The Better Ever After Podcast is for lifelong learners looking to live a happier and healthier life and find greater fulfilment in every day. If you have a growth mindset, believe that you are a work in progress and have a desire to continue to learn, grow and improve, achieving this starts with opt…
I have read that up to 90% of the decisions and steps in our day are automated: our consistent actions are largely guided by rituals and routines established over long periods of time. You have likely noticed that with no gym to go to after work, or having your morning and nighttime routines totally changed on your behalf, it is difficult to fit in and keep doing the healthy routines you were just a month ago! Where you didn't have those routines, to begin with, you have probably noticed that your sleep, nutrition, movement and stress management are even more difficult to manage! In this week's podcast, I discuss the six routines that I think are most important to focus on to keep your body as healthy as possible and also give some resources that will make instituting them a little easier. For your healthy pleasure: (Morning) Mobility Routine: AND MOVE Curriculum E-book Sleep Routine: Fundamental Fuel E-Book: Journalling 101:
"The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” “Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be up ahead" - Ryan Holiday I hope this message finds you well, safe and amongst loved ones. In these strange times ahead there will be suffering, stress, sadness, anger, and just about every challenging emotion and thought that the human condition can provide. And yet, we individually and collectively can decide how we are going to respond to this challenge! We can band together, and we can make the best out of an absolutely awful situation. We can better ourselves and our community and on some level, come out of this potentially better than we went into it. I hope that this message deepens your resolve and helps you in the coming weeks to make the best of this pandemic and to improve not only your self but our society as a whole. I will do my best to make sure that you have the resources to help yourself. Take care everyone and lots of love sent your way. A few people I know that can help you at home to stay a little healthier and more fit: @fitsquad_training - home strength and Kettlebell training @manifesting.health - free online yoga :) @AllDayFit.co - Home workout help for you ladies and all the energy and positivity one could ever need
The world we face today is drastically different to the world that our ancestors faced and the world that shaped our evolution and thus what our body needs to be healthy. The busyness and deluge of sensory information that we face is nowhere close to what shaped our evolution and what our bodies can handle. Our bodies have certain requirements in order to be healthy. Recovery / healing is one of those requirements but it requires the right environment and conditions for it to happen effectively. If not there are consequences: fatigue, poor immune system, feeling stressed and anxious all the tie, weight gain and on the far end of the spectrum, overtraining in athletes and burnout for the rest of us. In this week's podcast, we discuss the importance of creating more structured time to actively allow the brain and body to rest, heal and recover in the absence of a world that will do it for us. We discuss specific examples of what key recovery strategies should be included in your daily and weekly rituals. I can say that without a doubt this is one of the hardest things we can do for our health - the act of doing nothing - but that is might be the most important than your body needs right now. Download our FREE RESET/RECOVERY Curriculum E-book if you want some help improving your sleep, developing a "Recovery Regiment" and optimizing your body's innate capacity to heal itself!
They say that "knowledge is power" but the problem with then is that knowledge doesn't get anything done. People don't make decisions and choose an action because of what they know; how we vote, who we choose to be with, the car that we buy and even the health choices we make happen because of how we FEEL! If knowledge was all that we needed then more than 4% of people would quit smoking when their doctor told them to because it was killing them. Emotion creates motion. In this week's podcast we talk about how we can use and cultivate our emotions to pick better goals for our health and how this, and a few other behavioural strategies we discuss, will make you much more likely to be successful: whether it is losing 10 pounds of completing an ironman. If you are sick and tired of continuing to fail to cross things off your list and struggling with the same health issues, you are going to love and get value from this pod. If you want more on this subject, a highly recommend reading Mark Manson's Everything Is F*cked. Enjoy!
