The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, my no-holds barred conversation with Paul Chek delivers the goods on physical performance and what it takes to get into an optimal state–your optimal state. For over 30 years, he’s used a unique, integrated approach to treatment and education. He gets back to basics and formulates practical systems that work to help people help themselves get well.“We're as different on the inside as we are on the outside,” Paul says. “So, you have to take the responsibility to determine what actually works for you.”Note to Listeners: This is the first of a two-part show. It’s a focus on the physical body, with the metaphysical coming in part 2.He’s an expert in the fields of corrective and high-performance exercise kinesiology, stress management and holistic wellness. By treating the body as a whole system and finding the root cause of a problem, he says he’s been successful where other approaches have consistently failed. He tells it like it is.“I look at happiness, movement, quiet, and diet,” Paul says. “I get a holistic picture of their life because you can't reduce a living philosophy below those four factors.”He also challenges the meaning of biohacking and suggests we may want to “bioharmonize” instead. The discussion about tech vs. humans gets real.“Most people are so trapped in their head, they're like a kite with no tail, Paul says. “They've lost touch with the wisdom of the body. With the wisdom of the instincts. Most people are so trapped in their head that they don't even have access to intuition. I tell people, ‘look, your mind is like a garbage disposal.’ The mind chops the wholeness of everything into pieces so you can have a concept to work with, but intuition comes in lightning bolts.”Paul is a Certified Neuromuscular Therapist and Clinical Exercise Specialist (ACE) who’s studied with experts worldwide from many disciplines. He’s also an inventor who’d accrued three US patents for posture calibrating, hydrotherapy and equipment inventions, and has designed several pieces of functional exercise equipment. He’s released more than 50 videos, half a dozen books, several e-books, and nearly 20 advanced level home-study educational lessons.Enjoy the show! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Jul 202052min

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, stress takes center stage. All of us are experiencing stress to some degree. From small stressors like life’s petty annoyances to big stressors like a pandemic, financial uncertainty and unrest in our communities.Stress can embed itself in our bodies and minds, and really mess us up. That’s why I wanted to have Siim Land back on the show. He’s researched the science behind stress and how to hack it in his new book: Stronger By Stress: Adapt to Beneficial Stressors to Improve Your Health and Strengthen the Body.Siim is an author and speaker from Estonia who helps people improve their health and performance with biohacks. The first time he was on the show, we went all in on metabolic autophagy and intermittent fasting. I wanted to have him back on the show to talk about how to leverage stress adaptation for increased resilience and longevity. “You need some small amounts of stress for the body to adapt to it, and especially the mitochondria to also become stronger from the stress,” Siim says. “Mitohormesis describes that where the mitochondria are just adapting to distress in a hormetic dose, like too much is bad, but too little is also bad. So, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.”You can’t have physical stress adaptations without an accompanying mindset. “Mindset is the very foundational aspect to being able to adapt to stress,” Siim says. “Because if you create this fear around stress, like hysteria and panic about stress, then you're never going to do some of those things that may be beneficial for you as well. You need to have some small amount of discomfort in your life in order to maintain a beneficial hormetic adaptation.”You’re going to learn how to recognize stress, identify what it’s doing to your body and mind, and then apply skills to manage and adapt to it.Enjoy the show! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

28 Jul 20201h 2min

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, I’m talking with Kathy Smith, who has been at the forefront of the fitness industry for nearly 40 years. Her authenticity is a rarity in a business where trends come and go within a matter of months. She’s an innovative mover who embraces change and seeks adventure. Her insatiable curiosity feeds her energy and vibrant outlook.“It's a Buddhist philosophy of always looking at things with young eyes, fresh eyes, like you've never seen it before,” she says. “Where you get up and you're very present, you're very right now, you're very much like, ‘teach me something,’ as opposed to, ‘oh, I know that.’”She believes that staying strong is the key to staying young and progress–not perfection–is a balanced approach. “What's kept me in the game for all these years is that I have known when do you go hard and when do you back off and go gentle and do your yoga and your recovery and let your body heal,” Kathy says."Think about your fitness,” she continues, “it’s cardio, it’s strength and it’s stretching mind-body balance. So, those three things interestingly enough have not changed that much through the years. What's changed is how we approach that.”Kathy’s mastered fitness efficiency: prioritizing HIIT, hacking strength training with blood flow restriction, and experiencing the remarkable physical and mental benefits of nasal breathing. She’s also built a life and a lifelong business by connecting body and mind—and living that truth every day. She’s going to inspire you to do the same.“At one point, we all have to look at our lives and just see how we're living them,” Kathy says. “If you honestly don't have enough time to take care of yourself and put yourself on your to-do list at all, then maybe it's time to evaluate the life a little bit.” Enjoy the show! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Jul 202055min

