Primal Blueprint Podcast

Mark Sisson chats with Joe De Sena—founder and CEO of Spartan Race, the world’s leading obstacle racing company. Joe has demonstrated his entrepreneurial drive since his pre-teens. From selling fireworks at age eight, to building a multimillion-dollar pool business in college, to creating a Wall Street trading firm, and now the world’s fastest growing sports movement, De Sena is a living definition of the word entrepreneur. Following a successful career on Wall Street, De Sena moved his family to Pittsfield, Vermont to operate an organic farm, a bed and breakfast, and a general store for hikers. It was here his passion grew for ultramarathons, adventure races, and endurance events; and thus the idea for the Spartan Race was born. With more than 200 events in 30+ countries planned for 2017, Spartan Race has more than 1 million global participants offering open heats for all fitness levels and ages, as well as competitive and elite heats. The company has more than 5 million passionate social media followers, he

Some months ago the issue of gender bias in medical research came up on the comment board. It was certainly an issue I’d occasionally read about. But I’m also a proponent of lifestyle design and intervention. I don’t spend as much time as others on the nitty-gritty of medical treatment for good reason, but the conversation got me thinking. Maybe it was time for an article after all…. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

With more people enthusiastic about the ketogenic diet comes more talk about potential adverse side effects. Upon closer examination, almost all of the complaints can be traced to a flawed approach. Granted, if you are coming to the game with significant metabolic damage from decades of carbohydrate dependency, or not paying attention to some common sense best practices, such as choosing healthy foods instead of blindly focusing on macros, you will likely struggle with something as stringent as keto. Let’s cover some of the common keto complaints being bantered about these days, examine what’s really going on, and discuss strategy for how to avoid any adverse side effects to going keto. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Steven Gundry, M.D.—who during his 40-year medical career performed over 10,000 heart surgeries and developed patented, life-saving medical technology. After discovering key secrets to health 15 years ago, his mission is to prevent surgery by helping patients heal themselves through proper nutrition. His best-selling book from 2008, Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution, focused on specific diet principles for weight-loss and disease reversal. His second book, The Plant Paradox, further illuminates truths about hidden dangers of supposed "healthy" foods. Dr. Gundry founded Gundry MD in 2016—a wellness blog, YouTube channel and supplement company to achieve optimum vitality. He practices medicine at the International Heart & Lung Institute and Center for Restorative Medicine in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara, CA.

Last year, I wrote about 10 of the most interesting predictors of longevity. Many of them were subjective, but, as we all know, the objective physiological processes that occur in the human body also predict how long we live. Luckily, we can measure most of them. Some are standard at doctor’s checkups. Some require more involved (and expensive) testing. Some you can complete yourself at home with simple household objects. But if you care at all about how well you’re doing in the longevity game, it’s worth paying attention to some of them. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Few would disagree that a Primal way of life advocates simplicity above all else. Nutritious foods, strategic movement, and an aversion to stress bordering on (healthy) obsession. This “simple is good” mentality works swimmingly most of the time. Aligning our lifestyle to our evolved biology allows us to achieve a modern semblance of that all-important homeostasis, and I generally see no reason to tinker if it ain’t broke. But, unfortunately, it’s not always black and white…. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Description:  Elle Russ chats with Lynne McTaggart - one of the central voices in the new consciousness movement. Lynne is the award-winning author of seven books, including worldwide bestsellers The Field, The Intention Experiment, The Bond, and her latest book The Power of Eight. Lynne is consistently listed in the Watkins’ annual list of the 100 most spiritually influential people in the world. As Editorial Director of What Doctors Don’t Tell You (www.wddty.com), she publishes one of the world’s most highly praised health publications and runs highly popular health and spirituality teleconferences and workshops. For the third time, What Doctors Don’t Tell You has been awarded “Best” and “Most Popular” website of the year for health and wellbeing. Lynne is also the architect of the Intention Experiments, a web-based “global laboratory,” which was prominently featured in the plotline of Dan Brown’s blockbuster "The Lost Symbol.” Lynne is a member of both the Transformational Leadership Council, launched by J

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to interesting places. The trips I’ve taken in the last 10-15 years, during my “Primal period,” have been the most meaningful, rewarding, and downright enjoyable because I’ve been able to view other cultures and customs through the prism of health, nutrition, and human evolution. I bring something back every trip—a tip, an insight, an alteration of an existing conviction. Travel abroad isn’t just a good time. It’s educational. What have I learned eating abroad? (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

The explosive growth of interest in the ketogenic diet has been a net good for the state of nutrition. For one, people have accepted the fact that eating fat won’t kill you, and they’re even getting clued into the benefits of eating it. But there are places where I part ways with the popular keto movement. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Mark Sisson, bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint, a former world-class endurance athlete, and one of the leading voices of the Evolutionary Health Movement. His blog, MarksDailyApple.com, has paved the way for Primal enthusiasts to challenge conventional wisdom's diet and exercise principles and take personal responsibility for their health and well-being. Today's episode focuses on Marks NEW book, The Keto Reset Diet: Reboot Your Metabolism in 21 Days and Burn Fat Forever. Learn how to make perhaps the most profound health and weight loss boosting lifestyle change you will ever make by transforming your body from carbohydrate dependency to become a fat burning beast. In his new book, Mark Sisson reveals his proven effective ketogenic eating strategy for losing weight and improving health. When you go keto, you will reset your metabolism for effortless fat loss using a targeted ketogenic diet of high-fat, low-to-moderate protein, low-carb foods, and complementary lifestyle practice

