Sisters-in-Service
Are you a women veteran who feels unseen and unheard? Do you struggle with finding your purpose after service? Sisters-in-Service is a podcast that gives women veterans the platform to talk about those exact issues and more. Hear from other veterans, military spouses and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) just like you that have overcome their transition from the military. Every Tuesday this podcast encourages women veterans to stand up and be counted because as a group we have a voice. From your host - Cat Corchado - The Voice Connecting Women Veterans
Sisters-in-Service
The Mind-Body Connection: How Exercise Transforms Brain Health
Movement isn't just about physical fitness—it's brain medicine. This eye-opening conversation with PJ Glassey, founder of X-Gym and creator of the brain type test, reveals why your fitness journey begins in your mind, not your muscles.
As a military brat born into an Air Force family, PJ's journey from psychology student to fitness pioneer led him to a groundbreaking discovery: exercise protocols must match your unique brain wiring to be effective. His multi-protocol approach challenges the brain through seven different movement techniques, preventing adaptation and fostering neurological growth alongside physical fitness.
The most compelling revelation? Movement delivers oxygen to the brain—the number one defense against cognitive decline. PJ shares how his mother's battle with early-onset Alzheimer's drove him to research brain science, ultimately discovering that dementia can be slowed, stopped, and sometimes reversed through proper movement. For those in Blue Zones who routinely live past 100 with sharp minds, consistent daily movement is their secret.
Traditional fitness wisdom gets thoroughly debunked as PJ explains why "calories in, calories out" fails the human experience. Four thousand calories of Twinkies creates fat storage while the same caloric amount of broccoli might trigger fat loss—proving food quality trumps quantity. For the 55% of Americans consuming ultra-processed foods, inflammation makes movement painful and thinking cloudy, creating a vicious cycle of inactivity and cognitive decline.
Whether you're battling cravings, seeking motivation, or concerned about brain health, PJ offers practical solutions including his favorite "tapping technique" that short-circuits negative neural pathways. His message is clear: start with small, consistent movement rather than overwhelming lifestyle overhauls.
Ready to rewire your brain through movement? Listen now and discover why understanding your brain type might be the missing piece in your fitness journey.
Hello everyone and welcome to Season 5 of the Sisters in Service podcast. You guys know me I'm Kat Cortado, and I want all of you to understand that this podcast is a passion project born out of my own experiences as an Air Force veteran. I understand firsthand the unique challenges and triumphs that come with serving in the military and the transition to becoming a veteran. I understand firsthand the unique challenges and triumphs that come with serving in the military and the transition to becoming a veteran. You know, this podcast is a tribute to all our people that serve, but not just the service member, our active duty people, our veterans, our military spouses, military brats and, of course, our veteran service organizations. This platform gives us an opportunity to share, learn and grow together, acknowledging our shared experiences and providing support and encouragement to each other. Alongside this, most of you probably already know this, but I'm also doing the why Not Wellness podcast. It's a little snippet 15 minutes or less but this is a space dedicated to helping everyone rediscover their fitness fabulosity. It's a journey towards feeling good in our bodies and embracing wellness, because I believe that our health and wellness are the pillars upon which we build our lives, especially after service. I'm incredibly grateful for the support of our sponsors. The first one is Small Space Pilates, which is an online fitness platform offering live classes in strength training, stretching and, of course, pilates. These classes are designed to be accessible and effective, no matter where you are in your fitness journey. The second sponsor is the MySexyBusiness. They offer guidance and help you to own a business that doesn't own you. So let's get started with our first guest for our new season.
Speaker 1:Welcome everyone to the latest episode of Sisters in Service podcast. You know me I'm the freaking fabulous Kat Corchato as your host, and today my guest is PJ Glassie. He is a pioneer in the fitness industry who has integrated brain health into his unique approach to fitness. With a background in the fitness industry, who has integrated brain health into his unique approach to fitness With a background in exercise science, pj founded the X-Gym in 1998, where he applies his multi-protocol concept and, don't worry, we're going to talk about all this. He's also the author of Cracking your Calorie Code we get to talk about calories and the inventor of the brain type test, a tool that optimizes fitness results by tailoring techniques to individual brain types. We'll also explore the profound impact of exercise on the brain, including its potential to combat Alzheimer's and dementia. Plus, wait for it, he's a military brat. Welcome PJ.
