RUNGA Radio

In this solo episode, I dive into the subjects of coffee dependency, essential oils, and breathwork. Plus, I compare our hunter-gatherer ancestors’ physically challenging and communal lifestyles with our modern, isolated, primarily sedentary lives, which make us susceptible to chronic diseases and stress. Finally, as a father and a fitness coach, I express my concerns about how far we’ve deviated from the natural way of doing things and share my thoughts about the over-medicalization of childbirth and the problem of poor childhood nutrition.

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Today's guest is David Weck, the inventor of the BOSU Ball and creator of the Weck Method. David is a physical education specialist who focuses on developing products and training methods that challenge norms, optimize performance, and produce fast-acting results. His principal interest lies in providing training tools that help people move better and experience less pain and more joy in their lives. 

To kick off our conversation, we talk about how David first came up with the idea for the BOSU Ball before moving on to the coreFIST and coreFAST hand positions he developed to increase physical strength and improve athletic performance. We conclude our chat with a discussion of the benefits of the ProPulse Speed Trainers, which David created to help the body move faster and with more fluidity. 

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Thank you for tuning into the Friday show. Today, I talk about running and explain how to increase your mileage without getting injured. Since it’s estimated that 82% of people who take up running get hurt, it makes sense to train appropriately and avoid doing too much, too fast, too soon.

In this episode, you’ll hear from me on:

My Seven steps for Injury-Free Running

• Look after your feet. Roll the arches of your feet with a Runga mobility ball for at least five minutes each day. 
• Space your long runs at least five days apart to give your body a chance to recover between runs.
• Walk before you run. Make sure you can comfortably walk the distance before you run it. Ideally, I recommend walking 10000 steps per day for 30 days before you start jogging.
• Remember to nose breathe. Nasal breathing forces you to keep your speed and intensity at a sustainable aerobic pace. Plus, it keeps you in the proper heart rate zone and prevents the build-up of lactic acid. 
• Keep your eyes on the road ahead. To maintain good form and prevent your head from wobbling, keep your chin slightly tucked down and focus your gaze three meters in front of you.
• Keep your glutes strong. Since the glutes help stabilize the body, strengthen them by practicing Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats, Glute Bridges, and Kettlebell Swings.
• Strengthen your core. Adopt a daily movement practice, such as power yoga, or do some Side-Planks, Bird-Dogs, and Curl-Ups to keep the body symmetrically strong and stable. Exercises such as Get-Ups, Death by Carries, and One-Arm Kettlebell Carries are also great for building core strength.

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Today, I sit with Sameer Sontakey and Kevin Longoria, the CEO and Chief Science Officer of Biostrap, a pioneering digital health company that provides reliable health tracking using raw waveform data to produce a detailed analysis of health biometrics. Biostrap’s mission is to democratize data by making it more readily available and to improve global health by making it easier to tackle long-standing health epidemics such as diabetes, obesity, chronic pain, and cardiovascular disease.  

This show is all about variables, and we take a deep dive into the benefits of regularly monitoring biomarkers, such as sleep volume, heart rate variability, and oxygen saturation. Kevin and Sameer talk about what sets Biostrap apart from its competitors and explain how its technology enables its customers to become more knowledgeable about their health by providing accurate data to help them make informed decisions about their lifestyles. 

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Welcome to my new shorter Friday show, where I answer a question about nasal breathing that I received following my recent episode on breathwork with Dan Brulé. The question was from a swimmer who wanted to know how to nose breathe while swimming. And, since it’s rather challenging for a swimmer to avoid mouth breathing, my advice was to concentrate on nasal breathing when they’re not swimming by practicing breathwork drills before and after their swim and taping their mouth at night to promote nose breathing during sleep. I also explain why runners might need cushioned footwear and advise baseball players to avoid exercises such as kipping pull-ups and Olympic deadlifts that would put them at risk of shoulder injuries.

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Dan Brulé is a master of pranayama and a firm believer in the transformative power of the breath. He’s been teaching breathing techniques for over fifty years, and he’s personally trained over 250,000 people, including elite warriors, martial artists, and Olympic athletes. Dan is the author of Just Breathe: Master Breathwork for Success in Life, Love, Business, and Beyond.  His mission is to spread the word about using the breath as a tool to enhance our potential and promote emotional healing using a variety of breathing techniques that were previously only known to a select group of mystics, warriors, and gurus. 

We chat about how the breath acts as a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious mind, and we discuss how conscious breathing helps open up the heart. Dan also explains how the breath can release deeply stored trauma, help cure depression, and activate our hidden potential.

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 Today, I talk about brain health, spiritual growth, and EMF protection with Lance Schuttler. Lance is the CEO and owner of EMF Harmonize, an electromagnetic field (EMF) protection company. He’s also the co-founder of Ascent Nutrition, which provides high-quality holistic nutritional supplements to support optimal physical, mental, and spiritual health. 

We discuss neurogenesis (the process through which new neurons are formed in the brain) and compare notes on the best ways to boost brainpower through the strategic use of nutraceuticals. Lance considers how certain plants can raise consciousness, and he clarifies the significance and function of the pineal gland, which is traditionally considered to be the seat of the soul.

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Welcome to my first Instagram Live Q&A podcast, where I answer a bunch of your questions. Amongst other health-related topics, I talk about the benefits of walking after meals, consider whether you should walk fast or slow, and explain how long you should wait after eating before you walk or exercise. I dive into the difference between fasting for health and fasting for weight loss and respond to your questions about which foods break a fast. I reveal my favorite fan bike/kettlebell workout, my favorite breakfast, and my favorite running shoes, and I give some guidance about building recovery into your marathon plan. Plus, I explain how to improve proprioception, get better sleep, calm your nervous system, and detoxify your body.   

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This week I welcome holistic growth coach Alvey Thompson Junior onto the show.  Alvey and I first met when he was a guest at a RUNGA event, and we’ve been friends ever since. He’s a certified professional coach whose heart-centered approach to health focuses on emotional as well as physical well-being. He’s also an enthusiastic speed walker who took up the practice during the pandemic and posts inspirational speed-walking videos on his mryoucan2 Instagram account.

We chat about Alvey’s training principles and the methods he uses to help people be the best versions of themselves. He highlights the importance of setting clearly defined goals and celebrating the small successes along the way. Plus, we discuss daily routines, self-care rituals, and speed-walking techniques.  

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This Friday, I focus on healing the mind as well as the body.  At a time when many of us are experiencing stress and anxiety, my advice is to create a little more stillness in your life. If you can, try to avoid checking your phone or scrolling through social media for the first two hours of the day. Instead, I recommend going inwards and aiming to live a more heart-centered life free from unnecessary drama, negativity, and fear. Just like everyone else, I know how difficult it can be to stop your mind from drifting off during meditation, but I encourage you to be patient and persevere with your practice. I firmly believe that our wellness is connected to the energy we put out into the world, so remember to be kind to yourself and others and take time to celebrate life and the small successes you achieve every day.

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