
• Health Concerns and Aging Fears
• Relationship Strain

Mojo is a quality that causes one to excel, attracts people to you, makes you successful, and most importantly, full of energy.

You may recall Mike Myers, in his Austin Powers movies, lost his mojo, and getting it back became the entire focus of the plot.

Mojo loss can be any combination of emotional, medical, or spiritual factors. You’ll know it lost because you feel any or all of the following: sluggish, tired, lack of focus, a sort of overall ‘blah’ feeling, and lack of motivation.

To get it back, we’ll figure out the source(s) and build those into your personalized blueprint.

My intention is to keep the buzzwords to a minimum on the VitaMen site until we start working together, but like anything, there’s plenty of specific nomenclature to get familiar with and some of which need to be out there right away. Especially since there’s some misunderstandings are about some of the basic buzzwords.

Longevity

Longevity is not about living forever; either by freezing yourself cryogenically or some other crazy technique to preserve yourself for the future. You’re gonna die. So am I. Rather we just want live a long time; while maintaining excellent health for as long as possible. Longevity is a groundbreaking medical field focused on extending the human lifespan and enhancing overall well-being.

Longevity research explores the science behind aging, seeking to unravel the mysteries of cellular rejuvenation, genetic influences, and lifestyle factors that impact the aging process. By understanding the intricate mechanisms of aging, researchers aim to develop interventions and strategies that can potentially add more healthy, vibrant years one’s life. Integrating the findings of longevity research into everyday life involves a holistic approach. From adopting science-backed dietary practices and engaging in regular physical activity to managing stress and incorporating innovative therapies, the goal is to empower individuals with actionable insights that promote longevity. It's not just about living longer; it's about living better.

Biohacking

Biohacking is a dynamic and innovative approach to optimizing one's biology and performance through the use of science, technology, and personalized lifestyle modifications. With a focus on self-experimentation, biohackers seek to enhance physical and cognitive functions, potentially leading to an extended and improved quality of life. Techniques include adopting specific diets, incorporating targeted exercise regimens, using wearable technology to monitor health metrics, and experimenting with nootropics or smart drugs to boost cognitive performance.

While biohacking holds the promise of unlocking human potential, some cautionary aspects exist. Over-reliance on experimental interventions without proper scientific validation may pose health risks, and the accessibility and ethical implications of certain biohacking practices remain subjects of debate. As with any emerging field, responsible and well-informed engagement is crucial to navigating the landscape of biohacking for optimal health outcomes.

I use some aspects of biohacking myself, most notably using technology to monitor health metrics and diet modifications. I do not utilize experimentation medication or devices, nor do I with my clients.

Anti-aging

Anti-aging is more of a marketing term than anything else; especially overused in the cosmetics industry. Aging itself is a biological time-dependent process that results in increased vulnerability to disease, injury and death. This process is both intrinsic, when your own body causes new problems, and extrinsic, when environmental insults damage your tissues (epigenetic).

While there’s no silver bullet to stop aging, certain interventions do seem to slow aging, rather than be literally anti-aging. These interventions are integrated into the longevity sector and utlized in my coaching.

This pertains primarily to the VitaElite Immersion (daily contact for a month) offering. But it is also utilized, to a lesser extent, in the VitaCoaching packs. Asynchronous just means one-way communication where we'll leave messages for each other. This is because I live in Europe and the timezone differences to most of my clients, who live in the United States, can be difficult to manage with live calls, especially the VitaElite Immersion, daily. I assure you it's a powerful way to communicate; one that you are probably familiar with already—leaving voice messages or video messages with family and friends on iMessage or WhatsApp.

For example, I may make a custom video for you to watch; it could be showing how to do something or a screen recording going over a protocol or how to track your health data. It could be a detailed voicemail in response to a specific issue you are having. The point is that it’s a conversation just being ping-ponged back and forth between us; usually by voice or video and less often by email or text message.

Doing this life-saving work alone is overwhelming, and can feel next to impossible. Besides me, we will likely need a team. And I will help you assemble that team. Two groups comprise your team: Specialists and Family/Friends.

Specialists

First and foremost, I’ll probably attempt to persuade you fire your doctor; and replace them with a different type of doctor who specializes in preventative care and longevity. Or at the very least add the latter type of doctor to your care. And you’ll most likely need a local personal trainer and/or nutritionist, depending on your level of current knowledge on exercise and nutrition; and your available time and level of commitment. Some clients need more local support and others do not; we’ll determine your exact need for specialists after your assessment (assessments are included in all services except Vita Insight).

If you’re wondering why this is so, consider the following: just like when you hire a business coach, you also typically need the expertise of others services like accountants or marketers. This is the same. My role is to identify your needs, create and implement your health improvement blueprint, and then help you be accountable to it—sometimes including other support players. Remember, this is literally your life we’re talking about so the stakes are high. And adding some key players for a couple months while you make the transformation to to help you add years of healthful living to your life seems like a reasonable course of action.

