Live better, longer

Dr. Dean Ornish and Tony’s personal trainer, Billy Beck, with strategies for a healthier life

Posted by: Team Tony

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No matter who you are, your age, your background, it’s likely that you’ve thought about living a healthier life at some point – especially around the new year. In fact, more than half of new year’s resolutions in the United States are related to health and vitality, like exercising more or eating healthier.

But what does “health” really mean? What it means to you is personal, and probably different from how your closest friends or family members think about it. Maybe you’re trying to lose weight, or exercise more so you can fit into your clothes better, or have more energy to keep up with your kids. Maybe you are one of the millions of Americans that are pre-diabetic, and need to make major changes in your diet. Maybe you’re feeling higher levels of stress or anxiety and you want to have a healthier mindset, to feel more free from worry on a daily basis.

Whatever health looks like to you, one thing is for sure: Without it, you can’t make progress in other areas of your life. When your health suffers, so does everything else – your relationships, your career, finances, your loved ones and family. But with so many diets and health and vitality products, it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start. 

Humans are hard-wired to avoid pain and seek out pleasure. Food is one of the most common ways we do that. When we have that late-night snack or piece of candy, we get a dopamine hit. We feel good. Yet we always crash. Then we feel guilty – another emotion that can lead to more eating. This is a pattern many of us are stuck in.

To create lasting change and live better, longer, you must interrupt these patterns and free yourself from that negative connection between health and mindset. First, decide: What do you really want and what’s preventing you from having it? Whatever you focus on, you move toward. Don’t think about what you don’t want. Think about what you do want. Then take action. Remember that repetition is the mother of skills. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be consistent, and you’ll get results.

Living in a state of peak health has served as the foundation for Tony’s success throughout his entire life – because without health, it’s impossible to perform at full capacity. Tony is not a health expert, but he brings in experts to speak at his events, like world-renowned doctors and researchers, to give his audience multiple perspectives on health so they can make informed decisions about their lifestyle.

In this episode, you’ll hear from two of those people: Dr. Dean Ornish, a well-known physician and researcher, and Tony’s personal trainer Billy Beck, who works with him every day as he travels the world, helping him maintain the energy he needs to serve his audience at the highest level possible. You’ll also hear from Tony, on the mindset you need to embrace in order to do something that so many people struggle to do: lose weight, and keep it off for good.

Dr. Ornish will talk about reframing the way we think about health. It isn’t enough to want to get healthy out of fear: fear of dying, fear of weight gain or fear of what others will think. You must reframe your reasons for changing from fear of dying – which is not sustainable – to joy of living, which is. You must get something back that is even better than what you’re giving up.

Billy Beck echoes these philosophies in his expert advice, as well. He says that traditional fitness says “You’re not enough” when what it needs to say is “You have everything you need to do this.” Anyone can lose fat. Anyone can build muscle. It’s physiological. Any other thought you have is a limiting belief, and is only holding you back. 

Listen to the podcast to hear more about:

• How neuroplasticity helps us change our patterns
• Why lifestyle changes are the most effective way to get healthy
• Another epidemic in our society that goes beyond physical health
• The difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger
• How to eat proactively, not reactively

EPISODE NOTES
[01:53] Episode introduction
[03:55] Segment 1: Tony on the fundamental steps of lasting change
[04:40] Food as a way of getting out of pain and into pleasure
[05:09] You don’t succeed using willpower alone
[05:51] Decide what you want and what’s preventing you from having it
[06:30] Repetition is the mother of skill
[07:15] The importance of focusing on what you want
[08:00] Define what your compelling target is
[08:45] Why leverage is key to losing weight
[09:30] Decide on something, and stick to it
[10:00] Download the Breakthrough app
[10:30] Segment 2: Dr. Dean Ornish on how to change mind and body
[11:16] The power of meditation and focusing energy
[11:45] When you focus your mind, it has an effect on your body
[12:39] Quieting your mind and body for performance
[12:56] What sets world class athletes apart from the rest
[13:15] Lifestyle changes to prevent Type 2 Diabetes
[13:35] The Navigator Study
[14:17] Get your blood sugar down to avoid complications
[14:46] Reframe the fear of change to joy
[15:13] The power of neuroplasticity
[15:47] How to combat cognitive decline with diet
[16:20] Increasing neurogenesis with food
[17:03] The spectrum approach to health
[18:00] The different categories of foods within the spectrum
[18:50] Ask yourself: how much are you willing to change?
[19:37] Plants are the optimal way of eating
[20:20] Why sugar can be toxic
[20:46] The benefits of fish oil
[21:36] Americans are eating more fat than ever
[22:15] The real epidemic: loneliness and depression
[22:58] It’s not how long we live, it’s how well
[23:20] Compassion and love heal separation
[22:50] Use the experience of suffering for transformation
[24:24] Learn more about Life and Wealth Mastery
[24:50] Segment 3: Interview with Billy Beck, Tony’s personal trainer
[27:43] What Billy does to maintain peak performance
[28:24] The practice of purpose when training
[29:20] Tony’s morning adrenal support cocktail
[28:38] PM, red light lasers, and applied kinesiology
[30:10] Dr. Jerry Tennant’s device
[30:26] Breakfast, Egoscue, Rebounding, Cryotherapy
[31:30] Dr. Jerry Tennant and the idea of voltage
[32:35] Eat foods that are as close to the source as possible
[33:20] The truth about red light therapy
[34:15] Exercise for a higher purpose than losing weight
[34:40] Billy’s purpose and long-term vision
[35:33] Doing workouts with intention, not just to look good
[36:40] Traditional fitness says “you’re not enough”
[37:20] The stories we tell ourselves only hold us back
[37:54] The new paradigm: I am worthy
[38:44] What holds people back from getting healthier
[39:22] The story of Milo of Creton
[40:12] The 3 types of exercise
[41:00] The higher the voltage, the stronger the immune function
[42:00] How to build ATP
[42:25] Billy Beck’s 7 day challenge
[42:53] The best ratio: testosterone high, cortisol low
[43:51] Training of professional athletes vs. non professional athletes
[44:03] Sage Robbins’ experience of working with Billy
[46:20] #1 health myth – no pain, no gain
[46:48] Stimulate your body, don’t annihilate it
[47:03] The BOSS principle – how you know if your workout is working
[48:02] The core principles that work for every human being
[48:28] Drink enough water
[49:07] Eat whole foods, avoid processed
[49:30] Create a routine
[50:22] How intermittent fasting can help with decision making
[50:45] Broccoli sprouts and the work of Dr. Rhonda Patrick
[51:39] Study on intermittent fasting
[52:37] Emotional hunger vs. physical hunger
[53:15] Why it’s important to have integrity with yourself
[53:34] Billy Beck’s 7 day challenge /12 day primer