Fire Within Nutrition and Fitness

Was I wrong about MIKE MENTZER?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 04:00:00 -0500

**Episode Summary:**
In this episode of The Fire Within Podcast, hosts Brandon and Joe dive into the world of high-intensity training as pioneered by Mike Mentzer. They discuss their personal experiences with Mentzer's unique training approach, focusing on the intensity and frequency of workouts. The episode covers a range of topics, from the science behind Mentzer's methods to practical tips on implementing this style of training.

**Key Points Discussed:**

1. **Introduction to Mike Mentzer's Training Philosophy:**
- Exploration of Mentzer's high-intensity training principles, including limited frequency and maximum intensity.
- Discussion of the hosts' recent experiences with Mentzer's two-day split workout regime.

2. **Deep Dive into Mentzer's Workout Techniques:**
- Detailed analysis of specific exercises, such as leg extensions and leg presses, following Mentzer's approach.
- Emphasis on the importance of tempo, with a focus on the 4-2-4 cadence for each repetition.

3. **Personal Reflections and Results:**
- Brandon and Joe share their personal transformations and results after following Mentzer's workout regime.
- Insights into how the training impacted their physical appearance, particularly in muscle growth and definition.

4. **Challenges and Adaptations:**
- Discussion about adapting to the low-frequency, high-intensity workout regime.
- Mention of the mental challenges involved in switching from traditional training methods to Mentzer's approach.

5. **Nutritional Adjustments and Cravings:**
- Conversation about changes in diet and increased appetite due to the intense nature of the workouts.
- Personal anecdotes about cravings and dietary adjustments to support muscle growth.

6. **Closing Thoughts:**
- Reflection on the potential long-term implementation of Mentzer's workout method.
- Consideration of the approach's suitability for different types of fitness enthusiasts.

**Conclusion:**
The episode concludes with the hosts acknowledging the unconventional nature of Mike Mentzer's high-intensity training method while highlighting its effectiveness in muscle building. They plan to continue exploring and reporting on this training approach in future episodes.

Deep Dive on Cold Plunges

Brandon Woolley — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 09:49:58 -0400

Fire Within Nutrition and Fitness Podcast Show Notes

Introduction
- Hosts: Brandon and Joe
- Discussion on health, fitness, and nutrition.

Cold Plunges
- Trending health topic seen across various social media platforms.
- Brandon has tried it, but Joe has not.

Guest Introduction
- Corbett, host of "The Orange Hammer Podcast" which focuses on construction and homeownership.

Corbett's Craftsmanship
- Praise for Corbett’s home projects and renovations.
- Discussion on the pallet wall, the process, and the challenges faced.
- Introduction to the “pallet popper tool” for pallet work.

Corbett’s Health & Fitness Journey
- Overweight since childhood.
- The emphasis on self-motivation and doing health and fitness "for oneself".
- Experience with a health and fitness "sleep-away" camp as a teenager.
- The camp’s regimen: Focus on low-fat meals, walking targets (15,000 steps a day), and weekly excursions like whitewater rafting, mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking.
- Comparisons with "Heavyweights," a movie with a similar setting.

Parental Influence
- The challenges parents face in encouraging their children to adopt healthier lifestyles.
- Corbett’s own experience: Parents encouraging but never forcing.

Closing Remarks
- Reflections on the overall experience and the positive takeaways, like quality gear and adventures.

*Note: The podcast contains candid discussions and may touch on sensitive subjects.*

The Mentzer Method

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Introduction
- Brandon and Joe discuss a three-part Netflix series featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- The series covers Arnold’s life in three phases: Strength, Movies, and Politics.

Main Points
- Arnold Schwarzenegger Series Breakdown
- Part 1: Strength – How Arnold built his physique and became a bodybuilding icon.
- Part 2: Movies – Arnold’s transition from bodybuilder to Hollywood superstar.
- Part 3: Politics – Arnold's venture into politics, addressing the possibility of a Presidential run.
Mike Mentzer & Heavy Duty Training System
- Known for four 30-minute workouts a week.
- Focus on high-intensity training until absolute muscle failure.
- Advocated for the science of overcompensation, where muscles grow during recovery.
- Emphasized the importance of individualization in workout routines.
Benefits of the Mentzer Method
- Brief, intense workouts help prevent overtraining.
- Reduced risk of repetitive use injuries.
- System suitable for those with tight schedules.
- Promotes maximum muscle growth.
- Training less frequently allows for better recovery.
Caveats
- The method requires prior training experience and perfect form.
- Recovery is more than just rest; it requires sleep, proper nutrition, and hydration.
- Mentzer took steroids, which were legal at the time, to support his training.

Conclusion
- Joe and Brandon emphasize tailoring workouts to individual needs and goals.
- The Mentzer method is effective for those looking to build muscle quickly but may not suit everyone.
- The overarching message is to listen to one's body and prioritize recovery.
- Wrapping up with humor, they joke about the need to watch the Arnold series on Netflix.

Sponsors
- (Jokingly) Snickers

References
- Arnold Schwarzenegger's Netflix series
- Mike Mentzer’s training method
- Jennifer Garner's training approach for "Alias"
- Chris Benoit's unfortunate end

Recommendations
- Prioritize sleep and recovery for muscle growth.
- Experiment with the Mentzer method if you have a solid foundation in weight training.
- Always prioritize safety and form during workouts.
- Consider the longevity and sustainability of your training approach.

Micro-farms - Sustainable living in your backyard?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Introduction:
- Hosts: Brandon and Joe
- Discussion about the new podcast studio
Guest Introduction:
- Guests: Gabriel and Tia from Half a Barn Farm
- Overview: Living on a 1.7-acre micro farm and promoting self-sufficiency.
About Half a Barn Farm:
- Location: 4313 Mitchell Mill Road, Wake Forest, North Carolina
- Services:
  - Teaching people how to grow and raise their food.
  - Offering farm tours and classes.
  - Addressing the lack of micro-farms in the area, especially in Raleigh.
Microfarming Discussion:
- Comparison of microbreweries and micro-farms.
- Challenges of farming on just 1.7 acres versus traditional farming on 50+ acres.
- Overview of classes and education, building, and actual farming.
Services Highlight:
- Providing prefab raised beds.
- Assistance with raising chickens and bunnies.
- Not just for buying products but to learn and be inspired to self-sustain.
Benefits of Raised Garden Beds:
- The solution to soil problems and promoting sustainable gardening.
- Differences between permaculture and raised bed gardening.
- Raised beds offer micro-climates ideal for specific growth, prevent erosion, and are cost-effective.
- Advantages over traditional tilling and avoiding soil degradation.
- No fabric barrier between the bed and natural soil to promote natural environment growth.
The Gardening Journey:
- Discussing the challenges and investment of starting a garden.
- Gabriel and Tia's background: Started in Maine on a 0.28-acre property, faced challenges, and learned over time.
- Importance of guidance in gardening, similar to starting a training or nutrition program.
Closing Thoughts:
- Trial and error in gardening, the importance of experience and guidance.
- Helping others to avoid costly mistakes like spending too much on unsuccessful gardening attempts.

Find out more at halfabarnfarm.com

Journey of Generosity: Aubhro's Cross-America Motorbike Mission

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 08:59:36 -0400

This episode of The Fire Within Podcast, hosted by Brandon Woolley, brings the inspiring story of Aubhro, a motorcycle enthusiast, YouTuber, and fitness advocate embarking on a cross-country ride.

Brandon, his co-host Joe Woolworth, and their special guest, Aubhro. Aubhro shared his upcoming plans for a 7,500+ mile motorcycle ride, which is 8,000 miles, coast to coast, in 18 days.

Brandon asked Aubhro about his health journey. Aubhro opened up about the wake-up call he received when a routine blood test showed his health numbers were all over the place. This revelation led him to take charge of his health and nutrition and turned to Brandon for assistance.

Aubhro also discussed the challenges of maintaining a healthy diet while on the road. Aubhro often resorts to fast food rather than sit-down meals as someone who spends considerable time on his motorcycle. Brandon offered helpful strategies to make healthier choices at fast food joints, which Aubhro found beneficial.

Aubhro is also a YouTuber running a channel called "Bhroman Braapsody," @bhroman, where he shares his love for motorcycles and cars. He collaborates with local dealerships and gets the chance to try out a new vehicle each week. This arrangement allows him to live his dream while providing great exposure for the dealerships. Aubhro discussed his favorite bikes and shared his experiences with different models.

His journey helped to raise significant funds for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and is a testament to the power of giving back and combining passion with a purpose.

Key Points:

[00:08:05] Aubhro's previous coast-to-coast charity ride for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
[00:08:56] The charity raised over $12,000 last year, surpassing its $10,000 goal.
[00:09:15] Aubhro plans to repeat the journey this year, collaborating with the foundation again.
[00:09:27] BMW supported his trip by lending him the R 18 Transcontinental for the ride.
[00:09:39] The ride consisted of 18 days of varying conditions, from extreme heat and humidity to heavy rain and cold.
[00:10:35] Experiences of the landscape and weather changes across the states, from Colorado's scenic views to Nevada's blistering heat.
[00:11:14] Details on Aubhro's road trip routine, including no camping and stopping wherever necessary for the night.
[00:12:19] Staying entertained on the bike through the thrill of riding and listening to high-energy music.
[00:13:33] The importance of staying hydrated during the ride, particularly during the hotter states.
[00:14:40] Physical discomforts experienced during the ride, particularly butt and hamstring soreness.
[00:15:24] Challenges with inconsiderate drivers on the road.

Resources Mentioned:

Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation: www.curethekids.org
Ride for Kids: www.rideforkids.org
Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BhromanBraap

DONATE to the Coast to Coast 2.0 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation / Ride for the Kids, and help Aubhro reach his $20,000 goal

Level 6 with Emmitt Terrell - Eat the Cup

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Emmitt is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Former Division-1 FCS football player, entrepreneur and personal trainer. He holds a degree from Cornell University, where he was a member of the varsity football team and in his time there he was a 3-year starter and 2-Time Wall of Honor Athlete!

Discussing individualized nutrition:
- Different approaches for different people
- Understanding individual needs and readiness for change
- Slower changes to build lifestyle tools
- Some principles apply to everyone, but many factors are individual
Information overload in nutrition and fitness
- Misinformation and conflicting advice
- In our youth we used to be dogmatic, but now more flexible in our approach
Starting clients with small, manageable changes
- Comprehensive intake, but not changing everything at once
- Example: Switch from sweet tea to unsweet tea or half-and-half at Bojangles
- Different people need different paces for change

Learn more about L6 Training on the Level 6 Training website or Follow Emmitt on instagram

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of the Fire Within Podcast is brought to you by the Fire Within Health Transformation Course. Learn the sustainable way to approach food, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. The yo-yo diets stop here. Buy the course today or take the free assessment.

Feng Shui as a health modality with Robin Berning

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 04:00:00 -0500

Certified Classical Feng Shui Consultant / Certified Life Coach at Living Your Bliss by Robin Berning
This episode's guest is Robin, a classical Fung Shui consultant, spiritual life coach, and Reiki master teacher.
Fung Shui is a health modality that uses energy work to create balance in mind, body, and spirit.
Fung Shui is often mistaken for interior decorating, but it is more detailed than that and can affect aspects of life such as career, love life, finances, and relationships.
The Bagua is a map used in Fung Shui to determine which parts of a person's life are being supported or hindered by energy flow in their home.
The goal of Fung Shui is to create a space where energy flows smoothly, like water, without obstacles or blockages.
Symmetry can be important in Fung Shui if the goal is to attract a partner or create balance, but ultimately what feels right to the individual is the most critical factor.
Fung Shui can be used to make minor adjustments to a space that can have a significant impact on how it feels and affects the people in it.
Fung Shui can be a form of energy work that helps create balance and improve overall well-being.

Learn more about Robin Berning on her website https://livingyourbliss.net

Episode Sponsor:

The wild world of applied kinesiology

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 04:00:00 -0500

In this episode:

Today, we're diving into the world of Applied Kinesiology, a system of evaluating the strength and weakness of muscles in the body to determine the root cause of health problems.
We talk with Dr. Rodney McBride DC, and define Applied Kinesiology and explain its origins. We'll discuss how it's different from other forms of muscle testing, and how it's used in the healthcare field.
We explore how practitioners use Applied Kinesiology to diagnose and treat various health issues. We'll discuss the various techniques used in muscle testing and how they can provide insight into imbalances in the body.
We discuss the many benefits of using Applied Kinesiology in health and wellness.
We also explore how it can help identify underlying health problems and support the body's natural healing processes. We'll also discuss how it can be used in conjunction with other forms of therapy, such as nutrition and exercise.
Applied Kinesiology offers a unique approach to understanding the body and identifying imbalances that may be contributing to health problems.
You can find out more about Dr. Rodney at BagofBonesChiropractic.com

Episode Sponsor:

Sleep Deprivation

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:00:00 -0500

In this episode:

Sleep deprivation is a huge problem in the U.S. and around the world. It’s not just a problem for people who work night shifts or are busy during the day. It’s a problem for everyone.
The consequences of sleep deprivation are serious. People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have health problems, including obesity, heart disease, and stroke.
There are lots of ways to get more sleep. You can try different sleep habits, use a sleep tracker, or talk to your doctor about prescription drugs that can help you sleep.
It’s important to start getting more sleep even if you’re not experiencing any of the consequences of sleep deprivation. It will help you feel better overall and may even protect your health.
Obesity: People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be obese. This is because sleep deprivation leads to a decrease in the amount of leptin, a hormone that signals the body to stop eating.
Heart disease: People who don’t get enough sleep are also more likely to have heart disease. This is because sleep deprivation increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Stroke: People who don’t get enough sleep are also more likely to have a stroke. This is because lack of sleep can increase the risk of blood clotting.
Leptin is a hormone that signals the body to stop eating. Sleep deprivation leads to a decrease in the amount of leptin, which means that the body is more likely to keep eating even when it’s not hungry. This can lead to weight gain and other health problems.

Lyndsay Bahn and the eight limbs of yoga

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 04:00:00 -0500

Lyndsay Bahn, yogi, mother, energy worker, human behaviorist, trauma healing facilitator, coach and channeler of healing energy, has accumulated over 22,000 hours of teaching experience and over 30,000 hours of training and personal practice in the last 16 years (and counting).
Owner and lead instructor at the Yoga Shala Carrboro, she is a dedicated yoga practitioner and student of classical yoga.
She first found yoga in 1994 at the age of 12 and eventually began her journey on the 8-Limbed path of Classical/Raja yoga in 2006.
Lyndsay's studies, asana teachings at the Yoga Shala and her heart have blossomed from yoga philosophy taught in the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.

YAMA – Restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows.

NIYAMA – Positive duties or observances.

ASANA – Posture.

PRANAYAMA – Breathing Techniques.

PRATYAHARA – Sense withdrawal.

DHARANA – Focused Concentration.

DHYANA – Meditative Absorption.

SAMADHI – Bliss or Enlightenment.

Find out more at Yoga Shaia Carrborro

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

The Pizza Hippie

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 09:36:42 -0400

In This Episode:

Liz has lost over 130 lbs since 2015. She tells her story and what motivated her to make some changes, her habit, her diet, what she was drinking, and who she was hanging out with. She said it took over two years for the weight to come off.
Liz unpacks how many times a week she exercised and what her workouts were before they led to an overuse injury.
We talked about injuries and setbacks on her journey before she learned her current workout plans were not sustainable.
Liz talks about teaching twerk classes, its core, cardio, and legs. It's about empowerment, feeling free, and feeling good doing it.
We discuss how Liz is a Reiki practitioner.
What can someone experience from a Reiki session?
- Approved mood
- Better sleep
- Lessening of physical pain
Brandon shares his experience doing Reiki for the first time.
We talk about how she got the moniker of "Pizza Hippie."
Liz shares how she used carb cycling during the beginning of her transformation journey.
We also discuss skin removal surgery and the effects of losingf weight.

Quotes from This Episode:

"I think many people approach weight loss from a food perspective when it's involved with energetics and like who you're giving your energy to and spending your time with." Liz

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 20:04:11 -0400

In This Episode:

A lot of people can get Seasonal Affective Disorder fused with regular depression, but there is a difference: Seasonal Affective Disorder goes away, it will completely go away and come back.
One of the things that contributes is unrealistic holiday expectations.
It may be related to where you live and the climate.
Places like Alaska with large amounts of darkness can see increased cases because it messes with circadian rhythm.
They make artificial lights to help with this.
A daily routine of practicing wellness and keep in mind that alcohol is a downer and can increase the symptoms of SAD.
We talk about our tendency to warm beverages in the fall and winter and some better choices than highly caffeinated beverages.

Quotes from This Episode:

"Now that summer is ending we will all get to experience something we haven't seen in a while, at least in our area... a jacket." Joe

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

The Biggest Boozer

Brandon Woolley — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:05:21 -0400

In This Episode:

Joe describes his new mixed drink, the "breakfast boubon."
How does alcohol fit into a healthy lifestyle?
Give your liver a break and space out the times you drink responsibly.
A red wine made the top of the list for the healthiest type of alcohol.
- We talk about the properties of red wine that have health benefits, types of grapes, etc.
Another best practice with alcohol is to chase each drink with a glass of water.
Tequila on the rocks is the second top healthy beverage.
#3 is a vodka soda. Blue Ice is a vodka brand made from potatoes, but Titos is also gluten-free.
$4 bloody Mary - the vegetable content makes this a healthier option.
We talk about the crazy bloody Mary from the Blind Pelican.
#5 Mezcal
#6 Wine Spritzer
#7 Dry Champagne - very little sugar
#8 Mulled wine - use certified organic wines when possible.
#9 Margarita with freshly squeezed lime juice - don't use a syrup base.
#10 Hard Kombucha - regular kombucha is a great alternative for drinks when networking if you're looking to avoid alcohol.
#11 Low-calorie beer
#12 Hard Cider
#13 A Paloma with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.
#14 Specialty cocktails with fresh pressed vegetable juice. Wheatgrass shots with shots?
#15 Fresh-made hot toddy.

