The mindbodygreen Podcast

In this week’s solo episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, Jason breaks down a fascinating study of hotel room attendants that showed how a small shift in mindset can completely change how our bodies respond to movement. It’s easy to get caught up in the data, but this study is a reminder that the meaning you assign to what you're doing is another critical input.

00:00 - The chambermaid study

04:06 - What changed after four weeks

06:24 - The milkshake study

07:37 - The honest caveats

09:03 - 3 ways to use this today

Referenced in the episode:

Read the Harvard study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17425538/

Read the milkshake study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21574706/

For more about Alia Crum, visit: https://www.instagram.com/draliacrum/?hl=en

Listen to the episode with Dr. Ellen Langer: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-think-yourself-younger-mother-of-mindfulness/id1246494475?

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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“Small steps add up over time to the big changes that we seek,” says Matt Bloom, Ph.D.

Bloom is a professor emeritus of business at the University of Notre Dame. He has a PhD in psychology from Cornell University. For nearly thirty years, he and his research team studied the well-being of people who work in the helping and healing professions including physicians, humanitarian workers, clergy and public school teachers. Matt is cofounder of Ritual, a mobile app that offers a living library of evidence-based well-being practices created in partnership with wise guides including Barbara Brown Taylor, Kate Bowler, Steve Kerr, Nedra Glover Tawaab, and Anne Lamott.

00:00 - Why small habits beat big overhauls

05:05 - The 5-minute worry window

07:24 - Lessons from high-stress professions

13:32 - Radical acceptance & psychological flexibility

15:32 - An exercise for hard experiences

17:33 - When resilience through becomes self-destructive

20:22 - Why you need an accountability partner

24:57 - Practice over perfectionism

28:16 - Balancing great & good enough

31:48 - Burnout & finding your core values

34:34 - His Wall Street wake-up call

35:37 - Achieving personal & professional alignment

40:15 - Science that stands out

42:11 - Children & grandchildren

Referenced in the episode:

Visit Bloom’s website: https://mattbloom.org/

Buy Bloom’s new book: https://www.amazon.com/Lasting-Wellbeing-Science-Based-Tranquility-Authenticity/dp/1637748787/ref=sr_1_1

For more about the worry window, visit Elissa Epel’s website: https://www.elissaepel.com/

For more about radical acceptance, visit Steven Hayes’ website: https://stevenchayes.com/the-bittersweet-art-of-acceptance-2/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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“The food industry is experimenting on us without data and knowledge,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., DrPH.

Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, Director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, and author of the book, Food is Medicine (Holt/Macmillan). He serves as Distinguished Professor, Dean Emeritus, and Jean Mayer Professor; and is clinically active in cardiology at Tufts Medical Center. His work aims to create the evidence and translation for a food system that is nutritious, equitable, and sustainable. He has authored nearly 700 scientific publications, and has served in numerous advisory roles. His work has been featured in leading media outlets, and Thomson Reuters has named him as one of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds. Dr. Mozaffarian received his B.S. in biological sciences from Stanford, M.D. from Columbia, Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard, and clinical training in internal medicine at Stanford and in cardiology at the University of Washington. He is married, has three children, and actively trains as a Fourth Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo.

00:00 - The last century of nutrition science

07:03 - The single-nutrient mistake

10:50 - Pellagra & the birth of enriched flour

13:45 - Macros vs. food quality

17:05 - The 3 buckets of food

21:56 - What’s the deal with red meat

24:46 - Episode break

27:14 - Cholesterol absorbers & plant sterols

31:05 - How low-fat & Big Tobacco fueled ultra-processing

33:24 - The truth about seed oils

38:06 - Sweeteners & additives

41:41 - Flipping the script on the food system

47:28 - The problem with calorie counting

52:16 - Inside a cardiologist's shopping cart

Referenced in the episode:

Buy Mozaffarian’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250394287

Visit the Food Is Medicine Institute website: https://tuftsfoodismedicine.org/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"What we know for sure is that Alzheimer's is a preventable disease. It's not destiny,” says Kellyann Niotis, M.D.

Niotis is the world’s first fellowship-trained preventive neurologist. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, the Director of Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia Prevention Research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND) and runs a private preventive neurology practice in New York City focused on early detection and personalized risk reduction strategies for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Her research has been published in notable medical journals and presented at national and international conferences. Her expertise has been featured in media outlets such as CNN and NBC, and she has received numerous honors and awards recognizing her work. She is passionate about advancing the field of preventive neurology—not only through clinical care and research but also through advocacy for policy change and expanding access to education and treatment.

