Sep 30, 2019 | Podcast
Doctor Natasha Turner inspired today’s episode, as her outlook on insulin is one more people should focus on. Too often we become obsessed about the progress we can ‘see’. You want to lose weight. You want to get fitter and leaner. You want to see the results you achieve…
Yet oftentimes the most important progress happens within, unseen and harder to measure.
This is why most people don’t think about insulin, but after listening to today’s episode I hope you choose to. The impact insulin has on your body, mind and mood is great. It affects what you do and everything you are, yet the perception most people have toward it is basic at best.
In today’s episode we uncover the truth. Because once you know what that is you can take action and transform your life along with it. I’ve written an article that accompanies this episode below, so you can choose between reading or listening (or both).
IN TODAY’S SHOW YOU WILL LEARN:
- The severe impact excess insulin has on your body, mind and mood
- How (and why) those with the least amount of insulin tend to live the longest
- What insulin actually is, and how it goes to work inside your body (unearthing the scientific facts that go beyond the surface level thinking most people focus on)
- What foods increase insulin, and a useful formula to help you choose which are best for you and your lifestyle
- How a misperception toward protein and fructose severely impacts most people, and how it can drastically affect your insulin levels.
- The foods that help lower insulin so you can regain energy, reduce fat and improve your mood quicker than you may think
- The TWO things you can do to massively improve your insulin levels (neither have anything to do with your diet or the foods you consume)
- What happens inside your body once you make minor changes to your insulin levels, and the greater impacts these have in your appearance and physical outlook.
TODAY’S RESOURCES:
Those with the lowest amount of insulin live the longest.
Mark Sisson said that. Yet unless you’re diabetic, chances are you don’t think about your insulin levels at all. You focus on your diet and you commit to your daily workouts, and you obsess over how you look on the outside.
But what about on the inside?
Because what happens within has a severe impact on the surface.
And it’s your insulin levels that play a larger role on this than you may think…
I often experience this with my clients. They tell me about everything they do — their diet, workouts, supplements, beauty regimes — but are still not happy with what they see.
Their clothes don’t fit as well as they should. They look better than they did, but they still have a ways to go. They can see they’re on the right track, but find it hard to reach their goals.
No matter what they try, it’s never seems to work…
Sound familiar? I imagine so, and it’s because most people focus too much on the surface. They forget about what’s going on inside, and one of the aspects that has a huge impact on all this is INSULIN.
The Surprising Role of Insulin…
There’s a quote from Doctor Natasha Turner that I love:
“Excess insulin literally causes the slow destruction of bodily tissues and organs, including our bones, muscles, skin, blood vessels, brain, liver and more. And this far-reaching, devastating imbalance is spurred by one basic factor: the frequency, amount and type of carbohydrates we consistently consume over time, and our body’s individual ability to process them.”
Too many people associate insulin with blood sugar levels, and that’s it. It goes much deeper than this, and unless you are conscious of the amount of insulin you produce, it will have a negative impact across your body.
- That great diet you’re on…
- The new workout you’ve committed to…
- Your meditation and journaling…
It will all help, but all progress will come to a halt if your insulin levels are high.
If we revisit Mark Sisson’s quote from earlier: Those with the lowest amount of insulin live the longest
This is because insulin impacts everything.
It’s the final 10% that determines whether you reach your goals or not.
BUT… What Actually is Insulin?
Let’s focus on the basics real quick…
Insulin is a hormone. It acts as a chemical messenger, sending instructions throughout your body based on what’s happening in your body. It facilitates fuel transportation and delivery throughout, not just based on what you’re eating, but also what you already have stored in your muscles and fat.
The issue is…. Insulin isn’t just any hormone, but rather an anabolic hormone.
You likely associate the word “anabolic” with bodybuilders, and that’s because they use anabolic steroids to bulk up. The same applies here, because when there’s an excess amount of insulin, it instructs your body that it’s in storage mode.
Rather than transporting and breaking down, it stores your sugar in muscles, liver and fat to name a few.
So even though you’re committed to your new workout, your body remains in storage mode (rather than breakdown mode). It’s like trying to run in sand… you’re making your workout harder than it needs to be.
