156. Healthy Men and Masculinity

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going on, everyone.

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Welcome to the elemental Ivan podcast.

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This is your host, Evan Roberts.

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And on this show, I break down complex

health topics from a holistic perspective.

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And y'all already know it is that time

of year when everyone's getting sick.

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Because it's the holidays, the seasonal

change of temperature and, uh, being

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around more people, uh, probably lack

of sleep and increased alcohol intake

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and, and probably poor food choices,

all kind of come together to make up,

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uh, this scenario for us in which, you

know, our immunities are just a lot

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lower and it's much easier for us to

get sick, but nonetheless, there are

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a few easy things that we can do to.

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Make sure that we're not

getting sick over the holidays.

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So very quickly, I just wanted to

explain a few of the things that

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I'm doing personally, to make sure

that I'm staying healthy during

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this specific time of the year.

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So first off, of course,

we're going to be out.

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Eating foods that were probably

not supposed to be eating.

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And that's totally fine, especially when

you're sharing good company with people.

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Uh, but just remember that in between

all of those meals is not an excuse

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to continue eating very poorly.

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Right.

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We want to make sure that we're still

eating very nutritious whole foods.

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Right.

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And making sure that we are

giving our bodies, the building

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blocks of a healthy immune system.

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So making sure we're having still

a good diet around all of these.

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What might be very delicious,

but not very nutritious meals.

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So make sure you're still eating

a lot of really good foods.

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Prioritize that sleep.

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You want to make sure that

you're getting good sleep.

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I know with all these holiday parties

coming up, you're probably going

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to have a few nights where you're

staying out later than you would

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like to, but nonetheless, try to get

as much sleep as you possibly can.

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That's going to do a ton of

wonders for your immune system.

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Uh, and then also of course, we're

going to be drinking alcohol or many

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people will be drinking alcohol, which

just try to keep it moderate if you

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are going to be drinking and, um, make

sure that you're staying hydrated and

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trying to really, uh, detoxify the body

of the toxins, uh, as best you can,

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which personally a little spirulina or

chlorella or chlorophyll will do wonders.

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Uh, in helping to detoxify the body.

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But those are some of the things

that you can really focus on.

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So of course, diet sleep, and then making

sure we're not drinking too much alcohol

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because it does help to destroy the gut.

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Uh, all the good gut bacteria in there.

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So we want to be very careful with that.

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Especially since over 70% of our

immune system is actually located.

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In our guts.

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So it's very important for us

to prioritize the health of our

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whole GI tract and microbiome.

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There.

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Uh, but on top of all of those things,

I do have a few supplements that

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I'm personally taking right now.

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And they're very focused on immunity.

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So first and foremost is colostrum.

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It's one of the newest products that

I've started trying, which if you're

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unfamiliar with claustrum, it's literally

the very first milk that is produced

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from, I believe it's all mammals.

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So the colostrum that I take is from cows.

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It's a.

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Uh, bovine based, uh, Claustrum

so this is going to be.

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Basically within the first, I believe

it's 24 to like 48 or 72 hours.

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That very first milk that the mother

produces is going to have just all

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the building blocks of really building

your immune system and, you know,

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keeping, uh, literally a baby healthy.

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Right.

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Uh, so that is what the classroom

is going to be doing for you.

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And I actually started taking claustrum

for, uh, the benefits of the, not even

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the immune system, but rather just the

gut in general for better digestion, uh,

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which I did see some benefits there, but I

really noticed the benefits with immunity

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and that's actually the main reason I

am continuously taking, uh, it's the arm

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rhe colostrum, that's the brand arm rhe.

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And I just felt that they had the best

process for, um, You know, kind of

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processing the claustrum and putting

it into powdered form to really keep a

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lot of the beneficial components intact

and, uh, you know, alive and effective.

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So that's why I went with, uh, Arma

claustrum I'm sure there's some

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other claustrum brands out there

that might be good, but this was

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just a personal choice of mine.

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And I really am happy with the

outcomes because it's been.

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In my opinion, really

helping my immune system.

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So number one was the

claustrum number two.

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You definitely want to try to

find a really good probiotic.

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I personally am taking the

ritual symbiotic at the,

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uh, at this current moment.

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So that's a pre approa.

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And a post biotic all in one.

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Once again, your immune system

seven, over 70% of it is in your gut.

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So we want to make sure

we're taking care of that.

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And a probiotic is a really

good way of doing that.

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And on top of those two things,

I also have been doing a green

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juice, uh, most mornings, maybe

like three or four mornings a week.

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The green juice I do is from Organifi.

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I know there's a bunch of

green juices out there.

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Uh, ag.

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One is a very popular one.

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And, uh, personally I have tried it.

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I do like AIG.

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Uh, Organifi is just a

personal preference for me.

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But with the Organifi green juice, I

actually add a little bit of a powder

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blend from, I think it's Nate TIVA.

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is the brand.

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And literally it's camu, camu, Berry.

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And a Serola cherry and

there's something else.

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I can't remember the third item in there,

but common, common Berry is the highest.

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Uh, content of vitamin C in

any food that we know of.

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So it is loaded with vitamin C.

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So I'll throw a pretty hefty scoop of

that powder as well with the green juice.

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And personally, I kind of like the tart

flavor that it adds to the green juice.

