
Boundless Life
Free fitness, nutrition, biohacking, fat loss, anti-aging and cutting-edge health advice from BenGreenfieldLife.com! Tune in to the latest research, interviews with exercise, diet and medical professionals, and an entertaining mash-up of ancestral wisdom and modern science, along with Q&A's and mind-body-spirit optimizing content from America's top personal trainer.
Latest episodes

Aug 23, 2014 • 33min
How To Hunt Down And Destroy Hidden Health Hazards In Your Environment.
I have a new toy. It's this set of tiny little blocks that are barely larger than Lego pieces (pictured above), and each little block can be connected to your phone to measure, collect and analyze the hidden qualities of your surroundings. It's called a "MyLapka Personal Environment Monitor". The Lapka is a tiny, beautifully designed personal environment monitor, and in today's podcast, I interview the designer, Vadik Marmeladov. In the interview, we talk about how the Lapka works, what it measures, how you can use it to quantify your environment to get healthier, and much more. Each little block is equipped with a set of precise sensors which respond to the invisible world of particles, ions, molecules and waves. But Lapka doesn’t just quantify what it measures. You get results that are specific to where you happen to be at the moment. On the street, at the office, inside your baby's bedroom, or on an airplane - it actually compares readings to average guidelines for each individual environment. The Lapka is actually comprised of four different devices that measure radiation, electromagnetic fields, humidity and how organic your produce is. The first is Lapka Radiation, which measures all of the radioactive particles around you and is sensitive to levels of beta and gamma particles. Legal limits for radiation vary, and Lapka provides health guidelines for each. For example, a baby’s bedroom's legal limit is much lower than that of an airplane at 10,000 feet. Lapka knows to analyze in relation to this when you choose either the Airplane or Baby preset in the app. The second is the Lapka Electromagnetic Field, which measures EMF’s caused by electronic devices, wireless transmitters, nearby power lines, etc. Lapka EMF takes measurements of both High Frequency and Low Frequency fields and can detect cell phone antenna activity, microwaves or exposed wires to reveal the spots with the least electromagnetic pollution. That’s where you might want to put your yoga mat. Next is Lapka Humidity, which measures both the temperature and humidity of your environment. It combines and compares the results with a knowledge base of comfort standards to help you better understand your personal climate at any moment and ways that you could sleep better or think better based on temperature and humidity. Different scenarios - for example, wine storage and sleep comfort — call for different temperatures and levels of moisture (don’t sleep in your wine cellar, by the way). Finally, Lapka Organic detects whether or not your fruits and vegetables were really grown organically. The little probe simply measures ionic conductivity, which correlates to the quantity of nitrates left behind from nitrogen-based fertilizers. Each fruit and vegetable has a defined limit for nitrate concentration, and conductivity that significantly exceeds these limits suggests the use of non-organic farming practices. So you can find out whether that organic carrot is really organic. Do you have questions, comments or feedback about the Lapka? Do you have one and if so, how are you using it? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 20, 2014 • 49min
How To Use Genetic Testing To Personalize Your Workout And Diet.
Last year, in the podcast episode "The Unforeseen Costs of Civilization And What You Can Do About It.", I spoke to author Spencer Wells about the world of genetic testing and gene research. In just one year since that episode, we've come a long way, baby. Even though the popular genetic testing service "23andme" seems to have had a bit of a slapdown from the FDA when it comes to releasing specific health information, that doesn't mean you can't still go get tested by 23andme (a simple salivary test that costs $99) and then export that data to another service that will give you targeted health, fitness and nutrition information. My guest on today's podcast, Andrew Steele, is British Olympic athlete in the 400m and the 4x400m relay (runs the 400 in 44.94 seconds) and has represented his country at European Championships, Commonwealth games, World Championships and Olympic games. The guy knows what it takes to go from good to great, how to tap into the power of genetic research to make targeted training and nutrition choices, and now works as head of sport for a company called "DNAFit", which allows you to import your 23andme test results to get personalized fitness and diet results. During our discussion, Andrew and I go over my: -DNAFit Nutrition Results (click to download) -DNAFit Fitness Results (click to download) You're going to learn the background and science of how the process works, real world examples of how this information can be applied with significant benefits to health, performance and biomarkers, and how accurate the results are. Do you have questions or feedback about how to use genetic testing to get personalized diet and fitness recommendations? Leave your comments at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 16, 2014 • 33min
How An Internet Entrepreneur Went From A Fat Keyboard Slob To Conquering SEALFit Workouts.
