Lessons Learned From Season One

Season one of the Ingrained & Balanced podcast may be done, but don’t worry, there’s more great content to come! 

The Ingrained & Balanced podcast features episodes with top health and fitness experts about ways to practice a well-balanced lifestyle. Throughout the series thus far, hosts Lonnie and Marty have been fortunate enough to meet with a diverse range of special guests to gain their knowledge on wellness techniques and healthy practices. 

As the podcast's premier season comes to an end, the hosts spend season 1, episode 19, looking back on some of their most influential interviews. From overcoming adversities to cultivating beneficial habits, these special guests have shared their inspiring insights on dietary wellness, physical fitness, mental health, and more. Read on, as this article will dive even deeper into the health advice and expertise uncovered throughout season one! 

Wellness and Mindset

Every day, we make decisions that impact our physical well-being, as they determine our activities, the foods we eat, and the practices we follow. However, poor mental health can significantly diminish our ability to make choices that support a well-balanced lifestyle. In season one, the podcast featured several special guests who explained the importance of mental wellness for achieving overall health.

Following a healthy lifestyle is a choice that requires effort and consistency. However, lacking motivation can cause us to fall behind in our wellness practices. Mental wellness is vital to maintain the inspiration and drive needed to continue in our health journeys. In episode 12, Lonnie and Marty were joined by competitive athlete Patrick Quinn, who explained how a mindset focused on his motivators has helped him maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle throughout his career. 

The idea of maintaining motivation is a recurring conversation throughout season one, as the hosts and their guests express their methods for moving forward in their health journeys, even when their mental health is low. In episode 4, guest speaker Jeanine Grayson shares her techniques for maintaining an empowered mindset. As a life coach, she shares her expertise on how attitude and optimized mentality can help people find success in their wellness journeys. Listeners can learn how adopting a mindset focused on incremental changes and realistic objectives can help them stay on the path to a healthier life.

It is common knowledge that diet is an essential element in our physical health, but many people fail to recognize its impact on their mental well-being. Episode 3 of the podcast features an interview with Justin Bethoney, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and author of "The Mental Wellness Diet, Ancient Wisdom, Evolving Science, Modern-Day Options." He discusses the link between nutrition and mentality, as diet can impact how people feel and function. He also provides his expert advice for avoiding nutritional deficiencies by maintaining nutrition-dense diets and following healthy eating habits.

Mentality and Adversities 

Our mental health is also instrumental in overcoming tough times and achieving wellness despite adversities. On episode 5, Lonnie and Marty interviewed Terry Tucker, author of "Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life." Terry shared his thoughts on the importance of mental wellness and mindset in overcoming obstacles and achieving greatness. Through his experiences battling cancer and navigating his career, he learned how positivity and hope can help people maintain resilience and strength in times of hardship. In the episode, he shares his story and personal advice for unlocking a better future with the power of your mind.

Fitz Koehler is another cancer survivor who shared her incredible story on the show. In episode 8, she discusses how the power of perspective, mental aptitude, and positive thinking aided her throughout her health recovery. By maintaining a positive mindset and living life fully despite her diagnosis, she was able to avoid anxiety and isolation. Instead, her approach allowed her to move forward with a well-balanced lifestyle during this time.

Season one featured several guests who explained the positive impact of prioritizing their mental health, especially when working through physical health issues. In episode 17, guest speaker Ron Radvinsky shared his experiences of overcoming his health hardships and his journey with mental health. He discussed how adjusting his approaches to wellness had helped him get back on track to maintain his overall health.

Wellness and Aging

Physical health enables people to lead adventurous and fulfilled lives, but leading an active lifestyle isn't always easy, especially as we age. On episode 9, Lonnie and Marty interviewed Micah Nickens, founder of Uncle's Movement and advocate for living an active lifestyle at any age. Through the episode, he explained how people can stay fit and active as they age and discussed the mental and physical benefits of physical activity.

Strength and mobility are essential for active lifestyles, but these physical traits can diminish with age and inactivity. Fortunately, episode 14's interview with Bobby Aldridge, the founder of BAMmetrics, explores how mobility and strength training can help people improve their fitness, alleviate their pain, and take their lives back.

Episode 11 also covers the importance of mental and physical health for aging and wellness. The episode features an interview with Ray Austin, a former professional football player and track athlete, who shares his story of how his physical fitness practices have transformed as he ages. Listeners can hear advice from this former NFL star on maintaining physical and mental health over the age of 40.

Physical Fitness

Many podcast guests were generous enough to provide fitness tips and exercises for improving physical fitness. However, sticking to a consistent exercise routine can be challenging. Episode 2 includes a conversation on motivation and wellness in an interview with Alex Crockford, a fitness trainer, YouTuber sensation, actor, and influencer. Together, Alex, Lonnie, and Marty explore the concept of motivation for staying consistent with physical activity, covering topics like unrealistic fitness expectations, scheduling challenges, and lapses in momentum.  

Some people avoid working out for fear of impacting past injuries or experiencing new ones. However, fitness training can be highly beneficial for improving physical resiliency, as it can help with both injury prevention and correction. In episode 7, special guest speaker Jessie Salas shares how his coaching methods can put listeners on the path to wellness. He explains how his Foundation Training method involves body-weight exercises that can correct physical imbalances and improve the mobility of his clients. 

Episode 10 expanded on the topic of fitness motivation and methods for maintaining consistency in a workout routine. This show featured guest speaker Chad Austin, a fitness trainer who teaches people how to prioritize their fitness to improve their quality of life. He shares stories and advice on how people should optimize their approach toward fitness with accountability and consistency and avoid giving in to their excuses. 

Excuses will always be present and can tempt us to forgo our exercise plans. Perhaps the most popular reason to skip a workout is low energy. In episode 18, the show features Erik Mathaler, a fitness trainer and expert in metabolic efficiency training. Erik teaches listeners how metabolic efficiency training can help them optimize their energy by burning fat as a primary fuel source. This technique can lead to faster results and improved endurance so people can maintain energy throughout their workouts.

Healthy Habits

An important theme throughout season one of Ingrained & Balanced is incorporating healthy habits for achieving a well-balanced lifestyle. In episode 16, the hosts interviewed Tim Liu, an online fitness and nutrition coach, on habits people can adopt to achieve their physical wellness goals. He shares how people choosing maintainable and achievable wellness habits can result in their improved overall health.

Healthy habits can also enable people to live fulfilled lives, even when experiencing challenging health conditions. On episode 15, fitness coach Sarah Machemer joins the show to explain how adjusting her life with healthy habits allowed her to improve her wellness as she adjusted her lifestyle due to her Crohn's disease diagnosis.

Healthy habits that support a well-rounded diet can fuel our bodies and make it easier to live balanced lifestyles. On episode 6 of the podcast, special guest Jaclyn London shares her expertise on the impact of diet on overall wellness. As a dietitian and a nutrition and health media expert, she explains how staying mindful of your diet and practicing healthy habits can improve your nutrition and support your health.

Of course, everybody is different, and the techniques and practices that work for one person may not work for another. Still, people can explore different habits to see which methods can help them fuel their wellness. On episode 13, Debbie Peterson and Wendy Bright-Fallon of the Nourish Noshes Podcast join the show to share their expertise on identifying healthy dietary habits. They provide advice on ways people can create a healthy balance in their nutrition with beneficial habits that will fuel their success. 

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Tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced podcast to catch up on season one and learn more about how healthy habits and practices can improve your mental and physical wellness. And tune back in for season two of the podcast, coming soon!

Optimize Your Energy

When you work out, your body requires energy from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Of course, burning fat is key to seeing physical results. So how can we train our bodies to burn fat as a primary fuel source for faster results and improved endurance?

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss how our mindset can influence physical fitness. On season 1, episode 18, they are joined by fitness trainer Erik Mathaler to gain his expertise on metabolic efficiency training. Together, they uncover the advantages of this science-backed fitness hack for burning fat and optimizing energy.

Why Metabolic Efficiency Training?

Many people turn to workouts to help lose weight and get in shape. But while ads for home gym equipment and fitness programs have many convinced, they don’t always burn fat.

Our bodies gain fuel from energy sources, including its storage of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. But burning off our protein storage can leave us unable to sustain energy for longer durations. Furthermore, they can make it harder to see the physical weight-loss results of our exercise, diminishing our motivation to continue with our fitness journeys.

But recently, metabolic efficiency training has gained popularity as a method of transforming how our bodies utilize energy sources during workouts. Metabolic efficiency training involves methods and practices that train the body to utilize fat storage as a primary fuel source rather than carb or protein storage. Through this unique training approach, participants can gain various advantages to support their physical health, energy levels, and overall exercise performance.

Erik's Approach to Metabolic Efficiency Training

Erik Mathaler has gained plenty of knowledge on various fitness methods throughout his career as a personal trainer. At the boutique-style fitness center he owns and manages, he and his staff of trainers and physical therapists apply their styles and techniques to help their clients enhance their wellness and achieve their fitness goals.