Quotes from This Episode:

"Drinking one glass of water after each drink is a great practice, the best practice is to drink two glasses of water for each drink, but I find it unrealistic for 99% of people, and 37% of these statistics are made up." Brandon Woolley
"Clear alcohols are for rich women on diets" - Ron Swanson

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Yeah Baby! Birth Plans and Doula's and Alexis Elias Spohn

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 08:09:40 -0400

In This Episode:

We talk about all the choices partners have during childbirth, what you can opt out of, and what you can opt into. There's a lot to cover.
Alexis tells us about what a doula is, some history, and what they can provide for mothers during the birthing process.
One of the benefits of having you as our doula is you were able to walk people through all the decisions and the pros and cons of each.
How each one of the decisions can affect mom, and how to choose the things that you can choose because you can't choose everything in a hospital.
- The vitamin K shot
- Eye Goop
Some things you can opt-out of and some things you can't, but when it doubt, just ask. It is your child.
We discuss the drug Pitocin and its use as an oxytocin brand name product during childbirth.
We discuss epidurals, perennial tears, and an episiotomy.
We talk about how many people wait to cut the umbilical cord until it turns white to get all the nutrients before it is cut.
You can do some great things during labor to reduce pain before the push period. Learn how a doula can assist parents during labor.
We talk about how it can be difficult to suggest changing position during childbirth because hospitals prefer it.
We discuss the pros and cons of different breathing techniques during the pushing stage of birth.
Alexis discusses recovery after childbirth and how a pelvic floor therapist can assist during this stage.

Quotes from This Episode:

" I think everyone should go in and be armed with that knowledge because it is a personal preference. It's just important to know your options and to it, to be your decision and try to make is informed as you can and make an evidence-based decision as you can." - Alexis

Links To Things I Talk About:

Empower Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Or call Alexis at (919) 457-3697

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of the Fire Within Podcast is brought to you by the Fire Within Health Transformation Course, Learn the sustainable way to approach food, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. The yo-yo diets stop here. Buy the course today or take the free assessment.

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

ICYMI: Kegel/Kahgel - Tomato/Tomahto

Brandon Woolley — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 12:13:03 -0400

In This Episode:

If you're having pelvic floor issues that can look like, bladder dysfunction, bowel dysfunction, peeing when you jump, vaginismus, or general hip issues.
When Alexis got into her practice she thought most of her cases would be due to pelvic floor weakness after childbirth, but at least half of her cases were with women who experience pain with sex, a lot of young women specifically are having these issues.
We unpack what is the pelvic floor?
Pelvic Floor PT is a specialty area of physical therapy that focuses on the pelvic floor, which is composed of a group of muscles that support your abdominal contents and make up the base of your core.
Sometimes they become weak, and sometimes they carry too much tension. Anyone with pelvic pain, weakness (that may present as incontinence or pelvic pressure), or tension (pain with sex, urinary frequency, vaginismus, and even constipation) could benefit from a Pelvic Floor PT evaluation.
We discuss the importance of breath when it comes to correcting issues that affect the pelvic floor.
Alexis walks us through the right way to practice correct breathing to help with your pelvic floor with a step-by-step guide.
We talk through the benefits of Kegel exercises.
We spent time talking about fascia, which is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place.
- Top things to do when you're looking to get balance in your pelvic floor
- Learn to breathe
- Strengthen your core
- Increase your knowledge and flexibility
- Improve stress and sleep quality

Quotes from This Episode:

"If you're going to do one thing for your pelvic floor: learn how to breathe the right way." - Alexis
"Not everyone needs to kegel." - Alexis

Links To Things I Talk About:

Empower Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (330) 771-0770
The Squatty Potty
Anatomy Trains

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Exercises for lower back pain

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

Pretty much everyone at some point in their life will experience some back pain. We talk about the different types of back pain that can afflict someone.
A muscular pain is most likely from some form of lifting. To prevent this focus on some of the simple mechanics we break down in this episode:
- Get your center of gravity as close to the object as you can and keep the object as close as you can
- Lift with your gluts and keep your chest up
- Squeeze your abs
We discuss how the spine can be the source of back pain.
- This can come from bad form over time
- Make sure you are stretching
We talk about what happens when you back "goes out."
When we're looking at things like osteoporosis, spinal degeneration and replacing disc material, we've covered this on the hydration episode and a couple others, the best way for the body to rebuild disc material is through osmosis.
What is the role of exercise after one has hurt their back? We will unpack that in this episode.
Top 5 exercises for low back pain:
- Glute Bridges
- Bird Dog
- Plank
- Side plank
- Abdominal Drawing in Maneuver
We also discuss abdominal crunches and how many people improperly compensate during this exercise.

Download the Fire Within app on Apple and Android today!

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of Fire Within is brought to you by Luvin Life. Are you Luvin'Life? Express it with unique apparel, drinkware, décor & more. Follow them on social media on Instagram and Facebook.

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

If you like The FireWithin Nutrition and fitness podcast, visit our website to subscribe for Refuel: TIPS, RECIPES, VIDEOS, AND INSIDER INFO all in one weekly email. Check out our Courses and Free Recipes. And if you really like The Fire Within podcast we'd appreciate you telling a friend (maybe even two).

Functional Neurology with Dr. Marc Funderlich

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 10:09:25 -0400

In This Episode:

Dr. Marc Funderlich specializes in Functional Neurology, which focuses on correcting the integration and function of the brain in all ages.
Dr. Funderlich uses a comprehensive approach to neurological development and restoration by employing blood work, lifestyle change, physical rehabilitation, and passive therapies.
His time-intensive approach has proved invaluable in his patient's care and their understanding of their conditions.
A key speaker in many organizations, Dr. Funderlich is always educated on the latest therapies and research. Dr. Funderlich has advanced training in Neurology, Developmental Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injury. He is also a certified concussion specialist.
Dr. Marc specializes in helping people with neurologic conditions, they focus on functional medicine, and then they focus on working with people who are not really sure what's going on with them.
We talk about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and how it can benefit certain people.
To find out more about Dr. Marc Funderlich and Oak City Health visit their website or Facebook Page.

Download the Fire Within app on Apple and Android today!

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of Fire Within is brought to you by Luvin Life. Are you Luvin'Life? Express it with unique apparel, drinkware, décor & more. Follow them on social media on Instagram and Facebook.

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Music and how it can improve your health?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 11:01:09 -0400

In This Episode:

We talk about how the intent in which we use music affects how music affects our body and mood. For example, if you use music to relax versus using music to escape and not deal with a situation, for example.
We also discuss the studies highlighting the benefits of playing a musical instrument for reducing stress, depression, and anxiety.
Is listening to music heart healthy?
Does music have a positive effect on health and wellness? Yes. Is it similar to the effect of proper diet and exercise on your health? No.
We talk about the role of music in memory and locking items into our long-term memory.
We discuss music therapy.
Can music increase your workout endurance?
If music is good for your health and wellness, we prescribe some good music.

Download the Fire Within app on Apple and Android today!

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of Fire Within is brought to you by Luvin Life. Are you Luvin'Life? Express it with unique apparel, drinkware, décor & more. Follow them on social media on Instagram and Facebook.

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Creatine: Side Effects and Mood

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

We talk about the new Thor Movie: Love and Thunder.
In today's episode we talk about one of the most popular and most clinically studied supplements: That's right, we're talking about creatine.
Creatine is an organic compound with the nominal formula CNCH₂CO₂H. It exists in various modifications in solution. Creatine is found in vertebrates where it facilitates recycling of adenosine triphosphate, primarily in muscle and brain tissue.
It's usually found in red meat and seafood. And your body stores it as phosphocreatine.
It's primarily hail as the muscle building king of supplements.
Why would you want to supplement creatine? We break it down.
A loading phase is typically gonna be between five and seven days. And the amount is typically 20 to 30 grams per day: split into separate doses.
Contrary to a popular myth, creatine's not a hormone and it's not a drug once again.
There may be some benefit to using creatine with age related issues such as, muscle loss, or sarcopenia, which can't begin in around age 40.
We discuss the side effects of creatine supplementation.

Download the Fire Within app on Apple and Android today!

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of Fire Within is brought to you by Luvin Life, Are you Luvin'Life? Express it with unique apparel, drinkware, décor & more. Follow them on social media on Instagram and Facebook.

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Yes you can have a donut!! Sustainable health on the Girls Who Do Stuff

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

Brandon's approach is sustainable, he believes your diet should be the way you eat and not a fad diet filled with restrictions.
With so much conflicting information about what to eat, it isn’t easy to find reliable science-based strategies that work for a lifetime.
Learn the sustainable way to approach food, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. The yo-yo diets stop here.
The new Fire Within App, now available on Apple and Android, has six weeks of weight training, body weight, and abs program.
We break down some of the most common fad diets with the pros and cons of each.
We talk about counting macros on apps like my fitness pal and Sarah's experience where she tracked it for a year, and this is why Brandon doesn't coach macros; it is possible that for some, it leads to a constant measurement of everything that for some can lead to eating disorders.
Brandon talks about his approach and how he trains his clients.
Jenny talks about her evaluation with Brandon and what she learned.
With so much information about diet and exercise, where do you start? We talk about that. Everybody is different, and the goals should be personalized and based on their goals.
A critical aspect of a successful and sustainable approach to fitness is to start by understanding your why. One tip is to just keep asking why at least seven times to uncover the intrinsic answer to why you want to work out and then use that as your motivation to keep going.

Download the Fire Within app on Apple and Android today!

Episode Sponsor:

This episode of Fire Within is brought to you by Podcast Cary, connect with your audience and grow your brand with Cary's professional Podcast Studio. Contact Podcast Cary Today to learn about starting your company's podcast today.

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Food Sensitivities, Allergies, and Intolerances... Oh My

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

Brandon and Joe tell stories about their dogs having food allergies and how correcting the issue really helped. Isn't it funny how we are quick to diagnose and correct food allergies in our pets but many people don't know what their own food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities are.
What if we could run more optimally if we addressed this issue for our health?
We discuss food allergies in the US.
The gold standard to figure out if you have a food sensitivity is still the elimination diet.
With blood tests, it's not uncommon to get false positives.
We discuss some of the common symptoms could be allergies and intolerances.
We talk about what a food intolerance is and how to address it. Typically this is going to involve leaky gut. One of the best supplements to help this is L-Glutamine.
About 10%, almost 11% of Americans have an allergy, they can be allergic to any food, but the nine most common are peanuts, milk, shellfish, tree nets, eggs, fin fish, wheat, soy, and Sesame.
Can food reactivity be healed? The data seems to point that you can improve your reaction and maybe be fine with them in moderation.
We talk about exactly how to do an elimination diet.

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Progressive Overload - How to find the right weight for your reps

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

If your only goal is to move more weight, you may be missing out on some other key benefits of strength training.
We talk about the importance of time under tension when it comes to strength training.
There is a free unlocked course on strength training available now on the Fire Within App.
You can still get the progressive overload and the strength benefit by using some of the techniques like eccentric, isometric concentric, and slowing those down so that there's more time under tension.
My goal is to move the appropriate amount of weight to hit fatigue and cause progressive overload.
You can slow down and take five full counts on the way down of either bicep curl or bench press or something like that, whatever stretches the muscle that's called eccentric. Then you could slow down the concentric which would be the opposite part of the exercise. This is a great tip for people who don't want to spend a bunch more money on different dumbbells.
What are the benefits of lifting heavy weight? We talk about that.
We discuss muscle confusion, what is it? Is it helpful?
The more I work with older clients with diseases like Parkinson's, or other neurodegenerative diseases and I learn more about how brain patterning and neurology works, the more I think it is important to try different techniques when strength training.
We talk through the 21 curl, a technique for highlighting each part of a muscle group.

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Hydration

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 13:34:31 -0400

In This Episode:

What are some of the symptoms of dehydration?
- Hunger
- Cramping
- Headaches or migraine
- Fuzzy thinking or brain fog
- Dry skin
- Darkly colored urine
1% dehydration is enough to increase blood pressure and increase your risk of cardiovascular health concerns.
We talk about electrolyte packets, the pros and cons.
What tips that help people remember to drink water throughout the day?
What about carbonated water? Does it have the same level of hydration as still water? Are there side effects of consuming too much carbonated water?
How much water should a person consume every day?
We talk about over-hydration. This is rare but does happen.

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

The most biased documentary ever made?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 12:35:03 -0400

In This Episode:

This documentary, What the Health, is pro veganism, the stance of this podcast is not anti-vegan.
NPR posted a study that said that 90% of the studies that are funded by the food industry come up with outcomes that favor the sponsor's interest.
One claim in the film that is completely wrong is that meat and animal products cause cancer.
Another claim: Eating processed meat is as bad for you as smoking.
Another claim: eating an egg is the equivalent of smoking five cigarettes.
Another claim: Drinking milk causes cancer. We talk about other reasons to maybe avoid dairy but milk is not directly linked to cancer.
Another claim: One serving of processed meat per day raises the risk of diabetes by 51%.
Another claim: Fish is toxic.
Areas we agree: eat more vegetables, dairy is not great for you,

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Lance Pendleton on Understanding Your Motivation

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 31 May 2022 10:05:03 -0400

In This Episode:

Lance works with Compass Realty and is a behavior and wellness specialist.
At Compass, he works to help people get out of their own way and change their mindset as the head of agent strategy and success.
In a previous position at Apple, he worked with Apple core, which was to help their employees explain technology to consumers.
Lance and Brandon share about their health transformation.
Lance describes that his first step in his weight loss journey started with awareness. He watched "Food Inc." while eating a carton of Ben and Jerry's out of the carton. The first step to change is awareness.
Avoidance doesn't work, that's why Brandon changed his model to focus on something that is sustainable.
There are some studies and theories that by the time we are seven years old, a lot of the behavioral traits and aspects that we develop are already locked into place.
Long-term success can often depend on whether people have found and understand "WHY" they want to see a transformation.
We have an interesting discussion about dog psychology. If you're a pet owner you want to hear this stuff.
Dogs seem to need exercise, discipline, and affection, but we often reverse the order. Every successful relationship has healthy rules, boundaries, and limitations.
Lance unpacks transcendental meditation and how he discovered the practice while sitting on the board of a meditation center when he couldn't meditate.

Top three things Lance would have someone do to make a positive difference in their life:

Identify a spot that you are not happy with and get curious about why
Simplify your life
Be honest about whether or not you have love in your life (both self-love and the love of others)

LancePendelton.com

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Vagus Baby! How to treat long haul COVID

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 24 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

Jane Reynolds has been a practicing osteopath for over 20 years and is fully registered with the Institute of Osteopathy and the General Osteopathic Council before moving to Eastbourne in 2016 she mainly practised in Brighton and Hove but also in Arundel, and Pulborough.
Jane experienced long covid, we talk bout her journey and how she used natural practices to cure her symptoms. Jane, like many doctors, would say as soon as a medical treatment is available you should probably take it, however in the meantime there are some things you can be proactive about doing that will treat or even eliminate the symptoms of long COVID.
We discuss the symptoms of long haul COVID.
We discuss the study out of Oxford that looked at the lungs of people who've had COVID. They had been told that their lung function was normal, however upon a new testing procedure they found out that they were living at a low level of gases that they can inhale.
If you have long haul COVID you have lung damage.
Jane walks us through her program:
- Look at how COVID starts
- Understand you need to get more gases into your brain, we discuss Wim Hoff Breathing
- Retraining your breath is a big part of the program
- Vagus nerve exercises
- Get infrared light (get out into the sun)
- Manual lymphatic drainage techniques
Top Three Things to do to see transformation:
- Be mindful to not be afraid, be a warrior, not a worrier.

Learn more about Jane's program "The Body Heals Itself" on her website.
The Antiviral life program.

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Beyond Vinnie Tortorvich

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 17 May 2022 13:38:26 -0400

In This Episode:

We are joined by Vinnie Tortorich, filmmaker, celebrity Fitness Trainer, speaker, podcaster and best-selling author of Fitness Confidential: Adventures in the Weight-Loss Game.
We talk about his latest documentary Beyond Impossible, Beyond Impossible exposes the corruption of the fake meat industry. Health expert Vinnie Tortorich asks the question: what do Harvard, Vegans and the World Economic Forum all have in common? A religious desire for the world to go Vegan.
He shares a bit about the process of turning two hotel rooms into a sound stage to take advantage of many of the people who were in the doc being together at that time.
We discuss how wanting to get some Vegan doctors onto the documentary was not a bit, but a real struggle trying to get their perspective on the documentary.
Vinnie lays out what he would have liked to ask the Vegans either on his podcast or movie.
We discuss the portion of the movie where the woman was assaulted with pies filled with Cayenne Pepper.
Is Vinnie bought and paid for by the beef industry? We find out.
We talk about the movie Temple Grandin with Claire Danes and what it has to say about large agricultural farming of meat. To get enough meat for everyone you end up with these factory farms, and we need to do better. This is one area where Vinnie agrees with most Vegans.
If he were to do another movie, the topic that has his interest right now is, Keto.
We discuss whether or not there will ever be a fair and balanced debate between vegans and non-vegans.

