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Boundless Life
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Boundless Life episodes
- Bonus Episode: Brief Words Of Wisdom, Introspection & Insight From Ben Greenfield.
Lately, I've been thinking quite a bit about life. I've been engaged in some deep introspection and self-inspection, which I think is healthy for everyone to do on a regular basis. In this case, I was forced into this exercise of self-examination, and into a state of extreme humbleness and ego dissolution when I failed to complete a recent event.
See, during the Train to Hunt National Championships in Colorado, I came down with an extremely high heart rate, dizziness, extreme fatigue, and an inability to simply put one foot in front of the other. This was likely a combination of pushing myself too hard lately (in both work and travel), along with mild jet lag from having just returned from Europe, the 9700 foot altitude of the race that I hadn't had a chance to prepare for, and a cluster of other emotional factors (feeling guilty about being away from my kids again, missing my wife, feeling too distant from my company Kion) that basically left me dropping out of the race, and lying in my hotel room bed for about twelve hours, barely able to sleep, staring at the ceiling, and thinking generally about life.
This is what I posted on Instagram about it.
It wretched my heart to have to drop out of the Train To Hunt National Championships competition this weekend. Although I didn't wake up feeling 100% I never imagined I wouldn't make it through the day. I am a firm believer in the sage wisdom that "Pain Is Temporary, But Quitting Lasts Forever". And I’ve only ever had one DNF in my life. However, in this case in very high altitude and extreme heat, my body and brain were sending me every signal that I needed to hit the brakes hard - shortness of breath, very high heart rate, numb hands and feet, extreme dizziness - the works. Feeling like this, I made it through the first several hours of the competition, but realized at that point I needed to live to fight another day. I never like it when I can't "represent" on the field of battle the way I should be able to, but I know when I need to stop before I do lasting damage. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in action soon!
A post shared by Ben Greenfield (@bengreenfieldfitness) on Jul 15, 2019 at 9:16pm PDT
As I lay there with a journal, a bottle of water, and a plate of kiwi fruit (about all I could find that was healthy to eat in the local area), I had some interesting thoughts that I think you may find valuable for your own life, and give you deeper insight into where I'm coming from, and where I plan to go in the future.
Now one thing that you need to understand is that I'm a fan of personality tests. It's something that we are actually very big on at Kion: everyone takes an Enneagram,and my personal Enneagram score puts me in a very, very high category of a what's called a Perfectionist (type 1)and an Achiever (type 3).
That is a pretty dang dangerous one-two combo (or I suppose in this case, a one-three combo) because, as you can imagine, this causes me to expect a lot of myself in every task that I attempt to perform while simultaneously taking on a lot of tasks all at once. That's an exhausting combination that in many people can lead to burnout, into spinning too many plates at once, and into trying to do everything that you're doing (which is often too many things) perfectly. This means that you do everything with near-perfect precision but have zero time left over for relaxation, for hobbies, for family, or for self-care, or...
...perfection becomes impossible to sustain, projects begin to decline in quality, and all those plates you're spinning crash to the ground, then eventually you crash to the ground too.
In addition, the Achiever personality type on the Enneagram dictates that one who fits that profile tends to try to be who others expect them to be, or at least who they think that others expect them to be. As a matter of fact, the direct quote from the Enneagram is that...
..."in the headlong rush to achieve whatever they believe will make them that more valuable, Achievers can become so alienated from themselves that they no longer know what they truly want or what their real feelings are. Thus, the deeper problem is that their search for a way to be of value increasingly takes them further away from their own essential self with its core of real value. Step-by-step, their own inner core - their heart's desire - is left behind until they no longer recognize it."
Now that problem, combined with the perfectionist mentality, can create a person who tries very, very hard to seek the approval of others, to be perfect, to try to be someone they're not and to neglect what makes them truly happy. And frankly, I feel like I've begun to slip into that scenario myself. That's not to say it's wrongto want to achieve excellence in things. Nor is it to say it's wrongto want to achieve great things in life and create a lasting impact. Indeed, when steered in the right direction in a state of true authenticity and also a state that enables one to accept the fact that they cannot be perfect, one can go on to achieve great things as an Achiever and a Perfectionist.
But in my case what I've done to myself is this: I've built constant 24/7 pressure to do many things all at once - to be fit as a fiddle for my next event, to be a CEO of a massively expanding supplements company, to complete a huge book, to be on an airplane nearly every week to give a speech, to juggle podcast appearances, podcast production, article writing, article editing, to maintain attempts to write fiction and make music simultaneously, to coach ten different executives and CEOs and athletes who rely on me for advice, and to try to fit in time with family and spiritual growth in the process.
For example, take the constant pressure I place on myself to be on the "pointy-edge" of fitness. In the past, I have told others (I think in partial error) that in order to drive you to be motivated to be fit, you must always be signed up for something that slightly scares you, pushes you to the cliff edge of fear, or challenges you while pushing you far outside your comfort zone—and while this can be healthy, in some cases it can backfire. In my case this means, that I'm finding myself no longer able to travel and spend time with my family without waking up an hour early to crush the gym, to sit in a movie without feeling like I should be out training, to enjoy life without simply thinking about whether or not I'll be ready to represent on the starting line of a race, and to do just about anything without the thought at the back of my mind that I need to be that perfect person who inspires others to greatness and must be able to perform at the drop of a hat.
It's been that way for a long time. Whether I'm competing in tennis tournaments, bodybuilding, water polo, volleyball, cycling, triathlons, obstacle course races or anything else, there's never really been a time since I was thirteen years old that I haven't had some type of event I was preparing for, or that I haven't worn the mask of an athlete, a competitor, a gladiator, or a warrior.
In addition to feeling the pressure to be fit for the next event, I often also feel that I need to project the perfect person to the world: the perfect skin with no crow's eyes and no suspicion from anyone that anything I'm doing in the anti-aging department isn't working, the perfect six-pack abs, rippling muscles, extreme fitness and everything that I've grown to define myself as...
...because I'm under the impression that that's who the world expects me to be. To dig myself even deeper into that while all my bios, and all the information about me you can find on the internet, or when I'm getting up on stage to speak, are not focused on whether I'm smart or intelligent or witty or studious or any of those things that I try to try to maintain and pride myself on, but instead: what sets this guy apart is that he's the Ironman triathlete, the masochistic globetrotting adventurer, and the man who's able to handle any physical obstacle. I truly feel like that has dug me into this hole of needing to be that person—that hard-charging, high-achieving CEO with the chiseled chin who can handle anything life throws at them and simultaneously kick your ass in a 10K, triathlon, the gym, or anywhere else.
Well, let me tell you something: that's exhausting to constantly be that person, and I often feel like I'm a failure if I'm notachieving. I feel like I'm a failure if I'm just lying around reading a work of fiction or watching a movie with my children. In that scenario, I feel as though I'm somehow shorting myself and not being that person who I'm called to be. And sure there's somewisdom to that: there's somewisdom to the idea that you don't want to laze around and spend your time unwisely; but at the same time that mentality can be taken to the extreme, and it can very much affect those around you because they sense that what you'd rather be doing is figuring out a way to make yourself even more perfect and go out and achieve even more.
But what's interesting is when I wrote my entire Lifebooklast year—a book that dictated everything I hold dear in life, the mark I want to make upon the world, what will be written on my tombstone, and much more—frankly, being an extreme athlete wasn't really a big part of that book. Sure, I did include the fact that I think it's important that I occasionally go out and engage in challenging adventures like climbing a mountain or swimming in an icy cold river or doing something that makes me a little bit physically uncomfortable—and I think that's fine.
However, I think that my life has become skewed much too far in that direction, and the other elements of my Lifebook that I dictated that I hold dear—such as being in a community and forming close friends and building quality relationships and spending more time with my children and immersing myself in nature and building my spiritual self—have been allowed to fall by the wayside because there simply isn't enough time to do all that and also push my body to the absolute limits with exercise, travel, and work.
It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? Race, achieve, project the perfect person, post that person to Instagram, rinse, wash, repeat.
But when I stop and ask myself: what do I really want? What do I really want?And even more importantly, what would God want of me? Well, in this stage of my life, after a deep amount of introspection the past couple days, I can especially tell you that, in addition to simply spending more time with my children, with my wife, and forming deep, meaningful relationships with other people, I want the following...
...I want to be more present in my local community: I want to know my neighbor's names, I want to attend events in my local community, and I don't want to feel like I have to hop on a plane or go to a conference or go to a mastermind or go to a meet-up in order to be with my friends. Instead, I want to build ties and roots in my local community...
