Michael Easter

Dr. Reedy gives a glowing review of The Comfort Crisis. In his book, Michael Easter expounds on the scientific body of research which shows that humans thrive physically and psychologically through exercise, outdoor activities, and challenges which stress them to moderate degrees. He emphasizes primitive camping, exposure to nature’s harshness, and backpacking as the most effective ways to replicate what our ancestors did that helped them to survive and thrive as a species.

My guest today is Michael Easter, a leading voice on how humans can integrate modern science and evolutionary wisdom for improved health, meaning, and performance. He travels the globe to embed himself with brilliant thinkers and people living at the extremes. He's the author of the bestselling book, The Comfort Crisis, and a professor of journalism at UNLV.We spend this one unpacking the comfort crisis and the complex experiences that seeded this concept in Michael’s mind as something more than an observation of his own life. He covers his nutrition journey, why learning how much he was eating was the key to understanding his own metabolic equilibrium, highlights a few fascinating teachers and researchers that have inspired him along the way, and applies his crisis lens to another, more surprising, neurological gem under siege – creativity in kids.His application of learned lessons is a breath of fresh air. Backed in research, but avoidant of the weeds – his POV is heart-filled and psychological, but not out of reach. Big thanks to Michael for sharing his deep wisdom with us today.We also cover… 00:01:24 — Unraveling The Comfort CrisisInspiration for The Comfort CrisisStruggling with drinking and getting soberLearning the reward of walking through discomfortWorking with Donnie VincentHow an extreme excursion outlined his bookNutrition work with Trevor KasheyWhy you eat vs. what you eat with Trevor KasheyPitfalls of enforcing rigid eating rules 00:21:55 — Doing the Work: Lifestyle ChangesChoosing foods that are ingredients > foods that have ingredients Positive effects of spending time in nature The Nature Pyramid by Rachel Hopman Working with our  hands vs. our heads00:36:54 — Growth Through ChallengeWhat exactly is a misogi challenge?Commenting on the sports science work of Marcus Elliot Inventing a challenge to push past limiting beliefsThe developmental significance of rites of passage Hard things are the ultimate teacher00:48:27 — Creativity & Happiness Across CulturesRemembering the research of Ellis Paul TorranceIQ vs. creativity testing with regard to life outcomes The commercialization of ideas and the creativity crisis among kidsHappiness research in Buton (not a single stoplight)Life is impermanent: Find joy in experiences over material thingsAmerica’s false happiness checklist Get out there and do hard things!Resources:Read: The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter Shop: The Comfort Crisis by Micheal EasterWebsite: eastermichael.comInstagram: @michael_easterConnect with Kelly:kellyleveque.comInstagram: @bewellbykellyFacebook: www.facebook.com/bewellbykellyBe Well By Kelly is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Be Well Protein Powder Grass-fed protein powder with organic monkfruit extract, organic cacao & vanilla, and NOTHING else. Get $5 off your order at bewellbykelly.com with promo code 'PODCAST5'.

Award-winning journalist and author of "The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self" joins us to talk about everything from whether our happiness depends on being comfortable, how to expand our sense of time, how much silence we need for our well-being, overcoming alcoholism, and why rucking is arguably the best exercise for women. There are SO many nuggets in this one! Learn more about Michael Easter here: https://eastermichael.com/ Sign up for the 2 Percent Newsletter here: https://unique-painter-9003.ck.page/441934d2f0 Order your copy of The Comfort Crisis here: https://amzn.to/3NlPK2p Pre-order your copy of 1000 Hours Outside, Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time here: https://geni.us/eakrZNw 

