The B.rad Podcast

Welcome to part 2 of this four-part presentation reflecting on the foundational assumptions of energy balance and stress optimization. These shows are inspired by the great work of Jay Feldman and Mike Fave on the Energy Balance Podcast so please listen to part 1, to my interview with Jay Feldman, and to the Energy Balance Podcast. In this show we put to bed once and for all our widespread misunderstanding of calories in-calories out in favor of the three-part truth of: caloric consumption, calories burned for energy, and calories stored. I'll cover a variety of interesting topics like the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, the great points and some of the flaws of Blue Zones research, a lifestyle-related longevity secret of the Okinawans called ikigai (a strong sense of life purpose) and moai (a strong small group of lifelong friends), how I aspire to race the 100 meters at age 100, and a possible fresh new perspective on how to eat for longevity.  Here is a compelling quote from Jay Feldman's blog: "Considering that adaptations to stress and damage don’t improve our health, stress and damage are cumulative, and that the benefits of environmental stimuli are due to their specific effects rather than the stress they cause, hormesis would be best characterized as an extreme misrepresentation of the interaction between the organism and its environment.”   TIMESTAMPS: Fasting carb restriction, calorie restriction, ketogenic eating all starve the cells of energy as does intense exercise. [01:08] If you burn more calories during devoted exercise, your body is going to make an assortment of compensations to conserve energy. [05:06] Eating less and exercising more is ineffective. Certain foods are very inappropriate for energy utilization. [09:45] The industrial seed oils are pervasive in our kitchens, restaurants, and markets. [13:11] Dr. Lustig contends that if you ditch processed foods and emphasize wholesome, nutritious foods, it is virtually impossible to get fat! [15:23]You're going to be prompted to overeat if you are not getting your protein needs met by nutrient dense high protein foods. [20:21] Calories do different things when they are consumed, but they aren’t necessarily burned. [21:22]If you're bad at burning energy, that's when you start to get into the realm of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's dementia related conditions, especially in the brain. [26:46] Move more, get good sleep, and learn to manage stress appropriately. [30:32] When you are over exercising, you are probably achieving a temporary unsustainable stress hormone spike to release stored energy and perform, until we get too tired to do so. You can't aspire to anything related to diet transformation or body transformation until you are truly healthy. [33:51]Could this mean that a faster metabolism promotes longevity rather than what we've heard with the ancestral health and the progressive health movement that a slower metabolism, calorie restriction, metabolic efficiency are the key promoters of longevity? [37:54]    In the Minnesota Starvation Study from the 1940s, calorie deprivation showed significant decreases in strength, stamina, body temperature, heart rate, and sex drive in the subjects. [42:54] There is no justification for ever eating junk food, even if you are a high-calorie-burning athlete. [48:07] Brad talks about the longevity studies from the Blue Zones around the world.  He describes many of the Japanese lifestyle goals that are attributed to long healthy life. [50:57]    In closing, Brad outlines the points he has been making about reducing the stress in your life, exercising appropriately, and avoiding unhealthy foods. [56:34]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Burn Podcast with Dr. Pontzer Podcast with Dr. Lustig Carnivore Scores Rood Ranking P.E.Diet Minnesota Starvation Experiment Saladino review podcast   QUOTES: "Gluttony and sloth are not the causes of obesity, they are the symptoms of obesity." (Taubes)   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for the hurricane! My good friend and frequent podcast guest Dave Rossi, author of the wonderful book The Imperative Habit, returns for a fifth appearance on the B.rad podcast. Trust me, by the time this episode is over, you’re going to feel compelled to buy his book, as you’re going to hear some awesome insights and cause for reflection in this fast moving episode. If you haven’t heard previous shows with Dave, he’s a Silicon Valley based businessman who has become quite a guru in the spiritual field in addition to writing a very well-received book, The Imperative Habit. In this episode, Dave and I talk about the most effective strategies for long-term weight loss (something Dave is very familiar with as he once successfully dropped 50 pounds) and how to stay aligned with your health goals by coming at the challenge from the mindset component. We talk about the placebo effect—how it’s real and actually quite powerful, as well as why Dave says it is imperative today to build good habits and overcome the constant temptation of instant gratification dopamine-triggering pleasures and indulgences. Dave also details a kinder, gentler approach to goal setting where you make a choice to live healthily and do things that feel good instead of the “struggle and suffer” approach that is unfortunately too common, and much more—get ready for the hurricane!   