Middleish

How do you handle it when thoughts become unhelpful? No matter how positive you are, it's likely that you've been hijacked by some downer diatribe in your own mind at some point. It can be hard to find your way out of the tangle, and we see you.

In this episode, we explore several techniques and tips to transport yourself out of the mental spiral and into the here-and-now. We've said it before: we're not psychologists. But we're helpers and we have experience and expertise to share. We hope this discussion provides you with something worth testing out in your own life. And we'd love to hear about it!

Maria Dalzot: @mariadalzot on Instagram

Podcast referenced: The Appetite by Opal Food + Body Wisdom, talking with Maria about polyvagal theory: https://www.opalfoodandbody.com/the-appetite-111-athletes-intuitive-eating/

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.      

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.      

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

We are firm believers that people don’t slow down because they age, they age because they slow down. Those Golden Years are inevitable and it’s best to embrace the changes in our bodies rather than lament them. In this discussion, we examine considerations for fitness and nutrition as we grow older.

Everyone who listens to this episode is getting older...by the day, by the year. Even if you’re still feeling young and spry yourself perhaps you have someone in your life who has achieved AARP status and could benefit from this info. In any case, there are valuable takeaways from this discussion.

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.    

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.    

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

Many of the terms we hear in the fitness and nutrition industry are trendy, often made-up words intended to catch your attention and create media buzz. Unfortunately, these buzzwords catch fire even without clear definitions or agreement from industry experts. 

A few examples of grating terms that we'll unpack here: "clean eating," guilt-free eating, misconceptions around HIIT, thigh gap and anything around earning food. Our aim is to help you strengthen your radar for these misleading and triggering messages so you can squelch the buzz and focus on true health.

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.    

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.    

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

A listener question about pre-workout supplements inspired this episode. That and the fact that we both get asked about various supplements all the time. 

Which ones are best? What do we recommend? What about [insert latest over-marketed miracle product here]? While we can’t possibly cover every supplement in question, many of the usual suspects are reviewed here. 

Resources:

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dietary-supplements-market

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7231191/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pre-workout-supplements

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20211011/Deadly-dry-scooping-pre-workout-powder-is-becoming-popular-on-the-internet-research-shows.aspx

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-018-0247-6

NSF International: https://www.nsfsport.com/about-us/

Informed Choice: https://choice.wetestyoutrust.com/about-informed-choice

US Pharmacopeia: https://www.usp.org/about

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com. 

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com. 

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

We know you've been holding your breath for this one! After much teasing and dabbling on the topic, we've finally put together an entire episode devoted to ketogenic diets.

We use the term "diets" (plural) because as you'll hear there are wide variations in what many believe constitutes a "ketogenic diet." This is not just an opportunity for us to rant, although there is some good fun poked at certain aspects of this industry. You'll hear a little about the history of ketogenic diets and how they've been successful in clinical settings. We explain how/why the diet works if done properly and how it is typically done improperly by the unassuming masses who have been duped (yet again) by the diet industry charlatans.

Oh, and get ready to chuckle as we cover an actual, clinical ketogenic diet plan. 

This isn't to tell anyone what they're doing is right or wrong. Rather, our goal is to clear up many of the misconceptions around the keto craze reveal this fad diet for what it is.

Resources:

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/150/6/1354/5673196?login=true

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.13053

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0021915019315898

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/ketogenic-diet/

https://foodandnutrition.org/from-the-magazine/the-ketogenic-diet-a-breakdown-of-this-popular-eating-plan/

https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0119p26.shtml

Sample Diet Plan

Sample Food List

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.    

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.    

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

How do you respond when confronted with an uncomfortable situation? Do you deflect and pivot to something more familiar? Ever seen it coming and decided ahead of time what the outcome will be, so you preemptively give up? Perhaps you're not even aware you do any of these things.

In our work with clients, we've observed a myriad of ways that people deal with discomfort in the realm of health changes. One method that we see very seldom? Leaning into the discomfort. Meaning, acknowledge it and accept it (whatever situation that may be) and then take action that aligns with your true direction anyway.

