The mindbodygreen Podcast

“Every human being comes equipped with the capacity to flourish,” says Richard Davidson, Ph.D.

Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on wellbeing on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he served on the Global Council on Mental Health. In 2014, Davidson founded Humin (formerly Healthy Minds Innovations), a global nonprofit on a mission to make wellbeing real by translating science into action.

00:00 - What it means to flourish

05:48 - Using your mind intentionally

09:46 - Why informal practice works just as well

11:50 - A mindful walk

14:21 - The biology of loneliness

17:15 - The narrative you carry about yourself

20:38 - Mental reps & neuroplasticity

23:54 - Connecting purpose to small tasks

28:25 - The free Healthy Minds app

31:02 - How fast the brain actually changes

36:48 - Inflammation, dementia, & longevity

38:53 - Davidson's morning & evening ritual

43:13 - Setting kids up to flourish

44:43 - How a volleyball team connects

Referenced in the episode:

The Healthy Minds app: https://www.humin.org/wellbeing-tools/app

For more about Davidson, visit: https://www.richardjdavidson.com/

Purchase his book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668066238/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.
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"When it comes to high-intensity interval training work, quality is much more important than quantity,” says Fraser Thurlow, Ph.D.

Thurlow is a high-performance coach, researcher, and lecturer with over a decade of experience helping people improve their fitness and performance. He holds a PhD in Human Performance, has published extensively on training, and has lectured at leading Australian universities in sport and exercise science. His work focuses on translating science into practical, evidence-based strategies that improve health, fitness, and athletic performance.

00:00 - How to actually raise your VO2 max

05:26 - Long vs short interval training

09:00 - Heart rate vs. perceived exertion

11:13 - Accurately monitoring heart rate

13:12 - The sprint interval training protocol

19:07 - A sample weekly plan

23:58 - Working exercise into the day-to-day

28:24 - Making the most out of supersets

31:58 - VO2 max mistakes

34:32 - How to train for HYROX

39:17 - Foot strength & barefoot lifting

43:37 - Overrated & underrated fitness

45:35 - Fraser's sprint research

50:40 - VO2 max vs. muscle for longevity

Referenced in the episode:

For more about Thurlow & his personal training, visit: https://stan.store/drthurlow

Jan Helgerud sprint study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17414804/

Vollaard analysis of VO2 max studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28079707/

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.
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“When we engage in the arts, it exposes us to a lot of emotions, which can have a tangible impact on the neurotransmitters released in our brains, the stress hormones in our bodies, and even the levels of inflammation in our immune system,” says Daisy Fancourt. 

Fancourt is a Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London where she heads the Social Biobehavioural Research Group, and serves as the Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. She is one of the most highly cited scientists in the world, having published 300 scientific papers and won over two dozen academic prizes. She is a multi-award-winning science communicator and has been named a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and BBC New Generation Thinker. 

00:00 - Art as the fifth pillar of health

01:21 - The benefits of arts engagement

08:10 - Your daily & weekly arts prescription

09:35 - Why attention is the key ingredient

11:12 - Visual vs. audio art

14:56 - Making the most of a museum visit

18:11 - Art for stress & mood regulation

19:09 - Using art to wind down

21:04 - Art & the brain

27:44 - Prescribing art for anxiety & depression

32:08 - Reconnecting with childhood creativity

34:14 - Finding art in the every day

36:45 - Biological evidence of art’s impact

40:14 - Art for joy & exercise

44:54 - The creative commute

Referenced in the episode: 

Greece’s art program for mental health: https://artonprescription.gr/en/  

For more about Fancourt & her research, visit: https://sbbresearch.org/ 

Buy Fancourt’s book here: https://a.co/d/03ypycB7 

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.
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“Anatomy and physiology always matter when it comes to pain. They're just not the whole story,” says Rachel Zoffness, Ph.D.

Zoffness is a pain scientist, pain psychologist, and thought-leader revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She's an assistant clinical professor at UCSF, lectures at Stanford, and consults on the development of pain management programs around the world. Dr. Zoffness’s new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, is out now, and in the process of being translated into over 25 languages.

00:00 - Everything we know about pain is wrong

05:48 - Pain is biopsychosocial

09:45 - Building your personal pain recipe

15:00 - Emotions can turn pain volume up & down

18:14 - Your thoughts affect your physiology

25:29 - How cancer cured a kidney stone

31:51 - Optimism & letting go of outcomes

37:47 - What the placebo effect really is

39:45 - A daily protocol for pain resilience

44:35 - Why friends are medicine

48:05 - When words make pain worse

51:00 - Rachel's own pain story

Referenced in the episode: 

For more about Zoffness, visit her website: https://www.zoffness.com/ 

Buy her book here: https://a.co/03dKuChz 

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.
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"Making the effort earlier totally changes the trajectory for the rest of your life,” says Jeremy London, MD.

London is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon with more than 25 years of clinical experience caring for patients across the full spectrum of heart disease — from prevention to advanced intervention. Dr. London received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his general surgery residency at Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. He completed a general vascular and thoracic surgical fellowship at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. To deepen his understanding of medicine, he completed the Institute of Functional Medicine core program.

00:00 - When a cardiac surgeon has a heart attack

10:46 - Waking up with different priorities

13:49 - Missed signals

18:35 - The CGM experiment that revealed pre-diabetes

21:43 - The 5 tests that actually matter

25:44 - Diving into Lp(a)

30:36 - Target numbers for primary prevention

32:26 - Why taking medication isn't failure

38:24 - Atherosclerosis starts in childhood

41:19 - Why a zero calcium score doesn't mean you're safe

45:40 - What we don't know

48:41 - GLP-1s & the future of prevention

For more about London, visit his website: https://drjeremylondon.com/ 

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.
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