TIMESTAMPS: The mindset influences how you set your goals. It can make or break your progress. [01:06] If you are a marathoner and you love it, you will have a different physiological response than if you hate what you are doing. It’s like the placebo effect. [07:31] If you hear a podcast explaining why vegetables are not good for you, your mind can kick in and the vegetables you used to love, suddenly become unappetizing. [15:23] There is no shortcut to get the body that you want. [19:18] If your goal is to gain something, it probably won’t be authentic. [24:52] A choice of what you want to do versus what you don’t want to do is choice versus willpower. And willpower gets stronger when we are stressed. [29:49] Sugar is bad for me. I make the choice to have a healthy body as opposed to enjoying the pleasure of the dessert. [35:36] You have to enjoy the journey that you are taking in order to get to that end game. [38:25] If you are over exercising, you are going to turn down all kinds of other flames and feel more tired, more hungry, more apt to store, store fat rather than burn it. [42:02] To lose weight, you have to have the power of choice to figure out what works for you. [44:43] You can be fit, but not healthy. [48:31] When you look at lifestyle as thoughts, emotions, food, activities, relationships, your lifestyle will have a corresponding body. [50:10] Dave lost 50 to 60 pounds.  Brad asks, what was the trigger that made it happen? [52:36] Develop the practice of the ability to say no to bodily urges. The food no longer has power. [01:00:27]   LINKS:    Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page The Imperative Habit Dopamine Nation Jay Feldman Podcast no. 1 Jay Feldman Podcast no. 2 Burn The Hacking of the American Mind   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Part 1 of a four-part presentation relating to the extremely compelling title. Indeed, I have been reflecting upon some of the foundational elements of progressive/ancestral health—calling them into question since my first exposure to Jay Feldman of the Energy Balance Podcast and my recent interview with him for the B.rad podcast. One of Jay’s assertions has been haunting me for over a month since he said it to Ben Greenfield on their podcast interview: “Fasting turns on stress hormones.” This is such an obvious observation but I have failed to put it into proper context for reflection until recently. Could it be that our devotion to athletic performance, healthy eating, and anti-aging could easily drift overboard such that the vaunted “hormetic stressors” fail to deliver the adaptive benefits they promise? On that topic, I brazenly question the extreme health practices of my main man Brian “Liver King” Johnson in a blatant attempt to draw in more listeners. Liver King is the king of ancestral living and doing a great job promoting the importance of hard work, sacrifice and challenging the body in order to regain the ancestral fighting spirit that’s been lost in modern life. Could his amazing training regimen, cold exposure, and quarterly 5-day fasting regimen be unnecessary from a physical fitness perspective alone? Perhaps, but he is diligent in emphasizing the psychological benefits of challenging the mind and body with peak performance endeavors.  Here is a pretty heavy and potentially controversial quote from Jay Feldman to whet your appetite about what's coming in the four-part presentation: “Low-carb, ketogenic, and carnivore diets, which mimic the fasted state (also called the starvation state), cause considerable amounts of stress...and are generally a terrible idea {holy crap Jay!}.... But, like fasting, the benefits from these diets can largely be attributed to reductions in gut irritation rather than stress, because many of the irritating, hard-to-digest foods that would lead to increased endotoxin production are carbohydrates, and these types of foods are avoided on these diets.”   TIMESTAMPS: We are calling into question some of the foundational elements of progressive and ancestral health movement. [01:05] Are todays’ athletes, who are breaking records, compromising their health and longevity? [03:15] Fasting promotes stress hormones. [04:18] Adaptations to stress and damage don’t actually improve our health. [07:44] You have to be really careful in managing your hermetic stress levels, especially as you are getting older. [16:57] We would all benefit from a more varied temperature experience. [19:12] When you participate in an extended fast, in many ways, it is equivalent to an intense workout. [24:14] Brad talks about realizing that his recent workout combining a cold plunge with an intense workout caused him a problem. [27:19]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Energy Balance podcast Brian Liver King Johnson Podcast with Anna Lembke Podcast with Paul Saladino   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get ready for a lively podcast on all aspects of sports with the one and only Lindsay Berra, host of the Food of the Gods podcast, longtime sports journalist across an incredible variety of sports, and longtime athlete in an amazing variety of sports as well.  Lindsay first established herself as an authority on baseball fitness and injuries through her five-year long position at MajorLeagueBaseball.com, she then transitioned into a long career as a senior writer for ESPN magazine for 13 years—the highest level of sports journalism where she covered ice hockey, baseball, and three Olympic Games, among many others. We touch on topics such as golf legend and O.G. fitness freak Gary Player to whether the Dodgers should have pulled Clayton Kershaw during a perfect game to save his arm. Lindsay talks about her current passion for golf and tennis, reveals she was the Captain of her high school’s boys hockey team, and offers an amazing assortment of insights on training technology and methods used today in sports. Not only Lindsay has interviewed so many cool people—from auto racers to baseball players to Olympic athletes—but she also happens to be the oldest grandchild of Yogi and Carmen Berra, so expect to hear quite a few sensational Yogi Berra quotes that feature both his trademark humor and malaprop as well as profound life observations. My personal favorite Yogi quote is: “Baseball is 80 percent mental. The other half is physical.”   