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Um, To me, a lot of green juices are on

a little bit of the sweeter side, which

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I get, they want it to be, you know,

Appeal to the masses, but I like to cut

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it with a little bit of the tartness.

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So I'll throw that in there as well.

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And then last but not least, this is

the one thing I take all the time.

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Every single day and that's spirulina.

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So I kind of switched between

spirulina and chlorella.

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Um, just kinda depending on how I'm

feeling, but, uh, spirulina is the one

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that I've been taking here recently.

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And if you're unfamiliar with

spirulina, it is a micro algae.

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And if you want to hear more

about it, I have three episodes

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with Catherine Arnstein, she's

the founder of energy bits.

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It's my personal favorite brand

of spirulina and chlorella.

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Absolutely highest quality

I've personally found.

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And I'm not going to get like

super into it, but it has over

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40 plus vitamins and minerals.

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It's super good for your mitochondria.

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It helps detoxify, uh, your blood

from heavy metals and mycotoxins

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like, does so many things.

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You really get a huge ROI when it

comes to spirulina and chlorella.

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So those are the current supplements

that I'm taking at the moment.

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So that's, claustrum the green

juice with adding the native

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as little powder in there.

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Uh, the CIN biotic from ritual

and then last but not least

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the spirulina from energy bits.

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I do have some discount codes for

the products that I just mentioned.

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I'll have them in the show notes.

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If you want to try some of those out.

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Like claustrum, I do have a

10% discount code on that one.

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And then for Organifi and for energy

bits, I have a 20% discount code.

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So go ahead and check those out.

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I mean, it is the time of year where

we're struggling with our immunity.

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So keeping it bolstered

is going to be key.

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So remember.

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All of these supplements are amazing.

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And yes, I do see a lot of benefit with

them, but it always starts with lifestyle.

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Right.

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So we got to make sure we're getting

good sleep, eating good food, staying

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hydrated, moving our body exercising.

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Right.

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That's absolutely key.

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I forgot to add that in there.

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Uh, but those are the things that

we really want to focus on first.

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And then the supplements are a

great way of really just making

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sure we're doing all that we can to

really bolster that immune system.

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So.

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Definitely take care of

yourselves out there.

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Enjoy your time with your families.

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Have a great time eat some

good food and just enjoy.

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Right.

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We've got to focus on that.

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Community.

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Community is so important, so special.

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It is one of the key factors in

longevity that we are coming to

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find is having a good community.

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So really take this time, be

grateful for the community that you

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do have and just enjoy the time.

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Now.

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Let's go ahead and jump in to

today's topic, which is all about.

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Movember.

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Right.

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So, uh, for November, one of the

focuses, I guess, is on men's

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health, which is really cool.

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I think that's awesome that, you

know, there's a time dedicated.

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I feel like there's a time or a day

or a month or something dedicated

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to pretty much everything nowadays.

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But, uh, nonetheless, I think

men's health is something that has.

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Really been kind of, uh, going, I

don't know, it's, it's been on a

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slippery slope, in my opinion, like it

just not getting, uh, maybe the right

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tools or being addressed properly.

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Uh, and you know, we see this in a

lot of the statistics we see that,

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you know, men are like four times more

likely to commit suicide than women.

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Uh, there was a study done, I believe

in: 2021

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know, here in the U S I believe

it's one in every three people.

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If I'm not mistaken, Claim to experience

loneliness on a regular basis, right?

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Like these are these really sad

statistics, but they're also,

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in my opinion, very solvable.

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Uh, there's a lot of

things we can do right now.

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And of course, we're not going to

a hundred percent eradicate like

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suicide and loneliness, of course not.

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But I do think there are some really

very simple tools that we can.

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Start using and, you know, lifestyle

changes that we can implement literally

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today, right after this episode.

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And can have a really profound

effect for not only the men in your

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lives, or if you are a man, but

also for just everyone in your life.

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Right?

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Like if you show up better,

everyone around you is just

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going to have a better time.

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They're probably going

to end up showing better.

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You know, it's like a ripple effect.

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It's going to really spread

out and help everyone.

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So I'm really excited to

talk on this topic today.

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And, uh, I think it's really important

for us to first look at why are we

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having these issues with men in society?

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Well, in my personal opinion, of course,

there's going to be a ton of factors and

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you know, it's not just black and white.

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But I think there are really two

things that play a huge role in why.

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We have, I guess what I would

call unhealthy men and the reason.

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In my opinion that we have unhealthy

men starts off with really not

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having a clearly defined, um, Idea

of what it means to be a healthy man.

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Of course, when you're growing up,

there's a lot of implied things that,

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uh, um, probably your, your dad or, uh,

adults, or even, you know, just peers

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would have naturally put upon you.

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Like.

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Oh, you know, boys, aren't

supposed to cry boys.

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Aren't supposed to show emotion.

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You're supposed to be a provider

and, you know, Put put all the

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weight on your shoulders and you

know, this, that, this, that right.

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Not to say that some of

those things aren't good.

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Right.

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But it's all in context, right?

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Like we have to.

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Find out what it is.

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That's truly healthy about

those, um, stereotypes, I guess.

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About, uh, men or masculinity and.

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I think it's really crazy that we

don't have, or maybe you did, maybe

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you did have some awesome parents

that, you know, really defined what a

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healthy man is supposed to be for you.

