Fitness & Nutrition
**Align Podcast**

Welcome! I’m Aaron, host of the Align Podcast. Understanding your mind and body can be confusing, this podcast will help by combining ancient wisdom with modern science to better know yourself.

New here? Start with these episodes: Byron Katie, Bruce Lipton, Aubrey Marcus, Gabor Maté, Robert Sapolsky, Chris Williamson, Robert Edward Grant, Dr. Perry Nickelston, Wim Hof, Peter Crone, James Clear, Zach Bush, Teal Swan, Dr. Mike Israetel, Gabby Reece, Laird Hamilton, Marianne Williamson

If you love this podcast, I would love for you to connect with me on Instagram, @AaronAlexander

Latest Episodes:

Dr. Mark Cheng: Chinese Medicine, Spaciousness, Art of Communication | Ep. 116 May 29, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Mark Cheng has his Masters and Doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees in Chinese medicine and acupuncture, as well as his California State acupuncture license (L.Ac.), allowing him to practice professionally. He also taught Tui-Na (Chinese manual therapeutics) for two of the strongest Chinese medicine colleges in the Los Angeles area.

Not content to rest on the strength of his coursework, Dr. Cheng also made regular efforts to study with the top Chinese-style manual therapists, Western physical therapists, and strength training experts to gain a wider understanding of the human body and the safest, most efficient ways of helping it perform at a higher level with less pain and dysfunction.

Today, Dr. Cheng owns a successful private practice in Santa Monica, California, gives speaking engagements, workshops, & seminars internationally, and is constantly working on producing better instructional resources for improving athletic performance in elite athletes and more pain-free movement and strength for everyday people.

Learn more at http://drmarkcheng.com/

Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOw_AWSlpp8

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Steven Kotler II: Science of Ecstatic States, Tribal Mind, Flow | Ep. 115 May 23, 2017

Show notes

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist and the co-founder/director of research for the Flow Genome Project. He is one of the world’s leading experts on ultimate human performance.

His previous book, The Rise of Superman, was one of the most talked about books in 2013 and the first book in history to land on national bestseller lists in the sports, science, and business categories simultaneously. In it, Steven decodes the science of flow, an optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.

His writings have been translated into over 40 languages and appeared in over 80 publications, including The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Forbes, Wired and TIME. He also writes “Far Frontiers,” a blog about science and culture for Forbes.com, appears frequently on television and radio, and lectures widely on technological, scientific and cultural issues, both to corporate and education institutions.

Alongside his wife, the author Joy Nicholson, Steven is the cofounder of Rancho de Chihuahua, a dog sanctuary in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. He has a BA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an MA from Johns Hopkins University and, whenever possible, can be found hurling himself down mountains at high speeds.

Learn more at http://www.stevenkotler.com/

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Luke Storey: Kundalini, Drugs, Fashion & Physiology| Ep. 114 May 16, 2017

Show notes

ABOUT Luke Storey

Luke Storey, a former Hollywood Celebrity Stylist, has spent the past 20 years developing and refining a robust way of life based on the principles of nature and spirituality, while embracing technology and modern convenience.

Using himself as a human research lab, Luke has explored a broad and sometimes extreme variety of measures to obtain optimal health, performance, and well-being. From being injected with poisonous frog venom, to enduring weeks of neurofeedback meditation in an isolation chamber, Luke has scoured the earth for the most cutting edge as well as ancient technologies and used them to transform his life and the lives of countless others.

Luke is a Lifestyle Designer, public speaker, and entrepreneur, who continues to share his strategies for healing and happiness through his private and corporate coaching services.

Since 2008 Luke has also served as Founder and CEO at School of Style, the nation's most prominent fashion school for stylists.