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Foodofthegodspodcast.com/about-lindsay Lindsay's Instagram   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Try something that’s a little difficult, a little out of your comfort zone, and you’ll get better and better each day.” Even incredible feats like 10K runs and half marathons do not have a high demand for advanced balance skills, so throwing in some basic workouts and integrating them into your fitness routine in order to hone your balancing skills is a key fitness strategy for anti-aging, one that will be discussed in detail in this episode. Since these exercises aren’t time-consuming or strenuous, they don’t interfere with the energy expenditure that you put out towards other goals/endeavors, and while they are challenging, they’re also super fun to do, especially because they give you the opportunity to strive towards getting better at something. For example, if you’re one of those people who often hoists a heavy bar and is putting a lot of weight on your back, why don’t you try putting one leg on an elevated surface (the Bulgarian split squat) and squatting down on a single leg without even adding any weight at all? Just simply performing that move for let’s say, 12 reps….you might even be sore the next day! I’ve experienced this myself—performing a nice set of squats with heavy weight, but then after switching over to one leg squats, well, all bets are off! But building new skills is important—especially your ability to do exercises one leg at a time, because most athletic/fitness and everyday activities are performed one leg at a time (walking, running, jumping).  In contrast, a lot of stuff we do in daily life (athletic, fitness, even work related) is done with two arms at a time—we lift things with two hands, we carry things frequently with two hands, but one leg at a time seems to be the prevailing athletic and fitness endeavor—however we don’t work at one leg at a time too often. If you look through my Morning Routine online course, you’ll see I have included some interesting balancing challenges in there, and it’s kind of fun to reflect on what I’ve noticed from a daily practice of doing exercises—I am getting a tiny bit better, but when I step on that soft 2.5 inch pad and try to balance on one leg for a count of 60, while it’s not stenegous to my muscles, I’ve realized it’s much more of a challenge to the brain. Whenever I step off, I feel a sense of central nervous system fatigue from simply concentrating so hard! So giving your brain a little challenge like this is super helpful, and I would contend, translates directly to all manner of not only fitness endeavors, but cognitive endeavors too. There is a huge need for an emphasis on balance training in fitness—just see this Dr. Luks article about the importance of balance training and why, for the elderly, each fall becomes progressively harder to recover from—as scary as it sounds, sadly 50% of people who fall die within a year of suffering a hip fracture. So minimizing our risk of falling is an integral healthy aging practice, especially as it helps dramatically accelerate both the speed and success of our recovery, if we do end up falling—because we head into an unfortunate situation fully loaded with all the positive, helpful attributes that can help us, instead of going into something with frailty. And interestingly, as I mentioned in the previous show, the senior citizen age group has the highest rate of improvement from strength training than any other age group!  When you have a great commitment to health and fitness in your young years and decades, you will induce epigenetic changes that will affect your lifespan, according to Dr. Luks. So an athletic youth spent building muscle mass, doing explosive efforts and working on balance, will imprint into your genes that you are an athletic person, and you will hold onto these attributes—even if you slip and fall off as you get older. Once it’s time to turn it back on and return to the gym, court, etc, you'll be much more adaptable. And of course, exercise leads to some of these genes being turned on, and some of these genes can decrease your risk for cardiovascular disease, premature aging, neurocognitive decline, and so on. Remember: it is never too late to start, no matter where you’re starting from. Also, it’s never too early to start (something important to emphasize nowadays since today’s youth is less active than ever thanks to modern life and technology, which has eliminated a lot of the built-in activity that used to be a necessary part of modern life).  Check out my YouTube channel for jumping drill videos and other balance training content, and my Morning Routine Online course here.    TIMESTAMPS: Do something out of your comfort zone. One leg at a time seems to be the prevailing athletic fitness endeavor, but we don’t usually practice that. [00:19] After falling, the success of your recovery and the speed of your recovery is going to be dramatically accelerated because you went into the misfortune fully loaded with all the attributes rather than going into something with frailty. [03:09] It’s never too late to get in shape and it’s never too early.  