Essentials: How to Increase Motivation & Drive

In this episode, my guest is Satchin Panda, PhD, professor and the director of the Regulatory Biology Laboratories at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. We discuss his lab’s discovery that “time-restricted eating” (TRE) aka intermittent fasting, is beneficial effects for metabolic health and longevity. Dr. Panda explains how TRE, and also longer fasts, can positively impact obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular health, age-related chronic diseases, and improve mood and cognitive performance. He also describes how the timing of eating, light exposure and exercise that ~50% of all people engage in, negatively impacts their health and explains how specific simple adjustments to these can positively shift their subjective feelings of health and biomarkers of cardiovascular function, glucose regulation and metabolism. We discuss how our circadian behaviors, which include our patterns of eating, sleeping and socializing, have an enormous impact on our biology, mood and health and how by simply confining our calorie consumption to a semi-regular daily window, can positively impact our physical health, mental health and longevity. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Satchin Panda (00:03:18) Sponsor: LMNT (00:07:24) Time-Restricted Eating (TRE), Calorie Restriction (CR) & Health (00:14:38) Mealtimes & Circadian Clock (00:21:34) Circadian Rhythm, Meal Anticipation, Digestion (00:25:28) Breaking a Fast, Burning Fat (00:28:45) Sponsor: AG1 (00:34:04) CR, Time Restricted Eating, Circadian Rhythm & Longevity (00:47:20) Gender, Hormones & CR; Relative Energy Deficient in Sports (REDS) (00:52:40) Physical Activity, Nutrition & Feeding Window (00:59:04) Nutrition Timing, Quality & Quantity; Low- Carbohydrate Diet (01:03:00) Caffeine, Nighttime Socialization, Fire, Breakfast (01:16:20) Circadian Rhythm, “Night Owls” & Genetics (01:26:37) Morning vs. Nighttime Discussions, “Me Time” (01:30:08) Light Sensitivity & “Night Owls”; Puberty, Melatonin (01:36:05) Shift Workers, Health & Disease (01:45:43) Artificial Lights, Young Adults & Sleep, Metabolic Dysfunction (01:50:59) Firefighters, Sleep & TRE; Cardiovascular Health, Blood Glucose (02:05:18) Shift Workers & Sleep; Alcohol & Caffeine (02:09:15) 12- Hour Feeding Window for Adults & Children, Sleep (02:22:10) Meal Timing (02:25:20) “Complete Fast”, Longer Fasts, Physical Health & Mental Health (02:28:12) “Fat Fasting”, Blood Glucose & Insulin (02:31:57) Fasting, Metformin, Rapamycin & Longevity; Human Applicability? (02:39:14) Circadian Rhythm & Metabolism (02:41:36) Ontime Health App, Circadian Clock App (02:46:17) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Mar 20232h 44min

In this episode, I discuss our body’s most vital and essential nutrient—water. I explain the structure of water and how it is used by the cells and tissues of our body, how much water we each need to drink and when in order to optimize our mental focus and physical performance; and I include how exercise, humidity, heat, and caffeine affect our hydration needs. I explain how temperature and pH influence water’s physical properties and if there is any scientific basis for drinking so-called “pH water” or “alkalized water” to improve health. I explain how to test your tap water for contaminants (e.g., endocrine disruptors) and the documented problems with fluoride in drinking water. I provide options for filtering drinking water and describe different water types (e.g., reverse osmosis, hydrogen-enriched, electrolyzed reduced, deuterium depleted, etc.). Since the human body is mostly water (55-80% depending on one’s age) and water has essential roles in health, disease and cellular function, everyone ought to benefit from understanding how best to clean our tap water, hydrate effectively and in some cases, adjust the type of water we drink to allow our brain and body to function optimally in regard to health and performance. For recommended water filters, tests and the full show notes, please visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Water (00:03:33) Tool Deliberate Cold Exposure, Immersion & Showers Mood & Fat Loss (00:15:42) Sponsor: LMNT (00:19:27) Water: Physical Properties & Chemistry (00:26:32) Bonds & Water Phases, “Structured Water” (00:32:38) Sponsor: AG1 (00:34:07) Body, Cells & Water (00:37:37) Water as a Solvent, Temperature & pH (00:41:49) Water Transport in Cells, Aquaporin Channels (00:49:46) Alkaline/pH Water; Temperature, pH & Water Transport (00:55:14) Water Cellular Function, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) & Antioxidants (01:02:38) Tool: Baseline Hydration (01:11:35) Tool: Hydration & Exercise, Galpin Equation (01:15:40) Tool: Hydration, Sauna, Humidity & Sweat; Thirst, Caffeine (01:19:15) Hydration; Cognitive & Physical Performance  (01:23:53) Tool: Water Filtration; Nighttime Urination (01:29:35) Tap Water Tests, Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs), Fluoride & Thyroid Health (01:37:18) Tool: Water Filters (01:44:18) Tool: Resting Tap Water & Sediment (01:48:13) Tool: “Hard Water”; Magnesium, Calcium & Cardiovascular Health (01:53:40) Water Temperature (01:56:42) Water Types: Distilled, Reverse Osmosis, Hydrogen-Enriched (02:03:26) Hydrogen-Enriched Water, Magnesium, Optimize Hydration (02:11:13) Tool: Molecular Hydrogen Tablets, Water pH (02:14:05) Structured Water (02:16:39) Tool: Water Pipes, Faucet Filter (02:19:42) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Mar 20232h 17min

In this episode, my guest is Oded Rechavi, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology at Tel Aviv University and expert in how genes are inherited, how experiences shape genes and remarkably, how some memories of experiences can be passed via genes to offspring. We discuss his research challenging long-held tenets of genetic inheritance and the relevance of those findings to understanding key biological and psychological processes including metabolism, stress and trauma. He describes the history of the scientific exploration of the “heritability of acquired traits” and how epigenetics and RNA biology can account for some of the passage of certain experience-based memories. He discusses the importance of model organisms in scientific research and describes his work on how stressors and memories can be passed through small RNA molecules to multiple generations of offspring in ways that meaningfully affect their behavior. Nature vs. nurture is a commonly debated theme; Dr. Rechavi’s work represents a fundamental shift in our understanding of that debate, as well as genetic inheritance, brain function and evolution. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Oded Rechavi (00:02:25) Sponsor: LMNT (00:06:04) DNA, RNA, Protein; Somatic vs. Germ Cells (00:14:36) Lamarckian Evolution, Inheritance of Acquired Traits (00:22:54) Paul Kammerer & Toad Morphology (00:25:16) Sponsor: AG1 (00:30:06) James McConnell & Memory Transfer (00:37:31) Weismann Barrier; Epigenetics  (00:45:13) Epigenetic Reprogramming; Imprinted Genes  (00:50:43) Nature vs. Nurture; Epigenetics & Offspring (00:59:06) Generational Epigenetic Inheritance  (01:10:20) Model Organisms, C. elegans (01:21:50) C. elegans & Inheritance of Acquired Traits, Small RNAs (01:26:02) RNA Interference, C. elegans & Virus Immunity (01:34:13) RNA Amplification, Multi-Generational Effects (01:38:41) Response Duration & Environment (01:47:50) Generational Memory Transmission, RNA (01:59:36) Germ Cells & Behavior; Body Cues (02:04:48) Transmission of Sexual Choice (02:11:22) Fertility & Human Disease; 3-Parent In Vitro Fertilization (IVF); RNA Testing (02:17:56) Deliberate Cold Exposure, Learning & Memory (02:29:26) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Feb 20232h 27min

Welcome to a preview of the fourth Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode, part of the Huberman Lab Premium subscription. The Huberman Lab Premium subscription was launched for two main reasons. First, it was launched in order to raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast channel — which will continue to come out every Monday at zero-cost. Second, it was launched as a means to raise funds for important scientific research. A significant portion of proceeds from the Huberman Lab Premium subscription will fund human research (not animal models) selected by Dr. Huberman, with a dollar-for-dollar match from the Tiny Foundation. Subscribe to Huberman Lab Premium at https://hubermanlab.com/premium Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:27) How to achieve consistent state of motivation? [Martin Zokov] In the full AMA episode, we discuss: Are there neurological benefits from different types of body work? Are goals necessary for the growth mindset and how to set the best short and long-term goals for creativity? Is anxiety useful? Can it be controlled? Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Feb 202323min