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And that's awesome.

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But I think.

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It really does depend

on each person, right?

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Like what makes you a healthy man?

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Right.

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Because that is going to be

different from person to person.

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It's not always going to

be the same answers, right?

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Like there's not just a complete set list

of what it means to be a healthy man.

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Of course, there's probably some.

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Basic things that most people would

agree on, but I think it's important

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for us to actually define for ourselves.

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What does it mean for

you to be a healthy man?

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Like what does the version of you

that is the absolute healthiest

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male version of yourself possible?

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Like what does that look like?

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What kind of traits does that person have?

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You know, how do they show up

and all of that kind of stuff.

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So, That's my personal opinion is first

off, we don't have it clearly defined.

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It's just kind of implied

throughout growing up about

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what it means to be a man.

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And I think with that ambiguity there.

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You know, it leaves a lot

of room for interpretation.

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And a lot of the times we never

actually sit down with that question

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in mind and actually figure it out.

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So I think it's very important

for us to really start there.

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And then the second thing is going to

be kind of a lack of resources or tools.

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I think, you know, there's.

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We know of a lot of tools and

resources out there, but it's not

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communicated well to the men out there.

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And, uh, you know, there's

also some resistance.

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I think there's kind of like, Preconceived

ideas about like, you know, if you, if

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you really do stick to the idea that,

you know, men are supposed to like, not

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show their emotions and this and that.

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Well, It's going to be hard to, for

example, like get them to go to a men's

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group or to open up or whatever it may be.

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But nonetheless, I think we really need

to do a better job on spreading the

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information of the tools that are out

there for men to, uh, primarily focus

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on their mental and emotional health.

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Right?

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Like.

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That's really kind of the main focus here.

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Uh, physical health is

important, but I think for.

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Men.

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One of the big issues we're we're

seeing here is specifically with

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mental and emotional health.

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So, those are kind of the two.

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Major things, in my opinion.

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That are leading to kind of, uh, you

know, these generations of unhealthy men.

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So how do we fix this?

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Well, very simple.

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Not really, uh, it does take some

work, but I do have some simple tools

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and ideas for you to think about.

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And, um, you know, some practices

that you can kind of start

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putting into your life right now.

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So let's go ahead and

start tackling those.

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So once again, first and

foremost, you needed to find what

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it means to be a healthy man.

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No, one's going to define it for you.

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So it's the same thing

with like boundaries.

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If you don't set boundaries for

yourself and respect your own

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boundaries, no one else is going to

respect those boundaries for you.

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So you need to.

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Define what it means to be a healthy man.

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Think of the best version of yourself

and what kind of traits does that

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person have and how do they show up?

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Every single day.

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Right?

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Like, if we just think of.

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An unhealthy man, like let's just take

the most stereotypical, like unhealthy

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man that you can possibly think of.

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You know, we have someone who is

maybe, um, you know, a drunk, like

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really gives into their vices, right?

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Like they drink or abuse other

substances, whatever it may be.

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Um, you know, they're not emotionally.

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Uh, controlled.

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They're very explosive and, uh,

likely physical and verbally

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and emotionally abusive.

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And, uh, you know, really, they don't

know how to process their emotions and.

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Really just kind of take

it out on everyone else.

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They just kind of feel like the

weight of the world is on their

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shoulders and you know, no one is

there to help them and you know,

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kind of that whole stereotype, right?

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Like that to me is.

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In my opinion, a very unhealthy man.

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So, what would it look like to be.

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The opposite of that, right.

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A healthy man.

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So just to give you a couple examples

of things that I believe are, you

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know, what would make me a healthy

manner and things that I strive to do.

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: 00:16:09

And so the first one is

to respond and not react.

316

: 00:16:15

That's a really huge one.

317

: 00:16:16

Uh, I see a lot of people who.

318

: 00:16:19

Especially with guys.

319

: 00:16:20

Uh, you know, if you say something.

320

: 00:16:22

Uh, especially guy to guy, if you say

something to them the wrong way, and

321

: 00:16:25

it just really rubs them the wrong way.

322

: 00:16:27

Well, who knows, you know, it could get

very verbal, it could get even physical.

323

: 00:16:31

And, uh, I think a lot of that is

totally avoidable, you know, I think.

324

: 00:16:35

A lot of times people are just, uh, you

know, they, they, they don't take a moment

325

: 00:16:39

to process what the person is saying.

326

: 00:16:41

Uh, you know, they say.

327

: 00:16:43

Between a stimulus and the

response there is this.

328

: 00:16:47

Short amount of time,

but there is time, right?

329

: 00:16:49

Like you could take time to think

about how you want to respond.

330

: 00:16:53

You don't always just have to react off of

the first thought that comes to your head.

331

: 00:16:56

Very likely that very first thought

that does pop in your head is

332

: 00:16:59

not the best thought to act upon.

333

: 00:17:02

Right.

334

: 00:17:02

If you just gave it a little bit

more time and sit with what this

335

: 00:17:06

person is saying, maybe they.

336

: 00:17:08

They said something to you.

337

: 00:17:10

In the wrong way, but they

didn't mean it that way.

338

: 00:17:12

You know, there's so many

different ways of looking at this.