One of the top mistakes I see that people can make with their health is getting distracted by trends, fads, and minutia and not sticking to the principles. In this podcast, we discuss how a "rocks, gravel, sand" mindset for your health will clarify what you need to do to reach your health goals and simplify the process. Oh yes, and it is going to save you a ton of time, money and effort. We also discuss what I would call a "gold-standard day" where I provide an hour-by-hour framework for what your typical day should look like if you want to include all of the most important health rituals that we know actually make a difference for your health and well being. Booking a Complimentary Case Review: Resources discussed in the pod: Study discussed:
What is your average stress level from 0-10 over the last 6 months? Five or higher? Closer to 10!? Or maybe nice and low? In this week's podcast, we talk about the implications of the answer to this question and what it means for your long term health. If your answer was closer to 10 than zero, I know that this episode is going to help by at the very least, providing some perspective and with some practical advice to help you change the way that your brain responds to the crazy world around you. For help with your stress and every aspect of your lifestyle necessary for health: RECOVERY / RESET Curriculum (most important for stress management): Fundamental FUEL Curriculum: MOVE Curriculum:
What are you most scared about in the world? Sharks? Heights? The health of your family? Your own health? Odds are is that it is related to mortality in some way. Mine is different. I am not that scared about death but I am petrified about life before death and what that is going to look like as it draws closer. Specifically, I am scared not about the length of my lifespan but the length of my health-span and the difference between the two. I do not want to spend a single day of this planet without the ability to do the things that I love and spend meaningful time with those that I love. This is my new big motivator that is going to guide my life-long journey to extend my health-span to as long as possible and my documentation of it along the way. This podcast is going to make you think about your greatest health fear, how that is going to motivate you to make changes and hopefully based on my lead, give you some insight into what changes need to be made.
The desire to have more personal time to do what you want is and to focus on what is most important is one of the most universal concerns that we hear from our practice members. It is rare to encounter someone that doesn’t wish they had more time and freedom to focus on what is most important to them in their life. In this episode, I share a FREE download, "Dr Ritza's Productivity And Time Booster", and we review the tool that I have used to maximize my productivity, find more time to do what I love and minimize the feeling of "needing more hours in the day". Specifically, this podcast is going to help you in two ways: This exercise is meant to help you in two ways: Firstly, it will help you regain your time and find more time to focus on what is most important to you. Secondly, it is going to force you to do the tough introspective work of evaluating where you are spending the time that should otherwise be put towards things that bring value to you and make you fulfilled. Free download and show notes:
Better work-life balance is one of the most common goals that we hear from new cases we review and is a ubiquitous complaint in our society! However, balance isn't what most of us need to be happy and successful. Balance leads us to stress and anxiety when we fail to capture it and us spreading ourselves thin and less successful at the things most important to us. In this episode, we discuss why a hunt for better "balance" might be compromising out health and goals and what mindset and strategy will lead to better happiness and success at what is most important to you.
I hope you haven't been there - I know I have: a family member that you thought of as "healthy" is suddenly diagnosed with something life threatening! "Wait, what!? They "seemed" so healthy but clearly were not. Why? Because our society's definition of health is wrong! When I ask a workshop room or a new patient, the general consensus is that health is "how I look and feel" but this is so far from the truth and is actually dangerous to your wellbeing. The ideas we have and our first principles guide our path in life and if they are calibrated incorrectly - our true north is off - they can send us in the wrong direction. With so much focus on our health, you would think that we would have a better understanding of what it actually is so that we know what the heck our destination and goals should be. In this episode we discuss what the actual definition of health is, how knowing it, is going to completely change how you think about taking care of your body and if you are going in the wrong direction, what you can do to get back on track! Hint: these below have the answers!