So what makes metabolic efficiency training different from other training methodologies and disciplines? In the podcast interview, Erik explains that metabolic efficiency training is a core contributor to his business's success and describes what makes this type of exercise unique. 

One of Erik's main focuses involves metabolic efficiency training. He provides a background on this topic and explains how it applies to different individuals. Metabolic efficiency training involves practices that train the body to utilize fat storage as a primary fuel source rather than carb or protein storage. Erik discusses the benefits of metabolic efficiency training and how he uses this method with his clients to help them burn fat and achieve their health goals. Finally, he shares his advice and thoughts on intensity vs consistency in metabolic efficiency.

"It's basically training your body to utilize fat storage. It is your main fuel source rather than going to your carb or protein storage," says Erik. He explains how he applies the method to his clients by managing their intake of carbohydrates. In his experience as a trainer, Erik has seen how people can transform the way their bodies use and burn energy by applying a lifestyle approach with specialized dietary guidelines and exercise practices.

Advantages of Metabolic Efficiency Training

Metabolic efficiency training requires discipline, mindfulness, and effort. But once you maintain these practices, you can see many benefits to your energy, weight management, and overall wellness.

Physical Fitness Results

Practicing metabolic efficiency training enables the body to utilize fat as a primary fuel source during workouts. Burning fat can allow your body to preserve its muscle mass while supporting your fat loss. This way, you can experience more visible tone and definition in your body in less time than it would take with regular exercise.

Optimized Energy

Using fat storage for energy can allow your body to preserve its other stored fuel sources, like its limited glycogen, protein, or carbohydrate storage. This can enable you to sustain your energy for extended periods, improve your workouts, and rescue feelings of low-energy or sluggishness that you may otherwise experience throughout a long day.

Physical Endurance

Relying on fat as a primary fuel source during exercise can also positively affect your physical endurance. Maintaining your limited glycogen storage by burning fat instead allows you to avoid experiencing glycogen depletion, which can lead to feelings of exhaustion. Instead, burning fat first can help you maintain your energy longer and more easily exhibit peak performance.

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To learn more about Erik Mathaler's insights on metabolic efficiency storage and how he applies these methods within his practice, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast.

Overcoming Obstacles

And Becoming A Winner

Life’s unforeseeable obstacles can negatively impact our wellness. And when our mental and physical health is compromised, getting back on track can feel like an impossible task. However, adjusting your approaches toward wellness obstacles is the first step toward overcoming them.

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss stories of people overcoming their adversities and reconnecting with their health. On season 1, episode 17, they interview guest speaker Ron Radvinsky, who shares his own experiences with overcoming issues and getting back on track to maintaining his wellness.

Ron’s Story

Ron has faced his fair share of challenges, but together, he and the hosts discuss how showing up and putting in work has helped him succeed.

Earlier in life, Ron experienced gym intimidation. He shares how the discomfort he felt around fitness growing up led to his avoidance of the gym – and how he found the answer to his fitness in running. From joining a "run club" to competing in races, Ron achieved his physical fitness in a way that worked for him. Not only did running change his attitude toward wellness, but it helped him realize all that he could endure. 

However, Ron was forced to give up running after he developed immense Achilles tendinitis. This life obstacle negatively impacted his health and wellness path, leading to weight gain and depression after losing running as a social and physical outlet.

The Turning Point

From a sugar addiction to a lack of motivation, Ron explains on the show how his injury affected him over his four years without fitness. Still, Ron had to face a significant turning point that triggered him to get back on track – and make the healthy changes to regain his wellness.

Like many people, Ron experienced mental health struggles during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He explains the mental toll that the pandemic took on him as an extrovert who had to isolate and sacrifice his socialization during this time. But these events made him realize the importance of prioritizing his mental health and helped motivate him to improve his physical health.

Achieving Success

“Every day I completed what I needed to do. And that was the start of the journey.”

Today, Ron has improved his mental and physical wellness and met his goal of getting in shape before age 50.

While diet is an ongoing challenge, Ron has found methods to maintain his fitness since his injury. He discusses how, with the help of his nutritionist Tim Liu, he built up his physical health and met his goals, one step at a time.

To avoid the discomfort of being out of shape and exercising in a gym, Ron explained how starting his fitness journey at home worked best for him. He shares how gaining physical fitness education from his nutritionist built his motivation and confidence.

Eventually, Ron made the decision to join a gym, as he had reached a place mentally where he truly felt like he belonged. By approaching exercise in a way that worked for his needs, establishing achievable changes to his health habits, and gaining help and inspiration from his nutritionist, Rod was able to maintain his wellness despite the adversities he has faced.

The Importance of Excuses and What Makes a Winner

“Don’t forget your excuses”

When problems arise that impact our ability to maintain our wellness, we have a choice. We can view these issues as excuses not to put in the effort, or we can persist despite their existence.

Ron believes that people should always bring their excuses with them when participating in athletic activities. He shares how he came to this conclusion when he realized that things always go wrong. Rather than viewing these shortcomings as an excuse to quit, he explains that people must accept them and make the choice to go on.

“The win wasn't necessarily completing the race, the win was showing up”

Another one of the mindsets Ron adopted that helped him achieve physical wellness related to the idea of winning. He explains that while most people view winning a race as dependent on crossing the finish line, for Ron, winning means showing up and getting to the starting line.

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To hear Ron Radvinsky’s interview, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast!

Building Maintainable Fitness Habits

If your phone's camera roll is filled with many "before" photos but no "afters," you're not alone. People often get excited about seeing the physical results of a healthier lifestyle but fail to maintain the healthy habits necessary to achieve them. 

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss how people can cultivate healthy habits to improve their health. On season 1, episode 16, they interview guest speaker Tim Liu, an online fitness and nutrition coach who helps people achieve their physical wellness goals. Together they share their thoughts on how people can choose and adopt healthy habits that are achievable and maintainable.

Maintainable Habits

“I see motivation as just getting your foot in the door.”

According to Tim, most people's fitness journeys begin with an event that triggers their desire to improve their physical wellness, but while this can provide short-term motivation, it won't get them past the finish line. Instead, maintainable habits are necessary to convert temporary motivation into long-term discipline.

Choosing Maintainable Habits

“Building confidence and rewiring those habits into something new.”

As a fitness trainer, Tim works with clients to form individualized wellness plans. Since all people are unique with different lifestyles, bodies, and goals, identifying a client's individual needs is vital to determining habits that will be achievable and sustainable.

On the podcast, Tim walks listeners through his process of connecting with clients and determining their current lifestyles and future wellness objectives. Together he works with clients to map out healthy habits that they can maintain within their routines and that meet their unique needs. From there, he curates personalized plans to help them sustain a healthy lifestyle through these maintainable habits.

So what differentiates a maintainable habit from an unsustainable one? According to Tim, small and easily achievable goals are essential. These habits are less overwhelming and easy to adopt, making people more likely to stay on track with their fitness goals.

For example, let's say someone wanted to improve their eating habits. In this situation, Tim would suggest incorporating minor changes to their diet. Small dietary adjustments that cause little resistance are more achievable and can lead to clients building their confidence.

Turning Motivation into Discipline

“The biggest thing is to guide that motivational energy into a state where they could just go on autopilot and maintain it.”

On the podcast, Tim shares his insights on why maintainable habits are effective for converting temporary motivation into permanent discipline. The key to choosing maintainable habits is to select ones that rely on gradual and minor changes.

While dramatic routine changes and overly-ambitious goals can lead to faster results – they are also more likely to create resistance. As creatures of habit, people often experience difficulty incorporating significant changes in their routines.

On the other hand, low-effort changes that work within their daily lifestyles can enable people to stay consistent with their wellness habits and comfortably achieve their end goals. The following are examples of overly-ambitious goals vs. maintainable habit changes that people can ingrain within their routines.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Beginning your health journey with a decision to begin biking to work every day, when you have previously only driven.

The Problem:

This is a significant change from your usual routine, which may cause resistance, leading to failure.

Maintainable Habit:

Beginning your health journey with conscious choices to seek out exercise when an opportunity arises - like by taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Making the decision to never eat fast food again, even though you reside within a food desert, and few other options are accessible.

The Problem:

This goal does not integrate well into your lifestyle, as fast food is the only nourishment available closeby.

Maintainable Habit:

Deciding to substitute unhealthy fast food menu items for healthier alternatives, and making a plan to travel out of town for healthy groceries each weekend.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Establishing a goal of exercising every day, when you usually don’t exercise at all.

The Problem:

This is an overly-ambitious goal, as it would be a significant change from your routine and put excess stress on your body if you are out of shape.

Maintainable Habit:

Getting back in shape with the maintainable goal of exercising three times a week.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Deciding to visit the gym every day after work for a strenuous work-out, even though it is further from your home.