Speaker 2:Thanks, great to be here.
Speaker 1:Good to have you. So for anyone who's been listening to my podcast because I also have another podcast why Not Wellness? Where I talk about all the fitness stuff but I've been I won't say obsessed, what's less than obsessed Highly interested with how movement really affects our brain, how everything we do and don't do affects our brain. But before we get there, pj, tell me about being a military brat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where were you?
Speaker 1:born.
Speaker 2:I was born in Hawaii. Dad was in the Air Force. Yay, so that's why I was born there. Yeah, right, right. Oh yeah, we're an Air Force family. My cousin was in the Air Force. His dad, my uncle, was in the Air Force.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, we've been—we're deep into the Air Force, so you have a huge background in your family of military, so military isn't just foreign to you, you're very familiar with it, yeah, and USAA.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So did you get to see other places or did you, you know, did your dad get out fairly soon after you were born?
Speaker 2:Yeah, he did so. We didn't travel around a lot like a lot of other military brats, but it was military ideology and just philosophy was always part of my life, which was great, and he wanted to be a pilot actually. So when he got in, they made an announcement to all the pilots in the room potential pilots that they had filled all the slots and so they could either yeah, so they could either be a navigator to still be on the airplane, because there were navigators back then.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Or something else that doesn't have to do with flying, and so he jumped on the navigator. But since the military he has earned his private pilot license. So I flew a lot with him as a kid, including a couple of times to Alaska, which takes three days to get there in a small plane. Yeah, super fun. And then I became a pilot, so I'm also a private pilot.
Speaker 1:Oh nice.
Speaker 2:And wheel rated.
Speaker 1:So very cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we just love being in the air and wheel rated, so very cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we just love being in the air. I think what's interesting, what brought to mind when you told that story, is when I was active duty we would have. Sometimes celebrities will come on the base and they would take them on whatever plane. My husband gets mad at me because I don't remember what they all are. It might've been an F-18, f-16. I don't know, you guys, it was a jet, okay, and what made me mad was that the celebrity. You know the leather jackets the pilots would get.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wanted one of those jackets. I was like why did they get one of those jackets? They never asked me to fly with them, I just thought it was. I felt like you know, I was dissed a little bit, but I get it. It wasn't just me, but that's very cool. So, pj, how did you start your journey into fitness? Was it something in particular, or did you just always know that that was your path in life?
Speaker 2:It wasn't, and I didn't always know. When I got into high school I started to care about being the skinny kid and I didn't want to be that skinny kid, so I started working out and got some muscle definition and then I kind of got hooked. Then all through high school still working out, in college working out. But I was a psych major in college to start, because I really like helping people and helping them work through things and I've always been fascinated by the brain, and so then on my senior year in college, my passion was still physical exercise and fitness, but it was of course, an interest.
Speaker 2:The psychology was an interest, but it wasn't a passion. So I decided that I would switch majors and so I graduated with exercise science. But because of all that psychology, training and continued interest and passion, I combined them. So that's why the way that I do exercise with people at my gym and in our app and all the other things that we help people with it's brain and body, instead of just counting your sets and reps and doing it that way and our methodology is also a lot different. So it's a completely different experience and it's very all-encompassing mental and physical stuff.
Speaker 1:You know, I've become a little obsessed. There I said it again. Maybe I am obsessed, I don't know.
Speaker 1:That's okay to be obsessed About movement in the brain and I did a Revitalize your Midlife Symposium and it was all they were all people from different I want to say different health aspects. You know, we had a brain expert, we had a microbiome expert, we had a sleep expert and what was so unique and I didn't even think about this until later how everything they said came back to the brain. What do you see in your clients and their brain? Do you address the misconceptions that people have about fitness? Because people still think you can spot reduce? Don't ask me why they still believe that spot reduce. Don't ask me why they still believe that. But what kind of things do you have to do or say that's brain related to get them to work out?