00:00 - Your genes are not your destiny

05:06 - Why prevention starts in your 30s

06:44 - Cholesterol management for brain health

11:06 - Explaining amyloid & p-tau 217

17:17 - How viruses & your cycle affect tau

19:37 - Dr. Niotis’s research

23:41 - What movement reveals about your brain

30:37 - Why motor reserve matters

34:47 - Why variety is key when exercising for brain health

37:38 - Elen’s story with two APOE4 copies

44:37 - ApoA1: the brain's cholesterol exception

47:42 - The future of Alzheimer's treatment

50:43 - The statin study she'd love to run

Referenced in the episode:

Visit Niotis’s website: http://www.drkellyannniotis.com/

Visit Niotis’s practice: http://www.preventive-neuro.com/

For more about Beth Lewis: https://www.instagram.com/bethlewisfit/

Listen to our episode with Richard Isaacson: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4uW7V9qfeD2vj2m56MZlYB

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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Youth sports has become a multi-billion-dollar industry built on one unspoken promise: specialize early, and your kid has a shot. In this solo episode, we dig into what the research really says about early specialization. We also looks at how Norway built a youth sports system around play instead of competition, and why it's keeping kids in the game at nearly triple the US rate.

00:00 - The myth of sports specialization

04:29 - How youth sports became a billion-dollar industry

05:10 - My own path to Division I basketball

06:52 - Higher risk of overuse injuries

09:42 - The weaker case for burnout

10:41 - Junior stars & adult pro athletes are different people

12:28 - Deliberate play & the sampling years

15:00 - 3 honest caveats

16:10 - How Norway keeps kids playing

20:29 - What every parent should actually do

Referenced in the episode:

2022 meta-analysis from Jean Côté’, Ph.D.: https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381211056301

2015 study from Neeru Jayanthi, M.D.: .https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25646361/

Research from David Bell, Ph.D.: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31633411/

Research from Tim McGuine, Ph.D: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28735552/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"I hope in 20 or 30 years time, a clinical diagnosis is something that's rarely given because most everything has been caught before it rises to that stage,” says Andrew Lacy.

Lacy is the CEO and founder of Prenuvo, the company pioneering proactive whole-body imaging for the early detection of cancer and other diseases. Under Lacy’s leadership, the company has expanded across North America, establishing Prenuvo as a recognized and trusted proactive healthcare service to both patients and referring clinicians. A seasoned entrepreneur, he scaled transformative products (including Tapulous, acquired by Disney) and grew Prenuvo into a global leader. He actively serves as an advisor and investor across a diverse portfolio of startups. He received an MBA from Stanford University and a JD from the University of Melbourne. He is currently based in Los Angeles.

This podcast was created in partnership with Prenuvo. Their whole-body MRI scans 33 organs for hundreds of conditions in as little as an hour, finding a potentially life-saving diagnosis in 1 in 20 people.* Prenuvo can help give you a broader understanding of what’s happening in your body–before symptoms appear. Get a $300 discount on comprehensive and executive memberships, along with a standalone whole-body scan at prenuvo.com/MINDBODYGREEN.

00:00 - What's changed in the last two years of scanning

03:58 - The importance of establishing a baseline

06:15 - The average scan turns up nine findings

07:55 - Ageotypes: why everyone ages differently

09:19 - Inside the new body composition report

11:47 - 4 ways AI is changing medical imaging

15:44 - NeuroQuant & catching dementia decades early

18:07 - Building a comprehensive, preventative healthcare system

24:10 - Busy Philipps’s story & what people actually fear

25:17 - The case for peace of mind over avoidance

30:46 - Skin health as the next imaging frontier

37:27 - Why people worry most about the brain

39:21 - Changing the approach to healthcare

Referenced in the episode:

Read about Jason’s experience first Prenuvo scan here: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/full-body-mri-scan-review

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

*Based on our internal data analysis, 5% of Prenuvo scans have helped detect a potentially life-saving condition. This reflects in particular the combined prevalence of radiologically-suspected pre-cancerous/cancerous-findings or brain-aneurysms in our whole body MRI screening practice.

