Click here to go right to the show in iTunes or on WebTalkRadio.net.

Imagine your great-great-great-great-great-grandmother heading out to the garden to collect some potatoes for dinner. Can you see her with her basket and maybe an apron on to protect her clothes? She digs around for a while to unearth some potatoes and fill her basket and then hauls her potatoes back to the house.

Does great-great-great-great-great grandma drop and do 20 burpees for the sake of her heart? Nope. Burpees weren’t created until around 1940, and even then, they were designed as a fitness test for sedentary people… not a torturous exercise to do a hundred times in a row.

Yes, great-great-great-great-great grandma has a few things going for her that most of us lack today. She moved to live. It was part of what she did. She didn’t exercise to rationalize being sedentary the rest of the day. She walked to get food, she dug for her food, she carried her food. She mashed her own potatoes. Compare this to a modern human who might drive to the store to buy a box of potato flakes, who then drives home to add water to the flakes to create instant mashed potatoes. This disconnect adds up day in and day out.

The secret – is to integrate movements back into your life so that your life becomes your ‘exercise’.

This is one of the primary points of my guest. In Part 1 of my interview with Katy Bowman (author of “Move Your DNA”), we chatted about what it means to ‘be in the tank’, about how your body shape and health are always influenced, 100% of the time, by the loads that you create, about your chair baggage, about how injury happens, and about our very narrow, and functionally incorrect view of our cardiovascular system. Go on back and listen to Part 1 before joining us for part 2.

Part 2 covers movement nutrition, easy ways to increase natural movement in your life, and the vanishing requirement for exercise as we know it when we are able to successfully move to live.

Near the end of the interview – I mention a recent study that answers the question, “Where does the fat go?” Follow this link to see for yourself.

Katy’s Bio:

A biomechanist by training and a problem-solver at heart, Katy’s ability to blend a scientific approach with straight talk about sensible solutions and an unwavering sense of humor have earned her legions of followers. Her award-winning blog, KatySays.com, reaches hundreds of thousands of people every month, and thousands have taken her live classes. She regularly writes for and is featured as a health expert in publications such as Prevention, IDEA, and Self, and is an entertaining guest on radio and television talk shows and news segments.

Katy is the founder and director of the Restorative Exercise Institute, which teaches the biomechanical model of preventative medicine to health professionals and laypeople worldwide, both online and in live seminars. She is also the creator of the popular Aligned and Well DVD series, a step-by-step visual guide to learning the basics of skeletal and body alignment. Katy’s groundbreaking work in pelvic floor restoration has made her particularly popular with midwives, OBGYNs, and others concerned with pelvic mobility, strength, and health.

Her books Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The New Science of Healthy Feet (2011), and Alignment Matters (2013), have been critically acclaimed and translated worldwide. In 2014, Katy released the bestselling Move Your DNA—offering a comprehensive look at the science and practical aspects of daily movement and general health. In between her book writing efforts, Katy travels the globe to teach the Restorative Exercise Institute’s courses in person, getting the world moving one calf stretch at a time.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

Click here to go right to the show in iTunes or on WebTalkRadio.net.

Do you sometimes feel guilty for not putting in the recommended 30 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week? Well, let me release you from that guilt… Exercise as you know it is an activity that has been created for us to address a disconnect in our modern environment, an environment that is far removed from our natural one. Current recommendations for exercise are based a theory of cardiovascular fitness that arose from studying a population that spends most of its day sitting in chairs – which is, from an ancestral perspective, a distinctly non-human activity. From this perspective, there is not a requirement for ‘exercise’ in our lives.

My guest today will shed some light on this topic. Katy Bowman is a biomechanist, someone who studies how physics influences biological processes. She is also the author of the book “Move Your DNA”…. a thought provoking book about human movement, loads, diseases of captivity, alignment, and solutions that I highly recommend for all human beings.

This is part one of my interview with Katy where we learn about the physical effects of living outside of our natural environment, the invisible forces that shape our bodies, and the problems with the conventional wisdom around cardiovascular health. We also mention a standing test… This test is a predictor of longevity. You can learn more about it here.

Also – because I’m all about providing solutions – I’ve interviewed Bobby Edwards, co-creator of Squatty Potty. His product IS an ancestral solution to a very modern disconnect.  It’s a great place to incorporate more natural movement into your routine – and to honor your human body everyday.  <<< Yes. You’ll poop better.

Tune in next week for the second half of my interview with Katy.

Katy’s Bio:

A biomechanist by training and a problem-solver at heart, Katy’s ability to blend a scientific approach with straight talk about sensible solutions and an unwavering sense of humor have earned her legions of followers. Her award-winning blog, KatySays.com, reaches hundreds of thousands of people every month, and thousands have taken her live classes. She regularly writes for and is featured as a health expert in publications such as Prevention, IDEA, and Self, and is an entertaining guest on radio and television talk shows and news segments.

Katy is the founder and director of the Restorative Exercise Institute, which teaches the biomechanical model of preventative medicine to health professionals and laypeople worldwide, both online and in live seminars. She is also the creator of the popular Aligned and Well DVD series, a step-by-step visual guide to learning the basics of skeletal and body alignment. Katy’s groundbreaking work in pelvic floor restoration has made her particularly popular with midwives, OBGYNs, and others concerned with pelvic mobility, strength, and health.

Her books Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The New Science of Healthy Feet (2011), and Alignment Matters (2013), have been critically acclaimed and translated worldwide. In 2014, Katy released the bestselling Move Your DNA—offering a comprehensive look at the science and practical aspects of daily movement and general health. In between her book writing efforts, Katy travels the globe to teach the Restorative Exercise Institute’s courses in person, getting the world moving one calf stretch at a time.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

I’m not talking about copious quantities of caffeine.

I’m talking about radio. Click the image below to listen to my first live interview… and this time, I’m the interviewee!

Thanks to Haywood Simmons of Phitness Plus and Aaron Perry of Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association for the invitation to talk health & wellness on their show the 8 O’Clock Buzz – broadcast on WORT 89.9.  Looking forward to seeing how we can collaborate in the future!

Click here to go right to the show in iTunes or on WebTalkRadio.net.

In your quest to gain health – you may choose to eat organically grown & GMO-free veggies & meats in order to reduce or eliminate toxins in your diet. That’s great! Now it’s time to consider the effect that your personal care products have on your body. Ingredients that make shampoos lather, that make lotions smell fragrant, that prevent you from… perspiring… have been shown to disrupt hormones and to be related to a number of human health issues. Most women use an average of 8-10 personal care products daily. We inhale, ingest, and absorb these toxins every single day.

Most conventional personal care products contain synthetic ingredients that are deemed toxic by the Environmental Working Group, but there are products out there that safely and naturally nourish your skin.

This week, Meredith chats with Lisa Brill, the founder of Qet Botanicals (pronounced ‘keet’), a family-owned, Wisconsin company that offers freshly-made and hand-crafted face, hair, and body products made from organic, sustainable, and wild-crafted botanical ingredients. Everything that Qet manufactures is made without the use of toxins, synthetics, or even a single drop of harmful chemicals or preservatives, in fact, all of their products are rated in the safest category with the lowest hazard levels in the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database.

Meredith and Lisa talk about why Qet Botanicals was created, about the meaning behind the name ‘Qet’, about what ingredients she uses in her products, about the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database called Skin Deep, and about where you can locate Qet Botanicals – because you’re probably want to give it a try – starting with the putty deodorant… you’ll be glad you did!

More about Lisa:

After experiencing unexplained changes in health, suffering from thyroid swings and hormonal imbalances, and learning that Rosacea, adult acne, and sensitive skin was now thrown into the mix, Lisa knew it was necessary to purge all of the chemicals out of her bathroom and give her body not only a fresh start, but a chance to become healthy again. This was no small task as many products, even the “natural” products, can still contain a small amount of synthetic, and often harmful, ingredients.