339

: 00:17:14

And so I think it's very important for

us to not just, you know, Jump to jump

340

: 00:17:21

the gun and react on the very first

thought and emotion that pops into

341

: 00:17:24

our head, but rather to sit with that

thought and to process it and choose

342

: 00:17:29

our response and not just react, right?

343

: 00:17:31

Like having control.

344

: 00:17:33

Like a healthy control of our emotions.

345

: 00:17:35

Right.

346

: 00:17:36

Um, making sure that we're

choosing how we respond.

347

: 00:17:39

In my opinion, that's a

very healthy thing to do.

348

: 00:17:42

Being able to choose how you

want to, uh, you know, respond

349

: 00:17:46

to people is going to really help

on how you show up in the world.

350

: 00:17:50

And.

351

: 00:17:50

Uh, it, it's also going to help out

with a lot of relationships and,

352

: 00:17:53

and a bunch of different things.

353

: 00:17:54

So that's going to be the first one.

354

: 00:17:57

Is going to be choose how you

respond and not just react.

355

: 00:18:01

Uh, the next thing is going to be

356

: 00:18:03

someone who is emotionally aware, right?

357

: 00:18:06

So this is a huge topic and there's a

lot of different routes to go with this.

358

: 00:18:12

But being emotionally aware

essentially means that you're aware

359

: 00:18:15

of your own emotions, as well as

the emotions of people around you.

360

: 00:18:20

So.

361

: 00:18:21

How often do you really actually tap

in with yourself and see how you feel?

362

: 00:18:27

Personally, um, it's something

I have to actively do.

363

: 00:18:30

I have to remind myself about it

because I won't just normally do this.

364

: 00:18:33

. So.

365

: 00:18:35

You know, throughout the day you can be

going through a lot of hardship or just,

366

: 00:18:41

you know, Unfavorable like circumstances

in life, whether it's like getting

367

: 00:18:46

yelled at, by someone at work or, um,

you know, getting cut off in traffic

368

: 00:18:51

and having some road rage, or maybe

it's an argument with your spouse or.

369

: 00:18:56

Fill in the blank.

370

: 00:18:57

There's a million different

things, whatever it may be.

371

: 00:19:00

A lot of the times, This is

just what I see with guys.

372

: 00:19:03

And I see it with myself

and what kind of just like.

373

: 00:19:08

Put that stuff to the side,

almost like, okay, that happened.

374

: 00:19:11

Well, you know, it'll,

it'll work itself out.

375

: 00:19:13

Like I'll, I'll forget about it.

376

: 00:19:15

Eventually.

377

: 00:19:15

I'm just going to continue on with my day.

378

: 00:19:17

But a lot of the times that kind of still

is affecting our mood in the background.

379

: 00:19:21

And then we start showing up as a

jerk to everybody else, even if it's

380

: 00:19:24

just by, you know, kind of being short

with people or whatever it may be.

381

: 00:19:28

It's these things that happen

throughout the day, they are

382

: 00:19:32

still having an effect on us.

383

: 00:19:33

And if you can't recognize the things

that are causing your mood, then you're

384

: 00:19:38

going to continue to stay in that mood.

385

: 00:19:39

Right?

386

: 00:19:40

Like maybe those things will dissipate

over time, but it might take a really

387

: 00:19:43

long time for you to get out of that

really crappy mood that you're in.

388

: 00:19:47

So.

389

: 00:19:47

It's very important for us to recognize

if we're going through something.

390

: 00:19:52

So if you're able to pretty much daily,

just do at least a quick check in with

391

: 00:19:56

yourself and just see like, How are

you, how are you feeling emotionally?

392

: 00:20:01

Like literally tapping with that.

393

: 00:20:02

And I know that's a weird thing for guys

to do sometimes to ask yourself, like,

394

: 00:20:07

How do I emotionally feel right now?

395

: 00:20:09

But.

396

: 00:20:09

Trust me, it is super beneficial to

just take a moment and see like, oh,

397

: 00:20:15

did that argument really affect me?

398

: 00:20:17

, is it still bothering me?

399

: 00:20:18

Do I still get super heated?

400

: 00:20:19

When I think about it?

401

: 00:20:20

And, uh, you know, that if it does,

if it still gets you really angry,

402

: 00:20:24

then it probably still has an

emotional, uh, attachment to you.

403

: 00:20:28

And so being able to, you know,

kind of think through it, maybe

404

: 00:20:31

even talk through it with someone

is going to be really beneficial.

405

: 00:20:35

Uh, not only for yourself,

but for everybody else.

406

: 00:20:37

Cause you're going to show up better.

407

: 00:20:38

And then the other part of

emotional awareness is also being

408

: 00:20:41

aware of everyone else's emotions.

409

: 00:20:43

Right?

410

: 00:20:43

So.

411

: 00:20:44

If you see someone that's

in a bad mood, right?

412

: 00:20:47

Like you can pick up on that.

413

: 00:20:50

And then understand that this

person is not in a good mood

414

: 00:20:53

and then you can choose how, you

know, you kind of respond to them.

415

: 00:20:57

You know how you interact with

them and you can avoid a lot of.

416

: 00:21:02

Confrontations and.

417

: 00:21:04

You know, just.

418

: 00:21:06

Bad conversations, essentially, if

you just take into consideration the

419

: 00:21:10

people's emotional states around you.

420

: 00:21:13

So being emotionally aware is another

really big thing that I like to focus on.

