The B.rad Podcast

    Dr. Cate is second to none as a health resource, period. Does anyone else blend her disparate interests of hands-on patient care during her long career as a family physician, a deep interest in scientific research, and an ability to communicate practical tips to a broad audience through her books, videos and podcast appearances? Clearly, Dr. Cate is exceptional. In this show, we learn about her background and wild journey across the continent to pursue an assortment of career roles. In particular, her nine years serving a rural native population on the island of Kauai served as inspiration for her groundbreaking book, Deep Nutrition. This book was initially self-published in 2009 and became a runaway bestseller. It was expanded and updated in 2017 to become an absolute must-have resource on your bookshelf.   While on the island, Dr. Cate and Luke were exposed by longtime native Hawaiians to forgotten cooking traditions featuring nose-to-tail consumption of naturally raised animals and a devotion to fermented foods in honor of their ancestry. Dr. Cate noticed in her medical clinic that the elderly natives who had preserved these ancestral traditions were healthier than the more westernized younger generations. This led to the research and development of Dr. Cate’s trademarked “Four Pillars of the Human Diet”: Fresh foods (e.g. fruit and vegetables), fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut, yogurt), organ meats (hey if you can’t stand liver, try the legit supplements from AncestralSupplements.com that package the purest sourced organ meats and bone broth into convenient capsules), and meat on the bone (bone broth is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet, yet often completely overlooked even by devoted primal/paleo eaters).   The diet Dr. Cate follows now completely contradicts what she learned in medical school, which can be summarized as: “Fat makes you fat, cholesterol clogs your arteries, and salt gives you hypertension.” Unfortunately, Dr. Cate admits that: “As a doctor, I paid a lot for my medical education, and I did not learn anything true or worthwhile about nutrition or what people are supposed to eat.” And she’s hardly the only doctor to experience this – everyone who went to medical school during her time was fed the same incorrect information. Fortunately, she is a passionate advocate and spokesperson for living a natural, healthy, ancestral lifestyle, and her wealth of knowledge is truly boundless. Enjoy this show with the supremely well-informed, intelligent, and humorous Dr. Cate, as she shares so much of the invaluable knowledge she has accumulated over years of dedicated research and study – and before you start listening, you might want to take out a pen and paper – you will want to keep track of everything you learn from this radical conversation with one of the leading experts on nutrition and the history of human health.  TIMESTAMPS:  Cate talks about how she has lived in many different places and what it teaches her. [09:11]  Dr. Cate describes how her work with traditional Hawaiian diet brought her to the ancestral diet. [14:52]  In medical school, Cate didn’t learn true information about nutrition. [16:02]  Cookbooks that came out before the 1950s were the real nutrition science. [19:12]  The four pillars of traditional diet are (1) fresh (umbrella for variety, local, and seasonal), (2) fermented & sprouted, (3) meat on the bone, and (4) organs. [25:47]  Dogs are prehumen. What else came before us humans?  [28:62]  How did our ancestors manage their food? How do we know what tastes good? [30:34]  It is almost impossible to not become addicted to sugar. [33:34]  Learn how to use the bones in your diet to strengthen your joints and skin. [37:02]  In order to take advantage of what the bones provide, it’s better to use chicken on bone rather than boneless breast for example. [40:21]  It’s hard to buy natural fats any more. [43:06]  The fourth pillar is organ meats. Liver is especially good for anemia.  [45:06]  Try to train yourself when you are hungry to try these new healthy meats. [51:52]  Energy emergency crisis is a result from craving sugar. [55:29]  We have radically altered the composition of our bodies by consuming vegetable oils.  [56:05]  Dr. Cate acknowledges that sugar is important in this discussion, but she believes that the problem of the vegetables oils is way more important. {59:28]  When we decide to give up vegetable oils to clean up our diet, what happens then? [01:22:20]  Many people get headaches when their brain is needing energy. [01:07:00]  People trying to lose weight get into this vicious cycle when they have to work so hard.  It’s because their cells are dependent on sugar. [01:10:56]    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Breather) As you can tell by the title, this breather show is all about sleep – and the specifics of sleep. That means: how you sleep, what your habits are pre-bedtime, what your bedroom environment is like – anything particular to the way you go about getting some Zzzz’s. This show will help you identify what you’re doing right, and what you’re doing wrong when it comes to sleep – which will in turn, ensure that you get the best sleep of your life. These are a few bedroom rules I won’t budge from. One of them is Establish a sleep sanctuary. This means that you need to commit to maintaining an incredibly tidy and minimalist bedroom, reserved for sleep, intimacy, and other restful activities like pleasure reading and meditation. Absolutely no screens, piles of mail, stacks of magazines, partially completed home improvement projects, or any such clutter allowed. Absolutely no mini-work areas! Google “minimalist bedroom design” imagery to get some inspiration to achieve a sanctuary feel. It’s essential to create both a physical and psychological separation between your bedroom and other areas of your house where you do work or consume entertainment. Maintain a temperature of between 60-68F (16-20C) to facilitate the slowing of assorted metabolic functions that help your body get and stay into sleep mode. For this same reason, you don’t want to do a workout or sauna in the evening hours.   