Archives for 2020

A Lesson in Adventure Hacking: Step Toward Your Fear – Jill Heinerth – #663

January 28, 2020 by Dave Asprey

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, my guest explores the underwater world as one of the greatest cave divers on the planet. She is considered this generation’s Jacques Cousteau. Canadian Jill Heinerth has gone into places in the world where no one had gone before.

“The adventure seeker, the novelty seeker, the sensation seeker isn’t necessarily risky in that foolish sort of way,” Jill says. “We’re not adrenaline seekers necessarily. It doesn’t mean we’re dangerous. It doesn’t mean were death-wish kind of thing. It just means we’re out and interested in stimulation, learning, curiosity, and new things.”

She’s dived deeper into caves than any woman in history and set a women’s world record for deep cave penetration. She became the first person to dive the ice caves of Antarctica, going further into an underwater cave system than any woman ever.

“When I do choose to take risks, I’m very, very careful about assessing risks, trying to prevent as many things that could go wrong, pre-visualizing what could happen underwater, and then ensuring that I have the right training, the right personnel, the right equipment, and redundancy with me, so that I can handle that worst case possible scenario,” Jill says.

She’s completed more than 7,500 dives in her career so far and says, “We are capable of so much more than we could possibly imagine.”

Considered a legend in the diving community, she’s spent more than three decades in submerged caves around the world partnering with National Geographic, NOAA, and various educational institutions and television networks worldwide. She’s also a writer and award-winning photographer and filmmaker who takes a keen interest in the health of our Earth’s oceans.

In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the inaugural Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration. Established by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2013, the medal recognizes singular achievements and the pursuit of excellence by an outstanding Canadian explorer. She also is the first Explorer in Residence for the society.

Jill says cave diving is “one of the most dangerous, yet exhilarating, pursuits in the world.” In our conversation, we talk about her adventures underwater and how her survival depends on how she balances risk, fear and the right amount of breathing.

“I’m scared all the time,” Jill says, “because I think being scared means that I care about the outcome.”

Enjoy the show!

Follow Along with the Transcript

A Lesson in Adventure Hacking- Step Toward Your Fear – Jill Heinerth – #663

Links/Resources

Website: intotheplanet.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jillheinerth
Twitter: twitter.com/jillheinerth
Instagram: instagram.com/jillheinerth
YouTube: hyoutube.com/user/JillHeinerth
Vimeo: vimeo.com/jillheinerth
Into The Planet Podcast: intotheplanet.com/podcast/

Key Notes

Why Jill got interested in cave diving 00:04:15
Jill is a hacker, at heart 00:06:00
How do you face life or death situations? 00:07:45
There are a lot of people who fear everything 00:09:45
The importance of learning how to be calm (or not scared) 00:11:55
Overprotection is a problem, especially with kids 00:18:30
How to let go of fear so it doesn’t become trauma 00:21:00
The DRD4-7R or “Wanderlust” gene and how it makes us seek adventures 00:24:00
Jill’s most intense underwater experience 00:25:25
“People think I am fearless, I am not!” 00:30:00
Communicating while underwater 00:31:00
Was it harder being a woman starting out in cave diving? 00:39:00
An example of misogyny in Jill’s life 00:40:30
Has diving changed your biology? 00:43:00
What are the “bends?” 00:47:45
How Jill fuels herself for cold water dives (hint: keto and breathing) 00:51:20
Using a re-breather instead of a tank 00:54:00
We are capable of so much more than we can imagine 01:00:50
Are the oceans recoverable? 01:02:00

Go check out my new book “Super Human: The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever“ and also “Game Changers“, “Headstrong” and “The Bulletproof Diet” on Amazon and consider leaving a review!

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a 5-star rating and a creative review.

Red Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), aka the Winter Blues

January 28, 2020 by Dave Asprey

It gets pitch dark by 5:30 pm in January and February, and that has millions of Americans feeling the winter blues, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Shorter days with less natural light makes it harder to stay healthy, physically and mentally. Certain wavelengths of light have an effect on the immune system, support a healthy inflammation response, and send signals to your circadian rhythm, or your body’s internal clock, and without those wavelengths, you can start to feel off.