The Driving Force of Insulin
If we go back to Doctor Natasha Turner’s quote:
“Excess insulin literally causes the slow destruction of bodily tissues and organs, including our bones, muscles, skin, blood vessels, brain, liver and more. And this far-reaching, devastating imbalance is spurred by one basic factor: the frequency, amount and type of carbohydrates we consistently consume over time, and our body’s individual ability to process them.”
The first thing to mention is that everybody is different. Some people process carbs better than others. Personally, I do not process them well. Even if I eat a bagel, I feel bloated afterward.
So for someone like me, this whole process is even more severe.
Yet even if your body does process carbs efficiently, consuming them WILL have a direct impact on your insulin levels. We’ll look at the wider ranging impact this has on you and your body shortly, but first let’s cover some core science.
Total carbs – fiber + .56x Protein – .725x fructose
This is the equation for your Insulin Load. Don’t let the math worry you. I talk about this in much greater detail in the Primal Potential Podcast Episode that accompanies this article, so if you want further context I encourage you to listen to it in full.
Let’s break this down:
- Total Carbs: when it comes to your insulin levels, carbohydrates play the largest role. The more carbs you consume, the more insulin your body produces.
- Fiber: the fiber you consume directly fights this process, lowering and minimizing your insulin levels. Fiber is the ying to carbs’ yang, if you will.
- Protein: this is where people get stuck, because protein does have a negative impact on your insulin levels. BUT it’s not as great as the role carbs play (0.56 — aka: around half the severity of carbs).
- Fructose: this is what often confuses people, because fructose is a sugar, yet it minimizes the amount of insulin in your body? That can’t be right… well, it is. Fructose doesn’t metabolize like glucose does, but it does get stored as fat. So it does help, but nowhere as much as fibre does.
I talk through this step-by-step in detail, so please listen to this episode of the Primal Potential Podcast for the full insight.
What you need to know right now is that the more carbs you eat, the more insulin your body produces.
This is offset by consuming fiber (ideally, whole foods fiber). So a low carb, high fiber diet is the best one you can have to keep your insulin levels low. BUT both protein and fructose play a direct role in all this, although not to the extent that carbohydrates and fiber does.
But come on… does this all really matter?
Yes, it does, and the impact it has on your body is far greater than you may imagine.
How Excess Insulin Levels Impacts More Than You Think
I cover the greater impact high insulin levels has on you and your body in this episode of The Primal Potential Podcast, so listen to it in full to learn about its full effects.
Here are the main impacts excess insulin levels produce:
- Excess insulin in your body means you experience higher levels of blood sugar. This turns on your sympathetic nervous system, which triggers your body to restrict your arteries (this isn’t good for blood flow or heart health, among many other negative effects).
- Excess insulin also creates aldosterone, which increases your blood pressure and triggers the loss of magnesium and potassium. This means you retain more water, which further tightens your arteries and makes the above issues all the more severe.
- The more insulin present in your body over time increases the likelihood of tumours, which means there’s a direct link between insulin levels and cancer.
- Excess insulin creates plaque in the brain, encourages muscle loss and produces a fatty liver, among many other side effects that I cover in this episode of The Primal Potential Podcast…
I could go on, but the point here is simple: your insulin levels matter.
You could do 90% right, but if your insulin levels are high it acts as the final 10% that halts all other progress. I come across this all the time with my clients, and it’s often why most people want to quit.
You do everything you can and completely transform your lifestyle…
Yet your progress seems to come to a stop, and you can’t understand why.
Maybe you come to the realisation that you will never have the body you desire. Maybe this is just how you are, and nothing will ever change the fact…
NO! There’s a reason for this, and it likely comes down to your insulin levels…
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Thank you for reading. I talk about what you can do to lower your insulin levels in the episode that accompanies this article, so please listen to it in full to get a complete understanding of insulin and its role in your body.
Hardly anyone knows anything about any of this.
It’s not discussed, yet it’s something that impacts everyone.
And if, like me, you don’t efficiently breakdown carbohydrates, the impact is all the more severe. It doesn’t take much to control your insulin levels, and chances are all you have to do is tweak your diet slightly.
But until you do, you may struggle to make the progress you desire.
Thanks again for listening and reading, I hope you’ve taken a lot from today’s episode. Please subscribe to the podcast and connect with me on social media. If you have any questions, share them in the comments below.
