Nourish Balance Thrive

In Robert's own words: My background, I imagine, is pretty similar to many of your clients. Alpha male, hard charging, recreational athlete. As a husband, father, runner and self employed software developer, I have a pretty busy life where each minute of the day is always allocated. Time management is my top priority. Looking back the writing was on the wall for me in 2009, when training hard for Berlin marathon I was noticing ebbs and flows in my energy levels on training runs. Still it was a good year, I ran a PB of 2:31 at Berlin and felt that if I took away the heat of that day, I would have achieved a lifetime goal of sub 2:30. I picked up an injury not long after Berlin and from then on, it was a continual spiral downwards. The more, and the harder, I trained the worse the performances got and the more injuries and illnesses I picked up. I fell into the typical vicious circle of dipping performance, the solution was to train harder. This lasted for 5 years, when almost at the point of giving up the sport, I heard Chris on the Ben Greenfield podcast. In the podcast, Chris talked about self testing and the knowledge that can be gained from these tests. I’d already looked at the UK equivalent of 23andMe and I had also carried out the Genova Hormone Panel (Testosterone, Adrenal, Melatonin) prior to speaking with Chris as I’d started to become more interested in what makes us work, or not as the case was! So, I had the results from these tests, but really had no idea what I needed to do with the information. This is when I contacted NBT and after an initial chat with Chris he came up with an immediate adrenal recovery plan that included supplements, stress reduction techniques and alterations to diet. Chris was brilliant in sourcing the supplements I needed in the UK and provided a plan and protocol to follow. In the meantime we arranged the Organix Profile and 401H Pathogen screen tests to get a deeper understanding of where things might be going wrong. The results of these tests proved to be a real eye opener and at the same time not surprising. I had issues with yeast overgrowths in the gut and issues with energy systems pathways. This explained the gut issues I had been experiencing for, well, years!  The issues in energy production and utilisation really struck home as I have always had the engine (VO2Max Lab tests proved that), but lacked the fuel delivery system. I could run 100+ miles a week in the hope of building that endurance base, but all I was doing was running myself into the ground, overstressing the adrenal hormone production, while trying to fuel on copious amounts of simple sugars and starches, which further stressed my already over stressed state. Chris and NBT have turned this 10+ years of self abuse around in 3 months. Although there is a long way still to go, I feel brilliant. I can’t express my gratitude to the team at NBT for that. Running is such an important part of my life, it is part of my definition. My training over the last 3 months has been better than I could ever have expected. At 42 years old, I have a real desire to train again and race hard, I know there are PB’s still in me. I could not have got to where I am now, never mind in the future, without Chris and Nourish Balance Thrive.

Richard David Feinman is Professor of Cell Biology (Biochemistry) at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center  in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Feinman’s original area of research was in protein chemistry and enzyme mechanism, particularly in blood coagulation and related processes. His recent book “The World Turned Upside Down. The Second Low Carbohydrate Revolution” describes how “How the science of carbohydrate restriction arising from a rag‑tag collection of popular diets defeated the powerful low‑fat army and became the default approach to health.” The whole book oozes wisdom and dry wit decades in the making, but for this interview I decided I wanted to talk about part two: "Policy and the mess in nutrition". Chapter 16 begins a discussion of flawed medical studies and how you can spot them.  My take away from the interview: Start with a solid review paper with lots of authors, e.g. this one. Drill down from there into the citations. Look at the pictures (figures) first. Pictures tell you the author is trying to teach and not snow you. It’s not OK to omit a citation. Habeas corpus datorum - “show me the body of the data”. Does the data support the conclusions? There is no gold standard for scientific studies; it depends on what question you’re trying to answer. The first 25 pages of biology textbooks are a good place to build the prerequisite knowledge. Older editions are cheaper and perfectly fine for this purpose. All universities offer a great degree in biology, so find out what the accompanying textbook is. During the interview, Richard mentions Lippincott Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry and the book I have is Marks' Basic Medical Biochemistry. Also of tremendous value to me as an education tool, Bryan Walsh's Metabolic Fitness Pro training course and the Khan Academy chemistry module.

On the show this week, local talent Carolina Gomez-Villafañe​. Carolina is a cyclocross racer for the elite women's team Vanderkitten and was the first Argentine to represent at the World Championships in Tabor earlier this year.  Carolina is unlike most of the people I work with in that she's new to the idea of a Paleo diet. My hope is that some subtle tweaks will resolve her digestive complaints and improve her recovery. During the interview, we discuss Carolina's recent blood chemistry. I'm confident the follow-up will show quantifiable improvement from the changes I recommend.  Carolina recommends YogaGlo, and as always I talk about the guided meditation app Headspace. Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments below! Follow Carolina on Facebook and Instagram.

On the show this week, Kevin from the Rebooted Body podcast. I wanted to have Kevin on to talk about his program because I think it offers a level of interactivity, support and accountability that I will never be able to achieve in a scalable way with one-on-one coaching. In the podcast, Kevin talked about the fascinating connection between the Kaiser ACE evaluation score and failure to Reboot. How do you score? Let me know in the comments below. Click here to find out more about the Rebooted Body Program.

In 2013, I broke my leg training for a local mountain bike race. I tried to convince myself and everyone around me that continuing with my training in preparation for a more important race later that summer was a normal thing to do. Looking back I recognise this behaviour as exercise addiction. I didn't want to stop because I was fearful of living without the high that returned me to what I now consider to be a reasonable baseline. This addiction was a symptom of other underlying issues revealed using home health testing. Is your training a healthy endeavour helping achieve your competitive goals or is it a crutch helping you manage your adrenal fatigue symptoms? Leave a comment below and let me know!