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Mindfulness for Health with Sarah Vallely

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 10 May 2022 10:13:18 -0400

In This Episode:

We have with us a mindfulness coach named Sarah Vallely. She's the lead instructor, coach, and founder of TSD Mindfulness meditation.
She's been teaching mindfulness and meditation for 20 years in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Ashville, where she currently resides.
Students from across the globe, travel to attend her workshops and retreats and participate online .
Sarah valley has written four books, including Sensational Meditation for Children: Mindfulness, Guided Imagery and Other Child-Friendly Meditation Techniques
She's been certifying others to teach meditation and mindfulness since 2001. And her teaching style and content are highly acclaimed by yoga instructors, therapists, and healing practitioners.
The biggest upside of a child learning mindfulness is the social and emotional benefits.
We talk about how mindfulness can the antidote to the distraction of social media.
Sarah walks us through what mindfulness is and its different facets.

We Sarah's assessment tool live on the show to help us understand what areas we have to work on and educate us about the process of measuring your improvement while working with a mindfulness coach.

Take Sarah's Assessment on her Website
Learn more about her courses at TSDmind.org

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Fake Meat - Real Facts

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 03 May 2022 13:23:11 -0400

In This Episode:

Today we are reviewing and discussing the documentary "Beyond Impossible" by Vinnie Tortorich.
This documentary is definitely more about the vegan meat industry than it is about veganism.
We discussed wanting to watch a pro-vegan documentary to compare and contrast in a future episode.
All unhealthy foods are also vegan
- Sugar
- Pasta
- French Fries
- Etc.
We are not against veganism, we just want to talk through the facts and sort through some of the rhetoric.
Keep in mind that it's not that far back that doctors were recommending cigarettes as a "vacation for your throat."
Brandon doesn't believe there is one diet that everyone should follow, it's about eating right for our bodies, hormones, etc.
We talk about the supplements required to have the required nutrients for the suggested diet.
We talk about the company EPIC and its philosophy.
We talk about Myoglobin: it is actually a protein that's found in your striated muscles.
The documentary goes into the environmental effects of the meat industry and how alternatives could be better for the planet.
Many of the arguments pro or con for veganism versus carnivores are shared with a half-truth skew as a method to convince people to choose a side. It's important to look at who funds the studies.
Most people who choose to eat vegan or eat meat are NOT making a political statement, they are just eating what they belive is good fuel for their bodies.

"It's reductionist to say that plant protein is superior. They talk in terms of protein, but it's not just protein. It's the whole spectrum of how it's packaged with vitamins and minerals and bioactive compounds that you don't find in imitation products."

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

What really happens at a Chiropractor - Dr. Brooke Aeikens

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 09:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

Dr. Brooke grew up in Minnesota where she earned her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science and her Doctorate in Chiropractic. Following graduation, she moved to the Triangle area where she founded Motion Carolina Chiropractic.
Dr. Brooke talks about how she came to the Triangle and started her practice.
We discuss Minnesota stereotypes.
Dr. Brooke shares the type of practice that chiropractic students have before graduation.
We ask Dr. Brooke why she thinks there is a negative stigma associated with chiropractors that is not normally associated with other doctors.
Brandon talks about how dry needling and how he received that service at Motion Carolina Chiropractic and how he experienced surprising results.
We discuss the spectrum of chiropractic treatment from once a month to a more regimented plan.
What exactly happens when you get "cracked" or adjusted by a chiropractor.
We talk about sciatica - pain affecting the back, hip, and outer side of the leg, caused by compression of a spinal nerve root in the lower back, often owing to degeneration of an intervertebral disk.
We talk about cupping and taping, what they do and how they address motion issues.

3 Tips for people wanting to make a health transformation

Focus on the long-term not a quick fix
Focus on movement & nutrition
Focus on sleep and stress

"We help active adults in the Raleigh/Durham area overcome pain + injury and get back to the activities they love!" - Brooke

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

America’s ANGRIEST Trainer - Vinnie Tortorich - Part Two

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

We talk through the how in Fat: A Documentary how a doctor nearly lost his practice over the controversial (sarcastic) approach to treating Diabetes.
The truth in this case is stranger than fiction. Vinnie talks about how his views have had him shadow-banned for talking about something as simple as modifying your diet to prevent and in some cases reverse disease.
Vinnie talks about how the ADA and the AHA are bought and paid for by Coca-Cola and other powerful food brands.
We talk about Beyond Impossible, the fake meat industry, soy-based products, and veganism with Vinnie's take on these sometimes controversial topics. And in his words "Vegan bullsh*t."
He didn't want to make another film like the vegan propaganda films. He talks about both sides of the issue and has experts from both sides in the documentary.
Vinnie talks about his free PDF and how proud he is that it helps so many people.
Brandon asks Vinnie to unpack what he meant when he said on Mike Rowe's podcast that "Exercise is not the best way to lose weight, but it is the fountain of youth."

Top Three Tips from Vinnie Tortorich to make a positive transformation in your health:

Get proper sleep
Weight-bearing exercises
Proper diet and making sure you get enough protein everyday

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

America’s ANGRIEST Trainer - Vinnie Tortorich - Part One

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

Our guest is Vinnie Tortorich, Celebrity Fitness Trainer, speaker, podcaster, and best-selling author of Fitness Confidential: Adventures in the Weight-Loss Game.
Vinnie tells us how the podcast came about the book got huge. He needed to have a presence online?!? Ten years later his podcast is still killing it.
When he was working with celebrities one of the things he didn't want to do was be visible or associate with famous clients.
Vinnie shares how when he thought he was at the healthiest point of his life, he discovered he had leukemia and was almost dead.
Grains and crap food filled with chemicals are turning us morbidly obese and Vinnie has been talking about this since the 80s long before it was "trendy."
When he wrote his best-selling book he was loathed to put the word ketogenic in it. He unpacks why.
Vinnie shares about his cancer and the role that doctors and diet played in his recovery.

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Getting hit by a dump truck changed my life - Mitch Webb

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 13:07:45 -0400

In This Episode:

Mitch shares how his health history helped him get into the field he is in today.
He knew that if he could overcome some of the health challenges he endured that he could help others to overcome them as well.
He offers a scientifically validated approach to coaching that focuses on nutrition, sleep, stress management, exercise, and wellness.
Mitch talks about his first major injury of falling out of a two-story window during a party and the health challenges that ensued.
Trauma gets stored in the body and manifests in so many ways.
We talk about concussions and how it affects people long-term.
Mitch walks us through how ketones and how can affect brain patterns and supplement with ketones.
Mitch walks us through his experience going to a functional medicine doctor for the first time.
Learn more about Mitch's approach and how he helps his clients at MitchWebb.com
"Most people know what they need to do but the battle is between their ears." - Mitch Webb
We discuss mental and emotional release.

Three tips for transformation

Move more
Eat real food
Love yourself

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

The roadmap to a visible 6 pack

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In This Episode:

It wasn't until the 80s or 90s that the term six-pack was even used referring to abs.
Fanny pack with abs on it
We discussed body fat percentage and most doctors agree that 15% or below should be the target for men and women is 25%
For men to see abs you probably need to be closer to 8%
Body fat being too low causes it's own set of issues
We talk about what is sustainable to have confidence, look good, and feel good.
The most important aspect to getting abs is going to be your diet
You can grow the app muscles a little bit, but we're talking like maybe a quarter to half of an inch. So it's not like the biceps and some of the other muscles that you can grow a little bit more significantly to see a difference.
The rectus abdominis (the six pack) is only one of the four major muscle groups of your core.
Because these AB muscles are more postural muscles that fire all day, every day, I train them more frequently than the other muscle groups. And I'll tend to put them through more of an endurance based training cycle than I would say legs.
We talk about why hanging exercises are one of the fastest ways to see a difference in your abs.
We talk about the appropriate amount of time to spend training your core.

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Nutrition lies you may have believed

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:17:08 -0400

In This Episode:

Are eggs good or bad for you?
You should avoid foods with a high glycemic index?
Juicing is healthy for you?
Are whole grains healthy for you?
The secret to fat loss is exercising more and eating less?
Does milk do a body good?
Females who do weight training are going to get big and bulky?
The best way to lower cholesterol is to cut out fat?
Cage-free eggs are a better choice than conventional eggs?

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Why slow and steady loses the weight

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 13:30:41 -0500

In This Episode:

Women are predisposed to having a harder time losing weight around their midsection because of childbearing.
We talk about the science behind why it is difficult to lose weight in our stomachs.
- Too much sugar
- Alpha verses beta cells in our love handle area.
- We are going to see changes in our face, arms, and legs before the belly because they have a lot more alpha cells.
- Leptin is also a culprit. It makes it hard to feel satiated and therefore you eat more.
- Stress - as cortisol increases you store more fat.
- Not eating enough, a hypo-caloric diet.
There could be an epigenetic component to storing fat in your midsection as well.

Some things that can help eliminate fat around your midsection.

Increase your fiber intake.
Healthy fats
Focus on your sleep quality
Green tea instead of coffee

Quotes from This Episode:

"When we get poor sleep, insulin levels, blood sugar levels go crazy. And also the part of our brain, the prefrontal cortex that separates humans from every other species gets disconnected from the amygdala, which is the caveman brain. So when we lack sleep, we have no impulse control. We can't say no to the cookies." Brandon

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

The Right Supplements for Your Body

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:31:29 -0500

In This Episode:

Molly, The Shibu Inu joins us in the studio today (she doesn't say much.)
We talk about the right kind of supplements and the benefits of each. What are the right kinds of supplements and the benefits of each?
- Multi-vitamins
- Protein powders (when is the right time to consume a protein powder?)
- Vitamin D
- Magnesium
- Fish Oil
- L-glutamine
It's important to consult with your doctor before you start any supplementation regimen to make sure it is okay with your body, medicines, and hormones.
Is there a point where you are taking too many supplements?

Quotes from This Episode:

" If you're not changing your habits you are most likely just wasting your supplements." Brandon

"What pumpkin does is it's a great substitute for flour and oil, but it's a vegetable it's full of vitamin a and all this other great stuff. And it's got no fat in it." ~Lynne

Links To Things I Talk About:

Free Supplements Portion of the Health Transformation Course

----------------

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Brownies for Breakfast?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 09:50:17 -0500

In This Episode:

There is enormous empowerment in resetting your relationship with food, taking control of your health, strength, mindset, and mood.
Lynne Bowman was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more than thirty years ago and offers herself as living proof that you can cook, eat, sleep and walk your way out of type 2 diabetes, along with a huge number of other chronic ailments.
That’s what she wants for you, and the people who love you, and “Brownies for Breakfast,” tells you exactly how you can do it.
Lynne has been featured at women's expos throughout the country, teaming with actress Deidre Hall to write and publish Deidre Hall's Kitchen Closeup (2010) and Deidre Hall's How Does She Do It? (2012).
In previous lives, she won national awards as a creative director for Silicon Valley companies, was Creative Director at E&J Gallo Winery, Advertising Manager at RedKen Laboratories, and freelanced for agencies in San Jose, Los Angeles, and New York. She has also worked as an actress, makeup artist, screenwriter, illustrator, legal journalist, and television Weather Person.
Lynne has three grown children, two absolutely perfect grandchildren, and is president of The Pescadero Foundation. She and her husband have a small farm on the coast of Northern California.
One of the awful things about diabetes is you may not see drastic effects externally but it can be destroying your internal organs.
We chat with Lynne about her book and what foods she uses to substitute for products that are on the NO GO List.

Quotes from This Episode:

" I just made a decision early in my life in my forties that I was going to do everything I had to do to stay healthy, stay on my feet, stay alive. I was a single mother of three. So I was determined to do what I needed to do." Lynne Bowman

"What pumpkin does is it's a great substitute for flour and oil, but it's a vegetable it's full of vitamin a and all this other great stuff. And it's got no fat in it." ~Lynne

Links To Things I Talk About:

Brownies for Breakfast, Lynne's book

----------------

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

Train to get stronger

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 08:00:00 -0500

In This Episode:

We talk with Brandon about Dark Horse Performance, how it began, and what he specializes in with training his clients.
Brandon used to work as a firefighter and we talk about how they trained, the tests to become a firefighter focusing on the physical tests.
Dark Horse performance and its podcast's main message is "Train to be strong."
We discuss basic training principles
- Movement patterns like a squat, a hinge, a push, a pull, and a lunge.
- Box squatting
- Dead Lifting
- Weighted pushup variations
- Weighed Chin-ups
- Step-ups
- Loaded Carries
We talk about the principles behind training with chains as weight. It allows you to overload your movement pattern in the strongest point of your movement pattern. The higher you lift, the more chain links come off the ground, and the weight increases.

Quotes from This Episode:

"Even when maybe things are stacked against you, even when on paper, you may not be, that the champion or the one that's chosen to be victorious you figure out a way to make it happen. A little bit of grunt work, a lot of focus and concentration, and you're able to pull out the win or pull out the victory, that is the dark horse." ~ Brandon

People see the big lift, but they didn't see the lifts that I had to build to work up to that." ~ Brandon

Links To Things I Talk About:

----------------

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

The fastest ways to train for muscle growth

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 04:00:00 -0500

In This Episode:

Brandon and Joe's talk share some behind-the-scenes info about the creation of the new Fire Within Strength training course called: Tempered Steel.
They've piloted the first 4 weeks of the program and so have some of Brandon's other clients.
Brandon and Joe talk about the progress they have made since starting the course.
And an isometric strength exercise. Typically there's no movement, but the muscle is contracted. Something most people can identify is; if they've ever done a wall squat, where you just have to hold in the quad start shaking like jello after a while. That's an example of an isometric portion of an exercise.
There are all kinds of training techniques and tons of ways to challenge the body and in our strength training program, today we focus on three:
- Isometric
- Eccentric
- Concentric
The primary benefit of concentric is that it is helpful for building muscle. Increases the strength, power, and efficiency of the existing muscle fiber. So you work muscle fiber you already have.
When you start a more rigorous program than what you've usually done the first six weeks, you're typically going to put on four to six pounds of muscle. And if you're losing less fat than muscle gains the scale is going to tell you that you're actually getting worse. But that's not the case.
Eccentric training is a way of training, not just to failure, but through failure. By using a different method.
Changing up like the main focus every week can make your workouts more interesting
We discuss the benefits of L-glutamine.

Quotes from This Episode:

Without taking measurements, understanding your percentage of body fat, and taking a before picture, many people give up on a workout plan after 4 weeks because the scale didn't change much. The scale is not the best measurement of your progress.

Links To Things I Talk About:

----------------

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends spark the Fire Within

3 Health Mistakes Smart People Make That Keep Them Overweight, Stressed Out, and Unhappy

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 04:00:00 -0500

In This Episode:

Tricia has spent over thirty years researching the hidden causes of food addiction.
Trica shares her personal journey of losing 50 pounds and discovering a lot of it was tied into emotional eating and what were some of the linchpins that caused her emotional eating.
We talk about the PEP formula that helps people identify if they are emotionally eating.
- Painkiller - we know what food does for us but we need to look at what it does to us.
- Escape - emotional eaters tend to be overthinkers.
- Punishment - emotional eaters tend to beat themselves up over eating foods they enjoy.
We talk about healthy alternatives to using food as a painkiller, escape, or punishment.
We also discuss some of the science behind these behaviors.
How can you tell the difference between an emotional eater and a food addict?
We discuss the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger.
The "C's" for emotional eating
- Clean - eating clean
- Centeredness - put money in your spiritual bank account
- Community
- Communicate - say it doesn't stuff it
- Conscienceness - so we don't feel isolated
- Causes - understand the emotional causes
Three things you can do for a transformation
- Do something in the morning to connect with your source
- Look for areas of stress that you can cut out of your life tied to busyness
- Stop weighing yourself so frequently and learn to not be in diet mode.

Quotes from This Episode:

I think a lot of people who might be listening might be saying, Hey, I'm not an emotional eater. I just like food. Because that was me., I thought "that's a stupid term. That's not me. But after I heard the information, I started to observe my behavior around food and realized that I was different.
Carbs and sugar are like a blanket we put on our feelings.
It's not an eating problem it's a living problem.

Links To Things I Talk About:

Tricia's Book: Heal Your Hunger: Seven Simple Steps to End Emotional Eating Now
Tricia's Podcast: The Heal Your Hunger Show
HealYourHunger.com

How to Stay Fit with Pickleball

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 10:06:45 -0500

In This Episode:

While it may seem strange to start a website on Pickleball after playing for less than a year, she's always enjoyed sports. She loves sports so much she received two graduate degrees related to them. One was a master's degree in physical education, and the second was a Ph.D. in sports psychology.
After her first time playing, she was hooked.
We talk about how Pickleball got its name.
The smaller court and the lightness of the paddle make it a lower impact sport and easier on your body.
Is it an old person sport?
Lynn talks about launching her podcast.
We talk about sports psychology, the yips, and how the pros use techniques to get over common issues.
The New York Post called Pickleball the perfect pandemic sport.
How do you get started? You can go to Pickleballfire.com and click Start Here to enter your zip code or address to find courts near you, lists of instructors, and clinics. Or you can start by watching YouTube videos explaining the rules.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing game in the USA.
The benefits of Pickleball are the social aspect, the multi-generational aspect, movement, mental clarity, and it's less hard on your body than many sports.

