Episode #195: Can Coffee Really Make You Live Longer?

Here are your resources from Ben Greenfield’s presentation at the Ironman Medical Conference 2014 – enjoy! Book: “Beyond Training“ Article: “How Much Fat Can You Burn?” Parts 1 and 2 Article: “The Real Truth About What To Eat Before, During And After Your Workouts & Races.“ Article: “Fat Based Energy Gels“ Book: “Feed Zone Portables“ “Real food” powder for on the go: LivingFuel Meal Replacement Easy to digest fats: MCT / Coconut Oil / Bone Broth Easy to digest proteins: Master Amino Pattern Capsules / Thorne Amino Powder Easy to digest carbs: UCAN Superstarch / Infinit-E (use 50% discount code MSTBG09 at http://www.millenniumsport.net) Getting body into fat burning mode: X2Performance Pack of fats/proteins/carbs: Greenfield Fitness Systems Endurance Pack Pre-race meal: Upgraded Coffee Extra electrolytes: Real Good Aztecan sea salt Real food: Organic USWellness meats for pemmican, jerky, etc. Need more resources? Visit Greenfield Fitness Systems for instant access to everything Ben recommends!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Okt 20141h 1min

For two years, since nearly breaking the 4 hour mark in a Half-Ironman in Japan, I've had an "anchor". Not that heavy piece of metal you drop off the back of a boat. I'm talking about a mental anchor. Basically, it goes like this: when I'm in the middle of a race, I squeeze my thumb up against the inside of my hand, and this triggers my mind to shout this phrase "never gonna catch me". Then I seem to just take off like a shot. I'm totally not kidding. It shuts down the pain, let's me focus, and causes me to tap into a quick burst of hidden energy. I developed this anchor during something called a neurolingustic programming session (also known as "NLP") that I recorded for a podcast just a few days before that race in Japan, and I released the podcast a few days later. You can listen to it at "How To Rewire Your Brain and Body With Neurolinguistic Programming". But this simple programming technique still didn't tackle another important issue - the trouble that many athletes have getting to sleep at night before the big race. After all, no matter how well wired you are to perform fantastically, you'll be miserable if you feel like you've just pulled an all-nighter! So today I have good news: I've invited back on the podcast the guy who taught me that anchor and neurolinguistically "programmed" me. His name is Andy Murphy, and in this episode, he's going to teach us exactly how to get to sleep at night before a big race or event. During our podcast, you'll learn: -How to tap into your subconscious in a practical and easy-to-understand way... -How to instantly make your room more comfortable, even if it's a hotel room, tent or some other place you're not used to sleeping... -How to stop the "excitement" movie from playing in your head, and replace it with relaxation... -How to program your subconscious for deep sleep to feel calm and happy before your event... -And much more! Do you have questions, comments or feedback about how to get to sleep at night before a big race, or your own tips to share? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Okt 20141h 10min

In recent podcasts, I've talked a lot lately about alcohol, and what it does to the body, both good and bad. My friend James Swanwick, who wrote the article below and is the host of the Alpha Male Club podcast, has a very interesting take on alcohol. So in today's podcast, you're going to learn how quitting alcohol helped James lose 30 pounds of fat, make more money, attract better friends and lovers, and got him a job hosting SportsCenter on ESPN - and get a formula for reducing or quitting alcohol. You'll learn: -Why James quit alcohol... -What happens to your body when you stop drinking, physically and mentally... -The biggest challenges that happen when you stop or reduce drinking... -What to do when you’re at a party or bar if you're not going to order a drink... -If James turned to any other vices as a replacement... -Why James doesn't just use a “one glass of wine a day” approach... -And much more! ----------------------------------- "I am four years alcohol-free today. What started as a 30-day challenge, turned into a four-year lifestyle change. Friends often ask me about this so I figure I’ll quickly share my story, assuming others may be interested. I was never a big drinker. I’d enjoy a few quiet beers during the week. Most weekends I’d go a little harder and get a good “buzz”. On a handful of occasions over many years, I would say I got “drunk”. It was all good fun. There was no drinking to excess. I never had a drinking problem. But I awoke with a shocking hangover one morning four years ago at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas after a particularly fun night. I walked into an International House of Pancakes for a hangover breakfast. The IHOP menus have photos of the food you can choose – big, bright, bold colors. The sight of those scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes on the menu and big, fat, overweight people sitting at tables next to me made me ill. I decided then and there to see if I could go 30 days alcohol-free. It was simply a personal bet with myself to test my self-discipline. I didn’t plan to go more than 30 days. But I eventually would. The first two weeks were hard. I went