The B.rad Podcast

Keen fans of Borat, the legendary movie my Sacha Baron Cohen, will realize I’m knocking off his movie title here. It’s appropriate to capture the theme of our conversation, which covered all manner of healthy eating and living, but hit the theme of healthy European traditions contrasted with hectic, hyper-speed, overly-stressful American life today. Tania was born and raised in America and graduated from Brown University, and has spent many years of her adult life in places like Japan, Russia, and is now based in Bern, Switzerland. She has been on amazing journey of health and immersion into her authoring of one of the most fabulous and comprehensive books ever written on the planet, titled The Bordeaux Kitchen, An Immersion Into French Food and Wine, Inspired By Ancestral Traditions.   This book represents her life’s work, filled with insights about improving health through ancestral-style eating, the rich tradition of French cuisine, always honoring the ancestral perspective, and a fabulous education about wine and how to pair it with assorted paleo meals. We talk about Tania’s quest to regain her health after a disastrous ordeal starting with a burst appendix sustained in Kazakhstan (speaking of Borat, that’s his hood!), and a long hospital stay afterward dealing with complications. She has studied the health consequences relating to mass produced food (including the recent alarming commentary about widespread ingestion of glyphosates, the toxic chemical found in RoundUp weed killer product), EMF exposure (SmartMeters from utilities, WiFi signals), excess artificial light and digital stimulation on your circadian rhythm as well as your mitochondrial function, impurities in the water supply, the consequences of gut dysfunction, and much more. Yes, Tania is a real forward thinker about health and natural living. It’s worth listening carefully to her concerns and insights, instead of our usual knee-jerk reaction to accept as normal all the health offenses in modern life.   TIMESTAMPS:  Tania has written a masterpiece of a cookbook that includes French Cooking recipes along with the wine and descriptions of life there. She focuses on ancestral health. [04:23] Her book is way more than a French Cookbook. Surprisingly the French culture is much aligned with the principals of Primal living. [09:08]  The Europeans seem to have a much calmer, socializing, relaxing lifestyle. [13:00]  People in the US need to slow down. [19:31]  The organic label does not entirely let us know the facts. [25:15]  Eggs’ labels are very confusing. [30:05]  From farmers’ markets in Europe, there has been a shift in some areas to super market, but most people still take advantage of the farmer’s markets. [33:48]  Public transportation functions well in Europe compared to US. [39:03]  Kid’s absorption with light from screens is damaging eyes. [40:25]  Blue light is the color we see around noon, so the artificial light at night from screens throws off our Circadian rhythm. [46:24]  A lot of the new light bulbs we have are a problem [49:17]  Sun exposure in the morning sets up your Circadian rhythm. [52:10]  They explain the difference between fresh air and stale air. [56:24]  Obesity might be a function of not getting the right amount and right type of light. [58:35] Many people don’t really realize the importance of being outside. [59:41] We are creating endless summer according to how our genes are wired to use light. [01:00:40] In Tania’s book she covers ancestral health, her health journey as well as French cooking and wine. [01:03:38]  If you use fresh ingredients, you don’t have to read labels.  Put the boxes away! [01:07:05] When you make desserts with rich fats, you don’t need as much sugar. [01:09:49] The moral of vegetarian versus meat eaters is another issue. [01:16:40] If you are taking an animal’s life, you’d better lead a purposeful and meaningful life yourself. [01:18:08] 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 bringing you some of the best quotes from relationship expert John Gottman for today’s blip show. Gottman’s ideas are simple and straightforward, but radically different from anything you’ve heard before, and will change the way you approach relationships and your partner.  Gottman advises couples to stop wasting time arguing. Why’s that? Because most arguments cannot be resolved, yet couples still spend time fighting year after year, trying to change each other’s mind. This is a complete waste of time because the arguments stem from fundamental differences in personality, values, and/or lifestyle. Fighting about these differences is just wasting your time harming your partnership. Want to learn more? Tune in to the show to find out how you can enhance the harmony in your relationship and establish methods to help strengthen your connection with your partner.  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.