Today’s youth are much less active than their predecessors. [07:37] What exercises are good to improve balance? [09:46] Flexibility and mobility work will add to your fitness goals. [12:04] What will happen to me if I don’t stay fit? The presence of visceral fat is indicative of all kinds of other problems under the hood. [15:22] If you step on the scale to monitor your health, realize you have a natural fluctuation of around four to five pounds. [22:54] Chronic sitting and chronic consumption of heavily processed foods promotes chronic inflammation. Also, plastics touching our food causes inflammation. [26:03] Anything you put on your skin goes right into your bloodstream. Read the labels. [28:04] It is not safe to ride bicycles on the streets dodging vehicles. Wear gaudy clothing if you are on bikes. [32:42] Air pollution surrounds us. [35:22]The accumulation of the little spare tire is a reliable sign of adverse lifestyle practices for both males and females. [37:18] The most important thing to look for in your blood chemistry is the triglyceride to HDL ratio. [40:22] It is always important to be reminded of the dietary recommendations Brad presents. Remove all industrial seed oils from your cupboard.  [43:39] We don’t need to accept discomfort after eating something. Learn what your body can tolerate and what it cannot.  [50:34] There are many benefits from fasting, but don’t forget that it is a stress response. [56:04]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Brad Kearns’s Morning Routine Brad’s First Simpler Morning Routine Drinking bird exercise 4 essential bodyweight single-leg exercises Jumping exercises Melanie Avalon podcast on cosmetics BeautyCounter.com Rear View Mirrors for cyclist Podcast with Jay Feldman no. 1 Podcast with Jay Feldman no. 2   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for another show with Jay Feldman, host of the Energy Balance podcast. We had to keep recording because these insights are pretty mind blowing, and pose a challenge to a lot of the conventional stories in the ancestral health scene, which can be a little disturbing/disruptive, but that’s what is so great about being open to new ideas and thinking critically.  I think we do a great job on this show trying to reconcile some of these opposing views—one of the things we get into early on is this concept of hormesis, or hormetic stressors, which are intended to provide a net health benefit by putting the body under assorted forms of stress, like jumping into cold water and getting all these wonderful cognitive, immune, antiinflammatory benefits. Again, it goes back to this concept that we are turning on stress hormones when we do all manner of metabolic stress—such as restrictive diets, pushing our bodies through workouts, etc. What Jay wants to advance is this compelling idea that we want to get the maximum benefits to the human organism with the minimum amount of stress, and for us to not forget the idea that stress is cumulative over our lifetime. We joke about how “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” but that isn’t necessarily true, because what doesn’t kill you, can wear you down over time, and that's one of the reasons why the dudes running around with a six pack in their 20s and ordering pizza and ramen and doin whatever, ten years later, there is no more six pack, and it’s not because their diet changed dramatically, it’s because they got away with stuff and then the cumulative effects of stress hit. The same concept applies to anyone walking around with a hip/knee/etc replacement—obviously what didn’t kill you caused you to have a replacement joint, so we want to get into this realm of optimizing our cellular health looking at some of the questions with a critical mindset. This show covers some big picture concepts like hormetic stressors and then we have a little bit time for some rapid-fire questions, where we get more clear about the idea that fat burns clearly and glucose burns more “dirty” and sort it all out with some scientific references there that might be difficult to keep up with at times, but we’ll come back and bring some takeaway insights that I think you'll understand and greatly appreciate. I’m so pleased to have Jay Feldman back on the podcast, and I think you’ll love hearing this second show with him.    TIMESTAMPS: Hormetic stressors are intended to provide a net health benefit by putting the body under assorted forms of stress. [01:24] The benefits of environmental stimuli are due to their specific effects rather than the stress they cause.  [05:28] The concept that muscle soreness is being anything but terrible, is something we need to awaken to. [10:22] We have a compelling reason to reawaken our human fighting spirit because modern life is so comfortable and indulgent. [13:35] You don’t need to train the brain or the anaerobic system to suffer. Stress is cumulative. [15:41] Think that you have a stress bucket that gets filled during the day with personal time, work at the office, and working out. You need to look for balance. Minimize the stressful things that aren’t benefiting us. [20:16] Brad is eating a big bowl of fruit in the morning and a protein smoothie instead of fasting.  How does Jay explain the change that Brad has undertaken? [21:48] How are we losing less fat if we’re burning fat, or we’re targeting fat burning? [24:51] How do the different fuel sources burn? [26:59] When we are oxidizing, burning for fuel fat versus carbohydrates, we need to be producing more reactive oxygen species with fat in order to slow the rate of energy production. [31:44] Much of the damage that people have comes from processed foods that they have been ingesting for years. [34:59] Elevated glucose is a desperate attempt to you liver’s dumping more glucose into your bloodstream. [39:29] The reason you feel bad when you eat carbs is because 1. We are not using the glucose well, 2. Experiencing the reduction of stress hormones, 3. The gut effects. [43:13] Gut health is a huge factor because there are toxic compounds that are produced by the bacteria or microbes in our gut.  [48:43] How does The Energy Balance theory compare with Pontzer’s theory that human daily calorie expenditure is the same whether we exercise or not? [49:55] When Jay works with a client, he usually analyzes why the person experiences energy dips. There are many reasons why this happens. They learn how to correct those areas of their daily life.  [57:07]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Jay Feldman Wellness.com Energy Balance Podcast Jay Feldman Podcast no. 1   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi listeners! Here comes a great show about fitness suggestions for anti-aging—the critical objective to age gracefully rather than follow in line into the accelerate-decline-suffering-and demise pattern that we see all around us, thinking it’s a part of chronological aging or that it’s normal. In fact, it’s absolutely not normal—I love the quote from ageless wonder/Paleo forefather Dr. Art DeVany, who says “aging is essentially damage caused by adverse lifestyle practices.” Of course we’re going to have a lifespan somewhat characterized by decline as the decades pass, but we can recalibrate our notions of what that looks like, and one way to do so is to look at the outliers who are making magnificent athletic feats, even at older ages. A lot of the time we discount or dismiss those examples as being genetic freaks, failing to recognize how important those lifestyle behaviors are to 1) make the most of your genetics and 2) minimize genetic misfortunes—you can go a long way towards negating or even nullifying these things completely through healthy lifestyle practices—including a bunch of fitness stuff we’re going to talk about today. Who knows, maybe one day we can dream of following in the footsteps of 100-year-old Lester Wright, who recently ran the 100m in 26 seconds at the age of 100! Just try running 100m in 26 seconds the next time you’re at your local running track—it’s not super fast, but it’s not slow either—what an amazing accomplishment! You’ll hear about the protective benefits of having muscle mass throughout your life and honing and maintaining skills like balance, Dr. Peter Attia’s goal of training for the centenarian Olympics, how to kick butt in your 80s, how I plan on celebrating my 95th birthday, and the reasoning behind Mark Sisson’s goal to “live long and drop dead.” I also talk about the correlation between physical fitness and cognitive fitness (including facts from a great UCLA study I often reference), our human genetic obligation to move and how walking leads to having a larger hippocampus, and how prolonged sitting generates chronic inflammation in the body and sitting for as little as 20 minutes generates a noticeable decline in glucose tolerance and an increase in insulin resistance—meaning you get worse at burning fat, while you’re starting to crave sugar and lose cognitive function—all from sitting around for a seemingly brief period of time. We’ll be hitting some more advanced fitness objectives during this show, such as exercises to perform to maintain muscle mass throughout life, and touch on Robb Wolf’s advice that if you want to live longer, lifting more weights and eating more protein is the way to go. I also talk about how as we age, we become less efficient with protein synthesis (hence the importance for increasing protein intake), how simply going to the gym once a week to do five compound movements is enough to generate increases in muscle strength, and why you don’t want to mix skill development with aspirations to build strength, as this can lead to workouts that overly stressful and will promote breakdown and regressions in your progress. Finally, we discuss the importance of minimizing stress while pursuing maximum fitness benefits and the importance of being careful not to stack assorted stressors (fasting, low-carb, restrictive diets) with intense exercise and the difference between environmental and plant hormesis.   TIMESTAMPS: It is not normal to fall apart as you age! Aging is essentially damage caused by adverse lifestyle practices. [01:24] Brad plans to go for the high jump record when he is 95 years old! [04:33] Walking is so important. A UCLA study showed those who walked over 4,000 steps a day had larger brains. They were sharper, more cognitive, and better functioning. [07:10] We have an increasing need for protein as we age. [08:58] Just going to the gym once a week is enough to generate increases in muscle strength. [11:47] Maintaining muscle mass is most important for anti-aging goals. [15:01] Aerobic conditioning is essential but it will come in all manner of fitness activities.   [20:34] Resistance exercises focus on full body movements. [26:40] Micro workouts are always doable and help in preventing falls.  [33:33] Muscles help us control our glucose levels.  