Learn II Perform with Braeden Ostepchuk

In this episode, Trevor Harris – a Podcaster and Health & Mindset coach – joins me to discuss how mindset is at the core of personal development and building a healthier generation.

Trevor hosts a successful health podcast, Your Health Class, discussing a variety of topics related to health and mindset with an impressive list of multi-disciplinary and reputable guests. Through his own personal journey and a commitment to empowering generational change in health, Trevor brings thought-provoking ideas and anecdotes to the conversation.

This episode offers practical advice, genuine passion, and thoughtful prose to help you conquer your mindset and conquer your life.

TOPICS:
[2:52] Heartbreak, heart palpitations, and podcasting
[10:52] 75 Hard: A test of discipline
[25:47] Mindset is everything
[33:45] Get out of your comfort zone
[42:40] Benefits of time in nature
[57:13] Your Health Class

Learn more about Trevor Harris:
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Your Health Class

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For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
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Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

In recent years, telomeres have garnered a lot of interest for their potential involvement in aging mechanisms. In fact, there are many scientists that believe aging, disease development, and overall health can all be linked to telomere length and the rate of telomere shortening.

Similar to aglets at the end of shoelaces, telomeres are protective caps on the ends of DNA strands contained within chromosomes. The result of damage and inevitable telomere shortening over time, is the vulnerability for genomic instability, programmed cell death, and biological aging.

In this episode, we’re going to address the mechanisms of telomere shortening and its implications on health and aging. We will also discuss the role of lifestyle factors on rates of shortening, including stress, exercise, sleep, and more. Finally, we will provide five actionable tips for improving your telomere health!

Age is just a number. Keep your telomeres healthy and you may be around for a long time.

TOPICS:
[1:43] What are telomeres?
[3:59] Telomere shortening
[5:40] Implications: Aging and disease
[7:50] Lifestyle factors influencing telomere health
[13:50] 5 ways to improve telomere health

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For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
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Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

In this episode, Dr. Jamil Sayegh – an international life, business, and relationship coach, integrative naturopathic physician, master NLP practitioner, and author – joins me to discuss how people can create an extraordinary life without regret.

The author of 20 Steps to Your Next Breakthrough, Dr. Jamil works with leaders and high performers from all walks of life including world-champion athletes, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs, and business professionals.

This episode offers wisdom, heartfelt stories, and prompts introspection to help empower and inspire you to live and love fully.

TOPICS:
[2:13] Family tragedy to coach and physician
[9:33] Living behind a mask
[20:43] The North Star of an optimal life
[35:08] Rationalizing irrational fear
[49:48] Cultivating greater self-awareness
[1:00:18] Breakthrough with Dr. Jamil

Learn more about Dr. Jamil Sayegh:
Instagram
Facebook
Jamil Sayegh Solutions
E-Book: 20 Steps to Your Next Breakthrough
The Liberated Man (Facebook Group)

GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
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For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
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Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

Sugars are ubiquitous in modern diets. Not only are they extremely prevalent in processed foods as added sugars, often hidden in the ingredient list under a variety of different names, they are also present in numerous whole foods, particularly fruits and vegetables.
 
Being that glucose is such an essential molecule, can sugar consumption really be that bad? Well, like most things, moderation may be key. However, sugar consumption in the average American is massive, estimated at 66lbs of added sugar yearly.

Research concludes that sugars consumed in their original form, such as eating fresh fruit and vegetables (think a whole apple, not apple juice), are generally considered to be far superior to added sugars. Those added sugars, meanwhile, have been linked to countless health issues, including:
  - Fatty liver disease
  - Insulin resistance
  - Cardiovascular disease
  - Type 2 diabetes

But understanding the physiological mechanisms of glucose in the context of health and performance is far more complicated. No discussion would be complete with understanding blood glucose levels, regulatory hormones, and the pathology of diabetes.

In this episode, we explore the physiological mechanisms involved with sugar consumption. Namely, the relationship between sugar, blood glucose levels, and the regulatory hormones insulin and glucagon.

TOPICS:
[2:03] Different dietary sugars
[4:26] Simple vs complex carbs
[6:15] Dangers of excessive sugar consumption
[9:39] Importance of blood glucose management
[13:35] Role of insulin and glucagon
[15:47] Self-testing blood glucose levels
[19:13] How to manage your blood glucose levels
 
GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
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For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
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Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

In this episode, Alex Sirard – a sport performance coach and founder of EVO Athletics – joins me to break down the strategy for building a customized training program.

Alex has had a very extensive junior hockey career playing in the WHL, AJHL, and SJHL. Most recently Alex played at the CIS level for the Pronghorns at the University of Lethbridge where he graduated with a Degree in Kinesiology. Alex has great knowledge in movement patterns and as a very good rapport with his athletes.

This episode will give you the framework you need to build a personalized training program catered to your goals, from multi-week training blocks right down to building supersets.

TOPICS:
[2:44] How to build a training program?
[14:25] Effectively managing workloads and fatigue
[21:03] Designing each individual training session
[25:47] Training with intention
[32:06] Energy System Development (ESD)
[37:50] Speed & neural training
[45:02] Supersets: Why and how?

Learn more about Alex Sirard and EVO Athletics:
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
EVO Athletics Website

GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
join.whoop.com/learniiperform

For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
Learn II Perform
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
 
Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

In this episode, Alex Sirard – a sport performance coach and founder of EVO Athletics – joins me to discuss the most important protocols for training athletes. With a specialization in sport movements and injury prevention, he brings a wealth of knowledge from personal experiences and science based applications.

