The Elite HRV Podcast: Heart Rate Variability, Biohacking Health & Performance, Quantified Self

In This Episode:

Jef sits down with Josh Holland, a movement specialist who loves to experiment with different biohacks to optimize his life and wellbeing. Josh loves to share the latest of his experiments with friends and family, and today has shared these with us as well. He takes us through his Pillars of Health and discusses choosing the "low hanging fruit" to make small changes that have great impact on your long term health.

Episode Guest: Josh Holland

Joshua J Holland is a wealth of experiential knowledge and wisdom. As a dedicated bio hacker, state of the art fitness trainer, holistic health coach and sports professional, he champions the philosophy of “awareness through experience,” and has subsequently spent years consulting with elite professionals with the goal of building a vast well in which to draw from when evoking alignment of body, mind and spirit for his clients.

Website(s): https://joshuajholland.com/main.html

https://www.simplywalkthetalk.com/

Show Notes:

00:30 - Intro to Josh

08:10 - Josh's health issues and concerns that led him to the biohacking sphere

17:55 - Cold packs, tin foil windows; a look into Josh's biohacking experiments

23:15 - Low hanging fruit - for someone looking to get into this stuff, what's the easiest way?

31:40 - Josh's Pillars of Health and building one upon another

43:40 - Cliffs notes for the remaining Pillars, starting with optimizing sleep and recovery

49:15 - Rest days - how much rest?

53:45 - Primal movement vs. advanced movements

59:30 - Wrapping up: health, technology, and analysis paralysis

1:08:45 - Where to find Josh

In This Episode:

As we move into the second year of the Coronavirus pandemic, we are seeing more and more cases of "Long Covid," or symptoms that seem to linger in Covid patients for months after the infection. In this episode, we welcome back POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) expert, Dr. Diana Driscoll, who shares how the symptoms of Long COVID and POTS overlap and how Long Covid patients may benefit from similar treatment protocols that help POTS patients.

Episode Guest: Dr. Diana Driscoll

An authority on the autonomic nervous system, Dr. Diana Driscoll is a world-renowned expert on POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), Chronic Fatigue Syndromes (ME/CFS), chronic dry eye, vagus nerve disorders, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and similar "invisible" illnesses. She is the Founder and President of Genetic Disease Investigators and the Clinical

Director of POTS Care, the only clinic in the world dedicated to treating the underlying medical causes of POTS, not just the symptoms.

Website(s): https://potscarepackage.com/

https://drdianadriscoll.com/

Show Notes:

01:00 - Intro

03:00 - How Diana's background and specialties has placed her to help folks suffering from POTS and "invisible illnesses"

07:50 - POTS symptoms and Diana's personal journey

13:00 - "How Life Is" - you don't have to automatically accept your symptoms are chronic

20:00 - Covid and POTS: what Dr. Driscoll has been seeing in her clinic

25:00 - Making sure your basics are covered before going to specialists can be a good starting point

28:00 - Some different ways POTS can present and things to first rule out

36:50 - Diana's recent experience seeing patients with long Covid

40:15 - A solution Diana is exploring to help POTS patients and long Covid patients

43:00 - Sidebar: high intracranial pressure vs. low

44:55 - Diana's experience with anxiety and antidepressants

51:00 - Why Diana's approach has to be as least invasive as possible

01:02:00 - Closing thoughts

01:04:00 - Diana's current projects

In This Episode:

Mouth-breathing evolved as a survival mechanism during "fight or flight". But today, because so many of us experience chronic stress and anxiety, mouth breathing is the dominant way in which we breathe - much to the detriment of our health and performance. In this episode, Patrick McKeown, International best-selling author of The Oxygen Advantage and one of the world’s leading breathing re-education experts, explains why breathing isn't just for Yogis and why high performers, creators, or anyone who wants to spend more time in flow states must learn how to breathe properly.

Episode Guest: Patrick McKeown

International best-selling author of The Oxygen Advantage and creator and master instructor of the Oxygen Advantage® technique, Patrick McKeown is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading breathing re-education experts. Over the past two decades, Patrick has trained thousands of people around the world to safely challenge their bodies and produce positive changes through breathing re-education. He teaches a new way to breathe, combined with specific exercises designed to improve blood chemistry. The result is an increase in oxygen flow to all the body’s systems, meaning greater endurance, strength, and power.

