Wellness + Wisdom Podcast

"Our dietary choices play a major role in determining whether we are going to live into our 80s and 90s and even beyond with a good, functioning brain, or like 50% of people who live to be age 85, we will experience brain decline in the form of Alzheimer's which is a preventable disease."- Dr. David Perlmutter  When we think about brain health, we don't think that our gut has anything to do with it. However, the fact is that the gut has everything to do with how our brains function as we grow older. Neurologist and New York Times Best Selling Author, Dr. David Perlmutter has witnessed the damaging effects that a poor diet can have on our brains. Today is perfect timing with the launch of his new book, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, as he shares why we are vulnerable to develop brain degenerative disease and how we can take matters into our own hands in order to live long, healthy lives with a bright mind that is free of illness.   Make the Choice to Have a Healthy Brain Even if a relative of yours was diagnosed with a brain degenerative disease such as Alzheimer's, you have the amazing opportunity to make lifestyle choices to ensure your brain's health. Factors such as sleep, nutrition, stress levels, and exercise can impact your health, but you can also take advantage of them to improve your wellness and lower the chances of brain decline.   Connecting Wellness And Gut Health   "It's a bit humbling to recognize that mood is regulated by our gut. Not only through the process of controlling inflammation, which is a cornerstone player in depression, but that around 90% of our levels of dopamine and serotonin are not manufactured in the brain. They're mostly manufactured in the gut." - Dr. David Perlmutter     If the gut is leaky and we lack serotonin, it can be linked to feelings of depression. In a study with probiotic yogurt, researchers found a dramatic change in brain function and mood in the test subjects that ate the yogurt compared to those who did not.   Build a Healthy Gut At this moment, there is a diverse community of healthy, gut bacteria living inside of us. If any harm comes our gut's way, it can increase the chances of having a leaky gut. This leaky gut can lead to inflammation and degenerative diseases including: Alzheimer's Parkinson's Diabetes Multiple Sclerosis Cancer The right way to eat food, is to focus on following a diet that helps reduce the chance of a leaky gut and inflammation from happening inside the body.   Do You Have a Leaky Gut? In today's world, we should assume that it is likely that we all have somewhat of a leaky gut. We would have to take a test or participate in a study to know for sure by having an LPS level done in a lab. There's a higher chance that you have a leaky gut if you have an inflammatory condition such as: Depression Early onset Parkinson's Alzheimer's

"We have two different options. One option is that we can suppress and cover up our skin's problems with creams, makeup, or topical steroids. However, this is not really addressing the root problem of what is going on with our body. The other option is to really look at what the body is trying to tell us. The body is so wise and it's so important to pay attention to the signals that our skin gives us instead of ignoring them." - Dr. Trevor Cates   The skin is an incredible organ that protects our underlying tissues, organs, and bones. Each day, it keeps us insulated, controls our body temperature, and helps us take in essential Vitamin D from the sun. The skin is also a key indicator that lets us know when our physical and emotional health is unbalanced. If our skin is dry, oil, itchy, or breaks out in acne, it's telling us that there is something else going on with our bodies that needs to be addressed. If our skin is so amazing, shouldn't we do more for it by eating the right foods and give it the care that it needs to stay strong and healthy? This week, licensed Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Trevor Cates aka The Spa Doctor shares her personal experience of dealing with skin problems and how we can heal our skin from within. You will learn how to use natural foods and real life methods so that you can have that healthy glowing skin no matter your age or race.   Discover The Root of Skin Problems   "We're all different because of our genes, but that doesn't mean that we're stuck with our genes. We can change our genetic expression based upon how we live. We can change the foods that we eat, the products that we use, or the toxins in our environment such as mold."   - Dr. Trevor Cates   We have the power to take control and improve our own health and wellness. At a young age, Dr. Trevor Cates suffered from allergies and infections that led to bumps and itchy hives on her skin. Once her parents got in touch with a holistic practitioner, she learned exactly what her skin and body needed to be healthy again.  