My athletic friend reached out to me recently to tell me he had a body scan revealing arterial blockage issues and the need for a pipe cleaning procedure. Yep, getting old brings some surprises and challenges, and it’s important to implement healthy habits and track your risk factors. Today, it’s easier than ever to self-quantify with online blood testing, but when you embark on the process of tracking your heart disease risk, it is integral that you are looking for (and at) the right information.   To ensure you receive the most accurate results, I would follow the advice of Dr. Cate Shanahan and Dr. Ron Sinha, who agree that the most beneficial and reliable method of tracking heart disease risk is by focusing on your triglycerides to HDL ratio. We all know HDL: “the good cholesterol” (or “nature’s garbage truck” as some call it) - the higher the levels, the better. HDL goes through the blood stream, scavenging and eliminating damaged cellular material, like small, dense LDL molecules, which unfortunately have a penchant for lodging on the walls of your heart, prompting the oxidation and inflammation of these molecules that leads to heart disease. Not getting enough sleep, eating a high-carbohydrate, high insulin producing diet, and either not exercising enough or over-exercising can all greatly affect your chances of heart disease. Simply put, you want good things to be happening in your blood in order to lower your risk. Obviously, examining your blood is a great way to deduce what’s going on internally, and for decades, doctors have tracked LDL cholesterol levels with the belief that this was the key to detecting heart disease risk.  However, it’s clear now that examining your triglyceride to HDL ratio is vastly superior to the oversimplified obsession with LDL which has led to widespread statin use, despite a recent UCLA meta study revealing that 80% of heart attack victims had LDL values considered to be in the safe range. Instead, take the focus off the LDL numbers and check out your triglycerides. Firstly, if you’re over 150, it is time to get that down (like, yesterday) because that is too freakin’ high! A triglyceride level over 150 indicates that your bloodstream is seriously overwhelmed by the amount of fat circling around in it, so if you are over 150, then try minimizing (or even full-on cutting out) the amount of refined grains and sugars in your diet, and see what happens after three weeks of this change. Chances are, you’ll find your numbers have gone way down. 150+ is high, but you can decrease it in a matter of weeks if you really commit to making the necessary tweaks in your lifestyle.  For some, even under 150 is too loose – Dr. Sinha recommends you aim to get your triglycerides under 100. It is critical to get your triglycerides to HDL ratio under 3.5 to 1 (if you’re over, you’ll find yourself in the “ticking time bomb” category). Ideally, Dr. Shanahan and Dr. Sinha want to see a 1:1 ratio. Getting your triglycerides even with your HDL is the goal, so let’s say you get your HDL at 60, 65: then you’ll want to drop you’re your triglycerides to 60 - 65 as well.  Many more details are offered in this show about good tests to order and values to strive for. Visit places like DirectLabs.com or UltraLabTests.co m and order some tests. All you have to do is purchase your test, head to a nearby lab for a blood draw, then receive your results by email in a few days. Then you can take action with medical professional if necessary or do some dietary modification to correct red flags.  UCLA Study link: https://www.uclahealth.org/most-heart-attack-patients-cholesterol-levels-did-not-indicate-cardiac-risk   TIMESTAMPS:  Brad reminds you that it is important to get blood tests frequently. [04:52]  Stay strong and fit by modifying your lifestyle. [06:00]  The hard choices pay off down the line. Get a routine. [09:24]  What a disaster to think that 71% of the fuel we're putting in our bodies is merely low octane fuel to burn for energy that's almost entirely deficient in the micronutrients that we need to be healthy. [11:31]  Move around more! People with a devoted fitness regimen still show signs of metabolic dysfunction and disease patterns. [15:30]  Keep your heart rate in the low range of 180 minus your age when exercising. [21:07]  Once in a while push your body; do something challenging. [24:00]  Have workouts short in duration and explosive in nature. [25:22]  Should you feel sore after working out? [27:14]  We should have periods of brain downtime. [28:58]  Dim Light Melatonin Onset is when you allow the sleep hormone and restorative hormone flood the bloodstream so you can sleep. [30:54]  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 is about rethinking the basic notions of athletic training, particularly the “no pain, no gain” model that’s been widely criticized but is still embedded into DNA of many competitive athletes. This show was syndicated on the Primal Endurance podcast, so if you are an endurance athlete, definitely check out that show and learn how to pursue endurance goals in a healthy, balance banner. I was a pro athlete for nine years and been in the fitness business for 30 years, but in the last couple years I’ve met some people that have absolutely blown my mind with evolved insights and athletic training, performance, and recovery. In particular, we are experiencing an awakening in the fitness world as to the importance of recovery in the big picture of peak performance. For decades, we’ve been stuck in a narrow mentality focused on conducting a thoughtful and effective pattern of workouts as the end-all for fitness success. What a joke. It’s time to wake up and learn some insights that will transform your approach to fitness, and help you preserve your health as you pursue ambitious fitness goals.   