Website(s): https://oxygenadvantage.com/the-breathing-cure/

https://buteykoclinic.com/buteykochildren/

Show Notes:

01:30 - Intro to Patrick

03:50 - Chronic over-breathing and breathing pattern disorders are extremely prevalent for people with anxiety or asthma.

06:00 What is dysfunctional breathing? And, how to screen for breathing pattern disorders.

09:00 - Stress, HRV and Breathing

12:50 - 3 Mistakes made when breathing

13:15 How nasal breathing differs from mouth breathing and why mouth breathing evolved.

16:00 The problem with mouth breathing

16:50 Why breathing is essential for high performers: focus, concentration and attention span

17:40 Why taking a full deep breath can be a big mistake.

19:00 - Air hunger stimulates the vagus nerve

22:40 - During sleep, what can we do to improve our breathing?

27:20 - LSD

39:00 - The founding father of sleep medicine

44:00 - The basics often get overlooked

51:00 - Tongue in the roof of the mouth

53:30 - Patrick's books and what they address

1:05:00 - Where to find Patrick's work

In This Episode:

The way you perform under stress is closely connected to the breath. Dysregulated breathing limits your ability to perform mentally, physically, and emotionally. However, by training your body to use oxygen more effectively you will optimize performance while growing resilient to stress. In this episode, we're diving into the biochemistry of breathing with Dr. Jay Wiles, a clinical health psychologist, and board-certified biofeedback practitioner. You'll learn how to use oxygen more effectively by creating a state of "air hunger," why this practice improves self-regulation, and just for fun, the most surprising biohack he's discovered in the last year to reduce stress and boost HRV.

Episode Guest: Dr. Jay T. Wiles, BCB, BCB-HRV

Dr. Wiles is a clinical health psychologist who is board-certified in biofeedback, HRV biofeedback, and Tai Chi for rehabilitation. He has a passion for helping others reach their full potential from an integrative and holistic perspective and has worked closely with elite athletes and executives on enhancing peak performance through training and regulating psychophysiology. He is the cohost of the Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast and host of Mindhacker’s Radio w/ Dr. Jay Wiles. His experience in integrative techniques differs from other psychologists, as he focuses on how we can utilize sunlight, water, exercise, and food to mitigate the damaging effects of stress, anxiety, and depression. Dr. Wiles owns Thrive Wellness and Performance in Greenville, SC, and loves spending time outdoors with his wife and two boys.

Website(s): www.thrive-wellness.com

www.drjaywiles.com

IG: @drjaywiles

Show Notes:

00:45 - Intro to Dr. Jay

03:55 - What have been some of the most effective interventions for improving HRV?

07:55 - Unpacking the biochemistry of breathing and Patrick McKeown's "the Oxygen Advantage"

11:00 - Optimize your nervous system by creating a state of "Air Hunger": becoming less sensitive to the effects of CO2 through lite breathing

15:20 - How quickly should people expect to feel progress after they start practicing lite breathing?

22:05 - Who do you recommend this practice for?

25:25 - How does this protocol fit in with HRV biofeedback?

36:30 - Basics before Biohacking

39:20 - What are some other interventions you use? Basics and/or Biohacks

50:25 - Where to find Jay and what he's doing

Full transcript at https://elitehrv.com/train-yourself-to-use-oxygen-effectively]0[

In this Episode:

Our health and wellness is reliably achieved through sustainable habit change. But, how does a person create this change when they have tried and failed many times over. Is change still possible? In this episode, we're talking with a member of the Elite HRV community, Dean Dwyer, who shares his personal story of transformation. And how at age 53 he figured out how to fix the underlying mindset that was preventing him from having the body he truly wanted. Whether you're working your body, your business, or any aspect of your life, the principle of "minimal viable threshold" may be the key that unlocks sustainable habit change for you.

Episode Guest: Dean Dwyer

Dean Dwyer is on a personal journey to master his mindset and to share what he learns along the way. As a coach, he helps people change how they look by changing what they think regardless of their age, genetic make up, or past failures.

Website: www.thesuccessfulbody.com

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewdeandwyer/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealdeandwyer

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-show-with-dean-dwyer/id1439748356

Show Notes:

01:00 - Dean's story and what prompted him to make changes

05:03 - The evolution of Dean's journey

07:55 - Minimum Viable Threshold

18:08 - How mindset changes lead to behavior changes and how these concepts travel from domain to domain

22:10 - The Mindset Miracle: Mindset, Behaviors, Outcomes

36:15 - Using HRV to measure and manage change

42:55 - Where to find Dean

Full transcript at: https://elitehrv.com/creating-sustainable-change

In This Episode:

To realize our hopes and dreams we need energy and clarity of purpose. But, the global pandemic has rocked our physical and mental well-being, leaving many of us stuck in survival mode. In this episode of the Elite HRV podcast, we speak with Jonathan Moore, founder of Legacy Coaching, where we explore the mindset and tools his clients have used to successfully breakthrough survival mode towards stability and growth.

