Podcast 242: 5 Stress-Busting Strategies for Busy People.

9781118766026_200 by Sean Croxton

Sometimes I disappear.

A month (or more) may pass between blog posts. The radio show will go silent. The weekly newsletters stop arriving in your inbox.

Some may misconstrue my disappearing acts for indolence or even a lack of passion for what I do. However, the truth is that my twice-a-year extended bouts of online inactivity substantiate my mission, not undermine it.

I mean, I’m not one to air anyone’s dirty laundry but consider how many health authorities “talk” about stress management while evidently not following their own advice — promoting “self care” but not taking really care of themselves.

I prefer to walk the talk. And if that means losing a few thousand subscribers or making half the money some people think I can make, I’m good with it. I love my job, but I love me more.

And sometimes I need a break.

Working primarily as a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner for 4 years, I learned some of life’s best lessons from my clients. One of which was that systemic dysfunction (hormonal, digestive, immune, etc.) and poor stress management were usually attached at the hip.

Posted by UW Sean in wellness

Gorillas, The Bible, and Women. [VIDEO]

Screen Shot 2014-01-24 at 9.32.10 AM by Sean Croxton

It’s weird, the guy really does look like a caveman…

It’s kinda like I’m living in that old movie, Encino Man. You know, the one about the two high school students who stumble upon a frozen paleolithic man while digging a pool in their backyard. They thaw him out, give him a cool haircut and a clean shave, and take him to school where he gets all the girls.

But in this case, the caveman sleeping on my couch this week speaks in complete sentences, wrote one of my favorite books of last year, and even has a degree from Harvard.

Evolution…

Last night, John Durant and I sat down for a short interview about a couple of my favorite sections of his Paleo Manifesto as well as his upcoming free online event, Paleo Con.

Posted by UW Sean in podcast, wellness

Podcast 241: Food Industry Secrets with The Food Babe!

vani-hari-food-babe by Sean Croxton

Check this one out…

In the UK, food products containing petroleum-derived dyes require warning labels due to research linking certain shades of yellow to odd behaviors like children bouncing off of walls and running with scissors.

So to avoid having to slap a “you’re a bad parent if you buy me” sticker on one of their best selling products, Kraft Foods went out of its way to cook up a special dye-free version of their Mac & Cheese for their UK customers.

But here’s where it gets weird. Despite being fully aware of the hyperactivity problems linked to the chemical additives lurking inside of their Spongebob-by boxes of neon macaroni evidently marketed to children, Kraft kept peddling them here in the States.

Sounds pretty darn yellow, if you ask me.

From what I hear, put side-by-side in a lineup the reformulated UK version and the crack-for-kids American model are pretty much like twins, virtually identical in appearance and taste.

When a couple of my favorite real foodie bloggers, Vani Hari and Lisa Leake, took action and gathered over 250,0000 signatures from concerned customers demanding that Kraft remove all artificial dyes from their mac and cheese products, the company crossed their arms and refused to budge. Evidently we Americans can handle our yellow dye #5 better than our friends across the pond.

Posted by UW Sean in podcast, wellness

Podcast 240: The Louder the Blogger, the Wronger the Blogger.

by Sean Croxton

I had no idea what I was talking about.

It was the first video I’d ever made on YouTube, way back in 2007 — all about the mathematic model of fat loss. Burn more calories than you take in and you’ll lose fat. Take in more calories than you burn and you’ll pack on the pounds.

I even brought props. To drive home my point, I held up a rubbery, yellowish model of a pound of fat. Then for comparison, I held up a pound of muscle. If my memory serves me, I went on to explain how adding a pound of muscle will help you burn an extra 50 calories per day.

Be sure to hit the weights, oh YouTube people. Those calories really do add up!

I clicked the “upload” button and a few hours later returned to my account to find hundreds of comments and “thumbs up” from people around the world who seemed to enjoy the way I explained things.

That was the day that my life completely changed. As a rather shy, socially-anxious personal trainer at the time, I was instantly hooked on my newfound ability to connect with people all the way on the other side of the globe through video.

At the same time, I had no idea that the information I was so righteously espousing to my subscribers was totally and completely wrong.

The mathematical model of fat loss was a myth. And there was absolutely no scientific evidence proving that a pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day. None.

I wasn’t teaching, I was repeating — literally parroting what some “authority” (most likely one of my college professors) had so confidently parroted to me.

Posted by UW Sean in podcast, wellness

Podcast 239: Just Let Me Eat My Beans and Rice in Peace…

by Sean Croxton

I’m not giving up my sushi.

Hell to the no…

And if I post a pic of my spicy tuna hand roll on my Instagram feed, you better not leave a comment about how it’s “not paleo”.

While I totally respect your lionhearted diehard-ed-ness for being one of the few and the proud who can stick to a diet that snubs all grains, legumes, and dairy products, I also know that a strict paleo diet is not for me.

Yes, I’m a sinner. I tried to remain steadfast to my caveman commitment but couldn’t keep my eye from wandering.

Let’s face it, raw fish without white rice is like Facebook with no friends. A glass of raw milk makes me feel like I’m glowing. And I’m half-Mexican, so kicking beans to the curb would have my ancestors rolling over in their graves.

“Lo siento, abuela! No puedo comer arroz y frijoles. Yo soy paleo!”

That’s not happening.

But don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m munching on rice cakes and bean pies every day. I’m still a faithful real foodie. I just like to flirt.

As it turns out, I’m not the only one who finds a strict paleo diet personally unsustainable and cumbersome. According to Chris Kresser, in his badass new book Your Personal Paleo Code…

“We don’t live in the Paleolithic era anymore. We’re not cavemen, so why should we follow a strict caveman diet? Why should we cut out foods we love and might thrive on simply because our ancestors didn’t eat them? We’ve evolved, and we need a plan that’s evolved to meet our individual needs and preferences. Why not combine the best of ancient wisdom and the best of modern nutrition?”

Finally, someone who understands me.