Natural light treatments can improve your sleep and energy levels. In this post, I’ll talk about red light therapy as a way to add more natural light to dark winter days, when seasonal mood disorders are most common.

I’ll also share some of the initial peer-reviewed, published research on red light therapy and mental health. Finally, I’ll explain how sleep, depression, and natural light are interconnected. Sleep disorders are very common among people struggling with mental health. Our circadian rhythm influences almost every aspect of our body, including our brain and mood.

How Does Red Light Therapy Work?

Natural light treatments supercharge the mitochondria in your cells and produce a chemical reaction, so your body can max out its adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy production. That’s the fuel we all run on every day, and making more ATP energy is great for physical performance, healing and recovery, and restful sleep. Emerging evidence shows that red light therapy can improve depression treatments as well.

Wavelengths of natural red and near-infrared (NIR) light (in the range of 630-670nm and 810-880nm, respectively) also help improve your cellular environment, by reducing oxidative stress and improve circulation during the cellular respiration process. Red light therapy is also a totally natural treatment, without any common side effects. It’s really just giving your body and cells more natural light, just like you’d get from the sun (but without the UV rays or heat). That makes red light therapy a safe, easy way to add natural light to your life and experience the health benefits in the winter.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression with a seasonal pattern. Usually, the darker, colder fall and winter months are when people are most affected, but some people experience seasonal depression in the spring and summer as well.

Millions of people are affected by SAD every year, including at least 5% of adults in the United States.[ref url=”https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/seasonal-affective-disorder”] Even if you don’t have a diagnosis of depression, lack of access to natural light can be a big hurdle to optimal mental and physical health.

Light Treatment Options for Seasonal Depression

You’ve probably heard about “SAD lamps” that mimic the sun with bright, artificial light. These can really brighten a dark space and make it seem like there’s more natural light in your day, but ultimately this is still a hefty dose of blue light, which can throw off your circadian rhythm and cause fatigue and even damage to your delicate eye structures.

With a red light therapy device like the Joovv, you can get more real, natural light in your own home, even when it gets dark before the workday ends. With a quality device, you can get a full day’s worth of natural light in just 10-15 minutes, no matter what the weather is like. Because red light therapy is so easy to use and low to no risk, red light therapy is likely to become a mainstream seasonal depression treatment in the coming years. Forward-thinking physicians agree and are already using natural light to treat depression.

Dr. Marc Schoen of UCLA Medical School has 25+ years of experience treating mental health disorders. Dr. Schoen said, “In tandem with psychotherapy, using red light therapy appears to catapult patients out of an acute depressive state faster than any other modality.”

Dr. Schoen has also observed that red and near-infrared light therapy improves anxiety and compulsive symptoms as well.

Latest Research on Red Light Therapy and Depression

In 2018, a team of mental health researchers conducted the Elated 2-pilot Trial.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30346890″] This groundbreaking study tested the effects of “transcranial near-infrared light therapy,” which is natural light that’s shined on a person’s head. People with depression responded extremely well to eight weeks of natural light treatments. These are the major findings of the trial:

Antidepressant properties with natural light. Researchers found that red light therapy applied directly to patients’ heads demonstrated antidepressant properties in patients with major depressive disorder.
Safe and easy to use. Natural light treatments were well tolerated by patients, with no serious side effects or negative reactions.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30346890″]

Red Light Therapy, Sleep, and Depression

Sleep is a big topic of conversation, because it’s so fundamental to our health and function, and because nearly everyone has had trouble sleeping at one time or another. In, Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life, Dave writes, “sleep quality drives happiness, and as we’ve seen, happiness drives success.” To be your best, good sleep is essential.