Episode Guest: Jonathan Moore

Jonathan has a background as a brain-based chiropractor with over 20 years clinical experience. His main focus over that time has been on the impacts that stress has on the brain, and the results that overload has on the health of a person.

Website(s): https://www.legacycoaching.io/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/therevitalisedlife

Show Notes:

00:23 - Intro

2:55 - How the pandemic has changed Jonathan's coaching practice day to day

5:36 - How the brain fits into chiropractic practice

8:35 - The physiological difference between someone stuck in survival mode and someone with stress resilience

10:00 - "Wrestle or Run" stress response

13:25 - Getting back into recovery - or not

17:30 - How Jonathan's practice tries to support their clients moving from survival mode to growth mode

22:00 - How mindset affects your ability to recover and reach your goals

28:00 - Creating internal stability

34:00 - How community and companions are crucial to sustaining your internal stability

37:15 - How putting forth your "best life" or your "performance life" on social media does **not** contribute to your inner stability

39:25 - What is success in "growth mode?"

46:00 - Legacy Coaching and where to find Jonathan

Full transcript at https://elitehrv.com/shift-out-of-survival-mode-into-growth

Episode Guest: Sten Stray-Gunderson

Sten is a certified BStrong BFR expert, training high-level athletes, and hosting seminars and educational training sessions to inform trainers, coaches, and therapist on how to properly and safely implement BFR into their programs. Additionally, Sten works for Reach Outcomes, an Austin-based performance center for athletes, providing holistic and integrated programming to maximize and accelerate performance.

Sten has been an athlete his whole life, and played D1 collegiate soccer at Dartmouth. Combining his personal athletic experiences with the science of exercise physiology, Sten aims to provide high-level expertise and real-world solutions to training and performance. Sten earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology with Economics at Dartmouth College before earning a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from the University of Texas at Austin, and is currently continuing his pursuit in Exercise Physiology by working towards a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin

Website(s):

- [https://bstrong.training/]

- [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.00568/full]

- [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32492734/]

- [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sten-stray-gundersen-5311b0139/]

In This Episode:

Sten Stray-Gunderson really knows his stuff when it comes to Blood Flow Restricition (BFR) training! Tune into this one if you want to learn more about the subject. Whether you're first hearing about it now or if you've been familiar and using it for years, most everyone has something to learn in this one!

Show Notes

01:30 - BFR training in a nutshell

04:00 - The origins and background of BFR training

05:45 - In what contexts BFR training is used today

08:00 - How BFR training works

10:45 - What the research says about BFR training

14:00 - How BFR training can be used to facilitate joint repair

19:00 - Jason's experience tinkering around with BFR training

23:15 - BFR training while travelling

24:30 - Dangers and considerations to be mindful of when first trying BFR training

28:15 - Sten's experience with discovering and eventually becoming an expert in BFR training

35:00 - The origins and unique nature of B Strong

40:00 - Time-saving potential of BFR training

44:00 - The potential effect BFR training may have on HRV

45:15 - An example of BFR training in practice

In This Episode:

We cover what Don has been up to since the last time we had him on the podcast. Additionally, we explore what he learned from working in the cannabis industry, what he has to teach us about spermidine and autophagy, and some ways in which we can optimize health and longevity.

Website(s):

- https://themendico.com

- projectcbd.org

- http://spermadinelife.us(Discount code: HRV50)

- longevitybioresearch.org

- trainrecoverwin.com

Show Notes:

01:15 - What Don has been up to the last couple of years

03:30 - How he transitioned into an opportunity to work in the cannabis industry

06:45 - The importance of the endocannabinoid system and how it works at a high level

09:00 - The evolution of cannabis legislation and the market in recent years

12:30 - The opportunity to use cannabis products as wellness tools

18:00 - Take-aways for those interested in trying cannabis products

25:00 - How Don transitioned into working for Longevity Labs

26:30 - What spermidine is and how it functions in the body

28:15 - What autophagy is and why we should care about it

33:45 - What people can expect to feel when supplementing with spermidine

37:15 - Energy toxicity and how we can bring it back into balance

39:30 - The difference between healthspan and lifespan and it's implications on what we should to to improve our longevity

45:30 - Intermittent fasting and it's implications on sports performance and longevity

52:30 - Spermidine and autophagy's role in immunity and potential for protection against viruses such as COVID-19

1:00:45 - How Don has used a mission-driven philosophy to re-define himself and his personal purpose

Five years ago, Tyron Groenewald was overweight, stressed out, and sick. After his cardiologist diagnosed him with left ventricular hypertrophy — a condition where the ventricles have to work harder to pump blood, resulting in an enlarged heart muscle — Groenewald decided to make some major lifestyle changes to prioritize his health.