You know that feeling you get after a weekend away: you feel totally relaxed, refreshed and ready to charge forward towards your goals? Don't you think we could all use that a little more often? In this week's episode, we talk about making that a scheduled part of your year. We walk about how making a regular disconnect from the world, to enjoy yourself and allow for the natural (or purposeful!) reflection, accounting and goal setting that comes from those mental and physical breaks from our regular routine, is a strategy that will improve your health, energy, motivation and ultimately your health. I hope you got this over your Canada Day long weekend and if not, I hope this episode inspires you to do so sooner than later. Need a Reset now!?: Check this out: http://dralexritza.com/reset-curriculum/
In a what feels like a previous life I backpacked through South America for 3 months with no phone, minimal $ and a lot of time on long bus rides. There was a lot of time to be bored and stare out the window with nothing much. But on those long rides with almost no stimulation, I was granted some of the clearest, deepest and most productive thinking I have ever done. I was able to ask myself big life questions and take the time to answer them. I was able to address and deal with points of stress, anxiety, and depression that normally get pushed to the side in favour of a more stimulating task. I had time to write, blog and journal without interruption. That deep thinking dramatically changed my life but I do not think that you have to go to South America for 3 months to get a similar experience. I do however think that it is going to take effort and a conscious approach to give yourself the time to do the much-needed thinking that improves ourselves. This podcast is all about how and why you should do it. A little more help here: http://dralexritza.com/reset-curriculum/
This could be a LIFE CHANGING episode for you. Please listen and stop living in The Gap. "The Gap" is the space between where you are currently at with your goals and accomplishments and the distance to your loftiest goals and ambitions. It is like looking out from a ship towards the horizon and no matter how much you try you will never be able to reach. When it comes to how we assess ourselves; the way that we judge and characterize our accomplishments, living in "The Gap" is a miserable, anxiety-provoking, frustrating and depressing place to be. It is a place devoid of satisfaction, accomplishment, pride, happiness, and motivation to push forth towards reaching our highest ideals that always sit on the horizon. Most of us have been taught to think this way by our parents and/or by society and it is deeply ingrained. I have spent nearly all my life thinking this way but I am finally choosing to flip the switch and stay out of "The Gap" and in "The Gain" In this episode, we discuss how living in and measuring your goals based on "The Gain" leads to more happiness, satisfaction, and success. Enjoy the listen and the E-book I reference from Dan Sullivan can be found here:
Do you ever find yourself getting into arguments or disagreements that you later regret? Sometimes we fight because we just what to be "right" and often it isn't worth the collateral damage, energy, and stress that those conflicts or worse yet, fights can create. Not all conflict is bad of course! Constructive disagreements can be really beneficial for your relationships at home, work and with friends. It is the destruction conflicts, the disagreements or arguments that serve no purpose that chip away at our relationships that make us less happy, less fulfilled and more alone. In this episode, I discuss the mantra that I use that [when I use it - I am working on it] helps me make sure that the conflicts I do have are worth fighting for and that I pick my battles better. Somethings in life are worth dying for, some are not worth a second of our time, I hope this episode helps you make better and more thoughtful decisions on a daily basis about which are which and make your relationships better, happier and more fulfilling.
We have all experienced it: you are in a "funk", your brain chemistry is just not right or you are simply going through a hard time in your life. Sometimes when you are in life's valleys, it feels like you are never going to emerge and that things will never get better. This podcast is all about making sure that when this happens next in your life that you can ensure that the valley is a little less deep and your time there is a little less long. Even when things are conspiring against you and life is out of your control, there are some things we can control - our mindset and our lifestyle that can help us survive and maybe even prosper despite the circumstances. But first, it all starts with just showing up, even if it means going through the motions. I learned a lot from a recent period of overtraining when I couldn't get my mind right - hopefully, this will help you get yours. For help with your plan and every aspect of your lifestyle necessary for health: - Dr. Alex