Chris Brogan (pictured above after going from a fat keyboard slob to conquering SEALFit workouts) is author of the book "Just Start Here: Lose Weight, Get Stronger and FINALLY Succeed at Your Goals.". As an internet entrepreneur, Chris is a self-professed complete non-expert in the field of fitness. But nonetheless, I read his book. And it is actually quite good. So in today's podcast episode, Chris joins us, and you learn: -Why you need a story that defines you if you want to truly master fitness and diet... -Why willpower is stupid... -Why Chris puts so many pictures of himself on Instagram... -How losing weight should be an “hourly” experience... -Chris's potent “time quilting” strategy for enhancing fat loss... -And much more! Resources we discuss in this episode: -Chris's Instagram account -Just Start Here: Lose Weight, Get Stronger and FINALLY Succeed at Your Goals. -BossFitMag.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 13, 2014 • 1h 11min
Morning vs. Evening Workouts, Fitness Tips For Newlyweds, Benefits of Protein Fasting & More!
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/291 Aug 13, 2014 Podcast: Five Fitness Tips For Newlyweds, Using Jack Daniel's Running Formula, Morning vs. Evening Workouts, Benefits of Protein Fasting, and How To Fix Bad Posture From Working On A Computer. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right, use the Contact button on the app, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or use the “Ask Ben” form... but be prepared to wait - we prioritize audio questions over text questions. ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: You can get these News Flashes hot off the presses if you follow Ben on Twitter.com/BenGreenfield, Facebook.com/BGFitness and Google+. Hidden contributors to obesity that are in your food. Female? Triathlete? You could be it trouble. Check out this study (this is the whole reason I created Tri-Ripped). Tracking heart rate during a marathon or triathlon? It’s going to increase about 3 beats for every 1% body mass loss, so adjust accordingly. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Here's the link for the Ancestral Health Symposium 2014 videos. Lots of premium podcast episodes are getting released lately - including audio chapters of Beyond Training, an interview with MyLapka designer, and much more. Click here to go premium and get access to a protected vault of over 300 audios, videos and .pdf downloads - all for 9.99/year. September 21-23: Ben will be speaking at The 431 Project - where astronauts, technologists, screenwriters, CEO’s, educators and more, will assemble in the picturesque Green Mountains of Vermont to take up a crucial call to action to end inactivity and obesity in the U.S.. Imagine Ted Talks meets Davos meets the National Geographic Channel. Vibrant fall foliage, fresh farm to table cuisine and world-class sommelier-curated wine lists are a bonus of this exclusive summit. If you want to connect, share, learn, have the time of your life AND change the world... get invited by requesting an invitation in the efforts to lead 300 million Americans towards positive choices, healthy living, and simple, sustained changes that will change their lives. September 25-27: Ben will be presenting at The Vermont Traditional Foods and Health Symposium at Shelburne Farms. Inspired by the teachings of the Weston A. Price Foundation, this event explores the core principals of how traditional diets can contribute to health, wellness, and longevity. September 26-28: Ben will be speaking at 2014 Bulletproof Biohacking Conference in Pasadena - Dave Asprey has decided to extend the pre-sale ticket price of $400 until this Friday, August 1st. Dave is stacking this year’s event with an all-star speaker lineup of bestselling authors… entrepreneurs… Olympic athletes… nutritionists… world-class biohackers... and more... Plus, an interactive expo of the latest biohacking ‘tech’ – including cutting-edge gear designed to get you into hyper-productive “flow” state, courtesy of the Flow Genome Project. And YES, that means Dave is making sure all the best ‘toys’ are on display in one place – and you get to play with them… click here to get in now. October 8-13: Ben will be speaking at the Ironman Sports Medicine conference in October during Ironman Hawaii. He will be presenting on nutrition myths and alternative methods of fueling Ironman (and Brock will *hopefully* be there too) If you want The Purigenex Intensive Collagen System that JJ Virgin talks about in the podcast, it has only been sold to plastic surgeons, doctors and medspas for the past 5 years. But this transdermal collagen mask and serum is being made available exclusively to Ben Greenfield Fitness Subscribers for $300 below the doctor price with FREE overnight shipping! Check it out here. You can also get the Age Reversal Serum she talks about here. The Rock Star Triathlete Academy has relaunched with a lifestyle membership card! Click here for all details. Go ask your burning Obstacle Racing questions at ObstacleDominator.com for the brand new Obstacle Dominator podcast. Grab this Official Ben Greenfield Fitness Gear package that comes with a tech shirt, a beanie and a water bottle. And of course, this week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - leave your review for a chance to win some! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, deciphered, edited and sometimes read by Brock Skywalker Armstrong, the Podcast Sidekick and Audio Ninja. Five Fitness Tips For Newlyweds Robbie asks: He is calling on behalf of your biggest fan (and his soon to be wed brother) Marco. He and Marco's fiancé Jasmine are wondering what your top marriage tips are for someone who loves all things triathlon, nutrition and Ben Greenfield. In my response I recommend: -These partner exercises Using Jack Daniel's Running Formula Ignacio asks: He keeps reading and hearing that a lot of ultra trail runners train based on Elevation & Time rather than based on Distance. He is currently training for a rather hilly 50k trail run and would like to know the best way to incorporate elevation and time into his training? In my response I recommend: -Jack Daniel's Running Calculator Morning vs. Evening Workouts Rick asks: He knows from listening to the podcast that working out in the afternoon is optimal but if he must workout in the morning, what are the factors he needs to consider to optimize that morning workout? In my response I recommend: -Glycerin suppository Benefits of Protein Fasting Troy asks: He has heard that eating less than 15 grams of protein in a day can activate certain detox pathways. He couldn't find any scientific research on it but he has heard that you should do "protein fasting" once a week. What do you think? How often should you do it and what are the benefits or doing it? In my response I recommend: -Amino acids capsules or amino acids powder How To Fix Bad Posture From Working On A Computer Rachel asks: She has very bad posture ever since she was in university from slumping over at a desk. It seems really impossible for her to reverse. She doesn't know if it is from lower back muscle disuse or what... but what do you recommend for fixing bad posture? ----------------------------------------------------- -- And don't forget to go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/love!-- Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! Podcast music from 80s Fitness (Reso Remix) by KOAN Sound. Buy this track now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 11, 2014 • 41min
Part 1: 67 Steps to Getting Anything You Want Out of Life Health, Wealth, Love, & Happiness with Tai Lopez
Welcome to Part 1 of this special podcast series, in which you get to sit in and listen to Tai Lopez coach Ben Greenfield (and you!) using the strategies from Tai's online video series "67 Steps to Getting Anything You Want Out of Life Health, Wealth, Love, & Happiness". In this episode, Ben and Tai talk about multi-tasking, reprogramming your genetics and checking your e-mail less. Resources Tai and Ben discuss in this podcast: -Book: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains -Book: Inheritance: How Our Genes Change Our Lives--and Our Lives Change Our Genes -Book: The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results -Tai's online video series: 67 Steps to Getting Anything You Want Out of Life Health, Wealth, Love, & Happiness Do you have question, comments or feedback? Do you want Ben to keep publishing audio content like this with Tai Lopez? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 9, 2014 • 35min
How You Can Use Lasers To Heal Injuries, Enhance Recovery and Increase Performance.
Until today's podcast episode, I didn't realize lasers were so darn cool, and effective for so many issues. The laser was invented in 1960 and the biological stimulation properties of laser light were discovered shortly after than, in 1967. Even though therapy lasers have been used in Europe much longer than in the United States, in 2002, the FDA cleared therapy lasers for treating injuries and enhancing recovery. Now, multiple researchers throughout the world are finding enormous therapeutic application of different laser infrared wavelengths like red, green, and blue wavelengths and their effects on tissues. New high-power laser therapy systems penetrate deep into tissue and deliver physiological benefits that no other modality like electrical muscle stimulation or ultrasound can deliver. By stimulating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and enhancing cell membrane permeability, lasers can actually helps injuries heal and speed up recovery from workouts, rather than just masking pain. Today's podcast guest, Dr. Phil Harrington, has over 10 years of clinical experience using lasers for healing, and is a national and international author and lecturer on laser therapy. During our discussion you'll discover: -How laser treatments work... -What conditions can benefit from laser treatments... -Whether those little handheld laser units you can buy online work... -Which elite athletes are currently using laster treatments.... -What other modalities or treatments can be used with laster... -Why your body won't just heal itself from injury... -The difference between laser and other things like ultrasound or electrical muscle stimulation... -How to find a K-Laser provider in your area... Do you have questions about how you can use lasers to heal injuries, enhance recovery and increase performance, or questions about the K-Laser? Leave your comments at BenGreenfieldFitness.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 6, 2014 • 44min
How To Build Primal Fitness And Endurance By Hunting: An Interview With A Bowhunting Triathlete
I grew up in North Idaho surrounded by hunters. I've personally been hunting whitetail deer in my backyard for 4 years, fishing since I was a kid, and I've even podcasted about whether deer meat is healthy. And in the recent post "The 3 P’s Of Being A Man, Getting Tough and Doing Hard Things", you learned that one way to accomplish the "P" of providing is to hunt. My guest on today's podcast is Shad Wheeler (pictured above) from GotHunts.com. Shad is an entrepreneur, a bowhunter, and an triathlete, and in this episode, he teaches you how to build primal fitness and endurance by hunting. -How Shad's father helped found and invent the Bowflex exercise device... -What type of bows are best for bow hunting, whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started... -The similarities between triathlon and bowhunting... -TrainToHunt.com and the Train To Hunt Challenges... -Workouts for getting ready for bowhunting... Do you have questions or comments about this show? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 2, 2014 • 42min
Everything You've Always Wanted To Know About Ketosis But Were Afraid To Ask.