The Problem:

Driving far distances can be exhausting, especially after a long day of work. This can make you resistant to exercise.

Maintainable Habit:

Investing in at-home exercise equipment, like a stepper machine, so that you can work out in the comfort of your own home.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Aiming to go from living a sedentary lifestyle to becoming a track star in four weeks.

The Problem:

Building muscle this quickly would put a lot of physical strain on your body, and is likely to lead to burnout and resistance.

Maintainable Habit:

Establishing a maintainable exercise plan where you steadily increase the incline of your treadmill walks, and eventually work your way up to sprinting and jogging.

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To hear more of Tim Liu’s insights on maintainable habits, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast.

Shifting The Focus

Making small changes is a necessary step toward improving. How people approach daily routines can determine how they will feel and their ability to lead fulfilling lives. And in the face of health conditions, adjusting everyday wellness habits – and how we view wellness as a whole – can help us optimize our lifestyles for better overall health.

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss ways to achieve wellness after undergoing health adversities. On season 1, episode 15, they are joined by guest speaker Sarah Machemer, a fitness coach whose Crohn's disease diagnosis inspired her to adjust her approach to wellness and lifestyle habits.

Sarah's Wellness Journey

Sarah has always prioritized her physical fitness. But in college, she began facing health challenges after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease. While managing her illness and maintaining her fitness, Sarah learned first-hand the importance of adjusting her lifestyle and thought processes.

On the podcast, Sarah joins Marty and Lonnie to discuss her current health habits and the lessons she learned about maintaining wellness while having a physical illness.

Small Changes for Big Results

As Sarah's health journey with Crohn's progressed, she realized she had to make significant lifestyle changes to keep her condition at bay.

To manage her autoimmune disease, she learned to watch her diet, alcohol consumption, stress levels, and daily habits.

In doing so, Sarah had to unlearn many of the ideas she once held about healthy habits and adjust her overall outlook on wellness.

Focus on Habits - Not Quick Fixes

Sarah received medication and treatment for Crohn's disease at the University of Chicago. However, despite the university's reputation for providing peak gastrointestinal care, she found that her doctors failed to emphasize the impact that diet and alcohol consumption would have on her condition. 

This experience inspired Sarah to take it upon herself to learn the importance of nutrition and gut health for those with Crohn's disease. She now believes that, when treating a condition, medical professionals should focus more on the importance of dietary health over medication alone. 

Sarah now views treatment for health conditions as a joint effort, involving both medical care through medication as well as appropriate lifestyle changes. 

Focus on Feeling - Not Physical Appearance

Like many of us, Sarah's fitness motivation used to rely heavily on changing her physical appearance rather than improving her physical health. As a former bodybuilder, she explains on the podcast how she would eat and exercise to achieve a desired body type while paying little attention to how she felt as a result of these actions.

Today, Sarah adjusts her habits based on the feelings of wellness after meals and workouts. By prioritizing her intake of proper nutrients and exercise, Sarah has witnessed improvement in how she feels physically and mentally. 

Physical and mental health can influence one another as well, which is why it is important to pay attention to these feelings. After developing Pyoderma following a period of high stress, Sarah began prioritizing her mental wellness - and her physical health as a result. Now habits like journaling and practicing gratitude allow her to reduce her stress and better manage her condition.

Focus on Building Strength - Not Losing Weight

As a strength training and fat-loss coach and the creator of be.FIT by Sarah, she helps her clients live a healthier and more balanced lifestyle through fitness and habit adjustments. Although "fat loss" is part of her title, Sarah explains that she emphasizes strength building as the main focus of her fitness coaching rather than losing weight.

Society often glorifies the fat-loss aspect of exercise rather than focusing on building muscle. However, fat loss efforts can promote unhealthy dietary and fitness practices that negatively impact the body. Instead, Sarah explains that people should focus on exercising to improve health and to feel better. 

By making lifestyle changes with the intention of experiencing more strength and better health, Sarah believes anyone can achieve wellness, even if they experience health adversities.

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To learn more about be.FIT by Sarah and Sarah's tips for leading a healthy lifestyle, check out the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast.

Taking Your Life Back With Mobility Training

Mobility and activity go hand-in-hand and can help people lead adventurous, independent, and enriching lives. But as you gain more life experience, your strength and mobility can diminish. However, certain fitness methods may be the key to improving your physical health, turning back time, and taking back your life.

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss exercise methods that can help people to maintain and improve their physical health as they age. On season 1, episode 14, they are joined by Bobby Aldridge, the founder of BAMmetrics, to discuss how mobility and strength training can help people alleviate pain, improve performance, and achieve fulfillment through an active lifestyle. 

Why Mobility Exercises Are the Answer

As a physiotherapist, educator of physical movement, and 53-year-old father, Bobby has first-hand experience with the impact of mobility exercise for people of all ages. After sustaining an injury in college that impacted his athletic success, he valued mobility training for rehabilitation and overall physical wellness. 

"Mobility is key to improving performance, reducing pain, and letting you do what you love to do."

Today, he shares his expertise with others through his program BAMmetrics, a proprietary exercise system that helps people improve their mobility and strength. On the podcast, Bobby explains how mobility training can enable people to move with ease, eliminate their pain, reduce their chance of injury, and maximize their performance. 

Pain Reduction

According to Bobby, one tried and true practice for pain reduction and ease of movement throughout the day is stretching. He shares how he practices runners stretches for mobility each morning and has adopted this activity as a habitual lifestyle for the long run.

When it comes to reducing pain at the end of the day, Bobby turns to mobility exercises. He explains how doing mobility exercises in the evening can help with pain reduction, allowing for better rest and relaxation. 

"When your body feels good, you will maximize what you're doing." 

Of course, sometimes exercise itself can feel painful. Experiencing some discomfort is expected during exercises, especially for beginners. However, physical activity and exercises are necessary for building strength. Bobby recommends powerlifting and practices like foam rolling and stretching to alleviate the involved discomfort. 

Injury Avoidance

Stretching is also essential for avoiding injuries during workout sessions. In addition, soft tissue work is another excellent way to prepare the body for exercise so that it does not sustain injuries as a result.

"The better you move, the better your performance and the less pain you will have."

Of course, Bobby explains that there is a fine line to walk when it comes to treating muscle tension before a workout and maintaining peak physical performance. More tension can provide more strength during your workout but could lead to pulled muscles. Less tension will allow for better mobility but may limit performance.

For this reason, Bobby recommends staying mindful of muscle tension when performing soft tissue work, so that you can be primed and ready for your workouts. Achieving the right muscle tension will allow your body to achieve optimal mobility, while avoiding pulling muscles. 

Improved Performance

Over the 30 years of experience Bobby has gained as an athlete, student, and educator of physical movement, he learned that mobility is critical to improving performance. While it is natural for people to perceive their physical limits, Bobby believes that mobility training can help people push past these beliefs and discover their true physical potential.

Bobby's mobility training involves a strategic approach to working out, which he calls The Magnificent Seven. This is the sequence of performing soft tissue work, stretching, and strength exercises that people can follow to see better results from their workouts.

For Bobby, practicing mobility exercises and following The Magnificent Seven has enabled him to increase his functionality and push past what he once believed to be his physical limits. And if this feat is possible for him, it is also possible for you.

"You're actually making your body better – and that's why I made these tools."

Through the BAMmetrics program, Bobby is pursuing his mission to teach people how to regain active lifestyles by practicing the right exercises. By incorporating these exercises into their workouts, participants learn to build their strength and improve their mobility so they can get up, get in shape, and get back to doing the activities they love.

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To learn more about BAMmetrics and Bobby Aldridge's expertise in maximizing mobility and performance, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast.

The Constant Experiment

Everyone's genetic makeup is unique, and so are our health profiles. Our bodies can react differently to various stimuli depending on our unique conditions; thus, what works for one person may not benefit another. So how can we form the right habits necessary to fuel our wellness?

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss how our people can accomplish physical and mental wellness. On season 1, episode 13, they sit down with Debbie Peterson and Wendy Bright-Fallon of the Nourish Noshes Podcast. Together Debbie, Wendy, and the hosts discuss how people create balance through optimized nutrition and habits for wellness.

Tuning in With Your Body

While a morning person may thrive after a morning run, another person may enjoy a peaceful cup of tea to start their day. Though different, each activity can be a healthy way to maintain mental and physical wellness for each unique individual. 

Debbie and Wendy are each national board-certified health and wellness coaches who work with a wide range of individuals, including professionals, athletes, and families, to help them navigate the complex world of wellness. In their careers and as hosts of the Nourish Noshes health podcast, they have experienced the diversity in people's different wellness practices.

Therefore, it’s important to them to try different practices and stay attuned to their bodies so they can help people live well-balanced lives. This makes it easier to recognize the impact of new habits, and determine if they are worthy of incorporating into a routine.