I compiled some brief insights from an assortment of fitness leaders, patching them together to an interesting and memorable. I know you may like to listen to podcasts on the go, but this show requires some note taking. Do what these folks say you will become a better athlete and healthier person. Here is the dream team for insights and a sound bite for the insights detailed on the show:   Dr. Phil Maffetone: The godfather of aerobic training and fat-adapted eating has been preaching the same message for nearly 40 years. Finally, people are paying attention and the MAF training concepts are becoming highly respected and adopted by endurance athletes.   MAF heart rate: The maximum aerobic heart rate is the upper limit for an effective aerobic workout. It’s 180-age in beats per minute. Go faster as a pattern (extremely common for endurance athletes of all levels) and you will dig yourself a grave of overtraining and overstress.   Stressful workouts—return on investment: You need never exceed 90% of maximum heart rate when conducting high intensity intervals, time trials, tempo sessions, or group classes. Topping out at 90 percent of max is vastly less stressful that taking things up to true max. You get only moderately different training stimulation but vastly more stress and recovery time necessary. Oh mercy, I wish I knew and honored this in my triathlon career. Lots of effort and money was left in workouts that should have been saved carefully for race day!  Brian McKenzie: The Power, Speed, Endurance guru and author of Unbreakable Runner is now obsessed with breathing and recovery as the primary focus for fitness enthusiasts. If you learn to breathe correctly, you minimize the stress impact of the workout and spend more time in healthy balance between sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system function. Brian helped endurance athletes embrace the importance of intensity instead of just road slog; now he is poised to help all athletes embrace the importance of recovery—including cutting edge techniques for breathing and hot and cold therapy. Listen to his show on the Get Over Yourself podcast!  Joel Jamieson: The guru of Recovery Based Training talks about Rebound workouts, where doing a focused protocol of movements in the gym can actually speed up recovery! I have only recently implemented Joel’s techniques, and with great success. Previously, I thought that sleeping more, napping, and relaxing on the couch were the ultimate recovery tools. Joel’s workout features breathing, stretching, mobility/range of motion exercise, doing positive lifts only (dropping the weight after lifting to avoid eccentric), and doing very short intervals with mindful heart rate lowering during long recovery periods.   Craig Marker: Craig and Pavel Tsatsouline of StrongFirst are making some awesome breakthroughs in training theory that you absolutely must try. First, dig the concept of HIRT instead of HIIT. The latter, High Intensity Interval Training, is a term that’s been bantered about for years as the foundation of serious athletic training. High Intensity Repeat Training conveys a different concept where you focus on producing repeat efforts of explosive, intense effort without declining performance and getting tired with successive efforts. This is similar to Jacques Devore’s breakthrough method called Maximum Sustained Power (MSP) that is detailed in the book Primal Endurance.   How to transition to HIRT and MSP? Freakin’ rest more between efforts man! And stop the workout when you notice performance declining! I have recently implemented the HIRT concept with fabulous success. I will be doing a whole show about it in the future, so stay tuned. HIIT workouts lead to exhaustion, extended recovery time and ultimately burnout. Why do almost all group exercise workouts, high school and college team workouts, and personal trainers believe that HIIT is the way? Dated and misinterpreted science, such as the “bastardization of the Tabata concept” as Craig says.   If you are a serious fitness enthusiast, this show can transform your approach, make recovery better, and change your entire life in the process!  TIMESTAMPS: Some exercise programs are disastrously flawed and set you up for an overly stressful life. [03:51]  Recovery is very important. [04:55] The most enthusiastic athletes as well as the casual fitness person need to learn how to work-out in a way that doesn’t do damage. [08:24]  The Maffetone method is: slow down and emphasize aerobic development. For heart rate, the formula is 180 minus your age. [12:11]  You need not ever exceed 90% of your maximum heart rate, even during the most intense and explosive training sessions. [14:09]  Brian MacKenzie,’s contribution to this is suggesting to endurance athletes to add Crossfit training into their routines. [18:30] What’s the big deal about breathing? [21:32]  Dial things down. [24:24]  Rebound workouts are sessions you perform when you are trying to recover from high stress training sessions. [26:13]  HIIT is high intensity interval training. [30:55]  Sprinting is very important. [32:32]  When lifting, pick a weight you could do eight times, make sure to do a succession of sets with a declining number of reps in order to make sure you are rested and explosive for each effort. [37:59]  Brad summarizes the messages in this podcast. [41:59] 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.

By age 35, 95-99 percent of your thoughts and actions originate from the habitual programming of the subconscious mind—a combination of memorized behaviors, emotional reactions, beliefs and perceptions that run in the background like an app on your smartphone. Brain scientists report that we think between 12,000-60,000 thoughts per day, that 98 percent of them are identical to yesterday’s thoughts, and that 80 percent of your subconscious thoughts are negative.  Most of your subconscious programming happens in childhood, and Lipton explains the already obvious bad news that keeps therapists in business: “The subconscious mind has the tendency to interfere with our conscious desires by programming undesirable thoughts and behaviors, which could lead to a great deal of stress and turmoil in our lives.”  The good news is that the latest research in cell biology and quantum physics show that our bodies can be changed as we retrain our thinking! 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.

Fatty popcorn boy is me — two years after exiting a really strict ketogenic eating strategy (mostly on account of R&D while writing Keto Reset Diet with Mark Sisson) and embarking upon an experiment to increase overall caloric intake, including by default, carb intake. The experiment was inspired by my NourishBalanceThrive.com consultants Chris Kelly and Dr. Tommy Wood — both of whom have appeared on the podcast. From review of my bloodwork, there was speculation that I might be depleted from the combined stress of high intensity workouts at advanced age and ketogenic eating patterns with extended daily fasts.   The experiment worked really well and I enjoyed a noticeable bump in energy and recovery rate. Dr. Tommy assured me that I could hit the healthy foods hard, theoretically up to the point of maximum returns represented by adding body fat! Fast forward to two years later and this is exactly what happened: With standards relaxed, occasional indulgences started to become habitual indulgences. Without really noticing, I had packed on around eight pounds of extra body fat. Shown is a photo from March, 2019 weighing 172 pounds — the most ever in my life. The comparison photo is exactly three months later, weighing 164lb. I’ve been around this weight for over 20 years, but occasionally with varying levels of muscle mass and body fat. In this recent effort, my weight change would be mostly all body fat, so I’d guess I was 12% level at 172, and 8% level at 164.  This has never been a main concern, but it was an awakening to see a body built by popcorn, dark chocolate, and habitual mindless eating in the mirror. Always eating healthy food with high standards and keto friendly in recent years, but lacking any guidelines, structure, or discipline regarding caloric intake/meal patterns. I might as well have had a dark chocolate IV at times!  This got me thinking about the absolute importance of discipline in one’s diet. We’ve all heard countless success stories from people who cut processed food, grains, sugar, and bad oils, and immediately lost a ton of weight. However, it’s also no secret that many folks actually struggle with weight gain after they’ve switched to eating a whole-foods, nutrient dense diet. How can this be? Well, it can result from many different factors, but a lot of the time, it’s just the simple fact that you can’t expect to mindlessly eat and not gain weight – even if those foods still do fall into the “healthy” category, using discipline and following guidelines is still essential, no matter how strict the parameters you set for yourself already are. Yes, one of the great parts of following the paleo diet is that you aren’t supposed to have to calorie count and worry about straying off your diet – and this is true, but it doesn’t mean you can just eat whatever you want (especially as you get older) and expect to fit into the same clothes!  We all want our bodies to feel good and look good, but it isn’t always easy to get there.   Here are some insights I’d like to share if you have body composition goals or frustrations, and want to do something about it and succeed:     Writing a book causes body fat increase. Need to negotiate for fat farm/spa retreat tuition with future book deals.     Modern humans enjoy incredible luxury, comfort, decadence. This is mostly unhealthy. We need to orchestrate ways to move more, perform explosive fitness efforts, introduce hormetic stressors like cold or heat exposure, spend more time fasting/eat less food, disconnect from hyperstimulation.    We can benefit from implementing habits through repetition and endurance. A main success factor for fat loss has been no calories until 12 noon. Simple. Commitment. No will power or decision fatigue involved. Just wait for the clock to strike, then consider eating options.    Similarly, I believe morning immersion into 34-38F chest freezer cold plunge helps boost fat metabolism. I often get an intense hunger sensation afterward, which I ignore and it passes in ~15 min (Dr. Cate Shanahan confirms this is ghrelin spike in stomach timeline).    Dropping fat is way more difficult than adding fat, duh. I have more empathy and appreciation for the challenge.  