His hard work has paid off. Just half a decade later, 35-year-old Groenewald is down 114 pounds, he runs every day, and his left ventricle now measures within a normal range. Along with implementing a healthier diet and more physical activity, Groenewald says measuring his heart rate variability daily — he’s currently on a 1100+ day streak of using his Elite HRV monitor — has been a key part of his health journey.

## **In This Episode**

Tyron tells us all about his weight loss journey as well as the tools he used to achieve and maintain it. Hear how Tyron uses the data he gets everyday from using the Elite HRV app to understand how his body is responding to various inputs - be it food, exercise, cold therapy, etc.

## **Show Notes**

01:30 - Introduction to Tyron

05:00 - Tyron's 115 lb weight loss journey

15:30 - How the Elite HRV app has helped Tyron become and stay healthy

17:30 - How Tyron's diet has evolved throughout his journey

24:30 - Tyron's strategy of using time-restricted feeding to optimize his HRV

30:00 - Tyron's motivation for maintaining his weight loss

34:30 - How Tyron interprets his HRV data

41:30 - Cold exposure and how Tyron has used it to train his autonomic nervous system

47:00 - How Tyron's used running and weight lifting to help achieve and maintain weight loss

51:30 - Using Elite HRV to monitor super-compensation

57:00 - The importance of informing yourself in order to make progress

Enhancing HRV Biofeedback with Mindfulness Training with Dr. Inna Khazan

Show Notes

- 01:45 - Introduction to new co-host and Research Director at Elite HRV: Jef Fry

- 03:00 - What Mindfulness-based biofeedback is and how Dr. Khazan became interested in it

- 05:15 - How HRV Biofeedback can be like tuning the strings of an instrument

- 09:30 - Examples of mindfulness

- 13:45 - How often we should practice mindfulness

- 17:00 - What the research says about mindfulness

- 19:15 - How mindfulness can make your brain bigger

- 24:00 - What a patient of Dr. Khazan can expect when coming in for treatment

- 29:30 - Some of Dr. Khazan's best patient success stories

- 36:30 - How HRV Biofeedback is about regulating HRV - not about learning how to relax

- 41:30 - The mechanics of HRV Biofeedback

- 44:00 - How to breath when doing HRV biofeedback

- 51:15 - Ways in which you can incorporate mindfulness into your daily activities

- 55:15 - Most common complaints about mindfulness that Dr. Khazan sees in her practice

- 58:30 - Pros and Cons to monitoring HRV during an HRV Biofeedback training session

### Show Links

-(http://www.innakhazan.com/)

-(http://www.bostonhealthpsychology.com/)

- Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life Book-(https://www.amazon.com/Biofeedback-Mindfulness-Everyday-Life-Performance/dp/0393712931)

- Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life Blog-(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/biofeedback-and-mindfulness-in-everyday-life)

Guest Bio

Inna Khazan, PhD, BCB is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, where she teaches and supervises trainees. She is clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology and performance excellence training using biofeedback and mindfulness-based approaches. Dr. Khazan is the founder of Boston Center for Health Psychology and Biofeedback, working with clients on optimizing their health and performance.

Recognized as a pioneer in mindfulness-based biofeedback, Dr. Khazan is a popular speaker at national and international conferences on the topics of biofeedback and mindfulness. She has conducted biofeedback and mindfulness trainings for notable institutions in the US and abroad, including the US Navy Special Warfare, US Army Special Forces, and the Stuttgart Opera and Ballet Company.

Dr. Khazan serves as president of the board of directors for Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy (IMP), board member for the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), and Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA), where she is currently chair elect.

Dr. Khazan writes for Psychology today, is the author of numerous journal articles and two books: the highly-regarded *Clinical Handbook of Biofeedback: A Step-by-Step Guide to Training and Practice with Mindfulness*, and the popular *Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life: Practical Solutions for Improving Your Health and Performance*.