Continuing Education in Wellness

Debbie and Wendy have each authored books in addition to running their wellness podcast, maintaining their website, and doing public speaking. They have had to keep up with the ever-changing research and knowledge on human health and wellness.

Debbie and Nancy discuss how their podcasting and mission of spreading wellness information all depends on their continuing education. By learning new facts about nutrition and sharing this on their show, they provide updated education to their listeners that enables them to expand their health knowledge and apply these facts to practice. 

The podcast hosts share their thoughts about the benefit of maintaining health knowledge for living a balanced lifestyle while also paying attention to what feels right in their unique bodies.

Nourish Noshes' 5 Foundations of Health

While people's bodies and mentalities may differ, there are some basic guidelines that we can all follow to ensure our overall health and wellness. On the Nourish Noshes podcast, Debbie and Wendy reference their five foundations of health philosophy. 

People should follow these philosophies daily: food, sleep, movement, mindset, and connection. So how can people maintain their physical and mental wellness with these five foundations in mind?

Let's look at food. 

Wendy and Debbie speak with Lonnie and Marty about the importance of diet when it comes to wellness. While different health conditions may restrict what we can eat, choosing foods that nourish us and are gut-healthy can benefit our physical and mental wellness. Still, the Nourish Noshes podcast hosts encourage flexibility when finding a gut-healthy diet rather than blindly following strict or restrictive diets.

Additionally, the podcast hosts discussed connection's impact on encouraging human wellness. For example, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people experienced physical safety restrictions, making maintaining relationships difficult. As a result, mental health declined, exemplifying the importance of maintaining connections to support our overall well-being.

Experimenting Along the Way

As with all guests on the Ingrained and Balanced podcast, Debbie and Wendy share their daily habits for maintaining and supporting their wellness. Through this discussion, they highlighted how experimenting with different habits helped them find wellness practices that worked for them. 

Health influencers and articles rave about practices like morning meditation, while Eastern medicine suggests starting the day by drinking warm vs. cold water in the morning. Although our speakers took on these habits themselves, they emphasized the importance of taking these practices as suggestions rather than strict guidelines for health.

Wellness can mean something different for everybody. Therefore, Debbie and Nancy explain that people should experiment and practice different habits to find the ones that feel right for their unique lifestyles, mentalities, and bodies.

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To learn more about Nourish Noshes and the five foundations of health, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast.

Finding Your “Why”

People can draw inspiration from so many places. Whether it be family, future goals, or the pursuit of positive change, the factors that inspire us are key motivators in our life – and wellness – journeys. If you find it difficult to challenge yourself physically or improve your fitness, finding your "why" can fuel you toward the finish line.

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss how our mindset can influence physical fitness. On season 1, episode 12, they sit down with Patrick Quinn to discuss his athletic journey. Patrick shares how his motivators enabled him to accomplish everything he has in the world of competitive sports.

What is Your "Why"?

Why do you get up in the morning? 

From the start of each day, we carry out tasks based on the things that motivate us. Regarding work, the motivator, or "why," is the pay we will receive in exchange for our efforts. But our "why”s may be more difficult to identify when it comes to our physical wellness.

"What is my personal 'why?' You find that – you're golden."

Patrick Quinn's motivators helped him persevere in his physical fitness throughout his lifetime – even when the cards were stacked against him. 

As a former Olympic hopeful in luge and speed skating, Patrick faced obstacles along his athletic journey. Although he never competed in the Olympics, he still gathered up the drive to continue his athletic pursuits.

Now in his 50s, Patrick has achieved extraordinary accomplishments in athletic competitions, including competing in the U.S. Speedskating program and within the U.S. National Luge Team. He is also a World Cup medalist and was an alternate to the 2006 USA Olympic luge team. Most recently, he was inspired to do an Ironman Competition.

So how does Patrick find the motivation to continue pursuing these physically demanding goals? Read on to learn about some of Patrick's "why" s that he shares on the Ingrained & Balanced podcast.

For The Love of The Game

Gamifying the fitness process has been practiced since 776 B.C. at Olympia. However, competing in athletics likely occurred far before this event. Humans have always enjoyed the competition, as winning can bring on feelings of pride, accomplishment, and satisfaction.

"I still had this athletic itch…"

People who participate in sports, like Patrick, are motivated by the spirit of competition and appreciation for the game. GHis involvement in these demanding activities has enabled him to practice fitness and exercise while doing something he loves.

"I grew up as an athlete," Patrick says. "I had dreams of playing professional hockey." 

His love of sports led him to play hockey in college, join the U.S. Speedskating program, and even compete on the U.S. National Luge Team. And as a result of his competitive activity, Patrick has maintained his physical wellness even in his fifties.

Drawing Inspiration from Others

When asked about motivators, Patrick explains that he draws inspiration from the people he surrounds himself with. 

Patrick's firm, Q Sports Marketing Inc., merges his love of sports with business, as the company manages athletes' careers and orchestrates their endorsement deals. In his work representing Paralympic athletes, he met many incredible athletes that inspired them with their perseverance.

"They had these amazing inspirational stories."

Patrick was floored by the strength of the paralympic competitors he sponsored, which led him to wonder how they all could tap into this extra layer of human potential. This question inspired him to do an Ironman Competition and push his own physical abilities to the next level.

Of course, motivation to succeed can come from many sources. For Patrick, the support he received from his wife and children enabled him to push his body the extra mile during his Ironman Competition.

"The thing that inspired me the most was the inspiration that I got from my wife … and then the inspiration I was trying to show my kids."

By remembering his wife's sacrifices for his career and the fact that his children were watching him compete, Patrick was able to carry himself past his usual physical limitations and make it past the finish line.

Seeing Real Results

Patrick may not have ever competed in the Olympics, however, he doesn't have regrets. "Where I have wound up is incredibly blessed," he says.

Patrick's athletic dedication and continued effort brought him great experiences. He relates this to working out, explaining that you won't see results on the first day, "you see it with the consistency of effort."

"Just keep working hard, just keep going forward, and it's going to fall into place."

Patrick has always continued to work hard and move forward with his physical fitness, and it led him to where he is today. He shares his story on the show, telling Ingrained & Balanced listeners that belief and effort will always yield good things.

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To learn more about Patrick Quinn's athletic experiences and his insights on achieving physical fitness, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast.

Wellness Over 40

As we age, our bodies change, and so should our habits. To keep up with our body's physical and mental transformations as we reach middle age, we must adjust our lifestyles to remain healthy. This also means making healthy habit changes that work with our bodies so that we still live full and enriched lives.

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss how our mindset can influence physical fitness. On season 1, episode 11, they are joined by Ray Austin, a former professional football player and track athlete, whose experiences have shaped his approach toward exercise and physical wellness. Together, they discuss how Ray's relationship with exercise has transformed throughout his life and how he maintains mental and physical wellness over 40.

From the NFL to Forty

Ray has lived many lives since his time in the NFL. From established actor and model to Co-founding the world's first fan-run pro sports and entertainment company, Ray explains how he transforms his habits to practice wellness throughout each stage of his life journey.

"I started to have to change and redirect my workouts."

After stepping away from football and getting older, he has adjusted his diet and activity to complement his lifestyle. On the podcast, he discusses his athletic history and the wellness practices he enjoys today like meditation, yoga, staying hydrated, and incorporating stretching into a fitness routine.

Aging can bring physical and mental changes, including decreased energy levels, reduced flexibility, increased stress levels, and more susceptibility to chronic illnesses. However, Ray recommends wellness habits that he has incorporated into his life to maintain his overall health.

Enriching Exercise

Life will always get in the way of our wellness if we let it, especially as we age. Ray shares that he made exercise more accessible by establishing a personal gym at home.

So how does a former NFL athlete maintain his physical fitness after retirement? For Ray, aging meant realizing the physical impact that his former career had on his body. Therefore, he enjoys engaging in low-impact exercise activities that enable him to stay active without putting too much strain on his body.

Exercise is essential as we age for maintaining good health and reducing the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Ray enjoys low-impact exercises such as walking, cycling, and yoga. These are all great options for reducing joint pain and maintaining physical health for anyone at any stage.

Living A Mindset Lifestyle

Ray recommends viewing wellness and exercise as a lifestyle, citing his love and dedication toward yoga and meditation. 

"Yoga is a lifestyle."

In addition to being low-impact, yoga can help improve flexibility, balance, and strength. In addition, yoga can be beneficial for maintaining mobility as we age, which can reduce the risk of injury. 

Ray explains that in addition to the physical benefits, he appreciates practicing yoga and meditation for their mental health benefits. He views yoga and meditation as a lifestyle and an outlet to relieve tension, stress, and anxiety for better overall wellness.

As we age, stress can significantly impact our health, and incorporating regular meditation and yoga practice into your daily routine can help reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Achieving Your Endgame

Another way that we can positively change our overall wellness as we age is to focus on the goals that excite and empower us. Pursuing meaningful goals can give us a sense of purpose and motivation, which can help combat feelings of boredom, stagnation, or depression that can come with aging. This can also help keep our minds and bodies active, engaged, and stimulated, which can be important for maintaining cognitive function, physical health, and overall well being. 

For Ray, this means pursuing his latest business endeavor, Fan-Controlled Sports & Entertainment. In founding this fan-run mobile sports platform, he combined his interest in competitive physical recreation with technology to innovate and change people's perspectives on sports.

Chasing goals can be incredibly important for maintaining both mental and physical health. Keeping our minds sharp and our bodies motivated toward achieving personal objectives is essential to aging well and living a fulfilling life.

***

Adjusting your habits to work with your body as you age above 40 is crucial for maintaining good health and wellbeing. By making changes to your daily routine and incorporating healthy practices, you can ensure that you remain healthy and vibrant as you age.

No More Excuses: Overcoming Obstacles on the Path to Fitness

We've all been there – maybe it's the beginning of a new year, the weeks following a breakup, or you're just on a health kick – but suddenly, you're motivated to improve your physical fitness. 

Motivation can be powerful in fueling us to establish new fitness goals and even begin the necessary behaviors involved in their fulfillment. However, many people fail to achieve the fitness goals that they set. According to IHRSA consumer research, 50% of all new gym members quit going within six months.

So why is it that fitness goals fail, and how can people learn to achieve them?

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss how our mindset can influence physical fitness. On season 1, episode 10, they are joined by Chad Austin, a trainer and best-selling author of the award-winning series "Make Fitness A Priority." Together they discuss the importance of accountability in achieving and maintaining physical fitness.

A New Approach to the Fitness Mindset

As a personal fitness trainer, Chad sees many people who are inspired to begin a transformative fitness journey. Likewise, he is also familiar with the typical behaviors that clients often exhibit when their motivation starts to wane.

“Short-term motivation leads to short-term success.”

Chad describes this fleeting desire to fulfill fitness goals as short-term motivation. But while this motivation can help you begin your fitness journey, it commonly wears off before you succeed. 

Research conducted by Sundried shows that 95% of New Year's Resolutions are fitness related, but after just three months, only 10% of people think their resolution will last. 

According to Chad, relying on motivation alone to complete a fitness journey won't get you far. Instead, people must practice discipline, maintain accountability, and prioritize their fitness to make it a long-term part of their life.

Motivation to Discipline

So how can people convert their short-term motivation into long-term discipline?

Chad helps his clients identify their authentic reasons for pursuing their fitness. Whether it be to shed a few pounds before an event, pursue an athletic hobby, or share long walks with your best friend, he recommends that people stay mindful of why their fitness is important to them.

Goal setting can inspire people to persist with their fitness goals and work through their resistance. That way, when lazy days inevitably come, people can remember why they are dedicating their time and effort towards their fitness goals – instead of skipping their workouts.

Overcoming Fitness Obstacles

While feeling unmotivated is an obstacle that can easily be overcome, others may be more challenging. 

For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, many people were forced to avoid congregating at gyms or participating in the social exercise activities that they once took part in. According to a Statista Research Department April 2020 survey, 27% of respondents stated that they had been exercising less often than usual as a result of the crisis. 

The pandemic’s challenges could not be predicted, controlled, or avoided. But Chad explains that obstacles in life that are out of our control will always arise and that we should be proactive in determining ways to overcome them.

“An excuse is just an obstacle you haven't overcome yet.”

Obstacles we don’t overcome become excuses for not prioritizing our fitness. However, making plans ahead of time to tackle these obstacles can make it easier to maintain your fitness.

Chad recommends that people consider their fitness history to determine ways to overcome obstacles when they experience them. Ask yourself: what event stopped you the last time you began a fitness regime that didn’t pan out?

We can even prepare for small obstacles that could otherwise get in the way of our workouts. For example, say you planned to go on a run, but now it’s pouring outside. Instead of letting the weather ruin your workout for the day, having a premade playlist of indoor exercise tutorials can help you meet your fitness goals, rain or shine.

Accountability and Prioritization

People hold themselves accountable for the things they truly care about. Although our motivation to work out can fluctuate from day to day, holding yourself accountable can help you maintain these behaviors for the long term.

In the podcast interview, Chad cites many methods people can follow to ensure accountability in maintaining their fitness goals. Joining a race event, participating in obstacle courses, or planning work outs with friends can keep you accountable, and help you work up the desire to exercise on days when your motivation is low. 

Of course, establishing accountability for your physical wellness requires you to prioritize your fitness as a whole. Chad's book series "Make Fitness A Priority" shares his insights on how people can fight against exercise inconsistency by prioritizing fitness as a core part of their lives.

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To learn more about how to prioritize your physical fitness and keep yourself accountable, check out the Ingrained & Balanced podcast!

Aging Gracefully – And Actively

Living an active lifestyle can be fulfilling and beneficial for people’s mental and physical health. However, studies show that physical activity tends to decrease as people age. So how can people make healthy improvements to maintain an active lifestyle later in life?

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss aging, physical activity, and overall. On season 1, episode 9, they interview Micah Nickens, founder of Uncle’s Movement, who advocates for active lifestyles at all ages. Together they discuss how changes to diet, mindset, and habits can enable people from all walks of life to achieve an active lifestyle and the mental and physical benefits that come with it.

Micah’s Story

As a former professional surfer, Micah spent his youth and young adulthood getting plenty of exercise among the waves. Although Micah's love for the outdoors never changed, his once-active lifestyle did when he stepped away from professional surfing.

Micah's professional transition into a surf brand's team manager and marketing director meant less time focusing on fitness and more time in the office. As he aged in a career that demanded less physical activity, Micah noticed that maintaining his fitness wasn't as easy.

Fortunately, changes to his diet and lifestyle helped him regain control. Today he aims to encourage others to incorporate healthy choices into their lives and experience the benefits of physical wellness.

The Uncle’s Movement

The Uncles Movement is a brand that aims to promote an active mindset and encourage physical fitness for people of all ages.

Micah was inspired to make the organization when he realized that the middle-aged consumer is a forgotten demographic, with few fitness brands targeting a middle-aged audience.

This, coupled with his personal health journey, led him to develop the mission behind Uncle’s Movement, which was to encourage people to adopt an active and healthy lifestyle of mental and physical awareness, regardless of their age.

“You can continue to live the life you'd like to live”

Today Uncle's Movement has become successful, with celebrity endorsements and a strong consumer base. The brand sells merchandise to encourage healthy living and active involvement and promote a mindset of perseverance in continuing the activities you love.

Diet and Exercise for an Active Lifestyle

Micah's own physical health journey largely inspired his success with Uncle’s Movement.

While Micah has always enjoyed staying active, aging and his career change have required him to be more mindful about staying in shape. However, exercise wasn’t his most significant hurdle in maintaining his physical fitness.

On the podcast, he discusses how his relationship with food and alcohol changed as he grew older. While his body could quickly bounce back as a young adult, he began noticing the adverse effects of unhealthy habits as he aged.

Eventually, Micah began a diet that was transformative for his mindset and overall health. By adopting healthier practices later in life, he noticed improvements to his physique – and his quality of life.

“It's really liberating, and I wasn't sure if I would ever achieve that.”

By making dietary adjustments and changes to his alcohol consumption, Micah was able to balance his drinking, sugar, and caffeine intake. Through these improvements, he found he could more easily participate in the activities he enjoyed.

He also discusses how incorporating healthy practices into his everyday lifestyle led to changes in his physical and mental health.

Mental Awareness and a Mindset on Wellness

“It was like a game changer, and it just really reset my mindset”

A core aspect of the Uncle's Movement is encouraging people to change their perspective on physical activity.

Throughout the podcast episode, Micah shares his thoughts on maintaining a healthy perspective and being mindful about living an active lifestyle. Changing his perspective on fitness activities allowed him to think of exercise less as a chore.

As people age, they can become less likely to involve themselves in fitness-centric exercise activities. For example, Zippia data shows that on average, Baby Boomers (born 1949-1963) make up the lowest generation of gym members at 6%, compared to Gen X (born 1964-1979) at 14%, Millennials (born 1979-1993) at 45%, and Gen Z (born 1994-2022) at 35%.

Although aging generations may be less inclined to participate in high-intensity exercises in gym classes, this doesn’t mean that they can’t live active lifestyles. As such, Micah’s mission focuses less on specific exercises and more on encouraging people of all ages to do the active hobbies that they do enjoy and find fulfilling.

Micah explains that rewiring his mind to reconsider his perception of exercise helped him more easily identify enjoyable physical activities. Micah found that he could accomplish a healthy lifestyle at any age by fostering a mindset dedicated to persevering with the activities he loves.