It’s no surprise that depression and poor sleep are such a familiar combination. Specifically, insomnia and other major sleep disturbances very commonly affect people with major depression.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181883/”] Clinical studies have shown the same data: the vast majority of people who struggle with mood disorders also have significant disruptions in their circadian rhythms and sleep/wake cycle.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725187/”]

The director of Duke University’s Pediatric Neurology Sleep Medicine Program, Dr. Sujay Kansagra, puts it this way: “Depression and sleep are well-known to affect one another,” he explains. “Insomnia is a common complaint amongst those experiencing depression. Similarly, having an underlying sleep disorder or chronic sleep deprivation can make you more prone to mood dysfunction.”

Restful Sleep with Red Light Therapy

One the most noticeable benefits people report from red light therapy sessions is a great night’s sleep. Red light therapy has also been found to work wonders for the treatment of sleep disorders.

Artificial light comes with risk, especially the insanely bright blue lights that shine out of your TVs, tablets, and anything with a screen. Excess blue light can throw off your circadian rhythm and give you sleep problems. Wearing blue blockers like TrueDark glasses when using bright devices and when in buildings that use a lot of fluorescent lighting can mitigate some of the effects of the more harmful blue wavelengths.

Red light therapy is natural light with a much lower color temperature than blue light. Where blue light upsets your circadian rhythm and can make it harder to sleep, natural red and near-infrared light helps adjust and reset your sleep cycle.

Melatonin plays a big role in our natural sleep cycle too. Some people swear by taking melatonin supplements, which work well. Red light therapy has been shown to naturally increase melatonin in studies too. It’s always a good idea to give your body the raw material and the conditions to produce what you need. Natural light treatments are a great reset to your sleep situation.

The Future of Red Light Therapy and Depression

More studies on red light therapy and mental health will be out in the coming years, and the early signs are positive. Because red light therapy is safe and natural, there isn’t much risk of trying it for seasonal light problems. Even if you just have a natural light deficiency (many Americans do), adding 10-15 minutes of red light therapy per day can kickstart your energy production and have a wide range of health benefits, like sleep and performance.

You can expect major strides in the link between red light and depression as more interesting research comes out, similar to the Elated-2 trial on mental health and natural light. In the meantime, look into red light therapy to ensure your body gets all the natural light it needs to make energy, stay healthy, and wake up refreshed in the morning.

The Simplicity of Tiny Habits Will Change Your Life – BJ Fogg, Ph.D. – #662

January 23, 2020 by Dave Asprey

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, my guest is someone who has cracked the code on a fundamental part of how human behavior works when it comes to forming new habits.

Behavior scientist BJ Fogg, Ph.D., founded the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University and is considered the leading scientific authority on habits.

“It really is surprising to people how quickly you can form habits,” BJ says, “and there are certain habits that have this transformative impact on you.” There’s one habit in particular, called the Maui habit, that he suggests for absolutely everyone. Keep listening to find out how to do it!

His behavior model is easy to learn and easy to apply to everyday life… and doesn’t include willpower. “The thing that wires a habit in is not repetition,” BJ says, “it’s the emotion you feel when you do the behavior.” He explains that behavior happens when three elements come together at the same moment: motivation, ability, and a prompt.

This is going to be the episode that sets you on the path to creating habits that last. Why? Because BJ will introduce you to the science behind forming “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything ” and give you the tools you need to hack your own behavior.

“The book does two things at once,” BJ says. “It defines what behavior design is and gives the models and methods of behavior design. Then more specifically, it walks people through step-by-step tiny habits so people can create habits quickly and easily.”

Enjoy the show!

Photo credit: Stephanie Weldy

Follow Along with the Transcript

The Simplicity of Tiny Habits Will Change Your Life – BJ Fogg, Ph.D. – #662

Links/Resources

Website: https://www.bjfogg.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BJFogg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bjfogg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bjfogg/
Book : Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything
Fogg Behavior Model: https://www.behaviormodel.org

Key Notes

- - What three elements form behavior 00:04:00
  - How to use triggers to form habits 00:07:20
  - What is a “meanwhile” habit? 00:07:40
  - Do this one habit every day 00:09:10
  - What is behaviour design? 00:10:30
  - Everything that works is super simple 00:12:20
  - Is behavior design another word for consciousness 00:14:50
  - How do you identify a good habit? 00:20:30
  - BMAP explained 00:24:00
  - What wires a habit? 00:25:40
  - How celebrations help form habits 00:28:50
  - Actions can hardwire a habit 00:35:00
  - Does ability play a part in forming a habit? 00:36:50
  - Do habits have to happen every day? 00:44:50
  - What role does pain and shame play in habit formation? 00:46:30
  - Daily habits are important 00:51:00

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a 5-star rating and a creative review.