Soon enough, her skin cleared up and her self-confidence at school blossomed. The root of Dr. Cates skin problems were not only because of her genetics, but also because of the organic milk that she was drinking and the toxic mold in her home. Our skin acts as a magic mirror and can give us so many clues about our health. Take a moment a think to yourself, do you have the following indicators of poor skin health: Is you skin __________? Dry Oily Dull Do you have__________? Acne Eczema Hives Psoriasis Rosacea Whether we're experiencing mild or extreme cases, if these skin problems show up, it's a good indicator that something is out of balance in our bodies.   The Best and Worst Foods for Our Skin There are many foods that can help improve the health of our skin, but there are also many trigger foods that can worsen it. Here, Dr. Trevor Cates has put together a list of The 5 Best and Worst Foods for Skin Inflammation:  5 Best Foods for Skin Inflammation: Berries Sweet Potatoes Ginger Wild Alaskan Salmon Cruciferous Vegetables 5 Worst Foods for Skin Inflammation: Sugar Dairy Barbecued and overcooked meat Refined grains Trans fats and common

Tina Muir is a Saucony sponsored professional ELITE runner who recently represented Great Britain in the World Half Marathon Championships. Tina is the Community Manager for RunnersConnect and host of popular running podcast Run to the Top. Tina is originally from St. Albans, UK, now living in Lexington, KY with her husband (and coach) Steve. With PRs of 16:08 (5k), 33:24 (10k), 1:13 (half marathon), 2:41 (marathon), Tina may have elite speed, but she candidly shares what it means to train, live and breathe your dreams (while still maintaining balance!) on her blog tinamuir.com. "Running is a lot like life. The more you persevere through those difficult moments, the better it feels afterwards. I realized early on that if I could persevere better than most people, I would feel so much better knowing that I overcame the mental demons while I was running." - Tina Muir On this podcast, Tina shares her experiences and expertise, what it takes to build a strong body and mind, and most importantly how it feels to use running for life and wellness in an open and honest way. Running For Health, Wellness, and Life Every year hundreds of thousands of new runners lace up their new shoes and hit the pavement striding towards their wellness and health goals.  For Tina, and many of us on the wellness path,  running is more than just breaking a sweat, it's a way of living a wellness based life. Over the past decade and beyond, Tina has worked her way to represent Great Britain as a professional athlete, but her road to the top has not come without busting through many personal and physical thresholds. She believes that whether you're an endomorph, ectomorph, or mesomorph, the right style of running has the potential to change not only your physical health, but to sharpen the edge of your mind. As the community manager of Runners Connect, a pro, and busy wife, she literally runs and walks her talk. From surmounting panic attacks, growing personal power, and upgrading emotional health, Tina believes in following her heart; it's the message she spreads not only on the Run to The Top podcast but on her highly popular running blog called "Fuel Your Future." She reminds us with her life's work how running can be a beautiful mirror for the mental hurdles we all scale. "With running, it's actually us against sabotaging ourselves." - Tina Muir Being Imperfectly Perfect Tina shares openly and honestly in this Wellness Force Radio podcast and on her blog about running outside of the current paradigm where runners are "supposed" to look: "For me, yes I could lose those extra few pounds, but then I risk sending myself down a dark, obsessive path, and it would mean I would not get to enjoy the cake and ice cream that does make me happy, so I would rather stay as I am, but know I am enjoying my food, and staying healthy as a runner.Every single body has something to celebrate. Every single runner has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and that should be taken into account. Do not spend your life trying to look like someone else, spend your life doing what makes you happy, and the rest will follow." - Tina Muir Resourc