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"What is the lowest dose of intervention that can have the maximum effect to help the body heal itself?” asked Keshav Grover, D.O., M.S., IFMCP.

Grover is the founder of Grover Health and Wellness, PLLC. He is a physician, keynote speaker, and champion of functional/integrative medicine and of eating a whole foods, plant-based diet. He holds a Doctorate in osteopathic medicine from Michigan State University College and a Master of Science from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed the prestigious Andrew Weil Center of Integrative Medicine fellowship at the University of Arizona and is a certified functional medicine practitioner by the Institute for Functional Medicine. He has spoken to leading organizations about holistic health and has been featured on CBS and Fox News as a wellness expert. His first book, Wellness Bridge, was published this August.

00:00 - The "Wellness Bridge"

05:37 - Why medicine doesn't have to be either/or

08:55 - A simple at-home gut health check

11:21 - There’s no universal cure

13:37 - Peptides 101

19:30 - Who should avoid peptides entirely

22:21 - Smallest dose, maximum effect

24:27 - Grover’s approach to testing

30:29 - Where health testing is headed next

33:38 - The connection between glyphosate & cancer

40:38 - His brother's warts & a homeopathy win

44:37 - Why he stopped being the ingredient police

47:31 - Gut health & food sensitivity

49:55 - Why genetics isn't your destiny

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Grover, visit: https://www.drkeshavgrover.com/

Buy Grover’s book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZMP5BQX/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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“I don't need to track it. I just listen to my body,” says Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., Ms.C.

Dr. Emanuel is an oncologist and world leader in health policy and bioethics. He is the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds appointments in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Department of Health Care Management in the Wharton School. He is Special Advisor to the Director General of the WHO, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the NIH. He served as a Special Advisor on Health Policy to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and National Economic Council. In this role, he was instrumental in drafting the Affordable Care Act. He served on the Biden-Harris Transition Covid Advisory Board. Dr. Emanuel is the most widely cited bioethicist in history with over 350 publications. He has authored or edited 16 books. His newest book, Eat Your Ice Cream, is out now.

00:00 - When tracking our health goes overboard

06:19 - The health markers worth testing

08:03 - Daily nutrition habits

09:34 - What it means to “eat your ice cream”

14:15 - The importance of social connection

19:12 - Why willpower fails & habits win

24:47 - Everest, introverts, & grip strength

27:52 - How purpose is linked to health

31:06 - Why & how the Emanuel brothers succeeded

35:21 - Rethinking retirement for brain health

36:42 - Age-old health wins (& that’s a relief)

40:10 - Favorite ice cream shops

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Emanuel, visit his website: https://www.ezekielemanuel.com/

Buy Eat Your Ice Cream here: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Your-Ice-Cream-Healthy/dp/1324117532/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

Find our episode on the rabbit cholesterol here: https://youtu.be/er3k40nlCh8?si=MxeG7IxEVnirxIoX

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"The diet you'll stay on is a diet that's enjoyable and not too hard,” says Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, MA, RDN.

Bazilian is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist, and Doctor of Public Health. She's authored multiple bestselling books, as well as contributed to a New York Times bestseller and a James Beard-nominated cookbook. She’s a spokesperson for Avocados – Love One Today and a frequent nutrition expert cited in mindbodygreen articles.

00:00 - The value of the food we consume

03:06 - Why dietary fat was misunderstood for decades

07:47 - Nutrient density vs. calorie counting

09:56 - Why 94% of us fall short on fiber

14:26 - Heart health, satiety, & blood sugar control

16:48 - Why the best diet is one you enjoy

18:50 - Food synergy & nutrient absorption

21:51 - Unexpected ways to cook with avocados

26:58 - The glycemic load effect

31:28 - Serving size vs. portion size

35:41 - How to store avocados properly

40:06 - 3 rules for moving the needle on health

Referenced in the episode:

The HAT trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34496276/

Glycemic load study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299126000557

For more about Bazilian, visit her website: https://www.wendybazilian.com/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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What does driving a sports car actually do to your hormones? In this episode, we break down a surprisingly revealing 2009 study in which researchers had men drive a bright red sports car and a beige sedan and measured changes in their testosterone before and after.

The results weren't what anyone expected. And the real finding had nothing to do with speed, horsepower, or even the car itself.

We dig into the evolutionary biology behind status signaling, why social context drives hormonal responses, and what this study quietly reveals about how we chase external validation in modern life.