The second important practice is achieving total darkness for maximum sleep efficiency. This one makes a huge difference. Use blackout blinds or drapery, and eliminate even tiny LCD screens and power indicator lights. Even minor light influences can significantly disrupt your attempt to cycle gracefully throughout all phases of sleep. Biohacker extraordinaire Dave Asprey, author of The Bulletproof Diet and host of the Bulletproof podcast, describes how he travels with a roll of electrical tape so he can cover up every random light emission in a hotel room, including fire sprinklers and other offenders.   As Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival details, it’s not only your eyes that are sensitive to light; skin cells all over your body have very sensitive light receptors. One study revealed that flashing a single beam of light on the back of the knee was enough to disrupt melatonin production. Taking a quick glance at your smartphone screen to see what time you stirred in the middle of the night can be surprisingly harmful beyond suppressing melatonin. Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, sleep therapist and author of Tired But Wired: How To Overcome Your Sleep Problems, asserts that checking the time can “send you into a whirl of calculations and worry about how much sleep you will or won’t be getting.”   Strongly consider charging your devices in the hallway, or at least out of arm's length. Kelly Starrett calls this setting yourself up for success by eliminating even the possibility of temptation. Don’t be one of the 80 percent of Americans who check their phones upon awakening (per a 2013 Adweek report), or worse yet when you stir at some point during the night. Should you refuse, Julie Morgenstern, author of Never Check Email In The Morning explains that, “you’ll never recover.” Numerous studies reveal that once you activate the shallow, reactionary brain function in the frontal cortex with a smartphone engagement—especially first thing in the morning when you are locking habit patterns into place—it’s difficult to transition into high-level strategic problem-solving mode. Who wants to start their morning off like that? I definitely don’t, and I bet you don’t either. So many people are locked into bad habits and their sleep suffers as a result, thereby affecting their performance during the day. This show provides a remedy for this problem, teaching you how to align your circadian rhythm to natural light and helping you identify the habits that are actually a hindrance to your body and your mind, so you can finally experience the deep, restorative sleep you deserve.  TIMESTAMPS:  Most people don’t realize that it's not only the eyes bring light into our bodies. [02:22]  Think of creative ways to make your bedroom pitch dark. [05:39]  You really shouldn’t have to get up in the night to pee. [06:30]  Train your circadian rhythm by popping up early in the morning and exposing yourself to sun. [08:32]  Brad talks about his morning routine. [09:45]  Try the orange tinted glass in the evening to block the harmful spectrum of blue light. [11:29]  Jack Kruse’s article suggests the best time to have sex….and other activities! [12:43]  Even minor light influences can significantly disrupt your attempt to gracefully cycle through all phases of sleep. Get your phone out of the room!  [13:33]  We sleep less deeply away from home. [16:11]  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The biggest mistake in human history!? What is he talking about? We will get to that, and more in this very thoughtful show with Dr. Mark, pioneering physician and legendary endurance runner. Dr. Markhas been quietly changing the world with his devoted efforts to get people healthy, both inside the medical system as a physician and also a fitness enthusiast who conducts running clinics and opened the first ever barefoot-focused running store in the USA. He is a highly accomplished runner, with an absolutely astonishing and perhaps unrivaled streak of running a sub-3-hour marathon 30 years in a row. Mark recently wrote a book to convey his unique and broad-based health and fitness message, titled Run For Your Life.   As a cutting edge thought leader in ancestral health, you could say that Mark hails from an unlikely home state of West Virginia. This state just earned the dubious distinction of being the fattest state in America according to the CDC. Alas, they are also the most honest citizens, as they also admitted to their high obesity rates in the “self-reported obesity rates” graph that accompanies the official CDC graph.   This show gets into all kinds of juicy topics, and Dr. Mark pulls no punches. He observes that the creation and promotion of the USDA Food Pyramid has been “the biggest mistake in human history,” one that has led to millions of deaths, not only in America, but in all the other western nations that we export our culture to. Dr. Mark believes that the hyperinsulinemia (chronically excessive insulin production) that results from eating by the food pyramid is now the “biggest crisis in humanity” and everyone should stay away from foods that he refers to as “white death.” Indeed, as Dr. Doug McGuff observed in his book, Primal Prescription, if type 2 diabetes continues at today’s accelerated rate, the ensuing expensive long-term care for this condition is on track to bankrupt the US Treasury by the year 2060.   This is serious stuff that we seem to overlook, buried under the billions of dollars of marketing efforts by processed food manufacturers. American dietary guidelines are changing (at a snail’s pace it seems, but at least it’s still happening) but Dr. Mark rightfully believes that ridding the patient of the guilt they carry over their weight is key. They need to know it’s not their fault if they are obese or have a metabolic disorder, as the truth is, there are so many factors that contribute to this. Dr. Mark mentions a great Huffington Post article, “Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong” and uses the analogy of a classroom of kids to illustrate society’s view of obesity and fat shaming: “If one kid out of a class of 30 is failing, then it’s maybe about that kid, but when 2/3 are failing, it’s not about the kid – it’s about something else.” As he points out, “it’s inhumane” for people to pay for diet programs where they’re severely restricting calories to starvation level, because they spend all this money only to gain it all back, and find themselves again in the same place – shouldering the blame for something that they don’t even know isn’t their fault. Dr. Mark’s counter solution to this problem is empowering people by giving them the knowledge they need to truly understand that their health is in their hands. His patients have experienced enormous success because they have been given the tools they need to make lifestyle changes that have lasting, long-term effects. Enjoy this show as Dr. Mark fuses sharp intellect and curiosity with deep empathy for his patients, and illuminates many integral, underlying issues central to our food system that could be holding you back from thriving and functioning at peak performance.  