...furthermore, I want to be able to help people without feeling rushed. I want to be able to find out about, for example, an opportunity to go play my guitar at a nursing home or go volunteer at a park cleanup, or go help out at my church, or go do other things that involve helping others—and not look at my calendar and think "Well crap, I can't do that because I've stretched myself too thin, I'm busy and I'm in some other state, some other country, or some other nation far from my home." I'm not saying that I don't want to still travel the world and help people and use the platform that God has given me in that way to affect global change in people's lives when it comes to their health and fitness and longevity and spirituality and happiness—but again, there's an imbalance. I have almost no ties in my local community...
...I want to spend more time in nature, but not time in nature as a workout or time in nature being crushed in a race. I just want to be able to go out and learn more of plants, of plant medicine, of hunting, of tracking, of trekking, of building with my hands, of spending time in sunshine and fresh air and water because I want to and not because I'm there to run intervals or to post an Instagram story about how good I am at wild edible identification. Instead, I want to be able to enjoy nature for the simple sake of nature...
...I want to participate in sports without the feeling that everything has to be a workout. I want to play tennis like I did when I was a kid for hours, where I was just hitting balls and having fun with my friends. I want to be able to swim and hike and even lift weights and go to the gym, which I love to do, but without the pressure of it needing to be an absolute sufferfest because I have some event I'm supposed to be in peak physical fitness for...
...I want to care for my spirit and build my spiritual muscles in the same way I've built my physical body. I want to wake up in the morning and know that I have the time to pray and to meditate, to grow more deeply in my relationship to God, to memorize Scriptures, and even to fast. I've said this before, but there are many times when I want to fast and I want to to take care of my body in that way (almost as a religious practice), but can't because, yet again, I must dump calories down the hatch to be ready for the next workout and to get me fueled for the next hardcore masochistic event...
...I want to have the freedom, flexibility, and time to be able to devote focused, deep work and excellence into building my company Kion, and not feel as though it's a rushed afterthought because there are so many other items on my plate or because I feel like my company expects me to be out working out or buffeting my body so I can go be the big, perfect frontman face of the company. I want to build a company that will change the world, and me running around in the forest with my shirt off throwing spears at shit isn't really a sustainable, scalable way to make that happen, no matter how many likes it gets on social media to drive traffic to a product...
...and finally, I want to do what I know truly makes me happy and has made me happy since I was a child. I want to write and play more music and I want to write and read more fiction. Both of those things are elements that I draw a great deal of happiness out of, and that might sound selfish, but I want to create music that makes people happy. I want to write books that tell the hero's journey and inspire people. And I don't want every piece of content I create to be about the next injectable anti-aging molecule or pill you can pop or biohacked workout, but instead perhaps just a nice story about a princess, an elf, and a dragon that makes children smile.
So when I close my eyes and I see myself five years from now, I've achieved that balance. I have friends and relationships and local community and volunteering and time with my family. I have a deep relationship with every plant in my backyard and the acreage around my house and I actually know the names of all our Nigerian dwarf goats and I help my wife with planting the garden and tending to the fruit trees. I'm still enjoying physically challenging events, and I'm still a healthy human specimen, but not in the way I've been doing it—not as a hardcore athlete, but instead as someone who enjoys physical culture because it makes them feel good, not because they have the pressure to perform. I want to transition from being an athlete to being a mentor, a teacher, and a well-rounded person who enjoys and has time for other aspects of life.
I'm telling you all this so that you can simply know my position, so that you can know where I'm coming from, and so that as you see me evolve over the next several months and years, you can realize that I still have a deep desire to explore the depths of performance and fitness and health and longevity and biohacking and beyond, but in a balanced manner that doesn't turn me into a person who is simply sitting on a plane, lonely and banging out yet another article on biceps and abs while I travel to a conference to speak to a group of people and foster the relationships I've built afar because I don't have any back home.
I simply can't take the pressure of being that perfect person any longer, and I realized that the pressure that I've placed upon myself to climb Mount Everest every day is not truly making me happy. I don't want to be that alpha male with the yin dominance and huge bank account, but with tired eyes and a wife and children who resent him. I don't want to be full of sadness or regret on my deathbed because in the end I really just made a lot of money and did some hard things but never actually built a lasting, meaningful legacy, changed people's souls, made my family happy, or took time myself to smell the roses and savor life.
So I'm in a transitional phase. Yes there are certain obligations that I have committed to this year such as competing in some obstacle course races and doing some physically challenging events; but after that, I really truly want to focus more on simply enjoying life with far less of the extreme pressure and on building a platform of balanced health, longevity, adventure, joy, and fulfillment in life for myself and for others.
And that's why I've created this article for you: so that you can understand where I'm coming from and perhaps so that you can learn a few things about yourself in the process. So I thank you for reading all this. I hope it's given you a little bit of perspective on who I am and where I'm coming from and where I plan to go.
Feel free to leave any of your own questions, comments, feedback, wisdom and insight below.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
18 min - 399: The Latest Science On Low Carb Diets, Is Fasting An Eating Disorder, Should Lean Females Fast, How To Combat Sleep Deprivation & Much More.Q&A Episode 399
Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the button at the bottom of the page (or go to SpeakPipe), or use the Contact button in the free Ben Greenfield Fitness app. Click here for some tips on how to have the best chance of having your question featured on the show. - The morning brew recipe Ben mentions in intro:
Alright, this recipe is fully loaded fuel that tastes like ambrosia of the gods. I tried it out this morning and my brain has been humming along quite nicely since about 5am. Here's the full recipe (yeah, you need plenty of ingredients, but it's worth it). Into a Nutribullet or any other heat-friendly blender, add the following:
- 2 heaping tablespoons of MiCacao mix (this is a mix of cacao nibs and cacao shells that gives you the experience of drinking pure chocolate with no calories)
- 2 packets Four Sigmatic Chaga mushroom extract
- 2 packets Four Sigmatic Lion's Mane extract
- 1 dropperful Omica Organics butterscotch toffee stevia
- 1 teaspoon of a good salt (I used Colima salt)
- 12-16 piping hot ounces of Kion Coffee
Blend on high for about 90 seconds, then open your blender carefully as contents can expand and get foamy (and the foam is oh-so-delicious). I may or may not have also put 0.5 grams of psilocybin extract into this mix, but that's your call. ;) Bon appetit!
News Flashes...5:30- Turns out a very low carb diet doesn’t seem to impair high-end exercise performance but there are SO many variables to this that I’ll unpack in next podcast.
- If you are eating a very low carbohydrate diet and also limiting calories for the goals of weight loss, this study shows that you sure as heck better also be lifting weights.
- It's so ridiculous how the media thinks "fasting" is a newfangled eating disorder. They should read this.
- Interesting! A new review looks into the optimum exercise intensity, type, and duration for boosting mood.
- Click here to follow Ben on Instagram, and get ready for some epic stories about his morning, day and evening routine!
Here's Where Ben Is Speaking And Traveling Around The World Coming Soon- August 3-4, 2019: Colorado Rockies Ultra, Beast, and Sprint Weekend - Aspen, CO. The mountains are calling! High in the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, team members from my company, Kion and I will be experiencing the immense beauty of Colorado while conquering climbs, crawls, carries, and traverses. We hope to see you there! Sign up here!
- September 12 - 15, 2019: RUNGA Immersion, Napa Valley, California. I attend this total mind-body reboot retreat each year with my wife, Jessa, to connect with a handful of friends and YOU can be one of them! I would love if you could join me at this retreat. Click here for details on this incredible event!
- September 27 - 29, 2019: Spartan World Championships, Squaw Valley, California. Right beside Lake Tahoe, this epic venue was once host to the 1960 Olympic Winter Games. Join me there for the greatest obstacle course race in North Tahoe Lake, Olympic Village, CA. Sign up here!
- View Ben's Calendar Here
This Podcast Is Brought To You By- Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.
- Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive 25% off your order when you use my link!
- Native: Native creates safe, simple, effective products that people use in the bathroom everyday. Count on trusted ingredients and trusted performance. Shop at my link and save 20% off your first purchase when you use discount code: BEN
Listener Q&A Is Fasting Dangerous For Lean Females?Jenny asks: You've mentioned on the podcast that fasting doesn't always work well for lean females. So should lean females like myself avoid fasting altogether? Or is there a fasting protocol you would recommend that will have a positive impact on my health?