421

: 00:21:18

And I think it's super

important for us as men.

422

: 00:21:20

So, those are a couple things.

423

: 00:21:22

If you want, go ahead and

pull out a pen and paper.

424

: 00:21:25

If you're obviously not driving or doing

something that you need to be focused on.

425

: 00:21:30

Uh, then go ahead and write down

like three to five things of what

426

: 00:21:33

defines a healthy man for you.

427

: 00:21:35

Like what would be the best healthy.

428

: 00:21:39

Version of yourself as a man.

429

: 00:21:41

And then go ahead and

write those things down.

430

: 00:21:44

And, uh, you can feel free to

pause this episode to do that.

431

: 00:21:47

Uh, but then the next thing is going

to be, to find a men's group now.

432

: 00:21:52

I know there's a lot of you out there that

are probably like very resistant to this.

433

: 00:21:55

It wasn't something that

I naturally came to.

434

: 00:21:57

I actually had a really

good friend of mine.

435

: 00:22:00

Bring me to a men's room.

436

: 00:22:01

He was like, no, man, like

come to this, it's worth it.

437

: 00:22:04

And I'm so happy that he did,

uh, because I absolutely love the

438

: 00:22:08

men's groups that I've been to.

439

: 00:22:10

Um, Granted, they're not all going to be.

440

: 00:22:13

The best men's group for you specifically,

like you really do need to find a

441

: 00:22:17

group of men that you feel comfortable

with, that you really vibe with.

442

: 00:22:21

And that you're able to open up

with because that's where a lot

443

: 00:22:24

of the work is going to happen.

444

: 00:22:25

And a lot of the benefit

is going to come from so.

445

: 00:22:29

When you find a good men's group, uh,

personally, a couple of things to look

446

: 00:22:32

for would be once again, make sure you

feel comfortable with those guys, right.

447

: 00:22:37

Feel comfortable to share with them.

448

: 00:22:39

Uh, sometimes a smaller group is

better just cause it's a little

449

: 00:22:42

bit more intimate and personal.

450

: 00:22:44

Uh, but you know, that's going

to be the very first one.

451

: 00:22:47

And then number two, uh, I really

like how the men's group that I go to.

452

: 00:22:53

They really ask us to like, Take a

moment and reflect on the week and kind

453

: 00:22:59

of just think about like, has anything

really triggered you throughout the week?

454

: 00:23:03

Is there something that you're

really struggling with at ways

455

: 00:23:05

like super heavy on your heart?

456

: 00:23:07

And if so, Put a ranking

on it from a one to a five.

457

: 00:23:11

Like where are you sitting with that?

458

: 00:23:12

Are you.

459

: 00:23:13

You know, a one being very lighthearted.

460

: 00:23:15

Like there's not been a

lot of bad stuff this week.

461

: 00:23:17

So you feel great or are you at a five

where it's just like, it's the only

462

: 00:23:21

thing you're thinking about and it is.

463

: 00:23:23

Actually like.

464

: 00:23:24

Absolutely effecting how

you're showing up today.

465

: 00:23:27

So I really like that exercise

because it gives us a moment to

466

: 00:23:31

actually reflect on how we're feeling.

467

: 00:23:33

Things that we're going through,

which is super important.

468

: 00:23:36

And once again, like I said,

we don't often do this, right.

469

: 00:23:40

It's not a common thing for

us to just sit and think like,

470

: 00:23:43

Hm, how am I feeling today?

471

: 00:23:44

But it is super beneficial.

472

: 00:23:45

There's a.

473

: 00:23:46

Ton of benefit to be had in just

that simple practice itself is just

474

: 00:23:51

asking, like, how do you feel today?

475

: 00:23:54

Like, what is it that

you've been going through?

476

: 00:23:56

And by checking in with yourself,

you can get a better read on

477

: 00:24:00

how you're feeling and maybe how

you're showing up in the world.

478

: 00:24:04

Like maybe if you're being a jerk.

479

: 00:24:05

It might be because some other

things have been going on and it's

480

: 00:24:08

good for you to bring awareness

to them so you can work on them.

481

: 00:24:11

So finding a men's group

is super beneficial.

482

: 00:24:14

You'll find people who are going

through similar things that you are

483

: 00:24:18

going through, or maybe they've already

been through the things you're going

484

: 00:24:21

through and they can just provide

a ton of insight and wisdom on it.

485

: 00:24:25

Uh, you know, it's also really cool

because it's a time where it's literally

486

: 00:24:31

dedicated to you opening up and

tapping in with your emotions, which is

487

: 00:24:37

something we don't normally do as guys.

488

: 00:24:40

Usually we're like hanging out, having

a good time with each other, you know,

489

: 00:24:45

maybe, um, I don't know, you go and like

watch a sports game with each other or

490

: 00:24:48

just go kick it, whatever it may be.

491

: 00:24:50

But usually it's not so much dedicated

to you tapping into your feelings

492

: 00:24:55

and talking about something that's

like really been on your mind.

493

: 00:24:58

And if you have a friend that you're

able to do that with, that's amazing,

494

: 00:25:01

like that's, that's golden right there.

495

: 00:25:03

That's literally like

basically a men's group.

496

: 00:25:05

Uh, but nonetheless.

497

: 00:25:07

This men's group is a time for you

to give yourself permission to really

498

: 00:25:13

tap into that side of yourself.

