“We don’t lack the science, information, or technology to get healthy.  We lack the art to know how to use those things properly.”

This week’s Like a Bigfoot Podcast is with the author of the upcoming book “The Art of Health Hacking” TJ Anderson.

TJ is an advocate for human optimization through continual learning, testing, and adapting your habits to chase your ideal physical, mental and emotional health.

He’s also just a really positive, life-embracing, loving dude who just oozes positivity and I had a great time chatting with him.

While some health-hacking authors focus on the nitty gritty details, TJ has embraced the idea the of differentiation- teaching a diverse group of people how to teach themselves to optimize healthy habits in a way that works for their own individual backgrounds, needs, and bodies.

What has worked for him may or may not work for you….so his book acts as an overall blueprint of HOW to pursue YOUR experience by choosing to focus on behavior change and strategies you can use on your journey to better health.  He shares strategies to help you explore new routines and guidelines how to turn the ones that create positive changes into lifelong habits.

Once again, the book is “The Art of Health Hacking” and right now TJ is looking to crowdsource the publication at www.publishizer.com.

You can purchase the book and support TJ by helping him find a publisher by visiting https://publishizer.com/the-art-of-health-hacking/.

For more updates from TJ visit his website http://www.thisistj.com

To check out all the other great episodes of the Like a Bigfoot Podcast head over to https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464 or subscribe on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2

Thanks for TJ for podcasting with me this week and thanks for you for listening! You guys rock!

Since we last spoke to Brady Manriquez (episode 1), he has lost 15 more pounds, overcame set-backs in the form of an emergency surgery, began pumping iron, and discovered the great form of exploration known as trail running.  All this in preparation for his very first race- a 14.5 miler in the absolute breath-taking Monument Valley smack dab in the middle of the Arizona/Utah desert.

In this episode we break down Brady’s pre-race plan along with my own (I’m running the 50 mile Monument Valley ultra the same day), wax poetically about everything we know about Monument Valley, discuss ways to really make the most out of a big destination race, the origin of the name “Like a Bigfoot”, and so much more!

While you are listening to Brady’s story, realize that a year ago he hadn’t even dreamt of running one mile, not to mention running 14.5, let alone running 14.5 in a desert trail half marathon!  His story is proof that you can accomplish whatever it is you want as long as you are consistently taking sustainable steps towards your goal.

Although he’s lost 75 pounds, his biggest benefit has been regaining strength, athleticism, and confidence.

The dude is a status quo crusher by every definition of the term!  Some would have continued down the path of “same old, same old”, but Brady decided to set off on his own path and rediscover the control he has over his own health and therefore his own life.  Thinking about that inspires me every SINGLE day.  He represents the epitome of the “Like a Bigfoot” mindset.

CONSISTENT HARD WORK + TIME = SUCCESS.

Enjoy this week’s episode!

If you missed Brady’s first appearance on the show (and the first episode of this podcast), look for it here:  https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/like-a-bigfoot-1-brady-manriquez

You can find all of our episodes by clicking this little link: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

Get after it this week!

This week’s guest is amazing, hard working, hilarious, loving and just so happens to be the most important person in my life, my beautiful wife, Lindsey Ward.  (Brownie points for me!)

As the clock ticked midnight on New Years’ Eve, Linz and I started our month long journey to tackle the Whole30 challenge.

The Whole30 challenge encourages you to eat only the absolute essentials- vegetables, fruits, and meats.  It is not focused on counting calories, juicing, or portion control, and instead simply forces you to eat clean food.  It also turns your focus away from weight and instead to simply observing how your body feels after eliminating processed food, sugars, alcohol, dairy products, etc.

Lindsey and I wanted something to kick us out of our food routines to help nourish new, healthier habits.  We also wanted to avoid the normal pitfalls of most unsustainable New Year’s Resolutions. We chose Whole30 because, instead of creating vague goal over an indefinite time period, it offered a very black and white guideline of what we could and couldn’t eat AND it had a set amount of time.  30 days to do anything seems very ACHIEVABLE versus the whole “no end in site mindset”.

Overall it was a good month that forced us to step outside of our comfort zone and challenged some previous beliefs.  For example I didn’t think it was possible to run a 50k (31 miles) without the use of gels, soda, or processed sugar.  I discovered that not only was it attainable, but I actually felt MUCH better throughout the event.

As for Lindsey, I am posting this with a huge smile on my face!  I’m so proud of my wife for achieving this goal (even spitting out a cookie our 3 year old literally put in her mouth at one point.  “It’ll be yummy for you!”).  Lindsey has an incredibly strong mindset that gotten her through the insanity of medical school and residency while overcoming some major adversity in her life.

I’m excited to share our conversation (and maybe a window into our weirdness) with you guys!

In this episode Lindsey and I share the ups and downs of our month doing the Whole 30 diet.  What was easy?  What was challenging?  How do we feel now?  What did we learn about our previous routines and how can we implement changes in a sustainable way?

Also, a little change of format this week.  We are playing with time in a very “LOSTesque” way!  The first 15 minutes or so were recorded before the challenge on December 30th, 2016 and the last 45 minutes were recorded post challenge on February 1st, 2017.

Hope you guys enjoy this episode! As always check out the rest of the podcasts right here: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

To learn more about Whole30 make sure you visit their website: http://whole30.com

If you are a parent or an athlete….or a parent-athlete, you are going to love this one!

Sara and Wes Turner are two of the most driven athletes in Virginia.  On this podcast we like to highlight people rebelling against the status quo and I’m happy to say that this husband and wife team are epitomizing the Like a Bigfoot spirit!

For the past few years Wes has been literally chasing his goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon.  He is beyond driven, missing ZERO workouts while winning race after races he slowly creeps up to the magic 2 hours and 18 minutes needed to qualify.  Dude is FAST!

Sara is also a runner and spends her time training and writing on her popular blog “Running Wife” being completely transparent about the peaks and valleys of being in training, racing, and cheering on her husband throughout this journey.

Recently their story has transformed as they added the challenge of having a baby.  Now they are in the middle of adapting from life as “two married athletes” into “daddy/mommy athletes”…or as I like to say “dadthlete”…and I guess “momthlete”.  They now are learning how to balance their workout routines with the amazingness and stressfulness of parenthood.

As a dadthlete myself (who just had to abandon my morning workout mid-deadlift because my 6 month old decided 5am was the pristine moment to start her day) I can tell you that parenthood adds whole new dimensions to being an athlete.  You can let it completely derail your training or you can choose to use it as a tool to make you a mentally stronger, more flexible competitor.  Sara and Wes are excellent examples of parents choosing the latter.  Their dedication to both their family and their individual goals is inspiring.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Sara finished 1,000 miles throughout her pregnancy (in a safe, doctor-approved and husband-doctor-approved way).

In this episode we chat about misconceptions of exercising when pregnant, how Wes completes every workout through the exhaustion that is doctor residency, what it’s like to run at the front of the pack, Sara’s plan for postpartum training, how they have adapted to life with their wonderful son Easton, dealing with mental barriers while chasing a goal, and how Wes plans on incrementally gaining those few minutes to reach his milestone.

Check it out!  These two are AWESOME!

They are currently live in Danville, Virginia where they are training for the Boston Marathon in April where Sara will run her first race postpartum and Wes will continue hunting for that magic marathon time.

Follow their story at Sara’s excellent blog www.runningwife.com  or her very active community on instagram @therunningwife.

Make sure you are getting after it this week in pursuit of whatever your goals may be. Use this story to inspire you to drive forward and give 100% of your own effort!