Not finding what she needed online or on the shelves, it was out of sheer desperation, and it became clear, that Lisa needed to take matters into her own hands. Needing safe products that would not interfere with hormones or add to changing thyroid levels, and the need to address the changes in health and skin that were beginning to show both internally and externally, the then personal and unnamed line of treatments was slowly beginning to take shape for her own use. While researching effective treatments, botanicals, and healing herbs, and by beginning to use and carefully blend them together, almost immediately she noticed a change in her skin, hair, and overall health – for the better. Soon all of her oral and topical prescriptions were no longer needed. Starting with known, organic ingredients, addressing skin concerns, and then seeing and feeling a change almost immediately, Lisa knew she could not go back to the mass-produced and stale ingredients that are readily found on the shelves. And she knew it was something she had to share with others.

Lisa’s care and passion for truly fresh, effective, and premium products was ignited, and Qet Botanicals was born. Qet now offers something for every type of skin; it provides relief for sensitive skin, addresses Rosacea and skin upset, nourishes dry and dehydrated skin, targets acne and blemishes, reduces sensitivities, balances combination skin, and revitalizes wrinkles and tired skin. Hair finishing products and body treatments round-out the core line of products; Qet passionately believes that every ingredient that stays on the body should be safe, clean, and effective.

Fast forward to today, from start to finish, Qet proudly formulates all of their own original products, manufactures them, fills and labels their packaging, and ships directly to their Partners, or to their customer’s doorstep. They’ve promised to disclose every ingredient that goes into their formulations, and all of their products are rated in the safest category with the lowest hazard levels in the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database. They’ve received national recognition and an Earth Day Beauty award for their skincare, a Sustainability award for their unique packaging, and now have select Partners throughout the Madison and Midwest area that offer Qet to their health-conscience clientele. With customers both internationally and throughout the country, guys and gals are discovering what freshly made and high-performing ingredients can do for one’s skin, hair, and health. Everything that Qet manufactures is made without the use of toxins, synthetics, or even a single drop of harmful chemicals or preservatives… and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

Click here to go right to the show in iTunes or on WebTalkRadio.net.

In Part 1 of Meredith’s interview with Dr. Aaron Blaisdell, professor in Learning & Behavior and Behavioral Neuroscience in the UCLA Psychology Department and founding member of the Ancestral Health Society they introduce the topic of Ancestral Health, what it is, how a diet may in fact influence motivation, how you should develop your own Ancestral Health approach, and some key first steps for shifting toward this perspective. Go on back and listen to that show if you haven’t heard it yet.

This week, Meredith continues her interview with Dr. Aaron Blaisdell. It’s a tough topic to nail down – because this perspective can be applied to all aspects of human health, and indeed, all aspects of you life.

In Part 2 of the interview, Dr. Blaisdell and Meredith chat about industrial foods, (check out How it’s Made: Canola Oil vs. this guy who makes butter at home), anecdotal evidence vs. scientific evidence, how ancestral health ‘aggregators’ are creating awareness about this topic, what it means to be a ‘gracious host’, the do no harm principle as it relates to any health intervention. They also review a list of ailments that can be healed by adopting an ancestral approach (from their own experience).

They also discuss Francis Pottenger and his epigenetics research in the early 20^th century. Pottenger experimented with cats, feeding one group raw milk and raw meats, while others received less nutritious and far less natural diets. He made observations about the health of each group after multiple generations on these diets, respectively. He found that fertility was compromised within 2-3 generations in the cats who were fed unnatural diets, and that ultimately, the health of those cats could be re-established by switching back to a nutritious, natural diet.

Pottenger’s study is a study in ancestral health. By forcing a disconnect between the cats and their native diet, he was able to observe a major shift in their health, which they then passed on to subsequent generations.   It’s an important lesson for the human species to learn from.

In closing, Meredith offers a visualization exercise to help you determine where you can begin to make a shift toward an ancestral health approach.

You can learn more about the Ancestral Health Society here. 

