Episode Transcript
[00:00:11] Speaker A: What's worthwhile, worthy of our time, energy, belief and action. I'm Ramsey Zimmerman. To me, it's building mind, body and spirit wellness towards peace of mind, vitality of body and joy of spirit. Let's pursue these topics together to find holistic health and wellness.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: When things get really complicated is when it gets. People don't do stuff. And so if you can simple make it simple and easy to follow, I think then you're going to have a lot greater success. I just try to keep it more like let's just focus on the basics. We focus on some of the big pillars, right, like activity, sleep, stress, and obviously what you're putting in your body and nutrition. So what are those sort of low hanging fruits that could make the biggest impact on your health and get you results?
[00:01:06] Speaker A: Hey there, it's Ramsey here.
[00:01:08] Speaker C: That was Brian Gryn.
[00:01:09] Speaker D: Brian is a FDNP wellness coach, which stands for functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner, the host of the Get Lean, Eat Clean podcast, creator and author of the Stepladder System, and a human movement specialist. Brian and I spoke about his no nonsense, practical approach to overall wellness and his focus on working with people to reclaim how they felt years ago before life got in the way of their fitness. If that's you, don't despair. We've got thoughts on how to get it going again. One more quick thing. My voice was a bit scratchy when we recorded. I was just getting over a nasty head cold. So apologies for that. Let's jump in.
[00:01:48] Speaker C: Hey Brian, how are you doing today?
[00:01:50] Speaker B: Great, Ramsey. Thanks for having me on.
[00:01:53] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. I'm excited to have you on. Thanks for coming on.
Gotta tell you, I'm a big fan of your podcast.
I think you do a really great job of kind of going back and forth between your solo micro podcast and like the full version with the guests.
Your podcast is called Get Lean, Eat Clean and why don't we start there? Who is your, who is your podcast for and what is it all about?
[00:02:27] Speaker B: Yeah, so my podcast is geared towards, I would say, middle aged males who are looking to get their body and mind back to what it once was, maybe 10, 15 years ago. That's like the theme of the podcast.
[00:02:42] Speaker C: You know, we're, we're recording only the audio. But you're looking at me when you say that like that's kind of, kind of creepy. Like I think I fit that d. That demographic there.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: Oh, okay. There we go. So maybe there's a reason I'm on. Yeah, right now. Right.
[00:02:58] Speaker C: But anyway, keep going. So middle aged men in particular but women also who are kind of looking to, to regain what they had in the past 10 or 15 years.
[00:03:09] Speaker B: Yeah, and, you know, I just try to bring on intriguing guests or also do, like you mentioned, micro podcasts that touch on relevant topics that I either discussed with that guest or that I feel like should sort of be brought out in the open.
So, yeah, it's been, it's been a great experience.
Met a lot of tonight, Met a ton of great people. And yeah, episode, I think I have 442 episodes, so decent amount.
[00:03:41] Speaker C: Yeah, that is awesome. I've only been at this for about a year now. I've only, I guess I'm at 50 some podcasts and, you know, I have. I find myself trying to keep up with the, you know, the different things that I'm learning about and seems like you, you just have a ton of content packed in week after week. Is it hard to, hard to keep up? Is it hard to integrate that much information like you, you do a great job, like you said, with sort of digging into the topics kind of in between with your, with your micro podcast?
[00:04:20] Speaker B: Well, I think the, the big thing is I try not to have a bias and I try to bring a varying array of guests on. Now, it might not work out perfectly. I think there are guests that I sort of lean towards over others. But, you know, in the health space, there are a lot of differing opinions, whether it's from like vegan to carnivore in that spectrum, if you talk about just, you know, eating, eating habits. So. But I try to have a wide array of guests and bring, and bring on different opinions and let the viewer sort of make the decision on what they want to sort of follow or who they want to, you know, take their sort of information from and run with it. So. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:05:09] Speaker C: Lots of, lots of different ways to approach this. And what was your kind of perspective or starting point? Like what, what, what are some of, what's some of your background? Did you struggle with your health and fitness in the past or have you always been sort of healthy? What's, what's your experience been?
[00:05:29] Speaker B: Yeah, I never had like a huge struggle. I know there's some people who have a big struggle, lose 150 pounds and then decide to start a podcast and talk about it, which is great, but like, I never really had a huge struggle. I was luckily exposed to, you know, resistance training and eating healthier for my parents. And so that was, that was sort of a press that was set early on probably in my high school years.