TIMESTAMPS:  Brad introduces his guest who is actively changing the backwards medical community where he lives in West Virginia, the most obese state. [03:44]  The idea that eating fat causes you to get fat and causes heart disease has been refuted. It is widely accepted that sugar is the problem.  [07:06]  Medical schools are finally paying attention to diet. [09:40]  Some believe that you should have a plant-based diet. [12:44]  People don’t understand about fruits. If you want to build up body fat, eat fruit. [16:27]  What used to be viewed as the good diet for triathletes has to be refuted. [21:47]  Dr. Mark runs sub three-hour marathon. [31:18]  The US Dept. of Agriculture’s food pyramid could be the biggest mistake in human history. [33:05]  If your HDL is high it is a predictor of cardiovascular disease. [38:38]  Fat in the midsection is a warning. [44:36]  Fatty livers have now been seen in kids. [48:47]  Anything that involves calorie restriction to starvation levels, is unhealthy. [55:41]   US dietary guidelines are slowly changing. [59:50]  If the healthcare provider can assure the patient it is not their fault, it is a big step forward. [01:01:24]  “There is more money spent in the USA on medical care and consumer products relating to weight loss than on national defense.” [01:04:56]  Why isn’t there more talk about the blood test for insulin? [01:05:58]  Other societies do not have sugar sweetened drinks and garbage and junk food. [01:10:39]  Whether the change is slow or cold turkey, it is up to the patient how they want to improve the health. [01:13:49] Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Breather) For the past 10 years, I have modified my fitness regimen away from narrow endurance focus (including the extremely health-destructive chronic cardio training regimen that I followed as an elite competitor for 15 years) to a more balanced regimen featuring comfortable aerobic workouts (i.e., jogging daily with dogs), regular brief, intense strength training sessions, and occasional all-out sprints. It takes time, research, and a lot of trial and error to find out what works for you. A decade into this process of modifying my ever-evolving routine and here’s what I’ve come up with:  Establish a Flexibility/Mobility/Wakeup Call Routine. This is fairly new to me, something I started doing around 2 years ago. Check out my YouTube video here and note that I’ve found moving my practice from the bed to the floor has yielded even better results!   Increase General Everyday Movement. This one’s easy – just move! The goal is to break up the prolonged periods of stillness that most of us experience during the work day. Just freaking walk! Walk where you can, whenever you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and aim for frequent, very comfortable jogging (HR 130 bpm max) for 20 – 30 minute duration – something you can do with your  friends, your partner, your dogs ….and then there’s also one of my favorite ways to move: the Unfrozen Caveman Runner! And don’t forget that foam rolling actually counts as movement too!  Incorporate Micro-Workouts. These are brief efforts of explosive strength over the course of the day, one of my favorite fitness breakthroughs in recent memory. For example, hauling off a set up chin-ups when you enter that doorway, or doing a set of deep squats in your cubicle during the workday. Bring Brief Strength Training into the mix. It only needs to last anywhere from 5-20 minutes, 2-3 days a week. Save the extremely high intensity full-body work exercises (Schlepmo type-stuff—go hard or go home!) for the gym or outdoors.  Full Strength Sessions should consist of 5 sets of 6-8 deadlift/ 5 x 12 pullups. Or Cordz. This should take approximately 30-45 minutes.  All Out Sprints. Do this weekly. After 12 years of draining workouts (soreness, fatigue, etc.) I transformed my approach with Dr. Craig - HIIT v HIRT. 8 x 60m on field. Luxury rest intervals. 4-10. 10 minutes of quite challenging technique drills.   TIMESTAMPS:  Do your fitness goals fit into the reality of your real life? [04:35]  Brad suggests you custom design a routine for yourself that will fit into your flexibility needs. [07:20]  Move more every day. Take breaks. Walk. [09:18]  Adding other micro workouts during the day is easier than you think. [11:31]  At the gym, even once a week, high intensity explosive workouts works. [15:22]  Don’t forget to sprint. [16:47]  So many factors go in to the concept of anti-aging. [19:41]  Do not reach for your phone first thing in the day. [20:09]  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I first encountered the remarkable Tippy Wyatt after she contacted me to pitch an idea for a keto cookbook. Well, turns out that not only were we living in the same area at the time, but Tippy has an awesome YouTube channel and has a couple viral videos for how keto works for her daily routine, Costco shopping, and “What I Eat in A Day.” The show evolves from a breezy discussion for how to get a viral YouTube video, into an interesting account of a young couple’s journey to health. After Tippy’s husband gained 70 pounds in college, he found MarksDailyApple.com, and came to her for support. Seeking support from your partner during a massive lifestyle makeover is not uncommon, and after being asked the question of “how do I get my partner to be as enthusiastic and committed to the Primal lifestyle as I am?”, Mark decided to post the answer on his blog, and the answer is surprising: “You don’t.” You have to wait for people to be ready to receive the message – the inspiration and motivation needs to come from yourself. But this was interesting twist on a common problem in the ancestral health community, which is not obtaining “buy in” from your partner.   