Where to Find Effective Nutrition and Exercise Information

Nutrition and exercise are the two most basic, and critical, components of looking and feeling good. Without these our skin treatments, creams, surgeries, and medications have greatly reduced effectiveness. Nutrition and exercise drive health, body functionality, and feeling good as we age.

But out of all the conflicting health programs out there, how does one figure out what protocol to
follow?

(Note: I’m not a doctor- these are my opinions- my medical disclaimer is complete…onwards)

Nutrition + Exercise = ?

There are many conflicting theories of what constitutes a healthy diet, and I’ve tried them all: vegetarian, vegan, raw, low carb, low sugar, blood type diet, Atkins, Paleo, etc. And for exercise there is cardio, weight training, yoga, Crossfit, high-intensity burst training, boot camp, spin class… The proponents of each claim their method is the end all be all and the best one to do.

Sadly, health is not that simple. We all have different bodies, genetic tendencies, exposures to toxins, etc, so there is there is no “one size fits all” nutrition or exercise program.

However, there are indeed many “one size fits most” protocols that we can all benefit from. These include eating a high quantity of plants, organic, nutrient dense, non-processed, low sugar, lots of fiber and probiotics to reinforce the gut bacteria, and eliminating common allergens like gluten and dairy… are pretty much applicable to everyone’s health. But beyond that depends on your genetics, your lifestyle, and your health conditions.

Sorting out the Confusion

There is no quick answer to understanding health, and unfortunately we don’t get a hall pass on it- we must educate ourselves on what is healthy so that we can take responsibility and apply it to our lives.

However, the science of diet, lifestyle, and exercise evolves at an incredibly rapid pace. There are constantly new studies and many new theories that a person must sort through, including the source of the studies (funded by a biased source, etc). A normal person like me can’t keep up with it. I used to be really into educating myself and sorting it all out on my own. But at this point, there are too many changes happening too fast.

So how did I figure out what my health protocol should be? I “outsourced” my information gathering to special experts that I trust.

I selecedt these experts carefully. They are MDs who are not just about surgeries and medication.
They passionately research the newest medical research full time, and they are not funded by special interest groups. This is the fastest easiest way I know to get the most current data explained to me in terms that I can understand and use, and these experts give me the protocols that I follow to keep myself in good health.

Expert List

Here is a list of the current experts I trust to digest and deliver the most current scientific research:

Dr. Mercola
- An MD who converted to a naturopathic approach (emphasizing prevention, treatment and optimal health through the use of therapeutic methods and substances which encourage the person’s inherent self -healing process)
- Very large website (www.mercola.com) with solutions to health, not tied to any pharmaceutical or governmental sponsors
- Newest book: Fat for Fuel
Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, Ph.D
- She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics, and a PhD in Medical Biophysics. She is also a professionally-trained medical researcher.
- She solved her own severe health problems through diet and nutrition and she is now a leader in the health blogging space.
- Leader in the Paleo movement
- Her blog: www.thepaleomom.com, her podcast: The Paleo View
Shawn Stevenson
- A naturopathic doctor who gave up his practice to teach to a broader audience. He is super positive, he explains the current medical research in a simple way that is easy to understand, and I enjoy listening to him and his partner Jade.
- Shawn goes to the medical journals for his information.
- His podcast: The Model Health Show
Beverly Meyer
- Beverly originally studied economics and business, but had such severe health problems that she is similar to me- she had to search to get her own life back.
- Certified as a clinical nutritionist (similar to a Naturopathic doctor) and runs a practice.
- She addresses extreme health issues and weird problems that I often don’t find on the other podcasts- because she experienced them.
- Her podcast: Primal Diet
Dave Asprey
- Dave is not an MD or Ph.D. He was a millionaire software entrepreneur with a startup lifestyle that almost killed him, and he turned it all around.
- He approaches the body and brain as a system that can be “hacked” ( like a computer), and he has been diligently researching ways that he can improve his performance and reverse/slow aging. He is incredibly smart and I enjoy his diligent and determined approach to conquer aging. I don’t agree with everything he says, but 90% of it is great and he is good at breaking the program down into simple steps that are easy to follow.
- His podcast: Bulletproof Radio. His latest book which I am enjoying: Head Strong