Dr. Aaron Blaisdell’s Bio:

After receiving his BA and MA in Biological Anthropology (at SUNY Stony Brook and Kent State University, respectively), Dr. Blaisdell realized that animal cognition was even more interesting than dead humans. So he trekked on over to SUNY Binghamton for his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with Dr. Ralph Miller, where he studied learning, memory, and temporal cognition in the rat. This was followed by a brief stint as an NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Robert Cook, an expert on Avian Visual Cognition at Tufts University, where he learned how pigeons perceive and think about the world. In 2001, Dr. Blaisdell emigrated to the climatological and cultural paradise of sunny LA where he has remained ever since. Dr. Blaisdell is a Professor in Learning & Behavior and Behavioral Neuroscience in the UCLA Psychology Department. He presides over the Comparative Cognition Lab, studying cognitive processes in rats, pigeons, hermit crabs, and humans.

A second interest of Dr. Blaisdell’s is in how human ancestry and evolution can inform us about health and well being in the modern world. He is currently studying the interaction between diet and cognition. He is a founding member and Past President of the Ancestral Health Society, Past President of the International Society for Comparative Psychology, an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Evolution and Health, and a member of the Brain Research Institute, the Integrative Center for Learning & Memory, and the Evolutionary Medicine program all at UCLA.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

Click here to go right to the show in iTunes or on WebTalkRadio.net.

The Roots of Health explores the disconnect between our health and our modern environment. In other words, we look through an ancestral health lens to evaluate how we eat, move, sleep, and create community today might be harming our human health, which evolved under a completely different set of circumstances (different foods, movement, sleep, and community structures).

Ancestral health is about gaining perspective of the human species, and all of its evolutionary pressures, and it’s a framework for you to begin to understand your own health more intimately. It’s about fundamental human health.

This week, Meredith talks to Dr. Aaron Blaisdell, Professor in Learning & Behavior and Behavioral Neuroscience in the UCLA Psychology Department and founding member of the Ancestral Health Society about what Ancestral Health is all about. It’s a tough topic to nail down – because this perspective can be applied to all aspects of human health.

In Part 1 of the interview, Dr. Blaisdell answers the questions: What is Ancestral Health? What piece of the ancestral health puzzle is most fascinating? How does diet quality affect our wellbeing? What is the easiest way to shift toward an ancestral approach?

There are many dietary and lifestyle approaches out there that are rooted in the Ancestral Health approach, including Paleo, Primal, GAPS, SCD, Weston A. Price, Ketogenic, Wahls Protocol, Perfect Health Diet… Understanding the basis for Ancestral Health and being aware of the current research will allow you to tailor your own approach to diet & lifestyle. Meredith has a resource to help you navigate this new approach, it’s called Teach Me How-To Paleo.

Dr. Aaron Blaisdell’s Bio:

After receiving his BA and MA in Biological Anthropology (at SUNY Stony Brook and Kent State University, respectively), Dr. Blaisdell realized that animal cognition was even more interesting than dead humans. So he trekked on over to SUNY Binghamton for his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with Dr. Ralph Miller, where he studied learning, memory, and temporal cognition in the rat. This was followed by a brief stint as an NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Robert Cook, an expert on Avian Visual Cognition at Tufts University, where he learned how pigeons perceive and think about the world. In 2001, Dr. Blaisdell emigrated to the climatological and cultural paradise of sunny LA where he has remained ever since. Dr. Blaisdell is a Professor in Learning & Behavior and Behavioral Neuroscience in the UCLA Psychology Department. He presides over the Comparative Cognition Lab, studying cognitive processes in rats, pigeons, hermit crabs, and humans.

A second interest of Dr. Blaisdell’s is in how human ancestry and evolution can inform us about health and well being in the modern world. He is currently studying the interaction between diet and cognition. He is a founding member and Past President of the Ancestral Health Society, Past President of the International Society for Comparative Psychology, an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Evolution and Health, and a member of the Brain Research Institute, the Integrative Center for Learning & Memory, and the Evolutionary Medicine program all at UCLA.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

Click here to go right to the show in iTunes or on WebTalkRadio.net.

