When I tell people what we eat, their first response is... "That sounds pretty restricted!" After which I ask them what they had for breakfast today? "Cereal." And the day prior? "Cereal." How about for the foreseeable future? "Cereal." You get the idea. Most people are already eating a fairly restricted diet, only with poor food choices! So, what the heck do we, at Life By Design, eat ourselves? On today's episode of Life By Design we cover that question and answer a few more. ...

How is it possible for a simple, seemingly logical statement, to have the capacity to lead to such potentially detrimental outcomes? That is the crux of the problem. This statement, while appearing innocuous, is far from it. What is this cliche we've all said at one time or another? "Everything in moderation." I know. It just doesn't seem like an issue... right? On this episode of Life By Design we delve deeper into this slogan and it's possible negative effects.  What we covered ...

One way to stack the deck in favour of the highest quality sleep experience is to craft the perfect restoration routine. A routine is a series of actions done repeatedly. Not all routines are helpful, or move you towards a predetermined goal, they’re simply routines due to repetition. You’ll see routines, even rituals, a more intentional form of routine, among many high achievers across a variety of professions. What makes routines so impactful is the ability to automate them and require...

Salt is bad for you! Right? Or is it? Now I'm confused. That's OK... Most of us have been convinced that salt consumption is something that must be restricted at all costs. Too much salt increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, damages the kidneys and will lead to early death. That's scary! But what is the truth? Have we been told a lie? It depends...as always. On today's episode of Life By Design we talk about salt. What I Covered: Using research done on "sick people"...

Most people assume they'll know when they have a problem with their spine. The criteria is simple... it hurts! Until that point, the spine is just a bag of bones doing it's job to keep us upright. Imagine if that's how we thought about our teeth? All good until your tooth hurts. How about the heart? No problem here, until the first heart attack that is. The list could go on... When it comes to the body, there's so much more going on than meets the eye. If we depend on pain to give us...

One of the most under appreciated facets of health is the gut. In the past, the digestive system was seen as a simple system. Food entered and left one long tube, only to be digested and nutrients absorbed along the way. Now, an incredible amount of research is accumulating to establish the gut as a primary focus for disease reversal and health optimization. The "gut" is referring to the micro organisms living inside the intestines. This biome includes 100's of different species of...

Germs are a part of the world we live in and are necessary to a healthy productive human life.   Bacteria plays a vital role in our normal physiology and not all types should be feared or avoided.   It's one of those things that belong in the 'optimize' category.   This means you want to avoid deadly or harmful bacteria while maximizing the 'good' or beneficial bacteria that you want.   It's one of the reasons that probiotics are a Life By Design recommended supplement; many of us...

Does vitamin D have any positive direct effect on the immune system?   That's the question we seek to answer this week on Life By Design.   We are using direct to mean, if you take Vitamin D, is there any data pointing out that you may have a decreased chance of contracting the flu?   There is already data and professional hypotheses on how people with "pre-existing" autoimmune diseases have an increased risk of developing the full-blown autoimmune disease if they are Vitamin D...

Despite a growing body of evidence, the peanut gallery still repeats the mantra...   "There's no evidence to 'prove' Chiropractic works."   Of course, when asked what is meant by 'evidence' and 'works', there is no clear response, yet the same tired rhetoric continues.   In this episode, we will review these claims, discuss what does and doesn't exist in Chiropractic, and review a newly published study.   A Randomized Control Trial (remember, they tell us these ones are the best)...

There was, and maybe it's still being circulated on your social media feeds, a meme that goes something like this:   "Losing weight is hard; being overweight is hard; choose your hard."   "Being broke is hard; Becoming rich is hard; choose your hard."   "Change is hard; staying the same is hard; choose your hard."   You get the idea.   There was just something unsettling enough about this meme that warranted us to have a conversation and discussion about it and this podcast is the...

Real food first. That's the number one rule for Eating By Design and for good reason. Nothing will improve your results faster than simply eating more real food. Rule number two is eat protein with every meal. That's what today's episode of Life By Design is all about and I'm sharing the details from a recording I made for our private Facebook Group. What We Cover How much protein is enough protein? What's more important, the total amount of protein or percentage of protein? The...

This week we review research published in the Journal of Athletic Training, looking at the importance of checking and correcting and movement deficiencies in the necks of people who have suffered a concussion.   The challenge is that since the anatomy is very similar - meaning that the nerves and structures that supply and innervate the brain also have links to the neck.   Due to the crossover, concussion and cervical syndrome, as the authors put it, can mimic each other in the way they...

Don't make the mistake of thinking fish oil is good for you or your children.   Fish oil is a vehicle to help deliver omega-3 fatty acids into your body, and because our current lifestyle and environment make that a challenge to get, fish oil might help.   That's a real mouth full, but let us explain more concisely on today's episode.   An interesting study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, aimed to see if there was a difference in health kids between the ages of...

So here we are in September...   Are the kids going back to school? Should they go back to school? When is life going to return to normal? Is life going to return to normal? Am I putting my kids at risk? Will they be safe? Am I a bad parent for sending them back? What will others think of me? How are we going to pay for all this? What if Jim loses his job because his work shuts down?   Have you had enough yet?   Sometimes life can get overwhelming. We all know that it's a natural part...

"Some people have a lot of pride in not taking drugs or supplements, but the primary goal should be to feel your best. Not using a medicine that improves your health because you take pride in being 'substance-free' is counter-intuitive to your main goal of feeling well."   This was an online quote from an excellent physician that we respect.   We find this quote interesting and would like to discuss further because there are some great and not so great ideas being expressed.   The...

You are what you eat. Maybe not literally, but to pretend that what you put into your body doesn't affect your health and performance is nonsense. Today we review a study from the University of Michigan seeking to establish an association between chronic spinal pain and diet. In some ways, we already know (there was a Nobel prize given in 1982 for the PGE2 and Omega-6 link) that a poor diet can lead to increased pain byways of inflammation. But this study wants to link chronic spinal pain...

They do, but probably not in the way that you think. If anything, emotions are the part of your consciousness that makes life worth living. What we mean by them not mattering, is simply not in the process of making decisions. Imagine if you couldn't feel love, pride, happiness, joy and even negative emotions like anxiety, depression, and grief...emotions are helpful if you know how to position them correctly. But, emotions are not a good way to make decisions. If anything, emotions are...

A study from the International Journal Of Spine Surgery concluded that individuals with Type-II diabetes have an accelerated rate of spinal degeneration, and the amount of degeneration is more severe than non-diabetics.   We also don't think it's too far of a stretch, although you can't claim this study as a source, to suspect that prolonged elevation of blood sugar levels (AKA diabetes) has detrimental effects on your other joints as well.   We already know that diabetes is a risk...

To say that poor mental health is an issue would be an understatement.   Mental health, at least to us, is the most important asset you have in your arsenal of human powers. Since humans live and depend on ideas (all of which rely on mental health), the health and well being of your mind is priority number one.   That's why when we see any information (in this case, an editorial) looking at how to improve vital brain chemicals such as serotonin and tryptophan naturally, we get excited to...

We pick up from where we left off in Part 1 of Getting Your Diet Right...   Nothing has changed, we still think the whole world has lost it’s mind when it comes to nutrition!   The purpose of this podcast is to review and continue teaching the principles of Eat By Design.   What we cover What type of veggies are best?  Cooked or raw? How about organic? Is it worth the extra cost? Are grains a food group? What type of nutrients will you get from grains and can you find those elsewhere...

"The thing about common sense is that it's not so common." Voltaire   Nutritionally, the whole world has lost it’s mind.   How can you have one group telling you to eat meat and another telling you avoid it. They both can’t be right, but they both can be wrong.   Every once in a while it's important to go back and remember the principles from which you operate, check your premise to see if you're getting the results you want, and make any adjustments.   The fact that you're human...

Do people with high self-esteem adopt an open (power) posture, or does an open posture produce high self-esteem?   In general, it's commonly believed that your feelings produce your outward appearance, but that concept is being challenged.   In the late 70's Richard Bandler and John Grinder founded a controversial psychological technique called NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming), which challenged many of the beliefs in modern psychology.   One of which was the idea that you could...

How do you prolong healthy aging? For us healthy aging is normal aging. We know that we are not getting any younger and that eventually, we will die. In the meantime, since loving your life is essential to Life By Design's core beliefs, we want to do everything we can to ensure the quality and length of our lives. Today we examine a study looking at the difference between surviving and thriving. What does that look like in terms of the body's nutritional requirements. What we cover The...

"Chronic low back pain (LBP) is the most common cause of disability worldwide. New ideas surrounding LBP are emerging that are based on interactions between mechanical, biological and chemical influences on the human inter-vertebral disc (IVD).   The degenerate IVD is proposed to be innervated by sensory nerve fibres and vascularised by blood vessels, and it is speculated to contribute to pain sensation.   However, the incidence of nerve and blood vessel ingrowth, as well as whether these...