The Primal Shift

When you pay a premium for pasture raised chicken or pasture raised pork at the store, you're probably not getting what you think you're getting. Chickens and pigs are monogastric animals — they have one stomach and no rumen, which means they can't ferment grass the way a cow can. Chickens descend from jungle fowl and pigs are woodland animals, so the image of birds on open green pasture has more to do with marketing than with biology. Whatever you feed a monogastric goes straight into its meat. There's no filter.

My guest this week is Chester Bidmead, founder of Ancestral Food, who moved from the UK to Texas and built a vertically integrated farm after his son's health forced him to question the eggs and chicken his family was buying. We get into why breed selection matters more than any label — American Bresse chicken versus Cornish Cross chicken, and why heritage breed chickens behave like an entirely different animal — plus fermented chicken feed, rationing, woodland raised pork, and running a corn and soy free chicken operation at commercial scale. Chester also shares what his lab tests actually showed when he compared his birds against store-bought, including one result that surprised him and one that didn't improve at all. If you eat pork or poultry, this episode changes how you shop for it.

About Chester Bidmead:

Chester Bidmead is the founder of Ancestral Food and a former entrepreneur who grew and sold two businesses before turning to farming, with a family history of fishing in coastal England dating back to 500AD, a 2016 move to San Antonio, Texas, and a vertically integrated monogastric operation he built from scratch in 2025 that controls everything from birth to packet — his own farrowing and hatchery, woodland raising, and a USDA-inspected processing facility. His approach argues that pasture-raising chickens and pigs is largely theater, because neither animal can ferment grass — and that what a monogastric eats is exactly what ends up on your plate.

Ancestral Food — https://ancestralfood.com/

In this episode: 00:00 Intro

03:52 Why ancestral foods

06:12 Son's health wakeup

09:23 Breeds over labels

11:01 Woodland trials win

12:29 Rationing and fermented feed

14:28 Can you go zero feed

28:51 If the lights go out

40:08 Clean processing without chlorine

43:39 Fatty acid lab results

57:20 Sourcing and shipping options

01:00:47 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

In this episode of the Primal Shift podcast, I sit down with Dr. Rob Carter, an integrative physiologist who has spent 25 years studying what happens to human beings under pressure. His new book, The Convenience Trap, makes the case that modern life has quietly outsourced our navigation, memory, attention, and physical competence — leaving most adults measurably less capable than they were built to be. I like that argument, which is exactly why I pushed on it. "Modern life is making us weak" feels so obviously true that almost nobody checks whether the science holds up.

We talk about the heat shock proteins behind sauna and heat adaptation, why hormetic stress builds resilience, and where the dose-response curve turns against you. Rob explains what the GPS research actually shows versus what gets blamed on it, why the average person can now recall fewer than four phone numbers, and how hydration advice went wrong in both directions — including the risk of hyponatremia. He also walks through the ALIVE framework from the book and makes the case that capability loss in adults is reversible. I share why I stopped using GPS and what came back when I did.

About Dr. Rob Carter:

Dr. Rob Carter is an integrative physiologist and four-time Taekwondo World Champion who has spent 25 years studying what happens to human beings under pressure, with a PhD in medical physiology, postdoctoral training at Harvard School of Public Health, and over 100 peer-reviewed papers on human performance and stress. His new book The Convenience Trap, co-written with his wife Dr. Kirti Salwe Carter, argues that modern life has outsourced our navigation, memory, attention, and physical competence — leaving many adults measurably less capable than they were built to be.

Website: https://theconveniencetrap.com Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

In this episode: 00:00 Intro: Convenience makes us weak

00:35 Meet Dr Rob Carter

03:13 Why stress builds resilience

05:13 Heat adaptation and sauna

16:01 Strategic inconvenience basics

23:00 Finding the right dose

29:32 ALIVE framework explained

46:26 GPS and brain autopilot

55:08 Can the brain rebuild

01:13:52 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

When news broke that the FDA finally approved bemotrizinol — the first new sunscreen ingredient cleared in the United States in over two decades — many people in the health community celebrated it as the ultimate breakthrough in sun protection.

Since it's been used safely across Europe for over 20 years and underwent extensive safety testing, the immediate assumption is that any bemotrizinol-based sunscreen hitting shelves is an automatic win for clean living.

But that assumes the active ingredient is the only thing ending up on your skin.

So the real issue isn't whether bemotrizinol itself is safe — it's how manufacturers formulate the actual products they sell to consumers.

In this episode, I break down the science and safety profile behind bemotrizinol, explain why I ordered the first product available on Amazon the moment it launched, and reveal why I sent it right back without even opening the bottle.

On paper, bemotrizinol is arguably the best chemical UV filter available. Unlike older chemical sunscreen ingredients that readily absorb through the skin into the bloodstream and act as endocrine disruptors, bemotrizinol has a large molecular weight that prevents it from crossing the skin-blood barrier.