It is super challenging. Even we ourselves struggle in this area! In this episode we share some of our personal and professional experiences with the concept of leaning into discomfort. We also explore expert perspectives from others. We hope that your next encounter with an uncomfortable situation may be a bit more rewarding on the other side.

Resources:

Laura Golojuch Article

The Practice of Groundedness

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.    

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.    

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

Teenagers are a unique group. They're not adults making fully autonomous decisions for themselves, yet they crave freedom. When it comes to food, this is a major concern for parents because their child (yes, they're still growing!) needs more than they realize. All teenagers are at risk for of inadequate nutrition, but for teen athletes this risk becomes amplified.  

On top of nutrition shortcomings, the mental and physical wellbeing of teen athletes adds another layer of concern for parents. Adolescents are taxed with demanding schedules, sport expectations and obligations and are expected to perform academically as well. Oof! They need the right fuel to get through each day!  

Our discussion today centers around the unique aspects of teenage health. We address specific foods that tend to be lacking in the teenage diet and strategies to fill those gaps. We share our perspectives on how to help your teenager stay healthy with all they have on their plate (pun intended). And perhaps offer a little reassurance with a side of levity, since both of us turned out okay. ;-)  

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.    

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.    

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

This week, we are fortunate to have our friend Brian Fretwell on the podcast to give us an update on some really cool work that he's doing. Brian first joined us in July of 2020 for Episode 7. His intriguing work in neuroscience, social behaviors and communication gave us plenty to think about in how we interact with others and insight into our own beliefs and behaviors.  

Over the past 15 or so months, Brian has been focused on putting his deep understanding of neurobiology and human interaction to work in a new project. In short, Brian is helping families and workplaces have conversations that are, in his words, "less boring." We find this work timely and applicable to just about any situation. Whether you're ready to dive into deep conversations with your spouse, or simply looking to enrich an interaction with a coworker, this episode provides a new way of asking simple questions like, "how was your day?"  

For more on Brian Fretwell's work, check out his website https://peoplestrength.com/meet-the-team/ and download free or paid resources at https://onemeaningfulquestion.com/ Follow him on Instagram or TikTok @brian_fretwell.  

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.                

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.                

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

Intermittent fasting!  

Don't eat past a certain time!  

Eat fat/fiber/protein before starchy carbs!  

Avoid sugar at all costs!   

People have a lot to say about what foods should be eaten at what times and when people should avoid eating. Let's just start with saying rule number one is "honor thy hunger." Beyond that, there are some physiological considerations for fueling physical activity and we want to share the basics with you.  

Even if you're not an athlete, or don't workout hard daily, we've got some helpful tips for timing your eating in a way that works with your lifestyle. Get a better understanding of how our bodies receive food and send signals of satiety, plus how to plan ahead to make sure you're setting your day up for success!  

Ellyn Satter's Satiety Graph

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.              

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.              

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support

Nutrition recommendations tout the benefits of whole grains and encourage us to eat more of them. Sounds simple enough. Yet confusion abounds as to how to identify a whole grain product, why whole grains are beneficial and if carbs in general are really healthy for us.  

Let's dig in! We've got scientific evidence, recipes, strategies and more to help guide you to making the best choices for you. And to keep things fun, we've got a few little-known factoids to share along the way.  

References: 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811120112.htm 

https://foodandnutrition.org/blogs/stone-soup/wheat-not-changed/ 

https://wholegrainscouncil.org/what-whole-grain 

Erin Green is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recovering professional triathlete and owner of Erin Green Racing and Nutrition in Boise, Idaho. After years of regimented training, she is rediscovering the joy of spontaneous movement, social runs and exploring unpaved bike routes. Check out her blog and videos at www.eringreenracing.com.              

Michael Gray is a personal trainer, nutritional coach, father of two and a sucker for a bag of gummy bears. See what he's up to at www.michaelgrayfitness.com.              

Let us know you like what you hear! Small donations from our listeners help to support Michael's gummy bear habit or go toward a new houseplant that will inevitably die under Erin's care. We appreciate all of our Middleish listeners! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/middleish/support