The couple detail their whimsical journey to Austin, Texas and how that immersed them into paleo lifestyle. We need to give Austin a shout-out, because at this point, the city could very well be renamed PaleoLand (as if that would go over well!). But all joking aside, Austin is such an exciting place for those on the Paleo diet – the conference PaleoFX takes place there, as well as KetoCon. As the epicenter of the ancestral health scene, Tippy and her husband could not have landed in a better place for the journey they were about to embark on. This doesn’t mean it was a happy-go-lucky, super easy time of success flowing effortlessly to this couple – in fact, it was the opposite. They experienced some really tough and trying times, but as Tippy goes further into sharing her powerful story, you will start to understand how she got to be such a resilient person.  This becomes clear towards the end of the show, as things start to get pretty heavy and intense as Tippy shares the details of her amazing journey to present day. She came to America from a refugee camp in Thailand, her father literally carrying her and her sister into the land of opportunity in a backpack. They settled into an impoverished existence on a farm near Fresno, CA. Tippy explains that she didn’t have summers like a normal American kid – she wasn’t at camp, doing arts and crafts, or running down a SlipNSlide and pelting water balloons at neighbors. Nope, instead she spent those hot, long, summer days doing hard labor, farming assorted Asian vegetables. But her experiences served her well, and with her immigrant work ethic is full bloom, Tippy excelled in school and graduated Fresno State with a business degree.   She relates that her father’s American dream was much simpler than a house and white picket fence or any other material achievements; he simply dreamed for his daughters to obtain an education. Some important themes arise for reflection: one is: how do you balance the immigrant work ethic and constant drive with the ability to enjoy life? This concept applies to career pursuits and well as staying aligned with eating goals, something we all strive to do.  When Tippy shares her story and mentions the importance of expressing gratitude in everyday life, it will have a profound and lasting impact on you. Compare and contrast to the cultural stereotype of the entitled millennial and those of us at any age suffering from the modern afflictions of affluenza, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and FOKU (Fear of Keeping Up). Yes, it’s easy to complain and tell stories when you can’t reach your weight loss goals, or when you don’t get all the stuff you wish for in daily life. But this is one millennial who’s not wasting her time with complaints and unrealistic expectations – her grit, perseverance, and sunny outlook on life will inspire you to look at your life in the same tough, critical, no-mercy way Tippy did when she examined her life, which prompted her to make a total lifestyle change. This show will inspire you no matter what stage or season you are at in your life, as Tippy’s journey truly showcases the strength of the human spirit and its capacity for change and evolution in the face of immeasurable challenges.   TIMESTAMPS:  How do I get my partner on board for this primal lifestyle thing?  The answer is you have to wait until people are ready. [03:33]  Tippy tells how to publish YouTube videos. [07:56]  Her videos are about her eating tips, especially for the Keto diet. [16:04]  You need to identify your why? [17:58]  Tippy’s first attempt at dieting worked but she didn’t enjoy the food. [24:59]  Low fat diets work, but you have to realize what is happening in your body. [27:37]  When you go Keto, you must be careful not to mess up electrolytes. You need salt. [32:23]  Fat does not make you fat! [35:32]  Tippy gained weight and found herself in denial that she wasn’t happy and had to deal with the reality of her situation. [36:36]  She tried many things until she discovered that eating what she liked (Keto) helped her come back to where she wanted to be. [41:47]  It’s a lifestyle, not a diet. [45:59]  Excess sugar is killing Americans. [49:24]  Now after many months of being on Keto, Tippy feels good, enjoys her food, and feels in control. [52:31] How do you strike that balance between being okay with departures but adhering to something that takes commitment and takes mindfulness all the time? [54:06]  She and her friends have a contest for the best physique by January. [55:31]  Tippy’s family were refugees from Thailand and were dirt poor. [01:00:38]  Work ethic: You show up and work harder. [01:09:00]  Tippy talks about why she is so driven. [01:12:00] Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    I keep the tape running as Dr. Ron and continue to talk, going into a discussion about longevity, some concerns related to menopause, when heart disease risk increases, and related concerns for aging males. Longevity promoting behaviors include keeping that visceral fat off the body, because it hampers hormonal function and can accelerate aging. Some great checkpoints to mitigate the effects of aging include keeping competency with squats, running the mile, and maintaining muscle reserves with regular resistance training. Also, monitor your blood values for triglycerides, glucose, HbA1c and inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein.  Surprisingly, women’s cardiovascular risk is lower before menopause – after menopause, their heart risk stats more closely resemble their male counterparts. Dr. Ron also warns us to watch out for the “skinny male” syndrome, when a thin man is actually at higher risk than his heavier wife, because more of the carbohydrates in the diet are going towards lipid production. As Dr. Ron explains, menopause can act as a sort of trigger – because pre menopause, women are fertile; a lot of the time, this means there’s more fat. This is not usually a problem especially during child-rearing years. Obviously, losing weight is a hot topic, and many women in the paleo community have asked for years why they can’t get rid of that last 10 pounds (something I expanded on in my article, How to Lose That Last 10 Pounds) but a lot of the time, it’s just because the female body needs that extra weight for hormonal reasons. But after menopause, Dr. Ron says the female body asks, “Why are we still eating this garbage?” because it’s aware that it doesn’t need to support a baby, and the excess fat is just that...excess.   