Do you know what the similarities are between epilepsy, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heartburn (GERD), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease, dementia, mental illness, schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, narcolepsy, and sleep disorders, treating cancer, autism, migraines, chronic pain, brain injury, stroke, and kidney disease? They can all be positively effected by a low-carb, high-fat, ketosis diet... ...and my guest today, Jimmy Moore, is going to tell you all about it. Jimmy is world’s leading low-carb diet blogger and podcaster. Last year, he wrote the book Cholesterol Clarity with coauthor Dr. Eric C. Westman, a practicing internist and low-carb diet researcher, and I interviewed him about that book in the podcast episode "The Shocking Truth About Cholesterol & Why You Probably Don’t Even Need To Test For It." Well now, Jimmy's back with a new book that pretty much answers everything you've always wanted to know about ketosis but were afraid to ask. The new book is called Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet and in the book, Jimmy shows you how a low-carb diet can be much more than simply as a means to lose weight, and how ketosis produces not only a powerful therapeutic effect on a wide variety of health conditions (that most people think requires medication to control) but can also be a pretty incredible biohack for both physical and mental performance. The book includes interviews from twenty of the world’s authorities on low carb and ketosis diets, along with a step-by-step guide to help you produce more ketones and track your progress, real life success stories of people using a ketogenic diet, and more. During my discussion with Jimmy, you'll find out: -Why not all low-carb diets are created equal... -How to find your carbohydrate tolerance level... -How to determine your personal protein threshold... -How much saturated fat is too much... -The biggest low carb mistakes that you can make... -Why you may not be producing adequate ketones... -And much more! If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: -Ketosis Dangers: How To Maximize the Nutrient Density of a Low Carb Diet with Terry Wahls -A Deep Dive Into Ketosis: How Navy Seals, Extreme Athletes & Busy Executives Can Enhance Physical and Mental Performance With The Secret Weapon of Ketone Fuel with Dr. Dominic D' Agostino -The Ultimate Guide To Combining Fasting and Exercise: Everything You Need To Know with Dr. Peter Attia Do you have questions about ketosis, Keto Clarity or the high-fat, low-carb approach we discuss in this episode? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 30, 2014 • 1h 16min
Dizziness During Exercise, Combining Heat Acclimation And Cold Thermogenesis, Lucid Dreaming And More!