"I don't want someone to feel that they need my help. I want them to feel empowered about their body. The most powerful part about the whole journey with anyone that I've ever worked with is the long-term sustainable result. I want you to leave my care and I want you to teach your family and other people how to be healthy." - Dr. Matt Accurso on encouraging his health participants to feel empowered about their own health.   Many sources have claimed that we can only combat weight loss resistance and gain high performance energy if we stick to a strict "one fits all" nutrition and exercise regime. However, living a healthy lifestyle isn't just about checking off a doctor's to do list as we go through life. Health goes beyond the surface with a closer look at our body's cells, hormones, gut, and brain connection.  Lead Training Doctor at Designer Health Centers, Dr. Matt Accurso, shares his experience and tips on how we can become health empowered, lose old weight, and gain the energy we crave to develop into high performers.   Become Health Empowered   "Your body has the power to do what it needs to do. All I simply did was address the deficiencies and toxicities and then we let your body heal." - Dr. Matt Accurso on helping his health participants.   When you visit with your physician, don't see yourself as just a patient. Instead of just a patient, you are a health participant because you are there to take control of your own health. A physician can help you with a medical problem that needs to be addressed with a short term solution. However, that one visit is not going to fix all of your health needs. Instead of relying on a physician, specialist, or therapist to fix all of your health problems, take control into your own hands. You are empowered to live a long, healthy journey by making good decisions that will impact your health.     Defeat Weight Loss Resistance   Weight loss resistance happens when the brain is trying to communicate to the body yet cell receptors are blunted so they can't hear what's happening from the brain. By simply adding more good fats in your diet, you actually start to replenish those cells in the thyroid and gut."- Dr. Matt Accurso   Rather than looking at your body as a whole, look at it in parts and pieces like a puzzle. View the body from the outlook of its cells, organs, hormones, micronutrients, and gut health. Everything in the body plays an important part and anything could be preventing you from losing old weight. Many popular diets will help people lose sugar weight, but they're not sustainable for long-term weight (Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and traditional diets). A long-term diet has to promote proper hormonal function health as well in the brain and body. Two hormones in the body that are key to losing weight are leptin and ghrelin.   Regulate Hormones for Healthy Weight Loss Ghrelin hormones increase hunger in the body and leptin manages energy, weight loss, and reducing appetite. Unlike other diets that focus on low-carb diets and staying away from fats, the Ketogenic Diet focuses on eating healthy fats. Once you've reached the ketosis stage, your body is better at regulating the ghrelin and leptin hormones to help increase weight loss. Not only will Ketosis help increase the body's weight loss, but it will also replenish the body's cells. Once thyroid and gut cells are replenished, they can better community with

"What's amazing is that knowing your health data can only help you. There's never been anyone that hasn't benefited or been harmed by knowing more about their cholesterol, thyroid function, inflammation, or Vitamin D levels. You can only benefit from a blood test."- Dr. Murdoc Khaleghi   How much can your blood panels reveal about your health? This week, author, physician, and Medical Director at WellnessFX, Dr. Murdoc Khaleghi, talks about the importance of blood tests and explains how a personalized analysis can make your physical and emotional health bulletproof. Make Your Health Bulletproof We all know that knowledge is power. Therefore, to fully understand where our health stands and to become bulletproof, we need to look at the entire picture. Maybe you don't feel good and don't know why? Thanks to blood tests, we can learn more than we ever could before about our personal health. With this knowledge, we're given the opportunity to make necessary life changes to feel better each day and prevent disease in the future.  A blood test can tell you so much about your biomarker levels and organ functions. Take advantage of this valuable information and make good, healthy changes in your life.    Take Advantage of Blood Tests As we evolve as a society, we're becoming more aware of the importance of our health. With all of the benefits that blood tests give us, we can lead healthier lives. Taking a blood test may sound scary if you think about needles and having your blood drawn. However, the process is simple and can help you learn so much about your body and mental health. Even if you're a very healthy person, a blood test can show some surprising information about yourself and alert you about any health concerns.   How Often Should You Take a Blood Test? How often you should have a blood test done depends on your health concern or motive. If you want to take charge and find the perfect wellness combination for you, Dr. Khaleghi recommends having a blood test done every 6 months to 1 year until you reach your health goal. Overall, with the help of a blood test, you can make better decisions concerning your nutrition, fitness, sleep, and mental health.    