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Melissa Hartwig: Self Analysis, Psychology of Addiction, Stength in Solitude | Ep. 113 May 08, 2017

Show notes

The Whole30 program was officially launched in 2009 when co-founder Melissa Hartwig shared the details of a 30-day dietary experiment she and her co-founder had recently completed on her personal training blog. Since then, the Whole30 community has grown by millions of fans and followers, and has expanded to include four New York Times best-selling books. The Whole30 websites currently serves 2 million unique visitors a month, with readers checking in from more than 100 different countries, and has a combined social media base of more than 2 million fans and followers.

Melissa Hartwig, CISSN: Headmistress/Co-Founder

Melissa Hartwig is a Certified Sports Nutritionist who specializes in helping people change their relationship with food and create life-long, healthy habits. She is the co-creator of the original Whole30 program, a four-time New York Times bestselling author (It Starts With Food, The Whole30, Food Freedom Forever, and The Whole30 Cookbook). She has been featured by Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Details, Shape, Outside, and SELF, and ranked #27 on Greatists Top 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness in 2017. Melissa has presented more than 150 health and nutrition seminars worldwide, and is a prominent keynote speaker on social media and branding, health trends, and entrepreneurship.

Melissa enjoys kettlebell training, yoga, hiking, solo traveling, and riding her motorcycle. She lives in Salt Lake City, UT.

Facebook hartwig.melissa| Instagram @melissa_hartwig| Twitter @melissahartwig_

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Dr. Andy Galpin: Science & Philosophy of Strength, Fat Burning and Movement | Ep. 112 May 01, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Andy Galpin

Director of Education: Andy is a tenured Professor in the Center for Sport Performance at CSU Fullerton.

Andy took his limited talents to Linfield College to join their Football team and pursue a degree in Exercise Science. While he experienced great success in both (2004 National Championship and 2x Captain and immediate inductee into the "All Ugly" Team), the true reward of this time was the meeting of lifelong friend (Doug Larson). The two fed each other's pursuit of knowledge of human performance and led them to attend the University of Memphis for the Masters degrees in Human Movement Sciences. A bit of luck and excellent faculty mentoring led Doug and Andy to meet Mike Bledsoe and the man formally known as "Barbell Buddha" Chris Moore - all of which later led to the creation of the #1 Health & Fitness Podcast in the world Barbell Shrugged. It also marked the start of Andy's competitive Weightlifting (culminating in his 7th Place finish in the 2007 National Championships), Mixed Martial Arts, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu careers.

Needing to know more about muscle, Andy spent 4 years studying the structure and function of human skeletal muscle at the single cell level, a feat which earned him a PhD in Human Bioenergetics in 2011. This also resulted in the friendship with frequent collaborator Dr. Jimmy Bagley and the ability to open up his own "Biochemistry and Molecular Exercise Physiology Laboratory" at CSU Fullerton.

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Alex Hutchinson: Psychobiology, Breath Hacks, Mammalian Dive Reflex | Ep.111 Apr 24, 2017

Show notes

ALEX HUTCHINSON

I'm a former physicist, a lifelong runner, and (most of all, these days) a science journalist. In the pages of Runner's World, my "Fast Lane" column focuses on training for peak performance -- workouts, racing strategies, and other battle-tested tips to bring down your PRs.

You can read more about my background at my personal website if you're interested. In brief, I started my career as a physicist doing postdoctoral research with the National Security Agency, and competed as a national-class runner for Canada for a decade. In my late 20s, I switched from scientist to science journalist; since then, I've won a National Magazine Award and my writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Outside, Popular Mechanics (where I'm a contributing editor), Men's Journal, Bicycling, and elsewhere. You can read some examples of my work here.

My latest book is called Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights? Fitness Myths, Training Truths and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise. Yes, it's a mouthful. The premise is pretty simple: it takes 111 common (and uncommon) questions about fitness -- e.g. Should I exercise when I'm sick? And what's the actual difference between running on a treadmill, running on an elliptical trainer, and running outside? -- and digs up the current state of peer-reviewed knowledge. It's not a textbook: the aim is to make the research accessible to anyone who's interested, from total exercise beginners to competitive athletes.

