Menopause advice for women and men with Dr. Tara Allmen

In this episode, we meet Dr. Tara Allmen to get menopause advice and solutions presented in her book Menopause Confidential: A Doctor Reveals the Secrets to Thriving Through Midlife.

Every man needs a gynecologist for menopause advice

An accountant and a gynecologist have in common when meeting a man at a party, the question ‘what do you do for a living' is a conversation stopper.  It shouldn't be that way.  At least not when you meet a gynecologist.  There is a lot to learn what the women in your life are (or will) experience.  Menopause advice works for both women and men.

Sleep

The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can cause sleep disruption.  It is important for women to focus on getting the best quality sleep.  A few sleep tips provided by Dr. Allmen include:

• Go to bed at the same time each night.
• Avoid stimulants that will disrupt sleep such as heavy meals, alcohol, and caffeine.
• Cool, dark bedroom.
• Don't keep your phone by the bed.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Exercise regularly.

Colon cancer

Dr. Allmen decided to design her own colon cleansing approach and has been successful in coming up with a way that is a lot easier.  She's shared this approach with her patients and they've had great results in colon screening prep.  While not menopause advice, it is something we face in mid-life and you may find Dr. Allman's recipe for colon cleansing easy and effective.

Weight lifting

It is very important that women work to maintain muscle mass and bone density by lifting weights.

Links

DrAllmen.com

The menopause solution | Dr. Stephanie Faubion

The estrogen window | Mache Seibel

11 best bodyweight exercises

Today I will share my favorite bodyweight exercises.  I picked these exercises because they cover the most of the fitness modalities depending on how you use them.

Advantages of Bodyweight Exercises

1. They require no equipment.
2. You can do them practically anywhere.
3. Easy to scale to your fitness level.
4. Doing these can give you the confidence when you're ready step up to free weights.
5. Most are low injury risk.
6. Adaptable to hit multiple fitness modalities.

Precautions

• Always check with your doctor before starting an exercise program.
• Warm up completely before doing an exercise.
• Know how to perform good form.
• Keep good form during the exercise.

11 Best Bodyweight Exercises

Note: There is no sound in the bodyweight exercise videos to facilitate you watching the video while you listen to the podcast.

1. Bodyweight Squat

This is my favorite bodyweight exercise. It builds strength and mass in the thighs and butt. Hold on to something if you have issues with balance or squat depth. Add a jump to the end to add intensity and power.

2. Push Up

This works the chest and triceps. Start with your knees on the ground and progress to a full push up. Elevate your feet for intensity or add a clap at the top to work on power.

3. Sprints

Sprints are a great exercise to build metabolic capacity and endurance.  Sprints should go for 20 – 30 seconds.  Note: This was hard to demonstrate in my yard, but I hope you got the gist.

4. Hollow Hold

This is a great, low risk-high reward core exercise. Be sure to breathe during the hold. Go longer for more intensity or add a rocking motion, which would make it a hollow rock.

5. Bear Crawl

The bear crawl works your shoulders for strength and improves mobility in the hips (both great for us desk jockeys).

6. Burpee

Anyone that has done burpees, hates burpees. But they keep doing them because they work. A full body exercise that helps build endurance and strength.

7. Bicycle Crunch

This is another core exercise that allows you to work core strength more dynamically across multiple core areas (front and sides). The abs are a set of muscles, so hitting them from multiple directions helps keep them strong and balanced.

8. Carioka

One of the main reasons elderly people lose independence is from a fall that results in a broken hip. Many times the fall is to the side and they are unable to respond in time to stop it.  The carioka forces you to maintain balance as you move sideways.  It does provide some endurance benefits as well (especially when part of a circuit where you're already metabolically taxed).

9. Side Lunge

I like the side lunge because it is one of the few bodyweight exercises that isn't front or back.  Like the squat, it builds strength and muscle mass in your thighs and butt, but from a different angle.

10. Mountain Climber

This exercise builds strength in the chest, shoulders, and triceps and is metabolically challenging (endurance).  Be sure to work through the full range of motion.

11. Sampson Lunge

This is another good exercise to help with hip mobility as you build strength, in your legs this time.  Do this slow and controlled to get a really good hip stretch during each lunge.

As you can see, my dogs had as much fun with this as I did.  For the dog lovers, the German Shepard is Angel, the Chihuahua is Joe Joe, and the Lhasa Apso/Poodle mix is Baby. Of note, I did all of these exercises in a circuit and it was quite taxing. I could see doing three rounds of this, with a short rest between each round as being a great workout for even the most fit individuals.

Are there any bodyweight exercises I missed that you think should have made the list?  If so, let me know in the comments below. 

4 fitness modalities that matter

Uncommon exercises

 

Making the best medical decisions with Dr. Robert McNutt

Dr. Robert McNutt is a philosopher, a medical doctor, and a decision expert.  Making medical decisions is a series of tradeoffs of benefits and costs.  In his book, Your Health, Your Decisions, Dr. McNutt goes through these tradeoffs and provides an objective way to work with your doctor to get to the right medical decisions for yourself.

Shared Med Choice

 

 

11 best getting started on health and fitness tips

Sometimes the hardest part is getting started.  Once you going, you have some wins, some momentum that can keep you going.  In this episode, I'm going to share my tips for getting started on health and fitness tips.

Here are my best getting started on health and fitness tips:

1. Know your why – Before you get started on anything, you should consider why it matters.  Having a solid why will give you a strong, emotional driver to get you moving and keep you moving.  I changed my life because of my wife and kids.  I want to be there for them and the path I was on wasn't going in that direction.  I changed direction.
2. Know your vision – Having a vision of what health and fitness is important to make sure the things you do are aimed toward getting you healthier and more fit.  Your vision can change as you go, but it is important to know where you're going.
3. Set goals – Think of goals as milestones on your path to your vision.  These goals should be SMART goals.  I'm sure you know what smart goals are and if you don't, you can go to episode 93, where I went over how to use them.  I also developed a guide to help you do this.
4. Focus on what matters – If you want to drive to the grocery store, you aren't getting there efficiently if you drive to the movie theatre (unless the movie theatre is on the way to the grocery store).  You very likely have limited time in your day.  Don't waste time doing things that aren't getting toward your goal.
5. Have fun – Yes, some people can tough it out, but you're much more likely to show up if you enjoy what your doing.  Make it fun, or at least something that will make you better at something fun.  For example, I enjoy volleyball.  I do not enjoy box jumps.  But I know box jumps will make me a better volleyball player, so I do box jumps.
6. Be prepared – I leave my gym bag by the door, packed with my workout clothes.  That way, when I get out the door to work, I can't help but grab it.  I also pack my food for the day and carry that with me.  I'm less likely to go to the fast food place if I have plenty of good food with me at my desk or in the breakroom fridge.I also encourage people to do bulk cooking and pack up servings for the rest of the week.  This makes it quick and easy to have a good, healthy meal in the evening when your willpower is weaker.
7. Schedule it – Scheduling your workouts is a great strategy for getting started.  Put an appointment on your calendar with an alarm.  This appointment is with your boss (you).  At work would you miss an appointment with your boss?  Nope?  Don't miss this one either.
8. Go Slow – Often, people will go all out when they first start.  If you overdo it, you are more likely to want to quit.  DOMS is one of the main reasons people drop out after their first workout or two.
9. Be good for yourself – In the podcast episode, “Is your inner voice a nice person?” I explained why it is important to be good to yourself.  This is even more important when you're first getting started.
10. Share it with friends – Friends do a few things for us when it comes to health and fitness.  For one, they can hold us accountable.  Second, they can make it much more fun to workout and cook good food (see #6).
11. Hire a trainer – A trainer, like a friend can help keep you accountable.  One of the best benefits of working with a trainer is that you'll get results faster.  Just make sure you find a trainer that suits you.  I made up a quick and easy guide to help you select the right trainer.If you'd like to learn more about working with me, you can go to Forever Fitness Personal Training.

We are 100! Best of the past.

Paleo for thyroid health with Elle Russ

In her book, The Paleo Thyroid Solution, Elle Russ details how paleo should be the core of your thyroid health management.  Elle Russ is a writer, actor, life/health coach, and the host of The Primal Blueprint Podcast.  She works with Mark Sisson (Mark's Daily Apple) to educate people on the benefits of paleo/primal lifestyle.

Thyroid Problem Solving Principles

• Do your own research
• Follow your gut
• Take copious notes
• Track vitals
• Seek a doctor's help
• Don't rely solely on your doctor
• Adopt a paleo/primal lifestyle

As a patient dealing with thyroid issues, it is incumbent that you partner with your doctor to manage your health.  This requires you to educate yourself.  You'll then need to maintain a journal to understand how the medicine, food, sleep and other lifestyle choices are affecting your thyroid.  As a responsible patient, you can work with your doctor to do the best for you.  If your doctor doesn't feel like a partner, find a doctor that will work with you to get the right approach for you.

Paleo Thyroid Solution Principles

• Eat plants, animals, fish and fat.
• Eliminate grains, beans and legumes.
• Limit dairy and potatoes to very occasional consumption (unless you're an athlete).
• Stay under 150 total carbohydrates per day.
• Consume probiotics.
• Get adequate sleep.
• Manage stress.
• Stick with low-intensity exercise between 55% and 75% of your maximum heart rate.
• Do a fifteen-minute sprint session every seven to ten days, but only if your hyperthyroid symptoms are gone, and you have the adrenal strength to support a sprint session.
• Supplement to optimize health.
• Only eat when you're hungry.

Paleo/primal are lifestyles, not just diets.  They look at how our ancestors likely lived and push us to model our lives after them.  Our ancestors ate whole foods, not frozen pizza.  They didn't eat nearly the amount of sugar and carbs we eat now. Movement was a big part of our ancestors lives, but not the chronic go go go we identify as exercise today.