Introducing a strength training element into your walking can have major benefits, especially as a woman athlete. A way to make your walking a bit more challenging is through rucking. Rucking is a great opportunity to take the foundational movement pattern of carrying and incorporate it into your training routine easily. If You Want to Start Rucking, You Should: Find a backpack and fill it with a weight that does not exceed ⅓ of your total body weight Remember to carry your pack when going for your regular daytime walking Enjoy the benefits you will feel in your strength, ability, and overall fitness Understanding the Comfort Crisis with Michael Easter Michael Easter is an author, professor, and adventurer. He approaches movement and training from a scientific perspective, helping others to integrate modern science and evolutionary wisdom into their lives to expand their potential. He is the author of The Comfort Crisis and is personally a big fan of rucking and all of its benefits. Controlled Discomfort is a Good Thing Often we think about exercise as a 30 or 60-minute period of our day when we go hard. But being stagnant for the other 23 hours of the day has no benefit. Michael wants to challenge you to find ways in your daily routine to introduce some controlled discomfort into your life. As the world has become more comfortable over time, we have lost certain things that help to make us healthy. Lifting heavy things while in motion can have huge benefits, especially for women. Walking with weight on your body, or rucking, is usually the best option if you want to see big results. The Benefits of Rucking Scientific research shows that strength training is crucial to longevity, especially in women. Rucking works to put your spine in a better position while lifting, avoid intense pressure on your joints, and is uniquely good at improving bone density. If you struggle to integrate carrying into your fitness routine, which is an essential part of the seven functional movement patterns for building strength, rucking is a great option for you. Getting started is easy and incredibly simple. Are you ready to get started with rucking today? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page. In This Episode Why you should put more focus on carrying in your lifting routine (12:15) What is rucking and why you should know about it (13:34) The difference, pros, and cons between wearing a weight vast and rucking (15:19) Why rucking is great specifically for women athletes (19:37) How to be a 2-Percenter in order to see big changes (27:25) Tips for getting started with rucking and mitigating risk (29:15) Quotes “[Carrying] is kind of like the thing that most people aren't doing that would help them the most. Strength wise, fitness wise, cardio wise, and also just being protective against injuries.” (10:46) “I think that rucking is a great way to add a strength stimulus for women.” (20:22) “Women really were the people, as we have evolved, that kept us alive.” (22:48) “Only 2 percent of people, when they have the option of stairs or an escalator, will take the stairs. Now, if you back up, it's actually those very small decisions that we make every day, whether to take the stairs, parking farther away in the parking lot, picking your kid up and moving them, carrying your groceries. All these little ways of adding activity back into your life, those add up over the course of the day to a greater calorie burn and stimulus than a workout.” (28:01) “You know what is more risky than exercising? Not exercising at all.” (33:25) Featured on the Show Join Strength Nutrition Unlocked Here The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter Michael Easter Website Follow Michael on Instagram Find the full show notes here Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes! Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative Support the Podcast Get 20% off Legion Supplements with code STEPH Follow Steph on Instagram Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Related Episodes LTYB 281: How To Exercise Intuitively w/ Steph Ondrusek FYS 385: How To Build An Athlete Mindset Over 40 FYS 384: Making Mobility Practical w/ Coach RT3

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Sign Up to Receive Peter’s Weekly Newsletter Michael Easter is the author of the bestseller, The Comfort Crisis. He’s also a journalist, Professor of Journalism at UNLV, and a leading voice on how humans can integrate modern science and evolutionary wisdom for improved health, meaning, and performance in life and at work. In this episode, Michael first talks about his upbringing, including his parents' struggle with alcoholism, his father leaving when he was young, and how these things impacted Michael's own struggle with alcoholism. He explains what led to his realization that we are in a “crisis of comfort” and how the removal of many of life’s discomforts through advancements in modern society may actually be a leading contributor to many of our most urgent physical and mental health issues. He explains the benefits of challenging oneself and the immense positive carryover which can come from doing things we find difficult. He describes the consequences of technology like smartphones, which have effectively eliminated boredom—a discomfort that comes with many benefits. He tells the story of a profound experience at an elk hunt that changed Michael’s thoughts around life and death, how happiness can thrive in places without all of the modern comforts of the West, and why we’re hardwired for stress and what to do about it. They conclude with a conversation around rucking, an activity with many physical and mental benefits. We discuss: The value in doing something difficult [2:30]; Michael’s upbringing with a single parent and alcoholism [5:45]; Michael’s battle with alcoholism and his experience with quitting drinking [10:00]; Origin of the idea that we are in a crisis of comfort [20:30]; The death of boredom in modern society [28:45]; The benefits of boredom [36:00]; The value of disconnecting and being in nature [39:15]; Changing the dynamic of how we think about food and the story of Peter’s daughter’s first hunt [43:45]; How a profound experience at an elk hunt changed Michael’s thoughts about life and death [49:15]; How happiness can thrive in places without all of the modern comforts of the West [57:15]; Why we’re hardwired for stress, and the responsibility that comes with our level of comfort [1:05:30]; How perspective on the timescale of our lives in relation to history can impart positive changes [1:14:00]; The benefit of challenging oneself and the positive carryover it can have [1:19:45]; The many benefits of rucking [1:28:45]; Tips for rucking: ideal load, type of pack, and other considerations [1:38:00]; Parting thoughts on the downside of comfort and benefits of difficult things [1:43:00]; and More. Connect With Peter on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