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To learn more about how Micah Nickens encourages people to live physical lifestyles through Uncle’s Movement, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced podcast!

Positivity and Mentality

The Impact of Mental Health for Overall Wellness

Significant health events can impact our physical and mental health. For Fitz Koehler, author of "The Cancer Comeback Series," surviving cancer meant more than just regaining her bodily strength. As a race announcer, a fitness expert, and a cancer-crushing keynote speaker, Fitz speaks on the significance of prioritizing mental health as an essential aspect of overall wellness.

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss the importance of physical and mental wellness. On season 1, episode 8, they are joined by Fitz Koehler to discuss the power of perspective, mental aptitude, and positive thinking for overall health recovery.

Fitz's Story

Fitz's book series "The Cancer Comeback" focuses on inspiring people to live their lives to the fullest by doing their best with what they have. 

Fitz is among America's most prominent compelling fitness experts and race announcers. She has a master's degree in exercise and sports sciences and decades of experience teaching fitness worldwide. So when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, she had to make an important decision: to let the diagnosis slow her down or continue doing what she loved throughout the experience.

On the podcast, she explains how she maintained optimism during this time and identified her priorities to harness her joy. For Fitz, the choice to push forward was clear. Doing so allowed her to regain her strength and focus on her career, which tripled as a result!

Mind Over Matter

The loss of one's physical capabilities due to injury or illness can limit our ability to enjoy life in the same way we did before. But according to Fitz, this doesn't need to keep us from finding ways we can enjoy our lives.

Fitz decided to persevere with her career throughout the physical changes that resulted from her cancer treatments. Her reasoning stems from her mental health and the positive effects of doing what she loves.

Fitz explains, "if you love what you do, if you love taking care of animals, or you love painting houses or mowing lawns, whatever it is, it really will have a dramatic effect on your mental on your mind and allow you to take the focus off the things that are wrong with you, and put them on the good stuff."

Persevering through Health Problems

Of course, persevering through significant health events like cancer is more easily said than done. Fitz elaborates on her body’s changes, and the lack of control she felt during this time.

She explains on the show how she checks herself when she is focusing on things she cannot control and how this helps her avoid negativity. By letting go of the concerns and anxieties she cannot change, she can avoid the worry, stress, and other negative thoughts that wouldn't benefit her. 

One thing that helped Fitz get up on her feet during the difficult times was perspective. While certain aspects may be challenging during a major health event, maintaining a positive outlook and practicing gratitude can rewire your mindset and allow you to see the good sides of a situation.

Perspective is a significant theme within Fitz's "A Cancer Comeback" series. She discusses this viewpoint concerning her cancer treatments, as well as her fitness and overall wellness. While the changes that came with her experiences were challenging, her positive perspective helped her focus less on feeling sorry about her situation — and more on getting better.

Working With Your Body

Realizing and accepting your body's physical decline is a significant step towards turning it around. While Fitz acknowledges that different health situations can present more significant struggles, she believes that taking small steps to improve your fitness can help you maintain positivity.

Regardless of an individual's physical condition, Fitz says the best way to reach your goals is to know your ideal destination. As a fitness expert, she helps clients identify their ideal destinations so that they can begin the process of reaching them. 

If you want to start your fitness journey, you can begin by focusing on what Fitz identifies as the Four Pillars of Fitness. These include strength, cardiovascular capacity, flexibility, and balance.

Every person's journey looks different and comes with unique physical and mental challenges. But by maintaining a positive mindset, identifying goals, and persevering to reach them, anyone can live their life to the fullest.

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To hear more about Fitz Koehler’s cancer experience and her thoughts on physical and mental wellness, check out the Ingrained & Balanced podcast!

Making the Move to Better Wellness

Could fitness be the solution to your problems?

From the time we wake up, we are moving. 

Movement is a part of everyday life, but how you move your body impacts your well-being, especially if you suffer from chronic pain or injury complications.

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty dive into the topic of fitness training for physical wellness. On season 1, episode 7, they are joined by Jessie Salas, a director of coaching for Foundation Training which provides body-weight exercises to put participants on the path to wellness. 

Together they discuss the value of fitness training for injury correction and prevention, and improved physical resiliency.

Foundation Training for Improved Mobility

While slight imbalances in our everyday movements may go unnoticed, they can significantly impact our physical wellness. Jessie works with Foundation Training, a solution that offers exercises and training for people to improve their mobility and correct their physical imbalances.

Athletes often seek exercises that improve their mobility and increase their physical sustainability.

However, Jessie explains that you don't need to be an athlete to benefit from these workouts and correct your physical imbalances.

Physical imbalances can occur from injuries or may result from poor movement patterns. Improving your mobility can counteract these ingrained patterns and help you prevent and treat injuries.

Unfortunately, simply compensating for flawed mobility can increase the likelihood of experiencing physical breakdowns. But the exercises provided by Foundation Training help people train their muscles for increased physical sustainability, pain recovery, and injury prevention.

Injury Recovery and Chronic Pain

How we move can impact our physical well-being more than you might think.

With so many pharmaceutical options for pain management, people often end up treating the pain without actually incorporating healthy habits to solve the root problem.

On the episode, Jessie explains how Foundation Training combines prehab and rehab practices to prevent and treat injuries.

He began his work with the organization after sustaining a tear to his MCL and becoming aware of imbalances in his movement that were impacting his recovery.

Now he coaches others on how they can optimize their muscle utilization and movement patterns to support their healing. For example, Foundation Training teaches people how to target their muscles and improve their body awareness for a focused recovery.

Foundation Training also provides corrective exercises designed to address chronic pain. While chronic pain can have many causes, Jessie believes movement correction training can lead to significant relief. In addition, the exercise program teaches participants how to stop their bodies from falling into postures and patterns that lead to physical degeneration, and instead counterbalance these destructive behaviors.

Jessie incorporates strengthening exercises within his training to target the right muscles for relieving chronic pain. He discusses how fundamental human movements like the hip hinge can cause chronic low back pain and how exercise can improve these issues.

Training for Injury Prevention

Injuries can happen to anybody, whether you are an intense athlete or an office employee with a nine-to-five. Fortunately, foundation training works with everybody to help improve their physical performance, resiliency, and longevity.

Foundation Training techniques can enable people to prime their bodies with conditioned responses that offer more durability. However, each training is curated to the participants' lifestyles, activity levels, and needs.

He shares his experience working with athletes, including jiu-jitsu champions. With mobility training and integrating specific muscle chains into their exercises, these athletes improved their chronic back pain by allowing their muscles to work together.

Of course, physical health is essential for everybody, and Jessie has seen people from all walks of life benefit from Foundation Training.

As physical capabilities significantly contribute to overall wellness, injury prevention exercises can improve people's quality of life. After all, limiting injuries can cost people their time, money, and motivation.

Instead, injury prevention tactics can be easily integrated into everyday life, allowing people to live and perform at an optimized level.

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To learn more about how Jessie Salas helps people improve physical mobility through Foundation Training, check out the Ingrained & Balanced podcast!

Improving Your Dietary Health: From the Inside Out

Our daily dietary choices can influence our physical health and overall wellness. While making the healthy choice between a salad and a chocolate cake may seem like a no-brainer, it can be more complex to practice smart diet decisions in the long term. 

So how can people be mindful of their dietary habits to practice nutritional wellness consistently?

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty uncover beneficial tips and habits for nutritional wellness. On season 1, episode 6 of the podcast, they are joined by special guest Jaclyn London, a dietitian, brand consultant, and nutrition and health media expert, to discuss the impact of diet on overall health and wellness. 

Understanding the True Importance of Dietary Wellness

As the author of "Dressing on the Side (and Other Diet Myths Debunked)," Jaclyn is an expert on all things nutritional health. She shares her insights on nutrition and diet and how people can identify positive guidelines for how they eat. She especially focuses on consistency and longevity when preaching positive diet choices.

In her book, she dissects the myths and distortions people commonly hear surrounding nutritional health. 

Unfortunately, many of these incorrect beliefs discourage people from making changes to their regular eating patterns, physical feelings, or weight. By debunking them, these distortions no longer keep people from realizing their goals. 

Limiting beliefs and distortions surrounding dietary health are common, but identifying the truth can allow us to persevere. Through science-backed knowledge, people can avoid discouraging myths and maintain mindfulness of the importance of proper nutrition. 

Now, you don't need to write your own myth-busting book or become an expert on dietary wellness like Jaclyn. Instead, brush up on the basics of nutritional wellness and gut health to stay mindful and apply these facts to your daily dietary decisions.

Making Moves that Work For You

Change is always hard and can involve careful planning and consideration to work successfully. 

But, of course, what works for one person may not work for another, and therefore people should identify habits and practices that work best for them and their lifestyles.

