NMA’s 15 Rules to Live By

Written by Matt Frazier

When it comes to food and fitness habits, I don’t think rules are a good thing. Guidelines, sure, but without a little wiggle room, it’s too easy to throw up your hands and give in when your willpower runs dry.

But when it comes to living a meaningful life — and ensuring that my system for managing it works — I find it’s actually easier to be less flexible … and to follow a set of real, actual rules.

In today’s episode, Doug and I share the 15 rules we live by, the firm boundaries that help us live the lives we want and find balance and happiness.

They might not all be for you, but I hope you’ll find a nugget or two to add to your own set of rules for living.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

The best reason to make your bed in the mornings
How to make gratitude a part of your day
One ritual I do first thing, every single morning
Hell Yeah! or no
“Jazz Hour”?
How play changes everything
Why I intentionally ignore the news

Click the button below to listen now:

(more…)

7 Popular Food Trends and How They Can Help Vegan Athletes

Written by Matt Frazier

Let’s play a quick game:

Pull out a sheet of paper and jot down all the current food trends that come to mind. How many did you come up with?

Doug and I did that last week, and had no trouble pulling together a long list of popular trends. These days food trends come and go quicker than a Snapchat (that’s what the kids call those things, right?), but every once in a while one will take hold and stick around.

In today’s episode, we chose seven trends from our list that we think have staying power, and discuss what those trends mean for us as vegan athletes. And no, not all the trends that made the cut are even vegan (ahem, bacon) — but we give vegan options of even those.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

Can pickle juice stop your running cramps?
Why even a vegan podcast can’t avoid bacon — and a recipe for a vegan version that will knock your socks off
A vegan version of bone broth?
Matt’s experience with tart cherry juice
Two old drinks’ return to popularity
The healing power of turmeric

Click the button below to listen now:

Hip Hop Mogul and ‘Happy Vegan’ Author Russell Simmons

Written by Matt Frazier

I have to admit, this one was pretty fun … it’s not often (or ever) that I have the opportunity to speak to a legend in the hip-hop community. Or any other community, for that matter.

But when Russell Simmons, co-founder of the Def Jam Recordings, writes a book called The Happy Vegan, you better believe I’m going to try to get him on the podcast.

An outspoken vegan, yogi, and bestselling author, Russell Simmons has impacted far more than the music industry. In today’s episode Russell talks to me about his transition into veganism, and why he finds meditation and yoga to be essential parts of his Happy Vegan lifestyle.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

What does it mean to be a Happy Vegan?
How the hip-hop community has embraced veganism
Is the plant-based diet more expensive?
Meditation as a lifestyle change
The #1 question Russell gets asked (and it isn’t about protein)

Click the button below to listen now:

Health and Fitness Data: How Much is Too Much?

Written by Matt Frazier

Apple Watches, GPS watches, step counters, smart phones, and fitness trackers.

Sensors in our shoes.

Sensors in the kitchen.

The sources for live health and fitness data these days are seemingly endless, and with each new gadget, data tracking becomes a bigger part of our everyday life.

But is all that data really useful? And if it is, when does it become too much?

Of course there’s no right answer, but those are the questions we try to tackle in today’s episode. We discuss the trend towards more data, how it can be helpful, and why too much data caused me to assume the worst about my health.

And of course, we poke fun of those 10,000 steps everyone is suddenly trying to hit.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

Why blood work left me in a panic
Do we really know how to interpret all this data?
How you should be using the information you collect
A case for not tracking your runs
A case for tracking each and every workout

Click the button below to listen now:

Our Backwards Approach to New Year’s Goals

Written by Matt Frazier

It’s a new year, which can only mean one thing … new goals, resolutions, and habits.

Normally that would be the case for both me and Doug. We’d set specific goals, and work like crazy to reach them.

But this year, when we sat down to plan out this episode, something weird happened. Neither of us had specific goals, and instead we found we’re both taking a similar (and oddly backwards) approach to 2016 resolutions.

In today’s episode we talk about that backwards approach to new years goals, and how we see potential for even greater positive changes.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

How Matt ruined Christmas
Why we’re taking a backwards approach to New Year’s goals
The books that are shaping our resolutions
Potential problems with our goals
Should you take this backwards approach?

Click the button below to listen now:

Vegan Pro Soccer Player Baggio Husidic

Written by Matt Frazier

From mid-pack runners to professional triathletes, we’ve had the opportunity to share a lot of stories and advice from vegan athletes on this podcast. But today’s interview is a first — Baggio Hudisic, an MLS soccer player.