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, we’re talking about muscle, protein and the benefits of meat with a doctor who focuses on Muscle-Centric-Medicine™. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is an osteopathic physician specializing in functional medicine. She says muscles function well beyond locomotion and aesthetics. “Muscle is the organ of longevity and your survivability is directly related to the quality of your muscle tissue,” she says. Dr. Lyon has made a career studying, training and optimizing muscle. She’s a former fitness model and nationally ranked fitness competitor. In her private practice in New York City, many of her patients are part of elite military special operations, such as Navy SEALS, Green Berets, Army Rangers and Canadian Assaulters.Her core Muscle-Centric-Medicine™ philosophy centers on muscle as an endocrine organ and how it determines the way in which we age, our body composition, obesity, and insulin resistance. As an endocrine organ, she explains, muscle is your “metabolic currency.”We talk about the Carnivore Diet, carbs, protein and fat ratios, and false plant-based narratives—and what those things mean for health and aging.“Veganism in and of itself is what, 100 years old?,” says Dr. Lyon. “We simply weren't designed to do that as it relates to muscle tissue, as it relates to aging, and it's just not how we are biologically designed.”“It's so interesting when you think about fat and you think about carbohydrates,” she says. “Some people will say fat is good for you. You've got other people that will say that it's not, and sugar. No one will argue that Twinkies are bad for you. But when it comes to dietary protein because it has a face, people make very emotional decisions and totally ignore the science.”Listen on to find out much more about why protein matters for your muscles and the state of your health. Enjoy the show! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

21 Jul 202051min

Cool Facts are back, baby!Thanks to everyone who let us know they wanted to keep getting quick hits of new human and world science! We’ve taken the Cool Facts out of the Bulletproof Radio podcast episodes and curated them into a short burst just for you. This fun compilation will publish one Friday a month.Here’s the current lineup for episode #1: If robots can experience pain themselves, they might understand human pain better, tooPeople who suffer from migraines have a hyper-excitable brain that influences the visual cortex.Time of day affects global brain fluctuations, especially in the brain's visual and somatosensory regions.Alzheimer’s may scramble metabolism’s connection to sleep.The discovery of X-rays by German-born Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895 upended science 125 years ago.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

17 Jul 202010min

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, my guest, Greg Wells, Ph.D., shares ways to fully rest your body and your mind. You’ve likely been under some measure of sustained stress pretty much the whole first half of 2020. It’s taken a toll on your physical and mental health. And maybe your financial and social health, too.Greg’s new book, “Rest, Refocus, Recharge: A Guide for Optimizing Your Life,” came out just a few months ago as lockdowns were getting underway across the world. So, our conversation about health and human performance, particularly under extreme conditions, is particularly relevant.He’s a scientist and physiologist who makes the science of human limits understandable and actionable. He became a physiologist because he broke his neck body surfing in the ocean at age 15 while at a swim team training camp. That sparked his interest in the human body and how it adapts. He made a full recovery and swam in University ultimately making it to the World Cup level. He’s also a travel and expedition adventurer who has journeyed through every imaginable terrain and conditions in over 50 countries around the world. Throughout all of his athletic endeavors and adventures, breathing was paramount. We explore the breathing techniques for different activities and situations, what science is learning about the breath-brain connection, and how to go beyond flow.“There's a medulla in the brain, which is where we control breathing,” Greg says. “It’s actually linked to the center of the brain that is also involved in stress regulation. If you take long, slow, deep breaths, you know that you can calm the body down. You can actually feel it. If anyone just takes three deep breaths right now, you're going to relax.”“The other end of that spectrum,” he continues, “is if you want to activate the nervous system, you can exhale really hard. That's why tennis players for example, scream and exhale when they hit the ball. That activates the nervous system and increases your stress and your explosiveness. In between those two extremes are all the other things that we can do with our breathing.”Greg offers simple and innovative ways that you can slow down. Whether you’re in a sport, doing a work project or spending time with your family, knowing how to breathe the right way at the right time is a true game-changer. You can also stop using a morning alarm and start using a bedtime alarm instead. Listen on to find out how! Enjoy the show! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