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/290 July 30, 2014 Podcast: Dizziness During Exercise, Combining Heat Acclimation And Cold Thermogenesis, Can Eating Slow Increase Food Absorption, Lucid Dreaming Detox, and How To Use Infrared Therapy. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right, use the Contact button on the app, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or use the “Ask Ben” form...but be prepared to wait - we prioritize audio questions over text questions. ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: You can get these News Flashes hot off the presses if you follow Ben on Twitter.com/BenGreenfield, Facebook.com/BGFitness and Google+. Very insightful observations on how gold medal athletes taper for competition. Contrary to popular belief…being cold doesn’t “give you a cold” - it actually bulletproofs you against it! Here’s a good rule to follow: if the carbs that you’re eating don’t or didn’t have CELLS they’re probably not such a good idea. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Lots of premium podcast episodes are getting released lately, including audio chapters of Beyond Training, an interview with MyLapka designer, and much more. Click here to go premium and get access to a protected vault of over 300 audios, videos and .pdf downloads - all for 9.99/year. September 21-23: Ben will be speaking at The 431 Project, where astronauts, technologists, screenwriters, CEO’s, educators and more, will assemble in the picturesque Green Mountains of Vermont to take up a crucial call to action to end inactivity and obesity in the U.S.. Imagine Ted Talks meets Davos meets the National Geographic Channel. Vibrant fall foliage, fresh farm to table cuisine and world-class sommelier-curated wine lists are a bonus of this exclusive summit. If you want to connect, share, learn, have the time of your life AND change the world…get invited by requesting an invitation in the efforts to lead 300 million Americans towards positive choices, healthy living, and simple, sustained changes that will change their lives. September 25-27: Ben will be presenting at The Vermont Traditional Foods and Health Symposium at Shelburne Farms. Inspired by the teachings of the Weston A. Price Foundation, this event explores the core principals of how traditional diets can contribute to health, wellness, and longevity. September 26-28: Ben will be speaking at 2014 Bulletproof Biohacking Conference in Pasadena - Dave Asprey has decided to extend the pre-sale ticket price of $400 until this Friday, August 1st. Dave is stacking this year’s event with an all-star speaker lineup of bestselling authors… entrepreneurs… Olympic athletes… nutritionists… world-class biohackers… and more… Plus, an interactive expo of the latest biohacking ‘tech’ – including cutting-edge gear designed to get you into hyper-productive “flow” state, courtesy of the Flow Genome Project. And YES, that means Dave is making sure all the best ‘toys’ are on display in one place – and you get to play with them… click here to get in now. October 8-13: Ben will be speaking at the Ironman Sports Medicine conference in October during Ironman Hawaii. He will be presenting on nutrition myths and alternative methods of fueling Ironman (and Brock will *hopefully* be there too) If you want The Purigenex Intensive Collagen System that JJ Virgin talks about in the podcast, it has only been sold to plastic surgeons, doctors and medspas for the past 5 years. But this transdermal collagen mask and serum is being made available exclusively to Ben Greenfield Fitness Subscribers for $300 below the doctor price with FREE overnight shipping! Check it out here. You can also get the Age Reversal Serum she talks about here. The Rock Star Triathlete Academy has relaunched with a lifestyle membership card! Click here for all details. Go ask your burning Obstacle Racing questions at http://www.ObstacleDominator.com for the brand new Obstacle Dominator podcast. Grab this Official Ben Greenfield Fitness Gear package that comes with a tech shirt, a beanie and a water bottle. And of course, this week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - leave your review for a chance to win some! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, deciphered, edited and sometimes read by Brock Skywalker Armstrong, the Podcast Sidekick and Audio Ninja. Dizziness During Exercise Brian asks: He gets lightheaded at the gym sometimes. Usually when he is doing weighted lunges. Is this a bad thing? Is it dangerous? He would of course rather not have it happen, but is it something to worry about? Combining Heat Acclimation And Cold Thermogenesis HotandCold asks: He has seen a lot of information about becoming heat acclimated and about ice baths and cold showers but not a lot about how to prepare yourself for a race that may start off in very cold water but end with a very hot run. How can you prepare and adapt for extreme temperature fluctuation? Does training for one temperature negate training for the other? In my response I recommend: -The latest episode of Obstacle Dominator with Matt Novakovich -Adaptogenic herb Tian Chi Can Eating Slow Increase Food Absorption? Laura asks: When she and her boyfriend finish a workout they both have a protein shake or a green smoothie. He downs his in 2 or 3 gulps while she sips hers for 30 minutes. She likes to think that the slower you drink it the better your body can absorb it. Is that true or should she try to chug it? Lucid Dreaming Detox Ben asks: He has stopped wearing his Superhuman Encoder to bed because it gives him bad dreams. He Tweeted you about it and you mentioned something about a detox... but he hasn't been able to find any more info about it. Could you explain what might be happening and why he is getting the nightmares? In my response I recommend: -SuperhumanEncoder.com -Earthpulse -DMT Spirit Molecule book How To Use Infrared Therapy Peter asks: He knows that you like to use a red light in the bedroom before you go to sleep and he understand why. He is colourblind and cannot see red. Will he still get the beneficial effects from using a red light or does it rely on you being able to see that part of the spectrum? In my response I recommend: -DMT Infrared Therapy -Biomat ----------------------------------------------------- -- And don't forget to go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/love!-- Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! Podcast music from 80s Fitness (Reso Remix) by KOAN Sound. Buy this track now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 28, 2014 • 30min