They use glucose as fuel and have a role in insulin resistance. [39:46] It’s never too late. Sarcopenia is the decline of skeletal muscle tissue which can be rebuilt. [43:36] You get the most profound adaptations for body composition and anti-aging hormones when you participate in high intensity, sprinting, and jumping. [46:15] It is difficult to combine endurance training with the other disparate skills, like sprinting. Learn to sprint properly. [53:57]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Lester Wright 100m Dr. Howard Luks Podcast Dr. Peter Attia Dr. Herman Pontzer Podcast (Energy Expenditure) Jay Feldman Podcast Body by Science OsteoStrong Podcast with Dr. Craig Marker Podcast with Dr. Casey Means Podcast with Dr. Paul Saladino    Jogging 2.0 YouTube    Dr. Howard Luks    Podcast with Chris Hinshaw QUOTES: "If you want to live longer, lift more weights and eat more protein." (Wolf)   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Fasting turns on stress hormones,” was the quote that slapped me in the face as I listened to Jay Feldman and Mike Fave discuss their Energy Balance approach during an interview on the Ben Greenfield Life podcast. This insight is so simple and obvious, but I failed to appreciate it in the broad context of all the other stress factors in my life—especially the pairing of intense exercise with fasting, low-carb, or other cutting-edge dietary strategies. It’s clear that the devoted health and fitness enthusiast can often get out of balance and into the category of overstressed. Who wants to be that person?! Alas, much of the messaging in the mainstream diet and fitness industries is pushing us toward the struggle and suffer approach instead of respecting the importance of stress-rest balance and energy balance in the body.   Intrigued by the Energy Balance message, I’ve been on a five-week experiment to start with my day with a big bowl of fruit and a super-nutrition smoothie (with frozen liver, whey protein, nutritious fats and carbs, and assorted performance ingredients like creatine) instead of perhaps fasting for a few (or several hours) before eating my first meal. The idea is that I will minimize the need for stress hormones to release energy from storage and instead have more energy available for peak performance, energy, cognitive function, and stable mood and appetite.  Jay will discuss this idea and many others on this hard hitting and provocative podcast. We’ll learn how ridiculously narrow and short-sighted the conventional perspective is about calories in-calories out, and how the true secret to health and vitality is our ability to generate cellular energy with healthy metabolic and hormonal function.  This is the first of two lengthy interviews with Jay as he describes the Energy Balance premise, in the process calling into question some of the foundational principles of the ancestral/progressive health movement, so stuff gets real right away, and you better listen carefully with your seat belt fastened as we strive to sort things out and hint at strategies we can experiment with to optimize cellular energy production, performance, recovery, and vitality.  Jay Feldman is a health coach, independent health researcher, and host of the Energy Balance podcast. He has degrees in neuroscience and exercise physiology and is devoted to using his knowledge and experience to help people heal from all manner of disease, dysfunction, and difficulty losing excess body fat. Take control of your health with Jay by visiting JayFeldmanWellness.com.   TIMESTAMPS: Energy balance challenges some of the foundational principles of the progressive health and ancestral health movement. [01:20] A lot of us come to health awakenings through pain and struggle.  [05:55] Fasting, low carb, keto….these restrictive diets turn on stress hormones. [09:20] What is the premise of energy balance? [12:50] It's not just this problem of eating too much or exercising too little, but rather why is the food that we're using not being efficiently used to produce energy or efficiently used for other reasons? [17:34] If you just focus on the label that mentions calories, you are missing the point of what type of food it is.  The industrial seed oils and other toxins are there.  It’s not just calories. [19:15] The first step for anyone wishing to improve their body composition, get more energy, protect against disease, is to eliminate the processed foods that are inhibiting energy production. [26:03] As far as fasting goes, the main benefits are relief from gut toxin production and improvement in intestinal permeability and leaky gut. [30:02] Some of the success of these niche diets is caused by the lack of processed foods rather than what the person is actually eating on their special magical diet. [32:47] The out-of-control hunger, the daily battle with willpower, the desire to consume more food is largely driven by something dysfunctional in our ability to produce energy internally to, to burn the logs. [36:50] Reproduction, repair, growth, and locomotion are a zero-sum game. [40:35] The calories in, calories out mentality is destructive for most people. Using carb intake sensibly is a must. [42:30] What about the fat-adapted folks say they thrive on low carb intake? [46:51] Remove the polyunsaturated fats from your diet and eat whole foods. Remember that all carbs are not equal. [53:59] We want to be consuming a lot of fuel to be able to produce a lot of energy, assuming it’s going efficiently, that’ll involve a lot of carbohydrates. [01:02:23]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Jay Feldman Wellness.com Energy Balance Podcast Jay Feldman article part 1: Does Stress Make You Stronger? Jay Feldman article part 2: Flawed Research And Harmful Misapplications (Including Ketogenic Diets, Intermittent Fasting, Calorie Restriction, And More) Acute Nutritional Ketosis: Implications For Exercise Performance And Metabolism   Carbohydrate Restriction Regulates The Adaptive Response To Fasting   Starvation Physiology: Reviewing The Different Strategies Animals Use To Survive A Common Challenge Jay Feldman article: Carbs Vs. Fats: Hormonal Effects The Psychology of Hunger (Minnesota Starvation Experiment) Ikigai (3 Okinawan Secrets to