In my response, I recommend:- A recent tweet: Intermittent fasting + resistance training IS effective fat loss strategy for females but they did not analyze long term effects on endocrine system, thyroid function, etc.:
- Get Fit Guy's Guide To Achieving Your Ideal Body Type
- KetoFast book by Joe Mercola (and my podcast with him)
- Jason Fung's "Complete Guide To Fasting"
Jack asks: You mentioned in Q&A 398 about the physiological changes that occur in men when they become fathers. About a month ago, my wife gave birth to identical twin boys, and as you know, all sleep schedules go out the window. Do you have some tips to improve sleep quality when I'm bound to be waking up every 2-3 hours during the night?
In my response, I recommend:- Sleepstream App
- NuCalm (use code: BEN500 for $500 off for the Performance and the Pro)
- Yoga Nidra
- Modafinil
- Qualia Mind or Qualia Focus
- Short frequent bursts of exercise or endurance, aerobic exercise
- Rotate nights, not rotate feedings
- Blue light blockers (Ben recommends RA Optics) when you get up at night to feed
- Red incandescent bulbs
- CBD Vape Pen (BioCBD is good brand)
Jackie in Japan asks: Is it possible to have plantar fasciitis and full-blown achilles tendinitis in both feet and have a C-reactive protein level of .01-.03?
In my response, I recommend:- Mention chronic vs. acute
- Kion Flex
Darryl asks: How close to my body should I put the JOOVV Go? The manual says it should be 2-6", but I oftentimes will put it directly on my skin to help heal an injury and it seems to be just fine. I also heard you say in a previous podcast that your wife puts the device on her face. Can you give some guidance on how close is too close?
In my response, I recommend:- JOOVV Lights
- This week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - click here to leave your review for a chance to win some!
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Prior to asking your question, do a search in the upper right-hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness!
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 15 min - Ben Greenfield Q&A: Detox Myths, Amino Acids While Fasting, Muscle Gain Protocols, Cell Phone Dangers & Much More!
In this podcast, recorded during the Swiss Clinic retreat that I led in the Swiss Alps two weeks ago, we cover a host of questions from attendees.
Strap yourself in and prepare for this massive Q&A that includes the following: -Are you increasing mTOR by taking Kion Aminos throughout the day vs. around a workout? [6:25]- 1 gram of amino acids = 1 gram of protein
- Any protein can be anabolic
- Exercising with 10 g of aminos is more effective than in a pure fasted state
- Process vs. Event. Daily detox is far more effective than a yearly or quarterly
- The Longevity Diet by Dr. Valter Longo
- Ben's Kitchari recipe
- BGF podcast with Dr. Dan Pompa
- BGF podcast with Dr. Satchin Panda
- Ben's personal protocol
- Sauna treatment everyday
- Coffee enema weekly
- Rebounder and vibration platform
- Biggest detox organ is the skin
- Mass spectrometry
- Onegevity
- NutrEval by Genova Diagnostics
- GI Effects 3 day gut test
- Wellness FX
- Once in a Lifetime Genetic Test
- Tree of Life
- BGF podcast w/ Dr. Kharim Dhanani
- Microbiome analysis: Viome or Onegevity
- HistaBlock
- Avoid dairy
- There is no threshold
- Autonomic nervous system sends signal to the heart via vagus nerve
- Good balance between the two dictates the vagus nerve communication with the heart will be clear
- High HRV is indicative of healthy balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- Breath work is highly efficacious
- There is no one "perfect" diet to follow; it's highly individualized
- Be aware of your ancestry and adjust your diet accordingly
- Periods of caloric restriction are very beneficial
- Ben does a Kitchari cleanse 4x per year
- BGF podcast w/ Nick Pineault
- The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMF's by Nick Pineault
- BGF podcast w/ building biologist Brian Hoyer
- Shielded Healing dirty electricity filters
- Will humans evolve to tolerate these hazards?
- BluShield signal scrambling device
- Acoustimeter
- Holding your phone makes you a conductor of EMF
- Phase Angle (recommended by Dr. Mercola)
- Defender Shield bluetooth device
- Yur Buds (amazon)
- BGF podcast on Ben's Viome test results
- Kion Flex is being reformulated
- When eating at a steak house:
- HistaBlock
- Kion Lean
- Gluten Guardian (4)
- Charcoal capsules before bed
- High ferritin is usually the concern
- Look at diet adjustments
- High red blood cell turnover
- Ferritin pyrophosphate - Floradix (link)
- Increasing intake of iron could be risky for men
- Dirty Genes by Dr. Ben Lynch
- Stratagene, Dr. Lynch's company
- Impaired metabolism
- It would affect a supplementation protocol
- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)
- Deuterium depleted water
- BGF podcast w/ Robert Slovak of Water and Wellness
- Auto immune control
- Mistletoe extract (link)
- Keto, CBD, infrared light
- Hyperthermia
- Awareness of mitochondrial health
- Mitigation of EMF
- Stem cell treatments
- An upcoming podcast will be on the topic
- Potential oxidation of cholesterol
- Formation of lipopolysaccharides
- Similar to a body builder's approach (stronger by science)
- Dan John's 18 Week protocol
- Creatine (link)
- Peptides
- Deep tissue massage is very beneficial; injury-free
- Every Wednesday, 2.5 hr. massage
- Essential oils
- Music w/ healing frequencies
- Essential Oil Wizardry
- BGF podcast w/ Dr. Nick Berry
- BPC 157 and TB500 peptides
- Amino acids
- PEMF therapy
- Infrared sauna
- JOOVV light
- Water and non-weight bearing exercise
- Magnesium bath salts
- Fasting (with caution)
- Unschooling to University by Judy Arnall
- John Holt
- Free to Learn by Peter Gray
- The Longevity Diet by Dr. Valter Longo
- Ben's Kitchari recipe
- BGF podcast with Dr. Dan Pompa
- BGF podcast with Dr. Satchin Panda
- HistaBlock
- The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMF's by Nick Pineault
- BGF podcast w/ Nick Pineault
- BGF podcast w/ building biologist Brian Hoyer
- Shielded Healing dirty electricity filters
- Acoustimeter
- BGF podcast on Ben's Viome test results
- Dirty Genes by Dr. Ben Lynch
- Stratagene, Dr. Lynch's company
- BGF podcast w/ Robert Slovak of Water and Wellness
- Dan John's 18 Week protocol
- Essential Oil Wizardry
- BGF podcast w/ Dr. Nick Berry
- Unschooling to University by Judy Arnall
- Free to Learn by Peter Gray
Episode sponsors:-Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.
-Organifi Green Juice: Now you can get all your healthy superfoods in one glass...with No Shopping, No Blending, No Juicing, and No Cleanup. Get a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: BENG20
-Fresh Pressed Olive Oil: Olive oil direct from the harvest gives you peak flavor and maximum polyphenols. Try a retail-size, $39 bottle of Fresh Pressed Olive Oil that retails for just $1 to help cover shipping costs.
-Birdwell Beach Britches: Quality is our Gimmick isn’t just our slogan, it’s a commitment we honor with every stitch we sew. 100% money back guarantee. Get 10% off your order, PLUS free shipping on any order over $99 when you use discount code: BENG.
Got a question or comment for me regarding the content of this episode? Leave a reply below and I'll reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 36 min - 132 Pound Bow Draws & 3000+ Calories Burnt Per Day: How Fit Were Our Ancestors (& Where Do Plants & Grains vs. A Carnivore or Ketogenic Diet Fit In)?
When it comes to diet, water, medicine, awareness, nature immersion, movement, hormesis, community, and ancestral technologies, not many folks know quite as much as my guest on today's show: Arthur Haines.
Arthur is a Maine hunting and recreation guide, forager, ancestral skills mentor, author, public speaker, and botanical researcher. He grew up in the western mountains of Maine, a rural area that was home to swift streams known for their trout fishing. He spent most of his childhood in the Sandy River Valley hiking, tracking, and foraging.
Arthur now runs the Delta Institute of Natural History in Canton, Maine, where he teaches human ecology, focusing on the values of foraging, wildcrafting medicine, and primitive living skills. His series of YouTube videos has inspired thousands of people interested in foraging wild edible and medicinal plants.
Arthur recently authored a very big book that I thoroughly enjoyed, entitled “A New Path: To Transcend the Great Forgetting Through Incorporating Ancestral Practices into Contemporary Living”. This guide is a comprehensive work on nature connection and rewilding, detailing how to incorporate ancestral practices into modern living.