out with friends and ordered water or diet coke and they’d give me a hard time. “You’re un-Australian!” they’d say to me. But I got through those two weeks and I was off to the races. I felt better, slept better and had much more mental clarity. After 30 days, I’d lost an incredible 13lbs (5.9kg) of fat around my stomach. Just from stopping drinking. I had more money in the bank balance, my skin looked considerably better and I actually enjoyed getting out of bed early morning to exercise. James (left) a few years before he quit drinking at 218lbs (98kg) and James (right), today, alcohol free, at 180lbs (82kg) So I said to myself, “Bugger it. I feel great. I’ll just keep going and see how far I can go.” Little did I know just how far I would go. After 60 days, I craved a cold beer. Or a red wine. Or a Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic with a dash of lime. When it was hot outside, I started dreaming, “I would smash an ice cold beer right now!” But I breathed deeply, downed a diet coke or water and the feeling passed. After three months, I felt terrific. I’d dropped a few more pounds of fat and was starting to put on some lean muscle in the gym. People were complimenting me on how good I looked. I also realized that despite not drinking, I was still managing to have wildly entertaining nights out – even with my drunken friends slurring their words around me. Conversations with women became much more interesting. When I told women I wasn’t drinking, far from them thinking I was an alcoholic in recovery, they actually told me they were impressed with my self-discipline. You don’t need alcohol to have a good time “Beautiful,” I thought. “I can stop drinking and still be fun, entertaining and attractive to women.” Guys were always suspicious of my story, though. They always thought I was a recovering alcoholic who “obviously” had a problem. I just smiled. Between three and six months I was in the zone. I felt energetic and healthy and I actually started to thrive on telling people I had temporarily stopped drinking. But many people – particularly guys – still challenged me. They called me a “Pussy!” Or said to me, “Just have one!” Or “An Aussie that doesn’t drink?!?! F$%k off!” I just laughed, pointed to my head and gave them my stock response, “I’m too strong in mind!” Some idiots even tried to secretly slip vodka into my soda. I had to make a point of always sniffing before drinking if they’d ordered for me. Six to 12 months was fairly easy to be honest. And this is where I noticed the most dramatic changes. I found that my relationships were considerably better – romantic and platonic. For example, I was constantly thinking about how I could help my friends rather than how they could help me. I was more inclined to help people generally and was more considerate. I was calmer and noticed I made better decisions. My work productivity soared. My business made more money. More opportunities – like an ESPN audition to host SportsCenter – came my way. When it did, I was clear in mind, energetic, and seized the opportunity. I ended up getting that gig and hosted SportsCenter for two years. I did, however, find I got tired at night time and went to sleep earlier. Listen, I could still burn the midnight oil until 5am during my sobriety. But I found I didn’t really want to. I felt like nothing that good really happened after 1am anyway. So I would party hard – alcohol-free – until 1am. Most people who just met me weren’t even ever aware I wasn’t drinking. I could still be the life of the party with nobody even knowing. Then I headed home to be asleep most Friday and Saturday nights by no later than 2am. James still James partying late - alcohol free I was up at 8am or 9am on weekends to hit the gym, showered, had breakfast and was ready to tackle the day by 11am when my mates were just dragging their lazy hungover backsides out of bed. When I reached the personal milestone of one year without drinking, I found myself back in Austin at South by Southwest. I went to a pub, ordered a Budweiser, and put it to my mouth. For James, no alcohol means more energy for exercise It smelled good. I had every intention of drinking that beer. But something stopped me from taking a sip. I paused and thought about it for a minute. I decided that all the pros of not drinking outnumbered the cons. So I said to myself, “I’ll just keep going.” So I did. I put the Budweiser down and haven’t picked up a drink since. March 12, 2014, is four years to the day since I gave myself that initial 30-day challenge. I’m 20lbs (9kg) lighter today than I was when I started on March 12, 2010. I’m 38lbs (17kg) lighter than when I was at my porkiest (See fat face photo above). Drinking definitely kept fat around my waist. Stopping drinking eliminated it. This is likely due to three main things: 1. Alcohol contains a lot of carbs 2. Drinking makes you eat a lot more food, especially bad food like fries and desserts 3. Quitting drinking gives you more energy which turns you into a fat-burning machine. I’m not for one moment suggesting you should quit drinking entirely like I did. Obviously, I am an extreme case. But my story clearly shows some of the positive benefits you can get if you do quit. Even just reducing your alcohol consumption by a few drinks a week, I believe only positive things can happen. If I have a drink today, no worries. I’ve