Ever seen someone rev a Ferrari at a stoplight and thought "midlife crisis"? This one's for you.

00:00 - Introduction

00:53 - The Experiment

01:44 - The Results (And Why They're Surprising)

02:41 - The Evolutionary Biology Behind Status Signaling

03:34 - Why the Audience Mattered More Than the Car

04:26 - What "Borrowed Status" Costs Us

05:33 - What Actually Sustains Us Long-Term

Read the study here:⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749597809000442⁠

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on⁠YouTube⁠! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: ⁠podcast@mindbodygreen.com⁠.

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“As your time commitment goes down, the importance of intensity goes up,” says Kristi Storoshuk.

Storoschuk is a PhD candidate in Muscle Physiology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Her research focuses on the relationship between skeletal muscle metabolism and whole-body metabolism, with an emphasis on how nutrient–exercise timing influences physiological adaptations to exercise. Storoschuk has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and is passionate about translating complex scientific findings into practical, evidence-based recommendations. Outside of her academic work, Kristi is the founder of a women’s health coaching program focused on improving metabolic health through sustainable nutrition and exercise, particularly in the context of preconception health.

00:00 - What is Zone 2 training?

08:14 - The limitations of Zone 2 training

11:18 - Prioritizing intensity when time is limited

15:56 - All about interval training

19:16 - The truth about building your aerobic base

21:02 - We shouldn’t train cardio like elite athletes

24:48 - Fat burning & Zone 2

26:10 - Talking weekly cardio protocol

30:03 - Storoschuk’s habits

33:03 - Unpacking exercise culture & trends

37:22 - Recovery, wearables, & intuition

43:10 - HIIT above all else

Referenced in the episode:

Read Storoschuk’s research about Zone 2: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-025-02261-y

For more about Storoschuk, visit her website: https://krististoroschuk.com/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"It's way better to pull yourself back from the brink of burnout before it hits than to let yourself fall all the way in,” says Elizabeth Svoboda.

Svoboda is an award-winning science writer and contributor to Scientific American, Discover, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and other publications. Elizabeth is a winner of the Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Writers, and her work has been anthologized in the Best American Science and Nature Writing series. She lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and young sons. Her new book, The Art of Pacing, is available now.

00:00 - Why high performers always push to 110%

05:58 - Physical signs of burnout

09:14 - Getting more comfortable with recovery

12:16 - Pacing & how to take advantage of energy rhythms

16:00 - What an Olympic runner taught her about rest

18:32 - Modulation & the importance of breathwork

28:30 - Why it’s so hard recover from burnout

31:48 - Boom-bust cycles

35:12 - Gold star culture & unsustainable achievement

40:34 - Why early sports specialization backfires

44:08 - How to pace yourself with rigid flexibility

50:32 - The next wise choice

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Elizabeth Svoboda, visit her website: https://elizabethsvoboda.com/

Buy The Art Of Pacing here: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Pacing-Balancing-Short-Term-Long-Term/dp/1668022419/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

Find the Maslach Burnout Inventory here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5fecb650c2646617cb1e0599/t/6320f5325f757e4ad8bc0062/1663104306195/Maslach-Burnout-Inventory.pdf

For more about Joe Arpaia: https://www.centerfortransformativehealing.org/joseph

Follow runner Ajeé Wilson: https://www.instagram.com/ajeelenee/?hl=en

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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“We can choose our brain’s destiny,” says David Perlmutter, MD.

Perlmutter is a Board-Certified Neurologist and six-time New York Times bestselling author whose work focuses on the intersection of neurology, nutrition, and brain health. He is on the Board of Directors of the American College of Nutrition and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. His books, including the #1 bestseller Grain Brain, has been published in 32 languages and sold over a million copies. Perlmutter lectures globally at leading institutions and has been featured on major media outlets including 20/20, CNN, The Today Show, and Oprah. His new book, Brain Defenders, focuses on the pivotal role of microglia, the brain’s immune cells, in protecting, repairing, and reprogramming the brain for lifelong resilience, and is now available for pre-order.