Speaker 2:Well, you know that's different between everybody, and I wish there were an answer for everybody, but there's not, because everybody has different personalities, they have different motivations, they have different goals and, however, all humans struggle and they're always going to have challenges in achieving the health and fitness that they're setting out to do. It's never easy for anybody.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:But I make it easier because of the time hack that I've invented and the brain type test that I have invented. But first I want to go back to the whole movement thing that you were talking about, and people have probably heard about blue zones where people live over a hundred years.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And there's several areas around the world and those are also the very little studied hunter-gatherer societies. Same thing there, and the people that live the longest also typically have the sharpest brains. So their health span is incredible, along with their lifespan, and their secret is movement. It's oxygen to the brain.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And I have a lot of posts on these, but movement is the best way to get oxygen to the brain and if you're constantly feeding the brain with oxygen, that's number one. That's the number one thing you can do for a healthy brain, but also for longevity purposes, so you can get that anti-aging hack in there as well.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I'm so glad you said that, because sometimes I think when you say something over and over again and people tend to oh, I've heard this before, and it's kind of like remember your mom would say something to you over and over and over again and then one other person would say the same thing and you got all excited and would come back and go mom, guess what such and such said, and you're like, and your mom's like I've been trying to tell you that the whole time yeah.
Speaker 1:And, of course, the Blue Zone. There was an article not an article, it was a documentary and it was a certain I think I want to say Italy, but don't quote me on that the average lifespan of anyone there was 102 years old. And it's because they walked everywhere, because it was narrow, cobbled streets and no one drove, everyone walked. You walked after breakfast. You walked to the market. You walked after dinner, you walked to the place to have tea and coffee, and I was just fascinated by that. To the market, you walked after dinner, you walked to the place to have tea and coffee, and I was just fascinated by that. So, pj, how do you explain your multi-protocol concept and how does it change your training approach to fitness?
Speaker 2:Well, it's hard to explain because it's completely new and it's not like anything else out there. I invented it over the years after I got my degree. The most valuable thing I got out of my exercise science degree was how to read research papers. So then I just devoured them and I'll use the obsessive word that you used earlier, and I'm still obsessed, me too.
Speaker 1:It's more like OCD yeah.
Speaker 2:But I'm a research nerd and I'm just constantly devouring research, and the research papers give me ideas of things to try, and so then I'm also an experimenter, and that's how I came up with the methodology. And the methods are mainly because my people needed to save time, because money is a renewable resource, but time isn't. It's limited, and so if you can spend less time doing certain things, then you can spend more time doing other things, and when the blue zones, people are doing all that walking because that's part of their lifestyle and they value that. But that's not. The blue zones aren't the same as the other zones in the other parts of the world, and the other zones have a lower lifespan for lots of reasons, but one of them, of course, being movement, and so in like this country, for instance, everybody's sitting around in front of a computer. So it's not a blue zone, it's a blue screen zone, monitors all day and their phones all day, and they're not moving, which is a big problem.
Speaker 2:But there's time hacks for that. I mean, we don't have to start walking everywhere like they do in the blue zone. We can do certain time hacks and condense our activity and get the same amount of oxygen to the brain, but in shorter spurts, instead of spread throughout the day like they do in the blue zones. So it's not like we have to follow their formula. It's that we can have our own hacks. So that's why I came up with my 21-minute workout that's equivalent to about three hours of traditional training and so people can get that oxygen in a big, huge, concentrated dose instead of spread it out having to walk everywhere.
Speaker 2:So that's one of the hacks.
Speaker 1:So when you say multi-protocol, you're talking weight training, cardio flexibility. Is that what you mean by multi-protocol?
Speaker 2:Well, it is that. So those are more like aspects and it looks like strength training, but it does create heart rate spikes, and five or six of them per workout. So if you were to graph somebody's heart rate on a piece of paper, it would look like interval training. So, even though they're doing strength training and getting all the benefits of strength training because of those heart rate ups and downs, they're also getting good cardio. And at the gym we also have group training, small group training, and we have Zardio class. We call them Zardio instead of cardio because it starts with an X, of course, for Xgen, it's for OCD Obsession, I think is going to be the theme of this today.
Speaker 1:Are you obsessed with fitness?
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, no, but this is actually for people who aren't obsessed with fitness and don't want to be obsessed with fitness. They want to get in and out, they want to get it over with quickly, get all the benefits of it without having to spend all the time Now. So those are the aspects. Now the multi-method part of this and different protocols for the methods is the first one is slow motion, kind of like Tai Chi, but with resistance. And then the second one is slow motion, kind of like tai chi, but with resistance, and then the second one is stop motion. So instead of going seven seconds smooth up and seven seconds smooth down, it's stopping every inch or so.