Alex has had a very extensive junior hockey career playing in the WHL, AJHL, and SJHL. Most recently Alex played at the CIS level for the Pronghorns at the University of Lethbridge where he graduated with a Degree in Kinesiology. Alex has great knowledge in movement patterns and as a very good rapport with his athletes.

This episode dives deep into training methodologies and offers practical insights to help you evolve your game!

TOPICS:
[1:55] Alex’s journey into the world of sport performance
[10:27] Defining ultimate human performance
[16:10] Microdosing athletic performance
[26:02] Training for adaptation
[32:35] Accommodating Central Nervous System (CNS) fatigue
[40:15] Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) autoregulation as an alternative to Velocity-Based Training (VBT)
[52:58] Why mobility is so important
[57:48] How to structure training without a personal trainer
[1:05:31] Alex’s one key to high performance

Learn more about Alex Sirard and EVO Athletics:
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
EVO Athletics Website

GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
join.whoop.com/learniiperform

For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
Learn II Perform
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
 
Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

Everyone is capable of learning, yet very few people care to understand what it takes to be a great learner. In addition, while people are seeking to improve their life – whether that be their career, relationships, health, happiness, or otherwise – few people make learning a priority.

Jim Kwik, a highly-respected brain performance coach, argues that learning how to learn is the most important skill that anyone can master for two reasons: a) Knowing how to learn anything gives you the potential to learn everything, and b) Skills are rapidly becoming obsolete in the dynamic global economy. Tom Bilyeu of Impact theory states something similar, that “skills have utility”. Learning unlocks these doors.

In this episode, we are going to start by reviewing the neuroscience of learning, and then cover some techniques to take your learning ability to the next level.

TOPICS:
[2:18] Neuroplasticity and learning
[3:51] Brain waves and flow states
[5:58] 3 keys to being a limitless learner
[7:14] Learning techniques and hindrances
[13:15] 8 tips to learn more effectively
 
GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
join.whoop.com/learniiperform

For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
 
Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

Nature is one of the most accessible, abundant, and powerful resources that we have to optimize our health, happiness, and performance. Subjectively and anecdotally, most people feel better after spending time in nature. Whether that be catching some sunlight, hiking through the forest, or listening to the rain when falling asleep.
 
Interested in the relationships between nature and health and well-being, a large body of research has begun exploring the physiological and psychological responses to nature immersion. From forest bathing to artificial nature viewing, this episode covers some fascinating science on the benefits of nature immersion.
 
Additionally, I share the story of my four-day, jungle/mountain hike through the Sierra Nevada mountains in Colombia to “La Ciudad Perdida” (The Lost City). Not only was it a magical experience, but physiological data recorded by WHOOP serves as an excellent case study to support the notion that nature immersion may significantly improve important biomarkers, including Heart Rate Variability, Resting Heart Rate, and restorative sleep (REM and SWS).
 
 TOPICS:
 [1:18] Research on the benefits of nature
 [5:38] Physiological response to artificial nature exposure
 [6:37] “La Ciudad Perdida” (The Lost City) trek
 [10:05] Lesson learned: My biggest mistake on the trek
 [11:05] Evidence of physiological benefits via WHOOP
 [12:59] How time in nature can help you optimize your life
 
 GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
join.whoop.com/learniiperform

For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
 
Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

The microbiome is the most important and complex ecosystem that many of us take for granted. But yet, our lives depend on it. Trillions of bacteria and viruses that live in the human gut form the gut microbiome.
 
Ongoing scientific advancements are demonstrating how the health of your microbiome can be related to every component of your health, and taking care of your microbiome should be a top priority.
 
In this episode, you will learn what the microbiome is, how it influences your health, and how you can keep it healthy through lifestyle and diet.

TOPICS:
[1:59] What is the microbiome and why does it matter?
[4:05] The relationship between your microbiome and your health
[7:43] Lifestyle factors that influence the microbiome
[9:40] Diet and the microbiome: Plant-based, Keto, and Carnivore
[16:27] Breastfeeding and Birth: Implications on microbiome health
[23:23] Getting my microbiome tested with Viome
[27:17] What can you do?
 
GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
join.whoop.com/learniiperform

For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
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Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.

Meditation often comes with a stigma of being religious or cult-like, but this is not the case. Sure, meditation may be incorporated into many spiritual practices, but you do not have to be a Buddhist monk to meditate. In fact, meditation takes many different forms and is a completely individual experience.
 
In essence, it’s all about mindfulness. Meditation is a deliberate attempt to be truly mindful of the present moment; to be truly connected to the present moment. Heightened levels of consciousness can be achieved in which you observe your own body and mind. Rather than experiencing, you are detached and observing, cultivating awareness and clarity.

In this episode, we’ll explore what meditation is, how to do it, and why it can be so beneficial. Included will be an exploration of some research studies explaining the neuroscience of meditation on brain health and happiness.

TOPICS:
[1:51] What is meditation?
[5:47] How to meditate
[10:22] Popular meditation techniques
[12:27] Scientific benefits of meditating
[14:22] Meditation in practice: Braeden’s experience
[18:59] Creating your own meditation practice
 
GET ONE MONTH FREE ON A NEW WHOOP MEMBERSHIP:
join.whoop.com/learniiperform

For more information on Learn II Perform and Braeden, please visit:
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
 
Thank you all for joining me on this journey to lifelong health, happiness, and higher performance. And remember, always be grateful, love yourself, and serve others.