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Episode 88: Cravings, Boundaries, Play, and Pleasure with Alexandra Jamieson

Growing up outside of Portland, Alexandra describes her childhood as “growing up with hippies.” Always eating healthy, straight out of a garden to be exact, Alex as a young child always craved sugar.

“When I found out that the church down the street served cookies and kool-aid every weekend, I started going to church…by myself, just to have the cookies!”

jamieson-a-photo-hi9508d9By the age of 15, like most teenagers, Alexandra finally got to decide her own diet and what she chose to eat, especially now that she had a job and was making her own money. This continued for about 10 years, until she began to get extremely sick in her mid 20’s.

“I had migraine headaches about 3-4 days a week and put on about 20 lbs. even after the extra college weight.”

The first doctor she visited, wrote her a prescription for a cocktail of different meds, but it wasn’t until her second (and different) doctor visit, that they actually found the core of the issues.

“He asked what I had been eating, and gave me a list of foods to eat and a list of foods to avoid. I wanted to cry! The list to avoid was everything I loved.”

It may have been a bottom-point for Alexandra during that time of pain and disappointment, but it turned into a love and passion for food, molding her into what we would call a “Food Junkie!”

She attended culinary school at The Natural Gourmet Institute and began diving headfirst into nutritional research, specifically geared towards healing foods.

Flashing forward to present day and the (thankfully) healthier Alexandra, she shares the story of how she met her husband, Morgan, and the film they produced together, that not only changed their lives, but the lives of the millions viewers who have ever watched “Super Size Me.” (And if you haven’t, I HIGHLY recommend it!)

Listen in as Alexandra shares the science behind cravings, the power of healing foods and her extensive amount of nutritional knowledge, that I believe is vital for a healthier happier YOU!

“You cant just take away sugar, you cant just take away the foods that give you that dopamine hit. You have to also add in fun and play and pleasure in equal amounts.”

Going off of what Alexandra said, it’s about taking away AND adding in…it’s called a balanced life!

In This Episode You Will Learn About:

  • Sugar addiction
  • Eating healthy
  • Food awareness
  • Diet
  • Wellness
  • Self care
  • Cravings

Resources:

See more from the lovely Alexandra at alexandrajamieson.com and make sure you download her AMAZING & FREE meditations, through the link above!

Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Please tell me what you thought below and, if you liked what you heard, please click the SHARE button! Thanks!

Episode 86: Get MORE by DOING LESS – AND The SCIENCE to Back It Up with Shawn Stevenson

Shawn Stevenson is a bestselling author and creator of The Model Health Show, featured as the #1 Nutrition and Fitness podcast on iTunes. A graduate of The University of Missouri – St. Louis with a background in biology and kinesiology, Shawn went on to be the founder of Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a successful company that provides Wellness Services for both individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn is also a dynamic keynote speaker who has spoken for TEDx, universities, and numerous organizations with outstanding reviews.

shawn-headshotAs an aspiring athlete, Shawn had a bright future in football and other sports. Staying active and playing sports was a way of life, until a tragic incident at the age of 15. Breaking his hip while running on the school track, Shawn came to later find out that he had Degenerative Bone Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease.

“My physician at the time told me I had the spine of an 80 year old, when I was only 20 years old.”

As the years went by, due to lack of motivation and ability to be as active as he once was, Shawn began packing on the pounds. Not only was this disease effecting his body, but also his sleep. The pain it brought on from switching comfortable positions in bed, was unreal.

“I would take a special cocktail of medicines before bed, just to knock me out. But it was pseudo sleep, not the high-quality type of sleep.”

With the hopes and all of his trust of his future solely in the doctors hands, it didn’t take long before Shawn realized that it was up to HIM to get HIMSELF better.

“I cut away the possibility of anything else, besides me getting well.” And so the journey began…to where Shawn is now!

Fast forwarding, and healing (Spoiler alert!) Shawn has become a Best Selling Author and a health/sleep genius! His joy became being of service to those around him, to sharing his story and helping heal those in need. Whether it be love and relationships, health and nutrition or even just the advice to become your own leader, Shawn holds a space to help us all!

With absolutely, amazingly insane health and sleep tips, Shawn’s interview on todays podcast is one that I highly recommend you tune into!

Did you know you could lose fat while you sleep? …count me in!

In This Episode You Will Learn About:

  • Relationships
  • Love
  • Abundance
  • Diagnosis’
  • Optimizing nutrition
  • Movement
  • Sleep
  • Heath tips
  • Willpower
  • Helping others

Resources:

For the ultimate guide to maximizing your sleep and your heath, head over to theshawnstevensonmodel.com or follow him on social media @shawnmodel

Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Please tell me what you thought below and, if you liked what you heard, please click the SHARE button! Thanks!

Episode 84: Shift Your METABOLISM For PEAK ENERGY and FAT LOSS with Mark Sisson

Health and fitness expert Mark Sisson is the Best Selling Author of The Primal Blueprint and one of the leading voices of the Evolutionary Health Movement. His blog, MarksDailyApple.com, has paved the way for Primal enthusiasts to challenge conventional wisdom’s diet and exercise principles and take personal responsibility for their health and well-being.

mark-sisson-photoMark’s efforts to promote primal living extend to a line of nutritional supplements, a book publishing company, a Primal Kitchen line with healthy mayonnaise, salad dressing, and other functional foods, and the burgeoning Primal Kitchen Restaurants fast casual restaurant chain. Mark is a former elite endurance athlete, with a 2:18 marathon and a 4th place Hawaii Ironman finish. His latest book, Primal Endurance, applies the primal eating and lifestyle principles to the challenge of endurance training—helping athletes overcome the common conditions of burnout and carbohydrate dependency.

With the combination of Evolutionary Science and Modern Genetic Science, Mark shares his overflow of knowledge with us, in the field of health and wellness.

“It’s all about the food you eat, the types of movement you choose to do, your sun exposure, the amount of sleep you get and even the amount of play you give yourself.”

The above is what Mark likes to call, our “Primal Blueprint.”

Looking for ways to live your healthiest and happiest life while enjoying every bit of food you eat? Mark’s life hacks and tips allow us to do so without the feelings of regret and/or sacrifice.

“I want people to arrive at a space where they are intuitively making the kind of choices they feel good about in real time, but that don’t compromise their health long-term.”

Mark helps us understand that we in fact CAN have it all. The great foods, the fit bodies, the healthy heart etc..Our one life to live shouldn’t have to revolve around sacrificing the food and things that make our mouths happy.

“It’s also about the movement. It doesn’t have to be something we dread. I like to find ways to move that are fun, so it can become something you look forward to, and enjoyable experience.”

Getting rid of all processed foods and “sweets” is on the top of his tip list. Re-wiring our brain to curb these cravings will help substantially. Listen in, to hear what Mark substitutes in, when he has those sweet cravings. (I’ve never even heard this one before!)

With the most positive outlooks on intakes, Mark’s great advice will have you amped to be the healthiest version of you!

In This Episode You Will Learn About:

  • Shifting metabolism
  • Peak energy
  • Fat loss
  • Health tips
  • Diet
  • Optimizing fitness
  • Food choices
  • Reduce cravings
  • Body input

Resources:

For more healthy and sustainable tips, you can find Mark at marksdailyapple.com.

Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Please tell me what you thought below and, if you liked what you heard, please click the SHARE button! Thanks!