00:00 - Treating the symptoms, not the cause

02:37 - Microglial cells & their evil twin state

05:44 - How metabolism affects the brain

08:00 - Gut bacteria, inflammation, & brain degeneration

11:38 - Why lifestyle beats the APOE4 gene

16:25 - Perlmutter’s daily routine

23:55 - Loneliness & oxytocin

26:21 - The effects of long COVID on the brain

32:18 - Glyphosate & other environmental factors

39:20 - Reprogramming microglia & mitochondrial transplants

41:35 - Own your brain's destiny

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Perlmutter, visit his website: https://drperlmutter.com/

For more about Perlmutter's upcoming book, visit: https://braindefenders.com/

Alzheimers & UPFs study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjpad.2024.100042

POINTER study - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2837046

20-week Alzheimer’s study:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13195-024-01482-z

Golf course & Parkinson’s study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2833716

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"If you don't get those foundational behaviors down, there ain't nothing a peptide's gonna do for you,” says Rachele Pojednic, Ph.D.

Pojednic is a professor of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at Stanford University and is the Chief Science Officer at Restore. Her work examines nutrition, supplementation and physical activity interventions on muscle physiology, performance and recovery, as well as muscle related chronic disease, with a particular focus on women. Pojednic holds a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification from National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and is board certified Health Coach from the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC). She has a particular passion for science communication and has been a consultant and writer for many prominent news outlets, including NPR, Time, The Washington Post, and Popular Science.

Show notes:

00:00 - The difference between science & wellness

06:30 - The big vs. little levers of health

08:40 - What we do & don’t know about peptides

11:45 - A study on supplement stacking gone wrong

13:55 - Next-gen peptides (BPC-157 & more)

18:20 - All about NAD, NR, & NMN

29:57 - Creatine for muscle & brain health

33:48 - Looking at leucine & amino acid profile in protein

36:48 - Why fasting advice for women often backfires

40:24 - Stop chasing perfection

43:45 - How to use wearables & lab testing

50:13 - Bridging science & wellness

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Pojednic, visit her website: https://www.rachelepojednic.com/

mindbodygreen’s creatine brain supplement: https://shop.mindbodygreen.com/products/creatine-brain

mindbodygreen’s whey protein: https://shop.mindbodygreen.com/products/clear-whey-protein

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"I think structure is more liberating than it is stifling, and it often takes people losing it to sort of realize that,” says David Epstein.

Epstein is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller Range and the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. He has master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism and has worked as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and as an investigative reporter for ProPublica. He lives in Washington, DC. His newest book, Inside The Box, is out now.

00:00 - Why constraints drive creativity

06:35 - How mnemonics help you memorize

10:31 - The power of low-stakes practice

12:25 - The problem with youth sports

18:56 - The constraints-led approach in elite sports

22:25 - Good vs bad constraints

25:39 - Constraints at NASA & Pixar

31:07 - Why we always add instead of subtract

35:02 - The dizziness of freedom

41:29 - Experimentation as a practice

45:19 - The importance of self-reflection

49:02 - How to fix your fractured attention

Referenced in the episode:

Read The Athletic’s article about the constraints-led approach: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6665943/2025/09/29/sports-training-cla-coaching-wembanyana-ohtani

For more about David Epstein, visit his website: https://davidepstein.com/

Buy Inside The Box here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNDSKWMY/?/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

Buy Range here: https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214506/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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“Every human being comes equipped with the capacity to flourish,” says Richard Davidson, Ph.D.

Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on wellbeing on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he served on the Global Council on Mental Health. In 2014, Davidson founded Humin (formerly Healthy Minds Innovations), a global nonprofit on a mission to make wellbeing real by translating science into action.

00:00 - What it means to flourish

05:48 - Using your mind intentionally

09:46 - Why informal practice works just as well

11:50 - A mindful walk

14:21 - The biology of loneliness

17:15 - The narrative you carry about yourself

20:38 - Mental reps & neuroplasticity

23:54 - Connecting purpose to small tasks

28:25 - The free Healthy Minds app

31:02 - How fast the brain actually changes

36:48 - Inflammation, dementia, & longevity

38:53 - Davidson's morning & evening ritual

43:13 - Setting kids up to flourish

44:43 - How a volleyball team connects

Referenced in the episode:

The Healthy Minds app: https://www.humin.org/wellbeing-tools/app

For more about Davidson, visit: https://www.richardjdavidson.com/

Purchase his book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668066238/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"When it comes to high-intensity interval training work, quality is much more important than quantity,” says Fraser Thurlow, Ph.D.