Speaker 2:Ah, yeah, and then the third one, yeah, is more like it's an acceleration up, but it's down two inches up one inch down, two up one. And those are three of the seven. They're all different but they're all very controlled and they all necessitate very focused concentration by the brain and coordination by the nerves. And so it's mindful movement. It's very intense because it's also time under tension and you get to complete muscle fatigue at the end of every exercise, hence the heart rate spikes and the strength because of the fatigue. But it is very because we're switching out the protocols, the methods. Every so often. We're giving people a new thing for their brain to learn and master before we switch off to a new one. So as soon as they start getting used to their routine, they're going to get this we pull that rug back out from under them.
Speaker 2:That's mean it is, but then not for their brain. And so then the learning curve starts all over, which is great for the brain.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:One of the things in my list for people that are trying to prevent or reverse dementia is learn something new, and every time you learn something new the brain is just loving it. It feels hard, so mentally you might not be loving it, but the brain is just eating it up.
Speaker 1:Yes, the brain loves new information and I'm I'm a lifelong learner, like, if you mentioned something, I'll write. I'll write it down and go. Oh, I need to look up. Look that up a little bit, you know, because I don't want to talk about something or hear something go. I don't know what that is, what is that, and I may not be able to speak to it, but at least I know what it is.
Speaker 1:I've been trying to get people to just move. You know, as a podcast host, as anyone who owns their own business, we sit for an extended amount of time and I want people to just get up and move, whether you're dancing. So I thought you know the 11-minute workout. Let's just move for 11 minutes. So, if I can get you off the couch, you know, let's say you have back-to-back podcasts, leave about 10 or 15 minutes in between, have a dance break, come back and boom, your brain is on fire. That's what I love about that. So, pj, talk about when did the concept of, not the concept when did it become important for you to start to talk about combating Alzheimer's and dementia?
Speaker 2:Well, it started when, probably about 1998, when my sister and I were pretty darn sure that mom was coming down with dementia. But she was young at the time and so we were pretty concerned and we you know dad also all of all three of us were like, yeah, this is going on, so let's get her in for testing. And in the year 2000 was when she was officially diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. And so, starting in 1998, when my sister and I suspected I kind of redirected my research nerdiness from fitness and nutrition into brain science, more into brain science, and back then we didn't really know enough to help her because the technology and the science wasn't there yet. So she passed in 2005.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, yeah, thanks. But I never stopped studying it because the science was changing so fast. I knew that there would be hope for others later, and so I kept at it. And, sure enough, a couple of years later it was discovered that Alzheimer's in all stages, even the later stages, can be slowed down. Then, a couple of years later, hey, it can be stopped. Then a couple of years later, hey, we can reverse this, it's not a death sentence anymore. And so that got really exciting and since then I've helped a ton of people with.
Speaker 2:You know I have a post on xgymcom about it and the steps, and there's just five steps. I boiled it down to make it really simple hey, do these five things. And this it down to make it really simple hey, do these five things, and this is going to do it for you instead of the 100 that I could suggest. I boiled it down and summarized it a little bit. But, like we mentioned earlier, number one is move, Get oxygen to that brain. So along the way I started to develop other things from this research, and what I called them were brain training exercises. So we had our physical exercises in the gym, but then we also had brain training exercises and those were designed to help people rewire their brains to think differently, because anybody can change their body temporarily, but if their brain doesn't change along with their body, they're going to yo-yo back to where they were, because the brain is the boss.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So I was thinking well, if I can help people change their brains as their bodies are changing, then this can stick and it can be permanent. And you hear trainers all over the place telling their clients what to do as far as stuff outside the gym, you know, nutrition and all that other stuff but then the client will come back. At least eight out of 10 times the client's going to come back frustrated and saying, hey, I just can't do it, I don't know what's wrong with me. And then the trainer says, well, just have more willpower, come on, suck it up and do it.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the problem is what the trainer is telling them to do doesn't make sense to their unique brain wiring, because we're all different, and so the trainer has found what works well for themselves, and they just mistakenly assume that's the way for everybody.