In this episode 6 of a 6-part series on fitness, exercise and performance with Andy Galpin, PhD, professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, he explains optimal nutrition, hydration and supplementation to achieve your fitness goals. We cover macronutrient guidelines, when to eat relative to training and training fasted versus fed. Dr. Galpin describes proper hydration for before and during exercise, how dehydration and/or low electrolyte concentrations impede physical and mental performance. He discusses what supplements work best for fitness and performance, how to decide which to take, if any, and when to take them. He also shares high-impact, lower-cost supplements and nutrition recommendations to benefit performance, recovery, and sleep. This episode also includes an audience Q&A. Overall, it is an in-depth but clear discussion of nutrition strategies and supplements that can help anyone improve their level of fitness physical and mental performance. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Levels: https://levels.link/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://www.insidetracker.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Nutrition & Supplementation (00:05:16) Creatine Supplementation, Muscle & Cognitive Function, Loading Phase (00:16:51) Sponsors: Levels, LMNT (00:20:31) Dehydration, Overhydration, Night Urination (00:35:37) Tool: Hydration, Caffeine & Electrolytes (00:41:22) Tool: Sweating, Salt & Performance (00:48:57) Sponsor: AG1 (00:49:49) Galpin Equation for Hydration & Exercise, Focus (00:55:28) Tool: 5 Steps to Optimize Hydration, Sipping Water, W.U.T. Status, Salt (01:10:58) Electrolytes, Carbohydrates & Exercise (01:15:44) Sponsor: InsideTracker (01:16:47) Training Fasted versus Fed, Caffeine, Carbohydrate Timing (01:25:13) Caffeine & Endurance (01:31:20) Citrulline, Beet Root Juice & Performance; Alpha-GPC & Focus, Nootropics (01:35:43) Rhodiola, Cortisol & Fatigue (01:39:55) Tool: Supplement Formulations (01:47:31) Supplements, Dependency & Root Cause; Foundational Behaviors (01:57:44) Acute vs. Chronic Effects, Supplements & Gut Microbiome (02:02:33) Tool: Sleep Environment, Absolute Rest (02:11:03) Tools: Sleep & Disturbances, Inositol (02:20:03) Tool: “Fitness Fatigue” Model, Taper, Anti-Inflammatory Supplements (02:26:33) Exercise Recovery: Curcumin, Omega 3s, Glutamine, Nutrition, Vitamins (02:39:27) Intermittent Fasting, Training & Keto Diets; GABA (02:43:39) Carbohydrate Loading; Amino Acid Supplements; “Anabolic Window” (02:47:23) Garlic; Tart Cherry Extract; Examine.com (02:51:50) Fitness Testing, Training Programs; Exercise Recovery (03:04:13) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Feb 20233h 5min

In this episode, I explain the biology of breathing (respiration), how it delivers oxygen and carbon dioxide to the cells and tissues of the body and how is best to breathe—nose versus mouth, fast versus slow, deliberately versus reflexively, etc., depending on your health and performance needs. I discuss the positive benefits of breathing properly for mood, to reduce psychological and physiological stress, to halt sleep apnea, and improve facial aesthetics and immune system function. I also compare what is known about the effects and effectiveness of different breathing techniques, including physiological sighs, box breathing and cyclic hyperventilation, “Wim Hof Method,” Prānāyāma yogic breathing and more. I also describe how to breath to optimize learning, memory and reaction time and I explain breathing at high altitudes, why “overbreathing” is bad, and how to breathe specifically to relieve cramps and hiccups. Breathwork practices are zero-cost and require minimal time yet provide a unique and powerful avenue to improve overall quality of life that is grounded in clear physiology. Anyone interesting in improving their mental and physical health or performance in any endeavor ought to benefit from the information and tools in this episode. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Breathing (00:05:57) Sponsor: LMNT (00:09:36) Respiration, Oxygen & Carbon Dioxide (00:18:18) Breathing Mechanics (00:26:30) Sponsor: AG1 (00:31:23) Chemistry of Breathing, Hyperventilation (00:40:35) High Altitudes, Oxygen & Breathing (00:47:16) Tool: Sleep Apnea, Nasal Breathing (00:51:50) Brain Centers & Breathing Rhythm (00:57:23) Brain, Hyperventilation & “Over-breathing” (01:03:53) What is Healthy Breathing? (01:09:44) Tool: Train Healthy Breathing, Carbon Dioxide Tolerance Test & Box Breathing (01:22:39) Tool: Breathwork & Stress Reduction; Cyclic Sighing (01:33:56) Tool: Physiological Sighing & Exercise Side Cramp (01:39:16) Breathing & Heart Rate Variability (01:46:21) Tool: How to Stop Hiccups (01:51:17) Tool: Stress Management & Cyclic Hyperventilation, “Wim Hof Method” (01:57:11) Deliberate Cold Exposure & Breathing (01:59:54) Tool: Inhales & Learning; Exhales & Movement (02:09:15) Mouth vs. Nasal Breathing, Aesthetics (02:16:19) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Feb 20232h 14min