Thurlow is a high-performance coach, researcher, and lecturer with over a decade of experience helping people improve their fitness and performance. He holds a PhD in Human Performance, has published extensively on training, and has lectured at leading Australian universities in sport and exercise science. His work focuses on translating science into practical, evidence-based strategies that improve health, fitness, and athletic performance.

00:00 - How to actually raise your VO2 max

05:26 - Long vs short interval training

09:00 - Heart rate vs. perceived exertion

11:13 - Accurately monitoring heart rate

13:12 - The sprint interval training protocol

19:07 - A sample weekly plan

23:58 - Working exercise into the day-to-day

28:24 - Making the most out of supersets

31:58 - VO2 max mistakes

34:32 - How to train for HYROX

39:17 - Foot strength & barefoot lifting

43:37 - Overrated & underrated fitness

45:35 - Fraser's sprint research

50:40 - VO2 max vs. muscle for longevity

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Thurlow & his personal training, visit: https://stan.store/drthurlow

Jan Helgerud sprint study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17414804/

Vollaard analysis of VO2 max studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28079707/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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“When we engage in the arts, it exposes us to a lot of emotions, which can have a tangible impact on the neurotransmitters released in our brains, the stress hormones in our bodies, and even the levels of inflammation in our immune system,” says Daisy Fancourt.

Fancourt is a Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London where she heads the Social Biobehavioural Research Group, and serves as the Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. She is one of the most highly cited scientists in the world, having published 300 scientific papers and won over two dozen academic prizes. She is a multi-award-winning science communicator and has been named a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and BBC New Generation Thinker.

00:00 - Art as the fifth pillar of health

01:21 - The benefits of arts engagement

08:10 - Your daily & weekly arts prescription

09:35 - Why attention is the key ingredient

11:12 - Visual vs. audio art

14:56 - Making the most of a museum visit

18:11 - Art for stress & mood regulation

19:09 - Using art to wind down

21:04 - Art & the brain

27:44 - Prescribing art for anxiety & depression

32:08 - Reconnecting with childhood creativity

34:14 - Finding art in the every day

36:45 - Biological evidence of art’s impact

40:14 - Art for joy & exercise

44:54 - The creative commute

Referenced in the episode:

Greece’s art program for mental health: https://artonprescription.gr/en/

For more about Fancourt & her research, visit: https://sbbresearch.org/

Buy Fancourt’s book here: https://a.co/d/03ypycB7

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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“Anatomy and physiology always matter when it comes to pain. They're just not the whole story,” says Rachel Zoffness, Ph.D.

Zoffness is a pain scientist, pain psychologist, and thought-leader revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She's an assistant clinical professor at UCSF, lectures at Stanford, and consults on the development of pain management programs around the world. Dr. Zoffness’s new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, is out now, and in the process of being translated into over 25 languages.

00:00 - Everything we know about pain is wrong

05:48 - Pain is biopsychosocial

09:45 - Building your personal pain recipe

15:00 - Emotions can turn pain volume up & down

18:14 - Your thoughts affect your physiology

25:29 - How cancer cured a kidney stone

31:51 - Optimism & letting go of outcomes

37:47 - What the placebo effect really is

39:45 - A daily protocol for pain resilience

44:35 - Why friends are medicine

48:05 - When words make pain worse

51:00 - Rachel's own pain story

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Zoffness, visit her website: https://www.zoffness.com/

Buy her book here: https://a.co/03dKuChz

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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"Making the effort earlier totally changes the trajectory for the rest of your life,” says Jeremy London, MD.

London is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon with more than 25 years of clinical experience caring for patients across the full spectrum of heart disease — from prevention to advanced intervention. Dr. London received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his general surgery residency at Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. He completed a general vascular and thoracic surgical fellowship at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. To deepen his understanding of medicine, he completed the Institute of Functional Medicine core program.

00:00 - When a cardiac surgeon has a heart attack

10:46 - Waking up with different priorities

13:49 - Missed signals

18:35 - The CGM experiment that revealed pre-diabetes

21:43 - The 5 tests that actually matter

25:44 - Diving into Lp(a)

30:36 - Target numbers for primary prevention

32:26 - Why taking medication isn't failure

38:24 - Atherosclerosis starts in childhood

41:19 - Why a zero calcium score doesn't mean you're safe

45:40 - What we don't know

48:41 - GLP-1s & the future of prevention

For more about London, visit his website: https://drjeremylondon.com/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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