Good Thoughts Podcast Season 3 Episode 1

Dr. Gary Epler – The new way of life is knowing who you are moment by moment. This means know where you’re thinking from and that’s who you are. There are four locations, and you can only think from one at a time. There’s the head, the heart, the gut, and the mind, which is outside the body. We’re going to talk about three fundamental requirements to live this new, extraordinary way of life.

Joan – Let’s start with nutrition, what do you mean by a healthy nutrition lifestyle?

People often think that diets are the best way to lose weight. They’re right – you can lose 20, 30 or 50 pounds, but diets are also the biggest cause of weight gain. It’s all gained back plus an additional 10 to 20 pounds. This is because diets reset the brain eating thermostat to a higher level, and it’s permanent. The diet approach leads to trying the latest fad diet every few years with swings of weight loss and weight gain, which leads to diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. A healthy nutrition lifestyle is the better choice. Food needs to provide energy to the brain, heart, and muscles without causing harmful inflammation.

What’s your secret for healthy nutrition?

"Eat the right foods in the right amount at the right time prepared in a healthy manner.”

What are healthy foods?

Foods that have no added sugar, no added salt, no processed foods, and minimize starchy foods. Lean protein, fiber, and omega 3-fats are good foods.

What’s the right amount?                   

This is the hardest part about healthy nutrition because you need 10% less food every ten years as you age. Eventually you only need half as much as when you were a teenager. This is difficult because we’ve been conditioned to “clean the plate” since childhood, and the food quantity thermostat in the brain stays the same during aging, so people must actively think about eating less.

Everyone needs to keep in mind that less food is needed as the years go by. What do you mean by prepared in a healthy manner?

This means eat foods in their natural state, steamed, boiled, or cooked at low temperatures. This means limit fried foods and charred foods.  

Live a healthy nutrition lifestyle by eating the right foods in the right amount at the right time prepared in a healthy manner. Why do you need eight hours of sleep every night?

Everyone needs eight hours of sleep every night, not less and not more. Six of these eight hours are needed to replenish brain energy adenosine. Two hours at the end of eight hours are needed for dream sleep or REM sleep, which is rapid eye movement sleep. This restores kindness and giving feelings from the heart. This REM sleep is also a time when the energy for the frontal lobe is replenished. The fully energized frontal lobe is needed to make healthy choices and judgments in your life.

What happens if you don’t have eight hours of sleep?

Sleeping less than eight hours is unhealthy and can be deadly. This can lead to sleep deprivation syndrome causing severe health problems. Lack of eight hours causes irritability from minor annoyances, inability to make decisions, and being mean to others. People are at 60% of their performance level at home and at work. New studies show that not enough sleep to recharge the frontal lobe results in loss of judgement. People know they should not be mean to others or fight with someone, but they can’t help themselves because the frontal lobe is offline. Two hours of dream sleep are needed every night for kindness and restore frontal lobe function.

Sounds like you need eight hours of sleep every night. It’s healthy, decreases stress, and helps you to be your true self. Why do you need one hour of exercise every day?

One hour of exercise every day gives you energy to power through the day. This has been known for thousands of years. Aristotle said it’s healthy to become short of breath from exercise every day to live an energetic life. Exercise decreases stress.

What type of exercise is needed?

Mix it up. There needs to be some aerobic exercise such as walking, running, treadmill, elliptical, or swimming. It’s important to use weights during some of these workouts as muscle mass decreases with age. Classes are an excellent way to exercise because you do them at your own pace, there’s variety, and best of all, social interaction and meeting lifelong friends.

Anything else?

You might fall in love! Everyone knows your heart rate increases when you fall in love. The opposite is also true, increase your heart rate and you might fall in love with the person you with. Go for a hike together. Go for a run. Go dancing.   

Run along the Charles River in Boston, fall in love, and guess what, you might get married. That’s what we did!

Sounds good to me, best thing I ever did!

Joan – Develop a healthy nutrition lifestyle. Sleep eight hours every night. One hour of exercise every day. Do you have any closing comments?

Dr. Gary Epler – Know who you are moment by moment. You can know who you are because there are four places you can be, and you can only be in one place at a time. You can be in your head, your heart, your gut, or your mind, which is outside the body. Learn to eliminate unhealthy head thinking with anger and stress. Think from the heart with kindness and giving. Think from the mind with creativity, courage, and success. Be exceptional by being your true self. Thrive on your uniqueness. This is a new way of life for extraordinary living. 

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 About Dr. Gary Epler and Host, Joan Epler

Dr. Gary Epler is an internationally known Harvard Medical School professor and bestselling author who has impacted the lives of people throughout the world through his speaking engagements, six health books, teaching, and consulting. He has been called upon by individuals from around the globe who have a rare lung disease called BOOP that he discovered. He has developed the "Eplerian Philosophy" which is a modern-day way of life for people to live their best lives at home, at work, and in society defined as “know your true self moment by moment.” He has worked at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta; discovered a lung fluke parasite in Colombia, South America; and was Hospital Chairman, Department of Medicine. He has been recognized yearly since 1994 in The Best Doctors in America and one of Boston Magazine’s “Top Doctors in Town.” He is a radio and television personality, and a Hollywood screenwriter for a medical thriller movie. Dr. Epler is a successful serial entrepreneur as a founder and CEO of three companies including a biotech company, a nutraceutical company, and a health management company. Dr. Epler is an award-winning speaker, addressing audiences about health, productivity, and leadership.

Joan Epler is an energy-health and fitness expert and thought-leader in living a positive lifestyle with a passion for making people feel good about themselves. Joan is the host of the Good Thoughts Podcast. She attended business school for hotel management, but dance was her real interest. Joan worked in the US District Court for a judge as a courtroom clerk for ten years and always managed to continue her interest in dance and figure skating. Joan has written about women living a high-profile life through exercise and healthy nutrition lifestyle. She is currently doing mother-of-the-bride modeling and advertising. Joan’s a runner. She ran the original Greek marathon from Marathon, Greece to the Athens’s Olympic Stadium. She has completed multiple Boston Distant Medley races that include a 5K during Marathon weekend, 10K in June, and half-marathon in October. This is in addition to running the Falmouth Road Race every year. Joan lives with her husband Gary west of Boston and has two sons, Greg working in the media industry in New York City, and Brett, working in the finance industry in Boston.     

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Contact Information:

Dr. Gary Epler / Boston

Email: garyepler@gmail.com

Website: https://www.eplerhealth.com/