accomplished my goal. But I just don’t feel like having a drink. In summary: PROS: I feel better, look better, work better, act better, am better, have more money, have better quality of friends, really enjoy a nice ice cold water, don’t miss alcohol, realize I CAN party like a rock star WITHOUT alcohol, friends who’ve known me a long time say I’m a considerably nicer and more agreeable person CONS: It is sometimes awkward explaining to new friends or business associates why you don’t drink. BUT…that initial awkwardness is mostly felt by THEM, not by you. And you can’t control how they feel. If you decide you want to give it a try, trust that the pros will likely outweigh the cons. Set yourself a 30-day-goal. Or a two or three-month goal. Test it. See how you feel. See if it works for you. Or go for a year. Or don’t do it at all. If you’re happy drinking, keep drinking! I love drinking! I love to drink a six-pack of beer and a bottle of red with the best of them. I’m sure I’ll do it again one day. But for now, I’m happy with water and soda and feel like I am the best version of me." Do you have questions, comments or feedback about the health of alcohol, quitting alcohol, reducing alcohol or anything else related to today's podcast? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com and either James or I will reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Okt 201439min

I've just returned from the 2014 Bulletproof Biohacking Conference, where I spoke on "5 Potent Biohacks For Beastlike Performance", tested the latest and greatest biohacking gear, and grabbed 13 educational and entertaining interviews for you with some of the best biohackers and biohacking tool companies on the planet. The slides for my presentation, along with each and all of these insider interviews are now available (along with our vault of over 300+ other secret BenGreenfieldFitness shows, interviews, videos and pdf's) over on the BenGreenfieldFitness Premium channel. Click here to go Premium for ten bucks a year (yeah, $10 for the entire year - you heard right), and listen in or download now! Here's what's included in the 2014 Bulletproof Biohacking Conference show (WARNING: some of these audios are funny, but also slightly edgy and inappropriate): 1) An "injectables" interview with the amazing Dr. Lo - who sings me a beautiful song as she injects a 100% legal recovery and performance cocktail into my butt cheek... 2) A interview about why not all electrostimulation is created equal, and how to use high and low frequencies to get different results... 3) A chat with Daniel Vitalis of Surthrival about whether elk antler velvet can really increase testosterone... 4) How to get an entire safe and EMF-free Pulsed Electromagnetic Field, light and sound, binaural beats room in your house for way less than you'd think... 5) A frank chat with the guy at Muse about whether it's actually safe for your brain to hook up EEG electrodes to your head... 6) How an ex-cop turned herbal chef of JingSlingers makes blue nootropic ice cream, and her exact recipe... 7) How to biohack sex and experience a 15 minute orgasm... 8) What happens when you combine compression with weight, attach it all to your body, then try to walk around... 9) How I felt when the most powerful therapeutical laser on the planet was pointed at my knee, and whether protective eyewear is really necessary when playing with devices like this... 10) A new wearable device that shocks you when you do things like check Facebook or search for kitten photos... 11) The pulsed electromagnetic coil that you wrap around a body part to instantly shut down pain and make bones heal faster... 12) The gaming and brain training system that you can control with your brain waves... 13) And finally, what it feels like to get oxygen infused with pure essential oils shot up your nose... Enjoy! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Okt 201447min

http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/295 Oct 1, 2014 Podcast: Ben's Ultimate Guide To Stretching, Should You Stop Taking Supplements Before A Blood Test, Can Coffee Raise Cholesterol, How To Reset Your Sleep Cycle, and an excerpt of "How To Fix Insomnia" from Chapter 10 of Ben Greenfield's Beyond Training book. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right, use the Contact button on the app, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or use the “Ask Ben” form... but be prepared to wait - we prioritize audio questions over text questions. ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: You can receive these News Flashes (and more) every single day, if you follow Ben on Twitter.com/BenGreenfield, Facebook.com/BGFitness and Google+. Good reason to use those cool little sunrise alarm clocks. Here’s a good reason to consider only having “red light waves” in your bedroom/master bathroom Lighting Science Awake & Alert bulbs Lighting Science Good Night Sleep bulbs Curious about this new PQQ supplement everybody is talking about? Here’s the synopsis. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Visit BenGreenfieldFitness.com/aded - to get Yuri Elkaim's new All Day Energy Diet cookbook for free (with recipes like hemp balls, natural gatorade and green cappuccino)! This week you get free videos all week long from Yuri, including "The Worn-Out Weight Gain Connection", "How to Kill Cravings" and "How to Make Healthy Eating Stick". October 8-13: Ben will be speaking at the Ironman Sports Medicine conference in October during Ironman Hawaii. He will be presenting on nutrition myths and alternative methods of fueling Ironman (and Brock will be there too). Go ask your burning Obstacle Racing questions at ObstacleDominator.com for the brand new Obstacle Dominator podcast. January 30th - 31st, 2015 - Talise Fitness and Jumeirah Emirates Towers, proudly invite you to take part in an exclusive two day seminar held by the renowned nutrition and fitness expert, best selling author, coach, speaker, ex-bodybuilder and Ironman triathlete, Ben Greenfield.  Grab this Official Ben Greenfield Fitness Gear package that comes with a tech shirt, a beanie and a water bottle. And of course, this week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - leave your review for a chance to win some!  ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, deciphered, edited and sometimes read by Brock Skywalker Armstrong, the Podcast Sidekick and Audio Ninja. Ben's Ultimate Guide To Stretching Brandon asks: He wants to know all about stretching. He hears that some people advocate fast stretching, with quick pulses for a neurological effect. Some like stretching for a long period of time to really get to the deep fascia. Which is best and when should you use them? In my response I recommend: -Stretching Your Boundaries – Flexibility Training for Extreme Calisthenic Strength Should You Stop Taking Supplements Before A Blood Test? Brayden asks: He wants to get a complete view of his naturally occurring blood nutrient levels. How long should he wait after he has stopped taking a supplement (Vitamin D) to get his blood tested? In my response I recommend: Can Coffee Raise Cholesterol? Nathan asks: He has heard that the cafestol content in brewed coffee can effect cholesterol levels in a negative fashion. Is there more in arabic vs. robusta beans? Is this issue limited by using a filter? Is this even an issue or is it just another symptom of people misunderstanding of cholesterol? In my response I recommend: How To Reset Your Sleep Cycle Will asks: He has always been a night owl and finds it hard to wake up early. He usually goes to bed at 2am and wakes up at 10am. When he is forced to wake up early he experiences muscle fatigue, absentmindedness, GI issues, and far from optimal functioning. He has tried going to bed early using all kinds of techniques and nothing helps. He just lays there in bed awake. This is an issue with ultra races. The first part of the race is terrible but the back half (when he would normally be awake) he picks up the pace and kills it. In my response I recommend: -Morning blue light box exposure -Evening red light and blue blocking glasses (see GreenfieldFitnessSystems for light solutions) -- This podcast finished with an excerpt of "How To Fix Insomnia" from Chapter 10 of Ben Greenfield's Beyond Training book, click here to go Premium and get access to each audio chapter as it is released! -- ----------------------------------------------------- -- And don't forget to go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/love!-- Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! Podcast music from 80s Fitness (Reso Remix) by KOAN Sound. Buy this track now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Okt 20141h 5min

I've got one problem with the whole "sitting is the new smoking" movement. There's a lack of practical solutions for how to fix what happens to your body when you sit, how to structure your workday to minimize the damage of sitting, and how to make your body bulletproof to the issues with sitting. So in today's podcast, I interview physical therapists Chad Walding and Brenda Walding, authors of the new book "The Sitting Solution: How To Save Your Spine, Body & Life." During the interview, Chad and Brenda discuss what happens to your body when you sit, why standing may not be the best solution, how to fix the issues that happen to your body when you sit, and the unique set of problems facing athletes who sit. Below is a sample screenshot from The Sitting Solution that shows how you could easily structure your workday using the techniques we talk about in this episode: This podcast is brought to you by Rebel Desk. At RebelDesk.com, you can use code “BEN” to get $40 off their Rebel Crank-Up desk and you can use code “GREENFIELD” to get $20 off the Rebel Chair that comes with their desk. Do you have questions, comments or feedback about how to stop sitting from killing you? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com, and be sure to check out The Sitting Solution!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Sep 201445min