From an ancestral perspective (or otherwise, for that matter), it is a huge challenge to nourish your child the way that you want and to maintain any sort of control over what they are eating on a daily basis. It’s healthy for our kids to have a social life, yet when they are at a friend’s house, all bets are off when it comes to food. At school, so many of our kid’s classrooms are cupcake and cookie factories with birthday celebration after birthday celebration. It’s not uncommon for parents to have NO IDEA what their child is eating when they send them off to school.

So, what does a health conscious parent do to make a difference? How do we influence change without judgment? Well, it starts at home… with setting great examples, packing nourishing lunches, and supporting your child to learn how foods make them feel.

My guest today is Kathryn Kos, a nutritional therapist at Primal Bliss Nutrition who is raising   primally inspired children. Kathryn gained quite a following on Facebook by posting daily photos of her son’s lunchbox. She has since released an ebook of healthy lunch ideas, called Joshua’s Primal Lunchbox.

Kathryn and I talk about our kids, and how our modern culture makes it really challenging to keep track of what our kids are consuming. And this can be a tenuous situation, when we’re with friends our kids are offered foods that we wouldn’t offer them at home. How do you manage this situation without being perceived as unreasonable or straining friendships?

And the school environment… how do you deal with the copious amounts of sugar that your kids are offered?

If you haven’t already read this article by Yoni Freedhoff called, “Why is everyone always giving my kids junk food?”, be sure to click here and ponder his words.

Kathryn provides some ideas for packing healthy lunches, and also recommends some healthier, convenience foods to have on hand.

It can be overwhelming to ensure that our kids have parent-approved food options in our modern social environments, but rest assured, there are a few things that you can do to decrease some variables:

• Be proactive in the classroom and in the schools – offer healthy solutions rather than fume over the status quo.
• Focus your efforts where it counts the most – at home – be a great role model for your kids, they do learn from us.
• Investigate PlanetBox lunch boxes as a way to pack appropriately sized, healthy foods from home… and be green, and save serious money.
• And check out Kathryn’s ebook, ‘Joshua’s Primal Lunchbox’ for nutritious lunch ideas for your kids. You can find it at PrimalBlissNutrition.com.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

Click here to go right to the show on WebTalkRadio.net or on iTunes.

Attention Parents of small children. Are you exhausted by your kids? Do they drive you crazy when they don’t sit still or play with their food at the dinner table? Do you feel frustrated by the lack of adherence to your ‘house rules’? Let’s take a step back for a second and observe your kids in a different light: from the perspective of their species and their natural environment. This is what ancestral health is all about.

My guest today is Charby Ibrahim. He is a Nutrition and Health Coach, Personal Trainer, Teacher, Writer and the man behind ‘The Ancestral Body’. Charby co-hosts one of Australia’s top health and wellness pod-casts called ‘The Primal Shift’, and has recently started producing his very own health and wellness TV Show – ‘The Ancestral Body’. One of Charby’s real passions is working with young people and he’s recently fulfilled a dream of his by publishing a children’s book called ‘My Bunny-Mate’ – which is a thought provoking tale of health & wellness for all ages.

Charby and I chat a bit about his personal health story and the reason behind his interest in health & wellness, about his connection to kids as a teacher and health educator, about how we should support the ‘human-ness of the human’ when it comes to kids behavior and health, and how imperative it really is that we should even join in with their play. Ah yes, the student becomes the teacher…

Of course, this all ties into the message in Charby’s book. ‘My Bunny-Mate’ (illustrated by Daymel Garcia – hardcopy here) is a charming tale of a little boy and his ‘Bunny-Mate’. He promises his mom and dad that he’ll take good care of his bunny and – with good intentions – proceeds to treat this bunny like a dog, by putting a leash on him, or as a person by feeding him treats and tucking him into bed. But his Bunny-Mate sets the record straight by telling him how a bunny prefers to move, eat, sleep, and poop!

Your primal humans will love it…

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

Click here to go right to the show on WebTalkRadio.net or iTunes.

We have so many choices these days. When we go to the grocery store, we’re presented with a litany of options. If you’re shopping for meats, you’ll either be leaning over a refrigerated stack of pre-packaged ground beef, steaks, chicken, pork (insert your dinner option here) or peering through a glass display of meats where you can select your own particular cut to bring home.