During our discussion, you'll discover: -The criteria by which humans have become "domesticated"...7:38- Altered temperament -- milder than in the natural state
- Cows originated from aurochs (now extinct), which were very fierce
- Altered social hierarchy (establish that humans are in authority)
- Our ancestors lived a more egalitarian lifestyle than we do today
- Altered diet
- Diet today is far different, oftentimes poorer in quality
- The ability to breed in captivity
- Humans consider pregnancy/giving birth to be an ailment
- 99% are institutionalized; take moms out of their most comfortable habitat
- Arthur maintains that humans display all of the above traits of domesticated animals
- Very active lifestyle out of necessity, depending on resource density
- Micmac people (still exist in N. America) estimated to travel over a million acre home range over the course of a year
- What we travel on foot today is a fraction of that
- 10k steps a day would be close to the average of hunter/gatherers (5-10 miles per day)
- Arthur does not engage in any type of self-quantification
- Draw weight of bows among our ancestors:
- The more energy required to bend the bow, the more energy can be imparted to the arrow
- Most bows today are ~50 lb. draw
- Bows of hunter/gatherers were much higher; ~70 lb.
- The highest recorded were over 130 lbs.
- Recent studies have conflicting results; some say it's the same, others say it's far less today
- Humans tend to be bigger today than in ancestral times; results in more calorie expenditure
- Hunter/gatherers spent far more calories moving
- Calorie expenditure today due to complexity of the food
- Diversity of movement in ancestral times is lost in the modern gym or fitness center
- Lots of walking; humans are meant to walk with episodes of running
- Paddling or carrying canoes
- Grains are milled by hand
- "Active lifestyle with bouts of athleticism"
- Brazilian jiu jitsu 1-2 times per week
- High Intensity Repetitive Training, HIRT (was mentioned in Q&A 398)
- Moving a killed animal over terrain
- "True cross fit" training can be found in everyday life, particularly in hunting
- Be aware of biological norms
- 97% of our time on the earth has been as hunter/gatherers
- Homo sapiens have been shown to be as old as 315,000 years
- Domesticated human diet for just a short time
- Wild plants were a huge component of their diets (~60%)
- Ancestors were not in ketosis on a regular basis
- Low carb diet is a "new" diet
- It is efficacious in treating things like epilepsy, not so much as a weight-loss strategy
- No group of people in history have ever been pure vegetarians
- Some have eaten mostly meat due to necessity
- Plants can't be grown due to climate/terrain, etc.
- However, they would gather plants in large quantities when available
- Large proportion of Vitamin C would come from plants
- Diet can be an actual therapy; drugs just cover the symptoms
- Plants can help us fight off the deleterious aspects of nature (sun exposure, toxins in the air, etc.
- BGF podcast about the book "Nourishment" by Fred Provenza
- BGF podcast with Dr. Paul Saladino
- Plants are edible for a finite amount of time in the wild; a natural protective mechanism as a result
- Hypotensive and hypertensive compounds in the same plant; certain suites of plants win out depending on the person
- Average # of plants consumed by American diet is 30,
- Many of them are only one species; ex. collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, are the brassica oleracea species
- No real diversity in the diet
- Inupiat people have been documented to ingest 40+ different plant foods; more than the average American diet
- Over 100 foods in warmer climates
- Stark contrast between wild and cultivated
- Minerals
- Vitamins
- Sometimes up to 100x more than what we find in the store
- Small berries have more skin; large berries are counterproductive
- Dillution effect: Individual fruits end up with lower mineral content than what's found in the wild
- Are backyard gardens wild or cultivated plants?
- Difference in genetics of most cultivated species
- Lettuce has been tampered with; it's more bitter in the wild
- Difference between organic and conventional (sprayed) produce
- When we tend plants, they don't need to work as hard to protect themselves
- Seedless grapes don't have nearly the same nutritional value
- More fiber in wild foods than in cultivated
- "Minimally modified plant foods" means eating closer to the wild
- What about grains?
- What is making the grains we consume today bad for us?
- Evidence of grain consumption up to 105,000 years ago
- Stone ovens that are 30,000 years old
- Diversify, properly prepare, choose the right type of grains
- Jared Diamond's book "Collapse"
- Hunter/gatherer is not a viable goal
- The entire goal is sovereignty: to lose our dependence on industrial society
- Begin with recovering your health: diet, movement, exposure to toxins, etc.
- Don't worry about how much or how little you know
- Primitive living schools are becoming more common (avoid the prepper schools)
-Book: A New Path: To Transcend the Great Forgetting Through Incorporating Ancestral Practices into Contemporary Living
-Arthur's YouTube channel
-ArthurHaines.com
-My podcast with Katy Bowman
-My podcast about the book "Nourishment" by Fred Provenza
-My podcast with Dr. Paul Saladino
-My latest podcast with Dr. Steven Gundry
-Jared Diamond's book "Collapse"
Episode Sponsors:-Kion: Join us on our 5-Day Meditation Challenge from 15-19 July! Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off their entire order at Kion when you use discount code: BGF10.
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Do you have questions, comments or feedback for Arthur or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 28 min - Altered temperament -- milder than in the natural state
- 398: Top 12 Keto Myths, The Dark Side Of Tabatas, Dad Bod, Healthy Sunscreen Alternatives & More!Q&A Episode 398
Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the button at the bottom of the page (or go to SpeakPipe), or use the Contact button in the free Ben Greenfield Fitness app. Click here for some tips on how to have the best chance of having your question featured on the show!
Ben's travels and extensive travel gear...1:42- lessemf.com
- Lambs radiation proof underwear
- RA Optics
- Pac Safe Theft and RFID preventing bags
- Hydrogen-rich water
- Activated charcoal
- Ample Keto Meal Replacement Shake
- EMF Portal mentioned
- Click here to follow Ben on Instagram, and get ready for some epic stories about his morning, day and evening routine!
Here's where I'm speaking and traveling around the world coming soon.- 13-14 July -- Train to Hunt nationals in Mesa, CO
- 27-28 July -- Race the River Sprint Triathlon in Couer d'Alene, ID
- 3-4 August - Aspen Snowmass
- Late September -- Spartan World Championships in Lake Tahoe, CA
- View Ben’s Calendar Here
This podcast is brought to you by:-Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.
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Listener Q&A: The Problem With Sunscreen (& What To Do About It)...55:15Alex asks: There are a lot of claims from the sunscreen industry about its ability to reduce or remove the risk of skin cancer. From what I've seen, the rates of skin cancer have increased, as has the use of sunscreen. What are your thoughts on that, and what are some of your strategies in regards to using sunscreen?
In my response, I recommend: -Article: Is Sunscreen The New Margarine? -EWG.org guide to sunscreens -Healthy sunscreen recipes -Superessentials fish oil with astaxanthin -Dr. Thomas Cowan's vegetable powders -A New Path book by Arthur Haines -Sunlight Makes You Skinny & Blue Light Makes You Fat: 11 Ways To Biohack Light To Optimize Your Body & Brain Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide Benefits...1:10:56Steve asks: I've used the food-grade hydrogen peroxide in the One Minute Miracle every day for several years. I didn't hear you mention it on your recent water podcast, so I want to get your take on it.
In my response, I recommend: -35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide Does Hydrogen Rich Water Feed SIBO Bacteria?...Kathy asks: I've heard you talk a lot about hydrogen-rich water lately on the podcast. If someone has hydrogen-dominant SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), is hydrogen-rich water or the tablets going to be a good thing for them to ingest?
In my response, I recommend: -Active H2 Molecular Hydrogen from Water & Wellness (Dr. Robert Slovak's website) -My podcast on hydrogen water with Tyler Lebaron -Drinking hydrogen water and intermittent hydrogen gas exposure... -Intestinal Microbiota Ecological Response to Oral Adminstrations of Hydrogen-Rich Water -Effects of the long-term consumption of hydrogen-rich water on the antioxidant activity in female Chinese soccer players Giveaways & Goodies- This week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - click here to leave your review for a chance to win some!
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1 hr 19 min - Part 2: How To Identify The Lies That Popular Media Spews About Wellness (& My Reply To “The Most Overhyped Wellness Promises, Debunked”)
Click here for a downloadable PDF version of show notes for this episode.
The popular website Vice published a controversial article last week entitled "The Most Overhyped Wellness Promises, Debunked." Chock full of skepticism about keto, colonics, charcoal, and more, the article created plenty of buzz—both good and bad—across the internet...
...and in today's podcast, I'm going to address the Vice article in full, including debunking plenty of the BS that was in the article, presenting research-based facts about so-called wellness myths (including a few that will surprise, such as the truth about charcoal toothpaste and sea salt), and set the good folks at Vice right. Enjoy, and be sure to leave your own comments and feedback in the comments section below.