Understand Your Unique Health   "One of the best features of a service like WellnessFX is the opportunity to really get your individualized feedback and adjust accordingly. The health adjustments that were right for me may not be right for everyone else. We all vary genetically."- Dr. Murdoc Khaleghi   An ordinary blood test can provide us with general information that is difficult to understand. Fortunately, one of the best things about a personalized blood test is that a personalized consultation is provided to explain the results and recommend what steps to take next on your wellness journey. Each and every single one of us is genetically different. Thus, our bodies need different amounts and forms of nutrition, exercise, and health care.  A personalized blood test will give you insight into several health factors, including: Blood health Cholesterol Cardiovascular health Cortisol Thyroid function Inflammation Vitamin D Blood sugar Insulin Organ health (livers, kidney) Whether you want just an overall view of your health or focus on something specific such as athletic performance, blood analysis organizations like WellnessFX offer different types of

"Money is just an exchange of energy. The challenge with money is when we do not have a healthy relationship with money and that's where we usually deflect it."- Ryan Yokome   What do you think about when you hear the word, "money?"  What do you feel when you receive your monthly paycheck? Do you have happy thoughts and feeling of relief and relaxation? Or do you have negative thoughts and feel anxious with worry? Today, CEO of Money & Miracles Breakthrough Coaching and the Co-Founder of the Soulful Money Masterclass, Ryan Yokome, shares how we can tap into our own lives to discover and  embrace the currency of wellness.    Change Your Mindset on Money   "When you know who you are and you know yourself and you're comfortable with that, you can go anywhere and do anything because you don't have to be someone that you're not. You can show up as you and it's so liberating and freeing."- Ryan Yokome   Each of us has a personal story with money and it begins with our background and our parents' relationship with money. Whether or not their relationship with money was good, if they said something about money or had a certain attitude and behavior towards it, we picked up on that when we were younger. Fortunately, their experience with money does not have to be the same as our story and relationship with money. To help us change our own money story, Ryan explained the concept of Be-Do-Have and its reversal pattern, Have-Do-Be. A majority of us believe that there is a lack of money. However, it is an abundant source of energy that is always available to us. All we have to do is change our thinking and approach to money and do reverse thinking with Have-Do-Be. First believe that you already have the money that you need. Next, do something differently that will allow you to receive that money and finally become that person who has the money.  Focus on the Essence of Money   "How you tap into a different space of magnetizing money in your life is how you focus on the essence. You focus on the feeling that money will give you if you had those things now. What's the essence? Would you feel more joy, happiness, relaxed? Cause you're not actually after money, but a feeling. "-Ryan Yokome   The key to help you change your mindset on money is to focus on the essence of money and what it means to you.  How do you feel if you imagine that you already have all the money or monthly paycheck that you need to get to where you want to be? Is it happiness? Relaxation? Success? You don't want money, but a feeling. The feeling that money gives you. As soon as you focus on that feeling, you will change what you do because your actions will be diffe

"You don't find your purpose. You fight for it. When you clear your space and put yourself in a place where you can just really start listening more, it will appear. It's that thing that's always been there that you love, and that you think isn't possible." - Drew Canole    Drew Canole radically transformed his life in an effort to prove to himself and to others that regardless of where you’re at, transformation is possible.   