It’s interesting to trace how the definition of the word diet has changed drastically over the years. But let’s go back to its original meaning – diete, as it was first used in the English language, used to mean “a day’s journey.” What a cool concept! Instead of thinking of diet as this restrictive, negative thing that you must follow exactly every single day, why not think of it as a day’s journey: a positive experience, a series of mindful decisions you make for yourself, as you nourish yourself, in order to continue on with your day. If this whole fatty popcorn boy saga has truly drilled in and cemented one thing, it is the very valuable lesson that self-discipline = self-love (Thank you Will Smith for that one!). It’s all about making the best decision for yourself in that present moment, and sometimes that means a healthy, homecooked meal, and sometimes that means you just need to munch on some popcorn and chocolate! Diet is a day’s journey, one that you are in charge of, and yeah, it’s easy (and even normal) to get a little lax now and then. But when you exercise discipline and mindfulness when it comes to the food you consume throughout the day, every single day, not only does it make it so much easier for you to stay on track with your health and fitness goals, but that kind of disciplined mindset bleeds into everything else you do in life. Self-discipline equals self-love (and, also allows you to enjoy eating your popcorn without becoming the fatty popcorn boy!)     TIMESTAMPS:  Brad talks about discovering that he needed to lose excess fat. [04:26]  Sometimes appetite regulation and caloric efficiency sometimes don’t line up well. [07:23]  Brad restructured his eating style and found it enhanced his enjoyment of eating. [10:14]  The idea of carnivore diet is emerging. [14:19]  If you're experiencing a fat reduction plateau, get in there and do some weight bearing sprints. [16:23]  Dr Phil Maffetone references the idea that a sprint workout can have a metabolic effect lasting for up to 72 hours afterward. [18:37] As soon as you spike insulin, you shut off fat burning. [20:36]  When Brad tried to change his eating habits, he found it more difficult than he thought. [24:30] 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.

Here is a different flavor of show, as I become (for the most part) the interviewee in a wild and wacky session with the dynamic duo from the Trail Runner Nation podcast, Dr. Don Freeman and Scott Warr. These guys have a super popular show, featuring nonstop repartee between the pair, as well as interesting guests in the world of ultramarathon running. Dr. Don is an absolute marvel of a human specimen; a busy chiropractor and entrepreneur, he runs in his spare time, and runs. And runs. He has completed countless 100-mile ultra-races and an epic event in the Pacific Northwest of 240 miles of nonstop running.  After this show in the summer of 2018, Don was headed to the French Alps to compete in a 6-day ultramarathon run of 225 miles and 90,000 feet of climbing over the high-altitude trails traversing les Alps. Yes, these ultrarunning folks are an amazing breed. They set a comfortable pace and keep moving for hours and hours and even into multiday racing. Don’s strategy is to sleep one hour per every eight of running! Let’s see, that works out to three hours of sleep per day... In this show, we talk about our shared appreciation for a relaxed and intuitive approach to athletic goals, the inspiration for the name “Get Over Yourself” for this podcast and the importance of getting over ourselves in everyday life, the nature of motivation and the influence of genetics, the importance of drinking only the healthiest and cleanest wine, especially as an athlete. Wine? Don’t whine, we indeed engage in engage in our specialty of tangents, asides, interruptions, and circle backs. Many podcasts have a distinct pattern of interview questions and start-to-finish progression, but sometimes it’s fun to just let it flow and see where the conversation takes you. I think you will enjoy connecting with these guys. This show is syndicated on the fabulous Trail Runner Nation podcast, hosted by in their fabulous Rocklin, CA studios.   TIMESTAMPS: This guy, Freeman, is going to the French Alps to compete in a six-day ultra-marathon.  [05:39] Podcasts are opening a whole new way of communicating. [07:09]  How limiting is your own brain to performance? [12:10]  Practicing doesn’t necessarily translate to the competitive arena. [16:29]  The work that a long-distance cyclist does, doesn’t even come close to what our hunter/gatherer ancestors did. [17:41]  What is the theme of Brad’s Get Over Yourself podcasts? [18:57]  Social media usually shows people at their best, ignoring the fact that sometimes we fail. [21:36]  Some of the GPS features can inhibit your ability to think on your own, however there are some great apps for racing. [26:29]  Screens are dominating our lives. [30:05]  Performance on cognitive test slows down when you are lacking sleep. [33:34]  Brad details what his experience was in becoming a pro triathlete. [38:09]  Brad talks about how he “got over himself.” [47:28]  It’s really important through for the duration of your life to have some compelling competitive goals, whatever that is. [56:30] Brad talks about his speed golf fete. [57:21]  Make sure you are doing what you are doing for a good reason. [01:01:16]  How would you advise an athlete to recognize comfort zone versus Wimp? [01:05:46] 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.