In this episode 5 of a 6-part special series on fitness, exercise and performance with Andy Galpin, PhD, professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, he explains how to optimize post-training recovery and how to avoid overtraining in order to better achieve your fitness and exercise goals. He explains the cellular mechanisms of muscle soreness and pain, why adequate recovery is essential for all physical adaptations, and how to enhance recovery using breathwork, thermal, movement, and pressure-based techniques. He describes how overtraining impedes exercise progress and how to assess if you are overreaching or overtraining, by using specific biomarkers and indicators. Like other performance metrics, recovery is a skill that can and should be trained, and that can be learned. This episode provides an actionable toolkit for how to monitor and improve your exercise recovery abilities, which will improve your overall mental and physical health. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://www.insidetracker.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Recovery (00:04:17) Exercise & Delayed Muscle Soreness, Pain (00:11:35) Muscle Spindles, Reduce Soreness (00:18:56) Exercise, Homeostasis & Hormesis; Blood Test & Fitness Level (00:30:20) Recovery Timescales, Adaptation & Optimization (00:35:10) Adaptation & Biomarkers Levels (00:40:36) 4 Recovery Levels, Enhance Recovery (00:47:28) Sponsor: AG1 (00:48:19) Overreaching vs. Overtraining (00:52:53) Tool: Acute Overload & Recovery, Breathwork (01:03:39) Tool: Alleviate Acute Soreness, Compression Clothing (01:08:27) Tool: Acute Soreness, Massage, Temperature (01:14:21) Cold & Heat Contrast, Cold Shower vs. Immersion, Sauna & Fertility (01:20:44) Sponsor: InsideTracker (01:21:46) Combine Recovery Techniques (01:24:34) Monitoring for Overreaching & Overtraining (01:31:33) Overreaching/Overtraining, Performance & Physiology, Sleep (01:45:41) Overreaching/Overtraining, Biomarkers, Cortisol (01:50:45) Cortisol, Daily Levels & Performance; Rhodiola Supplementation (02:01:25) Carbohydrates, Cortisol & Sleep (02:05:05) Tool: Stress Biomarkers, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) (02:15:07) Tool: “Acute State Shifters”, Stimulants, Dopamine Stacking, Phones (02:25:04) Mirrors & Resistance Training (02:29:01) Tool: “Chronic State Shifters” (02:32:43) Training Recovery & Resilience; Bowling Alley Analogy (02:39:45) Trigger Adaptations & Stress Recovery  (02:42:41) Tool: Measure Recovery; Blood Biomarkers (02:50:06) Libido & Sex Hormones, Supplementation Caution (03:00:08) Tools: No-/Low-Cost Recovery Measurements (03:03:45) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Feb 20233h 5min

My guest this episode is Gina Poe, PhD, a professor in the department of integrative biology & physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). We discuss her research exploring how sleep impacts learning, memory, hormones and emotions. She discusses tools to enhance your quality of sleep, increase deep sleep, rapid eye movement sleep and growth hormone release-- a key hormone for health, immune function and vitality. Dr. Poe explains how a specific brain area, the locus coeruleus, facilitates the processing of emotions, helps relieve traumas and how to maximize locus coeruleus function. She also explains sleep’s vital role in opiate addiction recovery and how anyone can determine their optimal sleep timing and duration. This episode is rich with basic science information and zero-cost tools to enhance quality and effectiveness of sleep for sake of mental health, physical health and performance. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Gina Poe (00:02:52) Sponsor: LMNT (00:06:58) Sleep Phases, Perfect Night’s Sleep (00:10:32) Can You Oversleep? (00:14:50) Sleep Cycles, Sleep Spindles, “Falling” Asleep, Dreams & Memories (00:19:01) Tool: Growth Hormone Release & Sleep (00:22:05) Adolescence; Early Sleep, Alcohol & Sleep Spindles (00:24:55) Middle Sleep States & REM, Schema, Waking at Night (00:30:33) Deep Sleep, Dreams & Senses (00:33:22) Sponsor: AG1 (00:34:37) Later Sleep, Paralysis, Sleepwalking, Sleep Talking (00:36:47) Alarm Clock & Grogginess; Sleep Trackers, Brain & Sleep (00:43:19) Early Slow Wave Sleep & “Washout”, Normal Sleep Cycle & Night Owls (00:54:30) Locus Coeruleus, Learning & REM Sleep (01:01:46) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Locus Coeruleus & Sleep (01:07:31) Locus Coeruleus, Trauma & Sleep, Antidepressants, Norepinephrine (01:12:29) Locus Coeruleus, Bedtime & Novelty, Estrogen & Trauma (01:16:22)Sex Differences & Sleep (01:19:12) Tool: Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), Insomnia, Meditation, Prayer (01:27:42) Sleep Spindles, Learning & Creativity, P Waves & Dreaming (01:34:51) Lucid Dreams, Reoccurring Dreams, Trauma (01:44:11) Trauma Recovery, Locus Coeruleus & Norepinephrine, REM Sleep  (01:52:15) Opiates, Addiction, Relapse & Sleep (02:02:45) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Feb 20232h