How Adult Stem Cells Can Help Stop Pain and Reverse Aging

January 22, 2020 by Dave Asprey

I’m so excited to share one of my latest and greatest biohacking experiments: using stem cells to become younger and stronger. For years, using stem cells for chronic pain, recovery from injury, or even skin tone and texture was thought of as science fiction, a treatment reserved for the ultra-rich, or worse – a controversy. Today, these therapies are widely available and have worked wonders for my family and me.

“What stem cells do is go in and communicate with other cells,” says Matt Cook, one of the most cutting-edge regenerative medicine doctors in the world, in a recent Bulletproof Radio (iTunes) podcast episode.

Here’s an example of how stem cells work: They might migrate to your knee and notice that there’s a bunch of inflammation in the knee and then they’ll migrate into the tissues. That’s where the magic happens.

“They might call a fibroblast to help make a tendon, or they might call in another cell, or, if there’s no fibroblast available, they might turn themselves into one,” says Cook.

Here you’re going to learn about what people are really doing with stem cells, what’s real, what’s not, and where to go if you want to do it. As you know, I am a guinea pig and professional biohacker, so I like to try things before I recommend them.

The anti-aging benefits of stem cell therapy

I’ve had stem cells injected pretty much all over my body in multiple countries – so now you don’t have to! In fact, I’m the second person ever to have stem cells injected into my brain for preventative reasons. (The first was the doctor who did my procedure!)

The human body’s ability to heal on its own is impressive. With a little help from stem cell therapy, it goes from impressive to almost unbelievable. And it’s not just about healing injuries – reversing aging is all about healing and recovering from stress and strain like a young person. Healing is core to resilience. Extracting your own stem cells and then injecting them with intention can upgrade your biology in science fiction-esque ways.

Stem cells for medical issues

Stem cells can return sight to blind people[ref url=”http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/15535.php”] and hearing to deaf rodents.[ref url=”https://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v11/n3/full/nm1193.html”] They repair connective tissue, helping with everything from spinal injury to a torn Achilles tendon.[ref url=”https://josr-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13018-017-0534-y”] They may be able to regrow lost teeth.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21361847″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25408878″] They’ve restored the brains of patients that suffered strokes, months after the stroke happened[ref url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/health-11763681″]. But there are risks – people have actually lost their vision, and using stem cells that aren’t from your body can cause weird things to happen in rare instances. Like teeth growing somewhere in your body where they don’t belong.

Stem cells to make you younger

Even if you don’t have any medical issues, stem cell therapy offers a lot. It curbs aging by keeping your skin collagen and elastin-rich. It makes your joints stronger and more pliable. It can even increase (ahem…) length and girth.

For the first time, stem cell therapy is becoming legally available to the general public, although it’s in a gray zone. I’ve had a full-body treatment done. Actually, several. And I injected them into my brain three times and plan to do it twice a year until I’m at least 180. Stem cell therapy is one of the biggest things I’ve found that really moves the needle when it comes to anti-aging. (Pun intended.)

Here are my thoughts, along with what you need to know about stem cell therapy.

What is a stem cell?

Stem cells are the play dough of the human body. They’re ready to be shaped into any kind of tissue the body needs. Depending on the type you use, stem cells can turn into muscles, bones, joints, and even brain cells. Or yes, boy parts. Or girl parts, if you’re so equipped. (My wife Dr. Lana did that procedure, and the results are amazing!)

Stem cells in their own are helpful, but they work better when you pair them with growth factors to guide them in the body. Growth factors are like guard rails: they keep the stem cells on the road until they reach their destination.

Stem cell therapy involves pulling stem cells from one part of your body, mixing them with growth factor from your blood, bone marrow, or other sources, and injecting them into another part.