Micro workouts seem like an emerging trend lately, and with good reason! Hauling off super brief sets of explosive effort throughout your busy day can yield a variety of health benefits, not to mention stronger muscles and bones. Make sure to warm up properly prior to any heavier compound movements, such as one of my personal favorite lifts, the hex bar deadlift. Chin ups, push ups, bodyweight squats, the sky is the limit! Try them out if you haven't already, and begin reaping the rewards.   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.

As I discussed in the previous breather show, Dr. Lipton asserts that we spend 95-99% in daily life operating from subconscious programming. This show is going to get a little science-y as it’s extremely important to understand just how your thoughts are directing your genetic and cellular function. Each of our cells has extremely thin membranes with receptors that extend from the inside to the outside of the membrane. These receptors process signals from the environment and influence cellular and genetic function. I offer up my favorite example of a traffic jam, where you can perceive the experience to be miserable, thereby triggering a protection response and flooding the bloodstream with stress hormones; or alternatively taking the opportunity to relax, listen to a good podcast, or squirt nearby cars with window washer water. This show will help you make the important connection between your thoughts and your cellular function, and the extreme urgency to become conscious as often as possible so you are not a victim of your flawed and negative subconscious programming.   This is contrary to flawed and dated notions that the nucleus and the genetic coding contained inside the nucleus are the “brains” of the cell, with the membrane as a passive bystander enlisted to merely contain cellular material. Rather, the membrane and its receptors are the true brains of the cell. As Lipton explains, “The cell membrane is an organic information processor. It senses the environment and converts that awareness into ‘information’ that can influence the activity of protein pathways and control the expression of genes.”  If the perception switches in your cell membranes detect that you are having a lousy day (like being the victim of a traffic jam or having a mean boss), then they will consult the blueprint’s instructions for making stress hormones and tears of anguish, and gene transcription factors will manifest your tearful reality. But if your perception switches detect that you are taking the opportunity of a traffic jam to engage in deep, diaphragmatic breathing and listen to a great audio book, good vibes will literally permeate your being. You will instead produce mood-elevating hormones like serotonin and dopamine, along with a smile and a lightness in your step when you finally arrive at your destination. Lifting a simple insight from Einstein’s general theory of relativity, your perception of time itself will alter such that the hour in traffic either flew by or dragged along, and you will be literally correct in both cases. And while the fancy atomic clock at the military base can measure one hour perfectly as 60 minutes of 60 seconds each, time has no significance without a perception from the individual.   As Lipton explains, we have three fundamental categories of perceptions:   1) Those that promote a growth response (moving toward a stimulus)  2) Those that promote a protection response (moving away from a stimulus)  3) Those that do not trigger any response (Lipton calls these perceptions, “elevator music”)  Love is the most powerful trigger of the growth response, while fear is the most powerful trigger of the protection response. The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis carries out both growth and protection responses in the body. When threatening environmental stimulus hits the hypothalamus (the brain’s control tower for assorted hormonal and metabolic functions) it signals the pituitary gland (the master gland coordinating activity in trillions of cells) to mount a protective fight or flight response, including directing the adrenal glands to flood the bloodstream with stress hormones. As you have already learned in depth, repeated and prolonged stimulation of the fight or flight response wears you down and accelerates aging. Cells are either in growth mode, protection mode, or listening to elevator music — they can’t multitask.  