Today, I’m going to give you some tried and true methods for helping to normalize your endocrine health. These are things that apply to everyone, as far as I can tell. They won’t fix every problem, but they’re good places to start. Whether you’re a post-menopausal woman, a 21-year-old bodybuilder worried about overtraining, or a thyroid patient, these interventions can’t hurt and will probably help. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

After I turned 60, a routine checkup showed that I had lower-than-normal free testosterone levels. I hadn’t noticed anything that would have alerted me. No symptoms. No indication. Everything worked well. But it nagged at me. I knew testosterone did much more for a man’s health than just “build muscle”—which I had no real interest in at this point—so I decided to explore TRT, or testosterone replacement therapy. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Rohini Ross - a Psychotherapist, Leadership Consultant, Transformative Coach and a regular blogger for the Huffington Post. She helps organizations, leaders, couples, and individuals to experience more wellbeing and greater success. Rohini was a faculty member in the University of Santa Monica’s Masters program in Spiritual Psychology from 2011 to 2016, and the former Executive Director of Operations for Vive Family Support Program. Rohini brings the richness of what she has learned about success, transformation and reinvention from her diverse life experience to her clients. She is constantly evolving in her own life and has gone from being a cultural geographer researching anthropological work about the Mayan’s in Guatemala to working as an international model in Europe, to becoming a psychotherapist, and then working as a coach and consultant. She has also been on her own personal healing journey both physically and emotionally using a holistic approach to health and emotional wellness

Any old time readers remember the Fuming Fuji? He was the lovable yet ornery food critic of early MDA who railed against chocolate milk, cocoa puffs, chicken fries, applesauce (he was seriously biased here), and frozen waffles. He’d get a little carried away, and we eventually had to put him down (ironically, by turning him into applesauce), but his heart was in the right place. Today, I’m paying homage to the Fuming Fuji by having a little fun with some of today’s more absurd food offerings. Then I’ll follow up with some that I’m enjoying these days. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Evan Brand—author, podcast host and Louisville, Kentucky-based Board-Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Nutritional Therapist, and Personal Trainer. He is passionate about healing the chronic fatigue, obesity, and depression epidemics after solving his own IBS and depression issues. He uses at-home lab testing and customized supplement programs to find and fix the root cause of a wide range of health symptoms. His Not Just Paleo Podcast has over 6 million downloads and counting. He is the author of Stress Solutions, REM Rehab and The Everything Guide to Nootropics. He offers free 15-minute functional medicine phone consultations at his site EvanBrand.com

I joke around a lot and give them hell, but I have love and respect for plant-based diets and the people who eat them. These folks come at health from an entirely different place, and, it’s true, I don’t think their diets are optimal. I think they get a lot wrong. They often misconstrue what Primal is all about. I’ve even received threats from some of the less grounded members of the community, though I know that these are the outliers, the extremists, and I never took them seriously. But…I’d also suggest plant-based dieters get a lot right. More than you’d think. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Even having finished and printed The Keto Reset, the quest for deeper understanding continues. I keep researching, thinking, revisiting, and discussing the science and practice of ketosis. My writing partner, Brad Kearns, and I maintain a running dialogue on all things keto. The latest conversation revolved around two very common questions or “problems” that keep coming up in the ketogenic community.Why do some people on a keto diet blow high numbers of ketones while others eating the same way blow low numbers? (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

Elle Russ chats with Craig Ballantyne—author of two books, The Great Cardio Myth and The Perfect Day Formula. He has been contributing to Men's Health Magazine since 2000, when he also created the revolutionary home workout program, Turbulence Training. On his journey to success, Craig had helped over 151,000 men and women use his 5 Pillars of Transformation to lose 20-50 pounds in his 12-Week Transformation Contest programs. You can read his daily essays on success, productivity, and health at EarlyToRise.com. 

In the last several weeks testosterone has come up on a pretty regular basis. I’ve written about it before, of course, but there’s something about the novel elements (e.g. solar irradiation for certain choice body parts) in recent conversations that’s kept the exchange going.  I thought I’d pull back from the peripheral findings a bit today and re-center the discussion. As you know, testosterone plays a pivotal role not just for libido levels (although we won’t leave that out), but also for bone density, protein synthesis and muscle building, hair growth, estrogen production, red blood cell production, sperm production—amid other key functions in the body (for men and women by the way). So, what are some factors that influence testosterone levels for the better and worse for both genders? What are the mechanisms behind these associations? And how do they relate to a healthy Primal life? Let’s dig in… (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)

This spring when I asked what nutrition topics folks would be interested in reading about on the blog, the subject of vegetables came up repeatedly. Specifically, several readers wanted more ideas for how to cook them—with a mind to preserving (or enhancing) both nutrition and taste. As much as I love my big-ass salads, I get it. Sometimes you need to mix it up, and moving toward the cooler seasons only underscores the point. (This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Leaman)