The Art Of Living with Kathy Smit‪h‬ Kathy Smith

Until around age 30, your muscles grow larger and stronger. At some point in that third decade, you start to lose muscle mass and function. You can lose as much as 3-5% of that muscle mass each decade after age 30. The term for this is “age-related sarcopenia.”

Even if you’re active, you can still lose muscle if you’re not training and eating properly. Why is all of this so important? That’s the topic of the show today. 

I’m a big believer that STRONG WOMEN STAY YOUNG! Each year, I see more evidence on the importance of muscle mass as the key to staying younger, longer. 

I produced my first strength training video in 1985. And, that’s the time period when I first heard about our next guest, Dr. Wayne Westcott. 

He was lecturing, writing articles, and involved in cutting-edge research about strength training. He was answering all the questions...how much, how often, slow, heavy, light, when, where, how? Why is it important? When it comes to strength training, Wayne was, and still is, the go-to expert and deep source of knowledge for maintaining strength at any age. 

He’s the author of over 25 books including Strength Training Past 50, and thousands of articles, 

After listening to Wayne you will probably start tweaking your exercise routine. 

Women’s bodies go through many complex stages in a lifetime. Each of our journeys are unique, and they can include the excitement and stress of building our careers, through the rollercoaster of pregnancy and its postpartum aftermath, to the shifting hormonal dance of menopause. With each stage comes dramatic physical and emotional changes that often manifest themselves in seemingly unrelated symptoms. 

We all tend to look at these symptoms, such as weight gain, digestion issues or anxiety, as separate issues, independent of one another. 

Many times, we just don’t connect the dots. In this time of over-specialized medicine, we might struggle, because symptoms are often treated individually, not as a whole… especially related to incremental weight gain. 

How are weight, digestion, anxiety, and many other symptoms related? Today’s guest, Dr. Sara Gottfried has a surprising answer for you. 

Dr. Gottfried is a multiple New York Times bestselling author and Harvard-MIT educated women’s health expert. In her newest book, Brain Body Diet, she delivers a revolutionary 40-day program to reconnect the brain and body to prevent and reverse symptoms and diseases afflicting millions of women.

We’re increasingly coming to understand  that the way to bolster your immune system begins with the microbiome. Surprisingly, the microbiome in your gut is home to 70% of our immune system. 

The human gut is complex and has a huge impact on whole-body health. A healthy gut supports a strong immune system, brain health, and heart health. A balanced microbiome can create easier weight loss and weight management and have a positive impact your moods and quality of sleep.

To help better understand the importance of gut health, I’ve invited Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, lovingly known as “Dr B” on the show. He’s a respected gastroenterologist  who has devoted his practice to understanding the microbiome.  

Dr. B’s New York Times Best-selling book, Fiber Fueled: The Plant Based Gut Health Program For Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome is a must-read.  It’s a step-by-step approach that shows a simple, science-backed process for optimizing your gut microbiome. And as you do, you will transform your health. 

Today, we’re going to discuss how to identify weaknesses in the  gut, what habits lead to a poor microbiome, the role of pre & probiotics, and some really valuable information you can learn from your bowel movements. Yes, that’s right… poop! We spend a lot of time talking about what goes in our body, but today we’re also going to talk about what comes out.  

Get ready for some honest and straightforward discussion. It could just be the most powerful conversation that will empower you to change your health for the better. 
For more, visit www.kathysmith.com/podcast.

Today’s guest, Dr. Felice Gersh will be answering the most frequently asked questions I get about time-restricted eating. Last year’s podcast with Felice was one of our most popular shows. 

As most of you know, time-restricted eating is a nutritional approach based on when you eat. Basically, all meals and snacks are consumed within a particular window of time each day. Outside that window, no calories are allowed. This approach to eating can boost weight loss, lengthen lifespan, reduce insulin resistance, improve heart health and have positive effects on your immunity. 

You can check out Dr. Felice’s first episode at kathysmith.com/podcast. Just click on episode 85. 

Today, we’re going to delve a little deeper into all the questions you have been sending me about time-restricted eating, including… What is the best time of day to eat for weight loss? What are the potential downsides to fasting? Is there science behind it? Can I exercise while fasting? What do I eat when I’m not fasting?

As a reminder, Felice is an award-winning physician, a board-certified gynecologist, and obstetrician, also trained in integrative medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Princeton, and her medical degree from USC School of Medicine. 

I might be stating the obvious, but just to be perfectly clear… eating a vegan or vegetarian diet doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re eating a healthy diet. There’s an enormous difference between simply eliminating animal products from your meals, and adopting a whole food, plant-based diet. That’s just one of the topics we’re going to get into today with the amazing Dr. Joel Kahn.

Joel is one of the world’s top cardiologists who believes that plant-based nutrition is the most powerful source of preventative medicine on the planet. He is the author of The Plant-Based Solution, and sometimes refers to himself as the Top Broccoli in the united states.

On our previous episode, we covered a lot... including how research has linked plant-based diets to a decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure...plus, it could prolong your life. That’s episode 71.

For long-time listeners, you’ve heard from some of the top plant-based researchers, scientists, and advocates in the country and in the world. Those guests have included John pop
 Lewis the Badass Vegan, Dr. Valter Longo from USC,  Dr. Zach Bush whose specialty is gut health, and of course… Dr. Joel Kahn.  

And yet, the optimal way to eat still has controversy swirling around it. There are different camps offering conflicting information, and often times it can get muddled, confusing, and emotional. I look forward to hearing more science as well and delve into some of the questions I’m getting from the listeners, including…  What are the healthiest fats, whether you’re vegan or not? And, can you be vegan and still in ketosis?

Dr. Joel is one of my favorite people, and I’m excited to share his message with you today.

There’s a lot to cover! Whether you’re sitting down to a green smoothie, heading out for a walk, or listening in the car let’s get this show started! 

On the show today...your thyroid. That butterfly shaped gland located in the lower front of the neck that makes thyroid hormone, which in turn goes into the bloodstream, creating energy and enhancing the activity of every function in your body. It determines your mood, skin and hair health, body temperature, blood sugar levels, hormonal function (especially as they relate to PMS and menopause), and whether you’re more likely to gain or lose weight. 
Overproduction or underproduction of hormones in the thyroid can cause a host of problems — including Hashimoto’s syndrome, Grave’s disease, and hypothyroidism. 
Age, gender and genetics all play a role in thyroid disease… and yet the truth is that most thyroid issues are driven by simple choices in our diet and lifestyle that we can control. 
Today’s guest Dr. Alan Christianson, has spent decades helping people deal with thyroid disease, and has seen how absolutely devastating it can be. Indeed, it can get in the way of everything that matters in life. But as he discusses in his upcoming book, The Thyroid Reset Diet, thyroid disease is not a permanent condition and most of the time, it can be reversed. 
In today’s show, we’ll delve into one surprise element that’s essential to life… but can be devastating and disruptive when it comes to your thyroid… causing a whole host of problems… weight gain despite intense efforts…. Energy levels that run lower… fatigue that sets in early in the day… Exercise feels like a chore, and the brain moves more slowly. If any of these symptoms sound familiar, then you’ll want to listen to today’s show because it’s packed with information!