I'm thrilled to be talking with Michael Easter today, an award-winning journalist, contributing editor at Men’s Health magazine, and author of The Comfort Crisis.Michael breaks down how our world has gotten more and more "comfortable" since the Industrial Revolution, why this isn't necessarily a good thing, and why more folks today need to do what homesteaders, as a natural inclination, tend to do... challenge themselves and lean into "hard."Where to find Michael (and his 5-day challenge!): eastermichael.comBe sure to check out this episode's sponsor, Redmond's Agriculture, & my favorite soil kit option on the market, right here: theprairiehomestead.com/soiltest. Use code HOMESTEAD, save 15% off your entire order, and improve your garden soil before next growing season.My (New) Old-School Blog: www.prairiephilosophy.comHead to http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/grow to get complimentary access to my best homestead resources.Get more in-depth homestead info, printable recipes, tutorials, and more on my blog at www.theprairiehomestead.comGet Old-Fashioned on Purpose hats & shirts at www.homesteadswag.comFollow Jill on Twitter: http://twitter.com/homesteaderFollow Jill on YouTube: http://youtube.com/theprairiehomesteadFollow Jill on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jill.winger

Michael Easter is an author, speaker, professor, and adventurer. His book, “The Comfort Crisis,” explores the human evolutionary need to be challenged, and uncovers a blueprint for leveraging uncomfortability to unlock your happy, healthy, wild self. In this episode, Drew and Michael delve deep into topics such as human development, once-in-a lifetime adventures to the arctic, and techniques for leveraging uncomfortability throughout daily life to unlock your true potential.  HIGHLIGHTS: [03:45] Where Michael got inspiration for his book, why being uncomfortable is involved in all areas of human growth, and the powerful idea of “misogi.” [18:47] How our biology is actually working against us in an age of technology, and what the future of health looks like as technology continues to remove the need for movement and uncomfortability. [25:08] Michael tells the story of his epic misogi in which he spent over a month trekking through the arctic backcountry hunting Caribou. [37:20] The power of leveraging intentional discomfort in your daily life, and some practical ways that you can begin to implement discomfort to unlock your true potential. [47:37] One of the best exercises based on human evolution, and why you should add “rucking” to your weekly routine.  SPONSORS: Manscaped — Manscaped makes precision engineered tools for your family jewels. Their new Lawn Mower 4.0 uses unique SkinSafe Technology designed specifically for the groin and body to give you a clean trim, whilst protecting your most sensitive areas. They also produce premium skin and body care products designed to keep your skin healthy, and keep you feeling fresh - all day, everyday. And ladies, Manscaped products aren’t just for men! Use code “fit2fat2fit” at checkout for 20% off of your order and FREE shipping! Spartan Race — Spartan is an extreme wellness platform helping humans become unbreakable. Spartan Race hosts a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances that are designed to test you physically, mentally, and reveal your unbreakable potential one epic obstacle at a time. Use code “fit25” for 25% off of any race at checkout! SHOW LINKS: eastermichael.com @michael_easter Take the Fit2Fat2Fit Podcast Listener Survey Fit2Fat2Fit on Facebook  @Fit2Fat2Fit on Instagram Fit2Fat2Fit Book Keto School Program Complete Keto Book Email Drew: info@fit2fat2fit.com