You can find Part 1 of this series, where I debunked the first 22 "myths" found in the article here. Now, here are my responses to Myths 23-44: -Myth #23: Red yeast rice supplements aren’t that effective at lowering cholesterol...7:08- Red Yeast Rice: Benefits, Side Effects and Dosage
- Contains monacolin K (same thing found in statins)
- Some forms don't contain doses as high as found in literature
- Can affect cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure
- Greater insulin insensitivity
- Prevented increases in cholesterol levels in rats
- Decreased tumor levels and cancer cell growth
- Red yeast rice supplements contain only trace amounts of monacolin K (check label carefully)
- Placenta – Worth Trying? Human Maternal Placentophagy: Possible Benefit and Potential Risks
- Nutritional composition: whole host of vitamins, interesting hormonal profile
- Effective in treating depressive moods, post-partum depression
- Not much human clinical research verifying the efficacy of eating the placenta
- The Two Sides of the Story: Is Microwave Radiation Harmful?
- Dehydrates, hurts the taste of food
- It may not be bad for your food, but it may be bad for you
- Non-native EMFs
- How Crystals Work: The Science of Crystal Healing
- LCD: Liquid Crystal Display
- Crystals contain quartz (cilica dioxide)
- Much of modern computing depends on crystals
- Marcel Vogel: Pioneer of crystal research
- Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton
- Mind to Matter by Dr. Dawson Church
- No human clinical research on crystal's efficacy on healing and stress relief
- Himalayan Salt Lamp
- Is a Colon Cleanse Actually Beneficial? What You Must Know...
- Can be helpful for some people
- Limited research to show its efficacy
- Need to repopulate the colon with a probiotic after a colonic hydrotherapy
- People feel amazing after the therapy; release of bile by the liver
- May be worth investigating if you have chronic constipation (after other resources have been exhausted)
- "I could probably do a whole podcast on the health benefits of red wine." --Ben Greenfield
- Contribution of Red Wine Consumption to Human Health Protection
- Resveratrol claims have been greatly exaggerated
- Blue zone inhabitants habitually drink red wine
- Blue Zones, by Dan Buettner
- Women are at lower risk for many health issues
- Good effects on cardiovascular system
- Beneficial for heart cells
- When wine paired with physical exercise, improve LDL to HDL ratios dramatically
- Beneficial effect on blood pressure
- The French Paradox: Lessons for Other Countries
- Fit Vine Wine (Use code: GREENFIELD for 10% off)
- BGF podcast w/ Todd White of Dry Farm Wines
- Pharmaceutical Influences of Epsom Salts | Insight Medical Publishing
- Sulfate ions may help in removing toxins and heavy metals from cells
- Ben uses magnesium sulfate salts, not Epsom salts
- Weekly bath in Epsom salts can support recovery, relaxation, sleep
- Vice is correct on the claim on muscle pain
- Can Exercise Prevent Depression? Here's What the Science Says | Time Magazine
- Exercise can protect against depression, but depression doesn't prevent someone from exercising
- Weightlifting and running increase blood to the brain
- Small amounts improve mental health (walking after a meal)
- Numerous studies contradict the claim from the vice article
- Meditation is a Powerful Mental Tool - And for Some People It Goes Terribly Wrong
- Some get hyper-aroused when they meditate; could be because of increase in mindfulness
- Can be avoided with proper instruction and preparation
- Whole-Body Cryotherapy Decreases the Levels of Inflammatory, Oxidative Stress
- Cold-water immersion is superior to whole-body cryotherapy; but cryotherapy is effective in muscle recovery
- May not see a marked improvement immediately after, but it does help in recovery
- Four Pillars of Excellence
- Ben agrees with this one!
- Cyrex Labs
- Should Men Cut Back On their Soy Intake?
- Gynecomastia
- This myth is the result of one individual who claims his man boobs are the result of increased soy intake
- Eat fermented forms of soy
- Estrogeneration by Dr. Anthony Jay
- GPR30 Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated With Gynecomastia Risk in Adolescents
- Oral Contraceptives and Breast Cancer: A Review of the Epidemiological Evidence With an Emphasis on Younger Women
- Study Finds Weak Link Between Birth Control and Breast Cancer
- New Study Finds Relationship Between Birth Control and Cancer
- What is Hydrogen Water? Benefits & Effects - SelfHacked
- Hydrogen affects 63 different diseases because of impact on free radicals, cells, etc.
- H2 safe for stroke patients
- Parkinson's patients show improvement
- Protective effect in the brain, specifically hippocampus
- Anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-oxidative effect
- Bottom line: Ben doesn't agree...
- Fasting and Exercise: What Are the Benefits?
- Intermittent Fasting for Athletes: Benefits and Concerns
- This one is partly true, but you can definitely lose fat while working out on an empty stomach
- Possible decrease in testosterone
- Can affect muscle buildup
- Ben agrees with this one
- IV Vitamin Therapy: Your Questions Answered
- BGF Podcast with Dr. Craig Koniver
- Fat Loss Showdown: Does HIIT or Steady State Cardio Burn More Fat?
- Study showed 3x greater fat loss in a HIIT regimen vs. steady state
- Post-exercise oxygen deficit
- Increase in metabolic rate that stays longer than steady state exercise
- HIIT may have appetite suppressing effect
- Ben agrees that some of the claims have been exaggerated, however HIIT is superior to steady state training
- Superfoods: Health Benefits, Uses and Risks
- Some "superfoods" have been blown out of proportion; however some foods are clearly more nutritious than others (blueberries vs. Oreos)
- Are Nightshade Vegetables Bad for You? An Evidence-Based Look
- Paleo auto-immune protocol
- Ben agrees
- Celery Juice: Benefits and Myths
- Celery isn't bad for you, but its benefits are limited
- Any benefit is usually from the celery leaf, not the juice
- Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb? Major Study Concludes: It Doesn't Matter for Weight Loss
- Ben disagrees
- Research Exposes New Health Risks of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes and Salmon
- Ten Scientific Studies Prove that Genetically Modified Food Can Be Harmful to Human Health
- DNA from genetically modified crops have been shown to transfer to humans
- GMO cord has caused tumors in rats
- Glyphosate linked to birth defects and many more issues
- GMO risk assessment based on very little science recommendations
- Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton
- Mind to Matter by Dr. Dawson Church
- Himalayan Salt Lamp
- Blue Zones, by Dan Buettner
- Fit Vine Wine (Use code: GREENFIELD for 10% off)
- BGF podcast w/ Todd White of Dry Farm Wines
- Cyrex Labs
- Gynecomastia
- Estrogeneration by Dr. Anthony Jay
- BGF Podcast with Dr. Craig Koniver
Episode sponsors:-Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.
-Four Sigmatic: I’ve been using Four Sigmatic products for awhile now and I’m impressed by the efficacies of their mushroom products. I use them. I like them. I support the mission! Receive 15% off your Four Sigmatic purchase when you use discount code: BENGREENFIELD
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Got questions, comments or feedback for me about anything I discussed in this episode? Leave a comment at https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/vicepodcast2, and I'll reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 25 min - Part 1: How To Identify The Lies That Popular Media Spews About Wellness (& My Reply To "The Most Overhyped Wellness Promises, Debunked")"The popular website Vice published a controversial article last week entitled "The Most Overhyped Wellness Promises, Debunked". Chock full of skepticism about Keto, colonics, charcoal, and more, the article created plenty of buzz - both good and bad - across the internet... ...and in today's podcast, I'm going to address the article in full, including debunking plenty of the BS that was in the article, presenting research-based facts about so-called wellness myths (including a few that will surprise, such as the truth about charcoal toothpaste and sea salt), and set the good folks at Vice right. Enjoy, and be sure to leave your own comments and feedback in the comments section below." In this solosode, I'll break down the "myths" discussed in the article one by one... -Myth #1: Is pink Himalayan salt more nutritious than regular table salt?...9:47
- 90% of table salt is full of microplastics (have often been found in some sea salts)
- Downsides of Himalayan salt:
- Comes from Pakistan, sold cheaply, contain impurities
- Only 4% more trace minerals than table salt
- Contains iron
- Ben prefers Celtic sea salt: It's more pure and less contaminants
- BGF Podcast with Robert Slovak
- Colima Sea Salt
- Microplastics found in 90 percent of table salt: potential health impacts?