And so that got me interested, started lifting when I was in, in high school and then out of school was into it. I used to train out of a studio for a friend of mine who owned a studio for years and was in the corporate world for a while, but it really wasn't for me. So I think my interests were early on I, I think I knew I, you know, health and wellness was sort of where I wanted to be and yeah, it just sort of evolved into, into this. So.
[00:06:29] Speaker C: And the, the health and wellness where you wanted to be, was it because of sort of a, an interest in the topic? Was it sort of a societal thing? Was it, you know, did you see people around you that you thought it would benefit? Like what, what is it about health and fitness that that got you excited?
[00:06:51] Speaker B: I think what got me excited was just like the, the way I felt and the results that I was getting in my own life and the fact that I feel like I could have, I could help others, you know, get those results. So I think it initially it probably just started with my own personal journey of just getting in good shape and eating clean and doing things like that and how that made me feel. And then I, as I started working with individuals, just seeing results by helping others.
[00:07:20] Speaker C: Yeah, that makes sense.
So looking at kind of middle aged professionals, people who are just kind of going about life and you know, they had some vigor and you know, interest in doing things when they were younger. But you know, life happens and we get tied up in other priorities and things like that. What, what are, what are some of the ways to recapture that and sort of get back that edge that we can remember but is frustrating because, you know, we just don't quite have it anymore at this point.
[00:08:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean you see that a lot, right. Like individuals as, you know, obviously as we all get older, our, our priorities change and a lot of times it's taken off like ourselves and put on either our family or like our job. And so our health is on the back burner.
And you. I just see this over and over again and, and I think that eventually individuals start to realize that, especially if they reach out to me or someone else regarding, you know, getting back their body to what, what it once was is they realize that without their health, you know, what do they have and how can they help individuals that they, that they love. So I think first and foremost it's important. And the first step a lot of times I take with, with individuals is just creating clarity around, you know, know, like why they want to get back or why they want to improve their health. And you know, just understand like sort of these patterns that have arisen from the last 15, 20 years to get to them, that have gotten them to this point. So I think initially it's about creating some clarity and then it's about just building, you know, habits and momentum to help them overcome, you know, whatever, you know, these unconscious habits have taken them. Yeah, yeah.
[00:09:27] Speaker C: So I understand you have a, a six pillar assessment for health.
What are those six pillars?
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Well, one with which I just talked about was creating clarity is really important and just sort of getting a, like a, a baseline assessment of where this person's at.
And so this could be like a DEXA scan or just like even tracking how they're eating or journaling just to get an idea like what's the starting point here? And then from there the second step is getting some, making some small changes and getting some results right away. I think building momentum early on is really important and also finding out like what are those sort of low hanging fruits that could make the biggest impact on your health and get you results. Because I think that someone who's had, maybe struggled with their health for a long period of time, it can be discouraging. And I think that it's important to get like, even if it's small, just get some type of results early on. And so that's something we really focus on.
And then from there, you know, we focus, excuse me, we focus on some of the big pillars, right? Like activity, sleep, stress and obviously what you're putting in your body and nutrition. So those are the six steps and that was sort of the basis behind my six month program and then the book. So.
[00:11:01] Speaker C: Yeah, well that's great. So first step being clarity, finding out kind of why and how it is that you're, you're doing stuff and then starting to implement some, some small changes.
The third one being activity. Right, so like exercise and things that you're doing, sleep, stress and nutrition, these are all really great basic fundamental foundations as we, as we like to call them. I'm in a nutritional therapy program, so we're kind of going through all of these as well. Let's talk a bit more about, you know, some of these in on your list here. So activity exercises, what are some of your favorite forms of activity? Movement exercises, sports that you like to recommend for people.
[00:12:02] Speaker B: So well, first of all, I think it's important to understand where that person is coming from and if they've never done any type of like resistance training, I think that's A great place to start. You know, as, as we know getting older, we want to avoid like sarcopenia, which is muscle loss and breakdown and, and bone health as well is really important. So those two things, those two pillars can get improved just by adding some type of resistance training. This could be bands, could be weights, could be body weight exercises depending on where this person has started from. And I think what's important to understand when I talk about activity and upgrading it is you don't, it doesn't have to be some groundbreaking workout. It could literally be a 20 minute workout. I talk about micro workouts all the time and those are things that you can do a short period of time. And I like them because it sort of takes the excuse out for a lot of people because we all like to try to make excuses, especially of things that we don't enjoy. And if it's, you know, resistance training is something that you're not fond of, you know, anyone can do it for 15, 20 minutes and you just got to schedule it in or get a coach or, or find a way to have, you know, be held accountable. So yeah, I think building overall strength and putting on muscle is, should be like on the forefront. The first thing now I would say that's 1A, 1B would be some type of walking.
