Boundless Life

Cortisol can be confusing. And frankly, most popular tests for cortisol don't tell you what really need to know... ...things like how fast cortisol gets cleared by your body, what's truly causing high cortisol or low cortisol, how cortisol (and other crucial hormones) are getting created and broken down, and much more... And this is important, because low cortisol leaves you with zero energy, low libido, brain fog, and feeling overtrained and adrenally fatigued, while high cortisol decreases protein synthesis and amino acid uptake, increases proteolysis (protein breakdown) and bone degradation, suppresses parts of the immune system, and increases serum glucose. So you feel pretty crappy when cortisol is low, and while you may feel good when cortisol is high, if cortisol is chronically high, there are some downsides to that too. Enter the DUTCH test - which is a new way to measure cortisol and much more. So what is the DUTCH test? The DUTCH test is a urine steroid hormone profile that measures hormones and hor

I'm infatuated with getting a better body andmindbyusing special breathing techniques. In previous podcasts and articles, I've describedeverythingfromrhythmic breathwork while runningandbicycling,to hyperoxygenation breathing, to fire breathing to hypoxic and apnea training and beyond. Andintoday'spodcast, I'm going to introduce you to anotherspecializedstyle ofbreathwork referred to Chi Kung - or QiGong. My guest is Gary Daniels, a lifelong martialartist,formercompetitive boxer, and former elite amateur bicycleracerwith over100,000 logged miles and over 200 race starts.Garyspecializes intraining methods that have been designed tohonephysical skill andmental focus, and uses specificbreathingtechniques to extend timeto failure, increase overallcorecompetency, and achieve thehighest level of natural balanceforgreater efficiency in anyfield of endeavor. Gary aUSA-Cyclingcertified coach, formerBlack-Belt in Uechi Ryu karate,three timeFlorida AAU GoldenGloves competitor, NORBA expert crosscountrycyclist, Cat-3mast

Every morning I put about thirty tiny spirulina algae tablets on top of my morning smoothie. Then, in the evening, I often swallow another handful of tiny chlorella tablets to satiate my appetite. After that, I have to rinse out my mouth with water if I want my wife to kiss me, but it's all worth it because... ...regardless of whether you think that us land-dwelling creatures at some point evolved from ocean-dwelling life (a belief espoused by my previous podcast guest Jack Kruse to encourage people spend time in the cold and to eat more seafood), it can’t be denied that fish, turtles, and millions of other large and small inhabitants of water rely on one extremely dense nutrition source for sustenance of life… …algae – particularly from spirulina and chlorella sources. And (especially for vegans and vegetarians), it is the only way to get absorbable, brain-building DHA from a plant-based source. Chia seeds and flax seeds don't get converted into DHA. Algae has 40 vitamins and minerals, more protein then stea

I first met today's podcast guest at a health conference four years ago. I happened to be sitting across the dinner table from him, and watched as he pulled out the mysterious leather satchel that I'd seen him carrying all weekend long. He opened the satchel to reveal tiny bottles of black oil, dropper bottles full of dark, green algae-like goo, mineral salts, and all kinds of other strange substances which he proceeded to use to "dress-up" his dinner. Later, I learned his name - Ian Clark - and invited him on my podcast to talk about that green algae goo, which turned out to be marine phytoplankton. I also learned that back in 2004, at the age of 46, when he was hit with a series of life threatening health issues, obesity, and a prediction from physicians that he only had about two years left to live, Ian refused to accept life’s traditional circumstances and decided to pursue more natural methods of restoring perfect health. Ian began traveling all over the world to discover strange, new health products whi

Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting Kauai, Hawaii and hanging out with a few of the coolest couples on the face of the planet. One such couple was big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton and his wife, volleyball Olympian and fitness celebrity Gabby Reece. You can listen to my podcast interview with them here. Another couple was James Sol Radina and Dr. Somer Nicole, who you get to meet in this podcast episode. Dr. Somer Nicole is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and specializes in CranioSacral Therapy, SomatoEmotional Release and is a Reiki Master/Teacher. She has teaches alignment-based Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga, has been teaching Yoga since 2002 and travels internationally for workshops and retreats. She also creates personalized Yoga videos for clients, lives in Kauai and has created an online platform for Yoga, Meditation and holistic living you can access at www.YogaDoctors.TV. James Sol Radina, has been a podcast guest before in a special episode on CBD. He is CEO of EAD Labs, a co-founder of “The Science