Quotes from This Episode:

The game's appeal is that it is straightforward to learn. Even if you have no sports background, most people can get right there and hit the ball over the net. So you can immediately start to play the game and have fun. And in terms of mastery of the game, what's interesting is that the game is still evolving. There are a couple of professional tours now and Pickleball, which ironically started during COVID, COVID, and 2020. - Lynn
Addiction and sport isn't always positive thing, but generally, in Pickleball, it is a very positive thing. - Lynn

Links To Things I Talk About:

Find what works for your body with Renée Jones

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 04:00:00 -0500

In This Episode:

We talk about what is emotional eating and how do we create it?
If we can unwind what is making that particular food so important to you, then you can learn to find a different soother.
So there are reasons that we are connected to particular things.
We talk about why do you think most diets fail?
How do you navigate a snack filled home? Especially if all parties of the household are on board with any particular style of.
Let's say somebody is emotional eating and that's the issue. How do they dig in and find out what is the issue driving, emotional, eating? How do they boil that down and figure out what it is?
It's trendy right now, especially on social media to have like self-deprecating humor and just this sense of low worth and I think it's an important thing to address,
Find what will keep your body there and then get creative about the different foods that you use to satisfy that plan.

Quotes from This Episode:

"I've been amazed at the epidemic of low self-worth, and if you don't feel good about yourself, you're going to use anything at hand to make yourself feel better." - Renée
"Find what works for your body. Deal with your emotional baggage and find a way to be your best self, because when you're in your best self, you always make better choices." - Renée

Links To Things I Talk About:
https://packyourownbag.com/friends/

Reversing type 2 diabetes naturally - Vernon Davis

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 04:00:00 -0500

In This Episode:

And it wasn't until early 2020 while Vernon started experiencing different symptoms, he had no explanation for the tingling in his toes, tingling in his fingers. His left leg would go numb at different times, but it was a lot of tangling there. His left eye started experiencing blurred vision.
One of the challenges we face with diabetes is Glycation, which is where sugar molecules start sticking to protein molecules. Diet diabetics have a five-time, more likelihood of developing glaucoma and blindness.
After doing research he decided to give up his long-time favorite drink, soda, and store-bought juices. And he saw a difference in the way I perform before and after workouts through the day on the job and things of that nature.
But one in two Americans is suspected by 2030 to end up having NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) by the time they're 50.
The more sugar you eat, the more sugar-loving bacteria and candida-type species grow in your gut making you crave more sugar.
Vernon talks about working with an herbalist and what types of herbs he has been adding to his diet, using tea to help combat some of the hormones related to type two diabetes?
Vernon shares about what happened to many of the symptoms after changing his diet and workout habits.
Dr. Kelly Dorfman's book, "How to Cure Your Child with Food" talks a lot about that with troublesome teenagers. They're having trouble with controlling their tempers and expressing themselves. So it turned out, it was largely linked to those blood sugar spikes and drops and how gluten interacted with the brain.

Quotes from This Episode:

"Sugar can be just as damaging to the liver as alcohol."- Brandon
"Stay transparent with the people in your lives."- Vernon
"Love yourself, man, whatever it is you're shopping to achieve, you're not going to be able to do it without you." - Vernon

Links To Things I Talk About:
https://www.godlyherbs.com

Vernon's Book: Uncomfortable Peace
https://dfpublishing.org/

The Straight Skinny on Strength Training with Jared Boyette

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 10:55:49 -0500

In This Episode:

Jared and Brandon spent time working together at Lifetime Fitness.
Jared started lifting weights as a freshman in high school and fell in love with strength training.
We talked about the importance of learning how to properly strength train to avoid injury later in life. Jared and Brandon share some of their early mistakes and how they advise their clients to avoid these common pitfalls.
We discuss the importance of breathing techniques during strength training.
Do people start to naturally lose muscle or does it turn to fat at a certain age? Is this a wives tale or the result of cherry-picked information? We talk about all that goes into the results of strength training and the effect that age can play in the equation.
We also address the myth that all strength training leads to bulk.
We unpack Jared's personal weight training routine with him and why he does it that way.
Write your goals down.
Stay Consistent.
Work hard.

Quotes from This Episode:

"Anytime you're shortening the muscle contracting, the intended muscle, that's the best time to exhale." - Brandon
"I've been a strength coach for 10 years. The number one thing is I don't want to get them discouraged. I want them to really enjoy walking into the weight room." - Jared

Links To Things I Talk About:

Lifetime Fitness
The valsalva manuever

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Financial Health... What the Hellinger?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 13:32:35 -0500

In This Episode:

When asked what is the first step to financial health, David says a 3-6 month cash reserve.
We talk about what David believes is the most important piece of advice that is often overlooked when it comes to financial health - a cash reserve.
What does a 3-6 month cash reverse really include?
We discuss how important it is to pick a plan and stick with it. Whether it is working out or a financial plan. Consistency is a big component of long-term success so don't get stuck on finding the perfect plan, spend your time executing a plan.
We discuss the importance of having flexibility in a plan. If a person is not a fan of a rigid plan then a rigid plan won't work for them. You have to find a plan and trainer/financial advisor that works well with your personality.
We talk through how working with a financial advisor works and what it looks like.
The average retirement is now from age 65-91.
We speculate about the future of retirement and what it will take for upcoming generations to enjoy their retirement.
David shares two stories about financial stability and retirement that really make you think about the definition of wealth and retirement.
What are some financial habits that set people up for success
- To your own self be true
- Regularly talk about your finances with your partner/advisor
David shares about the habits he has developed that allow him to be in peak condition.

Quotes from This Episode:

"I'm much more interested in it [a financial plan] happening than being theoretically correct." -David
"But we are humans and we have a tendency to. To make a lot of mistakes and sometimes those handcuffs can be good. And so what we do is create fake handcuffs." - David

Links To Things I Talk About:

HellingerFinancial.com

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Kegel/Kahgel - Tomato/Tomahto

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 17:15:25 -0500

In This Episode:

If you're having pelvic floor issues that can look like, bladder dysfunction, bowel dysfunction, peeing when you jump, vaginismus, or general hip issues.
When Alexis got into her practice she thought most of her cases would be due to pelvic floor weakness after childbirth, but at least half of her cases were with women who experience pain with sex, a lot of young women specifically are having these issues.
We unpack what is the pelvic floor?
Pelvic Floor PT is a specialty area of physical therapy that focuses on the pelvic floor, which is composed of a group of muscles that support your abdominal contents and make up the base of your core.
Sometimes they become weak, and sometimes they carry too much tension. Anyone with pelvic pain, weakness (that may present as incontinence or pelvic pressure), or tension (pain with sex, urinary frequency, vaginismus, and even constipation) could benefit from a Pelvic Floor PT evaluation.
We discuss the importance of breath when it comes to correcting issues that affect the pelvic floor.
Alexis walks us through the right way to practice correct breathing to help with your pelvic floor with a step-by-step guide.
We talk through the benefits of Kegel exercises.
We spent time talking about fascia, which is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place.
- Top things to do when you're looking to get balance in your pelvic floor
- Learn to breathe
- Strengthen your core
- Increase your knowledge and flexibility
- Improve stress and sleep quality

Quotes from This Episode:

"If you're going to do one thing for your pelvic floor: learn how to breathe the right way." - Alexis
"Not everyone needs to kegel." - Alexis

Links To Things I Talk About:

Empower Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (330) 771-0770
The Squatty Potty
Anatomy Trains

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Listen to Your Body with Melinda Race

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 11:16:59 -0500

In This Episode:

Our guest today, Melinda has been here for about 16 years. She was in the financial services industry for a long time working in corporate America before she decided to make a change and I go to school to be a social worker.
She is the program manager at the Carying Place in Cary, NC and they empower homeless working families since 1993.
The Carying Place provides a 16-week transitional housing program for families dealing with homelessness.
After the 16 week program, they provide additional support in the areas of homeownership, career, and education.
Self-care is always a goal of the program, often using the Headspace app for meditative practices or journaling.
Melinda also shares about her personal health journey of losing 90 pounds.
She used strength training with a trainer as her main form of exercise. Strength training is done correctly not only limits injury but also provides many benefits.
Starting out with exercising, canceling was a common occurrence, especially dealing with mental health issues. Having the accountability of a trainer was especially helpful.
Sharing food with friends while eating out is a great way to maximize food enjoyment without overeating or feeling the pressure to finish a dish.
Melinda's top 3 suggestions:
- Listen to your body
- Own your emotions
- Find the exercise that works for you

Quotes from This Episode:

[Eating healthy] was really about learning about what makes me happy and using that joy in my food. And that's the emotion that I'm looking for when I'm eating. Obviously, it's really important for me to listen to my body.
I listened to my body as much as possible. Something I hadn't done in 40 years.
We're 80/20 here at Fire Within and we don't want to take the enjoyment, the social aspect, away and say you should never have this [food].

Links To Things I Talk About:

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Leighanne Gerstbrein - Wellness at sea

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 11:44:04 -0500

In This Episode:

At her position, Leighanne does nutrition education, physical activity education, as well as one-on-one health coaching and even meditation classes,
Her undergrad degree is in exercise science with a minor in health and wellness. And then she has a master's in health studies.
People who are out at sea can spend six months to a year at a time on the ships and job satisfaction is pretty low, so they try to focus on mental health and wellness. Often people know what they should be doing but aren't doing it.
We talk about how transformation is not like a switch that turns on and suddenly one's health is under control, but it's a gradual progression as we replace habits with ones that better serve us.
We discuss how setbacks are part of our journey, even those of a health coach and personal trainer.
We talk about how to deal with the "Oh f*&^% it's" which is when you make a bad decision, eat a poor meal, etc and decide to just start tomorrow and go off the rails for the rest of the day.
Those working on the ship don't have access to fast food and work long hours so some do experience weight gain, but others deal with other mental health and physical issues.
Leighanne is a big proponent of meditation and mindfulness practices and how it is a muscle like any other that needs to be developed.

Quotes from This Episode:

"Not only that, but meditation also helps to separate us from our thoughts. And especially these judgmental thoughts we may have towards ourselves when we're trying to change habits." - Leighanne

Links To Things I Talk About:

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Red Line Athletics with Mike Gaglione

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 12:49:39 -0500

In This Episode:

Mike shares about how he got involved at RedLine Athletics and why he became an owner.
Mike talks about his own children's journeys in sports and the overuse injuries that are prevalent for students who play sports with little to no downtime.
Brandon shares about the chronic injuries that he acquired from lack of proper training early on in his fitness transformation.
We talk about the social and emotional benefits of exercise for students, especially during the pandemic.
RedLine uses Fusionetics as a tool to help young people understand their limitations and recovery.
Fusionetics’ Body MAP is a game-changing innovation in movement science. As a user performs a series of movements, the Fusionetics mobile video capture logs millions of data points which creates a precise, movement efficiency (ME) score.
Fusionetics integrates sports science, clinical application, and cutting-edge technology to help decrease injury, optimize performance, and enhance recovery and RedLine gives you access to this technology as part of the membership.
We talk about biomechanics and how sports injuries normally occur.
Corrective exercises are incredibly important and often completely overlooked for middle and high school sports, this is another factor that contributes to sports injuries.
Mike shares the growth he has seen in his own children as a result of RedLine, they are 14, 12, and 11 years old.
We discuss the biggest gaps in nutrition information that most of the young athletes at RedLine seem to be missing.
We talk about the recovery process for people who are recovering from ACL or MCL tears.
Brandon gives tips for listeners on how to know if your central nervous system is ready for the next round of training or still needs time to recover.
We talk about the importance of sleep in the role of recovery.

Quotes from This Episode:

At RedLine Athletics we train the athlete first and foremost. - Mike
After an assessment at RedLine, I realized I have been running wrong my entire life. I'm 41 years old and I wish I would have known this 25 years ago! - Mike
If you can find discipline in a skill you enjoy, it's easier to apply that discipline to other areas of your life. - Brandon

Links To Things I Talk About:

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Abby Dunkin, 2 Legs to 2 Wheels to Gold Medal

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 12:27:59 -0500

In This Episode:

CRPS stands for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
Despite being diagnosed at age 13 with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a brain disorder that causes abnormal pain, Dunkin grew up playing sports including basketball, track and martial arts.
Midway through her junior year, complications from a rare nervous system disorder left her unable to walk and needing to use a wheelchair on a daily basis.
She was re-diagnosed with Neurocardiogenic Syncope Dysautonomia with Small Fiber Neuropathy and discovered wheelchair basketball after watching videos of the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Abby unpacks the rehab process, it was basically an all day recovery starting at 5 AM and adjusting the ankle brace along the way.
After she played USA ball she was named to the 2020 Tokyo team, but the pandemic hit and she took it as a sign, she retired, became a personal trainer and moved to North Carolina.
Abby works at Redline Athletics and works with youth ages 8-18, multiple sports and work on speed, agility, and weight training. They start with the basics.
Top three pieces of advice
- Get outside, get your body moving for at least 30 minutes
- Check your diet
- Do what makes you happy

Quotes from This Episode:

Going from two feet to two wheels is no easy transition, especially as a teenage girl. ~Abby

Links To Things I Talk About:

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Parenting through Food Aversions with Aleks Anderson

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:54:14 -0500

In This Episode:

We talk with Aleks Anderson from Anderson Legal, we understand how frustrating contract disputes, real estate issues, and construction problems can be. That is why she works so tirelessly to help her friends and neighbors in North Carolina resolve their legal issues as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Whether you are a small business owner who would prefer to focus on growing your company instead of chasing customers who won’t pay their invoices or a property owner who is tired of hearing your builder make excuses, we can help.
Aleks has been training with FireWithin for over five years and has been through a lot including a pregnancy that left her with a limited amount of foods that she could eat.
Her food aversions lasted through her 14th week and very slowly certain foods became tolerable, but some never did, like in her case, chicken.
Immediately after the birth, all the food aversions went away for Alex.
When it comes to training, if it hurts, don't do it!
We discuss "picky-eating" with her child and what they have learned about how to overcome those challenges.
During the early stages of kids beginning to eat solid food you want to have them try as large a variety of foods as possible, most pediatricians agree before 18 months.
We talk about what a good reward system is and make sure the reward is encouraging good behavior.

Quotes from This Episode:

"If it hurts, don't do it" ~Brandon Woolley
"If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball."

Links To Things I Talk About:

Paqui Carolina Reaper Madness One Chip Challenge Tortilla Chip
Nutrition value of Chipotle choices
Strategies for dealing with Picky Eaters from the Mayo Clinic
Kelly Dorfman's Book "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments"
If you'd like to get in contact with Alex you can reach her at a.anderson@andersonlegalnc.com

Episode Sponsor:

Help Your Friends transform their health and nutrition...

If you like the Fire Within Podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, see recipes, personal training, nutrition coaching, and other resources. There are no shortcuts.

Your free habit evaluation

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0500

Follow along after creating a free account (no purchase necessary) at FireWithinNF.com and you can take the quiz along with us and get your results emailed to you at the end.

Categories of questions in this assessment are:

Stress and Sleep
Hydration alcohol and caffeine
Fats and Oils
Sugar
Movement and Exercise
Nutrient Deficiencies
Microbiome and Gut Health

This is a snapshot of where you are now. The questions are true or false and are meant to be answered as where you are right now. There is no reason to feel guilty or bad for any of your answers we are just getting an idea where you are now. Much like a glucose test or blood oxygen reading.

Which ingredients negatively impact your health and what to replace them with that doesn’t taste like cardboard.
Which types of fats and oils help to eat to increase health and weight loss, and which ones contribute to heart disease and even ED.
Learn essential information about your microbiome health to improve your serotonin levels, weight loss and lessen the symptoms of depression.
Find out how to get a handle on sugar cravings.
Learn practical techniques to increase your sleep quality and manage the onslaught of stress life throws your way, which directly impacts every one of your hormones.

This revolutionary approach allows you to quickly identify your weakest areas so you know where to focus for your individual body’s needs first to see faster results.

Personally, I am much less likely to do something unless I know the why, and I am delivering the science-backed why behind nutrition and lifestyle changes that are sustainable. The yoyo diets stop here. For true lasting transformation inside and out, there are no shortcuts. Welcome to the Fire Within Health Transformation.

Eat Seasonal Foods - Pumpkin everything?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 12:22:58 -0400

Brandon shares about meeting a local entrepreneur and mom whose babies had a rare condition called FPIES.

Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES), sometimes referred to as a delayed food allergy, is a severe condition causing vomiting and diarrhea. In some cases, symptoms can progress to dehydration and shock brought on by low blood pressure and poor blood circulation.

She is going to create a curriculum to help parents of kids who have this condition. Brandon was able to help her shoot some video at the local pumpkin lot.

We talk about the food value of pumpkins and ways to prepare them (aside from a latte).
Not just pumpkins but other squash are high in beta carotene, high levels of vitamin A and vitamin C.

We discuss how to save the seeds from your pumpkins and turn them into a handy snack to take on the go.

We discuss how the different colors of fruits and vegetables are indicators of how they have different levels of nutrients and sources of vitamins.

We unpack the

GERMAN BISON BURGERS WITH ASPARAGUS AND ROASTED ACORN SQUASH

from the FirewithinNF.com website. Check out our other recipes and we'd love to hear what you think after you prepare them!

The top 3 purchases for your health and nutrition

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 10:54:23 -0400

If you could make one purchase to invest in fitness for less than $100 what would it be? A thigh master? Probably not. A good set of bands is an excellent way to maximize your time working out in your home gym or on the go.

1. A good set of resistance bands.

If you want a good laugh, check out this video on youtube about Squat Magic. There are a lot of gimmicky products out there, but a good set of bands can be a very wise investment. Check out the POWER GUIDANCE bands.

