Age Less / Live More

Detox Your Thoughts with Andrea Bonior --------- The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the news for months as a quiet crisis, one of mental health, has spread even faster and further. Depression, anxiety, and loneliness are at all-time highs. And what happens when you take away work, school, and social events on top of that? What happens when your usual support and self-care tools are unavailable to you? For many of us, it means swimming through endless days of uncertainty, worry, and loss. On this week’s show, we’ll talk about down-to-earth strategies for how to reign in your head trash. Listen & Learn:  How “all or nothing” thinking can create negative spirals How to consciously separate yourself from your negative thoughts and observe them from afar The real risk of not sleeping enough right now How naming your feelings can be the first important step toward growth Links & Resources Detox Your Thoughts Book ABOUT OUR GUEST Andrea Bonior is a licensed clinical psychologist, speaker, professor, and writer. She writes, "Baggage Check," the mental health advice column and live chat for The Washington Post. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, NPR, Good Morning America, USA Today, CNN, USA Today, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Self. Her blog for Psychology Today has been viewed more than 16 million times. Her latest book is called, Detox Your Thoughts.  Nutritional Tip of the Week: How Much Fiber to Eat Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

How to Control Your Attention  with Nir Eyal ---------------- How is it possible that with social distancing, telecommuting, and almost zero social events right now, you can still go an entire day and get nothing done. Exercise was forgotten, healthy meals didn’t happen, and the work projects continue to pile up. Can you relate?  Distraction was endemic before the pandemic and will continue long after. Our neural wiring makes us highly-prone to shiny object syndrome where every phone notification and salacious news story glimmers like a fleck of gold. Oh, what’s that? 10 minutes lost. And what about that? 30 more minutes gone.  On this week’s podcast, we’ll explore distraction, and its opposite, traction.  Listen & Learn:  How to make technology your slave  Why the opposite of distraction is not focus - it’s traction Why we should stop blaming technology and start thinking about fundamental behaviours  How to put yourself first Why schedules are so important Links & Resources:  Nir’s website ABOUT OUR GUEST Nir is a writer and the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Previously, he taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.   Nutritional Tip of the Week: Spinal Fusion Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

Understanding Madnesswith Susannah Cahalan  --------------------------Susannah was an ambitious young adult starting an exciting life in New York City when she began having seizures, experiencing a bout of mania and depression, and even hallucinating. After nearly a month of hospitalization, she was wrongly diagnosed with bipolar disorder before eventually being diagnosed with a rare auto-immune condition that was affecting her brain. We often think of mind and body as two separate systems, acting independently - but this is flawed thinking. Thoughts chains of amino acids, physical movements impact your neurotransmitters, and this distinction between mind and body quickly becomes irrelevant. The two are inextricably linked.On this week’s show, Susannah will share her story, her research into mental health, and how she took charge of her own health.  Listen & Learn:  How mental illness is often treated like a character flaw, not an illness How important it is to take control and responsibility for your own health  Why we lack proper care and treatment for mental illness How the mentally ill are ending up homeless, imprisoned, and lost in society  Links & Resources:  Brain on Fire book The Great Pretender book ABOUT OUR GUESTSusannah Cahalan is a journalist and author of the books, Brain on Fire and The Great Pretender. She has worked for the New York Post. A feature film based on her memoir was released in June 2018 on Netflix. Nutritional Tip of the Week: VitD-Covid Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

Men with Meaning & Purposewith Connor Beaton--------What do you call a man who cannot perform, provide, and protect? Many people would call him a loser. It’s true that men have it easier in some areas with greater access to income and opportunities, but that often comes with the price tag of loneliness, isolation, and mental illness.  The stereotypical successful man is often work-torn with heavy eyes, floundering health, and little or no personal life to speak of. This is no way to live. On this week’s podcast, we’ll explore the struggle of men, meaning, and purpose.  Listen & Learn: How loneliness and isolation typify the modern male experience  Why men are often expected to perform and provide at the expense of almost everything else The downside privilege: how many successful men have no real friends    Links & Resources: Connors’ webpage ABOUT OUR GUEST:Connor is a speaker, writer, and podcaster. In 2014, Connor founded ManTalks, a community for men looking to expand and deepen their sense of self-awareness.   Nutritional Tip of the Week: Protein Supplement Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

Heart Rate Variability Simplified Marco Altini------------- “I know my body!” is something I hear from yoga students constantly. Sometimes they want to keep practicing and shouldn’t (due to injury or illness) maybe they want to stop practicing and shouldn’t (because the breakthrough is a few poses away). I wish we all knew and understood our inner world as well as our outer world, but most of us don’t. Quick check-in: do you know your resting heart rate right now? Do you know your respiratory rate? How about your blood glucose level? These can all be measured at home, and yet most of us don’t. We don’t know our bodies.  Of all the quantified self measurements, heart rate variability is perhaps the least known and utilized because it requires math and a daily commitment to check - but it delivers powerful insight into your readiness state based on your stress levels. A healthy heart is not slow and steady like a locomotive, it’s highly agile and variable like a cat meandering through a field. On this week’s show, we’ll give into the how and why of heart rate variability.  Listen & Learn: How a healthy heart is not slow and steady but instead agile and variable How the variability of your heartbeats is a direct window into your nervous system How overtraining and lifestyle stress can affect your HRV score How breathing, rest, and a good training schedule can improve your HRV, reduce the risk of injuries Links & Resources: HRV4 Training App  ABOUT OUR GUEST:Marco is a data scientist, programmer, and has a PhD in applied Machine Learning. He leads data science at Bloomlife, a digital health startup focusing on helping expecting mothers have a healthy pregnancy. He’s been developing apps since 2012. Nutritional Tip of the Week: Onions & Garlic Flexibility Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