According to Jaclyn, "The most important thing that we can do is to actually practice making the choices that are right for us, and putting those things into practice day after day is the building blocks of healthy habits over time. "

She reveals actionable, attainable steps people can take toward building healthier habits. She also discusses how she works with new clients to develop healthy eating plans optimized for their lifestyles and goals. This involves assessing their diets and advising them on patterns, habits, and choices of their eating habits. 

Each of Jaclyn's client experiences is unique, as she attunes her coaching methods to their needs. Still, she tends to focus on a few distinct factors regarding her client's lifestyles to determine appropriate habit changes for them to make. These include the client's current locations, activities, and goals. 

To identify healthy dietary habit changes for your lifestyle, consider where you spend the majority of your time. 

Important dietary aspects like the availability of healthy foods, diet influencers, and culture all relate to a person's location. Therefore, consider these aspects when determining attainable habit goals that would work for your location and lifestyle. For example, sourcing fresh produce daily at an exotic food market may not be possible within your city, but packing a balanced lunch for work can be an easy, actionable step toward a healthier diet.

Maintaining Consistency in the Long Run

The primary focus of a dietitian is to determine the best route of action for an individual and to help them develop patterns, habits, and choices that are repeatable over time. We've gone over the need for dietary wellness plans to be rooted in nutritional facts and be optimized for the individual's lifestyles and goals. 

But how can people get the ball rolling with little steps to start eating better?

Jaclyn's book outlines impactful dietary rules people can practice to start seeing real change. She provides several of these healthy habits on the podcast, explaining their importance and ways to integrate them into a daily routine.

Eat Breakfast

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Jaclyn backs up this phenomenon. Eating breakfast means people will burn more energy throughout the day, which is vital for our long-term metabolic flexibility.

Jaclyn recommends that her clients curate a morning meal that excites and inspires them to begin their day. 

A larger breakfast with a source of protein and fiber can fuel the body throughout the day and is beneficial for keeping up a healthy and active metabolism. 

Furthermore, getting creative with the ingredients you have on hand in your kitchen can maximize versatility and keep you excited and inspired by your breakfast options.

Eat Consistently

Eating constantly throughout the day can reduce the likelihood of missing out on necessary nutrition due to skipped meals and changed plans. Supporting your body with snacks throughout the day can ensure that it has the nutrients it requires.

Jaclyn recommends that people eat every three to four hours. 

Consistently eating is critical to staying on top of our hunger and satiety cues. When life happens, and we can't take time out of our days to eat a full meal, we can make it easier on ourselves and our bodies by staying consistent with healthy snacking.

Consuming small healthy portions can keep our bodies energized and fill in any gaps in our diets.

Stay Hydrated

Another fundamental aspect of nutrition is hydration. In today's fast-paced world, people can find themselves too busy to take a moment to drink water. This is why Jaclyn recommends staying hydrated by drinking constantly.

Jaclyn recommends staying hydrated from unsweetened beverages throughout the day, like tea, water, or sparkling water. It's easy to start a habit of healthy hydration by taking in fluids from a non-sugar-sweetened beverage.

Staying consistent with our consumption of beverages can make it easier to maintain proper hydration to support our bodily functions and overall dietary wellness.

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Tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced podcast to listen to Jaclyn London's interview and hear more actionable tips for better dietary wellness!

The Mind Matters

The beginning of a new year can inspire people to pursue new goals and instill new resolutions. But while dreaming of a better future is easy, executing a plan to achieve it isn't so simple. So when chasing greatness, how can people rewire their minds to make it past the starting line? That’s the question being asked and answered on Ingrained & Balanced, a podcast about health, fitness, and practicing a well-balanced lifestyle. 

On season 1, episode 5 of the podcast, hosts Lonnie and Marty interview a special guest Terry Tucker. As the author of "Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life," Terry is a huge advocate for mental wellness and the influence of the mind on people's potential for greatness. On the episode, he shares his personal advice for unlocking a better future with the power of your mind.

Identify Your Starting Line

If you want to see a significant change in your life in order to reach a goal, you have to start at the beginning. So how should people begin to identify where they're at, what obstacles they need to overcome, and how they can get on track?

Throughout the interview, Terry speaks about the critical role that the mind plays in reaching goals and determining the paths one must take in order to do so. He believes that identifying and addressing the challenges you face in life is the first step to setting yourself up for success.

He explains that brains are hardwired to avoid pain and discomfort and to seek pleasure. Therefore, people will seek to keep their worlds small, comfortable, and familiar – rather than seeking change. The issue with this habit is that people can only grow and improve by stepping outside their comfort zones. 

Terry is no stranger to life outside of his comfort zone. As a cancer survivor who experienced the amputation of his leg due to his diagnosis, his health battle left him no choice but to face situations that caused physical and emotional discomfort. Today, Terry says he tries to experience things that make him uncomfortable every day and encourages others to do the same. 

By consistently exposing yourself to situations that cause discomfort, you can mentally become more accepting of change. Not only does it make adjusting your habits to align with your goals easier, but you'll become more resilient to challenges that may present themselves on your path to success.

Being Alone — With Yourself

Many people kick back and unwind with technology at the end of a long and stressful day. Whether it's streaming a show or scrolling through social media, the technology at our fingertips can easily transport our minds far away from the issues that plague us.

But while using technology to escape stress may provide momentary relief, this habit can lead us to develop a dependency on our devices to distract us from our problems. Not only is this distraction often an inadequate solution to a real-world problem, but failure to unglue ourselves from constant distractions can make it more difficult to face our real issues head-on.

According to Terry, people distract themselves with technology to avoid the discomfort of being alone with their thoughts, especially negative ones. He explains that by facing negative emotions, you can become better at feeling comfortable with managing problems -- and with yourself.

So next time you're feeling uncomfortable or experiencing negative thoughts, pause before jumping on your phone. By allowing yourself to sit with the discomfort that comes from paying attention to these thoughts, you'll become more mentally capable of tolerating difficult situations and less fearful of encountering new experiences as you pursue your greater goals.

Mindset and Perseverance

One important lesson that Terry learned through his battle with cancer is that physical strength and perseverance are fueled by the mind. Therefore, the way that you choose to handle and form thoughts about a situation will influence your ability to manage it successfully.

Everyone practices self-talk, primarily when reflecting on their lives or alone with their thoughts. And although negative thoughts happen as a natural part of life, people should make an effort to instead focus on positivity and uplifting self-talk. 

Terry explains that you should be careful about how you talk to yourself. Consistent negativity in your thought processes reinforces those thoughts as core beliefs that deter us from trying to succeed. On the other hand, focusing on mental positivity and hope can enable our physical bodies to carry us further and stay stronger in times of great difficulty.

"We all become what we think," Terry explains.

People sometimes fail to recognize hope’s importance, but holding hope that our lives will improve can keep us from giving up on our pursuits. Hope is the great motivator, and therefore practicing positive mental self-talk and maintaining hope can allow people to persevere and embrace their health, capabilities, and life challenges.

"It all starts in the mind." Terry reiterates, "If you can control the mind, you can control your physical body."

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Tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced podcast to hear more of Terry Tucker's interview and learn more ways to optimize your mind for success!

Stuck In a Rut? - How Mindset Can Influence Your Ability to Move Forward

Changes to our habits, routines, and priorities are often necessary to improving our lives. However, adjusting our habits is often more easily said than done. 

Our ability to maintain the habits necessary for success primarily depends on our mindset. Factors like limiting beliefs, expectations, and where we focus our energy can influence our likelihood of implementing and following through with these changes. Similarly, adopting a mindset built on realistic objectives and incremental changes can support us mentally as we establish healthy habits for the long haul.

Ingrained & Balanced is a podcast about health, fitness, and practicing a well-balanced lifestyle. On season 1, episode 4 of the podcast, hosts Lonnie and Marty chat with guest speaker Jeanine Grayson, a life coach skilled in helping people change their habits and maintain an empowering mindset. Together they speak on the transformative power of mindset and how an optimized mentality can help people find success in their wellness journeys.

Breaking Down Barriers

As a certified life coach and behavior change specialist, Jeanine often encounters people who wish to improve their lives through empowered action. However, she explains that people can only achieve these beneficial transformations if they are willing to put in the work of shifting their mindsets first.

Changing and moving away from the behaviors we know can be intimidating, and unfortunately, this fear and anxiety can hinder our ability to undergo positive transitions. Jeanine refers to the thoughts that restrict people from following through with positive actions as “limiting beliefs.” 

So how can we stop our own limiting beliefs from holding us back, so we can finally make the beneficial changes that propel us toward the life we desire? 

Jeanine’s coaching helps people to shed their limiting beliefs and self-doubt, allowing them to fully adopt a mindset for empowered action. She explains that identifying limiting beliefs is the first step toward changing them and beginning to move forward. 

Limiting beliefs can get in the way of our desires that would otherwise inspire positive action. Take a moment to identify the negative thoughts and fear-based beliefs that you have about yourself that may be holding you back. By identifying and making a conscious effort to negate these thoughts when they occur, we can begin shaping a mindset optimized for positive change.