a Long Life) 100-year-old sprinter Lester Wright   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This show was inspired by me hearing that throwaway line, “Everything in Moderation,” one too many times—particularly as it relates to our critical mission and obligation to fight a valiant battle against the many health-destructive cultural and marketing forces that we face in modern life. Yes, I was hanging out with a group of childhood friends, talking up the nuances of my Carnivore Scores food rankings chart, and received the feedback that it’s indeed extreme for the average citizen to go looking for grass-fed liver or take organ supplements made with freeze-dried bovine testicle and so forth. Point accepted, but I think we have an unfortunate reflex to regress to the pathetic mean of today’s unhealthy, overstressed, overfat (Dr. Phil Maffetone contends 91% of the global population “overeat”) population.  Everything in moderation is a good suggestion to avoid the extremes that some of us devoted health and fitness enthusiasts can traffic in, but it’s important to emphasize that we are absolutely and desperately obligated to pursue an extreme approach to health because we have the deck stacked against us. I’ll talk plenty about how industrial seed oils are pervasive in the food supply, including (shocker) the most elite and expensive restaurants and the hallowed halls of Whole Foods Market and hot buffet.  This show examines both sides of the coin—being thoughtful and resolute to avoid overstress patterns as well as upping our game a bit, or a lot, to clean up our adverse dietary and lifestyle practices. I admit that I repeatedly err on the overstress side of the equation, as evidenced by recurring muscle soreness and minor injuries in the aftermath of my high intensity sprinting and jumping sessions. My interview with Jay Feldman, host of Energy Balance podcast, and my four-part presentation of reflections on the Energy Balance concept (coming soon), caused me to reflect on the potential for trouble when stacking an assortment of stress factors, most particularly combining fasting and/or carb restriction with high intensity workouts.  We talk through some practical suggestions to improve dietary choices, how to optimize return on investment with workouts (reference my show with Dr. Doug McGuff) and avoid the endocrine disruptors in cosmetics, skin care, food containers, and household cleaners (listen to my show with Melanie Avalon here to hear more about that). You don’t have to break your back and add stress to your life in trying to be perfect or go to the potentially overly-stressful edges of biohacking or extreme athletic training, but let’s resolve to do the best we can to break free from the many unhealthy aspects of modern life (particularly the dopamine-stimulating instant gratification addictions that were detailed in my interviews with Dr. Robert Lustig and Dr. Anna Lembke) and strive to live a life of happiness, contentment, energy and vitality.  Enjoy the show and send your questions and comments to podcast@bradventures.com   TIMESTAMPS: Everything in moderation…….is this really the best way? But let’s not overdo it either. [01:27] Stress is cumulative. This is important to remember when you conclude that you have recovered from a workout. [05:51] Brad reflects back on his health journey where he has been hardcore in many ways but notes there are times when research caused him to question what he was doing. [07:42] During Brad’s triathlon career, he learned the best way to reach his potential. Many of the long- term extreme endurance athletes have heart problems. [12:11] By learning to pay attention to your body, you may need to recalibrate your competitive goals. [15:13] We have a tendency towards addiction toward many things like alcohol, drugs, porn, junk food.  We must watch out for our tendency to look for those dopamine triggers when we exercise, too. [18:22] Everything in moderation has brought our society to the point of seeing that two thirds of the US population is classified as overweight or obese, a serious health risk.  [27:11] We have collectively deprioritized health and fitness in favor of consumerism and instant gratification. [32:39] We have a unique opportunity to shape the world and the future of our planet with our pocket books. [36:23] We still are inundated with industrial seed oils but high fructose corn syrup has been decreasing. [42:51] Skin care products are loaded with harmful toxins. Household cleaners and plastics, like what touches your food or water bottles, are dangerous. [45:07] We are experiencing a record decline in the average male testosterone levels since the 1980s. [48:40] The electromagnetic fields that surround us are a cause for concern. [55:0   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Keto Reset Diet Carnivore Scores Rood Ranking Dopamine Nation Dr. Doug McGuff The Overfat Pandemic The Hacking of the American Mind Butcher Box Shawn Askinosie Podcast (chocolate) Beauty Counter Melanie Avalon Podcast Estrogeneration   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The body is a powerful instrument, and we often forget about it.” Listeners get ready for a powerful, impactful, thought-provoking show with Dr. Anna Lambke, the author of the sensational best-selling book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. I love how this conversation flowed so easily and comfortably through a variety of topics, especially starting out by talking about athletes and how the nature of addiction can permeate even what seems to be the healthy, fit part of the population, and especially how we’re all now vulnerable to all manner of dopamine seeking/dopamine triggering temptations. This is because, as you’ll hear in this show, the world has transformed from a place of scarcity to “a place of overwhelming abundance.” From drugs to food to news to gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, and even tweeting, there has been a massive increase in the numbers, variety, and potency of highly rewarding stimuli—a staggering increase that Dr. Lembke finds extremely concerning and seriously harmful. She even refers to smartphones as, “Modern-day hypodermic needle[s], delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation.”  