Hence, when our perception switches trigger the protective response on account of a traffic jam, mean boss, argument with a loved one, or fearful thought about your own cancer prospects as you depart from visiting a stricken relative in the hospital, it literally has life or death repercussions. In The Primal Prescription, co-author Dr. Doug McGuff references research published in the Annals of Family Medicine in 2013 about women who receive false-positive results on mammograms and have to sit in fear for a while until the accurate diagnosis comes through. These women experienced the same level of psychosocial harm as those with cancer for a full six months after they were cleared. Furthermore, negative health repercussions traced to the ordeal continued for three years. They don’t call it a cancer scare for nothing!  Whatever the circumstances that generate our negative thoughts, we might as well have a tiger chasing us for the level of destruction it causes to our “renewal” potential. The Biology of Belief  is not only a fascinating and highly compelling read, but most importantly it will change your life when you have such an in-depth understanding of just how powerful your thoughts are.  TIMESTAMPS:  Our thoughts can manifest a new reality. [04:26]  Environmental signals of all kinds affect genetic function. [[06:32]  We have three fundamental categories of our perceptions.  [12:14]  If you get a negative report regarding your health, the repercussion lasts for years. [17:17]  Your thoughts are the source of all your pain, not what's happened to you, but your thoughts about what's happened to you. [19:40]  Learn from other shows how to come to your relationship with an open heart. [20:45] 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.

Larry and his friends attend the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy and have a great time. Larry goes on an Olympic spectating binge with ’08 Beijing summer, ’10 Vancouver winter, ’12 London summer, and ’14 Sochi winter. Meanwhile, he and his brother Big George have a fun excursion at a “sliding school” in Salt Lake City, where participants can learn to ride the skeleton on the Olympic race course. The Skeleton is that newer Olympic event where you race headfirst down the track in a manner similar to the bobsleds and the luge (feet first) competitors. Yes, you are sliding down the twisty-turny icy track at 85 miles per hour! This was the genesis of Larry’s Olympic dream, where he literally emerged from the crowd to pursue a longshot opportunity to represent the great nation of Israel in the Skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea.   Never mind that Larry is in his mid-40s at the time; he went all-in with this odyssey where he traveled the world to compete at the various international competitions where one accumulates points and angles for a precious few spots in World Cup events and eventually the Olympic field. This conversation will get you inspired to dream big and go for it! Regarding his age, Larry decided to turn this to his advantage, stating that he wanted it to become an inspiration to others rather than a handicap. While he fell short of his stated goal of competing in the Olympics, you will gain a deep appreciation for the true value of chasing one’s dreams, namely the self-satisfaction that comes from doing your best and inspiring peak performance in others. Larry relates an exciting anecdote about a breakthrough performance where he enjoyed what can only be called a “third place victory.” What’s more, a member of Larry’s Israeli Skeleton crew became the first athlete to represent that country in any sliding sport. Larry’s devotion to the Israeli program earned him a spot as a team assistant coach for the 2018 PyeongChang, Korea games. Enjoy this great show about pursuing peak performance goals throughout life and appreciate the most important lessons of the competitive experience.   TIMESTAMPS:  We find how Larry discovered, at an advanced age, his passion for the sport of Skeleton in the Winter Games and how this applies to all sport endeavors. [04:11]  What is it like to go downhill Skeleton style? [17:20]  He made the Israeli Olympic team. How does one qualify? [22:24]  On the different teams, are you helping each other or competing against one another? [38:05]  While teams are in training, the competitive nature can cause problems. [41:42]  One of the biggest parts of the Olympics is competing for something bigger than yourself. [47:02]  Age is not a reason to fail. [53:07]  Skeleton is the slowest of the three speeds: Luge, Bobsled, and skeleton. [01:02:33]  What was the process of Larry qualifying for the team? [01:03:20]  The dream happened. [01:09:08]  The lessons learned of giving 100% to get back 100% apply in all walks of life. [01:14:11] 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.