- 12 Reasons You Should Take Sea Salt
- Abstract P238: Remission/Cure of Autoimmune Diseases by a Lectin Limite Diet Supplemented With Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Polyphenols | Circulation
- Lectins, agglutinins, and their roles in autoimmune reactivities
- 1 in 5 people suffer from some form of an autoimmune condition; these are aggravated by lectins in our diets
- Remission in lectin-free diet
- Effects of Probiotics on Mood - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov
- The Effects of Priobiotics on Mood and Emotion
- The effects of probiotics on depressive symptoms in humans: a systematic review
- 8 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Kombucha Tea
- Has all the health benefits of tea: polyphenols, cholesterol reduction, etc.
- 4 studies show kombucha reduces liver toxicity in rodent models by up to 70%
- Acidic acid can kill off harmful bacteria in the gut
- Watch out for residual sugars
- Blood sugar controlling properties
- Coconut Sugar: Is It Good For You?
- Coconut sugar has far more minerals than regular sugar: zinc, polyphenols, etc.
- Glycemic index score: 35-40; table sugar much higher (60 and above)
- A Case-control Study Adds a New Piece to the Aluminum/Breast Cancer Puzzle
- Use of Underarm Cosmetic Products in Relation to Risk of Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study
- There's no "smoking gun" but enough anecdotal evidence to be concerned
- BGF Podcast with Robert Slovak
- Systematic review of the association between dietary acid load, alkaline water and cancer | BMJ Open
- Alkaline Water and Longevity: A Murine Study
- More alkalinity is not better
- Hydrogen rich water (Use code BEN for 30% off)
- 6 Proven Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
- Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
- Acidic acid in vinegar kills pathogens, natural antibacterial
- Shot of apple cider vinegar improves insulin sensitivity during a high carb meal
- Can educe fasting blood sugar by 4%
- Reduce blood pressure
- Regulate kidney function
- BGF Article: The Best 2018 Detox Program
- Dandelion extract
- Ginseng
- Milk thistle extract
- Zinc lozenges
- Don't abuse the liver and kidneys and expect them to function properly
- What are the Benefits of Activated Charcoal?
- Ben agrees with this one
- Charcoal toothpaste may cause tooth decay and will not whiten teeth
- Health charity explores the facts and myths of charcoal toothpaste | Oral Health Foundation
- Ketogenic Diets: Long-Term Nutritional and Metabolic Deficiencies
- Causes a deficiency in potassium
- Renal acid load, will further strip minerals from the body
- Folate deficiencies: consume liver or folate supplements
- Vitamin C deficiency: fix with supplementation or plants and berries
- Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water
- How to drink water with lemon and preserve your tooth enamel | The Well: bodymindheartspirit
- Contains folate, potassium, Vitamin C
- Blood circulation, insulin sensitivity benefits
- High amounts of citrate, helps treat kidney stones
- Can hurt tooth enamel
- What are the Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate?
- Cacao contains antioxidants
- High levels of minerals
- Rich in magnesium and zinc
- Stimulates nitric oxide
- Hefty research to support chocolate's efficacy
- Non-celiac gluten sensitivity - Wikipedia
- Gluten is an aggravator of autoimmune issues
- Intestinal damage
- Alter DNA and oxidative balance
- Irritable bowel issues, neural inflammation
- Book: Grain Brain
- Gluten Guardian
- Blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study: monitoring and elimination of bioaccumulated toxic elements
- Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in Sweat: A Systematic Review
- Sweat is a significant way to rid of over 120 toxicants
- Infrared Sauna Treatment: Are the Claims Backed Up? - Dr. Axe
- Ben uses sauna treatment every day (Clearlight Saunas use code GREENFIELD for $500 off)
- Improves heart function, increase in HRV
- Decreases pain and stiffness
- Improves cognitive behavior, lifting mood
- Top 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
- Book: The End of Alzheimers by Dale Bredesen
- Books by Mary Newport
- Many populations eat large amounts of coconut and have low rates of heart disease
- Significant appetite stabilizing effects
- Used in epileptic patients to enter ketosis
- Many studies showing reduction in eczema
- Used as a sunscreen
- Reduce visceral fat
- Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene – A review
- Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications - PubMed - NCBI
- Do Weighted Blankets Really Ease Sleeplessness? | Psychology Today
- Do We Need Organic Tampons? A Review Of The Science - HelloGiggles
- Colima Sea Salt
- BGF Podcast with Robert Slovak
- Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
- Book: Grain Brain
- Book: The End of Alzheimers by Dale Bredesen
- Books by Mary Newport
Episode Sponsors:- Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.
- Organifi Gold: A new take on an ancient secret: Pain-soothing herbs, incredible antioxidants, and phytonutrients all in one delicious, soothing “Golden Milk” nighttime tea! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: BENG20.
- Vuori: Activewear and athletic clothing for ultimate performance. Vuori is built to move and sweat in, yet designed with a West Coast aesthetic that transitions effortlessly into everyday life. Receive 25% off your first order when you use discount code: "ben25"
- Birdwell Beach Britches: Quality is our Gimmick isn’t just our slogan, it’s a commitment we honor with every stitch we sew. 100% money back guarantee. Get 10% off your order, PLUS free shipping on any order over $99 when you use discount code: BENG
Got a question or comment for me about what I discussed in this episode? Leave a comment below and I'll reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 18 min - From Green Tea To Psilocybin: The Routines, Diet, Lifestyle, Supplements & Sage Advice From One Of The Top Natural Medicine Docs On The Face Of The Planet - The Dr. Andrew Weil Podcast.
Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. Combining a Harvard education and a lifetime of practicing natural and preventive medicine, Dr. Weil is the founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he also serves as a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health as well as the Lovell-Jones Professor of Integrative Rheumatology.
He is a best-selling author of 15 books on healthy living, including:
-Mind Over Meds -Fast Food, Good Food -True Food -Spontaneous Happiness -Healthy Aging -8 Weeks to Optimum Health
Oxford University Press is currently producing the Weil Integrative Medicine Library, a series of volumes for clinicians in various medical specialties.-Integrative Oncology (co-edited with Dr. Donald Abrams, 2d. ed. 2014). -Integrative Psychiatry -Integrative Pediatrics -Integrative Women’s Health (2d. ed. 2015) -Integrative Rheumatology -Integrative Cardiology -Integrative Gastroenterology -Integrative Nursing -Integrative Men’s Health-Integrative Dermatology -Integrative Pain Management -Integrative Environmental Medicine-Integrative Preventive Medicine -Integrative Psychiatry and Brain Health
More volumes are in progress.
Dr. Weil also serves as the editorial director of drweil.com, the leading online resource for healthy living based on the philosophy of integrative medicine, and pens the popular Dr. Andrew Weil’s Self Healing monthly newsletter and a regular column in Prevention magazine.
Dr. Weil is the founder and Chairman of the Weil Foundation, and the founder and co-Chairman of Healthy Lifestyle Brands. He is also a founder and partner of the growing group of True Food Kitchen restaurants. In 2017, he joined Seabourn and The Onboard Spa by Steiner in their “Spa and Wellness with Dr. Andrew Weil” mindful-living program, offered on all of its cruise ships.
During our discussion, you'll hear: -Dr. Weil's morning routine...6:30- Wake up between 4-4:30
- Sitting meditation
- Breathing exercises (4-7-8 breathing)
- Sit for 15 minutes
- Breakfast: Sauteed tempeh (Dr. Weil is a pescatarian)
- Matcha green tea
- Tend to the garden
- Dr. Weil owns two Rhodesian ridgebacks
- Ben's Rhodesian ridgeback recently passed away
- What's causing cancer in dogs? Environment, food, etc.
- Rapamycin has been correlated with longevity for dogs
- Dr. Weil gives it to his dogs every day for 10 weeks
- Comes from ancient India; passed on as oral tradition
- By using voluntary system to breathe, it influences the involuntary system of breathing
- 4-7-8 breathing
- Inhale 4 counts, hold 7 counts, exhale 8 counts
- Do minimum twice daily
- You're changing your brain's chemistry; exercise with caution
- Dr. Weil's resting heart rate is 38-42
- Heart rate slows, HRV increases in response to the exhale
- He owns Matcha Kari
- First found it in 1959 when he was 17 in Japan
- Two things stood out:
- Bamboo whisk
- Vibrant color green
- The matcha found in N. America is of inferior quality
- Differences between matcha and green tea:
- Matcha is finely powdered, made from tea plants shaded for 3 weeks
- Produce higher quantities of chlorophylls and antioxidants
- L-theanine modifies the effect of caffeine (alert relaxation)
- You consume the entire leaf which is powdered up
- Why some people's stomachs don't agree with matcha:
- Perhaps inferior quality
- More sensitive to tannens?