16 Jul 202058min

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, you’re going to learn a lot about your rest deficit. I’ve brought a guest on the show today to talk about ways you can get real with yourself about how you’re getting rest wrong. It’s not sleep. And it’s not simply stopping activity. What she had to say certainly gave me pause, and I think you’ll do the same.Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a board-certified internal medicine physician, work-life integration researcher, speaker, and best-selling author. She’s been the featured wellness expert for numerous media outlets including MSNBC, Dr. Oz, Fast Company, and Psychology Today. She joins me from the Birmingham, Alabama, area where she’s practiced clinical medicine for over 20 years. One thing that we haven’t been doing enough of during the coronavirus pandemic is resting. Not sleeping, but actual rest. Stress and anxiety have been high for months. In her book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, she describe seven types of rest that underlie how we show up in the world. All of them affect your performance in different and unexpected ways. Find out which one allows you to experience beauty, which one affects your authentic self and which one attacks your senses. “Rest really is about restorative activity,” Dr. Dalton-Smith says. “What are the restorative activities you do to help pour back into these seven areas to counteract the ways that you pour out within your day-to-day life.”As a teaser, I’ll let you know that you pay a steep price if you’re not getting one of the seven types – emotional rest.“The part of emotional rest that gets very difficult and that I tend to see a lot in professionals is when it gets to the level where it's affecting people to the point where they don't feel like their life has worth,” Dr. Dalton-Smith says. “So, we're seeing suicide and depression and those types of things when emotional rest gets to a climax. And the problem with that is, if no one knows that you are down or depressed or anxious, then intrinsically, you start feeling like something is wrong with the true me, that I can't really let people see who I really am. And that's a very toxic situation to be in and that kind of increases the risk of some of these greater levels of mental health diseases.”To see how well you may or may not be resting, take the Rest Quiz at https://ichoosemybestlife.com/quiz/rest-quiz-test/.Enjoy the show! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

14 Jul 202044min

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, Dan Brown, Ph.D., is back to discuss the essentials of attachment and ways to identify your sense of self. You’ll learn about one Attachment Project, two types of relationship dysfunction, three versions of insecure attachment, four types of attachment, and five great functions of attachment. As a special bonus, Dr. Brown also takes listeners through a guided self-visualization during the show.This is the second of a two-part series. Here’s the first in case you missed it: HOW EARLY CHILDHOOD ATTACHMENT SETS YOUR RELATIONSHIP PATTERNS – DANIEL P. BROWN, PH.D., WITH DAVE ASPREY – #718.Dr. Brown has spent nearly 40 years of his career at Harvard University Medical School where he’s an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology and teaches hypnotherapy. He’s also a Buddhist Meditation Master, and seamlessly blends Eastern and Western schools of thought. Attachment lays the foundation for your sense of self and that informs your future relationships. “Relationships are purposeful. We select unconsciously to play out the same old conflict over and over again rather than working it out,” says Dr. Brown.But you can change the pattern.Self-development “starts with self-definition, knowing who you are, knowing what qualities represent the best self,” Dr. Brown says. “Then the next thing is what's called self-agency. What makes you feel like you have an impact on the environment around you, the world around you, in general. And then more specifically, that you have an impact on relationships with others. You're actually eliciting the kind of responses you want in relationship with others. So that's called self-agency. And the third is self-esteem, feeling good about yourself.”This episode gives you helpful techniques and tools. You’ll also get tips on what to look for in a therapist and find out why it’s important to choose someone who will move beyond talk therapy.Enjoy the show! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/SPECIAL OFFER FOR BULLETPROOF RADIO LISTENERSYou can learn more about Dr. Daniel P. Brown’s teachings and your own attachment style with this special promotion. Save 20% off all online courses at http://www.attachmentproject.com/dave/. Enter code DAVE at checkout to save 20%. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

9 Jul 202046min