499

: 00:25:15

It's what you're literally there for.

500

: 00:25:17

So it, uh, it kind of takes

that like stigma away.

501

: 00:25:21

Uh, you feel more comfortable in being

vulnerable and sharing with each other?

502

: 00:25:25

Uh, usually it's a very

confidential group, right?

503

: 00:25:27

Like you guys don't share

anything outside of that circle.

504

: 00:25:30

So it's just really great moment

for you to, um, to open up

505

: 00:25:33

and feel comfortable about it.

506

: 00:25:35

So.

507

: 00:25:37

First one is define what it

means to be a healthy man.

508

: 00:25:40

Number two, find a men's group.

509

: 00:25:41

I highly recommend it, or at

least just a good set of friends

510

: 00:25:45

that you can really open up to.

511

: 00:25:47

Uh, and then the third thing is going

to be to do hard things in life.

512

: 00:25:52

And I know that's like

not a fun thing, but.

513

: 00:25:56

You excuse me, you are going to come

across very difficult situations in life.

514

: 00:26:02

And, you know, once again, coming

to this, uh, respond, not react.

515

: 00:26:07

We want to do the hard things

in life so that everything

516

: 00:26:12

else will feel easier, right.

517

: 00:26:13

If you're able to go

through something difficult.

518

: 00:26:16

Then the rest of your day is going to be

a lot smoother and you're going to feel

519

: 00:26:19

a lot more controlled and calm in the way

you show up in literally your entire day.

520

: 00:26:25

So for example, if you wake up

early at five o'clock and go out

521

: 00:26:29

for a run and lift some weights, The

rest of your day is probably gonna

522

: 00:26:32

feel a lot easier because you did

something difficult that day, right?

523

: 00:26:36

Like early on in the morning.

524

: 00:26:38

And that's why I also love ice baths.

525

: 00:26:40

For that reason.

526

: 00:26:41

When you do an ice bath, there's

just nothing fun about that.

527

: 00:26:44

It's, you know, 38 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

528

: 00:26:47

I don't know what that is.

529

: 00:26:48

Maybe like one or two degrees Celsius.

530

: 00:26:51

So like very close to freezing.

531

: 00:26:53

I usually go in there for three minutes.

532

: 00:26:56

It's not fun.

533

: 00:26:57

There's nothing.

534

: 00:26:58

Really enjoyable about it

until you get out of the water.

535

: 00:27:02

Um, but when you do that, It

just sets your day off, right?

536

: 00:27:07

Like you did something.

537

: 00:27:08

Super difficult.

538

: 00:27:10

Uh, not a lot of people actually

are able to do that, or, well, you

539

: 00:27:14

know, they're not able to, will

their mind to do it essentially.

540

: 00:27:17

And so when you do that, like the rest

of your day just feels easy because you

541

: 00:27:21

did something so difficult early on.

542

: 00:27:24

And I think that's very important

for men because you're going to go

543

: 00:27:28

through difficult things in life.

544

: 00:27:29

And it's important for us to

remain calm under that pressure.

545

: 00:27:33

Right.

546

: 00:27:33

And to understand that, you know, there

are times when we might need to hold space

547

: 00:27:39

for other people's emotions and kind of

be the rock for other people right now.

548

: 00:27:45

We need to understand that there's a

shift between being the rock and then

549

: 00:27:50

being able to open up and to vent as well.

550

: 00:27:53

Right.

551

: 00:27:53

Uh, so finding that balance is very

important, but I find that doing hard

552

: 00:27:58

things like forcing ourselves to do

hard things like workout and, you

553

: 00:28:03

know, getting these ice baths and

just literally do difficult things

554

: 00:28:07

really helps us to show up better

because we're now, you know, we're,

555

: 00:28:11

we're used to going through and doing

something difficult and understanding

556

: 00:28:15

that it's always temporary, right.

557

: 00:28:17

There's always going to be a time

where things are going to get easier.

558

: 00:28:20

And then, you know, those are the

times where, um, You know that

559

: 00:28:24

like that could be the men's group.

560

: 00:28:25

Like you're going through something

hard, then you go to the men's group and

561

: 00:28:28

you're able to share and open up and, you

know, take a little bit of that load off.

562

: 00:28:32

Uh, which I think is so important

because there's a ton of guys who

563

: 00:28:35

don't know how to take the load off.

564

: 00:28:37

They know how to pack everything

on their shoulders and really just

565

: 00:28:41

put all the weight on themselves,

which is very admirable, right?

566

: 00:28:44

Like that's awesome that you want to

be that person for everyone around

567

: 00:28:48

you, but you have to understand that

you gotta take care of yourself too.

568

: 00:28:51

And that means you got to.

569

: 00:28:53

You know, be aware of the emotional,

uh, you know, the emotions that

570

: 00:28:57

you're going through and check

in with your mental state.

571

: 00:29:00

It's so, so important.

572

: 00:29:01

So, uh, once again,

We've got to cover that.

573

: 00:29:05

It's.

574

: 00:29:06

Define what it means to be a healthy man.

575

: 00:29:08

Find a men's group and do hard things.

576

: 00:29:11

And then last but not least, this is

the last one I want to leave you with.

577

: 00:29:13

And that is two.

578

: 00:29:16

Do some meditation.