Have you ever given a thought as to where those cuts come from? As to the conditions under which that animal was raised or the resources consumed in order to raise it? Did you know that the way in which an animal is raised influences the nutritional content of its body and therefore… your dinner?

Did you know that you have a choice… to select meat from healthy, humanely raised animals, animals that were grown by mother nature, animals whose interaction with our grasslands actually help to stabilize and support those same lands? Meat that is… really good for you?

Yep, you do. It’s called grass-fed meat. Meredith’s guest today is John Wood, a 5^th generation family farmer who co-owns and operates a pasture to consumer online grass-fed meat business called US Wellness Meats. John and his partners – who were influenced by the work of Allan Savory – raise animals sustainably and humanely letting mother nature be their guide to promote not only their health, but the health of the land, the health of the community, and the health of the consumer.

To place an order or to find out more, visit USWellnessMeats.com. And if you’re a farmer who is interested in learning more about how to shift your practice toward a more sustainable approach, visit grassfedexchange.com.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.

More about John Wood:

John Wood is a life long resident of Lewis County Missouri. Following a Farm Operations B.S. degree at Iowa State University in 1975, John returned back to a 5^th generation family farm and was involved in day to day management of conventional Northeast Missouri family farm from 1975 to 2000.

In February, 2000, John and 3 partners created a pasture to consumer online grass-fed meat business on farms in NE Missouri and Western Illinois. Grassland Beef, LLC d.b.a. U.S. Wellness Meats was organized officially on September 1, 2000. Marketing commenced on November 7, 2000, and continues today nation wide and into several foreign countries. Grass-fed beef, lamb, butter, cheese, bison, free range poultry, ABF & GMO free pork, organic snacks, wild caught seafood, raw honey and gourmet rabbit compose the core business model. U.S. Wellness Meats have been featured by pro sports chefs, doctors, trainers, authors and the likes of Fox News in recent years.

During the past 39 years, leadership positions were held with Lewis County Extension, Lewis County Farm Bureau, Missouri Young Farmers, 3 year stint on the Missouri Soil and Water Commission during the mid1990’s, and 2014 Governor’s Award for Agricultural Achievement

It is exciting to be in an industry that supports animal agriculture, treats animals with respect, entry position for young farmers with low overhead, good for the land & plant community, good for the rural community and improves health and wellness for our consumers.

Click here to go right to the show on WebTalkRadio.net or iTunes. (Hey, if you listen in iTunes, and you like what you hear, please leave me a review!)

In the past few weeks Meredith has presented a strong case for food as medicine. It’s pretty clear. But there’s another medicine that you may be lacking in your life. Laughter.

How often do you laugh these days? You may be among the millions of humans out there with a serious laughter deficiency, and that’s troubling. Laughter is a universal language that provides stress relief: it brings you into the present, focuses your mind on the giggles at hand rather than the stressors that may dominating it, laughter helps you to breathe, to connect with others, and to take this life of yours a little less seriously. We could all use an increased dose.

This week, Meredith chats with Shelley Bell, a Certified Laughter Yoga teacher, about laughter, laughter yoga, laughter clubs… even phone laughter… you really have no excuse, you must laugh. And you’re encouraged to fake it even. Flex that laughter muscle, feel better instantly, and reap the benefits for hours to come.

Shelley Bell is a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher and Holistic Health Coach. She leads a Laughter Club in Northridge, CA, and trains people to become Certified Laughter Yoga Leaders in the Dr. Kataria School of Laughter Yoga. Shelley does Laughter Yoga Presentations and workshops for various groups throughout the Los Angeles and surrounding areas, including assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. She is passionate about helping people to build up their laughter muscle and rediscover their inner joy.

Why not see if you can find a Laughter Club in your area? Or join Laughter Club via Skype. No excuses, friend. As they say, laughter is the best medicine.

You can subscribe to The Roots of Health at WebTalkRadio.net and also on iTunes.