- The best way to prepare matcha:
- Put the powder through the water, or it will form lumps
- Keep it in the freezer once opened
- Don't need a traditional whisk
- Can be used for cooking, sprinkling, etc.
- Use discount code: GREEN15 and get a 15% discount on any order of matcha green tea!
- Basic antioxidant formula: caratenoids, Vitamin C, Vitamin E
- Multi-nutrient w/ trace minerals
- COQ10
- PQQ
- MitoQ
- Medicinal mushroom supplements (immune support, resistance to infections)
- My podcast with Barrie Tan about Vitamin E and tocopherols vs. tocotrienols
- Preferable to get antioxidants from your diet
- Nature provides its own "complexes"
- What to look for on the label to ensure you're getting what you think you're getting:
- Don't take a pre-formed Vitamin A
- Look for as many caratenoids as possible
- Mega Food for men and for women
- Books on the topic by Dr. Weil:
- The Natural Mind
- From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs
- The Harvard Psychedelic Club
- First took mescaline at age 18
- Experimented throughout the 60's
- Dr. Weil believes these experiences have been instrumental in his work
- Emphasis on mind/body interactions and therapies
- Led to interest in medicinal plants
- 1P-LSD
- At first felt nothing
- The highs were full of hilarity, eating, conviviality
- Began to be an introspective high, useful for creativity as a writer and meditation
- Then it began to make him groggy and sluggish
- Doesn't use it at all these days (due to body change, not the make up cannabis)
- Cannabis is a very complex source of compounds
- They are the "dog" of the plant world in that they have co-evolved with human interaction
- "We've been very stupid in our interactions with cannabis"
- Concerns about neurotransmitter imbalances associated with cannabis?
- You can't take them frequently enough to be concerned about it
- Prefers natural methods as much as possible; doesn't use them personally
- Hyperbaric oxygen
- The NuCalm Ben uses for vagal nerve stimulation
- Live02 system Ben uses with his bike
- Ground with the earth preferable to PEMF mat
- The greater potential of a treatment to cause harm, the more stringent the standards of evidence
- Study in allopathic medicine developed into "integrative" medicine (along with his corresponding library)
- Center of Excellence in College of Medicine at University of Arizona
- Learn the basics of nutrition: avoid processed and manufactured foods
- Be physically active throughout your life
- Get good rest and adequate sleep
- Learn and practice means of neutralizing forces on your mind and body
- Spend time outdoors
- Enjoy your life and have strong social connections
- Disconnect from devices in the afternoon
- Swim, work in the garden
- Cook with friends
- Read, walk in the forest, watch a movie
- In bed by 9 pm; do a 4-7-8 breath
- Take melatonin before sleeping (2.5 mg sublingual tablet)
-Towards natural mimetics of metformin and rapamycin -Matcha.com (GREEN15)
-Almsbio Glutathione with CoQ10 Ben mentioned
-FourSigmatic 10 Mushroom Blend (use code: GREENFIELD for 15% off)
-My podcast with Barrie Tan about Vitamin E and tocopherols vs. tocotrienols
-Megafood multivitamin
-How To Get Your Own Vitamin and NAD IVs, The Truth About Umbilical Stem Cells, Peptide Injections & Much More With Dr. Craig Koniver.
-Book: From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs
-Book: The Harvard Psychedelic Club
-Book: The Natural Mind
-1P-LSD
-Live02 system Ben uses with his bike
-The NuCalm Ben uses for vagal nerve stimulation
Episode sponsors:-Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.
-Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive 25% off your order when you use my link!
-Pura Thrive: Combines pure ingredients in targeted dosages through a superior delivery mechanism that is unrivaled by any other supplement on the market today. Get 15% off a bottle of the Keto Balance when you go to this link.
-Harry's Razors: Try the shaving company that’s fixing shaving. Get a $13 value trial set that comes with everything you need for a close, comfortable shave when you go to harrys.com/greenfield
Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Dr. Andrew Weil or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
59 min - Mind-Blowing Biohacks You've Never Heard Of, Deep Sleep Enhancement Tricks, Upgrading Your Immune System For Travel, Minimalist Time-Hacked Workouts & Much More!
Two years ago, in the post, “11 Indispensable Lessons I Learned From The Biohacker’s Handbook Of Exercise,” I introduced you to my biohacking friends from Finland – a pioneer of holistic medicine in Finland, human technology and self-quantification specialist, Teemu Arina, superfood hunter and nutritionist, Jaakko Halmetoja, as well as Dr. Olli Sovijärvi, MD.
Then, just a few months ago, in the article "14 Biohacking Secrets I Discovered In The Brand New Biohacker’s Handbook", I announced that their entire, 544-page “Biohacker’s Handbook” had been released in the English language - and was an absolutely stellar read jam-packed with tips, tricks, and hacks I’d never before seen, and the ultimate addition to any health, fitness, and nutrition enthusiast’s coffee table or bookshelf.
In that article, I shared with you 14 biohacking secrets I gleaned from the brand new beautiful hardcover book, which my guests on today's show - the authors of the book - describe as the “definitive guide to upgrading yourself and unleashing your inner potential.” Five years in making, Biohacker’s Handbook: Upgrade Yourself and Unleash Your Inner Potential has more than 540+ pages, 1560+ references and hundreds of illustrations.
It is “the missing manual of the human body” and an essential addition to the library, work desk, kitchen, gym, suitcase and bedroom of anyone with a genuine interest in optimal human performance, health and well-being.
You can click here to get the new book, and use code: BEN for a 10% discount.
The same guys who wrote the book, also put on the extremely popular Biohacker Summit in global hotspots such as Helsinki, Stockholm, Estonia, London and Toronto - summits where I've personally spoken and where many brands have hit it big for the first time, including Four Sigmatic, Oura, Goodio and Ambronite. Biohacker Summit is one of the top optimal human performance & health conferences on the planet that focuses on combining ancestral living with modern biohacking practices.
The upcoming Biohacker Summit 2019 is the 5th year anniversary edition that will be organized on 1-2 November 2019 in Helsinki, Finland with the theme “Optimize Your Day 24/7”, and includes a wild-plant foraged VIP dinner, upgraded parties, a fantastic expo floor to play with new biohacking devices and much more. You can get a bundle of videos from all previous summits by clicking here (use 10% discount code BEN). You can also click here and use code BEN for 10% off tickets to the upcoming summit in Helsinki, taking place Nov 1-2, 2019 in Finland.
My first guest on this show, in which we take a deep dive into Biohacker’s Handbook, is Dr. Olli Sovijärvi. He is one of the pioneers of holistic medicine in Finland. In 2006 he graduated from the University of Helsinki with a Licentiate degree in Medicine. In 2010–2011 Dr. Sovijärvi completed an Integral Theory degree at the John F. Kennedy University, focusing on psychology and philosophy. For the first five years of his career as a physician, Dr Sovijärvi was employed by Finland’s first medical recruitment agency. He has worked at nearly 50 different clinics and ER’s around Finland.
Dr. Sovijärvi has also acted as consultant to various companies and service providers operating in the fields of wellness and health technology. Between 2013–18 Dr. Sovijärvi practiced medicine at a private clinic that specializes in nutrition and holistic health care. At present, Sovijärvi focuses primarily on the production of scientific content for preventive health care and wellbeing. He is a co-author of the Biohacker’s handbook and co-founder of Biohacking Center.
He also runs training sessions and presentations on the topics of biohacking, performance optimization, nutritional issues and maintaining the intestinal balance. At the free time he is an exercise enthusiast and an electronic music DJ. Teemu Arina, my other guest, has a professional career of two decades as a technology entrepreneur, author, professional speaker, and biohacker.
Mr. Arina is one of the forefront thinkers on the digital transformation of learning, work, leadership, health and - eventually - the future of humanity. His work focuses on studying the intersection of man and the machine and ways to improve productivity, health, and wellbeing with biological and technological tools.
He is a co-author of the Biohacker's Handbook, co-founder of Biohacking Center and curator of Biohacker Summit. In 2015 he received the Leonardo Award under the title "Humanity in digitization", in 2016 he was selected as Top 100 Most Influential People In IT, in 2017 Speaker of the Year by Speakersforum, and in 2018 Leadership Trainer of the Year by Turku School of Economics. In his free time, Teemu enjoys foraging, photography, and hiking.
