Well Beyond 40

What do you do after you figure out your food intolerances? In this episode of Beginnings & Breakthroughs, JJ coaches Nicoleta, a community member whose Virgin Diet experience led her to discover multiple food sensitivities—and lose 30 pounds in the process. Bloating, stomach pain, gas, digestive upset—these were all things Nicoleta was dealing with prior to going on The Virgin Diet. After eliminating the Hi-FI foods in Cycle 1 and experiencing weight loss, better sleep, and many other amazing benefits, she reintroduced the foods only to discover she didn't really have a problem with them; that is unless she continued to eat those foods every day. Suddenly the gut symptoms were back. The dose makes the poison, as they say. JJ advises on what to do in this situation, and shares simple gut health hacks Nicoleta (and you!) can do to improve symptoms so she may be able to occasionally enjoy certain foods without any digestive trouble. You'll learn about foods that can trigger autoimmune symptoms and leaky gut (and the gut-healthy foods to swap them with), why balanced gut flora is so important to health and weight loss goals, and the dramatic changes you can experience in your gut health when you commit to a stress-reducing meditation practice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to lose weight, but the word diet leaves you feeling defeated or frustrated? Tune in to this episode, where JJ gives you 7 strategies to break the diet cycle and find a faster way to fat loss. Here, she reveals what to focus on to trigger fat loss, why small habits yield big success, the hidden cause of most weight gain, the best fat-burning foods for healthier meals, and why “healthy” foods could stall weight loss. Plus, JJ shows you how to keep your favorite foods and lose weight (no deprivation here!), the secret to faster fat loss, and why muscle is critical to maintain a healthy weight and look your best. Whether you’ve been struggling with diets for years or want simple strategies to lose weight and keep it off, don’t miss this episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kathy Smith is a legend in the fitness and wellness industry, and she has influenced the lives of millions with her iconic exercise videos and bestselling books. Listen as Kathy explains the best types of exercise to help you strengthen your bones and prevent osteoporosis, as well as the effects of aging on your muscles and how burst training can help you maintain your explosive muscle fibers.

Plus, find out the simple things you can do throughout your day that can make a big difference, including Kathy's top exercises to engage your core and improve your balance.

With Kathy’s tips, you’re sure to have endless energy and stay strong and fit, no matter what your age!

Get Kathy Smith’s free Endless Energy Quiz

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you become metabolically healthy? In this episode, JJ explains why metabolic health is so important for weight loss and so much more. She shares 5 lab values that you want to pay attention to, the best way to monitor your blood sugar levels (and why that’s so important), how even one night of poor sleep can dramatically sabotage your health, and why your bathroom scale isn’t ideal for measuring body composition (plus what to look for instead). Whether your goals include overcoming insulin resistance (which can lead to metabolic syndrome), more energy and focus, or better overall health (or, or all of the above), these simple strategies to measure and monitor will help you optimize your metabolism.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you believe that healthy snacking or occasionally having a pizza and beer can help keep you on track with your diet plan? Then you’ll want to listen up to this podcast, where JJ talks about why snacking on even healthy foods and taking cheat days can raise blood sugar, shut off fat burning, and sabotage your health efforts. Here, she discusses why cheat foods have a drug-like effect on your brain and keep you hooked, the shocking study that showed bedtime snacking can nearly double your weight gain, and a simple solution to break the snacking habit. Plus, she reveals the simple overnight fasting hack that helps you burn fat, the #1 macronutrient to help curb hunger and cravings, and more. Whether you want to lose weight or break a weight loss plateau, this episode provides the tools you need to succeed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a functional medicine provider and expert in muscle-centric medicine. She joins JJ in today's podcast episode to talk about a topic that everyone is curious about: how to optimize your protein intake to build muscle!

Listen as Dr. Lyon explains the vital roles of muscle in your body and the importance of protein, as well as the best types of exercise, for maintaining and building muscle mass.

Dr. Lyon also shares how to figure out how much protein you need and the top sources of protein, including the differences in quality between plant and animal protein.

Plus, find out the truth behind common myths about protein and your health!

Get Dr. Gabrielle Lyon’s free Lyon Protocol

https://sa1s3.patientpop.com/assets/docs/22195.pdf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having trouble kicking the sugar addiction, even when you're doing all the right things? You'll want to listen to this new episode of our Breakthroughs & Beginnings series, where JJ coaches community members on overcoming roadblocks on their path to better health. Before she went through The Virgin Diet, Alicia was experiencing weight loss resistance, thyroid issues, angry and anxious moods, and more. As a registered respiratory therapist working on a flight transport team, she regularly works 12- and 24-hour shifts that make it difficult to keep up a good wellness routine. After discovering some of her food intolerances, she was able to lose a total of 25 pounds, boost her energy, approach her day more calmly, and maintain a healthy thyroid. But she is still dealing with nagging sugar cravings! Listen as JJ offers advice on using a protein-first approach to kicking sugar, how to use a body composition scale and the right markers to track with it, the right exercises to improve muscle mass, suggested supplements for overcoming cravings, and small tweaks Alicia can make with her diet to avoid disrupting autophagy. Plus, you'll learn how poor sleep impacts appetite, and JJ's best tips for ensuring optimal protein intake throughout the day.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The law of attraction says that if you focus on the thing you want, you will attract that thing into your life… but did you know that weight loss is the exception to that rule? Extreme dieting is never the right answer, so you can stop working out like crazy and surviving on just celery sticks just to get rid of those unwanted pounds. Instead, I want you to stop focusing on weight loss and start focusing on getting healthy—and that means building and holding onto lean body mass. In this episode, I will explain WHY lean body mass is so important and share the six simple, actionable strategies you can implement today to get to your goal weight and stay there.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America is unhappy. In fact, we are the unhappiest we've been since the Great Depression, and things show no signs of getting better. Did you know that depression (the disorder, not the economic kind)—which was at epidemic levels even before the start of COVID-19—tripled in just a matter of months once the pandemic hit? Suicide rates are rising among many populations, and Americans seem to have lost hope. Now for the good news: There is a way out, and it starts in your brain.

Recently, JJ spoke with her friend Dr. Daniel Amen about his new book, "You, Happy," and why he chose to write it now. Dr. Amen is one of America's leading psychiatrists, and he is on a mission to end mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health. He told JJ that there is a neuroscience to happiness and that it is a daily practice. And, he shared with her what he calls "the 7 neuroscience secrets to becoming 30% happier in just 30 days."

We all want to be happier, especially nowadays. Whether we're still reeling from the fallout of a major pandemic or simply struggling to get by in our daily lives and relationships, finding happiness during tough times can be a challenge. And when we aren't working with a strong foundation of health? It can be even harder.

Listen as Dr. Amen and JJ discuss the 7 things you can do starting right now to build a strong foundation of happiness—beginning with preserving the physical health of your brain by adopting positive diet and lifestyle habits. From there, Dr. Amen explains how everyone's brain is different, and you'll find out how to take a unique brain assessment quiz to determine how happy you are and how to use targeted strategies to increase your joy.

Dr. Amen has been a guest on Ask the Health Expert many, many times over the years, and every time JJ talks to him she is blown away with his incredible knowledge and insight. Don't miss learning about his 7 key strategies that will help you be happier and live longer!

Get Dr. Amen’s FREE You, Happier Cookbook

https://jjvirgin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/You-Happier-Cookbook.pdf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices