60: Season 1 Key Lessons and Season 2 Preview

60: Season 1 Key Lessons and Season 2 Preview

Michael Kummer: This is the primal shift podcast, I'm your host, Michael Kummer. And my goal is to help you achieve optimal health by bridging the gap between ancestral living and the demands of modern society, get ready to unlock the transformative power of nature as the ultimate biohack revolutionizing your health and reconnecting you with your primal self.

Sponsorship: I'd like to thank Peluva for sponsoring this week's episode. Peluva is the brand behind my favorite zero drop minimalist shoes with the distinctive five toe design that allows for correct dynamic movement of the foot when walking or running. The latter is impossible when toes are encased in a single box, even a white box. I love my Peluvas because they give me the most authentic barefoot style experience, but with sufficient cushioning to use them all day, even on hard surfaces. Peluvas are also incredibly stylish, and I really like how they look. I've been using my Peluvas during intense CrossFit workouts, while walking the dog, and even during a recent 8 day trip to Disney World, and they've been unbelievably comfortable.

They feel like walking barefoot on a putting green. Now you can try a pair of Peluvas with no risk by visiting peluva. com, that's P E L U V A dot com. Make sure to use code KUMMER for 15 percent off your first pair. And now back to the episode.

Michael Kummer: I can't believe it's been 60 episodes since I launched the Primer Shift podcast over a year ago...

Unbelievable how quickly time goes by. Now this is gonna be the last episode of Season 1, don't worry, there's gonna be a Season 2. But in this episode, I'd like to give you an overview, a summary of all of the cool things we talked about in season one. Some of the interesting guests I had on and give you an outlook of what's in store for you in season two.

Now, if this is the first episode you're listening to, then I highly recommend you go back and listen to episodes three to 10, because in those episodes, I'll talk about the eight key tenets that make up a life, a healthy lifestyle, including sleep. Uh, nutrition, exercise, stress management, the avoidance of environmental toxins from eating stressors, building community, and reconnecting with nature, among other things.

So those are really, uh, the foundation of what I consider a healthy lifestyle. And if you don't have that foundation, I think some of the other topics that I discuss in more detail might not make a whole lot of sense to you. But within those eight categories, there are numerous episodes where I dive into more details and talk to experts in certain areas to share more information about how you can implement.

The tips and tricks that I share in the first couple of episodes with you. For example, in the sleep category in episode 14, I talk specifically about what I do to maintain optimal sleep, to have a proper sleep hygiene, to fall asleep quickly, to wake up rested and recovered, and all of the things that I do to to support my sleep.

In episode 43, I talked, I talked to Dr. Kirk Parsley, a former Navy SEAL, about everything you need to know about sleep, how long you need to sleep, why that is, some of the supplements you can consider to improve your sleep, and a lot of other misconceptions and tips that you can leverage to improve your sleep and ultimately your well being.

In the nutrition category, I have a host of different episodes where I go into Some of the basics, for example, episode 13, I talk about nutrition labels, how to read them and why you shouldn't trust them. In episode 18, I talk about what I eat on a daily basis as part of my animal based dietary framework and some of my top food choices.

In episode 34, I talk about macronutrients and how to leverage them. to, you know, decide what you eat, when to eat, how to eat. So specifically I talk about the roles of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, uh, which ones you need, which ones are essential, which one are not essential, but how you can leverage them to improve your performance, et cetera.

That's all a very good episode if you're fairly new to nutrition. Now in episode 11, I talk about why I stopped keto after three years. You know, I, By no means, uh, dislike a ketogenic diet, but I decided to stop it. And I explained why that is and what considerations went into that decision. In episode 42, I talk about.

a thought experiment that I encourage you to think through with me when watching that episode. And that is letting nature decide what you should be eating instead of, you know, an influencer or a doctor or anyone for that nature. Just let nature decide how you should be eating. It's a very, it's a, it's a very vital episode and I highly recommend you, you listen to that.

The same goes with episode 56 where I talk about why you should be growing your own food, at least some of that food. That's really an integral part of our lifestyle, that's why we homestead. And it's a, it's also an episode I think you, you really, Not just listen to it, but think carefully about it. What I say and why I say certain things and how you could potentially apply those tips to your own lifestyle, because food is incredibly important.

It's one of the most important aspects of our health. And unfortunately, you know, food is deteriorating. And so we need to take control. You need to take control. In episode 15, I talked with Dr. Anthony Gustin about. Why even pasteurized chicken and pork is unhealthy. It's an eye opening episode that if you've, if you don't know that, um, it's gonna be mind boggling for you and I highly recommend you check that out.

And then I talked to Dr. Sean Baker in episode 39 about his experience with the carnivore diet and why he believes that humans can thrive on eating or with eating only meat and nothing else. Episode 49 is, is also a very, very good episode for the reason, um, I interviewed Dr. Bill Schindler on it, and he talks about not only the importance of what we eat, but how we eat, and his insights have dramatically changed how we see food and What we eat.

Because we've realized that, well, it's not only about should you be eating meat or veggies or this or that. It's about how you prepare those foods to make them most nutritious. And the least toxic for us. So that's a very important episode that I think everyone should listen to. And then in episode 55, I talk about, uh, sugar cravings and some of the dark sides of carbohydrates, especially processed carbohydrates, uh, when I interviewed, uh, Danielle Dame.

So check that out as well. In the realm of exercise. In episode 12, we'll talk about what I do to maintain a strong and lean physique and, you know, bust some of the myths that, you know, things that I don't do and that I don't think you have to do to be strong and fit. In episode 23, I talk with, uh, Zane Griggs and he explains what he's been doing to change his exercise regimen as he grows older.

He's now over 50 and he is incredibly fit. But he also realized that the older you get, you know, the more. Changes you need to make to your exercise regimen to avoid injury and, uh, stay pain free and it's a very good exercise. In the same episode 26, when I talked to Brad Kearns, he's also, uh, getting older, much like we all are, and he talks about his cheat codes for health and fitness as you age.

So, two very good episodes if you're not 20 anymore and want to maintain a lean and strong physique without, uh, You know, increasing your risk of injury. And in episode 33, I talked to Mark Sisson about why he stopped running, uh, and you know, how foot health. plays into overall wellness and our propensity to get injured and a lot of other things that are incredibly important, you know, including minimalist shoes and all of the things that have to do with foot health.

So very good episode. And then if you're into, if you're a serious fitness enthusiast or maybe even a pro athlete, you definitely should listen to episode 37. where I talk with Travis Mayer, uh, a 10 year CrossFit veteran, professional CrossFit veteran, about his secrets to performance and recovery. As far as stress management is concerned, I highly recommend you listen to episode 45 where I interview Dr.

David, uh, Dave Rabin, uh, as he explains the science of stress and recovery. Uh, he is the Founder of Apollo Neuro, a device that my wife, extended family really, and I use as well to reduce our stress and improve our stress resilience. And my wife specifically and her sister, uh, explained in episode 48 how they've been using Apollo to reduce migraines and a lot of other things, improve their stress resilience, reduce anxiety.

And all of the things that unfortunately come with, you know, living that modern life we all live. As far as avoidance of environmental toxins are concerned, I highly recommend episode 21 where I talk about sunscreen and some of the Downs as of using sunscreen, uh, especially the toxins most sunscreens contain and what those toxins do to our health, not only to our skin health, but to our hormonal health and other aspects of our health overall.

As far as hormetic stresses are concerned, uh, in episode 50, I talk about cold exposures or cold plunging, sauna bathing, fasting. And whether or not those things are dangerous, um, or if they're good for us. And if so, you know, how you can use them to get the most benefits out of them without. Any of the potential side effects they might come with in the realm of community building there are a couple of episodes I would recommend you listen to including episode 16 where I talk about how we live an animal based Ancestry focused lifestyle as a family because everything is easy when you're by yourself and you can do whatever you want to but as soon as there are You know, a spouse or kids involved, things get more complicated.

And so episode 16 talks about how we manage that. In episode 17, we talk about how we manage our lifestyle while traveling or eating out, which is not easy at times. In episode 19, we talk about how we maintain optimal health during the holiday season, you know, which is. During the time of the year where you're most likely, uh, you know, to derail from your diet and your exercise regimen, et cetera.

So I'm going to give you a couple of very good tips and tricks on how you can manage that and stay on track. In episode 36, I talk about how I balance work, wellness, and homesteading and homeschooling and all of the things that we do, give you kind of a. You know, and glimpse into a day in, in, in my life and our life is, you know, as part of the Kummer family.