Bands can help with the strength curve. With a bicep curl, once you get to the top of the movement the exercise gets easier, essentially giving you a break at the top of the movement. Whereas with bands the movement gets more difficult at the peak of the movement.

They can also be used with existing equipment like assisted pull-ups. With the purchase of a couple of eye hooks you can create an adjustable pulley system.

2. The FireWithin Nutrition Course

With so much conflicting information about what to eat, it isn’t easy to find reliable science-based strategies that work for a lifetime.

Learn the sustainable way to approach food, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. The yo-yo diets stop here.

This course has two free lessons! The first is the Habit Evaluation Tool so you can immediately get a great idea of your overall health and what needs the most attention. The second is the Foundational Supplement Guide. Login to begin.

3. Join a pick-up sports game or recreational league in your area

Especially an outdoor option. Brandon talks about how good it has been for his mental health and a sense of community joining an ultimate frisbee league.

Science and Spirit with Ronen Divon

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 04:00:00 -0400

With the wisdom that spans multiple traditions, including the Far-East, India, Israel, Brazil, Peru, and Indigenous America, Ronen remains a student, learning and adding modalities that will best serve his clients; each according to their own unique needs. Ronen is a Reiki Master, a channeling healer working in mediumship, and a Yoga and Tai Chi instructor. He is also an ordained minister with the Sanctuary of the Beloved, a non-denominational church in the Order of Melchizedek. In his Plant Medicine work, Ronen is a Medicine Carrier, affiliated with the California-based Church of the Celestial Heart. Other than his work as a healer, Ronen is also a published author, a Yoga, Meditation, and Tai Chi instructor.

Ronen shares his story about learning filmmaking in New York where he ended up in a Hindu Ashram that eventually turned into a cult.

Ronen encourages people to be open to other modalities than just western medicine, although he doesn't discount modern medicine and is grateful for advances including COVID vaccines.

As Ronen unpacks his experience working with Reiki.

Reiki, as a form of alternative healing, came into being in Japan in 1922. It was discovered and developed by a Buddhist named Mikao Usui. The technique itself is non-denominational; there is absolutely no religious orientation involved. While originating at the Land of the Rising Sun, Reiki spread all over the world and was adapted into a multitude of cultural traditions. To date, it is practiced by millions of people.

Ronen talks about a principle he has learned through doing different modalities that people want to heal, and sometimes people have something to gain by clinging to an old way of living. They may get sympathy, pity, empathy, etc. but identifying what you gain so you can let it go.

We have a conversation about the spiritual side of energy and how it interacts with our bodies. Ronen is a spiritualist and explains his views on the role of spirits in our lives and health.

You can learn more about Ronen and his offering via his website
www.OpenHeartEnergy.com

Pelvic Floors, Phantom Pain, & the Bretzel

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 04:00:00 -0400

Dr. Norah Whitten is an orthopedic and pelvic floor physical therapist. She specializes in treating the hip, low back, and pelvic floor. She is passionate about bridging the gap between orthopedic and pelvic floor physical therapy. She graduated with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Duke University in 2016 after attending the University of Illinois where she received her bachelor of science in kinesiology. Her treatments focus on identifying and addressing the underlying root cause of pain in order to provide patients with the best long-term results. Dr. Norah grew up as a competitive gymnast and diver and has continued to be active throughout her adult life with Crossfit and weightlifting. She believes that everyone can be active without pain or limitations.

Dr. Norah is not only a physical therapist but also an athlete, coach, and mom. Norah grew up a competitive athlete, specifically as a high-level gymnast and diver. After sports, Norah knew she needed a way to fulfill her competitive outlet and found CrossFit while in PT school. From day one she was hooked. Since starting CrossFit she has also developed a passion for Olympic weightlifting. This not only influenced her personal life but her professional role as a movement specialist as well. Norah utilizes the movement patterns and philosophies of CrossFit and weightlifting to get her patients the outcomes they deserve and help them become stronger than they ever thought possible.

Since graduating from school Norah has specialized in working with an active population. She believes that everyone deserves to live a healthy, active life, without the use of injections, pain medications, or unnecessary surgeries. Her specific areas of interest include the low back, hip, and pelvic floor. She is passionate about empowering her patients to own their movement and giving them the tools they need to live long pain-free lives!

When not at work or working out herself, you can usually find Norah still wearing her athletic gear (i.e. comfy leggings) with her hair in a side braid and spending quality time with her husband, Ben, and son, Lucas.

The pelvic floor is not just a woman's issue, everyone has a pelvic floor. They help us keep our bodily fluids in and then also let them out at the appropriate time. They work with our diaphragm muscle and our breathing and our posture, a lot of support around the hip pelvis, and spine.

We break down what happens with the pelvic floor that can lead to back pain and hip pain and how to activate the muscles of your pelvic floor to correct those issues.

Brandon says that Dr. Norah put me through a couple of quick assessments and you told me more about my body in one hour, then an entire team of orthopedic surgeons and chiropractors. He recounts his experience at her office.

We reference a video clip that highlights this very well from TameTheBeast.org

We talk about the phenomena where your brain can send pain signals even when there is no cause. One of the most important elements can be an education about how pain works and the belief that pain can get better.

For Dr. Norah, her transformation story is about owning her own business. She never thought she would be in this position but now she is and loving it. She shares how she came to be a business owner.

You can find out more about Dr. Norah at her website functionalphyziopt.com and follow her on Instagram

Why Keto worked for Billy

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 04:00:00 -0500

Billy is a Finish Carpenter with a fantastic skillset a physically demanding job. He struggled with his weight for most of his life, today he discusses with us the success he found on the Keto diet and the decision-making process he went through to see if this was the right plan for him.

Billy has an amazing transformation story. It starts like many people's stories. He had tried other diets, eliminating sugars, but never stuck to it long enough for them to really work. But what he liked about Keto was the efficiency and how it allowed him to hack his body to see the changes he was looking for.

Pros of the Keto diet

Took away Billy's cravings
It utilizes a mechanism that our bodies have always had called ketosis that tells the body to use fat as a fuel source instead of carbohydrates
- It's helpful to know what you can eat instead of all the things you can't

We talk about how long it takes to get into ketosis and why that's important to losing weight. It took Billy two months and he had withdrawals and a rough time getting into that state. Billy didn't see the mood stabilization that many people say they experience.

Billy shares what Keto snacks he found that he enjoyed.

How do you know if you are in ketosis or have left ketosis? There are finger pricking tests that allow you to know. They are affordable and available on Amazon.

Billy was able to get off of two medications within six months. Including lowering his cholesterol which is further proof that we have fallen victim to the marketing that high-fat foods lead to high cholesterol.

We talk candidly about the sustainability of the Keto diet. Billy is considering moving away from it because his goals have changed from losing weight to get out of the category of morbidly obese to now he is going to the gym to add muscle. Billy lost 70 pounds over the year on keto.

"It's like getting a second chance at life. Keto is a great tool that helped me lose weight."

New Years Resolutions that actually work?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 04:00:00 -0500

8% of Americans who make new year's resolutions actually keep them all year and 80% have failed by the start of February. The same study said that most resolutions fail due to sabotage by lack of self-discipline.

So often when we make goals we are focused on only the outcome and not the behavior modifications necessary to get there. So instead of striving for specific metrics, Brandon recommends that we look to the behaviors that will help us reach the goals.

"I think a lot of times when we make goals, we're so focused on the outcome without the behavior modifications to get there. So instead of hitting for specific metrics, I actually recommend we look for whether or not we. Do the behaviors to elicit those metrics and then the failure success rates shouldn't be based on a number, but did you do the habits to get there?" - Brandon

The FireWithin Approach is based around small sustainable changes.

Brandon shares a smarter approach to New Years resolutions and dieting that revolves around setting habit goals that are attainable:

1. A water/hydration goal
2. A sleep goal (1/3 of all weight loss happens during sleep)
3. A nutrition goal
4. A movement goal

Once you have all those goals, so let's say you want to eat everything you bought at Aldi, six out of seven days a week.

You want to get to bed before 11, seven days out of the week.

And you want to exercise four days a week.

And you want to drink water up to 80 ounces or whatever your goal is. Seven days a week.

You take all those numbers. Let's say it adds up to 24. Yeah. By the end of the week, you then go back and say, I was compliant 22 out of those 24.

If you divide 22 by 24, you want to see higher than an 80% compliance rate. And we're not looking for a hundred percent. But so 22 divided by 24, that would be 91. So that's higher than an 80% compliance rate.

So you are not measuring your weight, you are measuring compliance.

If you want to maximize your chance of sustainability we recommend adding an accountability component as well.

Habits, Tiny or Atomic

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 11:55:37 -0500

Most people think that the bigger the habit the bigger the result but current thinking is that the biggest changes come from small changes in our day-to-day routine.

We break down two of the popular books today on habits.

James Clear's "Atomic Habits" and BJ Fogg's "Tiny Habits" to break down how well their advice holds up in the real world when it comes to personal training, fitness, and nutrition.

Both books do a good job talking about what is realistic for the long term. Which we are a big fan of sustainable habits.

We talk about the impact a small 1% improvement can make over time.

We discuss the methodologies from both authors and what implementation into your fitness and nutrition goals could look like.

Starter habits
Habit pairing
Creating a motivational rule
Reducing Friction
Prime your environment
Never miss it twice

We discuss how to break a bad habit.

Let's get personal (trainers)

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 04:00:00 -0500

We start by talking about the common stereotypes of personal trainers and the people who use them. Is a 30-day transformation possible? Yes, but is it sustainable?

We create a list for you of questions you can ask to identify a good personal trainer.

Do they start with some kind of an intake?
What are you goals, can they help you articulate them and reach them?
How many times a week could you adhere to the program or train?
What qualifications should you look for?
What is their success rate and how do past clients feel about them?
Is their style of training motivating for you?

Red flags:

They put you through a rigid program without considering the way you feel before each session
They encourage you to push through the pain

A personal trainer is an investment. We talk about the pros and the cons of investing in a personal trainer.

People who use personal trainers see an increase of 40-50% of goal-reaching. They provide motivation and a path to your goals that is safer and reduces the chance of injury. Having a second set of eyes to help review your form makes a huge difference.

How long should you commit to a personal trainer before you can accurately assess the effectiveness of your workouts? What should you be looking for in the way you feel, and body composition within the first 30 and 90 days? Have there been significant improvements in your health, are you eating differently, sleeping differently?

How many times a week should you see a personal trainer? The answer depends on some variables we go into in our discussion.

You can never out-train a bad diet.

Confidence is priceless. When it comes to investing in personal training; if someone were to say for $5,000 you can regain your health and have a sense of pride and confidence in your body, would you do it?

Fat Fiction

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Although Brandon is usually wary of documentaries because they can come packed with bad advice for those looking to transform their fitness and nutrition, he was really impressed with "Fat Fiction" from director Jennifer Eisenhardt. Forget everything you've been told about fat...

Mark Hyman has a great book called: What the heck should I eat.

We discussed many of these topics in more detail in the episode The Big Fat Truth so be sure to go back and listen to that.

We talk about the history behind the formation of the food pyramid. And many of the statistics and how they have changed since following these guidelines.

Although many doctors, nutritionists, and health professionals disagree with the recommendations, there has been very little change. The ADA did recently take cholesterol off their bad list but are still recommending cutting out saturated fats.

The American Heart Association has received 28 million in donations from drug companies, so it's hard to have an open mind about the veracity of the data being given.

Brandon shares his stance on the keto diet: I think it's a great way to jump-start a health change. It may be sustainable. I think with all the social norms and in most people's environment, it's not sustainable for some people. If it is: good for you, I think there are some health benefits to it.

And an incredible analogy from the documentary was that of kindling. High carbohydrate foods and sugars burn really bright and fast and quick, but then they burn out. I used to make fires all the time. When I was a boy scout, I didn't get the toilet paper to burn or the pine straw to burn no problem with my little spark kit. But I couldn't get the sticks in the logs and things to light. So fat is going to be like those logs. It doesn't burn as quickly. It takes longer to get going, but it's going to burn all night for hours and hours instead of two minutes, pine straw goes up in seconds. So carbohydrates are the pine straw. Fat is the logs. It's gonna give you sustainable energy.

And ketogenic diet is called that because when we start burning fats for energies, we get something called ketones. And they give us that long, sustainable energy.

Anthony Langer - Simple long-term goals & fighting Moobs

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 04:00:00 -0400

Energized by a story from the history of people applying logic, he was inspired by to do the same logic to a renewed middle-age. His transformation from the "dark ages" to "enlightenment of his life.

Like many people with a personal transformation of their bodies, he had a moment that caused an awakening. His daughters were talking about things, being teenage girls, and he overheard the statement "My dad has the biggest boobs in the house." This caused him to take stoke and was a catalyst for change. At this time he also had an encounter with cancer in his life.

Anthony set a very measurable goal around an exercise to track his progress. His goal was to train his body to do his age in push-ups every day for the rest of his life. For him, this felt a lot like learning to write with his non-dominant hand.

Sometimes the mind follows the body and sometimes the body follows the mind. The push-up challenge felt like his body telling his mind what was going on with him.

We discussed the importance of finding people with similar goals or supportive of your transformation goals. It's much like a tomato plant. It needs the structure of the wire cage around it to reach its full potential.

When asked what people looking for a transformation in their life should do to be successful Anthony shared the importance of knowing your purpose. You will be more successful when you are intrinsically motivated (from within) than relying on your circumstances (external.)

Understanding metabolism with Paul Bengds

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 04:00:00 -0400

A lot of people don't understand heartrate. Many tools like apple watches or heart rate monitors give over-generalized results that are less than accurate. The truth is the choices we make every day greatly affect your metabolism.

You hear people say things like, ", I have a terrible metabolism." But the truth is we have more control over it than that common myth asserts. Your body wants to stay the same. This phenomenon is called homeostasis. But much like turning the titanic takes a long time, our micro-decisions over years and years turn the "ship" of our metabolism.

It's also important to note that not all calories come from the same place. Since the body wants to maintain homeostasis, it can work against you with fitness goals as well. It takes time and consistency. Imagine you are stranded on an island like Tom Hanks in "Castaway." At first, the lack of food causes intense weight loss, but over time your body would begin to adjust to the much smaller nutritional values, and your metabolism would begin to reset itself to your circumstances.

We also talked about the importance of detoxing and what it does hormonally and how that affects our metabolism. There are so many components that happen hormonally during detox that reset those slow-moving changes to our metabolism. People may see a lot less puffiness, have more energy, sleep better.

What can people do if they find themselves stuck or no longer seeing results in their fitness journey?

Watch the amount of sleep you're getting
Get a workout partner/professional trainer
Have a path/plan for longterm sustainable change
Journal (we share some tips on how to journal)

Your body will give you signs that you are heading in the right direction. You will feel better, happier, see other benefits. In the same sense, it will give you signs you are heading in the wrong direction.

Paul shares his journey and his fascination with metabolic testing. He is passionate about helping people understand the "why" behind their decisions. He finds his biggest fulfillment when people understand that for themselves instead of simply following the direction of a food plan or exercise regiment.

What are the three things people can focus on right now to make a transformation in their bodies?
1. Eat
2. Move
3. Sleep

We address the question "Does wearing a mask improve your immune system?" No.

Although we hear a lot about protecting your immune system we don't hear the more practical advice of how to improve/boost your immune system.

Alpha-Stim - Replace pills with electricity?

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 16:00:00 -0400

Alpha-Stim has been FDA approved for 23 years and Patrick is a rep in Easter Carolina. We talk about the science, the treatments, and commonly asked questions and misconceptions about treating with micro amperage electricity.

The treatment increases your body's production of serotonin and this leads to a zen-like or meditative state that many users say help them maintain focus, sleep better, and subsequently have less pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Patrick shares some amazing stories of testimonials he has seen from including veterans, and people who suffer from chronic migraines.

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation: How it works

Your brain naturally has electrical currents. The Alpha-Stim cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) device delivers a natural level of microcurrent, via small clips worn on your earlobes, through the brain to stimulate and modulate specific groups of nerve cells. The microcurrent is tiny, just millionths of an ampere, and so gentle that most people don’t even feel it. The patented Alpha-Stim waveform, application, and protocols result in significant anxiety relief, mood normalization, and better sleep (both in quality and duration).

Treatments take only 20 minutes and you can use Alpha-Stim in the privacy of your own home or take it to work with you. The device is portable and the ear clips are unobtrusive; you’ll look like you’re just listening to music.

The Alpha-Stim electrotherapy device relieves post-traumatic, acute, and chronic pain through painless electrical stimulation delivered via two handheld Smart Probes. It can be used on its own or in conjunction with physical therapy, medication, and other forms of pain management.

Alpha-Stim may seem too good to be true, but volumes of research over multiple decades prove it is a safe and effective therapy.

Do some research and reach out to Patrick if you'd like to try an Alph-Stim or explore this approach.

call (303) 902-2160 or email pboyle@epii.com

Thai Massage

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 04:00:00 -0400

We learn about Fernanda and Dean's background. Their trip to Thailand to explore more about the roots of Thai massage and to get a masterclass from the local experts.

A Thai massage is a full-body approach. While it is helpful to think of Thai massage as assisted yoga it is different from traditional table work in that it focuses on listening to the body as it follows the fascia to relax and stretch.

Brandon shares a glowing review of his experience with Apex Retreat and his Thai massage.

One interesting point brought up on the show today is how the average career length of a massage therapist is shorter than expected. This could be due to the toll that traditional massage takes on the body of the masseuse. In Thai massage, the experience is also beneficial to the body fo the masseuse as well as the recipient.