A few months ago, we had an amazingly popular podcast episode with Steven Kotler, author of "Decoding The Science of Ultimate Human Performance". During that podcast, Steven mentioned another book he co-wrote with Peter Diamandis (famous founder of the X-Prize Foundation) called "Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think". Frankly, I thought this other book sounded like a bit of an airy-fairy, positive thinking, Everything Is Awesome (cue Lego movie soundtrack here) type of a book. But then, over the course of just one week, three more people recommended this book to me, including SEALFit commander Mark Divine. So I figured I should probably read it. And I did. Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think is based on a contrarian view that exponentially growing technologies and other powerful forces are conspiring to better the lives of billions on our planet, that the gap between the privileged few and hardscrabble majority is closing fast, and that this is drastically affecting human access to everything from water to food, energy, healthcare, education, and freedom. In today's podcast, you're going to learn why Steven believes that the future of health is better than you may think, and how you can help make all this a reality. During our discussion you'll learn: -What the pyramid of abundance is... -What Steven means about your stress levels when he says "if it bleeds, it leads"... -How you can grow enough food to feed 9 billion people using vertical farming, skyscrapers "growing food in water"... -Creative ways to get the world's population more protein... -Where "synthetic life" like algae come in for creating biofuel... -A special new kind of toilet that can power your house with your own feces... -How a Star-Trek like Tricorder and a Lab On A Chip would work... -Whether we can actually use genetics to stop obesity... -What the next steps are, and how can you can take action... Do you have questions, comments or feedback about the book "Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think"? Do you disagree with Steven? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24 Sep 201445min

A few weeks ago, my friend Yuri Elkaim (pictured above) published a book. Yuri is a bit of an outlier and renegade in the nutrition and health community. His mission is to empower everyday men and women with proper nutrition and health wisdom so they can take better control of their own health. He also holds High Honors degree in Physical Education and Health/Kinesiology from the University of Toronto, is a former professional soccer player, and for 7 seasons acted as the strength & conditioning/nutrition coach for the nationally ranked men's soccer program at the University of Toronto. Some refer to him as the "health whisperer" for being to get to the heart of what matters and produce amazing health, weight loss, and fitness results where there seemed little hope. I interview Yuri in today's podcast, and in this episode, we talk about protein digestibility, enzyme exhaustion, why most juicing recipes are no good, and much more. I must admit, Yuri's new book "The All Day Energy Diet" is not the kind of book I would not normally read. After all, Yuri - despite being an ex-professional soccer player - is bigtime into juicing, cleanses, detoxing - and I guarantee the guy eats far, far less steak than me... ...so I would *almost* classify him as a Whole Foods hippie. But his book is, frankly, brilliant. It covers dietary concepts that I haven't ever seen discussed in a book - concepts like: -adjusting your blood pH with the foods you eat... -how to test your adrenals without expensive lab tests... -which foods literally exhaust your digestive enzymes... -a new thing called the "PRAL" load of specific meals... -six myths about plant protein -how to choose the best kinds of coconut oil and butter... -and much more. I learned a ton from this book, and Yuri is a fellow athlete, a father, and a very smart dude, so I'm happy to tell you about his new book. Better yet, if you click here to get the book now, you get the following ten bonuses (easily worth way more than what you pay for the book of course)... 1. The All-Day Energy Diet Community Cookbook ($29 value) Features 67 energizing, gluten/sugar/soy/dairy-free recipes that takel ess than 15 minutes to make from some of the industry's leading experts and a few of our very own customers (including two recipes by yours truly). 2. 8 Energy-Boosting Desserts ($19 value) These yummy and healthy desserts will finally allow you to have your cake and eat it too, without the dangers of sugar, dairy, or gluten. 3. Food Labels Made Easy ($39 value) Chances are you will still have some packaged foods from time to time. This walkthrough video and workbook shows you how to understand those tricky food labels so you don’t get taken for a ride. 4. The All-Day Energy Diet Grocery Guide ($19 value) Get the complete list and quantities of foods you’ll need for The All-Day Energy Diet. 5. The All-Day Energy Diet Kitchen Makeover ($49 value) Watch Yuri show you around the kitchen and see what you should and should not include your “energized” fridge and pantry. 6. The Bodyweight Energy Workout ($29 value) Burn fat and get energized with this simple 20-minute follow-along bodyweight workout with Yuri. 7. Yoga for Energy ($29 value) 15-minute yoga routine to relax and rejuvenate your body. 8. The "Energy Sessions" audio series ($199 value) Features 5 audio interviews with Dr. Alan Christianson (endocrine), Mitchell Stevko (sleep), Ben Greenfield (fitness), Dr. Isaac Jones (cellular health), and Brendan Brazier (alkalinity). 9. 1-Hour "Getting Started" Group Coaching Call With Yuri ($99 value) 10. Lifetime Access To Yuri's Private Facebook "Social Support" Group (priceless) If you have questions, comments or feedback about the AJust click here to get the All Day Energy Diet with all the bonuses listed above, and leave your thoughts or questions at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Sep 201438min