Walking. I actually, you know, I have a newsletter that goes out and I, and I was talking about walking. I think it's the most underrated health benefit, like just the most underrated health activity that individuals can do. I'm. I walk my dogs three times a week. Excuse me, three times a day. So yeah, not three times a week. I. Three times a day. So I'm always out there walking. But it is amazing to see that a lot of people don't sort of put this into their schedule and add it on because it doesn't take equipment. You know, all, all you need is obviously pair of shoes and just, you know, obviously maybe some halfway decent weather. But we sort of walk in every, every type of weather. But I think those two, those two activities right there can really set you above. So yeah, that was the start.
[00:14:25] Speaker C: I definitely agree with you on the walking and just the general activity level. It seems like lifestyle today, maybe we're getting back to it, but especially the past few years, it just seems like we found every way to not have to get up and get out. You know, whether it's getting out of the chair or getting out of the house or, or going to the store, you know, even going to the restaurant to get your own Takeout is too much, you know, gotta have somebody deliver it. But just getting back to the idea of getting up, getting out, going for walks makes a huge difference, especially kind of at our age. And you know, it's just a question of are you going to be out doing stuff and walking or are you going to stay home and not do stuff? And you know that. And when the weather is lousy and it, it's, we even have to sort of realize and understand that the human body was designed for interacting with different temperatures. You know, so getting out and walking in lousy weather is good for multiple reasons because you're getting the exercise and you're getting exposed to the, the cold and, or the hot.
You know, this perfect 70 degree indoor air temperature is not something that the human body was even designed for.
[00:15:57] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, you know, sunlight is obviously very beneficial in many, many ways. So getting, getting out and just getting sunlight on your eyes in the morning and on your skin, you know, right there. So I mean walking can sort of knock out a lot of like, just like pillars of health. That should be, that should be a, a must have for everybody. So.
[00:16:24] Speaker C: Yeah, and so sleep is kind of the next one. You, you, you mentioned getting sun on the eyes. And getting sun on the eyes is related to not only just getting up and being active, but also to sleep. Right. Because talk to me some more about how people can get better sleep. Because I think that we live in a nation of sleep deprived people and I think plenty of people don't even realize that you never get past the needing of seven or eight hours of good quality sleep. Especially older people are like, oh no, I don't need that much sleep anymore. I get four hours, five hours, that's all I can get. Is that true? Is that, is that okay or is that sleep deprivation?
[00:17:11] Speaker B: Yeah, that's probably sleep deprivation. I mean, I know that there's a little bit of a, a window that some people do require less sleep than others, but from what I've seen, like seven and a half to nine is like where the sweet spot is and not only just like the time of sleep, how much, but like the quality is, is, is just as important. I mean, it's definitely something that you want to prioritize and something that maybe some people don't until they get a little bit older. You know, I think when you're in your like 20s, you don't really think about it that much. I know I have nieces and nephews and I don't even know their sleeping habits aren't Great.
And they're up, they're up on their phones probably till like 3 in the morning so things like that. But, but as you get older, at least I have, I think it's like always at the forefront like, like of my mind is how can I just like continually get better sleep?
And I'm always working at it. But like I think just first and foremost it's important to have a consistent sleep schedule.
[00:18:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:12] Speaker B: Where you're going to bed at the same time and waking up around the same time. It, that's a big one. And then obviously like a cool dark environment is another one as well. And, and, and then you know, like trying to avoid screens maybe an hour before bed is a great one as well. I, you know, I occasionally wear like, like blue light blocking glasses towards the evening just to like in, you know, people laugh but like I actually think it really helps sort of get, get you into sort of into that mode of like okay, telling, you know, telling your body and your mind that that sleep is coming and it just gets you like geared up to get to get quality sleep. So I think that's, those are some important tips to do.
[00:19:00] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. And the other thing too is like I think a lot of people go from just doing their whole day activity and then in the evening it's like, oh, gotta wind down really fast. Let me eat a huge dinner, grab a glass or three of whatever beverages I enjoy the most, watch television and then think that I'm just going to fall asleep right after that and everything is going to be great.