Sleep can be super confusing. I get lots of questions about it and have my own too...for example: Are there healthy substitutes for sunlight? What does it exactly mean to be a fast vs. a slow caffeine metabolizer? What's the ideal nap length? How can you limit the damage from a night shift? What's the ideal sleeping position? Should you use an alarm? My guest on today's podcast is Shawn Stevenson just wrote the new book "Sleep Smarter: 21 Proven Tips to Sleep Your Way To a Better Body, Better Health and Bigger Success", and today we dig into plenty of detail on the topics he covers in this book, which I highly recommend as a comprehensive sleep resource. Shawn is a graduate of The University of Missouri - St. Louis, where he studied business, biology and kinesiology, and went on to be the founder of Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a company that provides wellness services for individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn has been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, Men's Health magazine, ESPN, FOX News,

A few months ago, I released the article "Dark & Dirty Secrets Of The Wine Industry, Four Ways To Make Wine Healthier, and What Kind Of Wine Fit People Should Drink."  In it, I detailed the serious issues with arsenic, overpricing, lack of sustainability, high levels of sulfites, amines and ochratoxins, boatloads of sugars, high pH levels (that increase the possibility of contamination by unwanted organisms), a less than stellar taste, plastic polyethylenes and many other problems plaguing the modern wine industry - and causing many people (including my wife) to get headaches or poor sleep from a nightly glass of wine. At the end of that post, I highlight that I now drink a new kind of healthy wine called "FitVineWine", and in today's podcast, I interview Mark Warren, co-founder of FitVineWine, a national level black belt competitor in TaeKwonDo, a Crossfitter and of course, as a wine enthusiast and father of two boys, a man after my own heart. During our discussion, you'll discover: -Why there are shocki

If you don't know who Robb Wolf is, you have probably been living either in a cave or at McDonald's. Robb is a former research biochemist and author of the New York Times Best Selling book "The Paleo Solution – The Original Human Diet". Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast, book and seminars. He has functioned as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, is co-founder of the nutrition and athletic training journal, The Performance Menu, co-owner of NorCal Strength & Conditioning, one of the Men’s Health “top 30 gyms in America” and he is a consultant for the Naval Special Warfare Resiliency program. He serves on the board of Directors/Advisors for Specialty Health Inc, Paleo FX, and Paleo Magazine. Robb is a former California State Powerlifting Champion (565 lb. Squat, 345 lb. Bench, 565 lb. Dead Lift) and a 6-0 amateur kickboxer. He coaches athletes at the highest levels of competition and consults with Oly

This is a special bonus podcast episode with the guy you get to meet and hang out with if you come to the July 8, 9 and 10 SEALFit 20x event at my house! Two years ago, I reported on my experience at the brutal SEALFit Kokoro camp, a 60+ hour crucible you can read more about at "26 Mile Night Hikes, Surf Swim Torture, 450 Pound Giant Logs And More: What To Expect at SEALFit Kokoro Camp And 9 Ways To Get More Tough." In that article, I mention a guy named "Lance Cummings". Coach Lance's snarling face struck fear deep into the heart of every Kokoro participant in my class, and he is well known for being the man who dishes out extreme amounts of suffering and hardship for anybody brave enough to step into Kokoro. But there's much more to coach Lance Cummings than simply being a man who could kill you with his pinky finger. Technically, Lance is director of training at SEALFit. Before that, retired from Active Duty Navy Service with 30 years of combined Active and Reserve service. After graduating BUD/s Class 124

I get tons of questions about my daily routine. Do I meditate and if so, how? On which days do I do which workouts? How many cups of coffee are "acceptable"? When do I time alcohol intake? Do I have a special journaling routine?  You get the idea. And I've already revealed all this and much more in previous articles... ...including: -My morning routine -My afternoon routine -My evening routine But in today's podcast, I interview Craig Ballantyne, author of the brand new book "The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life". Why did I want to get Craig's perspective? Because Craig is one accomplished dude... Craig is a productivity and success transformation coach from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been a contributor to Men's Health magazine since 2000, and his articles have also appeared in Women’s Health, Oxygen, GQ, Maxim, National Geographic, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness Hers, amongst many others. His articles have also been featured on Inc.com, LifeHacker.com, and Telegraph.c