As all of us get older, carrying a little extra weight has more serious ramifications – as Dr. Ron says, “With aging, you have to stay ahead of the insulin resistant race as far as possible.” This is why he advises patients to keep carbohydrates restrained, and stay on top of weight/resistance training for muscle preservation. “Muscle wasting with aging” is something Dr. Ron sees all the time with sedentary office workers, and adequate protein intake, along with weight training, are great ways to counteract this. Muscle mass preservation is particularly integral as you age because it helps you metabolize fuel, and the muscle cells themselves contain chemicals, that when released, can help with the aging process.  One of Dr. Ron’s most illuminating tests when checking his patients’ vital signs is, how are your squats going? Of course, he’ll check out the triglycerides, their stats, etc., but if his patients can’t do a few squats without getting out of breath, then he knows there’s an area that needs improving. We also discuss The Cooper Institute’s data about the mile run, and how one’s 1 mile run time at the age of 50 is strongly predictive of your changes of living to 80. Clearly, there’s so much you can do to increase your longevity and quality of life as you get older. And, sure, some of those things aren’t always fun or pleasurable – who out there actually likes doing squats? Not many people. Most people would prefer to be noshing on some French fries on the couch then to be sweating and squatting – but think about Longcuts, something I’ve discussed before (twice!). Nothing good in life ever comes easy, but thankfully, a healthy lifestyle is actually pretty easy once you commit to it. It’s just the mental part of it all that trips us up....so, get over yourself, and focus on enjoying the steps you take to increase your longevity and support your health.    TIMESTAMPS:  Brad and Ron talk about aging gracefully. [03:39]  Why is menopause such a trigger for physiological changes? [05:22]  With aging, you have to stay ahead of the insulin resistant race. [07:15]  Squats and mile run abilities are a good indicator of longevity. [08:42]  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Fasten your seat belts for an incredibly fast-moving, wide-ranging, and deeply impactful show from Dr. Ron. This guy has fought a valiant battle against dated mainstream medical advice and in favor of a comprehensive ancestral approach emphasizing not just healthy, whole foods, but also choosing out of the flawed mindsets and hectic lifestyle behaviors that are on display in Silicon Valley like no other spot in America. Yes, Dr. Ron works in the most affluent community in America. Tech workers make some bank for sure, but we are talking $1.3 million for a median home price in the Silicon Valley counties. The affluence comes at a cost with a hectic workplace, painful commutes, and consumerism traps. Indeed, Dr. Ron observes numerous associated problems: scarcity mindsets (someone around you always has more); excessive rumination, leading to anxiety and depression; and adults pushing this crappy stuff onto their kids with over pressurized parenting leading to troubled, overstressed teens.   Dr. Ron works runs the corporate health division of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. He develops onsite health/wellness services for major Silicon Valley companies like the tech giants you have heard of. He delivers lectures on assorted health topics and also gets to do initial consults with patients that last for an hour — he can really get deep into lifestyle modification tips that will keep them away from the doctor’s office.   For the past decade, Dr. Ron has gained notoriety for fighting the valiant battle against conventional medical wisdom, particularly the widespread use of statins to address heart disease risk. Dr. Ron has succeeded wildly with dietary and lifestyle modification strategies, and communicated his approach to other physicians to inspire change. Dr. Ron is smiling now, and mainstream medicine has progressed over the last 10 years away from the flawed and dated notions about cholesterol, statins, and the proximate cause of heart disease.   Years ago, Ron promoted the results of a UCLA metastudy revealing that 80 percent of heart attack victims had LDL cholesterol levels widely considered to be in the “safe” range. As most of us have awakened to by this point, heart disease risk is not as simple as monitoring ones’ total LDL number. If one is concerned about high LDL, it’s important to test for small, dense particles as these are the potentially problematic ones that are small and dense enough to lodge on the walls of your arteries. In contrast, the large, fluffy LDL particles are commonly harmless. Guess what? If you have high triglycerides (over 150), you likely have a small, dense LDL problem. Even if your total LDL is artificially lowered by statin drugs, you can still be at high risk of heart disease. Remember CNN anchor Tim Russert? He passed of a heart attack in his 50s despite a total cholesterol number in the low 100s!  This is crazy talk if you compare to decades of conventional wisdom boilerplate: “Don’t eat fat or cholesterol, take statins if your total cholesterol is over 200 and then you will be fine.” Ron has bravely gone toe to toe with the establishment to convince other doctors that diet modification can reduce heart disease risk better than statins, and that statins can often compromise health and not address the biggest risk factors of heart disease. He, like Dr. Cate Shanahan and other evolutionary health leaders, favors tracking your triglycerides-to-HDL as the most relevant disease risk marker. It’s urgent to get 3:1 and optimal to get 1:1.   Dr. Ron shared his strategies for affecting lasting dietary transformation and lifestyle change among his patients. First, patients have to get interested in their health. Ron finds that many are too busy trying to make money or push their kids really hard to excel in competitive modern life. Second, to motivate them accordingly, Dr. Ron finds that educating them about the why’s, and offering incentives and competition with clear metrics is an effective strategy. For example, he might challenge a patient to focus on an important blood value like triglycerides and lower it by 100 points by the next blood test date. Third, and this is pure genius, Ron adopts an Additive approach to diet, focusing on efforts to include healthy foods rather than grind on people to eliminate many of their favorites. Some of Ron’s patients have wailed that, “rice is my drug,” so he tells them to add more nuts and meat to their biryani dishes! Fourth, don’t ruminate! This leads to depression when ruminating about the past and anxiety when ruminating about the future.   