Multiple clinical trials show zero detectable absorption even with repeated daily applications. It's exceptionally photostable, does not mimic estrogen or suppress testosterone, and offers broad-spectrum protection without leaving the thick white cast typical of physical mineral blockers.

The problem begins when you look at the rest of the bottle. Curious to see what was currently available, I bought an SPF 50 sunscreen from BioPop Health marketed prominently around its bemotrizinol content. But turning the bottle over revealed a lineup of problematic companion ingredients: octinoxate (a known xenoestrogen banned in Hawaii and Palau for environmental and hormonal toxicity), a formaldehyde-releasing preservative, an iodine releaser restricted in Europe, propylparabens, and synthetic fragrances.

Combining an advanced, clean UV filter with legacy endocrine-disrupting chemicals defeats the entire purpose of seeking out a better ingredient.

My personal approach to the sun hasn't changed: I focus on building a natural UV callus through gradual, year-round exposure, and I rely on shade, protective clothing, or clean mineral sunscreen from OneSkin when intense sun demands it.

Bemotrizinol is a genuinely promising ingredient, but until reputable brands release clean formulations free of hormone-disrupting fillers, grabbing the first bemotrizinol sunscreen you see on the market is a mistake.

Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

Learn More:

136: Rethinking Sun Exposure From Scratch: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/136-rethinking-sun-exposure-from-scratch/ OneSkin Sunscreen Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzxwbOcLiVs

21: Is Sunscreen Destroying Your Health?: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/is-sunscreen-destroying-your-health/

In this episode:

00:00 Intro: FDA approves Bemotrizinol

01:27 Review: Bemotrizinol-Based Sunscreen SPF 50

02:28 How sunscreens absorb

05:16 Why it took 20 years to get approved

05:46 Ingredient list red flags

08:00 Octinoxate hormone risks

10:01 More toxic additives

10:55 Will I use sunscreen?

13:14 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

Carnivore was the eye-opener that showed me how to eliminate anything that could be bothering me, but five years later, animal-based is the framework that actually stuck. I've gone through paleo, keto, and carnivore, and none of them were failed attempts; each one raised the baseline and taught me something I still use today. In this episode, I break down the three things that actually changed (not my weight, not a number on a chart), why animal-based has outlasted every stricter diet I've tried, who should still go stricter first, and how raising our own food on the homestead reshaped the whole picture.

Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

Learn More:

The Ultimate Animal-Based Nutrition Handbook: https://michaelkummer.com/food-list/

59: Paleo, Keto, Carnivore [Navigating Dietary Changes as a Family]: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/59-paleo-keto-carnivore-navigating-dietary-changes-as-a-family/ 137: The Nutrient Gap Most Carnivores Don't Know About: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/137-the-nutrient-gap-most-carnivores-dont-know-about/

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

01:14 Three life changes

03:23 Carnivore, paleo, keto (Diet ladder)

09:10 Why animal-based sticks

14:17 How we eat day to day

18:25 Who should go stricter

20:50 Homesteading for transparency

24:16 One decision framework

26:03 Adherence beats perfection

28:55 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

#AnimalBasedDiet #CarnivoreDiet #PaleoDiet #KetoDiet

Bryan Johnson was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis in 2026, and within a day the internet had already decided it was his vegan diet — I don't think it's that simple. In this episode I break down what autoimmune gastritis actually is, why Bryan's own data (crashed ferritin, failed iron absorption, a second autoimmune condition since he was 21) points to something deeper than food alone, and why both sides of this argument — "it's the diet" and "diet has nothing to do with it" — are missing the real pattern. I walk through the genetics-plus-environment framework behind autoimmune disease, compare Bryan's lifestyle against how humans have lived for most of our history — sun exposure, food sourcing, community, caloric rhythm — and lay out the specific changes I'd make instead, most of which don't cost you anything. If you've ever wondered whether optimizing your health can go too far, this one's for you.

Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

Learn More:

2: 8 Key Primal Shifts for Ancestral Living: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/8-key-primal-shifts-for-ancestral-living/

59: Paleo, Keto, Carnivore [Navigating Dietary Changes as a Family]: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/59-paleo-keto-carnivore-navigating-dietary-changes-as-a-family/

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

02:37 Health optimization gone too far

03:02 Diagnosis facts and markers

06:08 Genes, diet, and autoimmunity

08:32 What we know and don't

10:28 Against nature comparison

13:45 Risk factors with data

15:34 Ferritin red flags

17:47 A better primal blueprint

19:33 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

My testosterone is 312 ng/dL. By most standards, that's low. But instead of panicking, I sat down and asked myself a simple question: is it actually a problem?