http://bengreenfieldfitness.com/351 April 20, 2016 Podcast: 351: Secrets Of The Fittest Old People, Ben's Top Healthy Baby Tips, How To Get Rid Of Injuries Fast & More! Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right (or go to SpeakPipe), use the Contact button on the app, call 1-877-209-9439, or use the “Ask Ben” form at the bottom of this page. ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: You can receive these News Flashes (and more) every single day, if you follow Ben on Twitter.com/BenGreenfield, Instagram.com/BenGreenfieldFitness, Facebook.com/BGFitness and Google+. Ever heard of “cross-acclimation”? It’s pretty cool…means HEAT training can help with your performance at ALTITUDE. How one of the fittest old people on the face of the planet does what he does. Love this stuff. Whoa. Gluten makes you fat, even if you’re not allergic to it. That is, if you’re a mouse. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: This podcast is brought

Aron Snyder is a man of many hats and should be highly interesting to you if you are interested in the outdoors, weightlifting, backpacking, MMA or hunting. As a former military man, search and rescue team member and MMA fighter, and the current knowledge guru at an outdoors gear company called "Kifaru" (use code "BGF15" for 15% off backpacks, rucks, sleeping bags and sleep systems, tents, stoves, sleds and anything else there!), he takes his physical training seriously and specializes in a real world approach that gets men and women prepared for everything from wilderness survival, to epic backpacking trips, to the difficult hunts on the face of the planet. He's an outdoor photographer, freelance writer, and one extremely hardcore, tough guy who knows plenty about getting a heavy backpack to fit right, surviving in harsh conditions, taking epic nature pictures, hunting big animals, and much more. When it comes to all things outdoors, Aron is one of the most entertaining, knowledgeable guys you'll ever meet,

http://bengreenfieldfitness.com/350 April 13, 2016 Podcast: 350: Why You Should "Cheat" On Meals, When You Shouldn't Get A Blood Test, Which Massage Oil Is Healthiest & More! Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right (or go to SpeakPipe), use the Contact button on the app, call 1-877-209-9439, or use the “Ask Ben” form at the bottom of this page. ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: The amazing physiology of freedivers…VERY cool. And sometimes it’s OK to “cheat” on a meal. So…perhaps this means it's a good thing that I start off each day with a spoonful of baking soda and water, followed by a cup of coffee. Bright light at night does LESS damage to you if you got good natural light during the day. This is probably one of the reasons I stay effortlessly lean every winter. You can receive these News Flashes (and more) every single day, if you follow Ben on Twitter.com/BenGreenfield, Instagram.com/BenGreenfieldFitness, Facebook.com/BGFitness and Google+. -

Ever heard of Soylent? Three years ago, it popped up on a blog post entitled "Why I Stopped Eating Food", and in it, author Rob Rinehart introduced a special meal replacement powder he had formulated that he claimed, among other things, would allow you to be in peak mental and physical condition for less than $2/day, would not spoil for months, does not require refrigeration, and would allow a full spectrum of nutrients to get mainlined into your bloodstream without you even needing to poop. Needless to say, my eyebrow was raised when I first heard about the stuff. And sure enough, the crazy, space-age formulation was later revealed to have some serious issues, including huge amounts of maltodextrin sugar, oxidized vegetable oils, huge amounts of soy lecithin, sucralose artificial sweetener, rancid fish oil and much more. Bummer. But at the same time, as a global traveler and busy man, I'm still intrigued with the concept of having something that delivers all your nutrients in one shot, is easy to transport,

After being introduced to it by music mogul Rick Rubin, I've been practicing transcendental meditation (TM) for the past year. Why? More than 380 peer-reviewed research studies on the TM technique have been published in over 160 scientific journals. These studies were conducted at many US and international universities and research centers, including Harvard Medical School, Stanford Medical School, Yale Medical School, and UCLA Medical School...and they have shown irrefutable evidence that TM reduces insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression, blood pressure, cholesterol, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis/stroke, free radicals, blood sugar, diabetes, pain, along with higher levels of brain functioning, longevity, sleep quality and much more. The guy who taught me everything I know about TM is named Philip Land. Philip has been practicing TM for the past 40 years. But he's no woo-woo, robe-clad, Eastern mysticist. I'd instead describe Philip as a bad-ass, hunting, redneck hippie family man. But he's taught