In many ways, we’re living more comfortable lives than ever before. We can drift through life while almost never being too hot, too old, too hungry, too physically exhausted, too dirty, or even too bored? Yet, could the modernization of cars, computers, climate control and processed foods be chipping away at our physical, mental and emotional health? Investigative health journalist Michael Easter shares how we can leverage the life-enhancing power of discomfort in our daily lives to relieve tension, lower the risk of disease and dramatically improve our overall well-being. If you're looking to find real connection in our world, today’s conversation will help you to embrace discomfort to reclaim your wild, happy and healthy self.

Text Hawk to 66866 for "Mindful Monday" - A highly curated email to help you start your week off with intellectual curiosity, rigor, and thoughtfulness Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12  https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12 "We are wired for laziness. It takes conscious thought to do the harder thing." What Micheal learned from The Pope... If you have a question, go directly to the source. The science-backed ways to slow down time? Learn and do new things. Get off "auto-pilot" mode. Benefits of thinking about death? Michael learned in Bhutan why we should think about death... In the United States, we rarely think about death—especially our own death. And when we do, it tends to make us sad and uncomfortable. But there are powerful benefits to regularly contemplating the fact that our time in this world will eventually come to an end. The shift in perspective can be profound and lead to a kind of deeply felt and enduring appreciation for life. Michael's love for his mom: "My mom got sober when my dad was in rehab. That's how my favorite story I've ever written starts. It's about my mom, a single parent who taught me everything I need to know about being a man. As I was writing that story five years ago, my mom was battling cancer. She'd just finished chemotherapy and was undergoing radiation. Doctors officially deemed my mom "cured" from cancer. In the story I wrote, "Have you ever played tug-of-war with a pit bull? It’ll pull until you quit or it dies. That’s Lynda Easter." How Michael dealt with alcohol - “I saw a choice. Option 1, do nothing. Cling to complacency and the numbing lifestyle that would ultimately end badly but allow me to keep drinking. Or option 2. Get uncomfortable. Ditch my liquid comfort blanket. I hadn’t a clue where this second option would take me or if I could even pull it off. And I was terrified.” Take The Stairs: A mantra I try to live by when traveling – “Take the stairs.” When there is an escalator and stairs, always take the stairs. If you’re fortunate enough to have legs that work, then take the stairs. Be a 2 percenter… 98% of people take the escalator at the airport. Take the stairs. Exercise: Exercise grows the hippocampus in the brain. This is something that is shrunken in people who suffer from depression. We exercise 14 times less than our ancestors. "We've engineered movement out of our lives." Michael traveled 30,000 miles around the world, met with experts ranging from Harvard researchers and Icelandic geneticists to Buddhist Lamas and Special Forces soldiers, and also spent more than a month in the remote Alaskan backcountry. "Discover the evolutionary mind and body benefits of living at the edges of your comfort zone and reconnecting with the wild." "If you want to improve your life, you have to go through discomfort." The benefits of boredom - Michael spent time in the Arctic on a hunt. It's very boring to sit on the hills for hours. But, boredom created ideas. It's evolutionary discomfort. In those boring times, Michael thought about ideas and wrote chapters of his book. "Your life is a culmination of that which you are aware of." - William James Go out in nature. Take walks.

Michael Easter is a leading voice on how humans can integrate modern science and evolutionary wisdom for improved health, meaning, and performance in life and at work.Partners:https://www.paperstcoffee.com/ - THE COFFEE I DRINK!https://www.barbelljobs.com/ - WORLD'S #1 JOB BOARD FOR THE CROSSFIT COMMUNITYhttps://thesevanpodcast.com/ - OUR WEBSITEhttps://sogosnacks.com/ - SAVE15 coupon code  - the snacks my kids eat - tell them Sevan sent you!Support the showPartners:https://cahormones.com/ - CODE "SEVAN" FOR FREE CONSULTATIONhttps://www.paperstcoffee.com/ - THE COFFEE I DRINK!https://asrx.com/collections/the-real... - OUR TSHIRTS...