This show can get a little science-y but I urge you to play it slowly, repeat passages, and do whatever you need to do to fully understand the important insights and suggestions from Dr. Ron. The podcast is giving you the opportunity to get an hour-long private consult with one of the leading big picture health guides in the world. I am committed to getting Dr. Ron back on the show in the future, because we hit so many points so quickly that there is plenty of fodder for further focus. We have exchanged long thoughtful emails on the disturbing trend of helicopter parenting and over-pressurized youth experiences, and we get a bit of that going on the show. Hey parents, here is a both-parents-are-doctors family working hard to give their kids a balanced life and a healthy approach to education and sports goals. If they can get over themselves, so can we!  TIMESTAMPS:  Brad introduces Dr. Ron Sinha. [03:45]  Dr. Sinha health of the Silicon Valley employees, as nice a place as it is, a hotbed of stress related illnesses as well as physical.  [07:11]  The fast pace of life, the sedentary living, the high stress, it's accelerating aging. [11:36] So you have a strong genetic predisposition to how much and where you store fat. [14:17]  You can see major transformations in metabolic health just going back two generations. [17:50]  Technology has ruined the practice of medicine in so many ways. [20:04]  The concept of preventative health has been fading, especially from the younger generation. [23:20]  It affects your bottom line if your employees are healthy. [25:35]  It’s very important to get REALLY interested in your health. {29:14]  Motivation improves when patients can simplify their goals. [32:28]  So many people are not aware of having any health problems.  [33:45]  The metabolic syndrome is really the cornerstone of insulin resistance and heart disease. [36:54]  There's a lot of compelling data now around the fact that insulin resistance can get worse if you're on a statin for a long enough period of time. [40:36]  Your dietary changes can improve your numbers. [42:35]  The ratio of triglycerides to HDL is a prominent indicator of heart health. [47:16] What lifestyle and dietary changes can we make that has the most impact? [49:38]  Raising insulin sensitivity is good; insulin resistance is bad. [53:46]  Waist circumference is an indication that you are developing visceral fat.  [59:56]  Kids are showing up in doctor’s offices with anxiety, depression. [01:06:52]  Is your family bathing in screen light instead of sunlight? [01:09:02] Rumination is kind of like pre anxiety or pre depression because it is a common thought process. [01:11:25]  Parents send very subtle messages of which they aren’t aware. [01:14:41]Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This show goes into more detail about dietary strategies to ditch unhealthy modern foods and dabble in the various popular ancestral style strategies. This show will cover everything, from helping you switch fully into basic primal/paleo style eating, to going into things like keto and carnivore for distinct goals. The most important changes you can make right now in your diet are simple and easy, broken down into four categories:   Ditch grains and sugars: Refined grains and sugars are pro-inflammatory, accelerate aging, and promote fat storage. Cutting grains and sugars will minimize insulin production, which is unfortunately the #1 health risk of the Standard American Diet.   Ditch industrial seed oils and processed boxed/packaged/frozen foods:  Consuming industrial seed oils, along with any kind of “food” that still doesn’t resemble food in its natural form (this goes for anything processed, things that come already made/packaged, and the food you’ll find in the frozen section) has the same effect grains and sugar have on your system: because they’re pro-inflammatory, ingesting them causes free radical reactions in your body, accelerated aging, and cancer.  Emphasize primal foods: Primal foods are abundant, fresh, nutritious, and most importantly – delicious! On a primal diet you can enjoy meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. The key is keeping it comparatively very low carb (definitely no sugars or grains, but if you’re female, you probably need a little more carbs, like sweet potato, than the average dude will, for health/hormonal purposes) and high in healthy fats (in comparison to Standard American Diet).  Stay flexible: When you become fat adapted instead of carb dependent, your meal habits can become more sporadic. A lot of people simply find that their appetite won’t emerge until around noon. Listen to your body. If you don’t want breakfast, don’t break your fast.   If you’re hungry for food, then by all means, eat! But if you feel like you should eat just because you’ve been told “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” then consider yourself off the hook. Intermittent Fasting is hardly a new concept (break-fast, get it?) and it’s a practice that optimizes fat metabolism, enhances cellular repair, and delays aging.  The Primal Blueprint lifestyle and ancestral eating philosophy is a powerful game-changer because it truly counters the “diet” concept of prescribed meals and regimented schedule. It is freeing and empowering for people to realize that they don’t need to overthink things and stay metaphorically chained to their old-school ideas of what a healthy diet means. When you switch over to an ancestral diet, your caloric intake and meal choices can vary wildly each day. Meals become predominantly fat-based and stimulate minimal insulin response, which keeps your energy, blood sugar, and appetite stable all day, even when meals are skipped/missed. Eating nutritious, fatty, whole foods that your ancestors ate allows you to enjoy your food and look as good as you feel.  Thankfully, it’s quite easy to find primal friendly breakfast options. There are so many ways you can start your day, and if you don’t feel like fasting, then how about a smoothie with coconut milk, protein powder, avocado, fresh produce, frozen fruit – an easy to make, quick process with no cleanup, that also tastes delicious, and is macronutrient balanced and high in antioxidants. For smoothie inspiration, check out this video on my YouTube channel where I show how I make my favorite super nutritious morning smoothie.  