We learn about the circumstances that led to the career path of the masseuse for Dean and Fernanda.

Apex Retreat also offers classes for certification in the art of Thai massage.

Fernanda shares about the benefits of aromatherapy and how it has become a passion in her life.

Dean and Fernanda share client success stories, the importance of taking care of yourself in between sessions, and their own personal habits that have contributed to their success.

We discuss the benefits of meditation and the personal practices of the our guests and hosts.

Fernanda and Dean share about their recent trip to Thailand, their experiences, and the takeaways from their life-changing trip.

The Big "Fat" Truth

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 04:00:00 -0400

Who is responsible for our misunderstanding of "fat?"

Ancel Keys is largely responsible for how government dietary guidelines were shaped.

He argued that dietary saturated fat caused cardiovascular heart diseases and should be avoided.

The data used to support this was selective and biased. Keys cherry-picked what he wanted and ignored data that undermined his argument.

He completely ignored the harmful effects of sugar and advocated replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated vegetable oils.

Powerful farming interests backed his arguments. By the late 1970s government and media had accepted that a low-fat diet was ideal and polyunsaturated oils are much healthier than supposedly dangerous saturated fats thus starting the promotion of vegetable oils as healthy food.

Chemically stable monounsaturated fats form the myelin that protects neurons and nerve cells and enhances neuron transmission. Foods rich in monounsaturated fats include olive oil, avocados, eggs, and macadamia nuts.

Cholesterol is vital in the circulatory system and integral to cell membranes. It is also crucial in producing vitamin D, hormones, myelin (which coats nerves and brain cells), and the neurotransmitters needed for thought and memory. Dietary cholesterol is not an issue for most people (although there are some genetic exceptions).

High cholesterol levels are not necessarily bad for health. The highly regarded Framingham Heart Study found the people who lived the longest actually had the highest cholesterol levels and better brain function.

How to Improve Cholesterol:

-Regain insulin sensitivity

-Eat more fibrous foods and extra virgin olive oil

-Reduce or eliminate alcohol intake

-Consider prolonging the period of non-carbohydrate consumption

-Don't be concerned with saturated fats in whole foods, but don't go nuts with butter and coconut oil

Heart Disease can start in the gut!

In leaky gut syndrome, damage to the small intestine's lining causes toxic wastes to leak into the bloodstream. The body can use cholesterol to neutralize some of these toxins, which can drive cholesterol over-production and the formation of plaques. To help protect your gut, eliminate sugar (especially added fructose), wheat, and processed foods. Eat lots of fiber, probiotic foods, and polyphenol-rich foods

-Using Statin drugs to reduce cholesterol has serious side-effects.

-Statins reduce levels of the coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant important for brain health.

-These drugs can reduce libido, cause memory loss, fatigue, and muscle pain. They have also been linked with Parkinson's disease.

-They are only helpful for 1 out of every 100 people that take them.

-They increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes 5 fold.

Key Take-Aways:

-Hormonal imbalance especially issues with blood sugar, insulin and cortisol can cause fat storage that exercise and caloric deficit diets cannot fix

-Lab testing through blood work is the best way to tell exactly what is going on in order to decide the best solution for your physiology

-Blood work can help determine what diet is best, what type of exercise, what types of nutrient deficiencies are holding you back and what can be done to correct hormonal imbalance to optimize health

-The demonization of healthy dietary fats is largely a result of falsified information from Ancel Keys back in the 1950s and further perpetuated to protect farming and political interests

-Refined Polyunsaturated fats in oils such as vegetable and canola oils are incredibly harmful to our health, leading to inflammation and oxidative stress

-Monounsaturated fats and saturated fats from whole food sources are awesome for health

Many processed vegetable oils contain trans fats which lead to heart disease

-Cholesterol is not linked to heart disease, however, breakdown in cholesterol processing systems due to the byproducts of a high sugar diet is to blame

-The use of statin drugs can harm our health, increase risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, deteriorate brain health and are only helpful for 1 out of every 100 people they are prescribed to

Biomechanic Specialist Alvin Miles

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 04:00:00 -0400

In the 2016 Olympic trials Alvin suffered a devastating injury. After getting tired of hearing what he couldn't and wouldn't be able to do by doctors, he started learning about biomechanics and adopted some new habits that allowed him to make a full recovery and now helps clients.

Brandon and Alvin talk about chiropractic treatments and what it offers to those who make use of it.

"I believe that every body is built differently." This is why I try to find the best approach for training for each individual.

We talk about fascia, what it is, and how understanding it's role in your body can help you in your training.

Is there such a thing as stretching too far? Should you stretch until it hurts. We break down the science behind stretching as well as some other rarely discussed techniques such as cupping and how it works.

Alvin is creating a salt room in Cary, NC, and discussed the benefits to your health and the science behind salt treatments.

We also break down what inflammation is really about and how it can be healthy for your body within a certain time frame.

Brandon and Alvin talk about the mind and muscle connection and the surprising science behind how focusing on a muscle group during workouts can actually improve performance.

You can find out more about Alvin Miles at Amplifi Athletic Performance their Facebook Page or at (984) 277-6220

The rise of the Microgym

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 04:00:00 -0400

Excited to be back in the studio, Brandon talks about how his business was impacted as a personal trainer during the COVID-19 lockdown. We also talked about the dreaded Quarantine-15 that many Americans were packing on the pounds during the stay at home order. Whether it be from stress eating, boredom, lack of routine, or any other reason many Americans now find themselves looking to return a "normal" state with their fitness without the ability to return to the gym.

We discussed the statistics of people who were polled about how likely they were to return to the gyms when they reopen. A majority, 60+% said they were unlikely to return to their neighborhood gym after the ban is lifted. This could lead to a shift in the industry.

Brandon, like many personal trainers, were forced to pivot their model in the pandemic. Some clients taking a break, others changing to virtual workouts, and some preferring the microgym approach.

Joe, the show producer, talked about his struggle to maintain his fitness regime without a personal trainer and how he had always thought that personal trainers were for the wealthy or people auditioning for a Marvel movie, but after using Brandon and FireWithin for more than six months realized that for his personality and lifestyle a personal trainer has proven necessary to a sustainable approach to fitness.

We also talked about the surprising increase of 266% of the purchase of candy and 50+% increase of alcohol purchasing during COVID-19. It is clear that one way many people process stress is through seeking comfort in food & drinks.

Home workouts and making the most of your time

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 04:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we talk about the opportunity with more time at home due to the Coronavirus to work on fitness and nutrition.

We focus on some of the more corrective exercises and things you can do at home when access to the gym is no longer an option. Many personal trainers including Brandon have moved their training to virtual and seeing it be very effective.

Don't neglect the opportunity to get outside while it is still allowed in your area during the quarantine. Going on a walk and exercising outside has the added benefit of vitamin D and fresh air. This can also help with your circadian rhythm and your sleep cycle.

Using this increased amount of time home for many of us is one of the few things related to the pandemic that we can control. We have a choice to make, we can use it to increase our health and wellness or it could very easily go in the other direction.

A great place to start is not to strive for perfection but strive to make better choices every day. Eat better, not necessarily perfect. You need a sustainable plan that's science-based and attainable. You can do it!

Also mentioned in this episode

Kimball Jane Sargent on strengthening your immune system

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 04:00:00 -0400

Kimball is a holistic self-care coach. And for most of her life, she has been an entrepreneur and holistic psychotherapist. About 14 years ago, she changed things up and went into the holistic realm leaving medical and nursing behind to move into helping people live their best lives and be well through natural solutions.

Both Kimball and Brandon believe that many times western and easter medicine are talking about the same thing with a different vocabulary and often seek to achieve similar results.

"What I tell people is if you're not living as well as you want to be, then we have to look at the whole person. I look at the mind, body, family, relationships, finances, and spiritual health. And when we're talking about a healthy body, then you've got to look at all the things that it takes to create a healthy body." - Kimball

With so much concern and fear about the Coronavirus, we talk about steps you can take to make sure your immune system is strong and most capable to fight off viruses and keep yourself healthy. The people who are most at risk are those who have more compromised immune systems. It's the people 60 seventies and eighties. Pregnant women and people who have depressed immune systems.

Steps to take to support your immune health:

Spend at least 10 minutes a day in the sunlight outdoors.
Grounding, spend time without shoes and socks and standing on the ground. We talk about the science behind this principle.
Sleep is crucial
Consider the benefits of intermittent fasting
Make sure you are consuming enough protein
Exercise
Keep properly hydrated
Use natural salts instead of white table salt
Consider a magnesium supplement

Connect with Kimball on her website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Ryan George from This Tour Life

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 04:00:00 -0400

Ryan understood that the change he needed to make for his health needed to a change that was sustainable with his lifestyle. So he started to research, write, and experiment to discover a plan that worked for him.

Many people try to start at a level 10 and can end up setting themselves up for failure. Instead of starting with 5 days of Crossfit, perhaps a realistic next step would be a healthy balanced diet.

Some of the big takeaways from all his research and years of writing This Tour Life would be to simplify your diet. Eating more whole foods and less processed foods. Prioritize your sleep by testing to find out the right increments of sleep for your body. And have your mobility accessed. This way you can identify problem areas and keep in the game longer.

Ryan is passionate about seeing others in his profession become and stay healthy and stay in the job for life. The past few years have highlighted mental health as a critical issue in the live music industry, but they're still in the dark when it comes to real data about the conditions and effects of living our lives on the road. Ryan and his organization are collecting information through a research-based, online inquiry into the details that are affecting our physical and mental health as artists and touring professionals. This is the first study of its magnitude and scope and is one that respects our life backstage while shining a light on the issues that impact our everyday experience.

Also mentioned in this episode:

While We Sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker
Tourhealth.org

How childhood aliments are related to our food

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 04:00:00 -0400

Everything we discuss in this episode, although focused on child nutrition can be directly applied to adults as well.

Many of the studies and scientific research quoted in this episode are from "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments" by Kelly Dorfman.

When it comes to child nutrition in the US right now the biggest culprits is called the white diet. The white diet consists of foods that are the color white:

sugar
potatoes
french fries
spaghetti
yogurt
milk
cheese
bread
chips

In nature, we know that different colored foods provide different nutrients. So we can infer from this diet that many children are nutrient deficient.

We mentioned a video of kids eating sack lunches from the past 100 years.

Now there's a binary system at play here. Anytime there are behavior issues and picky eating going on, it's either something being consumed is irritating the system. Such as out-of-control insulin or gut inflammation from dairy, or something that is needed is missing.

Often times cravings can be our body's way of telling us that we need certain nutrients. Like women craving red meat during menstruation because their body needs iron which is used by their body during menstruation.

Zinc deficiency was first documented in Egyptian children. The children were not developing properly and they were able to link it to the diet of the region which was severely lacking in zinc. This is an area where supplements can be very helpful, but some kids won't or can't swallow a pill so here are some foods that are a great source of zinc:

red meat
seafood
poultry
beans
cashews
pumpkin seeds
chickpeas

Brandon talks about how to use the E.A.T. process to get kids to try new foods and expand their diet.

Does milk do a body good? We'll discuss it from a scientific angle to debunk some of the myths around the role of milk in our diets.

We discuss some of the common pervasive illnesses that kids deal with like ear infections, upset stomachs, runny noses, etc. and how certain aspects of their diet may be the cause of these issues.

There is no shortcut or magic pill to instantly cure some of the issues that have developed because of your diet. It will take work but it's worth it, the long-term compounding effects on your health, the longevity of life, reduction of obesity will pay off if you stick with it.

You want the process of improving your diet, much like exercise to be sustainable. That means it's not a crash course but a slow and steady methodical change in your nutrition until your diet is healthy and you no longer need to "diet" ever again.

Also mentioned on this episode:

Thorne Research supplements for children

Strength training fundamentals

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Many people, women especially, feel that weight training will cause them to bulk up and look like their muscles have muscles instead of tone. There are no accidental bodybuilders walking around who after a couple of trips to the gym find themselves with the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger. That is a myth. Moderate strength training can be one of the most effective ways to increase your cardio, lean muscle, and ability to lose weight rapidly.

You want to work your largest muscle groups, which is your legs, they are going to give you the most progress. Those are your largest muscle groups, so you're going to be tearing more muscle fiber, which will build up stronger and have more impact on your metabolism.

We also discuss the myth that by working out you can now eat unhealthily because your hard work will cancel out any poor decisions of the day. The reality is that when you work out you create microtears in your muscle fiber that are healed and grow back stronger by maintaining a combination of healthy nutrition, rest. and sleep.

What we want to do through strength training is create a moderate amount of stress, enough to signal that increase in strength in your body, but not so much that you get injured. You've got to find a balance. You can overdo it and get injured. But if we do the right amount, which is that usually that eight to 12 rep range for most people finding a weight that fatigues them in that rep range is going to be pretty safe.

We also discuss neuromuscular facilitation. In other words, getting more efficient at firing the right types of muscles in the right order. How does muscle confusion work? And what does muscle confusion look like in your workouts?

On choosing the right weight: So what you'll do is your guesstimate, what you think you can do eight to 12 reps with, with perfect form. That's a really important caveat. It's not just moving the weight from point A to point B eight to 12 reps. It's how many of those can you do with perfect form?

Warm-up: I would always recommend some sort of warmup. And the warmup for me is just three to five minutes of cardio, maybe some very brief stretching. You don't need a half-hour warm-up routine with foam rolling and all this other nonsense. First of all, if you stretch too much before exercise, your muscles, fibers are elongated to an unnatural position they're not familiar with.

So you're more likely to get injured. so I think a little bit of stretching, dynamic stretching three to five-second holds is good. but you don't need this big elaborate 30 to 45-minute routine.

We talk about corrective exercises to help prevent injury. These are typically 12-15 reps with lighter weight, focusing on perfect form. Correctives basically keep you in the game longer so you can keep exercising.

We discuss the signs and symptoms of overtraining.

Also mentioned in this episode

Intermittent Fasting with Mike Schappell

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 04:00:00 -0500

"When I got started as a personal trainer, I was like, most personal trainers in that I was pretty terrible at it. Basically just counting reps and making up random workouts. From there, I learned that instead of trying to crush people every day, more people need help learning how to move properly." Mike

Mike has taken an experiential approach to fad diets by trying them himself before recommending to anyone else. In most cases, he will only keep a piece of the diet to incorporate into his lifestyle moving forward.

Mike and Brandon discuss the science, the benefits, and tips for intermittent fasting and what takes place in your body during the process.

They discuss the formation of the early food pyramid and the scientists that worked on it and their surprise when the legislation took a different approach than the majority of the nutritionists consulted for the project.

One of the benefits of intermittent fasting is autophagy. Autophagy is a cellular mechanism where your body can get rid of old cells. So when a normal like fully functioning healthy human body, you should have cellular turnover happening fairly regularly. In fact, all the cells in the human body are completely renewed every seven years.

Another main benefit of fasting is that it actually increases your body's growth hormone levels. And I know there's one study, I don't remember who the researchers are, but they showed participants actually had. A 2000% increase in growth hormone, which is an insane number to think about.

What are the things to focus on that would make a positive transformation in your life according to Mike:
1. Sleep better
2. Focus on Your Nutrition
3. Introduce regular movement and exercise into your life.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Schwuomp! How to eat healthy on the go

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 04:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Brandon gives practical tips and instructions for eating healthy on the go with examples from his own life. He shares a crazy story about trying to get some free therapy that turned into a bit of a nightmare situation, but at least he had his snacks! Brandon describes it as the most terrifying experience of his life.

The first tip to eating healthy on the go is to bring a snack.

nuts, almonds, seeds
hand fruit, apples & bananas
celery and carrots
water

Many people go for protein bars but many are filled with less than ideal ingredients. A good choice is RX bars if you don't have an issue with eggs. Also, Dang Bars which is a plant-based protein or any Epic Jerky bars. And Bulletproof collagen bars are another great option.

We discuss the influx of approved and healthy choices at chain grocery stores because people are demanding higher quality choices in their snack food.

We also discuss some of the myths and best practices around snacking. Is it necessary? Is it better not to snack?

The overall point of eating healthy on the go is to focus on making better choices and not perfect choices. It is critical to your success to go into an establishment with a plan to eat healthily.

How to eat healthy at a Sheetz gas station from Fire Within.

Also, get the Fire Within recommended restaurants and some options for healthier choices when dining out.

Also mentioned on this episode:

The Sleuth Podcast

Lily Ward on overcoming cystic acne through nutrition

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Lily Ward is a 22-year-old student going for her psychology degree in sexual health and relationships. She is very passionate about nutrition, fitness, and self-growth. She wants to change society’s views and issues dealing with women’s rights, toxic masculinity, gender norms, and get rid of the taboo around the conversation of sex.

Overcoming her painful acne led her on a path to discover more about her diet. She was very active in the gym and worked out regularly and was religiously counting her macros and calories, but she was not paying attention to the kind of food she was eating. After doing the research she decided to become a Vegan and focus on eating real food. Now she is feeling better than she has in her whole life.

Lily shared about another area of her transformation story which is her desire to see social change as a feminist. We discussed the topic of toxic masculinity and some tips on how to deal with it when you see it, and how not to handle it when you see it.

When she made the decision to cut out dairy it started her transformation towards gut health and ultimately veganism.