Staying in Your Lane

Mindset is a powerful element that significantly influences our ability to incorporate lasting changes within our lives. However, a huge factor of this lies in where we place our focus and mental energy.

Throughout Jeanine’s wellness journey, one significant factor that hindered her from fully adopting an optimal mindset was her desire to change another person. Many of us face this issue. Whether it be a spouse, friend, business partner, or loved one, we can easily become swept up in the desire to change other people’s behavior, blaming it as the reason for our own shortcomings.

However, this is simply not the case. 

People cannot control or alter how others choose to behave. We can be a positive influence, but this is as far as our ability extends. Jeanine shares how by learning this lesson, we can be freed from the reliance on other people’s actions. 

When we shift our mindsets away from factors that are out of our control, we gain freedom and new opportunities to move forward with our life journey. According to Jeanine, happiness is a choice and an inside job, and people need to focus on the pursuit of their own personal happiness to achieve it.

Moving Forward Mentally

Shifting our mindset to support personal growth and evolvement relies on practicing a lifestyle that supports our mental or physical wellness. 

Jeanine shares her belief that the best way to build a mentality based on wellness is to implement adjustments to your habits through small, incremental steps. She explains that starting with minor changes will make people less likely to experience burnout and more likely to succeed in creating sustainable habits.

We’ve all heard that starting small and maintaining consistency are key to making lasting changes to physical fitness. But Jeanine explains that this idea can also be applied to maintaining an optimized mindset. 

A big reason people face difficulty making significant changes to their mental and behavioral practices is that they form challenging expectations and chase unrealistic goals, ultimately setting themselves up for failure. 

Focusing on the end goal can be overwhelming. However, setting smaller, specific goals can make it easier to stay focused and continue moving forward. Furthermore, breaking a big goal into bite-sized pieces can help people find direction while shaping their daily habits. 

Jeanine shares how daily habits determine the trajectory of our journeys. Therefore setting small achievable habits and goals allows us to maintain a positive mindset and a sense of accomplishment, stay focused, and move forward in the right direction.

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Tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced podcast to hear Jeanine's interview for more tips and insights on adopting a mindset optimized for positive change.

Food For Thought – Achieving Mental Wellness with a Well-Balanced Diet

We all know that nutrition impacts us physically, but what about mentally? 

Mental wellness and diet are intrinsically linked. That means that the food we consume can either support our mind's ability to lead toward success – or cause nutrient deficiencies that compromise our brain's functioning and psychological well-being.

Ingrained & Balanced is a podcast about health, fitness, and practicing a well-balanced lifestyle. On season 1, episode 3 of the podcast, hosts Lonnie and Marty are joined by special guest Justin Bethoney, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and author of a book called "The Mental Wellness Diet, Ancient Wisdom, Evolving Science, Modern-Day Options." Together they speak about how fueling the brain with nutrients can allow people to feel and function at their best. 

Canaries and Coal Mines

A "canary in a coal mine" is a popular metaphor used to describe an early warning of danger. But when it comes to the human body – warning signs are not always easy to interpret.

In his book, Justin uses the analogy of a canary in a coal mine to describe how people often try to suppress or ignore the body's symptoms rather than interpret them as indicators of more significant health problems. However, health symptoms, especially mental health symptoms, may point toward issues caused by poor nutrition.

Emotional stress, lethargy, insomnia, and the inability to focus are common symptoms that people may face throughout their lives. While they may seem tame, ignoring these symptoms may rob you of the opportunity to support your body with the nutrients it requires and improve your overall wellness.

Listening to the Body

To properly treat our bodies, we must first learn to notice and understand our body's signs. One of Justin's core beliefs is that the mind and body have their way of telling you when you require specific nutrients. If this is true, how can we pick up on and understand these signs and signals?

On the podcast, Justen explains how listening to the body and practicing healthy eating habits can improve overall wellness. A simple example of this is a phenomenon that is so commonly experienced that it has its own term - "hanger." 

People experience "hanger" and irritability when they are hungry. As such, poor nutrition's effect on our mental wellness in the form of our mood may be linked to blood sugar imbalances. When the body experiences blood sugar imbalances, it can release stress hormones to unlock stored blood sugar and bring levels up to normal.

So the next time you're feeling irritable, ask yourself whether you've been supplying your body with proper nutrients such as protein and fiber. After all, your mentality may be influenced by your body's way of coping with a nutrient deficiency.

Justin insists upon listening to your own body as a form of functional medicine. He explains that functional medicine focuses on preventing and treating symptoms before they become significant health issues. As such, taking mental symptoms as indicators of deficiencies can help you support your body with proper nutrients – before your symptoms get worse.

Nutrient-Dense Diets

According to Justin, taking a functional medicine approach toward your well-being by staying aware of your symptoms will allow you to maintain balanced physical and mental health.

Of course, with demanding schedules and busy lives, paying attention to how the body and mind feel and anticipating our needs is easier said than done.

Instead, prioritizing nutrient density in your meals can help support multiple areas of the body. Therefore, it is important to seek out high-nutrient-dense foods rather than supplementing them with fast meal replacements. While meal supplements like protein bars can save time and fuel the body, they may also have adverse effects that trigger stress hormones and compromise the body's natural rhythm.

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Tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced podcast to catch Justin Bethoney's interview and learn more about how listening to your symptoms, practicing balanced eating habits, and fortifying your body with a nutritious diet can improve your overall mental and physical wellness.

Reaching Fitness Goals – One Step at a Time

Fitness is essential to keeping up a healthy lifestyle, but maintaining an exercise routine does not always come easy. We often lose the drive to work out due to setting unrealistic fitness expectations, juggling busy schedules, or experiencing periods of low motivation. 

When our desire to get up and go has gone up and left, practicing smart and transformative exercise habits can motivate us to fulfill our fitness goals.

Ingrained & Balanced is a podcast about health, fitness, and practicing a well-balanced lifestyle. On season 1, episode 2 of the podcast, hosts Lonnie and Marty interview Alex Crockford – a fitness trainer, YouTuber sensation, actor, and influencer – about his fitness journey. Alex discusses how mindset,  healthy habits and the role that motivation plays in his health and wellness journey.

Healthy Habits

As a fitness trainer, Alex has had a lot of experience with clients who want to gain instant results from their regimens. Beginners commonly believe they will quickly see their ideal results by setting challenging workout goals at the start of their fitness journeys. But unfortunately, people are less likely to follow through with significant changes to their routines.

Starting with an overly-demanding regime is a common reason people give up on their fitness goals. After all, a person with a less active lifestyle is unaccustomed and typically unprepared to jump into a strenuous daily workout regimen. Making a drastic change is challenging and can easily lead to lost confidence and motivation.

Instead, Alex recommends starting by setting workout plans that are small and easy. He explains that simple and straightforward activities feel more achievable, so people are less likely to become overwhelmed and lose motivation.  These small steps can include activities like going for walks, doing yoga, or following beginner-friendly workouts like the ones Alex teaches on his YouTube channel.

Additionally, achieving small goals can lift a person's confidence and self-belief, making them more optimistic and driven to continue their fitness journey. 

Making the Time

Have you ever heard of the concept of finding time vs. making time? During busy days especially, we tend to make time for our top priorities, while allowing less valuable tasks to fall by the wayside.  

Alex explains that in order to motivate yourself to make time to exercise consistently, we must first treat fitness as a priority. This not only means reframing the way we think about fitness but also treating it like one in our day-to-day behaviors, the way we do with hygiene and work.

Prioritizing fitness earlier in the day can be especially beneficial for people who view working out as challenging. According to Alex, completing challenging tasks like exercise early can help us feel more accomplished and motivated to take on other activities throughout the day. 

Physical and Mental Health

Alex concludes his interview by sharing his belief that mental health, physical health, and wellness are all intertwined. So how can people apply this ideology to motivate themselves in their fitness?

Well, maintaining an optimistic mindset is necessary for motivating oneself to achieve tasks – including physical workouts. Alex shares how essential attitude is to gaining motivation and how supporting mental health through self-awareness, self-care, and healthy habits can help us find our way back to a motivational mindset.

Furthermore, taking on enjoyable activities can help you stay persistent through drops in motivation. Try to explore workouts that you are interested in and have fun doing. For example, gamified fitness activities like sports can keep you entertained as you exercise. Similarly, social fitness like dancing, sports or clubs can allow you to enjoy other people's company as you work out. 

Regardless of what activity you choose, fitness that boosts your mood and mental health will keep you looking forward to your time spent exercising instead of dreading it.

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By practicing transformative habits to plan, prioritize, and support your fitness journey, you'll be more likely to maintain motivation and follow through with your exercise goals. If you are interested in learning more about how transformative habits can help you maintain fitness motivation, catch Alex's interview on the Ingrained & Balanced podcast!