Links:

Exasperated and desperate, Elle took control of her own health and resolved two severe bouts of hypothyroidism on her own – including an acute Reverse T3 problem. Through a devoted paleo/primal lifestyle, intensive personal experimentation, and a radically modified approach to thyroid hormone replacement therapy…Elle went from fat, foggy, and fatigued – to fit, focused, and full of life!  You can learn more about Elle at elleruss.com.

PALEO THYROID SOLUTION FREE PODCAST LINKS BELOW

Dr. Gary E. Foresman on Paleo Thyroid Solution – http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-131-dr-gary-e-foresman-md/#more-1413

CARA HAUN – Paleo Thyroid Solution Success Story – http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-130-cara-haun/#more-1408

SHER SMITH – Paleo Thyroid Solution Success Story – http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-129-sher-smith/#more-1402

TAYLOR COLLINS – EPIC – http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-123-taylor-collins/#more-1366

GABRIELLE REECE – http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-84-gabrielle-reece/#more-1066

ABEL JAMES – http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-107-abel-james/#more-1270

 

How to shop for good food

Crack the obesity code

Not a born runner but that can change with Pete Magill

Even if you're not a born runner, you'll get something special from Pete Magill, the author of Born Again Runner. As an overworked script writer, Pete found himself in the hospital when he collapsed one evening. The alcohol, drugs and smoking were killing him. He turned to running as a way to fix himself.

It wasn't all success, but he stuck with it and is not a world-class runner for his age group. In Born Again Runner, he lays out a way for you to see your version of success as a runner.

The 12 born again runner principles

1. The past is the past –  While you may have failed in the past, that is the past.
2. Walk before you run – You may not be able to run at first, but if you will gradually progress, your body will adapt.  Your nervous system adapts faster than your muscles.  You need to let all the systems adapt before you progress.
3. Keep it simple – It doesn't have to be a special day to start.  No need to make it an event, just find a safe, flat, location where you're not far from the start.
4. Shirt, shorts, shoes – No need to go out and buy a lot of expensive things.  There will be plenty of time to pick up equipment as you need it.
5. Train with the body you have – You come in your own shape, size, gender, and fitness background.  You'll need to discover a running style and program that works for you.  We are all an experiment of one.
6. It’s recovery stupid – We only get fit when we're recovering from the work we've done.  The cliche, “No pain, no gain” is wrong.
7. The only opinion that matters is your own – Don't let other people discourage you from training.  Not being a born runner doesn't mean you shouldn't go for it.
8. No rain checks unless it's raining – There are going to be days we don't want to run or can't run.  Don't run on days when it isn't good to run (excessive heat, when you're injured, or a can't miss event), but don't miss because you just don't feel like it.  It is too easy to make missing a habit and you risk losing your fitness gains.  Have a contingency plan.
9. Dieting can wait (and so can everything else) – It is already hard enough to build fitness and get proper recovery.  This is not a time to restrict your food.  Focus on one goal at a time.
10. Slower is faster – You many not be a born runner, but it is critical that you keep your ego in check.  Build slowly.  The fastest way to be a good runner is to go slowly.
11. It’s gotta be fun – If you don't enjoy your running, you won't keep doing it.  Find a friend or group to train with.  Find online runners forums to connect with other runners.
12. Know you’ll succeed – This is the most important principle.  While you may not be a born runner, you will succeed.  You know you have a plan.  You know you're doing the right things to stay injury free.  You expect to change your body through training and recovery.

Most runners will experience injuries at some time.  Pete has organized preventive exercises for each of the common running-related injuries.  An injury will keep you from running, which will impede your progress.  Avoiding injuries should always be top of mind before, during and after your runs.

Born Again Runner Links

Bornagainrunner.com

Pete Magill

The tao of running | Gary Dudney

Pathways of Qi | Matthew Sweigart

In his book, The Pathways of Qi, Matthew Sweigart has provided a deep dive into the eastern concept of Qi.  He has a very good approach to this.  This book is a very good way to become familiar with this practice.

Qi is a concept that comes from China.  It is the movement of life energy and the way it moves into the human system.  It is in alignment with the western phrase “flow.”  Matthew learned the power of Qi when he was able to fix a weak and injured ankle through a simple reflection on who, not what, was causing his pain.

The twelve regular meridians/pathways of qi.

1. Lung Line
2. Large Intestine Line
3. Stomach Line
4. Spleen Pancreas Line
5. Heart Line
6. Small Intestine Line
7. Bladder Line
8. Kidney Line
9. Pericardium Line
10. Triple Warmer Line
11. Gall Bladder Line

The three layers of health

1. Reflexive Layer – relates to body's ability to respond to the world around it.
2. Conditioned Layer – relates to our learned/trained behaviors.
3. Constitutional Layer – relates to the inherent gifts we inherited.

Any tips on finding a good practitioner

You'll typically find a qualified Qi practitioner at any disciplined martial arts studio.  Matthew also teaches Qi Gong

 

Links

matthewsweigart.com

Heart Mind Body Work