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Sep 26, 2019 | Podcast
How to change… that is the question. Oftentimes, we know what we want to change. We may even know how we can go about doing it. But when it comes to getting out of our own way… that’s tough.
Knowing what you need to do and then doing it are different entities. In today’s episode we dive deep into what holds you back, as I talk openly about my own struggles with weight and personal growth. For a long time I struggled to achieve what I wanted to. I remained stuck in a prison I created for myself.
I made minimal progress (if any progress at all) not because I had a problem, but rather because I convinced myself that I did. In today’s episode I talk about how to change and how to get out of your own way. YOU are so often what holds you back. Becoming aware of this is the most important step to take.
I’ve written an article that explores this further below. Whether you choose to read, listen or both… I hope this episode inspires you to make the changes you crave. How to Change? This is how…
IN TODAY’S SHOW YOU WILL LEARN:
- My own story of self-sabotage, and how I remained stuck at over 300lbs because I gave myself permission to do so
- An important challenge I’ve recently set myself, and how I encourage you to join me (FYI: the impact this has had on my life already is incredible)
- 3 Inspiring quotes that have changed my life, and how they can help you come to terms with your own internal barriers
- The first (and most important) step on how to change, and how to escape the yo-yo life of making small progress only to give up and go back to the beginning
- The most common barrier I come across with my own clients, and how to overcome this by letting go of one simple thing
- The most important question you can ask when you catch yourself making excuses or wanting to give up
- How our thoughts dictate our choices, and how we have more control over these than you may think
- The next steps you can take, and how you can give yourself the permission you need today
TODAY’S RESOURCES:
I hated going to work. I’d look at myself in the mirror before I left and let the sadness in.
I wasn’t even sure how I’d got to this point. I’d always struggled with my weight, but to go beyond 300lbs… I would sigh, shake my head and slump toward the car.
Feeling terrible.
Looking terrible.
Dreading my day ahead.
I had a “food” problem. At least this is what I told myself. I had tried everything.
- Studied nutrition… that didn’t work.
- Worked in nutrition… that didn’t do it, either.
- I worked on programs and courses… nope.
Whatever I tried, and whichever diet I went on, I would do okay for a few weeks but then slip back into bad habits. I had a weight problem. I was addicted to food. It wasn’t my fault…
How To Change For Good
For as long as I can remember, I defined myself as an emotional eater. It wasn’t my fault. I just never had the discipline. If I had a bad day, I would eat. If I felt sad, I would eat. If I didn’t feel good about myself, I would eat. I knew this would only make things worse, but I had a problem. It wasn’t my fault.
That’s what I told myself.
The truth is, it was my fault.
At least, it was my problem to OWN.
I thought I knew what my problem was, and I thought I knew what I had to do to change. I just had to find the right diet, finally stick to it and everything would be fine.
Sound familiar?
Maybe you’re issue isn’t with food. Maybe it’s money, drink, exercise or something else. You’re aware of what your problem is what it is you want to change, but nothing seems to work. You try something, make a little progress and then go back to the beginning.
You’re not alone. I spent most of my life in that state. Almost every single one of my clients has been there or is still in this place. Like a yo-yo, you go back and forth but nothing seems to change.
You know what you need to do.
You just can’t seem to DO it.
The problem is, you are what you do. Knowing and learning isn’t enough. You need to take action, and then stick with this day-in and day-out. You need to get out of your own way.
Because whatever you think stands in your way, it isn’t that.
It’s you. You are what’s stopping YOU from breaking free.
How To Change and How To Get Out of Your Own Way
This is when I finally broke free of my weight problem. Once I accepted that I was what stood in my way, I was able to make progress and finally break free. I wasn’t addicted to food and I wasn’t an emotional eater. These were just stories I told myself.
I gave myself an excuse to fail. I gave myself permission to give up.
Chances are… you too tell yourself stories like these every single day.
You say you have a problem with “X”, but what really holds you back is much deeper.
- Your limiting beliefs…
- Your bad habits that you’ve spent your whole life doing…
- Your fears and worries and anxieties…
- The questions that little voice inside asks, but you’re too afraid to listen to…
So long as you subscribe to that surface level pain, you will never break free from the real issue. This is why I couldn’t keep the weight off.
Worse, this is why I kept putting more of it on.
I focussed on what I thought the problem was, but didn’t take the time to figure out what was going on.