579

: 00:29:17

And so I know there's a

lot of people who are.

580

: 00:29:21

Pretty resilient to meditation.

581

: 00:29:22

I totally get it.

582

: 00:29:23

It's not, you know, does that always

sound like the most fun thing to do?

583

: 00:29:28

But there is a ton of

benefit in meditation.

584

: 00:29:30

And one of the things that meditation

does is it allows you to tap in

585

: 00:29:34

with yourself once again, right.

586

: 00:29:36

When you sit down and just literally

you have zero distractions and

587

: 00:29:40

you're just sitting with yourself.

588

: 00:29:42

This is a moment in time in which a

lot of emotions might start arising.

589

: 00:29:46

And you know, it is a great chance

for us to start processing those

590

: 00:29:50

emotions and understand why it is we're

feeling the way that we're feeling.

591

: 00:29:55

Because it's very easy to stay

distracted throughout our days.

592

: 00:29:58

Even if we're going through some hard

stuff, we have social media, we have TV.

593

: 00:30:03

We have like.

594

: 00:30:05

Countless of different things.

595

: 00:30:07

That we can just occupy our

mind and attention with.

596

: 00:30:11

So when you take all of that away

and you close your eyes and you just

597

: 00:30:14

focus on your breath, That is a great

opportunity for us to start processing

598

: 00:30:18

a lot of those emotions and thoughts.

599

: 00:30:21

And honestly, for me, meditation has

been an absolute, absolute game changer.

600

: 00:30:26

It's one of my favorite things

to do in terms of mental health.

601

: 00:30:30

I always feel a million times

better after meditating.

602

: 00:30:33

And the best thing is you really, if

you want, you can meditate for as long

603

: 00:30:37

as you want, like by all means, but

10 to 15 minutes is adequate to just

604

: 00:30:42

at least happen with yourself and.

605

: 00:30:45

And kind of see how you're feeling.

606

: 00:30:46

So it doesn't take a lot of time.

607

: 00:30:48

It's free.

608

: 00:30:49

You literally need nothing.

609

: 00:30:50

Just sit down and close your eyes.

610

: 00:30:53

Maybe just find a quiet

space and you can meditate.

611

: 00:30:56

So.

612

: 00:30:57

It has been super beneficial

for me personally.

613

: 00:30:59

Uh, I stopped meditating for a while.

614

: 00:31:02

Uh, just kind of had gotten super busy,

so I didn't find time to meditate.

615

: 00:31:06

And then.

616

: 00:31:07

I went ahead and did a, uh, T sit

meditation and it was crazy, uh, was

617

: 00:31:13

processing a lot of stuff and it was

really wild to see, uh, what, you

618

: 00:31:17

know, a long period of time of not

tapping in with myself, looked like.

619

: 00:31:22

When I finally got quiet and just

was able to see how I was feeling

620

: 00:31:26

so highly, highly recommended.

621

: 00:31:28

If you're not a huge fan of

meditation, um, you don't even have

622

: 00:31:32

to think of it as a meditation.

623

: 00:31:33

You can literally just think of it as.

624

: 00:31:35

Quiet time for yourself.

625

: 00:31:37

Um, a moment of presence, right.

626

: 00:31:39

Where you're just sitting down and

becoming aware of the present moment.

627

: 00:31:43

Right.

628

: 00:31:44

So we're trying to not get super caught

up in our thoughts of the future or

629

: 00:31:48

of the past, but rather just really

focusing on the current moment.

630

: 00:31:51

Um, there's so many different kinds of

meditations out there, but literally the

631

: 00:31:55

easiest is sit down, close your eyes.

632

: 00:31:58

Taking some deep breaths and

literally just follow your breath,

633

: 00:32:01

pay attention to your breath.

634

: 00:32:02

If your mind starts wandering,

come back to your breath.

635

: 00:32:05

Just focus on the inhale through

the nose and the exhale, either

636

: 00:32:08

out through the nose or the mouth.

637

: 00:32:10

And just keep your awareness there.

638

: 00:32:13

So those are going to

be my tips for today.

639

: 00:32:17

Um, I hope they're beneficial.

640

: 00:32:19

There are more, but I think

these were some of the, uh, more.

641

: 00:32:24

Impactful ones I would say.

642

: 00:32:25

So once again, I just want to kind of

break down this episode and leave you

643

: 00:32:30

all with some actionable steps here.

644

: 00:32:33

So first off.

645

: 00:32:34

The reason, in my opinion, why we

have unhealthy men is because we don't

646

: 00:32:39

clearly define what a healthy man looks

like to ourselves, because for every

647

: 00:32:43

person it's going to be different.

648

: 00:32:45

And then number two, we either don't

know about the tools and resources or

649

: 00:32:50

we're hesitant to use them, whatever

it may be, uh, but not having these

650

: 00:32:56

tools and resources to properly.

651

: 00:32:59

Process our emotions and our thoughts

and, you know, really tapping with

652

: 00:33:02

ourselves are a major reason in

terms of why we have unhealthy men.

653

: 00:33:08

So the best ways to improve your

mental and emotional health, and

654

: 00:33:14

really just be the best version

of yourself possible as a man.

655

: 00:33:18

Is step one.

656

: 00:33:20

Define what it means to be

a healthy man for yourself.