During our discussion, you'll discover: -Why Olli doesn't use an alarm clock to wake up...12:30- Olli went years sleep-deprived working on his practice
- No technology after waking up
- Barefoot outside; ground with the earth (summer and winter)
- Vibration plates and squats
- BioMed Green Plus cubes
- Don't eat until early afternoon (1 meal a day + supplements throughout the day)
- Morning drink:
- Structured water or well water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Dash of ginger juice
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Birch Sap
- Sprout Powder
- Ambronite meal replacement
- FourSigmatic Chaga (15% off with code "BENGREENFIELD")
- FourSigmatic 10 Mushroom Blend Mushroom Extract (for Agaricus mushroom) (15% off with code "BENGREENFIELD")
- Ceylon Cinnamon
- Pu Erh "titanium tea"
- Wild herb fed butter is better than grass-fed
- "The best stuff isn't branded" re: natural salt cave
- Olli's coffee blend:
- Organic Cayenne Powder
- Omica Organic Stevia
- Ceylon Cinnamon
- Madagascar Vanilla
- Drunk over the course of 8 hours
- Ghee hack: make it at high elevation due to different boiling point of the water, results in less oxidized compounds
- Chocamine powder (concentrated chocolate) allows you to get more anandamides, or internally produced cannabinoids in the system
- Bemer PEMF mat
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 18 min - The Most Proven Supplements For Performance & Recovery, Cold Water Immersion vs. Cryotherapy, The New Science of Athletic Performance & Much More!
Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports is a new book, by my fellow C-ISSN and CSCS Dr. Marc Bubbs. It was one of my best reads of the year for all things sports science.
A few of my big takeaways include:
– Endurance athletes seem to need more sleep than strength athletes, and both seriously suffer when sleep is anything less than 6 hours.
– A temperature change in your fingertips is likely the first circadian cue you get at the beginning of the day (I could totally see a potential jet lag device that warms the fingers – I’ll take the royalty for that, please. ;) ).
– Aerobic training for strength athletes could assist with their immune system strength.
– Loading with probiotics for 2 weeks leading up to competition could give you an ergogenic edge.
– Elite athletes on a subpar diet show the same blood biomarkers as those with pre-diabetes and a fructosamine blood test can be one of the best ways to measure this.
– Top supplements proven to work in exercise science, with the strongest track history, are creatine, caffeine, nitrate precursors (e.g. beet), whey protein, beta-alanine, and sodium bicarbonate.
– Athletes with the CC genotype of the CYP1A2 gene are actually hampered in performance in response to caffeine intake.
– Eating carbs too far from a performance event (e.g. 60-75 minutes) results in hypoglycemia before the event vs. consuming them closer to the event (e.g. 20-45 minutes)
– Fish oil can stimulate muscle building by stimulating mTOR pathways. Vitamin D and creatine are also very good for recovery, not just performance. Creatine can even be helpful for TBI/concussions.
– High sugar intake is associated with lower heart rate variability (HRV).
– Cold water immersion (CWI) beats cryotherapy for recovery, hands down.
You can get this brand new book here.But I also decided to get author Dr. Marc Bubbs on this podcast to take a deeper dive into he concepts above, and many others. He is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, Performance Nutrition Lead for Canada Basketball Team, Speaker, and former Strength Coach.
Marc also hosts the Dr. Bubbs Performance Podcast, connecting listeners with world-leading experts in human performance and health.
Dr. Bubbs regularly presents at health, fitness and medical conferences across North America, UK and Europe and consults with professional teams in the NBA, NHL, and MLB teams. He practices in both Toronto, Canada and London, England.
During our discussion, you'll discover: -How Marc gathers, curates and assimilates new information for his practice...8:45- Struggled as a young athlete with disease, etc. and discovered naturopathic medicine
- He realized that there wasn't much of a market for it (circa 2000) but he embraced it and became the best at it
- The more personal contact with the source of info, the better (there's nuance in conversation that doesn't make it into an academic paper)
- Vast resources available on the Internet (and they're all true, of course)
- Study conducted by Nanci Guest, University of Toronto:
- Cycling time trial under 3 different conditions:
- 0 caffeine
- 2 mg caffeine
- 4 mg per kg of caffeine
- AC gene variants had no benefit
- AA gene variants had benefit at both 2 mg and 4 mg levels
- Athletes with the CC genotype of the CYP1A2 gene are actually hampered in performance in response to caffeine intake
- Cycling time trial under 3 different conditions:
- The sweet spot: 3-6 mg of caffeine per kg per day
- 23 and Me test will identify CYP 1A2 gene
- Endurance athletes fare better on the upper end of the sleep suggested amounts (8-10 hrs)
- They also suffer more on lack of sleep
- Greater volume of training
- More early morning sessions
- Sleep is #1 recovery tool some docs recommend
- It's one thing to acknowledge the need, quite another to actually get more sleep
- Fingertips are the first to sense changes in environment
- Possibility of warming hands to help body adjust its circadian rhythm while traveling
- ChiliPad Ben sleeps on
- "Elite performance is incompatible with frequent illness." --Dr. Michael Gleason
- Maintaining an aerobic base supports innate immunity
- Aerobic training in the protocol of a strength athlete will improve immune system
- Consider incorporating aerobics if red flags of sickness or fatigue occur
- Could be a means of recovery
- Simply being well enough to train is a big part of the picture
- Don't forget fundamentals like washing hands
- Fingertips, webs and backs of hands are often missed
- Study on Olympic athletes in 2008:
- 2/3 of those studied showed benefit in 2 key areas:
- Preventing upper respiratory tract infection
- Reversing upper respiratory tract infection
- 2/3 of those studied showed benefit in 2 key areas:
- Start 2 weeks before event
- Colostrum can be efficacious while performing in the heat
- Gut is a "black box" of the body; a key indicator in assessing overall health
- "Food first" approach
- Creatine, whey protein, caffeine are major players
- Nitrate precursors: beet root, arugula
- Endurance sports, struggle to lose weight: have the wrong approach
- Nicotinamide riboside
- Ketones for concussion recovery
- High rate of head trauma among teens
- Women's ice hockey is the highest risk
- Peptides
- Endurance athletes are more concerned with hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia
- Study: 4 of 10 participants spend 70% of the time with blood glucose in pre-diabetic range
- Exercise is a stressor; contributes to raising blood glucose
- Over fueling more of a problem than we think
- Case study in Japan on two ultra-marathoners: one elite, the other sub-elite on a 100 mile race
- At wake-up: elite has glucose level of 90; sub-elite is 110
- Sub-elite glucose level rises, then crashes around mile 70
- Elite runner came through just fine
- Fructosamine measurements for blood glucose levels
- HA1c skews to more recent fueling in its readings
- 2-3 week window vs. 3 month on HA1c
- Measuring glycated albumin rather than glycated hemoglobin
- More expensive; used for a more acute picture
- Dr. Mark Russell: Half-Time Strategies to Enhance Second-Half Performance in Team-Sports Players
- Biggest drops in glucose came from those who had drinks 75 minutes before the game
- Emma Stevenson of Newcastle University did a study on maltodextrin vs. honey
- Maltodextrin had blood sugar drop of 19%
- Honey had blood sugar drop of 4%
- Time carb intake so that blood glucose spike takes place during the event
- Optimal overall carb intake for strength vs. endurance athletes:
- Strength: 4-7 g per kg per day
- Endurance: 6-10 g per kg
- "Training low" in team sports: low carb availability
-Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports
-Examine Research Digest
-Alan Aragon's Research Review
-Chilipad Ben sleeps on
-The combo of ATP and HMB Ben mentions
-Dr. Mark Russell: Half-Time Strategies to Enhance Second-Half Performance in Team-Sports Players
Episode sponsors:-Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more. Get 10% off your order of Kion Aminos, and everything at the Kion site when you use discount code: "BGF10".
-JOOVV: After using the Joovv for close to 2 years, it's the only light therapy device I'd ever recommend. Give it a try: you won't be disappointed. Order using my link and receive a nice bonus gift with your order!
-Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive 25% off your order when you use my link!
-Birdwell Beach Britches: Quality is our Gimmick isn’t just our slogan, it’s a commitment we honor with every stitch we sew. 100% money back guarantee. Get 10% off your order, PLUS free shipping on any order over $99 when you use discount code: BENG.
Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Dr. Bubbs or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 27 min
About Boundless Life
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Free fitness, nutrition, biohacking, fat loss, anti-aging and cutting-edge health advice from BenGreenfieldLife.com! Tune in to the latest research, interviews with exercise, diet and medical…
professionals, and an entertaining mash-up of ancestral wisdom and modern science, along with Q&A's and mind-body-spirit optimizing content from America's top personal trainer.
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