Somethings hurts? But what is it? Can I keep playing? Can I workout tomorrow? Is it serious? What do I do to recover as fast as possible so I can get back to life? In this week's episode of the Better Ever After Podcast, we answer all these questions and more that you will have (or have had) when something hurts and you are officially injured. Being injured sucks. We want to get back to being active as soon as possible but often don't know how to start. This episode discusses: - The importance of rest to allow for tissue healing and recovery. - The need for a proper examination and understanding of the injury and the underlying mechanisms - The multi-prong approach to correcting the underlying Core Problems that could have caused it - How to return to sport and when you know you are ready - MOST IMPORTANTLY: The mindset to keep you sane through it. And no, you shouldn't "suck it up" and play through it because it could leave you with a worse injury that ruins your entire season or delays your training for months. Hope this helps :)
Few things stop us from doing what we love and make us miserable like being in PAIN! But as much as you might wish to never feel pain again, a failure to feel pain would literally kill you. Whether it is a chronic or acute issue, we have all experienced a time in our lives where something hurt and we would do anything for it not to and to better understand what exactly was going on. For being a universal experience for human beings, most of us are taught very little about what pain actually is, what causes it, why do we feel it, why pain is important for our survival but is a TERRIBLE barometer for our health and how to interpret pain when we experience it. In this episode, we take a brief dive into the incredibly complex world of pain science and I do my best to explain all of this and more in less than twenty minutes. I think you are going to not only learn a ton from this episode but will also walk away with a better awareness of how to feel about pain (pun intended) and how doing so will help you manage it better. Links mentioned: Cool pain videos
Not enough time in the day to get the important things done and get your workout in? I know this feeling. I should actually say that I knew this feeling. In this episode, I share the 3 mindset and 3 practical strategies that I have implemented that have catapulted my productivity and organization and have left me rarely lacking the time (and motivation) to get in my workouts and the time needed for the most important things in my life. Better productivity means having more time for the things that are most important to you in your life: whether it is working out, working or being with your family, I hope this episode helps you put more hours of the day to good use. - Dr Alex
How many times have you said to yourself, "I am just working way too hard"!? Odds are that how hard you are working isn't really the problem, but how much time and energy you are devoting to recovering and resetting from that work that is. In this episode, we discuss Overtraining Syndrome in athletes, what it is, how to avoid it and most importantly, how the principles that athletes should use to avoid it, are the same that are going to help you will some of the most difficult health challenges in your life. As mentioned, below is the link to our RESE Curriculum E-book that will help you find more balance in your life and the strategies that will help you heal and recover faster
Got SAD (season affective disorder) or just need winter to be done? Join the club! Winter in Toronto or anywhere else where it seems to last half the year is challenging; with the lack of vitamin D, fresh air, the desire to forego all socializing and just hunker down on the couch it can be a time of year where we find ourselves depressed or at least not at our best. I always struggle with winter but a recent challenge from a practice member (thanks Maeve!) and a coincidental dinner with a friend (thanks P) have given me a new and simple strategy that has started to make getting through winter seem much more manageable! For those of you that don't have a car or can't take up a winter sport outside of the confines of downtown, I think and hope that this makes the rest of this winter better and gives you a recipe for success for next year.
A LIVE workshop I did with a local Toronto tech biz discussing the ten most important and influential things you can do to make 2019 the healthiest year of your life and what will optimize your health. These are achievable things that can make a big difference if you are truly interested in getting healthier. Because, January is done - how are those resolutions and goals coming? Good or bad ... it doesn't matter all that much because there are 11 months left to make some sustainable changes that are going to serve you for the rest of your life. Hope you enjoy this different style of the podcast. It is a longer podcast but filled with tons of value! If you need some help with getting your office healthier in the form of a workshop or Lunch and Learn I would love to help. E-mail me directly at dralex@dralexritza.com Get the same FREE E-book downloads that I offered to our guests in the show notes. http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
There are four things you can change about Canada's NEW Food Guide that would make it even better. The rest, ain't too bad! If you follow this guide and its principles, it can work to help you reach your health goals. But..... Where the previous food guide was impacted extensively by politics and corporate influence and was horrible, this guide provides a relatively excellent set of principles that can help the average Canadian (human) meet the nutritional needs of the body. But...For an even more optimal, detailed and frankly better guide to nutrition, download our Fundamental FUEL Curriculum for FREE to understand the 11 principles that will give your body all the building blocks it needs, optimize your nutrition and help you reach your health goals.