The 3 P's Of Being A Man, Getting Tough and Doing Hard Things
Already twice this month, I've read a handy little free book for guys called Semper Virilis: A Roadmap to Manhood in the 21st Century (ladies, just forward it to the dude in your life). It was written by Brett McKay, a guest on today's podcast and founder of the Art of Manliness, a website which I religiously read. In one section of Semper Virilis, Brett introduces Theodore Roosevelt. This struck close to my heart, since Roosevelt was one of my favorite Presidents (and from a physical virility and workout standpoint, in pretty stark contrast to this guy). Here's what Brett has to say about Roosevelt: ---------------------------------- "...Theodore Roosevelt was born to a wealthy family in New York City. The Roosevelts enjoyed comforts and conveniences in their 19th century brownstone that most Americans wouldn’t see until several decades later. When the Civil War tore America apart, Teddy’s father had more than enough money to pay for a substitute and thus avoid a draft into the Union Army. If you were to judge the trajectory of TR’s life based on the first ten years of it, you’d probably guess that he’d end up as a smart and capable, but physically weak, natural history professor at some Ivy League university. Roosevelt could have easily settled into a life of cosmopolitan comfort. But after a stern talk from his father, young Teddy chose a different path for himself. He chose the hard way. What he called “the strenuous life.” In Teddy’s time, the standards of male honor largely revolved around virtues like integrity and industry – being a good man. And Roosevelt kept this code to a T. But he didn’t want to just be a good man, he wanted to be good at being a man, too. It was a goal he actively pursued. His adolescence was spent exercising and building up his once frail body. He took up boxing in college and became a competitive fighter. During winter breaks in school, he’d go up to Maine and hunt with the famous guide and timberman Bill Sewell. After his wife and mother died on the same night, instead of wallowing in grief and despair, Roosevelt headed out to the badlands of the Dakotas to take up cattle ranching. Despite being a four-eyed “dude” from back east, Roosevelt quickly earned the respect of rough and hard cowboys by showing he could pull his own weight and wasn’t afraid to jump into the fray: he cleared out stables himself without complaint; he captured a posse of horse thieves after tailing them for 3 days in subzero weather; he knocked out a gun-wielding loudmouth with 3 dynamite punches. By striving to live the hard way in his younger years, Roosevelt armed himself with the fire and fight he needed to succeed in the political, social, and intellectual challenges of his later life. Even as a middle-aged U.S. president, Roosevelt didn’t let up on his dedication to testing himself and living the strenuous life; he took part in judo and boxing matches in the White House and punctuated his schedule with hunting, skinny dips in the Potomac, and brisk hikes. He stayed ever ready for whatever adventures and exploits might await him. And what exploits they were. Roosevelt served as police commissioner, governor, assistant secretary of the navy, and president (the youngest ever to assume the office). When war broke out with Spain in Cuba, Roosevelt put together his own volunteer unit and led them in a charge up San Juan Hill. He was a devoted husband and father of six children. He read tens of thousands of books and penned 35 of his own. After his days as President were over, he set out on an expedition to explore an uncharted part of the Amazon River and nearly died in the process. All throughout his life, Roosevelt had the choice to reject the masculine code, but he never did. He sought to ever challenge himself “in the arena” and to always “carry his own pack.” Some historical commentators chalk up Roosevelt’s obsession with the strenuous life to a symptom of the “male anxiety” that many 19th century urban men faced in America. It was the age of machines and steam and a man’s place in society was being questioned: What was the use of masculine strength when new machines could do the work of twenty men? With the frontier closed, what use was there for the old pioneer qualities of ruggedness and self-reliance? Sound familiar? Roosevelt and other men of his time ignored the hand-wringing and deliberately chose to live by the code of men even though it wasn’t demanded of them. I think that’s why I and so many modern men admire Teddy Roosevelt. He showed that it’s possible to live in our modern world of luxury and comfort, but not be softened by it. He showed us that you could proactively choose to be good at being a man even when your surroundings or culture aren’t conducive to exercising your innate masculinity. In short, TR showed us that it’s possible to live in civilization but not be of it..." ---------------------------------- Good stuff. This is the kind of writing that inspires me to go do sandbags, car pushes, tire flips and sledgehammers - which new research shows gets you just as much results as hitting the fancy Nautilus machines at the health club (and is way more fun). Go read Semper Virilis to get more.And if you have questions, comments or feedback about today's podcast, the 3P's of becoming a man, leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.