On the podcast this week, elite mountain biker Sarah Kaufmann. Sarah suffered a mono infection a couple of years ago and has since been struggling to find her best form. Her recovery slowed, and insomnia set in. This together with digestive distress prevented from reaching her full potential on the bike. Switching to a Paleo type diet helped, but it hasn't been enough. After hearing me speak on the Robb Wolf podcast, we set about figuring out the underlying cause of her issues using salivary hormone, stool and organic acids testing. The saliva result showed low cortisol, low DHEA and incredibly low progesterone. Organic acids showed problems with fat burning, energy production, folate deficiency, inflammation and oxidative stress. The stool test found a blastocystis hominis infection. In addition to further diet and lifestyle changes, Sarah has taken supplements to address some of the problems we found. She now feels much better; her recovery times have improved, but still I feel like we're not there yet. Listen in to hear Sarah's very candid account of the changes that both helped and hindered. Are you looking for a paleo friendly coach that takes a minimalist and holistic approach? Sarah is a has a limited capacity to take on more clients. Email her sarah@plan7coaching.com Photo credits: Scott Kingsley Photography and Dave Kozlowski.

I know from experience that stress and stress physiology play an important part in our health and athletic performance. People frequently come to me for help with stressors that I can do nothing about--first responders and professional athletes are good examples. Sometimes I encounter psychological stress that I can't help with because I don't understand it--body image associated stress imposed by the fitness industry is one such example. Having been a fitness model herself, my guest Maddy Moon knows exactly how body image stress can have negative health consequences, and she now runs a program designed to help people live their lives without food rules. Maddy is also the author of the new book The Perfection Myth: How to Break Free from the Dogmatic Chains of Health and Dieting. Consider this interview part of my continuing education. Are you finding new found food rules overly stressful? Please let me know in the comments section below.

I've wanted to record this podcast for a LONG time. Back when I first started bike racing and training, I would go everywhere with a ginormous CamelBak containing 2L of water. Then when I transitioned off the sugary sports supplements, I noticed that I was less thirsty. Then I read Waterlogged, and suddenly it all made perfect sense. Conventional hydration wisdom is all based on faux marketing science! Or is it? This quote from Dr. Bryan Walsh: "If plasma is 93% water and you lose 0.5% of total body water, it will increase the viscosity of the blood a bit, which causes more work for the heart. How much work? I'd have to look that up, but the viscosity is considered one of the factors that determines something called Total Peripheral Resistance (along with length and diameter of arteries). Increase viscosity, increase TPR, increase the workload on the heart." I'm sure this statement is right, and yet this seemingly deleterious effect appears to have no bearing on athletic performance. My guest today is Dr. Tommy Wood, a qualified medical doctor, graduating from Oxford University in 2011. He has a previous Bachelors degree in Natural Sciences and Biochemistry from Cambridge University. After working as a junior doctor in the UK for two years, Dr. Wood is now working towards a Ph.D. in neonatal brain metabolism at the University of Oslo, Norway. Tommy writes his blog and for Breaking Muscle, and co-hosts the Eat Better with Paleo Britain podcast. Have you noticed a decreased thirst since switching to a healthy fat, lower carbohydrate approach to training? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Being there to witness the return of a person's vitality is an amazing thing. The initial conversation is hard; usually the person is tired, frustrated and confused. As time goes by their sense of humour returns--that's when I know the program is working. Megan Melack is a pro mountain biker from Santa Cruz and an exception to this rule. Megan always sounded bright and bubbly, even when she was clearly feeling downright awful. The only visible improvement from my perspective was her ability to train! The three tests that Megan ran to figure out her low cortisol and Candida overgrowth problems were the Genova Diagnostics Organix Comprehensive Profile, BioHealth 401H GI Pathogen Screen and 205 Adrenal Stress Profile. Are you suffering from hormonal and digestive issues and having a hard time figuring out what to eat? Book a free consultation and let me help you figure it out.

Dr Lynda Frassetto is a medical doctor and Professor of Medicine and Nephrology at the University of California San Francisco. She is the director of a clinical research center at UCSF, supervises patient care at three of the University’s hospitals, and helps teach courses on improved communications and behavioral stress modification techniques. Dr Frassetto is currently recruiting for the PCOS Paleo study! You can find out more about the study on the UCSF site, and also on clinicaltrials.gov. That aside, this episode is all about the kidneys. I first became interested in the kidneys after a urinalysis detected calcium oxalate crystals, and I started to worry about stones. I soon realised that the kidney's role in red blood cell production, gluconeogenesis and the regulation of blood pressure, electrolytes, pH and fluid balance is far more interesting than anything to do with filtration. In the interview, I mention two papers linking the ketogenic diet to kidney stones. They are: Furth SL et al. Risk factors for urolithiasis in children on the ketogenic diet. Pediatr Nephrol. 2000 Nov;15(1-2):125-8. http://pmid.us/11095028. Sampath A et al. Kidney stones and the ketogenic diet: risk factors and prevention. J Child Neurol. 2007 Apr;22(4):375-8. http://pmid.us/17621514. Does anyone know how to make steak and kidney pie that doesn't smell like pee? Julie made it once, and when she opened the oven door the kitchen smelled like a dairy shed. Leave your recipe in the comments section below!