And in episode 59, the last episode, um, I talked to my wife about all of the issues and struggles that we've had. Uh, not only as part of our, you know, marriage of all, but as part of, uh, making changes to our lifestyle, you know, starting to homestead, homeschool, uh, changing our diet, changing our exercise regimen, you know, shifting from a standard American diet to a paleo, to keto, to carnivore, to animal based, and all of the conflicts and issues that we've had along the way and how we overcame them, how we manage them.

So that's all done. Um, a good episode. I think if you're, uh, In a committed relationship and are wondering how to navigate some of those topics and, you know, how to implement those changes. That's a good episode to listen to. And then, uh, as far as reconnecting with nature is concerned, episode, in episode 58, I talk about my current wellness and supplement routine.

And I talk a lot about, you know, how I leverage, you know, walks in nature. grounding, being exposed to the sun, and all of those things to, well, help me reconnect with nature and improve my health and fitness. And then there are a couple of other episodes that don't fall into any specific category, so I kind of call them general wellness.

And there are a couple that I would like to point out, um, including episode 27 and 28, that talks about how to assess your metabolic health. So how can you tell? If you're really healthy, you know, um, if you don't have, if you're not in tune with your body and can't really tell by just. You know, assessing how you feel.

There are a couple of, you know, blood work you can do. There are other things you can do, checks and tests that help you assess objectively of, uh, assess how healthy you are. And I'll talk about those, uh, especially the ones that I test for on a regular basis to kind of see how they compare with how I feel.

In episode 32, I talk about testosterone replacement therapy, or hormone replacement therapy in general, and some of the downsides to this popular, um, wellness regimen that a lot of people are considering these days, especially men. In episode 40, I talk about, um, how to heal your skin. A lot of people suffer from skin issues, be it eczema or acne or, you know, what have you.

And I share with you what I've learned about skin health. and how you can, some of the tips you can implement to improve your skin health. In episode 47, then, I talk in more detail, uh, with Alessandro Sonnari, about the link bet between skin aging and chronic disease. You know, how your skin health impacts your overall health and vice versa.

And in episode 41, I talk to a cardiologist, Dr. Jack Wolfson, about some of the cardiovascular health myths, including high cholesterol, and statins, and many of the other things that are misunderstood, unfortunately, both among the medical professional field as well as, you know, the general population. And so this is a very interesting episode.

If you're, if your doctor told you, you know, oh, you have high cholesterol, you need to do something, you should go on a statin, you should be consuming fewer eggs or cholesterol, whatever, this is the episode you want to listen to. So that was season one in a nutshell. There are a couple of more episodes that are super interesting.

Uh, and I highly recommend you just browse through them, go to primershiftpodcast. com and, and see what sparks your interest to check it out. Uh, before we wrap it up, I want to give you a quick outlook on what's in store for season two. Uh, we're going to make some changes. The first one is we're going to mix longer and shorter episodes.

So we're going to have one week is going to be a shorter episode, likely less than 10 minutes. And the following week might be a longer one, maybe an interview that goes, you know, 40 minutes or 60 minutes or so. Um, but it's gonna be a 50 50 split between shorter and longer episodes. We'll also continue with the 50 50 mix of solo and guest episodes.

So, um, I'll talk to experts, you know, I'll expose you to other people who have something interesting to say that we all can learn from, but I'll also continue doing the solo episodes by just sharing what I've learned and some of the things that are going on over here. Speaking of, I also want to share more insights into the inner workings of the Kummer tribes, specifically.

Uh, our approach to homeschooling and homesteading, meaning growing our own food and being more, I guess, resilient to potentially, you know, natural disasters and other things that might come our way. And for that, I'm going to have my wife back on more often. So you get the female perspective as well, because you typically hear from me and, you know, my perspective and my perspective not always mimics my wife's a hundred percent.

You know, we disagree on many things. She has a different perspective, a different opinion. And so I want to bring her on. So you can, uh, get. You can get a more comprehensive view of how the Kummers, you know, navigate that. ancestral kind of living in a family context. Now, if you have any feedback, if you want to hear about something specific, you know, please reach out to me, go to primalshiftpodcast.

com slash contact, shoot me an email. I get that email directly in my mailbox and I'll respond. And I'm always appreciative of feedback. Thanks so much for listening. It was 60 episodes packed with a lot of good information, and I'll hope I'll see and hear you in season two.