If going to a doctor isn’t in your budget, you can stimulate stem cells and growth factors on your own with a few lifestyle hacks. In fact, most of the practices in The Bulletproof Diet and Head Strong improve stem cells, in part because mitochondria (the power plants of your cells and the main topic in my books) heavily influence your stem cells.

More on that in a moment. First, let’s talk about how to use stem cells.

What kinds of stem cells should you use?

When I did my stem cell therapy, I used mesenchymal stem cells. They’re in every joint in your body, working to keep your connective tissue strong.

Over time, normal wear and tear can break down your joints, especially if you put them under a lot of stress. Mesenchymal stem cells release proteins that curb inflammation, keeping your joints strong. They also signal for repair, bringing in nutrients that fix damage. Stem cells can also turn into the type of tissue your body needs, replacing tissue entirely.

As you age, stem cell production drops. Your body often can’t keep up with repair, especially if you injure yourself. I’m doing fine, but I wanted to boost my stem cells before any real problems came up. I worked with Dr. Harry Adelson (hear him on Bulletproof Radio here) to get treatments all over.

Some anecdotal benefits of stem cell therapy:

Smoother skin. So many friends have started asking me what I do for my skin because of the obvious changes. Stem cells are a big part of it. (So is eating Bulletproof Collagen, and using Alitura skin care.)

Flexibility. I was able to get into yoga poses that I’ve never achieved, even though I am way out of practice.

Range of motion. My wife, Dr. Lana, fell out of a 30-foot tree as a kid and landed on her shoulder, freezing it her entire adult life. Acupuncture, chiropractor visits, adjustments – none of them improved things in any measurable way. Stem cell therapy opened up her shoulder’s range of motion dramatically. In three days.

No pain. Every injury site I have has enjoyed a stem cell treatment, and I don’t have chronic pain. (Unless I eat inflammatory stuff, in which case I deserve it.)
Cognitive results? It’s hard to say what the stem cells did or didn’t do, given that I’m doing the Bulletproof nootropics, new Head Strong techniques, 40 Years of Zen neurofeedback, and light therapy. Basically, I’m all in when it comes to my brain and stem cells are a part of that. It’s working better than ever!
Man and lady parts. You can get up to 20% more length and girth from the P-shot (stem cell injections into your bits), no kidding. But you have to use a medical grade pump for 30 days after the procedure to create micro-tears in the corpus cavernosum so the stem cells cause them to heal. But pumping takes like 40 minutes a day, which wasn’t really worth it to me. But still, “more youthfulness” is something that happened. 🙂 When Dr. Lana had stem cells into injected into her vaginal walls and clitoris in a procedure called the O-shot, it also lived up to its name. Without getting too graphic (she’d hit me), let’s just say that those parts are waaaay more youthful too. She recommends it to all her friends and to many of her fertility coaching clients after childbirth.
Heart health. A family member had a heart valve problem that was life threatening and required surgery to repair. Six weeks after getting intravenous stem cells, the problem spontaneously resolved to the astonishment of his heart doctor. Surgery canceled!
Longer life. For Christmas, I got my parents stem cell treatments so they will be around longer. Both experienced a reduction in pain and increased healing.

How is stem cell therapy done?

Stem cell banking

When you get your stem cells extracted, it requires either liposuction for fat stem cells, or bone marrow, or both. But those are painful procedures so some doctors will allow you to send your stem cells to a facility that amplifies the stem cells and stores them for later use. Do this if you can afford it. This is a legal gray zone (the FDA says that if they are amplified they’re a drug, yet many physicians will offer it outside the U.S.) The reason you want to do this is that if you are ever injured, say with a traumatic brain injury or any major trauma your stem cells could save your life. The younger you are when you get your stem cells banked, the better off you are, because stem cells are more effective when you’re younger.

I was fortunate to be able to get my stem cells legally banked, so I have them available for regular use!

Where to get your stem cells done

If you’re looking into stem cell therapy, you’ll likely find doctors in two camps. Doctors extract stem cells from either bone marrow or fat.