On This Episode You'll Discover How to gain clarity on your purpose in wellness, life, and relationships Why purpose is not a linear process of discovery How a green superfood juice can literally change the course of your life What is a WHYdentity process How forgiveness can radically shift your success What role does the feminine and masculine balance play in relationships and in finding our deepest purpose How we can cultivate wellness in relationship when our partner has different health habits than we do How to get out of your head and into your body and heart The three things we need to take massive action towards our dreams   Self Love, Juicing, & Transformation From Drews MindBodyGreen post: "I've come to realize that one of the biggest obstacles preventing people from achieving a transformation is their failure to answer one simple question: "Why?" "Why do I want it?" Too many people float through life with no rhyme or reason as to what they hope a transformation will do for them. They might know "what" they want, but they often don't know why they want it. It's painful for many people, but I'm here to tell you, it doesn't have to be. Here's the deal. The leading motivation that will fuel your transformation is your answer to one simple question. "Why do I want it?" It's crucial that you know the answer. Treat it like it's your best friend. Keep feeding it. This is the most important thing, because when you don’t feel like eating healthy or working out, your answer will remind you why you started in the first place. Often, it's all the motivation you need to complete your transformation."   Resources From The Show   Click Here To Get Your Organifi Discount 20% off for Wellness Force Radio Use code: "WellnessForce"  Drew's first ever green juice video circa 2010 Josh tasting Organifi for the very first time on facebook (4:23) Drew's Video: 3 Steps to Find My True Calling Finding Joe Film (a must see) Joseph C

Darryl Edwards is a Movement Coach, Natural Lifestyle Educator and creator of the Primal Play Method;™ developed to inspire others to make activity fun while getting healthier, fitter and stronger in the process.   "Primal Play is about making fitness fun and ensuring that the individual can experience the joy of movement again. Many of us have fallen out of love with movement, and we focus on fitness or exercise which then becomes pain and punishment as the way to get fit. What we should be thinking about is what we can enjoy that will get us there, rather than what we must endure to get fit." - Darryl Edwards   Finding The Joy of Movement Darryl's journey of paleo and natural movement began over ten years ago when he had iron-deficiency anemia, hypertension, and 26 percent body fat. He felt weak, lethargic, and suffered from insomnia along with debilitating lower back and knee pain. It didn’t take long after focusing on the Paleo approach to reap the benefits, and his improved health continues to this day. To eventually lead thousands of people by teaching the joy of movement across the world, Darryl first had to feel the pain of physical discontent early in life. Sitting for hours on end in his banking career, he began to train as most of us start training: in the gym and bored out of his mind. He intuitively felt from deep in his core that there must be a better way to live life well and attain the health and wellness he knew he deserved. This is a sad reality that many gym goers, marathoners, and weekend warriors discover once their "no pain no gain" mentality simply can't support the lifestyle any longer. Listen as Darryl unpacks how anyone and everyone can learn to experience the joy of movement wherever they are and whatever health goals they might have.   Movement Breakthroughs What  sparked radical change in Darryl's life was essentially finding the joy of play;  a reconnection to his childhood and the memories that brought happiness. This discovery would come to be the catalyst for greater health in his own adult life. In the video below from the ancestral health symposium in 2016,  Darrell discusses  his primal play method,  what it means to have physical health,  how to transform the current paradigm of exercise and fitness,  and gives an incredible lecture on physical activity for the new era.   What You'll Learn From This Episode Why your body is in pain and what to do about it How to make your workouts fun again no matter who you are How to turn your workouts into play The benefits of training in primal movement patterns The differences between "paleo" fitness and regular fitness and exercise Action steps to begin the integration of movement as play Darryl's story about how he transitioned from working out in gyms to 100% functional movement Resources Mentioned In The Show  