To keep up with the latest Sweat Science posts, please follow me on Twitter or check out the Sweat Science Facebook page. Thanks for following!

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Dr. Terry Wahls II: Evolution of Mitochondria, Stem Cells, Reversing Inflammation | Ep. 110 Apr 17, 2017

Show notes

Bio

Dr. Terry Wahls is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa where she conducts clinical trials. She is also a patient with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, which confined her to a tilt-recline wheelchair for four years. Dr. Wahls restored her health using a diet and lifestyle program she designed specifically for her brain and now pedals her bike to work each day. She is the author of The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine, The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles (paperback), and the cookbook The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life: The Revolutionary Modern Paleo Plan to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions.

She conducts clinical trials that test the effect of nutrition and lifestyle interventions to treat MS and other progressive health problems. Learn more about Dr. Wahls’ clinical trials here. She also teaches the public and medical community about the healing power of the Paleo diet and therapeutic lifestyle changes that restore health and vitality to our citizens. She hosts a Wahls Protocol Seminar every August where anyone can learn how to implement the Protocol with ease and success. Follow her on Facebook (Terry Wahls MD) and on Twitter at @TerryWahls.

Check out Terry's new book at:

https://www.amazon.com/Wahls-Protocol-Cooking-Life-Revolutionary-ebook/dp/B01J2STXB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492446636&sr=8-1&keywords=terry+wahls+cookbook

Joe Cambell intro link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxrEdH1Evik

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Dr. Stuart McGill II: Butt Winking, Power of Bracing, Stacking Our Bones | Ep. 109 Apr 10, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Stuart M. McGill is a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON, Canada). His advice is often sought by governments, corporations, legal experts and elite athletes and teams from around the world. Difficult back cases are regularly referred to him for consultation. Any product associated with this website has been tested in Dr. McGill's laboratory at the University of Waterloo, ON, Canada.

Learn more at:

http://www.backfitpro.com/

Joseph Cambell intro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGx4IlppSgU

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Tero Isokauppila: Performance Mushrooms, Reindeer Piss, Over-Reading | Ep. 108 Apr 03, 2017

Show notes

Tero Isokauppila, is the founder of Four Sigmatic Foods, and he's on a mission to make mushrooms more accessible to everyone. Tero founded Four Sigmatic in 2012 and is now sold in over 25 countries.

Four Sigmatic's functional mushroom coffees, hot cocoas and elixirs are delicious and I personally use them on the daily!

Tero is a wealth of knowledge around health and nutrition which makes it ironic that in this discussion we get into the idea of over-reading and the process of creating genuine ideas.

Learn more at foursigmatic.com/align

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Mike Bledsoe: Language & Movement, Perspectives on Sexuality, Trauma Effects Posture | Ep. 107 Mar 27, 2017

Show notes

Mike Bledsoe

Mike Bledsoe is one of the founders and owners of Faction Strength & Conditioning Home of CrossFit Memphis. He's a co-host on the top ranked Barbell Shrugged Podcast and Host of the Bledsoe Show.

I first met Mike at Paleo F(X) in Austin Texas and discovered we have more commonalities than I've found of the majority of folks I've met in the Crossfit/strength community.

In this two-part conversation, we uncovered some of those common interests including the effect of language on movement, trauma's impact on posture and his development as a business owner.

Hear the rest of this two-part discussion at www.thebledsoeshow.com/

Bullet points on Mike's background:

Bachelor’s degree in Health & Human Performance
USA Weightlifting Performance Coach Certified
CrossFit level 1
CrossFit Endurance
National Strength & Conditioning Association – Certified Personal Trainer
Coaching CrossFit over 5 years
Running a CrossFit gym for 5 years
Competing and Coaching Weightlifting for 6 years, Coached multiple athletes to Nationals
Adjunct Professor at University of Memphis in the Health & Human Performance Dept.
Guest speaker at California State University Fullerton on multiple occasions to discuss running a business & programming for athletes

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