3 Quotes That Changed My Life
I talk about these three quotes in the latest episode of The Primal Potential Podcast. For greater context for each, I encourage you to listen to the whole episode (it’s one from my heart and soul).
Why do you stay in prison when the door is wide open? — Rumi
Each morning I woke up miserable — with my life, my weight, how I looked and the job I dragged myself to — I felt imprisoned and unable to escape. Yet it was a prison I made for myself.
The door was open. At any time, I could choose to walk out.
Most people come to know only one corner of their room, one spot near the window, one narrow strip on which they keep walking back and forth — Rainer Maria Rilke
I love this quote. We can all explore an entire world, but most of us live our lives confined to one small room. We sit by a window and look out at the same view. We walk up and down the same narrow strip of carpet, again-and-again-again…
We tell ourselves the same stories. We cling to the same beliefs we’ve carried with us forever. We’re committed to the same habits, routines and schedules.
There’s an entire world to explore, but we play it safe and stick to what we know.
Those mountains you’ve been carrying, you were only meant to climb — Najwa Zebian
This quote changed me. I realized I had carried my weight problems and everything it brought with it my entire life. It was only ever there for me to overcome. But rather than tackle it and move on, I carried it.
What things are you carrying with you today that you were only meant to overcome?
All it does is lead you to lying to yourself and telling the same stories over and over. You give yourself permission to keep doing what you always have. It’s somebody else’s fault or just how life is. Someone like you will always struggle, because…
It is not true!
You can break free from this any time you like.
The First (and most) Important Step: AWARENESS
I wasn’t aware of the deeper issues I had, and I wasn’t aware of the stories and lies I told myself. I didn’t realize the real pain, and because I wasn’t aware of any of this I didn’t know how to change.
AWARENESS isn’t the entire journey, but you cannot begin until you are.
In the 12 Weeks to Transportation Program, we spend the first three weeks dedicated toward YOU becoming aware. Most people are living their lives each day with their eyes closed. They’re sleepwalking.
They’re blind to the real pain, issue and problem.
Once I realized this I was able to begin. The journey since has been tough. I’ve had my ups and downs. It hasn’t been easy. But I’ve broken free of that prison I created for myself, and it all began when I opened my eyes and saw that the door had been open all along.
From this point, I stepped further away from my pain each day. I lost weight and kept it off.
I became aware of many other issues I had. It threw me down a rabbit hole. Finally, I began to get to know the real me. I listened to that little voice. I grew and grew, and I stepped out of my own way.
Am I fixed? No.
Is anyone? NO!
I still stumble each day. But these days I ask myself a simple question:
is this old thinking or new thinking?
If it’s old thinking, I ask what new thinking would look like. How would the person I want to be act right now? What would they say? How would they think?
Awareness of the whole allows me to be aware in the moment.
Once you achieve this, it’s amazing what you can do with it.
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Thank you for reading. I hope this has inspired something inside you. I go deeper into this in today’s episode of The Primal Potential Podcast. I hope you listen, as it’s one I recorded from my heart.
If you would like to not only learn how to change but how to get out of your own way, the 12 Weeks To Transformation Program may be what you need. This is your last chance to join us in 2019.
(and because I’ll soon have my daughter, I’m not sure what 2020 has in store for the program)
I would hate for you to miss out, and I would love to work with you over the next 12 weeks to transform your life. Are you ready to get out of your own way? Visit this page and take the next step with me ⇒
Thanks again for listening and reading, I hope you’ve taken a lot from today’s episode. Please subscribe to the podcast and connect with me on social media. If you have any questions, share them in the comments below.
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Sep 24, 2019 | Podcast
‘The Climb’ is a bonus episode I just couldn’t wait to share with you! Initially, I planned for this to be a December episode. However, as soon as the conversation started, I knew I had to release it now!
In today’s bonus episode, you’re goimg to hear from one of my 12 Weeks to Transformation clients about how she created a massive shift in her life that has her feeling 100 times happier and far more hopeful.
In it, she shares that prior to the 12 WT, she felt she was trying to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in flip flops – totally unprepared and unsuccessful.
Now, she feels prepared for ‘the climb’. She feels like the 12 WT equipped her with boots, a plan, a strategy, a backpack, etc.
Don’t miss today’s episode!
Join the Fall 12 Weeks to Transformation!
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