Are they worth the cost, risks, adverse effects, marginal gains and what ones actually help increase performance and health? Based on good peer-reviewed research, we cover these topics and whether the average Joe/Joanne and weekend warrior should be looking into taking one of the few supplements that actually appear to boost performance. Arm yourself with the knowledge to know what is good for you and your health, and how to spot fact from fiction in the gym and on the field. What you should actually "supplement" with > http://dralexritza.com/fundamental-fuel-curriculum/
What to eat, supplement with and how to stay healthy and avoid getting sick this winter. In this podcast, we review what the research has to say about supplements, sleep, stress, nutrition and what you can do to try to prevent getting ill. For example, did you know that vitamin C has been shown to have no effect in reducing the symptoms of a cold or fighting it once it has started!? Vitamin C is good for something else though... To download our RESET/RECOVERY and Fundament FUEL E-Book modules, and access everything else in the show notes: http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
Is there anything worse than trying to get to bed on time and lying awake for what seems (or is!) hours. You are exhausted and ready for bed but your brain isn't. The second your head hits the pillow your hamster-brain leaps into action and is racing at a million thoughts per minute. It seems to happen out of nowhere! In this week's episode, we discuss some of the strategies that I use to prevent anxiety, worry, and random thoughts from keeping me awake at night and what to do when your mind just won't stop racing at night. We discuss over a dozen different strategies and key ingredients to getting a great night sleep and some specific tactics that actually work for slowing down your racing-mind and allow you to get some much-deserved rest. For a more detailed and specific guide to getting the best night sleep every-night, download our RECOVERY / RESET Curriculum Module at http://dralexritza.com/reset-curriculum/
I have never taken a protein supplement in my life and I recently found myself wondering if I was missing out on something because I see so many people in the gym doing it. And when a practice member asked me if they should be, I have to be honest that I didn't have the best answer for them so I decided to update my knowledge and do some learning! It is one thing for your "ripped" friend to tell you that you should take a protein supplement, and a completely different recommendation if it comes from high-quality peer-reviewed research. In this episode of the BEAP, we look to recent research to figure out: 1) How much protein do you need to consume for optimal gains from resistance exercise training? 2) Do different people have different requirements? 3) Does it have to come from a supplement or a specific type of protein? 4) Does the timing of the meal/protein matter for your training gains? I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed putting it together and having a better answer to this much asked question. Show-notes with links to the mentioned study and FREE E-books mentioned: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
It is now officially the hardest time of the year to stay healthy. It is also a time of year when a lot of us experience frustration, worry and shame that we are being derailed from our health goals and that all hope of success has been lost! The holiday season means parties, family get-togethers, so much shopping to do and a lot of delicious treats around that make sticking to your exercise/movement and nutrition routines almost impossible. Well, fear not, because what happens between Christmas and New Years is less important than what happens the rest of the year. In this episode, we discuss the mindset and strategy that I am using to make sure that I enjoy my holidays to the fullest and that I am able to stay on track with my short and long-term health goals. I think that this episode could be a game-changer for your holiday season and make it a much more enjoyable when with less time worrying about what you eat and enjoying it instead. Happy Holidays
In and of itself, losing weight for the sake of losing weight is a terrible goal. Don't get me wrong, the act of losing weight can be amazing if it is a reflection of you doing healthier things for your body and having a better daily process, and it is tied to something bigger than what the scale says. Losing weight because you want to make sure that your health never holds you back from hiking to Machu Picchu or you need to fit into your wedding dress - now those are much better goals. Whether you are making New Years Resolutions or not, we all have goals for our health at some point. The key, which is what we will be discussing in this episode, is how to make sure that your goals are something worth doing in the first place and that they are something that is actually important in reaching your future vision for yourself. We will discuss why I think that brides are the most successful cohort for achieving weight loss, why your goals have to inspire fire in your belly and how to make sure that you point yourself in the right direction come 2019. If you specifically need help with a weight loss goal and don't know where to start, we have you covered! Download our FREE Fundamental FUEL and MOVE Curriculums to learn the strategies, routines, tips, and tactics that will help you give your body what it needs to be healthy!