I’m excited to share my conversation with the vegan midfielder for the LA Galaxy about his diet, training, and how going plant-based is making him a better athlete.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

The impact of Baggio’s childhood (his family fled Bosnia to escape the war in the mid-90’s) on his attitude towards soccer and diet
When and why he went vegan
Was it risky to go vegan when you’re already a pro?
The incredible, measurable results Baggio has experienced since going vegan
The affect his diet and results have had on teammates
How Baggio eats on a typical training day

Click the button below to listen now:

What Happens When You Can’t Run?

Written by Doug Hay

It was traumatic. It was uncomfortable, painful, and frightening, and Matt loves to bring it up.

Alright fine, maybe — now that’s it’s over — it’s also a little funny.

Of course I’m talking about the groin story we’ve vaguely teased over the past month. Matt has finally convinced me is worth sharing on this podcast.

But while the story might start with the groin (or actually a 50K ultramarathon) it’s about much more than that. The real story is about mindfulness, letting go of pain and discomfort, and how to handle an injury that leaves you unable to run.

That’s the part of this dreadful, embarrassing story we want to share with you today.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

The truth about Doug’s groin
What we can learn from a terrible case of poison ivy
Can mindfulness help with running?
Where to put your pain
Untangling your happiness from your goals

Click the button below to listen now:

Michael Greger, MD on How Not to Die

Written by Matt Frazier

I admit I’ve been a bit behind the curve when it comes to the considerable force that is Dr. Michael Greger, author of the new (and gigantic) book, How Not to Die.

As one has always preferred reading text to watching video, it took me a while to discover what an incredible resource his site, NutritionFacts.org, is. There Greger posts daily videos about nutrition, based heavily on the distilled results of scientific journal articles and watchable in four minutes or less.

But when I watched several of his presentations on last year’s Holistic Holiday at Sea cruise — he gives more than 100 talks per year — I became an instant fan. What I didn’t know then was that he donates all of his speaking fees, doesn’t profit from his website, and gives away all his book royalties, too.

Benevolently, I’m sure, but with the pleasant side effect of preserving his scientific integrity, giving his recommendations that much more weight in my eyes.

Oh, and Dr. Greger is also the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States. No big deal.

I was fortunate to get Dr. Greger to slow down (sort of: he recorded this interview from his treadmill desk, on which he walks 17 miles each day) to record a 40-minute interview for NMA Radio, and it’s my pleasure to share it with you today. It’s one of my favorite episodes to date, and when you listen, you’ll get an immediate sense for Michael’s enthusiasm and benefit from his immensely deep understanding of health and nutrition.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

Do we not need “diet” books at all?
Why nobody needs to give up their favorite foods
When we might starting living forever (it’s sooner than you think)
How to deal with conflicting nutrition information on the internet
Dr. Greger’s interesting definition of whole foods — and when we can improve on nature’s foods
Should Twinkies be on the Paleo diet?
Coffee: good for bad?
Dr. Greger’s thoughts on oil

Click the button below to listen now:

How to Make the Most of the Cold Winter Months

Written by Doug Hay

You know winter has officially arrived when you contemplate skipping a run altogether because you can’t find your running tights.

That’s what happened to me last week, and I have a feeling I wasn’t the only one impatiently digging through a closet contemplating the cold.

In today’s episode, Matt and I share our survival guide for how to get through the cold winter months. We tackle everything from running in the cold, to indoor exercise options for those that don’t want to brave the elements, to using winter to set the stage for the coming year.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

The indoorsman’s guide to running through winter
Staying active without leaving your house
What does Doug wear in the sauna?
Why we should expose ourselves to winter’s elements
Indulging in warming comfort foods
Using winter to lay your habit foundation

Click the button below to listen now:

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy

Written by Matt Frazier

With your kids, though, there’s an added sense of a responsibility, and for me at least, much less tolerance for risk. Diet self-experiments might be fun for me, but when it comes to what my kids eat, I’m not interested in anything that hasn’t been proven.

In this episode of NMA Radio, I interview Karen Ranzi, raw food advocate and author of Creating Healthy Children, which T. Colin Campbell has endorsed as a “most important book … that is must reading.”

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

How I raise my kids as vegans
How to interest your kids in fresh fruits and vegetables
What parents can do to feel confident in the choice to feed their kids a vegan diet
How to deal with outside criticism about how you feed your family
Finding a supportive pediatrician
Should kids choose this diet, or should we choose it for them?
The philosophy of attachment parenting

Click the button below to listen now: