The Wellness Mama Podcast

Latest Episodes:

187: Andy Petranek on Small Daily Steps to Improve Your Life Sep 13, 2018

Show notes

When it comes to making healthy choices, half the battle is motivation. That’s where the Whole Life Challenge comes into play! Today I’m here with Andy Petranek, who has been a health and fitness coach for over 25 years. He was a United States Marine, a sponsored athlete, and was featured as one of the …

187: A Whole Life Challenge to Improve Your Life in Small Daily Steps Sep 13, 2018

Show notes

When it comes to making healthy choices, half the battle is motivation. That’s where the Whole Life Challenge comes into play!

Today I’m here with Andy Petranek, who has been a health and fitness coach for over 25 years. He was a United States Marine, a sponsored athlete, and was featured as one of the original 10 CrossFit affiliates in the world. He’s also the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge, a worldwide six-week online “game” that you play with friends and family to improve seven specific areas of health: nutrition, mobility, exercise, sleep, hydration, well being, and reflection.

Also… I am about to jump into one of these if anybody wants to compete with me! 🙂

Episode Highlights on the Whole Life Challenge

why Andrew started the Whole Life Challenge (and what he tried before it that didn’t work)
how we can turn failures into valuable life lessons
the healthy living challenge that’s sweeping the nation
thinking for the long-term: how lasting change happens little by little, not all at once
how to motivate yourself to start new habits (and keep them)
getting connected to a support community
what CrossFit has to do with it
the keys to challenging yourself and making meaningful change
and more!

Resources We Mention

Sign up now at WholeLifeChallenge.com
Read more about the 7 Daily Habits of the Whole Life Challenge
Listen to the WLC Podcast with Andy Petranek

Books Andy Recommends

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Whole Life Challenge Quotables

“If there was one thing that I would encourage people to take on… be an explorer as opposed to a researcher. Do your research and find the information but then have the courage to take an action and have the courage to be wrong about the thing you try…. Get up, dust yourself off, and then try again and try in a little bit of a different way that works for you.”

More From Wellness Mama

186: Dr. Anthony Gustin on the Carnivore Diet, Ketosis, Macros, & Diet Variation Sep 10, 2018

Show notes

It seems like there’s always a new diet to try… the keto diet, the carnivore diet, different types of fasting… the list goes on. The question is, how do we know if any of them are actually good for us? What Is the Carnivore Diet? Today’s episode should answer a lot of questions. My guest …

186: Carnivore Diet, Ketosis, Macros, & Diet Variation With Dr. Anthony Gustin Sep 10, 2018

Show notes

It seems like there’s always a new diet to try… the keto diet, the carnivore diet, different types of fasting… the list goes on.

The question is, how do we know if any of them are actually good for us?

What is the Carnivore Diet?

Today’s episode should answer a lot of questions. My guest Dr. Anthony Gustin is a board-certified sports physician, a functional medicine practitioner, and an overall food and fitness skeptic like I am. His focus recently has shifted from private practice to starting his own company, Perfect Keto and Equip.

Dr. Gustin’s mission is to create products that improve the accessibility of whole food nutrition and ketosis, and he’s the perfect person to explain a little bit more about the carnivore diet, how it works, and if it’s right for you.

Episode Highlights

why not to follow one diet for too long
the best way to fast for women
how to do the keto diet correctly
which diets have their place in a healthy lifestyle
what the carnivore diet is
how much protein we actually need
and more!

Resources We Mention

Books We Mention

The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz
Why We Get Fat & What to Do About It by Gary Taubes
Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Taleb
The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in “Healthy” Foods That Cause Disease & Weight Gain by Dr. Steven Gundry
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson

More From Wellness Mama

394: The Carnivore Code, Plant Toxins, and Optimal Protein With Dr. Paul Saladino

185: Dr. Marra Francis on How to Get Lab Tests at Home With EverlyWell Sep 06, 2018

Show notes

Listen up, because today’s episode is going to be all about hormones and how to take ownership of your own health (a topic on the minds of just a few of us moms!). I am here with Dr. Marra Francis, an OB-GYN who focuses on helping women with genetic risk for certain cancers. Dr. Marra also …

185: How to Get Lab Tests at Home & Take Charge of Your Own Health With EverlyWell Sep 06, 2018

Show notes

In a nutshell, her mission is to educate enough physicians so that no more women have to suffer a fate with terminal cancer that could have been prevented simply by taking an accurate family history, and ordering the correct diagnostic test.