This is a special Premium audio episode. Click here to activate a Premium subscription to the BenGreenfieldFitness show and access this and over 300 additional hidden audios, videos, pdf's and more! I read plenty of books about gut health, immune system, and alternative medicine, but one of the best books I discovered in the past several months is entitled "The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health". When authors David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé decide to restore life into their barren yard by creating a garden, dead, barren dirt threatens their dream. As a cure, they feed their soil a steady diet of organic matter. The results impress them. In short order, the much-maligned microbes transform their bleak yard into a flourishing Eden. Beneath their feet, beneficial microbes and plant roots continuously exchange a vast array of essential compounds. Dave and Anne soon learn that this miniaturized commerce is central to botanical life’s master strategy for defense and health. They are a

Meet Ray Maker (pictured above). Via his website "DC Rainmaker", and his podcast by the same name, Ray single-handedly tests, reviews and reports on nearly every self-quantification device that hits the market, including the latest devices from established players like Garmin and Polar, along with new companies like Strava, Zwift, Stages Cycling, 4iiii, and other brands that attract the attention of both the tech world, the bike market, the triathlon industry and beyond - often testing prototypes months before a product is brought to market. Ray often operates beneath the radar of the traditional, brick-and-mortar, ink-on-paper side of the bike world, but shockingly, his site, which he runs entirely by himself, is the sixth most popular bicycling website on the planet. He's even been listed in Runner's World as one of "The 50 Most Influential People In Running". Ray is an avid triathlete and runner, and despite operating DC Rainmaker still works full-time in the IT industry, in a position that requires him to

http://bengreenfieldfitness.com/349 March 30, 2016 Podcast: 349: Why Athletes Get Sick, How To Biohack Survival, How Often Do You Need To Workout & More! Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right (or go to SpeakPipe), use the Contact button on the app, call 1-877-209-9439, or use the “Ask Ben” form at the bottom of this page. ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: You can receive these News Flashes (and more) every single day, if you follow Ben on Twitter.com/BenGreenfield, Instagram.com/BenGreenfieldFitness, Facebook.com/BGFitness and Google+. Why athletes get sick. Good reason NOT to quantify every step, calorie and heartbeat... And this, my friends, is why ANY football player or MMA athlete needs to be “megadosing” on at least 6g of DHA from fish oil or algae/ day. Cold thermogenesis + CHILI PEPPERS for fat loss? Cool. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: This podcast is brought to you by: -Aloha.com - get

I'll admit it: I'm a complete nerd when it comes to using a dizzying array of bodywork tools, massage and deep tissue manipulation, mobility methods and more. I wake up every morning and "hit" my body with everything from a Rumble Roller to mobility bands to vibrating massage devices and more. It's like some kind of medieval torture experiment. So I was pretty excited when I got a chance to read a brand new book about how to create a "map" of your own connective tissue and then erase pain and / or increase mobility in specific areas of your body using that map. The name of the book is "The MELT Method: A Breakthrough Self-Treatment System to Eliminate Chronic Pain, Erase the Signs of Aging, and Feel Fantastic in Just 10 Minutes a Day!". In The MELT Method, manual therapist and exercise physiologist Sue Hitzmann describes a self-treatment system to combat chronic pain and erase the effects of aging and active living, in as little as ten minutes a day, all using techniques that can be done in your own home and 

Several weeks ago, I published an article entitled "A Tiny, 1/2 Ounce Piece Of Game-Changing Sleep Technology (And How To Use PEMF For Sleep)". In that article, I introduced a brand new device called the SomniResonance® DeltaSleeper (affectionally known as the "SR1") that am now placing on my collarbone each night before I go to sleep and also using if I wake up in the night, and even using for naps and on airplanes. The results have been nothing less than astounding. My sleep "efficiency", as measured by the Oura sleep tracking device, has jumped from 81% up to 97%. I have gone from an average of 52 minutes of wake time during a night of sleep down to 28 minutes. My deep sleep has risen from 33 minutes per night to 2 hours and 22 minutes. My sleep latency (how long it takes to fall asleep) has gone from an average of 16 minutes down to a super-fast 7 minutes. My heart rate during a night of sleep has dropped from 39 beats per minute down to 36 beats per minute. The list goes on and on. I plan on a comprehens