Water, Whiskey, Coffee - Yoga Breathing Made Simple With Lucas Rockwood   “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” - Hans Selye Mental and emotional stress were at historic highs pre-Coronavirus. Today, the collective anxiety of the world borders on dangerous. How much uncertainty and loss can we tolerate? Is there an upper limit? The answers will unfold in real-time in the coming months, and that’s why it’s more important than ever to equip yourself with stress management tools for navigating your inner world. Yoga breathing is one of the most powerful nervous system modulated practices available - and yet it continues to be misunderstood and neglected in most health circles. The benefits are immediate, and even a beginner can impact their nervous system dramatically in as little as 10 breaths. In today’s podcast, I’ll help demystify yoga breathing and share with you three simple practices you can use right now.   Listen & Learn:  How yoga breathing can be put into three simple categories: water, whiskey, coffee How to switch breathing from automatic to manual mode and then downshift to relax and soothe yourself  Three simple practices you can use right now  Links & Resources:  Free Breathing Guide (PDF)  Become a Breathing Coach ABOUT OUR GUEST Lucas Rockwood is an internationally-renowned yoga teacher and trainer. He’s the founder of YOGABODY and the Yoga Teachers College. His TEDx Talk on yoga breathing has been viewed more than 1.2 million times.  Nutritional Tip of the Week: Canned COVID Food Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

Losing it All in COVID-19with Lucas Rockwood--------------Greetings from Barcelona. We’re nearly 2 months into COVID-19 lockdown, and instead of our usual expert interviews, I thought I’d share my experiences so far during COVID-19 with the hopes that I can glean some insight, and maybe you too.  Here’s what I’ll share:  How I lost my yoga studios How crisis unveils both strengths and weakness of systems and people  How quickly we humans can adapt  Family/work / health - what really matters in life ABOUT LUCAS Lucas is an internationally-renowned yoga trainer, TEDx Speaker, podcaster, writer, and entrepreneur. His early yoga and meditation teachers include Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Paul Dallaghan, Alex Medin, Gabriel Cousens MD, and SN Goenka. Lucas left the USA in 2003 and travelled and taught extensively before making Barcelona, Spain his home base. In a previous life, he worked in theatre, publishing, and as a vegan chef and nutritional coach. He’s the father of three international kids and remains as passionate about yoga as when he first began practising in 2002. Nutritional Tip of the Week: Mushrooms for Immunity Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

The Pleasure Gap - Women’s Inequality in the Bedroom Katherine Rowland----------------------“Sex without love is as hollow and ridiculous as love without sex.” - Hunter S. Thompson Most of us are highly-charged sexual beings doing our best to hide it all day long. Lost lust looking for a home. On this week’s podcast, we’ll explore the differences in men’s and women’s pleasure.    Listen & Learn:  Why most women are less interoceptive than men Who is more fulfilled: monogamous or single women?  How modern dating plays out when fueled by our ancient desires How mismatched sexual drive can ruin a relationship Links & Resources: Katherine’s Website Pleasure Gap Book  ABOUT OUR GUESTKatherine has a masters in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University. She has contributed to Nature, the Financial Times, Green Futures, the Guardian, the Independent, Aeon, and Psychology Today. Katherine Rowland is the author of, Pleasure Gap: American Women and the Unfinished Sexual RevolutionNutritional Tip of the Week:   What to Eat for Belly Ache   Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

Adversity into AdvantageLaura Huang ----------------------------As I get older, I appreciate the struggles of my past almost as much as the successes, and here’s my question for you: What if your greatest weakness could be flipped and leveraged as your greatest strength? What if your biggest problems could be reframed as your best assets? The world of leaders and heros is filled with people who leveraged their rock-bottom experiences to create abundance and service in the present. Currently, we’re living in very difficult times. The health and economy of the world is suffering from COVID-19, and uncertainty is the norm. While no one knows exactly how this will change the world, it’s very clear that things will change. And if we’re fortunate and diligent, perhaps these adverse times can eventually become an advantage too. Listen & Learn: How to create your own edge in life, often built off the adversity of your past Why EDGE (enrich, delight, guide, effort) can give you a framework for moving forward Why hard work is the last step, not the first - you need to aim first    Links & Resources: Laura’s website ABOUT OUR GEST Laura Huang is an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. She was previously assistant professor of management at Wharton. Her research has been featured in The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes and Nature. Her new book is, The Edge - Turning Adversity into Advantage. Nutritional Tip of the Week: Vit C for COVID19 Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes

How Successful People See the World with Emily Balcetis  ----------------- I ran out of laundry detergent last week and couldn’t motivate myself to walk 20 steps to the store to buy more. Why? I can lecture for hours, interview an author for the podcast, answer 70+ emails, and spend time with all three of my kids in one day, but the laundry detergent errand felt impossible.  I have periods of manic productivity with breakthroughs at every turn, but other times when the most mundane chores of life are overwhelming. Why? Where does motivation come from? Why does it waver? On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a psychologist who can help you find your fuel for life.  Listen & Learn:  How the fantasy of a goal can sometimes create enough pleasure to reduce motivation to actually achieve it  How to avoid under-stimulation without accidentally welcoming overwhelm When it can be helpful to look back and anchor past successes When it makes more sense to focus on the future, the next step    Links & Resources:  Emily’s TEDx Talk Emily’s Book Emily Balcetis is a social psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University. Her research focuses on people's perception of the world and how their motivations and emotions influence it. She is the author of the new book: Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World.   Nutritional Tip of the Week: Silver for COVID19 Got Questions? Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  Like the Show? Leave us a Review on iTunes