Episode Highlights With Dr. Marra of EverlyWell

why Dr. Marra chose women’s health as her passion and focus
her tips on running a house with six kids underfoot (I get it!)
the ups and downs of women’s hormones (and why men don’t struggle like we do)
what you can learn by tracking your cycle every month, and apps that help
how EverlyWell helps connect patients to the best laboratory testing for them
changes in the health space that are making it easier to take control of your health
and more!

Resources We Mention

More From Wellness Mama

Have you had trouble getting the right lab testing in your area? Could you use a service like EverlyWell? I’d also appreciate it if you would please take two minutes to leave a review on iTunes. I value knowing what you think and this helps other moms find the podcast as well!

Read Transcript

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Perfect Keto. I have heard from a lot of you who are trying the keto diet right now. And Perfect Keto has several products that make it so much easier and tastier. They have keto-friendly sports drinks with zero additives, zero carbs, and only high-quality ingredients. And I’ve gotten so many questions about this. They also have exogenous ketones that raise blood ketone levels up to 1.5 millimoles per liter. So that would be simulating a fast. A lot of people use thes

184: Jim Kwik on Meta Learning, Speed Reading, & How to Learn Faster Sep 03, 2018

Show notes

Ok, I’ll just come out and say it… this podcast episode is one of my all-time favorites! Jim Kwik is a widely recognized expert in speed reading, brain health, memory improvement, and accelerated learning. He’s also a good friend and someone I really admire in every way. As with many of my guests, there’s more …

184: Meta Learning, Speed Reading, & How to Learn Faster With Jim Kwik Sep 03, 2018

Show notes

As with many of my guests, there’s more to his story. Jim overcame a traumatic brain injury in childhood by creating strategies to dramatically enhance his mental performance.

Two decades later, he works as a brain coach with people all over the world. His goal is to help everyone unleash their true genius and live a life of greater power, productivity, and purpose.

Episode Highlights With Jim Kwik

why almost everything we think we know about learning is wrong
how Jim went from not being able to finish a book to teaching the best in the world
challenges our kids will face as jobs move toward artificial intelligence, automation, and outsourcing
meta-learning and other powerful strategies to learn anything much faster
the vast difference between what to learn and how to learn
why intelligence isn’t fixed and how to cater to your own unique strengths
how to abolish the belief that you don’t have a good memory, forever
the three superpowers to encourage with kids: creativity, imagination, strategy
how to bring imagination and creativity back into education
what emotion has to do with memory
the reason children can learn anything faster (it has to do with play!)
the trick to getting information into your long-term memory
why only one-third of your brain is determined by genetics (and how to influence the other two-thirds)
how much of learning happens in sleep (another reason why sleep is so dramatically important for brain health)
10 things Jim would recommend for parents to help kids love to learn
an important reason not to call your kid gifted
how to reward work ethic and grit in children instead of just achievement

Resources We Mention

Go to JimKwik.com and for his free 3-Day Brain Training and more
The Kwik Brain Podcast
Video: Jim Kwik and Simon Sinek on Social Media and Smartphones

Jim Kwik’s Favorite Books

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Daniel Amen
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra

183: Mellisa Gallico on Fluoride and the Hidden Cause of Acne Aug 30, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever wondered why fluoride is in our water? I get a lot of questions from all of you on this subject and I’ve been meaning to write about it for a long time. Mellisa Gallico is here to share all about the dangers of fluoride and its hidden connection to a common problem: …

183: Is Fluoride the Hidden Cause of Acne? (& What to Do About It) Aug 30, 2018

Show notes

Melissa is no rookie when it comes to research. Get a load of this bio…she graduated with honors from Georgetown and has a masters from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She’s a former military intelligence officer, a Fulbright Scholar, and an FBI Intelligence Analyst.

So how did she come to be a fluoride expert? As with most of my guests, it’s because she had to tackle health problems personally. Take a listen and if you want to hear more from her, check out her two fascinating books The Hidden Cause of Acne and F Is for Fluorite.

Episode Highlights: The Hidden Cause of Acne

Why the biggest air pollutant is being added to our water supply
The reason there is a pesticide in your toothpaste
What happens when we are exposed to too much fluoride
The surprising sources of hidden fluoride you may not know about
Why fluoride may be the reason for acne and skin problems
The true history of fluoride and how to avoid it
Why chicken may be a source of fluoride exposure
A reason to only use organic chickens (and avoid processed chicken like chicken nuggets)
The sad truth about tea (all teas?)
Why kombucha may be sabotaging your health