" It changed my whole view on health, whereas I was such a bro in the gym and I was focused on numbers and just lifting. I had to start fresh and stop thinking all of the things that I had learned from "gym culture" and I started focusing on actual health, nutrition, ingredients, and not just numbers. I began to focus on what food I'm putting in my body to fuel me for workouts, and that has completely changed everything about my health regimen. My workouts are different now. My diet is completely different. My skin is incredible now. It changed so many things in my life." - Lily

Tip for seeing a positive transformation in your life:
- Set a goal that is focused on the results you want to see then do the research to find out how to get there.
- Surround yourself with people with similar goals.
- Don't be so hard on yourself. Lasting change is hard difficult but worth it.

Also mentioned in this episode

Microbiome is a big deal

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 04:00:00 -0500

We have both good and bad bacteria and an imbalance of the two is a condition known as dysbiosis.

Common Causes of Intestinal Dysbiosis

Antibiotics
NSAID's
Diet
Psychological Stress
Reduced Gut Motility
Alcohol intake

Antibiotic use especially early in life and used chronically, which is common for acne treatment, for example, lead to IBS and other chronic gut issues such as Chrohn'sdisease that lead to an overwhelming cascade of health issues.

Over Consumption of NSAID'stear away, the lining of the gut and cause conditions such as Ulcerative Colitis. Antibiotic use contributes as well, especially if exposed at an early age which also increases risk of Crohn's disease.

The typical western diet high in sugars is partially responsible for destroying our microbiome balance leading to many of today's common health conditions.

Foods that fight inflammation include but are not limited to the following:

Vegetables: I recommend 10 servings a day. You will get tons of prebiotic fibers to help overturn dysbiosis as well as phytonutrients which protect the body from harmful environmental stimulus including radiation.
Herbs, Spices, and Teas. Turmeric and ginger, organic coffee and teas in moderation including green tea, oregano, basil and thyme
Probiotic foods like organic Greek yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut
Foods high in omega 3 such as wild-caught fish and seafood, organic pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats
Healthy fats such as grass-fed butter or ghee, nuts, oils, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts and seeds

Gut bacteria, normally residing the large intestine, can sometimes overgrow up the digestive tract and into the small intestine. This is referred to as small intestine bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, and is closely associated with IBS or irritable bowel syndrome.

In the case of mental health, SIBO is important because an estimated 70–90% of IBS sufferers have some sort of mental disorder.

A Squatty Potty is great for intestinal health too and may reduce SIBO risk as well as colon cancer and many other bowel issues

A staggering 90% of our serotonin is made in the gut. It also houses a large community of intestinal bacteria (which can be referred to as probiotics, gut flora or the gut microbiome) in the large intestine or colon.

70 million of us have a digestive disorder.

One in six of us have some form of mental illness (major depression being the most common)

One in three of us will have anxiety at some point with one in five having it within the last year

Vitamins and supplements known to help in developing a healthy microbiome:

Vitamin B12
Folate
Zinc
Selenium

Mentioned in this episode

Change your brain change your life book by Daniel G. Amen

Talking fitness with the Private Investigators from The Sleuth

Brandon Woolley — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 04:00:00 -0500

The Sleuth Podcast is a show about real private investigators from Blackman Detective Services and their stories and insights from the field. Jamie and Lindsey the hosts of the podcast join us on Fire Within to talk about how they got their start in this fascinating field and how people with sedentary jobs can maintain optimal fitness.

Lindsey shared an incredibly funny story of when she worked loss prevention and a man had stolen 6 racks of ribs by stuffing them down his pants.

Julie talks about how as a PI it is hard to be overly empathetic and get personally involved in the outcome of her clients' cases.

Brandon and the ladies from The Sleuth played a game of Fire Within Trivia. They answered some true or false questions that people often wonder about fitness and nutrition.

1. True or False, you can spot reduced body fat?
A: False, if you're doing it through natural methods, it's, it's pretty difficult to force the body to lose fat in one particular area. a lot of times it's hormonally based. I just can't get rid of that belly fat.

2. Whole grains are always healthy choices?
A: False, I think for the vast majority of us. Especially, if you're having any hormonal issues, weight loss issues, blood sugar issues, cognitive issues, it is worth limiting your intake of whole grains unless they're pressure cooked because of that lectin protein.

3. Exercising and eating less is the best way to get fit for everyone?
A: False, it may be more important to look at the hormonal implications of your diet than strictly counting calories.

"There's plenty of shortcuts you can take, but I feel like it almost always bites you in the end." ~Brandon

4. Low carb is the way to go, always!
A: False, There are different types of chains of carbs: polysaccharides, monosaccharides, but typically your complex carbohydrate structures like sweet potatoes, vegetables and things like that, you're not going to absorb that the same way.

5. Reducing fat intake through your food is a great way to lower cholesterol?
A: False, Now, if it's the wrong types of fat, you know, like, trans fats, then sure. But, but if it's healthy fats, like coconut oil, avocado, nuts, things like that, probably not. The best way to lower cholesterol is to reduce your sugar intake.

6. Protein is the most important factor in muscle growth?
A: False, sleep is the most important factor in muscle growth. So, protein is important for muscle growth, however, what speeds up muscle growth the most is proper rest and recovery. If you're awake, your body is breaking down, period. You're in a catabolic breakdown state. If you do damage while you work out, you're actually tearing down your muscles. It's only through deep sleep. and that recovery process that it could reset the size that into muscle. So protein is important for muscle growth.

Sleep is a challenging issue for the life of a private investigator as the hours sometimes require late-night work.

Tips for getting better sleep when you are stressed, have to wake up early, or it's close to bedtime and you're not tired:

A supplement called valerian root.
Take a bath with Epsom salt.
Pay attention to your lighting.
Limiting your exposure to devices right before bed.

Pantry staples for healthy grab and go snacks:

Macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans, or walnuts
Apples
Bananas
Jerky
Dark Chocolate
Bone Broth
Blueberries
Protein
- Bison
- Chicken
- Eggs

Also mentioned in this episode

Buchi Kombucha
Tribucha is a local Kombucha company
InstaPot Brownies recipe
Vega protein powder

Find out more at The Sleuth, Jamie and Lindsey and Blackman Detective Services:
Facebook | Instagram | Website | 919 821-0016 | askthesleuth@gmail.com

Slow Food, Self Care, and Behavioral Science

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Justin and his wife moved from the Bay Area of California and he discusses some of the cultural differences between North Carolina and the Bay Area.

We discuss the movement of slow food, which is a response to fast food and returning to a time when there was less involvement from food science and more "real" food in our meal prep as a country.

Change starts in the mind. Whether people are looking for help to change from a social worker or help to change from a physical trainer, it begins in the mind.

Justin and Brandon bring their experience and perspective to discuss some common myths:

Are we all a couple of bad decisions away from being homeless?
Does change occur when the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change?
Habit-making or habit-breaking: which is more difficult?
21 days of repeatedly doing something creates a habit?
Willpower is an exhaustible resource?

We discussed the importance of having more grace for yourself. In the area of nutrition, if a mistake is made, to look at it in the context of a bigger picture and not fatalistically. The example of thinking I messed up already this week so I'll just eat poorly all week and start again next week verses I had a cheat day and getting right back on the healthy eating wagon.

It's about belief. You need to believe that you are able to become the person that you want to be.

"Real change happens slowly in most cases." - Justin Powell

Justin shares some self-care strategies:

Take the time to understand what you're feeling before a certain behavior to understand yourself, that's the first breadcrumb in a pattern of behavior.
Find someone you can talk to and then talk with them about it.

Sugar. The Stealthy Killer

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Brandon Woolley of the Fire Within Podcast has created many seminars as a personal trainer and speaker. Today's episode is based on one of his more popular topics. Sugar.

Sugar is the most addictive substance on the planet. Sugar is so addictive that rats given a choice between sugar or cocaine will choose sugar. (and rats really like cocaine)

Types of sugar found on ingredient labels:
1. Agave Nectar
2. Barley Malt
3. Beet Sugar
4. Brown Sugar
5. Buttered Syrup
6. Cane Crystals
7. Cane Juice Crystals
8. Cane Sugar
9. Caramel
10. Carob Syrup
11. Castor Sugar
12. Confectioner's Sugar
13. Corn Sweetener
14. Corn Syrup
15. Corn Syrup Solids
16. Crystalline Fructose
17. Date Sugar
18. Demerara Sugar
19. Dextran
20. Dextrose
21. Diastatic Malt
22. Diatase
23. Ethyl Maltol
24. Evaporated Cane Juice
25. Fructose
26. Fruit Juice
27. Fruit Juice Concentrates
28. Galactose
29. Glucose
30. Glucose Solids
31. Golden Sugar
32. Golden Syrup
33. Granulated Sugar
34. Grape Sugar
35. High-Fructose Corn Syrup
36. Honey
37. Icing Sugar
38. Invert Sugar
39. Lactose
40. Malt Syrup
41. Maltodextrin
42. Maltose
43. Maple Syrup
44. Molasses
45. Muscovado Sugar
46. Panocha
47. Raw Sugar
48. Refiner's Syrup
49. Rice Syrup
50. Sorbitol
51. Sorghum Syrup
52. Sucrose
53. Sugar
54. Syrup
55. Treacle
56. Turbinado Sugar
57. Yellow Sugar

To name a few.

Fruits used to be rare and seasonal, now they are available all year long from every corner of the globe. A good recommendation is to eat fruits that are in season.

Domestication and change of jobs resulted in a loss of brain volume in humans that equal the size of a tennis ball.

Fructose is the most efficient sugar at creating lipogenesis

-double the amount of fat in the liver as table sugar

-after it fills the liver, it spills into the bloodstream as triglycerides.

-While fructose doesn’t immediately cause a rise in blood sugar, frequent consumption causes blood sugar to rise due to stress on the liver

-This impairs the ability of cells to suck up glucose from the blood.

-This was a helpful adaptation during a famine. But not needed today.

The process of making Foie Gras: Similar to humans, ducks and geese are able to store massive amounts of fat in their liver which is what allows them to sustain such long flights Tubes are inserted into healthy geese and ducks force-feed them grain, usually corn, which is far more carbs than they would consume in a natural setting. Their livers can grow up to 10 times normal size-from fat, so severely enough to inhibit blood flow and increases abdominal pressure, hindering the animal from breathing and sometimes causing organs to rupture from the stress.

The process of making Foie Gras sounds inhumane but unfortunately, we are doing the same thing in our bodies when we consume the Standard American Diet (SAD). We are quite literally making human Foie Gras.

The best way to avoid it is to stick to whole, unprocessed foods.

It is a good idea to limit fruit, wheat, grain, and corn consumption.

Blueberries and other berries are the best choices for fruit and even prevent brain aging.

Foods that are so poor in nutrients and quality that extra vitamins must be put back in them, are not fit to eat.

Sugar, especially fructose are one of the main contributors to aging, Alzheimer's and dementia.

Lack of nutrients causes the body to stop long term repair such as DNA repair.

The biology of stress and sleep

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 04:00:00 -0500

If you're awake you are breaking down muscle tissue, it's only during proper sleep that we have the hormones we need to rebuild your muscles. You would often be better off to skip the second workout or cut down the workout time if you could increase your sleep quality.

It's not just how much sleep that matters but it's also when you sleep and the quality of your sleep.

Brandon talks about telomeres that are at the end of a chromosome. The degree to which your telomeres are unraveling is the way that people can measure their biological age. You can add length to your telomeres through exercise and proper diet. The most efficient way to unravel them is to not sleep well.

What can a poor night of sleep do to your brain? If there is an interruption of glucose between the prefrontal cortex and the Amygdala can cause a lack of impulse control. Without sleep, the prefrontal lobe connection is severed, resulting in an overactive emotional brain, i.e. all gas and no brakes!

Circadian Rhythms are basically the body's system for following the sun and the moon. I know it sounds a little new-age, but the research is science-based.

One of the things that can disrupt circadian rhythm is exposure to blue light.

Exposure to sunlight increases serotonin production which improves mood, in turn increasing melatonin production later at night for better sleep and repair.

The optimal time to get sun exposure is between 6 and 8:30 a.m.

Things that negatively alter Gut Bacteria

Agricultural chemicals
processed foods
haphazard or repeated antibiotic use
chemical food additives and preservatives
chlorinated water
NSAID use

Recommended Supplements to support gut health

L-glutamine
Probiotics
Fiber
Digestive Enzymes
High-quality Greens Supplement
High-quality Detox Program

Pros and cons of coffee consumption:

PRO: it contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and few dietary proteins.
PRO: research shows coffee consumption has reduced the risk of some diseases:
- Parkinson's
- Alzheimers'
- Type 2 diabetes
- Gallstones
- Cancer - oral, esophageal and pharyngeal
- Asthma attacks
- Heart rhythm problems
- Strokes
CON: Changes in sleep pattern
CON: May cause auditory hallucinations
CON: Can raise blood pressure
CON: Can stain teeth
CON: Acids can aggravate heartburn

Also mentioned in this episode:

Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson
F.lux application for smart TV's to eliminate blue light

Kenny Ragsdale on becoming a bodybuilder in his 40's

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 04:00:00 -0500

Kenny shares his origin story about starting at the lowest rank in the military at a young age and completing his career as a major to becoming a bodybuilder at 44. Kenny, now 48, is running Frontline Fitness and training for an upcoming bodybuilding competition.

His inspiring story of dedication and commitment serves as an example for anyone who wants to transform their life.

More about Kenny from his website:
As a retired US Army Major, I was blessed to have a very rewarding military career. Now that I'm retired, I bring the same passion, dedication, and enthusiasm I had serving this great nation, to helping my clients achieve their health and fitness goals, realize their own value & potential, and to enjoy a greater measure of life!

Qualifications: I have had the distinct privilege of serving with and learning from some of the most skilled fitness professionals, some of which did not have one fitness certification.

20+ years experience helping some of America's Heroes stay fit to fight
Certified Personal Trainer
Master Fitness Trainer (US Army)
CPR Certified
Advanced Nutrition Certificate
Accomplished Amateur Bodybuilder with recent/relevant experience
Gym Owner

Fitness Philosophy: My fitness philosophy is one size does NOT fit all, so do what works best for you. I believe in using various styles of training in my fitness program (weight lifting, HIIT, functional training, etc). Often, a person's fitness goals will steer them toward a specific style of training. Bottom Line, get in where you FIT in!

Life Philosophy: T.B.D. = Trust God, Be Yourself, Do Your Best

Kenny reminds the Fire Within nation of the importance of experimenting to find the exercise regiment that provides results for you. Two people could do the same workout for 5 months and see different results. You have to experiment. Start by learning and doing research but then you need to experiment.

We also discussed the pros and cons and benefits of intermittent fasting.

More is not better. You need to give your muscles time to regenerate or you risk injury or ineffective workouts.

Top three things to start seeing positive change in your health and fitness from Kenny Ragsdale:

See your healthcare provider. Find out if you have pre-existing issues that could cause issues.
Get your nutrition dialed in.
Get started.

Also mentioned on this episode:

Mike Mentzer's approach to training

Find out more about Frontline Fitness
Website | Facebook | Instagram

Mike and Lilla - Wolves never lose sleep over the opinions of sheep

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 04:00:00 -0500

Mike Winkfield - creator of Wolf Fitness

Equipped with the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM), Functional Movement Screening (FMS), and TRX certifications with 15 years of experience in wellness and fitness. At Marshall University he majored in Exercise Physiology. His passion is creating transformational experiences and changing lives.

Lilla Juhasz - Lilla is originally from Hungary, earned a degree in Exercise and Sport Science at Campbell University. She is an ACE certified personal trainer and has an extensive background in athletics. She is a former D1 track and field athlete. Works with individuals from the age of 14-70. She is passionate about helping people to live a healthier life and love their bodies.

WOLF FITNESS

Wolf Fitness is a private fitness studio. We offer group fitness classes, personal training, partner training, sports performance training, and Hypervolt Vibration Myofascial Release. Our goal is to change your view on fitness so that it becomes apart of who you are and your lifestyle.

Our heads weigh between 10 - 14 pounds. That's a bowling ball. When people have improper posture and lean forward with their shoulders rolled studies show that every inch you lean your head forward you add 10 pounds of tension to your neck and traps have to support. It will also change the positioning of your scapula and rotator cuff that can lead to impingements and cervical issues.

This is why it's important when beginning to workout to focus on foundational patterns and corrective movements for new clients before you throw a lot at them.

Many people don't know that stress doesn't just affect posture, but it works the other way. Posture can affect stress levels. So for instance, if you have these forward rounded shoulders, you're collapsed inward and your diaphragm can't fully expand. So now your body's getting a signal all day long. "I don't have enough oxygen!" So hormonally, there's more cortisol and norepinephrine in these stress hormones release attacking your adrenal glands. This can add to increased weight gain, insulin issues, and thyroid issues. So as you're doing these correctives movements, you open that chest cavity back up, now you're able to get more oxygen in the body.

Lilla talks about some of the cultural differences in health and nutrition in Hungary versus the US.

Mike shares about the origin of Wolf fitness. Wolves never lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.

When it comes to food as fuel the wolves like to stay on the outside of the isles in the grocery store and stay away from processed and boxed foods.

Also talked about in this episode:
The Hypervolt from Hyperice

Find out more about Wolf Fitness:
Website: wolfnc.com

IG: wolffitnessnc

Email: wolffitnessnc@gmail.com

Mike Winkfield 304 617-8759

Lilla Juhasz 704 418-5651

Chris Mondragon - It's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 04:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we talk about the importance of sustainable behaviors and how since Atkins and shows like the biggest loser the American understanding of diet has changed to short-term changes in behavior to achieve results instead of the "No Shortcuts," common sense approach of a lifelong health journey.

Brandon and Chris discuss CBT and how it helps people pick, reach, and adjust their fitness goals in a way that is sustainable. Learning to create willpower over emotion.