"You have to eat within 30 minutes of your ride or you are screwed for tomorrow" is what someone said to me last year and I bet someone has been in your ear as well telling you that you need to eat something specific and at a certain time if you want your workout to, well, work. I thought to myself, "that doesn't make sense"! So I did some research to figure it out myself! This podcast is for you is you want to maximize what you are doing at the gym or on the road through your pre/post/during workout nutrition if you are not an actively competing athlete ... and even then this information might be better than what you are currently doing. As long as you don't get paid to workout, you are going to get huge value from this podcast where I demystify the nutrition science about what you do and don't need to eat for your workouts and if the timing is really all that important. You might not need all those supplements and that protein powder but let's find out! If you need more help figuring out what nutrients your body specifically needs, I think that our Fundamental Fuel Curriculum FREE e-book download is going to be of huge value to you. There are 11 fundamental requirements your body has to get the nutrients it needs: discover them here Show notes at
How much water do you actually need? Is it really 8 cups? How did someone figure this out and is it right for you? What about if you workout? What about if you are cyclist or runner? In this week's episode, we delve into the research and discover that being dehydrated doesn't seem to actually influence your performance! We will discuss what you should base your water consumption on, how much you should drink at the office and what you need to consume to maximize your athletic performance. Show-notes and a FREE download of our Fundamental Fuel Curriculum to answer all the nutrition questions you have and give you a plan comprehensive nutrition plan of what to eat ..... that isn't water at
Introducing new things into your routine can feel impossible at times! Do you ever just simply forget or get too busy to do the things necessary to hit your goals? I don't know about you but sometimes I literally just forget to meditate, go to the gym, to read that nutrition book or whatever it might be that I told myself I had to do. That was until I started treating myself and my goals like I treat the wonderful patients in my chiropractic practice. A big part of getting amazing results requires identifying goals, coming up with a plan, and repeatedly checking in on our progress towards reaching those goals and making changes when the report card is going in the wrong direction. There is a reason that every good business spends a massive amount of time and energy on regular quarterly, if not daily reviews of how they are progressing towards their targets. I have found that since I started holding myself accountable to reaching my goals and regularly giving myself feedback on how I was doing, I have had far more breakthroughs in my life and goals are being ticked off at an exponential rate. I hope that some of the tips and strategies we discuss in this podcast will do the same for you and help you reach every goal you set outwards in record time.
Imagine being able to take a nap in the mid-afternoon to catch up on sleep and recharge! Sounds like paradise eh? No, it is just Spain. And most humans up until the agricultural revolution: meaning our genes are primed for this very behaviour. In this episode, we discuss the specific strategies that you can use to increase your energy levels, battle stress and fight off sickness by creating more breaks in your day for your body to heal. We also discuss how taking initiative and creating these opportunities for yourself is essential in our productivity-focused culture that will never do it for you. Our culture is going to push us towards the end of the continuum that is 16 hour days, working through your lunch, and pushing yourself morning until night. Your health depends on you going in the other direction. Download our FREE RESET/ RECOVERY Curriculum for more strategies and help creating periods of rest in your life. http://dralexritza.com/reset-curriculum/
Think back to when you were put into a really challenging, new or different scenario and just how uncomfortable it makes you feel: that sinking feeling in your gut, sweat forming and maybe the sense of being a beginner again. I bet when you think back you will recognize that some of the times when we are most uncomfortable in our lives, it also represents the time of great personal growth and personal breakthroughs! What we discuss in this podcast is how some recent work with a coach made me feel uncomfortable for the first time in a while, how it reminded me that when you are very comfortable you aren't growing and that having someone to push and guide you into and through those growing pains will ultimately make you better. Enjoy! Show notes: http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
You would never expect to be able to launch yourself down a mountain slope on skis and expect to be good at it without having ever tried it. We seem to understand that every sport requires different skills that need to be mastered to be ay good at them. But what about other things like empathy? Or kindness? Or meditation? Or public speaking. Like sport, genetics plays a role but we are born able to do these things, they are skills that we learn (or don't) from an early age. Too often we limit ourselves, put ourselves down or experience unnecessary frustration when we fail to realize that everything is a skill. Literally everything. In this podcast, we discuss this mindset and how it could have a dramatic impact on your ability to learn more, fast and generally be a happier person. Check out the show notes at http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/ to a list of books mentioned, resources and more.