657

: 00:33:23

And then we want to

hopefully find a men's group.

658

: 00:33:27

Um, you know, another way of putting

this is also just find community, right.

659

: 00:33:31

And, uh, specifically with other guys.

660

: 00:33:34

Uh, I find that.

661

: 00:33:36

It just tends to be.

662

: 00:33:39

A little bit of a, of an easier.

663

: 00:33:42

Uh, space for you when you have other

guys, uh, not to say there isn't benefit

664

: 00:33:47

obviously with, uh, men and women, uh,

speaking and, and having community.

665

: 00:33:51

Uh, but when it comes to processing

the emotions and all that, I

666

: 00:33:54

just really enjoy my men's group.

667

: 00:33:57

Um, but of course, if you know, you

have a community of men and women and

668

: 00:34:01

it totally works for you by all means,

of course, like whatever works for you.

669

: 00:34:04

Just find that community

it's super, super important.

670

: 00:34:07

Uh, for us to tap in and

check in with ourselves.

671

: 00:34:10

Number three.

672

: 00:34:11

I really believe it is important

for us to do hard things.

673

: 00:34:14

Life is going to be hard.

674

: 00:34:15

There's going to be times where

it is difficult and it's important

675

: 00:34:18

that we prepare ourselves

for those difficult times.

676

: 00:34:21

But also understand that those are

temporary and we need to also remember

677

: 00:34:25

that there's a time to be strong and

there's a time to open up and to, you

678

: 00:34:29

know, kind of, uh, let down those guards.

679

: 00:34:31

Right.

680

: 00:34:32

So that we're not always keeping

that bottled up and holding onto it.

681

: 00:34:36

And then the very last thing is

going to be, uh, to find a meditation

682

: 00:34:42

practice or at least a practice

of just tapping in with yourself.

683

: 00:34:46

Right.

684

: 00:34:46

Like checking in and seeing how you're

feeling, checking in with your emotions.

685

: 00:34:51

Like take a few moments,

just get quiet with yourself.

686

: 00:34:54

Close your eyes.

687

: 00:34:55

Really scan the body, see how you feel.

688

: 00:34:58

Uh, see if you have any emotions coming

up and, uh, That to me is literally one of

689

: 00:35:03

the most beneficial practices right there.

690

: 00:35:06

Uh, because it really reveals a

lot about ourselves to ourselves.

691

: 00:35:10

So.

692

: 00:35:11

Those are going to be the steps.

693

: 00:35:13

I really.

694

: 00:35:15

Really, really hope that you found

benefit in this episode today, because

695

: 00:35:19

this is a huge topic and a topic that

really deserves a lot of attention

696

: 00:35:25

and awareness so that we can really.

697

: 00:35:27

Uh, you know, solve this issue

and, and hopefully, uh, at least.

698

: 00:35:32

Not have these terrible

statistics to look at.

699

: 00:35:35

Right.

700

: 00:35:36

So that's the goal with this

episodes are always too.

701

: 00:35:40

Just provide you with information

that you can apply to your life today

702

: 00:35:44

and hopefully improve your health.

703

: 00:35:46

That is the goal with this whole series.

704

: 00:35:49

I just want to break down these

health topics in a way that you can

705

: 00:35:52

literally just take it, plug and

play, implemented it into your life.

706

: 00:35:56

And, uh, hopefully find

some benefit out of it.

707

: 00:35:59

So thank you all so much

for tuning in today.

708

: 00:36:01

I really, really appreciate it.

709

: 00:36:03

Love having you all here.

710

: 00:36:04

Uh, Listening to me, just rant on about

all of these different topics, but,

711

: 00:36:08

uh, I truly do find so much joy in it.

712

: 00:36:11

So thank you all for tuning in.

713

: 00:36:12

Uh, if you haven't already subscribed

to this podcast on whatever platform

714

: 00:36:16

you're on, please go ahead and do so.

715

: 00:36:18

That way you don't miss

any of the episodes.

716

: 00:36:20

Please also leave a rating and a review

on whatever platform you're using.

717

: 00:36:25

If you're on apple podcasts, then please

go ahead and leave a written review.

718

: 00:36:29

I love to read those and just see

what you guys are saying on there.

719

: 00:36:32

Uh, you can always reach out

to me on Instagram as well.

720

: 00:36:35

Uh, please feel free to share this

episode on Instagram and tag me in there.

721

: 00:36:40

Of course.

722

: 00:36:41

pLease go ahead and send this to

a family friend or loved one so we

723

: 00:36:45

can spread the message of this show

and also check out the YouTube page.

724

: 00:36:49

Uh, I do put up a lot of

the interviews on YouTube.

725

: 00:36:53

So you can go ahead and see the

video format of those episodes.

726

: 00:36:56

And I think that's going

to do it for today.

727

: 00:36:58

So, um, I think this is going to

come out before November is over.

728

: 00:37:02

So happy Movember.

729

: 00:37:03

Um, I hope you all are having some

beautiful holidays, stay healthy, keep

730

: 00:37:07

your immune systems, uh, bolstered and

doing well and, uh, just yeah, much

731

: 00:37:12

love and gratitude for all of you.

732

: 00:37:13

I hope you all have a

beautiful rest of your day.

733

: 00:37:16

Uh, see you next Wednesday.

734

: 00:37:17

Peace.