"Willpower is like gas, it passes quickly." Chris Mondragon

"The same behavior that they do to lose weight should be the same behaviors they do to keep the weight off." - Chris Mondragon

Brandon and Chris discuss the benefits and drawbacks of intermittent fasting.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful cognitive distortions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. Wikipedia

It's not just what you eat, it's what you absorb. This is why you should consider eating slower. Enjoy your food. You may have heard it takes 20 minutes to feel full. Eating slower helps you feel more satiated and absorb more nutrients. What could that look like? Try chewing eat bite 15 times.

Chris shares the importance of making sure that they (clients) realize they're worth it. I always say women are a great example. So the Bible teaches to love others as you neglect yourself and they go, yeah, no, it actually says to love others as you love yourself, but they often are putting themselves last from their kids to their husbands, to everything. They're always last and there is a place for self-sacrifice, I understand that but you can't be at your best if you don't make yourself important.

Connectivity as talking makes us relax and raises or endorphins as visiting with people, with people we care about. Yeah. Eating junk food kicks up your dopamine. Having a meal with a friend and visiting kicks up your endorphins. It's a different experience.

I believe in science-driven workouts. I think that makes complete sense. Exercises and science. Let's get people the best results for the time and effort. However, what I discovered at personally fit, probably about a year ago, I had everybody do three words that explain personally fit to them. I was thinking it was going to be all "science-driven workouts". But, fun was number one. Two, community or friends. And three was accountability or results. So what the behavior change specialist talk about is, and if you're not having fun, you're not going to stay away from for three to six months to start seeing results.

Mentioned in this episode:

John Berardi of Precision Nutrition
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
Athelean-X by Jeff Cavalier and his youtube channel
EliteFTS
T-Nation
Shawn Stevenson on the Model Health Show

Find out more about Chris Mondragon and Personally Fit Individualized Training in Raleigh NC or call (919)832-8484 or check out their Facebook

Allie Doiron on Nutrition and Dietetics

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 04:00:00 -0500

Allie learned a lot about chronic disease and chronic disease management but had a turning point working in the inpatient work because nutrition is not put in the forefront.

Allie is a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and plant-based health nut who strives to make good choices for herself and her clients through a holistic approach focusing on maximizing metabolism.

She graduated from Auburn University majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed her Dietetic Internship through Winthrop University in Florence, SC. From there she worked in a variety of settings, including educating lower-income populations, inpatient medical nutrition therapy, outpatient nutrition education and one on one nutrition coaching, personal training, and metabolism testing at Life Time. She loves all things whole foods, essential oils, and anything outdoors.

Allie believes in the Fire Within and has partnered with them to share what she knows about holistic wellness.

Allie and Brandon talk candidly about essential oils for replacing products with harmful chemicals and the health benefits associated with different kinds of oils.

You're going to want to check out this episode!

Mentioned in this episode

Siete Brand Tortillas
The Environmental Working Group
Contact Allie at waterandthewell@gmail.com or find her on Instagram @waterandthewell and her website WaterAndTheWell.com

Amanda gets healthy and Billy Wins

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 04:00:00 -0500

Amanda shares about her journey from obese and unhealthy and all the obstacles she had to overcome to become healthy. She is a mom and shares with our listeners some of the struggles of helping her kids and family make healthy choices at mealtime and the process of introducing healthy alternatives and taking away some of the unhealthy options from their diets.

After working out for nearly one year she noticed very little change in her body and the way she felt, but when she realized the importance of nutrition she started to experience life-changing results.

She was able to even reverse some pretty serious health situations and decrease her medication as her body began to get healthy and function properly. You're not going to want to miss this inspiring and practical episode!

Amanda's top three things you would tell somebody looking to start a transformation to do:

1. You have to be ready to commit (No one else can make you, you have to be ready)
2. Set mini-goals (daily and weekly)and keep a food journal
3. Increase your knowledge of nutrition

Also Mentioned on this episode:

How to Cure Your Child With Food by Dr. Kelly Dorfman
Zevia soda is a sugar-free alternative to soda
Kettle Brand Avacado oil chips
Epic bone broth

Adam Lee on addiction, fitness and spirituality

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 04:30:00 -0500

Lessons of Weight Loss From a Reformed Alcoholic

Adam Lee is a husband and a father of four! He works at Hope Community Church as a production team event coordinator, loves riding motorcycles, building furniture, and buying his wife purses. He’s traveled all over the world but still prefers the world at Epcot Center.

In this episode as he shares his journey of getting out of the clutches of alcoholism and obesity. This conversation is all about the struggle, overcoming, and also finding out that, however severe it might be, there is always a possibility for change, and that surrounding your life with the right people is transformative.

What You Will Learn From This Episode:

Relating the darkest moments of his life
What was his weight loss journey like
How he dealt with temptation about food
The unhealthy habits he had back then and the depression he went through
His wife’s full support for his abstinence from alcohol
How to get clean from the bondage of alcoholism
What is Al-anon
What his day looks like now as a reformed alcoholic
How he dealt with skin issues due to weight loss
How long it took to get to the weight, he has now
Why you should not do shortcuts to weight loss
Processes and strategies that are helpful to weight loss

Key Takeaways:

“My wife is super supportive. She does not take any S#$@, and she does not pull any punches. She is a bulldog when it comes to me being sober. And honestly, it saved my life. I had a lot of loving people around me, who told me alcohol was bad.” - Adam Lee

“The biggest thing for me to losing weight was cutting out alcohol completely and not just limiting its intake.” - Adam Lee

“It was an overall change for me. It’s hard to do on your own.” - Adam Lee

“Develop boundaries. It’s a huge thing, and it’s the number one transformation.” - Adam Lee

“Make some replacements. Find some healthy alternatives out there. There’s celery; there are baby carrots. Have you ever tried those little like sweet pea pods? Eat something like that. Get hooked on something healthy.” - Adam Lee

“I would say transform yourself spiritually. You’ll be able to have better conversations, and you’ll be able to understand yourself a lot more.” - Adam Lee

Resources / People Mentioned

Connect With Brandon Wooley and Joe Woolworth

Fire Within Nutrition and Fitness

Facebook

Instagram

Relevant Media Solutions, Joe Woolworth

The Proper Way to Detox

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 04:30:00 -0500

Detox has many benefits. It can both reset your mindset and your body as you intentionally eliminate common contributors to poor health.

Unhealthy detox approaches

Lemon Water, Cyanne Pepper, and Maple Syrup (thanks Kelly from the Office)
- A bar or shake "only" program can be unsustainable and are not nutritionally complete

Healthy Detox approach

An elimination diet to target some of the harshes foods to our system.
Includes one week of down ramping to get your body ready.
Items to exclude during a healthy detox:
- Sugar
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Wheat, grain, and corn
- Dairy
- Soy
- Artificial Sweeteners
- Peanuts and Peanut Butter
- Eggs
Items to include
- Properly sourced protein
- Vegetables and fruits (not corn)
- Wild-caught fish (no shellfish, they are the livers of the sea)
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil
- Beans, peas, lentils, and potatoes
- Go nuts with the spices and flavors
- Water and green tea

You should enjoy the food you eat on a detox. We are just trying to cut out anything with hormonal disruptions.

Sugar is the most addictive substance on the planet. We reference a study where scientists gave rats the choice between cocaine and table sugar and the rats chose sugar 10 out of 10 times. And rats really like cocaine.

Also mentioned in this podcast

Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
Microbiome health discussion with Dr. Lovelle
Genuis Foods by Max Lugavere with Paul Grewal, MD
The Lifetime Fitness Detox
Siete Cassava Flour tortillas
The book, Change Your Brain Change Your Life

David Allen on SNAX

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 04:00:00 -0500

SNAX was created by David Allen as a plan that would help a person with a sedentary lifestyle and busy people, to find time to do exercises in a work environment.

Brandon shared a story of a client who had terrible sciatica and couldn't sleep at night. She had seen the Chiropractor for almost 20 years and would experience temporary relief. Brandon showed her a basic piriformis stretch similar to a pigeon pose in Yoga. After this simple fix, she slept like a baby for the first time in 20 years and her sciatica never came back.

Tabata training is a practice of exercising for four minutes 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off and you can get a killer workout. ~ Brandon

When it comes to the topic of trying to hit 10,000 steps for weight loss, Brandon notes the importance of our lymphatic drainage system that our body uses to help filter toxins to the liver and kidneys. it does not have a pump like our cardiovascular system has, which is our heart. So we don't move, that means your body is not eliminating toxic waste buildup. Just moving his, helping with lymph fluid, which just can help different processes of the body.

Magnesium is the most deficient supplement in most people's diets. If you were to take one supplement, it may be wise to start with Magnesium. It helps to regulate heartbeat, headaches, menstrual cramps, anxiety, lower stress, and improves sleep quality.

Soil degradation has made some of our food 30-40% less nutrient-dense and that's why supplements may be a necessary addition for optimal health.

Only 2% of people can actually multitask. Take this test to see if you are one.

Three tips from our guest David Allen for optimal health
1. Move More
2. Reduce stress, find what works for you and do it
3. Be consistent

Also mentioned on this episode:

Dr. Susan Lovelle on functional medicine

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 03:00:00 -0500

Dr. Susan works mainly with women entrepreneurs leaders, those women who are just kind of stressing themselves out. She says "people they say you go into medicine to help the people that you were" and she focuses on helping those types of women.

I think personally that functional medicine is going to be the way of the future just because it does work. - Dr. Susan Lovelle

They change their lives they get off medication.

Discussed in this episode:

The condition called leaky gut where food gets through the intestinal wall and into your bloodstream which can cause inflammation, rashes, headaches, joint pain, etc. The small intestine is an immune barrier and when something breaks through it can lead to many side effects.
An elimination diet is recommended for food allergies or food sensitivities. Keep a food journal.
Bloodwork can be one of the most transformative steps for optimal health
Microbiome health is becoming a popular topic in the last 10 years. Dr. Lovelle shares about how bacteria, viruses, parasites in your guts and they run our lives more than we know. There are more bacteria in our gut than cells in our body. When they are out of balance it's called dysbiosis.
Brandon mentioned a book by Dr. Robynne Chutkan called The Microbiome Solution, was talking about fecal transplants and the success rate of treating C. Diff.
Medical professionals used to think that the majority of serotonin (the feel-good hormone) was produced by the brain but now we know that 90% is produced in your gut. So what you eat literally can help with anxiety depression your mood.
Sitting is the new smoking. Dr. Lovelle mentioned a program called SNAX for helping people keep moving throughout the day.
Some of the benefits to meditation can include: it helps lower blood pressure could turn off that fight or flight response and if you could start your day without that'll stop that slow drip of cortisol and breakdown of muscle tissue and adrenal issues.
The Insight Timer Meditation app
NeuRoast Mushroom Coffee
Flicker is an issue caused by LED lights rapidly turning on and off and has been known to cause headaches and you may want to consider switching to incandescent lights at night to assist in falling asleep.

The top three things to improve your life and health goals by Dr. Susan Lovelle

Understand that you are an individual and start listening to your own body
Realize that you are your own doctor and you have the responsibility to bring yourself to health.
You can be healthy, it is your right, and you deserve to feel that way.

Find out more about Dr. Susan Lovelle

Her website is Premiere Wellness
THE BOSS Women Renewed: A Retreat to Reclaim Your Energy and Grow Your Business!

Drew Mitchell's unstoppable journey to health

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 04:30:00 -0400

[00:01:14] Drew Mitchell: My mother died when I was 7 years old. She was 35 she had breast cancer. So that was really challenging at a very young age that I dealt with disgust me think different types of health and fitness not just physically based but mentally emotionally all that good stuff growing up. My father was not a great father, to be honest, physically and mentally abusive.

[00:07:02] Brandon Woolley: [00:07:02] I wanted to go back to one takeaway. You said earlier and what you said was if you commit consistently to something paraphrasing here, then you're going to see the success that's such an interesting point and maybe that's part of why all of these fad diets and crash diets fail is it's not consistent. So even if it's not exactly perfect for that person, you found in your experience if they can do something consistently, they see results?

[00:07:28] Drew Mitchell: [00:07:28] Absolutely. I mean think about it like this. The fitness industry is saturated with supplements and meal plans and you know people who buy into a program, and for a large percentage of them, if they stick to it, they're going to see results. And they will attribute it to all the supplements or this workout program but I think we need to attribute it more to the awareness that they were putting forth into their daily life.

[00:12:01] So if you have small beliefs about yourself what you're capable of achieving, you're going to take small action steps. And obviously, if you only take a little bit of action, you're only going to produce a little bit of results.

One of the keys to success in fitness and wellness is consistency, but it's never a linear journey. There are going to be ups and downs.
Being a trainer for 20 years, Drew realized that even the best athletes have trainers. The best CEO's have mentors and business coaches. We are better together.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Bodybuilding book by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Drew's first book THE WARRIOR WITHIN: My Awe-Inspiring True Life Story of Survival, Self-Discovery, and Redemption
Drew's second book Unstoppable: Fate's Journey of Overcoming The Impossible
The Power of Ted by David Emerald

Top three tips from Drew to the Fire within Nation.
1. Have a compelling vision. Have a powerful "why."
2. Forgive yourself and others.
3. Your attitude should always be gratitude.

Five common misconceptions about nutrition

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 04:30:00 -0400

Debunking A Lot of Misconceptions About Food, Diet, And Exercises

This time around the situation reversed, our host for Fire Within Podcast, Brandon Woolley, is going to be interviewed by our guest host and Brandon’s show producer, owner, and operator of Relevant Media Solutions, Joe Woolworth.

Take time to listen in to this episode as Brandon shares with us his inspiring transformation from being overweight to being healthy and fit. Seeing his parent’s health go downhill and suffering himself from illnesses and discomforts were deciding factors for him to start a journey to fitness and health. It ignited to his passion for making a change in his life, he threw himself into in-depth and relevant research about food and nutrition. The reason why he generously shares with us today the knowledge he has, especially on many misconceptions about food, diet, exercises, and the unhealthy habits we have. Brandon has trained hundreds of people and helped them take the next step in their journey of fitness.

What You Will Learn From This Episode

His transformation story and the deciding factor that changed it all
His passion for getting and providing the right nutrition for himself and his clients
How to address confusion about diet plans available out there
Misconceptions about consuming vegetable oil and facts about sugar that we need to be aware of
Excellent properties of oil and their good sources
What is Homeostasis
What is Microbiome Health
The added health benefits of fermented food and pressure cooking grains, rice, and beans
The importance of avoiding stress and sleeping well
Caffeine and how it adversely affects blood pressure
The health benefits of meditation
The healthy kind of bread you should look for
Destructive fad diets out there

Key Takeaways

“One of my favorite tools to use, especially once I’ve already started working with a client is an elimination diet, where we can take everything away that’s problematic and introduce things one at a time and see what they react.” - Brandon Woolley

“I don’t know who came up with that idea but, I know why they’re using it now. If I want to make a profit, I need to sell more products. And, we know that sugar is the most addictive substance on the planet.” - Brandon Woolley

“With vegetable oil, one of the things it does, especially as it becomes more oxidized, through numerous heating, it restricts the ability for blood vessels to dilate. So they lose their flexibility. So that raises blood pressure.” - Brandon Woolley

“Anytime you have something that can be converted to glucose; you’re going to get a spike in blood sugar. And when we get a spike, we’re going to get a corresponding crash. And when it crashes, now we’re hungry, and we’re going to binge on something we’re not supposed to, which will spike.” - Brandon Woolley

“If you’re choosing fruits, berries are going to be your best option. They’re super low in sugar and fructose, and they’re high in fiber and antioxidants.” - Brandon Woolley

“A lot of health conditions could have to do with this lack of exposure to sunlight, which screws up or our mitochondria, which is our body’s engine. Even if you fix the diet, if you don’t fix the engine, there’s still not gonna run properly.” - Brandon Woolley

“I do think we have to look more than just a diet or just the exercise, but it needs to be a holistic approach that also is including light cycles cause that drives our hormones.” - Brandon Woolley

“The best way to make positive, long-term change is to change one habit at a time. Establish it as a habit. Once you’re comfortable with it, then you stack the next thing.” - Brandon Woolley

“What motivated me to do so much in-depth research, because there’s a lot of research that wasn’t necessary for my job, but I realized, was that if I could educate people about the "why" on a deep level that affects their health, then maybe they’re more likely to make the changes.” - Brandon Woolley

“Keep eating your whole grains. But if you’re struggling with weight loss, diabetes, insulin resistance, it is worth your while to at least for a short period, eliminate wheat grain and corn, and monitor your health and see if you don’t see some improvements.” - Brandon Woolley

Resources/ People Mentioned

Connect With Brandon Woolley

Fire Within Nutrition and Fitness

Facebook

Instagram

Get the free ebook The Top 5 Misconceptions Keeping You From Optimal Health!

James Hess on a fitness driven career

Brandon Woolley — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0400

Discussed on this episode:

If you don't know your "why" you won't stick with a wellness plan. Having a strong why is one of the key components of success.
Surround yourself with people who want to help. You will need accountability.
Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to lasting change in your health and wellness.

Fire Within Podcast Season One Trailer

Brandon Woolley — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 01:00:00 -0400

If you want to transform your life with nutrition and fitness, there are no shortcuts. You need a sustainable plan: the right mindset, and the knowledge and inspiration to stoke the fire within. Just like the Phoenix, you can burn your old habits, never turn back, and emerge anew. The Fire Within Podcast with its host Brandon Woolley will be interview people in the health, fitness, and wellness industry to glean insights you can use to improve your life.