In this episode, I walk through my own testosterone journey from TRT and hCG to where I've landed today, and why I'm not rushing to fix a number just because it's low. I look at the tradeoffs I've noticed between higher and lower T: appetite, libido, resting heart rate, HRV, even risk-taking. I also lay out the honest self-assessment I think everyone should run before reaching for a prescription: are your energy, strength, body composition, and drive actually suffering, or are you just reacting to a lab result?

This isn't a case against TRT. It's a case for knowing why you're doing it before you start.

Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

Learn More:

32: Testosterone Replacement Therapy: The One Downside Nobody Talks About: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/32-testosterone-replacement-therapy-the-one-downside-nobody-talks-about/

65: Why Testosterone Affects Your Drive to Do Hard Things: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/65-why-testosterone-affects-your-drive-to-do-hard-things/

83: Understanding Testosterone Production: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/83-understanding-testosterone-production/

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:53 TRT journey and exit

02:27 Do symptoms even matter

03:51 Honest self-assessment

05:41 High T tradeoffs

06:52 Heart metrics and HRV

08:03 Risk taking and aging

10:03 Lifestyle limits and costs

12:48 Genetics and final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

I'm 44, running multiple businesses, homeschooling my kids, and managing a 45-acre homestead. And I'm in better shape now than I was a decade ago.

Not because I have more time. I don't. But because I stopped relying on motivation and built systems that work regardless of how I feel on any given day.

In this episode, I walk you through the six pillars I use to stay in peak health during the busiest chapter of my life: nutrition anchored in animal protein, strength that comes from living and working on a farm, conditioning built into daily movement, sleep treated as the foundation rather than an afterthought, light exposure that keeps my circadian rhythm locked in, and nervous system regulation that emerges from lifestyle rather than added protocols.

None of these are complicated. The power is in stacking them consistently until they require no decision-making at all.

If you've been waiting for life to calm down before you get healthy — this episode is for you.

Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

Learn More:

23: Zane Griggs: How to Kick Ass As You Get Older: https://www.primalshiftpodcast.com/zane-griggs-how-to-kick-ass-as-you-get-older/

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

05:12 Defaults beat willpower

06:31 Pillar one: Protein meals

09:46 Pillar two: Strength

12:23 Pillar three: Conditioning

13:54 Pillar four: Sleep

16:39 Pillar five: Light

17:46 Pillar six: Regulation

19:47 Stack systems and start

21:46 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

If you've spent any time in a gym, you've heard it: you need carbs to build muscle. It's gospel. Every bro coach and most personal trainers will tell you the same thing. The problem is it's not actually true. And my guest this week is living proof.

Robert Sikes is a pro natural bodybuilder who has been ketogenic for 11 years, eating fewer than 20 grams of carbs a day the entire time. No rice, no grains, no oatmeal, none of the stuff bodybuilders are supposed to live on. And he competes and wins on the world stage. In 2023 he got down to 3.9% body fat, making him the leanest man on earth at the time. He's also the founder of Keto Brick, a shelf-stable high-fat food he originally created for his own competition prep because nothing like it existed.

In this episode, we get into the carb and muscle myth, what 11 years of keto has actually done to his blood work, and the tradeoffs nobody on social media wants to talk about.

The argument for carbs usually comes down to insulin, which is a powerful anabolic agent. Everything grows in the presence of insulin, muscle included. But as Sikes lays out, you don't need excess insulin to build muscle. You need a caloric surplus, enough protein, enough training intensity, and enough recovery. The rest is just body fat you'll have to lose later, and the athletes chasing muscle through exogenous insulin often pay a steep price for it.

The same myth applies to testosterone. People assume Sikes must be running sky-high levels to look the way he does, but he isn't. He competes in natural federations that don't allow TRT, and his testosterone typically sits between 400 and 600. When he was at 3.9% body fat, it dropped to 87. That's not a level anyone would call healthy, but it proves you don't need elevated testosterone to build and hold muscle. I've experimented with TRT myself and walked away from it, and we get into why the negative feedback loop made it not worth it for either of us.

Where the conversation really opens up is the philosophical side. When do you intervene and when do you accept what nature gave you? We talk about genetics versus lifestyle, why he doesn't try to cheat death, and why an athlete's identity shouldn't be wrapped up in their physical abilities, because we're all biodegradable vessels of meat and bone that eventually deteriorate. His whole family eats this way too, including his kids, whose first real food was a beef knuckle bone rather than rice cereal.

About Robert Sikes:

Robert Sikes is a lifetime natural competitive bodybuilder and CEO of Keto Brick, who traded traditional bro-dieting for a strict ketogenic approach back in 2014 after developing disordered eating on a high-carb protocol. Since making the switch, he earned his WNBF pro status and became the leanest man in the world in 2023. He now dedicates his work to coaching others through his Savage System program and fueling performance through his Keto Brick — a 1,000-calorie ketogenic meal he originally created for his own contest prep.