Speaker 1:Or the client doesn't want to do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're not motivated, that's a whole other issue too.
Speaker 2:And so then what the trainer needs to realize is, hey, this person thinks differently. There's an 80% chance that what you're telling them to do, that you found that works for you, isn't going to work for them. And so I developed these brain training techniques to help people. But I was kind of more like throwing them up against the wall to see what sticks. I would have kind of a good idea of what might work for this person. But a certain technique would work for Joe Great, but for Sally it would just fall flat in its face. And so I'm thinking, well, it's yeah, they're just different brains. And so then over the next five years, I developed my brain type test to find out what to their wiring, because now I know they're wiring. So now I'm telling Sam something else and Jennifer something else to do the same thing for the same motivation or the same diet hack or the same cravings hack or whatever it is.
Speaker 1:It's different techniques because their brains are different is it's different techniques because their brains are different. I think men and women process information differently and, as you know, in the fitness industry, and especially in Pilates, we always joke that we have to say the same thing five different ways and maybe one of those will stick. I just I, and I always try to. You know, when I give my clients homework for Pilates, I ask them to remember how it felt. How does it feel? Don't remember, am I doing it right? Remember how it feels. So let me ask you this question Are you saying that, if I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, that let's say I'm not even exercising, I'm just a regular Jo just doing my, or regular Joanne excuse me doing my thing, that if I start exercising that maybe I could stop it in its tracks?
Speaker 2:Yes, it is possible.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yeah, it could at least be its tracks. Yes, it is possible. I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it could at least be slowed down. It really depends on the person, because Alzheimer's is different from other forms of dementia, especially in that the Alzheimer's patients typically are more resistant to change. So they'll fight diet changes more than other forms of dementia and they'll fight activity increase more than other forms of dementia. They still don't know why, and also a lot of Alzheimer's the majority of Alzheimer's patients they will refuse that they have dementia and they'll get mad. If you say it or even the word, they get furious. But other forms of dementia, just normal age-related dementia, that isn't Alzheimer's. Those people joke about it. They'll say the word and they'll say, oh, I almost have Alzheimer's and stuff like that. But it's really interesting how different it is for that particular case and so it's harder to motivate them and a lot of it. It depends on what phase they're in.
Speaker 2:But the best way to do is to start slow. So if there's somebody at home that is starting to have this A, don't say Alzheimer's and don't talk about dementia. Just say, hey, would you like to? Let's go for a walk in the woods you know we haven't done that for a really long time and then see if you can get its activity with them. You can't just tell them, hey, you got to start going to the gym, right, that's not going to work with them. She can't just tell them hey, you got to start going to the gym, right, that's not going to work, but if it can be, you know, a bonding experience where you can be active together and it's not strenuous, especially at first, but you're getting out.
Speaker 2:And the reason I said walk in the woods is because that's the ideal. We call it forest bathing nowadays. 200 years ago that's what everybody now it's called forest bathing. So then take them forest bathing and just walk around and get that fresh air and the filtered UV from through the trees and it's all that wonderful, awesome stuff. And that's going to be the best first step. And then it's doing it with them, getting getting them hooked. They'll never be able to do it alone anyways, so you might as well just get in the habit of doing it with them and then working with the rest of your family and friends to also, you know, do it with them, take shifts and things like this. Of course, I'm talking more about a later, later stage kind of kind of a case, but in all stages, that that's where you got to start.
Speaker 1:Let me ask you one question before we move on. Are you saying that a lot of people are they resistant? How can I phrase this? So, the people that you see who have Alzheimer's, were they resistant to change prior to the diagnosis and even more so after the diagnosis? Or is it the Alzheimer's that actually makes them resistant?
Speaker 2:It is that particular disease that makes them resistant and so, depending on when they get the diagnosis, is when you might notice. So if the diagnosis comes later, in a later stage, then they will already be resistant. Got it early, in an early stage. Maybe they haven't gotten that way yet. So it's certainly easier to help people get into active habits before they become resistant, but it's still possible after, and it's almost like tricking them. It's like because you're just, hey, let's just go for a walk, kind of a thing, isn't it? So you don't tell them it's exercise. You don't tell them you've got to increase your activity. You don't tell them we've got to change the foods that you're eating. You just do it, and you do it with them, yes. So then they're not being singled out, they're not being forced to do anything, because a little aspect of Alzheimer's is also kind of an oppositional, defiant streak, yes, oppositional defiant streak. So you just have to get around that by just gently doing things with them and introducing things slowly, without talking about the changes.