"In my life I've done a lot of physical things like marathons, challenge races and weight training, but vipassana was one of the hardest things I've ever done because it was so dependent purely on the mind. When we work out and go through physical pain, you can push through it because there's a stimulus there. When you sit in silence, the hardest part about it is that's there is nothing else to do besides face your thoughts, face your feelings, and face what's going on inside." - Josh Trent   Vipassana Meditation - 10 Days In The Desert of Your Soul Today's show welcomes fitness and wellness celebrity Scott Colby as our guest host interviewing Wellness Force Founder, Josh Trent, on his 10 day Vipassana meditation experience in Joshua Tree, CA at the Dhamma Southern California Vipassana Center . This episode is for you if you've never meditated in your life and it has always been something you've wanted to try, or even if you're a seasoned meditator looking for that next step on how to grow your life's practice. We're also going to discuss Scott Colby's partnership with Pencils of Promise and his incredible service to Guatemalan children schools through the "say it with gratitude stationary sets" fund raiser towards the end of the episode which Wellness Force is honored to support.   Why do hundreds of thousands of people globally complete an annual vipassana? Most students embark on a vipassana with the intention to achieve greater inner peace and harmony through the mental training of "thought purification" which allows one to face life's tensions and problems in a calm, balanced way. Vipassana meditation, essentially, is a practice of what founder Mr. S.N. Goenka calls "The Art of Living" that one can use to get out of their own way to begin making greater positive contributions in society. This may sound empowering and healing, which many studies report to be true, but be warned: this practice is not for everyone, rather it is only for the one who feels called to it at the right time in their life. As Yogi & Best-selling Author Karan Bajaj says: "Just sitting with your spine erect for eleven hours a day can be a challenge, now add complete silence and two sparse meals a day to it, and you’re guaranteed some level of physical and emotional agony."   Why You Get To Do A Vipassana Meditation is a essentially a practice that teaches focusing attention inwards. This could be done with a mantra, breathing techniques, or by using visualizations. There are numerous ways to practice meditation, and all of them center around becoming more self aware. The main difference of vipassana however is found in its technique of "body scanning" that students learn through a process of relaxation without the normal stimuli of instant gratification it has become so accustomed to and even in some cases, addict

"The point of identifying emotion and navigating emotion is not to hold on to it, but to be able to recognize it and to understand that it's trying to tell us something." - Jeff Agostinelli   It's easy to get ahead of ourselves and allow our emotions to control our lives, but that's not the purpose of our emotions. Our emotions are the tools we need to help us break through from chronic thinking.  This week, Life Coach, Business Coach, and Podcast Host of The Next Level, Jeff Agostinelli, shares how we can take advantage of our emotions to truly listen to ourselves in order to think clearly, rediscover joy, and be free from pain.   Break the Cycle of Chronic Thinking   "A lot of people will try to reach out and they're stuck in a pattern of thought. We have an emotion and then there's a thought, there's an action, there's a behavior, there's a habit and they're all connected. Who's to say that we can't just move one of those things around and everything else will change?"- Jeff Agostinelli   When we're feeding into our emotions, we can find ourselves stuck in connecting thoughts, habits, and behaviors. But what if we try to change something? What then happens to our emotions? If we try to change something in the way we think or act, it can create a new path for us to follow. We may be afraid of change and think that we can't change our lives. But we can change when we or another person takes a close look at what's going on in our lives. To help us get started on breaking free from the cycle of chronic thinking, we must start by asking ourselves honest questions such as: Do I really love my environment? Do I really love want I'm doing? Do I really love this relationship? When we break free from chronic thinking, we get in touch with our emotions and move forward.    Tap Into Your Emotions   "The gift inside of pain is the true expression of what the pain is meant to wake us up to. So if we're experiencing pain in a certain moment of our life, it's a momentary thing to let us know, "Okay, look, this thing has got to change." - Jeff Agostinelli   It can be painful and strange to tap into our emotions, but it's the number one thing that we can manipulate and utilize to help us move forward. If we're experiencing pain from outliers such as our environment or other people, we can manipulate what we feel. We just need to take a close look at the situation to recognize ourselves and what we're feeling. The point of identifying  and navigating emotion is not to hold on to it, but to be able to recognize it and to understand that it's trying to tell us something. To tap into your emotions. Ask yourself the right questions to help you reach an understanding with yourself.