But doesn't really work that way because the, the alcohol and the television, it might knock you out, but it doesn't get you into deep sleep. You know, throughout the course of the night you sort of miss an opportunity there.
[00:19:46] Speaker B: No doubt. I mean I think it can, if anything it could like disrupt your, your sleep cycle.
It might help you fall asleep, but it won't. You know, it'll, it can actually reduce like sort of that the amount of like deep sleep that you're getting and cause like frequent awakenings for some people. So.
Yeah. Yeah. I definitely think that if you're relying on alcohol to, to go to sleep, it's probably not, not a, not, not a good way to go when you're.
[00:20:15] Speaker C: Probably if that's the same, if you're doing that, you're probably also relying on the alcohol to de. Stress you. And stress is also another big sort of pillar there. Right?
[00:20:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:28] Speaker C: And dealing with stress, you know, stress has multiple effects upon the body. Right. And in terms of how it's functioning and it's not just psychological, it's tied, you know, your mind is tied directly to your body.
How do you see, what are some ways that you see and interact with people having stress impacting their health and fitness and how do you sort of help them work through that?
[00:20:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, yeah, stress is definitely probably at the forefront of a lot of, a lot of the people that I work with. And you know, just regulating your cortisol is really important. And so you know, with cortisol it's something that is going to rise in the morning and it's, and then you sort of want it to taper off as, as the day goes on. So you're going to have acute stressors that could cause a spike in cortisol. But I think that it's important to, in order to manage this like just have, I don't know, just you know, like some type of practice or routine to sort of down regulate and you know, get you out of that fight and flight mode. So I'm not saying people have to go and meditate for an hour. Like something that I've implemented and I do with a lot of clients is just like a ten minute meditation.
And this could be different for you know, you could, it can be done in many ways. It could be a guided meditation. It just could be just sitting with nothing and just, and just sort of allowing yourself to just de. Stress and you know, just focus on your breath. Easier said than done. But I think, you know, meditation is something that takes work just like anything else. Right. Like if you started lifting, you're going to start with like two pound weights and work from there. And I think meditation is the same way. It can be sort of tough and frustrating at first perhaps, but it's a great practice to have because you can use it in situations when you need it and you know. Yeah. So I, I think having some type of practice is important. I mean I, I, I enjoy yoga, something I try to do a couple times a week. To me that's like movement, meditation and beyond that I do, you know, in the morning I'll just sort of sit and, and do a little bit of meditation usually with my dogs next to me. So.
[00:23:01] Speaker C: Yeah, well, with the, the meditation like you say, it doesn't have to be an hour long event. It could be, you know, bits and pieces throughout the day. It's kind of like what we're talking about with walking or getting activity, you know, integrating it into your routine.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:21] Speaker C: And then the, the sixth Pillar on your list? I think it was nutrition.
So eating the right foods, getting the, the right fuel there.
What kinds of things do you really focus on with clients in terms of nutrition? What's the message there?
[00:23:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I, you know, there is a lot of messages when it comes to nutrition.
[00:23:41] Speaker C: Oh yeah.
[00:23:44] Speaker B: I mean, I just think the simplest way of thinking about it is if you could 80% of the time eat foods without a label.
I think, you know, without a box or barcode. If 80% of the time, if you could do that, I think you'll, you'll, you'll see results and you'll, you'll improve your health. And the other 20%, you know, that, that I'll leave up to the individual. But know, I think that like being on a diet or yo yo dieting is something that is sort of an issue with a lot of people. And I think more importantly is just trying to do something that's sustainable and, and there for the long term. And so like you, you know, a lot of quote unquote, like diets are sort of like, I should say, like health advocates are promoting things where you're cutting out, you know, macronutrients, like just, you know, let's, let's say vegan, vegetarian or carnivore. On the other side of the coin, I, I think there might, it might take a, you know, there might be a time and a place to do something like that. But I also think eventually if, especially if you have like a healthy gut, you should be able to tolerate most, most foods and be able to have a variety in your diet. Because I think that will lead to like something that you could do long term.
But I just try to keep it simple and focus on whole foods and avoid boxes and barcodes. I think the easiest and simplest way of putting it for most people. So.
[00:25:16] Speaker C: Yeah, no, that's, that's a really fun. And hadn't really thought of it put that way exactly before, but you know, it's, it's the, it's the, the sticking to the outsides of the grocery store as opposed to spending your time in the center of the grocery store where all of the boxes are.
I think somebody else put it.
Eat foods that won't last a week.