Ever had a really big zit that you can't stop obsessing over!? It is a weird example, but whether it is zits or other challenges in our lives, both big and #firstworldproblems, it is easy to get tunnel vision and stuck in your own perspective. We thankfully live in a world where a lot of the challenges that we face are the type that our great-grandparents would have killed to have. Yet, our biology and brain do not care. Our problems are our problems and it can become difficult to keep things in perspective in the grand scheme of life. In this episode, we discuss why scheduling and forcing yourself to regularly adopt other perspectives beyond your own immediate one can make you more empathetic and might add a deep sigh of gratitude and a smile to your day. It is a heavier episode of the BEAP but I think it might make a huge difference for your day-to-day mindset and your life. Show notes at http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
If you are dead at the end of the day or feel that need for coffee in the mid-afternoon, you are not alone. This is a problem that plagued me for years and judging by the Starbucks line at 2 pm, many others. I have conquered this and I want to share the simple ritual with you: I take a 15-minute nap! But it isn't the "what" that it is important, it is the mindset and "why" that motivates me to do it that is vital. In this podcast, we discuss the evolutionary and biological reason why you can't work straight 9am-5pm (or 9pm) and function even close to your best. This episode could be the key to crushing your midday fatigue, improving your performance and happiness at work and be able to work a 12 hour day while feeling great.
Nutrition can be so confusing, right!? It is so challenging to decide what is healthy and good for you and what is not. High carb, low carb, no carb? What are you to do? In this podcast, we discuss four simple principles that will fulfil 90% of the requirements of a healthy diet that will deliver the nutrients that your body needs. Diets can actually "work" in the short term but are rarely sustainable. In the traditional sense, diets are those, often crazy, quick fixes we use to lose weight for a wedding, to get the beach body for summer or that we start in January. Instead, a set of principles that guide your eating will give you a strategy that will serve you over a lifetime and give you the best chance to reach the health, and yes weight, that you want. I think that this set of strategies and the mindset that informs them could be a game changer for reducing any stress around food, for improving your health and for finding foods that you love to eat. Download our FREE Fundamental Fuel Curriculum for more and to get the 11 strategies that will optimize your nutrition and give you all that your body needs. E-Book: http://dralexritza.com/fundamental-fuel-curriculum/ Show notes: http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
Imagine how much easier life would be if you knew you couldn't fail. Our big (health) goals like weight loss or running a race would be so less stressful if we knew that success was guaranteed. It is SO easy to get stuck in "The Gap" between where you are and where you want to be. "The Gap" is filled with anxiety, frustration and a worry that you won't get to your destination and won't be successful. In this episode, we discuss how a little mental jujitsu and adopting a new mindset that focuses on the process instead of the outcome, can improve your chances of reaching your health goals and ensure that you enjoy the journey of getting there. Show notes: To improve your daily habits, rituals and processes: EAT: MOVE: RECOVERY:
Being sick in the summer is the absolute worst. Everyone else is out enjoying the sun and you are stuck inside feeling miserable. The level of “fear of missing out” or FOMO is always high in these situations. But FOMO isn’t just an issue for when you are sick: it creeps into our lives all the time and can sometimes be very detrimental to our happiness and enjoyment. In this episode, I discuss my experience with FOMO, what I think the root cause of it is, how to address it, and why exposure to the highly curated lives of others on Instagram does much more harm than good for your mindset. A couple of great resources in the show notes to help you banish FOMO from your life Show notes: http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
If you want more day-to-day consistency in your energy, performance at work and want to show the world the best version of yourself and what you are REALLY like every day, than this episode is going to deliver major value. We can all think of a scenario where we acted in a way that we later regretted and that seemed completely incongruent with our values and who we really are. Whether it is recovering from waking up on the wrong side of the bed, or just ensuring that what you say and do is something in line with your deepest values, using a few simple morning rituals can make all of the difference. In this podcast, we talk about the strategies that I and some of the world’s top performers use to optimize their mindset and prime their body so that the best version is ready for the day ahead. For more specific strategies and tools, check out our Free RESET / RECOVERY Curriculum E-book: http://dralexritza.com/reset-curriculum/
Are you busy and tired? Odds are, "YES!". Even if you don't work a 60+ hour week and feel that your energy is "okay", I imagine you would love to have more energy, get better sleep, get sick less and generally feel better. In this podcast, I share the strategies and rituals that allowed me to work a 60 hour work week and maintain my health and sanity by optimizing my body's ability to recover. Get the workbook to develop your own strategies like how to build a sound sleep routine, how to better manage your time and energy and what else you can do to feel amazing when you wake up and at 2:00 in the afternoon. Free RECOVERY E-Book:
