Six Weeks To Fitness

Did you know that 42% of adults in America are obese? And that overeating and binge eating is a major contributor to obesity.  If we want to get our health back on track, we must get a handle on our eating, and that’s why I’m thrilled to have as my next guest, Dr. Glenn Livingston, a veteran psychologist, and longtime CEO of a multi-million-dollar consulting firm that has serviced several Fortune 500 clients in the food industry. His works have been published in major periodicals such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Sun Times.

Disillusioned by what traditional psychology had to offer overweight and food-obsessed individuals, Dr. Livingston spent several decades researching the nature of bingeing and overeating via work with his own patients AND a self-funded research program with more than 40,000 participants. Most important, however, was his own personal journey out of obesity and food prison to a normal, healthy weight and a much more lighthearted relationship with food. In this interview, you will learn how certain food companies are taking the nutrition out of the food and putting the money behind the packaging, therefore making the food more appealing.  You will also learn which emotions trigger cravings for what types of food. 

This is a very informative interview that will leave the viewer and/or listener with the strategies necessary to stop overeating and binge eating once and for all.

Direct download: Episode_188_Dr._Glenn_Livingston.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:34am EDT

Do you suffer from IBS, Depression, or Psoriasis? How about fatigue or anxiety?  If so, then I recommend listening to Jordan Trinagel, she is the founder of Health Reconditioned, an online health coaching business focused on utilizing holistic health and functional medicine to find the root cause of symptoms and diseases. Jordan was a professional dancer in college and an NPC bikini competitor.  She is also a licensed occupational therapist.  Jordan struggled with her own health issues, such as anxiety/depression, IBS, psoriasis, and fatigue until she discovered functional medicine which helped her to understand what was causing her symptoms and helped to reverse the diseases.  During the interview, Jordan will discuss why functional medicine is so effective when it comes to diagnosing and reversing disease.  Unlike conventional medicine, functional medicine addresses the root cause of the disease, not just the symptoms. 

According to Jordan, there are three things that make us sick, (i) things we put in our body, (ii) things we put on our body and (iii) things that are around our body, this includes food, liquids, skincare products, cleaning products, candles and more.

If you’re seeking practical and sustainable solutions to chronic illnesses, and not just a pill for every ill, then check out my interview with Jordan.  To learn more about Jordan Trinagel, visit www.healthreconditioned.com.  You can also check out her IG page @health_reconditioned.

Direct download: Episode_187_Jordan_Trinagel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:29am EDT

In this episode of Six Weeks to Fitness, I’m joined by former professional football player, Joe Barksdale.  During his career, Joe played for the St. Louis Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.  He is also an accomplished musician, mental health advocate and comedian.  During the interview, Joe will discuss his childhood, growing up in Detroit, Michigan, and the many challenges he faced as a child.  Joe didn’t grow up playing sports, and it wasn’t until high school, that he decided to try out for the football team.

Joe Barksdale’s NFL career lasted about 8 years and when I asked him why he left the NFL, his response was “I got tired of losing.”  Joe speaks freely about his NFL career, but it’s a career that he would like to put behind him.  He is most happy about his career as a performance artist and a stand-up comedian.  It was hard not to laugh at Joe’s many anecdotes during the interview.  He is a natural-born comedian always laughing and joking during the interview while making his point.

Mental health is a major topic of which Joe speaks very candidly about, having dealt with depression and sexual abuse as a child.  The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted Joe’s post-NFL plans.  He left the NFL to pursue his aspirations as a performance artist, but when the country shut down and went into quarantine mode, those plans were thwarted, and he found himself mentally and emotionally depressed with nowhere to go and questions on how he will feed his family. 

Weight gain was also a byproduct of the quarantine.  Barksdale’s playing weight while in the NFL was 325 pounds on his 6’ 5” frame, but during the quarantine, his weight increased, which added to his depression.  At least in the NFL, he was able to work out, exercise and travel on a regular basis, during the quarantine, all that has changed.

Fortunately, he came across the Centr App, a 10-week exercise and nutrition program created by Chris Hemsworth, the Australian actor, who played in the movie series “Thor.”  With the help of this exercise program and the nutritious meal plans it provides, Joe is feeling much better physically and mentally.  He has lost weight and his body is much leaner than it has been in years.  Joe will tell you that he is a work in progress and that he is taking it one day at a time.

Direct download: Interview_186_Joe_Barksdale.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:03am EDT

How would you like to build, balance, confidence and strength? In this episode of Six Weeks to Fitness, I am joined by Brittany Kohnke, a certified personal trainer and strength coach out of Temecula, California. Her mission in life is to guide others towards a life of balance, confidence, and strength so they can be the absolute best version of themselves in every sense of the way. Brittany specializes in showing others what’s possible by removing the impossible and she does this by being an advocate for strength training and evidence-based practices.

Brittany’s exposure to fitness started out in her childhood, growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, where she played a variety of sports such as ice skating, gymnastics, volleyball, and basketball, but her real passion was softball, which she played throughout college.  Although she was very active, Brittany’s nutrition left much to be desired.  It was during her time in college that she was introduced to the world of fitness competition.  Brittany was in awe of how beautiful and lean the women looked on stage and truly believed she could look like them, so she did everything that was expected of fitness competitors to do, with the dieting and intense exercise, and it wasn’t long before Brittany entered her first competition weighing 110 pounds of lean muscle.  Unfortunately for Brittany, no one told her how to live her life in a “balanced and sustainable” way after the competition was over, and so, in the days and weeks following the competition, Brittany started drinking, overindulging and before she knew it (6 months later), her weight ballooned up to 170 pounds. 

Brittany’s health was deteriorating fast, and it brought on deep depression.  It wasn’t until 7 years later, that a friend told Brittany about a program called Crossfit at a gym in the area and fortunately for Brittany, it was more than just a Crossfit program, but a fitness lifestyle of eating healthy, proper exercise mechanics and much more.  This kickstarted Brittany’s journey into what is possible.  Working with this program and a particular trainer at the gym, Brittany learned what being strong and healthy is truly all about and that mainstream fitness is totally wrong.

Brittany is now using the methods and training she learned to help others, especially women to achieve their health and fitness goals.  Brittany believes that the gym can be used as a supplement to your life not the main event.  You don’t need to spend 3 hours in the gym.  It’s all about balance.  Brittany also believes in training smart not hard to achieve your fitness goals.  She also believes in using food as nourishment and that food is not something to be fearful of. 

I have only scratched the surface of this interview with an amazing coach and trainer.  If you need an experienced, motivated, and inspiring coach, who truly understands what it takes to achieve balance, confidence and strength, then listen to this interview, better yet, reach out to Brittany directly.  You can visit her IG page @brittany_kohnke.

Direct download: Episode_185_-_Brittany_Kohnke.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:39am EDT

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