Ashleigh Van Houten: Healthy Goal Setting, Shedding Excess Body Fat, And Eating Nose-To-Tail Carnivore

Ashleigh is an all around ancestral living superstar, a longtime writer, editor, podcast hostess and muscle maven based in Canada. Enjoy this wide ranging conversation about many topics of interest!

Regarding fitness goals, Ashleigh describes how she likes to get pretty good at something, then move on to a new challenge to keep things fresh and stimulating. She has disparate accomplishments from winning a bodybuilding contest, double-bodyweight deadlift, finishing a marathon, and competing in CrossFit. It’s interesting to consider how developing broad athletic competency and trying to progress from novice to competent in many areas can be more healthy physically and more rewarding psychologically than becoming obsessed with continued improvement in a narrow area of focus. Ashleigh describes how it’s a good check and balance for the ego to be working to get better on things that aren’t your natural area of expertise.

Ashleigh reflects on some of the lessons learned in bodybuilding. Most of us scoff at the extremism in the bodybuilding scene, but in the age of indulgence and excess, it’s worth reflecting on the value of following a strict regimen. After all, Ashleigh reminds us that, “moderation is difficult!” She notes that the success of carnivore and other restrictive diets is due to ease of compliance and lack of decision fatigue. We end our discussion discussing our mutual fascination with the recent emergence of nose-to-tail carnivore eating style as a legitimate strategy to heal nagging health problems and also drop excess body fat efficiently. Ashleigh has been hard at work on an awesome new book called It Takes Guts that will welcome you to the world of eating nose-to-tail animal foods. Enjoy the show and connect with Ashleigh on the Muscle Maven Podcast and on Instagram at TheMuscleMaven.

TIMESTAMPS:

Ashleigh tells about her journey in the fitness scene. She is really good at a lot of things, instead of being good at just one thing. [03:47]

When you put yourself through something really difficult, you can bring that with you in the rest of your life. [11:09]

The reference to your bucket list is used here to talk about challenging you to try things that may not be what you're good at. [15:39]

Sometimes being focused and disciplined and motivated can also come back to bite you. [17:23]

We do better when we have something we are striving for. [20:42]

In bodybuilding, we take the body into the extreme level. It can be an interesting mental journey. [21:15]

After Ashleigh’s body building experience, she learned it is very tough to recalibrate. {29:20]

A person needs to adopt a plan of consistency and patience when trying to shed excess body fat. [31:39]

A person on this weight loss journey often will have plateaus or regressions. They need to listen to their bodies and be willing to make changes. [35:20]

Does fasting work for some people and not others? Eliminating nutrient deficient processed foods is the first good step for everyone. [38:39]

What does eating in moderation really mean? [42:31]

Transitioning from poor eating habits to a more healthy lifestyle can be difficult but once there, you have the good habits and don’t even miss the crappy stuff. [45:42]

After you have found good metabolic flexibility, there is no need to be worrying about the particulars. By this time, you will have learned to eat according to your appetite and awareness of your body’s needs. [48:24]

The benefits of the carnivore diet are discussed here. [49:50]

If you are going to kill animals, you should eat all of it nose to tail. The organ meats are the most nutritionally dense parts of the animal. [54:54]

The hunt for organ meats can be challenging depending on where you live, but persevere. [59:45]

There are many amazing testimonials from people who have added organ meats to their diets. [01:04:00]

LINKS:

Brad’s Shopping Page

It Takes Guts

Ashleigh Van Houten

Brad Kearns Morning Routine

The Keto Reset Diet

Follow me on social media for more great content!

Instagram: @bradkearns1

Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh

Twitter: @bradleykearns

Sponsors

Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t sell out to anyone if he doesn’t love the product. Ask anyone.

Almost Heaven Sauna: Affordable at-home sauna kits for the ultimate relaxation and hormonal boost on demand

Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend

CAR.O.L bike: Cardiovascular optimized logic stationary bike for a highly effective eight-minute workout

Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement

Perfect Keto: The cleanest, purest, most potent ketone supplements and snacks

LetsGetChecked: At-home medical testing with great prices, quick results, and no hassles

Vuori Activewear: The most comfortable, functional, and fashionable gear, evoking the chill SoCal coastal lifestyle

Donations!

This free podcast offering is a team effort from Brad, Daniel, Siena, Gail, TJ, Vuk, RedCircle, our awesome guests, and our incredibly cool advertising partners. We are now poised and proud to double dip by both soliciting a donation and having you listen to ads! If you wanna cough up a few bucks to salute the show, we really appreciate it and will use the funds wisely for continued excellence. Go big (whatever that means to you…) and we’ll send you a free jar of Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece as a thank you! Email to alert us! Choose to donate now, later, or never. Either way, we thank you for choosing from the first two options! :]

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-get-over-yourself-podcast/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.