Bone marrow: Stem cells from bone marrow are better studied, so there’s a good amount of data suggesting good results. They work for almost everyone…but you’re only getting tens of thousands of stem cells from bone marrow.
Fat: Stem cells from fat are newer. There’s less research on them and results are less consistent (about 30% of people don’t seem to respond to fat-derived stem cells). However, you get millions of stem cells from fat and those who do see results see significantly better healing.

I worked with Dr. Harry Adelson at Docere Clinics because he’s a pioneer. He uses both kinds of stem cells – bone marrow and fat – because he finds patients get the best of both worlds: the consistency of bone marrow-derived cells and the more impressive healing of fat-derived cells. I’ve also worked with Kristen Comella and Dr. Robyn Benson, both of whom I’d recommend.

Lifestyle hacks for stronger stem cells

If you don’t want to go all-in with stem cell therapy, here are a few other ways to activate your stem cells.

Sleep. A Stanford study found that sleep deprivation decreased stem cell activity in mice by about 50%.[ref url=”http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/sleep-deprivation-affects-stem-cells-reducing-transplant-efficiency.html”] How long you sleep is less important than the quality of your sleep.
Stress. Decreased stress makes your stem cells better at repairing DNA damage, which slows down your aging[ref url=”https://www.dkfz.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/2015/dkfz-pm-15-08-A-good-nights-sleep-keeps-your-stem-cells-young.php”] and makes you more resilient to injury. Destress with this biohacker’s guide to meditation, or use these six ways to manage stress.
Fasting. Going without food for a few hours boosts stem cell activity by about 20% in both mice[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22314686″][ref url=”http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/abstract/S1934-5909(12)00167-1 “] and humans.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21850193”] Try Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting to get the benefits of fasting without the hunger.
Cut out sugar. Decreasing sugar makes adult stem cells live longer and run better.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21054932″] Increasing sugar actively destroys stem cells.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20380516″] Stick to a low-carb diet like the Bulletproof Diet to supercharge your stem cells.
Spirulina. Mice fed spirulina for 28 days grew new stem cells, and the ones they had were more resilient to stress.[ref url=”http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0010496″] No studies in people yet, but Spirulina could keep your stem cells thriving and has other benefits as well.
Colostrum. Colostrum is what many baby mammals eat the first few days of their lives. Bovine (cow) colostrum contains dozens of unusual compounds, including a number of growth factors that stimulate stem cell production.[ref url=”https://benthamopen.com/ABSTRACT/TONUTRAJ-6-35″]

Want a more in-depth look at stem cells from some of the world’s experts? Check out these episodes of Bulletproof Radio:

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Just Give a Fork: Eat the Freakin’ Pasta – Mareya Ibrahim – #661

January 21, 2020 by Dave Asprey

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, my guest is a TV chef, holistic nutritionist, and award-winning entrepreneur and inventor with more than 25 years of experience in the food industry. Mareya Ibrahim hosts the popular Facebook Live show “The Real Dish” and the “Recipes for Your Best Life” podcast. She also founded Grow Green Industries and co-invented the patented eatCleaner line of products.

She believes in food flexibility while still focusing on a core system that works, “where you’re exercising your metabolism, you’re flexing your taste buds, you’re exploring a variety of different macronutrients and having fun with food,” she says.

Mareya and I talk about her new book, “Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive,” the nuances of clean eating, and why grains aren’t always the enemy.

“At the end of the day, I think what’s really important is that we focus on the quality of the food that we’re getting and that we eat with intention,” Mareya says.

Enjoy the show!

