The Strength Therapist
Sam Spinelli
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Of all the muscles in your body, your heart muscle gets the most attention - and for good reason. Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in most countries, so any comprehensive fitness programs must address heart health. But all the other muscles matter too including your quads, your hamstrings, your glutes, and biceps. Ample skeletal muscle is associated with hormonal health, neurological health, and longevity, but for most people over the age of 40, they are losing mass with each passing year.

On this week’s show, you’ll meet a physical therapist and strength coach who will help to reduce the fear and friction around lifting heavy things. 

Listen & Learn: 

• The essential movements: squat, push, pull, hinge, carry
• How squats can actually improve arthritic knees
• How to balance risk vs reward with weights 
• The realistic outlook of at-home training

Links & Resources

• Sam’s Website 
• Sarcopenia 

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Sam Spinelli a doctor of physical therapy and a strength & conditioning coach with experience working with professional and olympic sport athletes ranging from football, hockey, bobsleigh, powerlifting, weightlifting, to ballet. 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• 7 Meals a Day

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com 

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes

How to Change Your Mind
with Jon Venus

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“If it bleeds it leads” has always informed mass media, but for the past few years, the new thesis goes like this. “The more radical the viewpoint, the more reach it gets.” Extreme groups of all types scream it out daily; and while collectively, they represent the minority fringe, they siphon off the majority of our bandwidth.

There are the alt right xenophobes, the extreme left terrorists, the all-meat eaters, the fruitarians, the violent vegans, and the QAnon followers all trying to convince you they possess the real truth. So who holds the real answers? Nobody.

True revelation is never at the extremes. The truth lives in the murky middle filled with “yes, but” and and “in my situation…” The truth is filed with nuance, compromise, and it requires that we all embrace a certain degree of ignorance. |

On this week’s show, you’ll meet a social media personality who built and has since destroyed his personal and professional life around the strict ideology of veganism. 

Listen & Learn: 

• The pitfalls of ideological groups 
• How parenting adds an incredible layer of social awareness to your personal choices
• How to change your mind and what it might mean personally and professionally
• The dangers of extreme groups online

Links & Resource: 

• Jon Venus’ website 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Jon is a health and fitness personality best known for his YouTube channel and social media presence. Long-time vegan recently changed his diet.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Mushrooms for Immune System

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com 

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes

Meditation can reduce cortisol, increase telomere length, improve concentration, and foster feelings of unity. But it’s also very, very hard to practice consistently. Stillness is a serious challenge. Despite the plethora of books and apps and mindfulness training programs, most of us still talk a good meditation game but fail to back it up with practice. 

On this week’s show, you’ll meet an author, teacher, and lifelong meditator who shares his no-nonsense approach to the practices of Buddhist meditation and mindfulness. 

Learn How Meditation: 

• Improves both proprioception and interoception 
• Decrease the fear and anxiety activity of the amygdala  
• Reduces Default Mode Network activity responsible for self-focused, rumination and daydreaming 
• Increases concentration  

Links & Resources:

• Rick’s Website
• Rick’s Books on Amazon
• Satipatthana

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Rick Hanson, PhD is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His books include: Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha's Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. He's lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Weight Loss for Summer

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com 

What do snoring, crooked teeth, and mouth breathing have in common? All these conditions can indicate or even predict a whole series of chronic health problems down the road. James Nestor began his study into breathwork in the extreme world of freediving and breath holding, but he eventually came full circle to focus on the power and necessity of healthy, balanced breathing - something often lacking in our lives.

This podcast is for anyone who wheezes, snores, sniffles, finds themselves out of breath easily, or simply wants to deepen their knowledge and understanding of this powerful tool that is your own breath.

Listen & Learn: 

• What happens when you *only* mouth breathe (hint: it’s bad) 
• How 70-80% of people have deviated septums
• How lack of chewing has made our jaws smaller and narrower
• The secrets of the Tummo Monks who heat up their bodies 

Links & Resources:

• James Nestor’s Site

ABOUT OUR GUEST
James Nestor is an author and journalist who has written for Outside Magazine, Men's Journal, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, The New York Times, Scientific American, Dwell Magazine, and The San Francisco Chronicle. He’s the author of a book about freediving called, DEEP, and his newest book is called, BREATH: The New Science of a Lost Art. 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Protein Shake

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: Ask Lucas a Question
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com 

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes