Exercise, abs, nutrition… oh my! In today’s podcast episode, Danny Thompson, founder of You Can 2 Fit, has some excellent tips on how to improve your body, mind, & overall health.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How to create a balanced fitness routine
• The basics of the Weston A. Price Diet
• Tips to make strength training more fun
• Common gym mistakes
• The #1 intermittent fasting mistake
• Common diet mistakes when it comes to fat loss
• How much you should eat depending on your goals
• Why chicken and brown rice are not as healthy as you think
• Motivational mindset tips

Episode Highlights

Who is Danny Thompson?

Danny is a Synergistic Performance Coach & former NCAA Division I Athlete with the following certifications: Personal Trainer, Nutrition & Human Potential Coach, and USA Weightlifting Performance Specialist.

Growing up, he struggled with obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. Through educating himself on nutrition, upgrading his social circle, and changing his mindset, he transformed his health. Now, Danny works with clients full-time on prioritizing health, growth, and performance.

Fitness = the first stepping stone towards a healthier lifestyle.

Starting to exercise regularly is a great first step towards becoming your best self. Even though nutrition is arguably more important than working out, I recommend that clients start moving more throughout the day before overwhelming them with dietary changes. Why? Because exercising boosts confidence, mood, and self-belief. It builds the momentum and mindset traits that people need to acquire if they want to successfully change their eating habits.

You are not your past.

Danny grew up eating highly processed food and struggled with digestive issues, and obesity. On his weight loss journey, his body wasn’t the only thing changing… Danny shifted his mindset. Instead of settling for mediocrity, he became focused on optimizing his performance through personal and spiritual development. Danny is living proof that you can reach new levels of happiness and health!

Politcally correct diet vs. Weston A. Price Diet

When Danny was struggling with his weight, he was following all of the “politically correct”  diet tips that he learned from bodybuilding and fitness magazines. He was eating less and moving more, consuming 6 small meals per day, drinking protein shakes, and eating high protein, low fat food. Danny eventually reached a plateau. He was working extremely hard, but lacking results. His friend, a Nutrition Specialist, recommended learning more about the Weston A. Price lifestyle.

The Weston A. Price Diet emphasizes the importance of traditional, nutrient-dense food. Specific goals of the Weston A. Price Foundation include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk, a ban on the use of soy formula for infants, and standardization of organic, grass-fed farming.

Dr. Weston A. Price was a dentist who lived from 1870-1948, a time when packaged and processed foods were on the rise. He noticed his patients’ teeth were becoming more prone to decay. Dr. Price became passionate about studying the root causes of tooth decay. Through his research, he discovered that people who ate a diet high in processed foods such as sugar, white flour, vegetable oils, and canned goods were experiencing fast tooth decay and health problems. To learn more about the history of the Weston A. Price Diet and Foundation, check out Danny’s summary.

Chicken and brown rice might not be as “clean” as you think.

Research shows that up to 55% of uncooked chicken products from popular supermarkets contained arsenic, a chemical found in pesticides. The FDA sites that long-term exposure to arsenic increases risk of heart disease and cancer (skin, bladder, lungs).

Unfortunately, arsenic is becoming a common part of chicken feed to improve pigmentation and speed up growth.

Rice is another example of a high arsenic food. According to studies, it is the single biggest food source of inorganic arsenic, which is the most toxic form. Brown rice contains more arsenic than white rice and aromatic rice (basmati, jasmine, etc.).

What do you do if you like chicken and rice?

• Be sure to choose pasture-raised chicken & limit your consumption if possible. Pasture-raised, organic eggs, 100% grass-fed meat, or wild caught, low mercury fish are great replacements for chicken.
• Look for white basmati rice from the Himalayan region (North India, North Pakistan, and Nepal) and wash it before cooking (reduces 10-28% of arsenic).

6-Pack Mistakes

Not eating enough

If you eat less calories than your Basal Metabolic Rate (i.e. the amount of calories your burn per day completely at rest) or create too much of a calorie deficit, you could be damaging your metabolism and hormones.

Research suggests that a long-term, calorie-restricted diet is a stressor on the body and signals an increase in cortisol, a stress hormone that can promote the storage of belly fat. You might lose weight at first, but gain it all back (and more) later. 

Thinking you can out-exercise a bad diet.

Abs are made in the kitchen! With the right micronutrients and fuel, your body will burn fat, and your brain will stop craving junk food.

While crunches and planks can strengthen your ab muscles, you will not see a 6-pack unless you are improving your diet and are losing overall body fat.

Common workout mistakes

Inefficient breathing

Breathing incorrectly can lead to dizziness or premature fatigue during exercise. Practice exhaling during the concentric phase of the move and inhaling during the eccentric phase.

The concentric part of an exercise is when your muscles are becoming shortened (i.e. lifting up from a lowered push-up position, curling upwards during a bicep curl). The eccentric part of an exercise is when your muscles are becoming lengthened (i.e. lowering the weight during a bicep curl, lowering down to do a deadlift).

Using weights before you master your form.

To prevent injury, it’s important to learn and master the correct form of an exercise before adding weights. Learn more about how to avoid the most common mistakes when it comes to your form here.

Your implementation homework…

Post a photo or video of yourself on Instagram applying one of the tips you learned from this episode! Be sure to tag me (@hailey_rowe) and hashtag “#haileyroweshow” to be entered to win a free prize!