During this episode, I call attention to a quote from Dr. Lembke that could be the secret to leading a rich, meaningful, and fulfilling life. She’ll detail the idea in the show, but here you go to consider for now: The routine things you do in daily life can take on epic proportions, but it doesn't mean you have to get to the top of the mountain. This idea reminded me a lot of a famous Martin Luther King quote, one that you’ll hear me share during this episode: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”  You’ll hear about Dr. Lembke’s experience with patients that had extreme and shocking addictions and also realize that all of us, every day, are also in this highly vulnerable situation, thanks to the inexorable progress of society and technology to the point where everything is easy and we can get instant gratification all day long. You’ll also learn about the importance of achieving a neurochemical balance in your brain and how to stay out of that downward spiral into addiction from excessive dopamine seeking behavior. I highly encourage you to pick up her book Dopamine Nation—there are just so many great tips in there for whatever level you’re striving to improve as a person, and I love her recommendation for embarking on a detox process lasting at least 30 days and how that can be the secret to rebalancing your brain, and I think you will too.  Dr. Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, and the author of the best-selling book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.   TIMESTAMPS: The smartphone is today’s hypodermic needle delivering digital dopamine. [01:20] Should we allow ourselves to get excited about things? Are the highs and lows good for you? [05:20] Dopamine is triggered when we enumerate things rather than looking at the process. [09:24] After you win the gold, what is next? The consumption of sports even as a spectator is very much vulnerable to this problem of addiction. [11:37] The point is that we all have the same mental circuitry that gets us to instinctively approach pleasure and avoid pain. [15:00] How to we navigate that balance of existing in competitive, modern culture? [17:36] What’s amazing about our phone screens is that the screen itself is reinforcing. [23:27] It is hard to imagine the world we grew up in with no phones and internet when we look at what today’s youth are living with. [27:09] The routine things that you do in daily life can take on epic proportions, but it doesn't mean you have to get to the top of the mountain. [29:56] We need to convey the message to young people to not try to find the grandiose thing you need to do but, instead look at your life as it is and whatever hand you’ve been dealt, make a positive difference every day.  [32:24] We need to recognize that our vulnerability to primitive signals, is part of the solution. [36:10] We need to do intermittent fasting with our devices in order to narrow the window in which we are engaged. [39:46] We are constantly commandeered to keep connected. It starts with awareness. In this addictogenic world, how do unhook ourselves from video games, for example? [41:10] With repeated exposure to the reinforcing drug or behavior, the response gets weaker and shorter. To reset from the addiction, it seems that 30 days is the magic number. [46:03] The progression to addiction is exactly the same whether you’re dealing with a drug that you ingest or you’re dealing with a behavior like gambling or video games. [48:04] Are there genetic vulnerabilities with addictions? [49:50] How is radical honesty involved in this story? [52:14]   LINKS: Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence Weight of Gold, documentary The Hacking of the American Mind Dr. Anna Lembke   Join Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1 Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh Twitter: @bradleykearns YouTube: @BradKearns TikTok: @bradkearns   We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you! Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t promote anything he doesn’t absolutely love and use in daily life. Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement BeautyCounter: Complete line of cosmetics tested to be free of typical toxins and endocrine disruptors. Try Brad's favorite vitamin-C skin serum and make the switch away from toxic mainstream skin-care products!  Butcher Box: Convenient, affordable home delivery - free shipping! - of the highest quality meat, poultry, and seafood with customizable box design. Click here for special promotion.  Bala Enzyme: Electrolyte and triple enzyme recovery drink mix. BRAD30 for 30% off BiOptimizers: Top quality performance supplements like magnesium, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. BRAD10 for 10% off Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity Ultimate Morning Routine Online Course: Learn how to custom-design an energizing, focusing morning exercise routine. Enroll now for earlybird discount Check out Brad Kearns Favorites Page for great products and discounts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.