Speaker 1:Right, my mom doesn't have Alzheimer's, but I kind of have to do it like that with her. There are certain things. If I tell her, like my husband does the cooking in our family and I say that proudly because he's amazing at it and he'll say, did your mom eat this potato? And I'm like I don't know, he goes, I'll just put it in there. And she and if you don't tell her she'll she thinks it's the most wonderful thing ever. But if you say, mom, I'm putting this in there, she, oh, I don't think I like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:PJ. Let's move on to talk a little bit about cracking your calorie code. Now, a lot of times and I'm sure you've heard this clients will see me out. I'll have an ice cream cone or something and they'll say you're not supposed to be eating that, and I think people get so caught up in the whole calorie counting calories.
Speaker 1:Okay, honestly, I don't have time or the inclination to count every calorie that goes in my mouth. So why was it important for you to write Cracking your Calorie Code and how does it help you as a trainer in your gym?
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I was telling people sitting down and giving counseling, nutrition consultations, stuff like that, over and over and over and saying pretty much the same stuff, 80% the same thing, because it is pretty standardized.
Speaker 2:But the stuff that I tell people is very nontraditional, because I've done a lot of research myself in that as well and things have changed a lot since the dietitian schools were created, right, and it's really not about calories, and so what I wanted to do was it started out as a book, just basically for my members, so they could read it and then get the most of the information from that, instead of us sitting down and saying the same thing over and over every time with each person. But things have changed since 2008 in that the paperback on Amazon is still great, but there's some updates, and so that's why the Kindle is on Amazon there, and it was mainly for a member book, but then it caught on and so then it became more of a general population, and that's another reason for the updated Kindle. But it's really not about counting calories anyways, because calorie is a form of energy and the law of thermodynamics a lot of people talk about that Energy in energy out, calorie in calorie out. That works great if you're a car, but humans are different and the law of thermodynamics is a guide, but it's not a law in human, like it is with machines, like it is with machines, and we're different because of our genetics, because of our history, because of our current body composition, because of our mitochondrial density and fitness and health of the muscle mitochondria, but based on our muscle mass. And all this, all these factors there are just so many factors, and even the choice of food can be different.
Speaker 2:So the way I explain this typically is what do you think would happen? Well, let's just say my metabolic rate, daily metabolic calorie burn, is 3,000 calories. What do you think is going to happen if I eat 4,000 calories of Twinkies every day? Yeah, everybody knows what's going to happen I'm going to get fatter, right. So now the same question what do you think is going to happen if I eat 4,000 calories of broccoli every day? It's very, very different, yes, same amount of calories, different food. One's going to make me fatter, the other is going to make me leaner, even though I'm eating over my metabolic rate.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So that's what the book's about, but it's also about brain training, because I was doing a lot of it even back then and I hadn't come up with the brain type test yet. But it has really helped a lot of people with motivation and with cravings and the speed bumps and the roadblocks and things that get in the way of them getting to their goals in health and fitness.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think one thing that's helped me is kind of and I came upon this and this is just me, okay, I don't know about anybody else but varying my calories throughout the week, like I don't just stay like 2,000 calories, that's it. I just made up that. Don't quote me on that. But you know, one day I'll have a certain amount of calories, another day, you know, my calorie intake might go up, but I am moving.
Speaker 1:Every day with the exception of Sunday, which I call Catitude Day, I get to do whatever I want to do, but I think it just it's. It's helped my body and I've I've never, you know, I've always been athletic, I played sports, and I think you know you have to figure it out, and sometimes that's what's hard figure it out and sometimes that's what's hard. So, pj, if you looked at your whole book, what is the one thing that you could tell our audience that might be able to help them in their fitness journey or in their eating journey what they eat, what they don't eat Is there one thing that you could pick out and say?