[00:25:46] Speaker B: Sure, yeah. That expire, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's another way of putting it. Yeah.
[00:25:52] Speaker C: Try to eat food that was most recently sort of live and vital and still kicking if it were.
But the, Yeah, I think the, the important lesson there is just getting the, a wide variety of whole foods and real nutritious actual foods instead of the kind of over processed stuff. And, and yeah, there's a, there's so many different ways to, to eat. And what's amazing to me is that people all across the globe have so many sort of different ways of eating and how they. We've all sort of grown up and you can, you can survive and thrive on an amazing variety of different types of diets. So it's like the human body was definitely designed to handle it. Just basically any kind of food that nature created, the, the problems that we have is with the food that humanity created, that it wasn't necessarily really food.
[00:27:07] Speaker B: Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, you know, you hear a lot about seed oils, right? I mean that's a, that's a whole nother topic. But if you ever Google and look how they're made, you know, like the vegetable oils, you just got to think to yourself, is this for human consumption? Right? Like, it's like a lot of, it's just common sense a little bit like if. And so I don't know, I just think like we talked about like single ingredient foods that expire, you know, and I think that's just like a great habit to get into. And cooking for yourself is such a huge thing as well.
You know, my wife and I do that a lot. So I think that's. If you could do that 80% of the time cook for yourself and not go out to restaurants. Not to say you can never go out to restaurants, but you know, 80% of the time cook for yourself. I think that's a good habit to get into. So.
[00:27:58] Speaker C: Well, you, what I sort of notice about your approach is that it seems really down to earth, really practical, really kind of incremental.
Is that something that you definitely kind of recommend for, for your, your customers, your clients, the people that are reading your stuff?
[00:28:20] Speaker B: Yeah, I think so.
You know, I think that nowadays, especially with like YouTube, Instagram, everything needs to be sort of clickbaity and sort of out there. And so I just try to keep it more like let's just focus on the basics, you know, the main pillars and, and yeah, and you know, when things get really complicated is when it gets. People don't do stuff. So if you can simple make it simple and easy to follow, I think then you're going to have a lot greater success. And so that's the way I try to keep it so well.
[00:29:03] Speaker C: So where do people find you? Where can they learn more and how can they get started with your stuff? What you got for them?
[00:29:15] Speaker B: I mean the best place is, you know, you can go to my website, Brian grin.com and on there is my newsletter. If they just want to get a weekly newsletter about, you know, different tips and tricks around, you know, my program or just around health in general. And then also I have the stepladder system.com, which is, you know, there's a link on Brian grin.com to get there if they want to check out the book and get it either in a PDF or a soft copy. So.
[00:29:46] Speaker C: Yeah, no, that's great. So I like to, I always like to ask people, what are you excited about coming up? What do you got coming up that you're excited about? Do you have anything, anything interesting you're looking forward to?
[00:30:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm going to Israel.
[00:30:03] Speaker C: Oh, what are you doing there?
[00:30:05] Speaker B: Oh, I have family, actually they're calling me right now. I have family there. And yeah, we're just gonna go visit and spend a week there. My wife and I and my parents. So it's been, haven't been there in like three years. So that's what, that's sort of on the forefront. We're leaving in a few days, but business wise. Yeah, just a lot of the same things. Trying to just make content on YouTube as accessible as possible and, and those, you know, and you know, just get, get out there and try to spread the word. So those are, that's sort of the main thing that I've been doing right now, so.
[00:30:43] Speaker C: Well, good. Well, have a great trip and thanks a lot for coming on. Brian, really interesting to talk to you. Really enjoy your podcast. Definitely recommend it. You have just a tremendous amount of content both on the podcast and on your website and through YouTube. So I've learned a lot from the stuff that you have and I look forward continuing to, to monitor that and, and get lots of good tips and learn lots of deep.
Get deeper into topics with your guests and really appreciate you coming on the podcast with me today.
[00:31:21] Speaker B: Yeah, Ramsey, I appreciate, appreciate you having me and yeah, loving what you're doing. So thanks so much.
[00:31:28] Speaker A: Where to go from here visit whatsworthwhile.net to learn more about me, Ramsey Zimmerman and please reach out to me and let me know what you think. I don't want this podcast to be some message in a bottle thrown out to sea. I want to hear back from you. Please send me a message or an email or hit me up on X, LinkedIn or Instagram and please leave a rating and review for the what's Worthwhile podcast on Apple, Spotify, Iheart or Amazon.