Then, there’s classic, satisfying and still so healthy options like, eggs and bacon: you can simply fry them up, or make an omelet with cheese and fresh herbs, or onions, mushrooms and bell peppers – get creative! On cold mornings when you find yourself craving something comforting, you’ll see there are so many fun ways to make primal style oatmeal, like Mark Sisson’s that uses coconut flour and assorted soaked nuts and seeds here or this chia-flax-hemp seed concoction from Healthy Sweet Eats.   Snacks are also easy on a primal diet. There’s definitely nothing wrong with a little chocolate macadamia nut bark busted out around midday – tasty, healthy, and definitely necessary as a mid-afternoon pick me up!  For afternoon or evening meals, go-to’ s can include large salads with vegetables, meat, nuts, and a simple olive oil dressing. Making an effort to find sources of grass-fed or organic animals, wild caught fish, locally grown or organic produce is not only good for the planet and for your community, but the food also just tastes better, and tests as healthier because of the integrity of the environment that it’s been grown in. Animals that aren’t pumped full of hormones and produce that hasn’t been doused in pesticides are shown to have higher nutrient and antioxidant levels than their mass-produced, chemically laden counterparts, so sourcing high-quality food will make a huge difference on the state of your health.  Next up is totally eliminating all grains (wheat, rice, pasta, corn, and all derivatives), sugars/sweets and sweetened beverages. Water is an amazing beverage to drink all day, but if you’re feeling something more fun, then try a Kombucha sparkling probiotic drink.   PS I should note that currently I’m in the keto-ish, carnivore-ish category right now – which is under 50 grams of carbs per day, or less than 10% of my daily total calories –  and enjoying eating mostly veggies and nuts and dark chocolate for my carb sources.  If you wonder if you are eating too many carbs, chart what you eat on a notepad for a day or two, trying to measure or estimate quantities as best you can, then visit fitday.com myfitnesspal.com and input your data. It will generate a nice report with macronutrient and caloric breakdowns and allow you to evaluate what you’re doing in your diet now, and how you’d like to change it going forward. The nice thing about a Primal diet is that the foods you eat primarily, like fat and protein, are so delicious and satisfying that it’s easier to not even worry about carbs as much as a lot of dieters do. People can be so obsessed with (and yet scared of) carbs, and a Primal diet really allows this fear and fixation to go away, because you’re getting the bulk of your nutrition from really satiating things like fat and protein, and then having much smaller amounts of healthy sources of carbs, like chocolate or root veggies. Ditching the Standard American Diet for an ancestral diet will blow your mind when you discover how rapidly you start feeling good, and looking good, all while eating delicious things that heal you from the inside out, like bone broth, bacon, avocado...the list goes on. Nothing is off limits (except for junk, but you don’t want that in your body anyways). This is a zero-deprivation diet, with an emphasis on what whole foods work best for you. Try it out, and witness how miraculously and quickly your life changes when you start implementing a sustainable, easy to follow lifestyle that helps you enjoy yourself and feel good in your body as you age as healthily as possible.  TIMESTAMPS:  Sugar is hidden everywhere, even in the Starbucks mobile app [6:30].  How hyperinsulinemia sets you up for heart disease, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and obesity [8:30].  Make nutrient dense food the centerpiece of your diet [9:50].  The types of industrial seed oils you need to eliminate are usually used in restaurants and have bad effects on your brain and cellular function [10:50].  The importance of applying an ancestral health perspective to your diet [12:00].  Industrial seed oils are hiding even in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream [14:45].  What happens after you become metabolically flexible [16:20].  Figuring out if fasting works well for you [19:16].  Ketones, blood sugar, and snacking [20:30].  Brad’s unexpected weight gain and subsequent weight loss journey [23:00].  Why snacking interferes with weight loss [24:35].  Be mindful of occasional indulgences becoming habitual [27:20].  Gluten is addictive and stimulates appetite; sugar is addictive and stimulates opioid receptors in the brain [28:10].  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m the subject of Jake’s interview — on how I became a pro triathlete! Jake Taylor hosts a very cool podcast called 5GQ: 5 Good Questions. He has an assortment of authors on the show to talk about their books and life’s works, and answer five or more good questions from Jake. What an honor to be on this show amidst Jake’s luminaries from the world of high finance and corporate leadership. He is close friends with Warren Buffett and a noted financial professional based in Folsom, CA. Okay, he’s not really close friends with Buffett, but he did hang with him in college (as the winner of a contest he was afforded this opportunity) and leveraged that opportunity into a career. Jake’s first book, The Rebel Allocator, is a novel dispensing business advice about the allocation of capital.  FYI: Jake’s wife is the one and only Lindsay Taylor, Ph.D., all-around Primal Blueprint queen bee, ketogenic ironman triathlete and recipe whiz. She worked with Mark Sisson for the recipes in The Keto Reset Diet, The Keto Reset Instant Pot Cookbook, and The Keto Reset Diet Cookbook.   Jake and I did something super cool: we tested out his novel idea to conduct a podcast during a hike! Yep, we donned portable equipment and hoofed it for a 48-minute conversation. Essentially, Jake started out asking me one good question and I took it and ran with it: “So, how did a kid from Southern California become the number three triathlete in the world?” Answer: I was too small for high school football, cut from high school basketball (albeit an LA City championship program at Los Angeles Taft High School), so I ended up running and running, till I got hurt from too much running and started swimming, biking, and running, until I became King of the Desert.  Hopefully, you will appreciate this different flavor of show, which is syndicated on Jake’s 5 Good Questions podcast channel.   TIMESTAMPS:  What would the world be like if we read books instead of TV? [01:27]  Jake asks Brad about his athletic journey.  [07:32]  Just because you’re a competitive due and go to full speed, it does not equate with success. [15:01]  Learning to be a cyclist, led Brad to triathlon after being a runner. [17:20]  After graduating College, Brad found himself working in a skyscraper!! [21:30]  Pure motivation helped his commitment towards his goal. [24:26]  When he achieved success, he started to be consumed by it. [27:31]  When you attach yourself to the outcome, you lose all perspective. [31:38]   How does one set an official Guinness record? [32:26]  Brad’s experience on breaking the record, taught many lessons. [41:37]  When high jumping, the significance inside for me to have a competitive drive to want to improve height over the bar from the last time and, by doing so, define the aging process in one small way. (Brad) [44:54]  Running a professional athletic career is like a business.  [48:34] Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let’s make things simple with a big picture look at the most urgent and beneficial lifestyle practices you can implement right now to have more energy and better physical and cognitive performance. Future breather shows will provide more detail about each category, but this episode should get you focused on the big picture so you can explore these strategies further. This is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and it’s based around a concept called compressed morbidity. This means you remain strong, mentally sharp and physically healthy, living disease-free and illness-free for as long as you possibly can.  My father, the late great Dr. Walter Kearns (1922-2019) did a fantastic job of this, living to the age of 97 and having basically 95 years free of any physical ailments and health complaints. He was healthy and strong, and playing golf at a high-level for almost his entire life. By the time he was 95, he started to gracefully decline, but this period was for such a shorter time than most folks his age experience, and without the prolonged suffering so many elderly people endure at the end of their life.   As common as it is, it certainly doesn’t mean you have to deal with a long, drawn-out, painful decline into old age. It’s simple: implement the most important changes you can make to your lifestyle now, because it will pay off – not just in the short term, but in the long-term too. The four most important changes you can make can be categorized into four steps:    Eat primally: Ditch processed carbs in favor of nutritious primal foods, especially healthy fats. Keep it simple: eat real food, and make sure your diet works for your specific needs. Maybe you need to figure some things out first, like getting a food allergy test. An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to a leaky gut, which leads to a whole host of problems, including food sensitivity. Find out if any of the foods you’re eating are actually irritating your gut, so you can avoid them while you heal your body by consuming nutrient dense things like bone broth and liver. You’d be surprised at how many people are sensitive to foods that seem like they would be good for you (egg yolks, coconut, and blueberries are common), so it’s crucial you pay attention to your digestion and how you feel after meals. It’s also very typical that foods that were once intolerable are easily digested once you’ve worked on healing your gut. I know some people who could not have even the slightest bit of dairy without getting an eruption of acne the next day, who now enjoy grass-fed organic milk and cheese, daily, with absolutely no problems. Eating primally is simple, easy to do, and all about giving your body the best fuel – the kind it deserves – so it runs as well as possible.    Move around more:  Just freakin’ move! Wherever, whenever – just do it. Walk places, take frequent breaks, and do structured cardio workouts at a comfortable pace of (180 minus your age) heart rate or less. Maybe don’t try to find a parking space right outside the building you need to go into, but a block or two away (if you have the time to walk – or better yet, make the time). Little things like that make a huge difference. If you can bike or walk to the grocery store or farmer’s market, do it. Take the stairs whenever you can. Look for little opportunities everywhere to be less sedentary, and take them.    Use it or lose it: While walking is great and essential, don’t forget to sweat: getting your heart going is also key. Don’t overdo it, but be sure to include brief, high-intensity strength workouts twice a week, and all-out sprints once a week, every 7-10 days. This will help your body preserve muscle mass, reduce body fat, and delay aging.     Sleep/relax: Sleep is crucial to health, bottom line. Unfortunately, it seems like getting good sleep is becoming more and more difficult for some people – which is hardly surprising, considering the circumstances of our modern world. Because of this, you have to be mindful when creating your ideal sleep environment. It’s super important you align your sleep habits with your circadian rhythm. Start your day off right with a natural wakeup call and energetic morning as the sun streams in naturally and wakes your body. In the evenings, keep it mellow and dark with natural light, and don’t forget that it is critical you minimize your digital screen use after the sun goes down! Once it’s dark, you really shouldn’t be looking at screens – your body will be confused, and you be will miserable and exhausted from lack of sleep. Focus on finding times during the day and the week to relax, instead of being so go-go-go all the time!    I’ll expand on these four topics further in-depth for future breather shows, but for now, enjoy this show as an opportunity to learn about which lifestyle practices and changes you can make so you’re feeling as good in your body as possible.     TIMESTAMPS:  Brad shares how he doubled his testosterone levels entirely through lifestyle modification [5:45].  Brad explains the concept of compressed morbidity [6:54].  Put yourself into a position to succeed through your habits [10:00].  The top 4 lifestyle changes to make [15:20].  Active couch potato syndrome [16:22].  Brad talks about his morning routine and how he like to start his day [18:58].  Why slowing down is so important [23:33].  The kind of high intensity exercise you should be doing [24:10].  The importance of sleep and downtime [28:53].  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.