Website: https://www.ketobodybuilding.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/savage-perspectivepodcast/id1169900822 Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

In this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:42 Building muscle without carbs 05:02 Insulin, anabolism, and keto 07:53 Testosterone, TRT, and HRT 22:10 Injuries, identity, and aging 30:37 Balancing keto with real life 33:41 Raising a ketogenic family 35:52 Bloodwork, diet, and long-term competing 44:07 Keto Brick and fueling performance 47:41 Wrap Up

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

Most people treat sleep as a shopping problem — a new mattress, a supplement, a fancy tracker. But that's not what's broken. Your body is waiting for signals it evolved to read, and modern life stopped sending them.

In this episode, I break down the three most common sleep problems — trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up exhausted — and walk you through how to identify which one you're actually dealing with. Then I give you a simple, free, week-by-week framework to start fixing it without buying anything.

The one thing I'd do first? Get outside within an hour of waking up. No sunglasses, no phone. Just real daylight. That single habit sets the tone for everything that follows. Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

In this episode:

00:00 Intro 01:24 Why sleep matters 02:59 Circadian light signals 04:39 Skip sleep shopping 05:14 Find your sleep issue 06:33 Audit daily habits 13:33 One change this week 16:06 Stack weekly fixes 17:59 Morning light priority 19:40 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.

There's a clip going around from a well-known homesteader implying that carrying heavy milk jugs is enough of a workout, and that you don't need to lift weights or do any structured training. I think that's worth pushing back on – not as body shaming or anything like that, but because the logic has a real flaw in it.

There's an important distinction between maintaining your current level of fitness and actually improving it. If you're already in the shape you want to be in, manual labor can absolutely be enough to hold that ground.

But if your body fat is high, your bone density is low, your inflammatory markers are elevated, or you're just not where you want to be metabolically, shoveling compost and hauling milk jugs isn't going to move the needle in any meaningful way.

After all, you can find plenty of hardworking manual laborers who are overweight. Whatever they're doing all day clearly isn't enough stimulus on its own.

In this episode, I explain why manual labor and structured resistance training are not the same thing, what it actually takes to cause muscle tissue to grow and bone density to improve, and why where you're starting from determines what kind of work you actually need to do.

The key variable is stimulus. If you're 18 and weigh nothing, almost any physical activity provides enough stimulus to get stronger. If you're 40 or 50 and you've been sedentary, carrying 25 pounds overhead a few times a day isn't going to challenge your body the way it needs to be challenged.

Case in point: I can farmer carry 200 pounds. I'm not saying everyone needs to be at that level, but if you are, there's a meaningful difference between that and a milk jug – and pretending otherwise doesn't serve anyone.

I also want to be clear about what I'm not saying. Not all women want to look like they train for powerlifting meets, and most women have higher body fat (for legitimate biological reasons). But there's a lot of ground between a six-pack and poor bone density and metabolic dysfunction, and that ground is worth fighting for regardless of your sex.

These days, I only get to the gym once or twice a week, and I rely on homestead work the rest of the time. And that's enough for me to maintain what I built over years of serious training.

But I can only maintain that because I built it first. If I'd started with a shovel and never picked up a barbell, I wouldn't have gains worth maintaining. Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Peluva!

Peluva makes minimalist shoes to support optimal foot, back and joint health. I started wearing Peluvas several months ago, and I haven't worn regular shoes since. I encourage you to consider trading your sneakers or training shoes for a pair of Peluvas, and then watch the health of your feet and lower back improve while reducing your risk of injury.

To learn more about why I love Peluva barefoot shoes, check out my in-depth review: https://michaelkummer.com/health/peluva-review/

And use code MICHAEL to get 10% off your first pair: https://michaelkummer.com/go/peluva

In this episode: 00:00 Intro

00:35 The debate

01:44 Maintaining vs improving fitness

05:00 Why stimulus matters

07:10 How heavy is enough

07:27 Women, men, and healthy balance

09:26 My current training routine

10:47 Final thoughts

Find me on social media for more health and wellness content:

• Website: https://michaelkummer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelKummer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalshiftpodcast/

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkummer/

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mkummer82

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmichaelkummer/

[Medical Disclaimer]

The information shared on this video is for educational purposes only, is not a substitute for the advice of medical doctors or registered dietitians (which I am not) and should not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any condition. Consult with a physician before starting a fitness regimen, adding supplements to your diet, or making other changes that may affect your medications, treatment plan, or overall health.

[Affiliate Disclaimer]

I earn affiliate commissions from some of the brands and products I review on this channel. While that doesn't change my editorial integrity, it helps make this channel happen. If you'd like to support me, please use my affiliate links or discount code.