Exercise immediately makes you less healthy and damages the body. It is the body's response and adaption to the exercise that improves strength, endurance and your health! But, the improvement part of working out, like life, can only happen if we create the right environment and circumstances for this growth, adaptation and recovery to occur. The Work Hard, Play Hard mindset sabotages this. This week we discuss how changing your mindset to focus more on rest and recovery can help you reach your goals faster without being so tired all the time. FREE RECOVERY Curriculum E-Book in the show notes: http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
Imagine if you regularly hung out with the world's most prominent thought leaders! You might find yourself getting a little smarter, more empathetic, understanding, financially savvy and richer with every date! The people we spend the most time with has a direct impact on our beliefs, how we act and who we become. The funny thing is, the internet allows you to hang out with these people every day and it would have a dramatic impact. This episode: how curating your virtual tribe can help you reach your goals
Having high expectations of yourself can lead to awesome successes. But, when you fail to hit those expectations it is easy to get down on yourself; that your current failure is your future. Failure is a part of life but negative self-talk makes it joyless, hurts our confidence and creates a vision that is far from reality. In this podcast, I talk about my own struggle with this issue and the tricks and mindset that I have used to make “failures” more enjoyable and find greater self-compassion. Show-notes: http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
If you are a professional athlete you dedicate your life to being the very best at one thing. Marginal gains are the difference between champions and "also ran". But if you just want to be healthier, feel better, live longer and still perform at your best, the quest for marginal gains is likely holding you back. Why the mindset of "Jack of all health trades" is really the key to better health, happiness and fulfilment. Check out the show notes at http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/ to download your free Health Curriculum Checklist to see where you are searching for marginal gains and what a gold-standard health routine looks like.
You would never think about doing a ski run that is well beyond your capabilities because the health risk is obvious. There are fundamental skills that are required for skiing and all sports: the gym and movement of the body, in general, is no different. In this podcast, we discuss why 95% of us should be focusing mostly on mobility and core strength as part of reaching our health goals whether it is weight loss, strength or just looking better. Download the MOVE Curriculum on our show notes page if you need help figuring out how to strengthen the core, mobilizing your joints, protecting your spine and reaching your physical goals. http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
Foam rolling has gained massive popularity in certain circles but yet the underlying mechanism of action is still poorly understood by practitioners and fans alike. A brief summary of the science of foam rolling and what it tells us about how massage therapy actually works. Hint: it has nothing to do with "scar tissue”. Show notes: How to foam roll: Our FREE PDF MOVE Curriculum download: http://dralexritza.com/move-curriculum/
If you find it difficult to make decisions about your health you are not alone! We are bombarded with different fads, diets and crazy sounding things to make us "healthier" that might actually do the opposite. In this podcast we discuss what the purpose of creating health actually is and how changing this mindset can make health decisions so much simpler. Show notes and Health Curriculums (Free Downloads) at http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
Companies like Apple and Starbucks spend thousands of dollars to craft their mission statement so that they know what their direction and purpose is and that their employees and customers are further inspired to be apart of their tribe. In this episode, I discuss why having a personal mission statement can make all the difference in improving your day-to-day consistency, your relationships at work and home, avoiding those "I can't believe I did that moments", and for ultimately ensuring that you make an impression on people and are remembered for the traits that you would like to be remembered for. My best episode yet and I think you are going to get a ton of value from it and all the amazing FREE resources on the Show Notes page http://dralexritza.com/better-ever-after-podcast/
We always remember the big choices in life like saying "yes" to marriage or quitting a job. But I think it is the small daily choices that we make, and in some cases don't, that have a greater impact on the outcome of our lives. In this podcast, I discuss why having a mindset of making more active choices in all parts of your life is the key to getting out of old habits and being in greater control of what happens to you. Show notes and more at Great rehab, exercise and lifestyle content on Instagram @dr.alexritza
Your brain is NOT like a computer. It can change, grow and heal itself, and it not a finished product with set limits. What our knowledge about neuroplasticity tells us about our body's capacity to change, grow and improve throughout an entire life and how you can hack your own biology to change your mindset and life for the better.