Family & Friends

Your family and (close) friends must be on your team as well. More specifically whoever the people are that you share your home with and interact with the most. In fact this is such a critical aspect that not having them on board can derail you right form the get go. Instead they need to be tireless champions. Sometimes getting your family on board with the lifestyle changes you’ll undertake may be a shock to them. If you’re whole family eats like shit, and now it’s just you who’s cleaning up their diet—well, you can see how this could be a problem. If this is your case, it will need to be addressed right away and I’ll help you get there with your family/friends.

In order to make the necessary shifts, and depending on how fast you choose to make the shifts, there’ll likely be some combination of additional expenses. The scale (pun intended) and scope depend on your needs, resources, and personal preferences.

These may include a smart scale, specialized food, supplements, access to exercise equipment (some basic equipment or a gym membership and/or a personal trainer), and laboratory or in-home medical tests. In certain circumstances, bringing on a local nutritionist can be of great value to a client. And some clients also choose to upgrade their sleep environment with sleeping related accessories; and perhaps even a new bed.

For most coaching services, and mine in particular—equal to, or even more important than costs, is your time, dedication, and motivation. Throwing money at your health will do nothing if you do nothing. To ‘Defy Decline’ you must be ready and willing to potentially upend huge swaths of your life. If you are, truly serious about taking control of your health, you absolutely must find the time, energy, and commitment to incorporate our work into your life—which may simultaneously uproot much of it. If a ‘day in the life’ of your life involves eating shitty food, sitting much of day, and not regularly exercising, it’s gonna be a huge shift. We’ll do it slowly and methodically, but be ready for some discomfort. I’ll be with you every step of the way.

Health and wellness transformations require data. And data must be turned into information. And with that information, you can make decisions about what to change or not to change. Without it we are in the dark. That’s why I start with a detailed assessment of your situation now; to create a baseline to know where you are starting from. Similarly, we will establish numerous baseline metrics about your health—and together all of these will help me create the blueprint for your transformation.

It all starts with data collection. And technology is an ideal vehicle for not only data collection, but for converting that data into information we can use. So much technology these days is automated with the adoption of wearable smart devices. My preferred combination of technology tools are an Apple Watch, a smart ring for sleeping data collection, and the many apps available for tracking a wide variety of health information on an iPhone.

FYI: There’s a peripheral movement associated with longevity, health and wellness tracking called the ‘Quantified Self’. This is a rather extreme form of tracking where individuals track anything and everything they can in an extremely detailed way, with a variety of sensors and devices, in which their body becomes a huge scientific experiment. From the voluminous data collected behavioral, medical, nutritional, physiological and psychological adjustments are constantly being made to optimize health, metabolism, focus, and physical performance.

• (Major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), Apple Pay, Google Pay (default payment method)
• Bank transfers (on request)
• Venmo and Cash App (on request)

Yes, installment payment options are available using Klarna, a third party servicer, on the checkout form for the following services:

1. VitaCoaching (4 and 8-packs)
2. VitaElite Immersion

Scheduling is done through an automated appointment scheduler and can be accessed anytime. The frequency of coaching sessions is weekly or biweekly, depending on your progression and available time to dedicate to your transformation. Ideally, the sessions are spaced out evenly, i.e. Mondays or early in the week.

No. My services fall under displicine of coaching and are not covered by health or medical insurance.

Privacy and confidentiality is extremely important to me when I use a service such as this. So I take it very seriously as the provider. However, my scope services are not bound to HIPAA laws, the health and fitness app used in my coaching packages is HIPAA compliant. And for my backend business operations, I use password protected and encrypted platforms. For now, I am a sole practitioner and therefore no one has access to your data and if for any reason you wish for it to be sent back to you or expunged upon completion of our work together, I am happy to comply with such a request.

This is a very rare circumstance and is addressed on a per-case basis. More than likely we will agree to terminate the remaining sessions with a refund of the unused sessions less a 10% processing fee.

The short answer is no. Due to the nature of the working relationship between coaches and their clients, especially in the health and wellness sector, a guarantee for successful outcomes is rare. Similarly, psychologists do not offer guarantees; such as that their client will alleviate their depression.

The work we will do together is nuanced and frankly requires a HUGE commitment on your end. Depending on where you’re starting from based on your medical status, nutritional knowledge and habits, and fitness and exercise levels, the lifestyle changes we will seek to uproot may be one of the biggest things you've ever done in your life. In such a case, it would be next to impossible to guarantee, for example, that a client who is overweight and presenting with Type II diabetes will lose all the weight and reverse their diabetes. It can be done, for sure. It depends on you and your level of commitment. If it appears, once we begin working together, that your issues are better suited to medical professionals, a partial return of your funds would be reimbursed.

That all said, I am confident in the transformative impact of VitaMen coaching. Please contact me to discuss any concerns or questions.

It’s all dependent on which medical issue(s) you have—and how severe. We would need to assess your situation before determining if you would benefit from the VitaMen protocols. Please contact me.