Follow Along with the Transcript

Just Give a Fork- Eat the Freakin’ Pasta – Mareya Ibrahim – #661

Links/Resources

Website: mareyaibrahim.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MareyaIbrahim
Instagram: instagram.com/mareya.ibrahim/

Website: eatcleaner.com
Facebook: facebook.com/EatCleaner
Twitter: twitter.com/eatcleanerfood
Instagram: instagram.com/eatcleaner
Pinterest: pinterest.com/eatcleaner
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCMY6yAftu1TZL-zhBL-uwhA
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/eat-cleaner-and-grow-green-industries

Key Notes

What does it mean to “eat clean?” 00:04:00
Is it enough to know what a food is? 00:06:00
How 90/10 works for Mareya 00:08:00
Taking away the mystique of food and alcohol 00:11:00
How do you learn where to draw the line with food? 00:14:00
“We don’t exercise our tastebuds” 00:15:10
How to eliminate food cravings 00:18:35
Focus on the quality of food 00:24:30
The effect of being an immigrant on food mindset 00:27:45
What the word nourish means and how to achieve it 00:34:20
What is a super grain? 00:38:00
Preparation matters too 00:42:00
Find the vegetables that work for you 00:48:30
Writing down how you feel after you eat is so important 00:50:05
Why should people pay attention to washing their produce? 00:54:45
Don’t buy bagged veggies 01:04:00

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at daveasprey.com/apple and leave us a 5-star rating and a creative review.

Stronger at 68: 7 Marathons in 7 Days – Robert Hamilton Owens – #660

January 16, 2020 by Dave Asprey

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, my guest defies aging by pushing the limits of his own endurance as an athlete and adventurer well into his sixth decade. After a 20-year hiatus from competitive fitness, Robert Hamilton Owens took it up again at age 50. By age 65, he felt ready to take on five of the world’s toughest endurance events. IN. ONE. YEAR.

He competed in an 8-day race over 200 miles across Greece; a combination run/ocean swim event lasting more than nine hours; an Ironman Triathlon; seven marathons in seven days on seven continents; and a 50-hour challenge modeled after a Navy SEAL-style Hell Week.

Yet, Robert says; “I’m an average guy. And what I learned in this process was that if an average person will continue to do the right things and persevere, they’ll do far more than they think they can ever do.”

In our conversation, we talk training styles, grit, toughness, and what it takes to find your “why” and keep going. That includes being vulnerable and asking for help.

“Most people will hit a natural mental ceiling,” Robert says. “Your mind is geared to protect you. You think thoughts to protect you, you don’t want to be hurt. And yet to get to the places you want to go, you’re going to have to go through pain; mental pain, emotional pain, relational pain, financial pain, situational pain. And you don’t want pain. None of us do. But the only way to grow is to embrace that pain.”

Enjoy the show!

Follow Along with the Transcript

Stronger at 68- 7 Marathons in 7 Days – Robert Hamilton Owens – #660

Links/Resources

Website: roberthamiltonowens.com
Book: roberthamiltonowens.com/author

Key Notes

Why did Robert return to endurance racing after turning 50? 00:05:50
The difference between styles of Army training 00:10:30
Is the Air Force training deficient or is it appropriate? 00:14:10
How to build a tough young person 00:18:35
Having a “why” is important 00:19:00
The first step is vulnerability 00:22:00
Most people are happy to help and mentor 00:29:10
How Robert trained for his marathons 00:30:25
Mental resilience is a skill and a craft that you can learn 00:38:40
Why Robert needs to be alone during a race 00:39:40
Why Robert wrote his book 00:41:00
How to find your inner strength 00:43:20
The Spartan culture was pretty “screwed up” 00:47:40
How Robert made his 90-year-old father stronger 00:49:20
“You’re at the best place in your life at 60” 00:54:20
“I want to be a good boomer” 00:57:50
Dave demonstrates his Gen-X-ness 01:00:10
Robert wants to live long but not be lonely 01:03:20

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How Does Red Light Therapy Work?

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Light Treatment Options for Seasonal Depression

Latest Research on Red Light Therapy and Depression

Red Light Therapy, Sleep, and Depression

Restful Sleep with Red Light Therapy

The Future of Red Light Therapy and Depression

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The anti-aging benefits of stem cell therapy

Stem cells for medical issues

Stem cells to make you younger

What is a stem cell?

What kinds of stem cells should you use?

Some anecdotal benefits of stem cell therapy:

How is stem cell therapy done?

Stem cell banking

Where to get your stem cells done

Lifestyle hacks for stronger stem cells

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Get on “The Inside Track” with Dave

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