Speaker 2:I would tell this to every one of my clients out and say I would tell this to every one of my clients. Well, yeah, I mean, it's really more about the brain than the body. So your fitness success is going to be more about how you think than about what you do, because how your brain is wired is going to determine what you do and it's going to determine your continued motivation. So it's hard to say one thing for everybody because everybody's so different. But my favorite brain training technique is the tapping technique, and people can just go to tappingcom to learn how to do that. That's probably the quickest way to get there and that's more focused about emotions, how to get rid of negative emotions.
Speaker 2:But you can do the exact same technique for a craving, for a food craving, and so when people are having issues with a certain food, because food is more addictive than any drug you could take, and when people are really hooked into that, they need to short circuit that nerve pathway, and the quickest, easiest way to do that is through tapping. And the tapping technique is also on 80% of the brain type test results. So for most of the brain types, tapping is effective. So it's very yeah, and that's my favorite. So that's what I would tell people in a short amount of time. You know what to start with.
Speaker 1:I've used tapping to reduce anxiety, if I'm just kind of stressed out. I think tapping is amazing. It's one of several tools Okay, lots of tools I have in my toolbox to help me. But you know, the thing is, if you learn these things, you have to utilize them. They're just not going to say come get me, I think you need this. 55% of Americans are all overeating high, ultra-processed foods. Yep, I was shocked by that number. Are you shocked by that?
Speaker 2:I think it's higher.
Speaker 1:That's.
Speaker 2:It's amazing. Well, it's so easy and convenient and delicious, and that's why. Well, it's so easy and convenient and delicious, and that's why. But when people can change their brain wiring to get rid of those cravings but also to increase their motivation to do more food prep themselves Right, or three hours a week, which isn't a ton of time, but that's two and a half hours more than most people, and it's just something. It's a decision that I've made because that's who I am and so you're really. It's about changing your identity. It's about who you are, who you think you are and how you think of yourself and see yourself. And once people can change their identity, along with their body, then they're stuck. That way, they get the results they want and it sticks for life because their body changed and their brain changed, including their identity.
Speaker 2:So now it's not hard anymore to eat certain things and move certain ways, because their brain just says well, that's just who I am. Yes, this is what I do now.
Speaker 1:I think it's important for people who are listening to this, or just in general, to start with baby steps.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But we want to do the whole thing, as my husband says, we want to do all the things We've never worked out. We've never eaten right Now. We want to do all the things We've never worked out. We've never eaten right Now. We want to work out seven days a week. We want to eat all the right foods. And these are all lifestyle changes. Yeah, and they're huge. And what happens after seven days? You're like, oh, I can't do this.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So don't sabotage yourself by thinking, oh, I'm just going to change everything. Change the little steps at a time. Pj. One more question before we go how does food play into inflammation in the body and how does that inflammation, does it prevent us from thinking and working out and all this other stuff? Does it have that kind of a presence in our body?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. When you're low inflammation, you feel good and you want to move. When you're high inflammation, you feel crummy mentally and physically and you don't want to move because movement hurts and you don't want to do something that hurts. So to get inflammation down, the easiest way is, of course, through diet, starting with hydration. Yes, Make sure that you're hydrated, not over or under hydrated. But for people that weigh between 100 pounds and 250 pounds, this formula works. If you take your body weight in pounds, divide it in half and drink that many ounces of water or other hydrating beverages. That's what you need. That's how much you need. So make sure you're doing that. And then look into low inflammatory foods and the high inflammatory foods and avoid the high inflammatory. Tap them away if you need to, which would be the ultra high processed food.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely yeah. There's the vegetable oils and all and the sugar and the fake ingredients. A lot of those foods aren't actually food. They don't even have a food ingredient in them. It's a food-like substance, is what it's called, and they're super inflammatory.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And then go for the low inflammatory foods, the omega-3 fats and the coconut oil and all the really good fats and proteins and clean clean foods, because organic food is typically, by and large, going to be lower inflammatory and the non-organic a lot of it is going to be more high inflammatory just because of the glyphosate and all the other preservatives and stuff that's in it, right?
Speaker 1:so, yeah, it makes a huge difference and I think for anyone listening, if you're not eating vegetables, don't get caught up in the. You know organic, non-organic, just start eating veggies. In fact, what's your take? I know I said that was the last question, but I lied um. What is your take on, you know, fresh food, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits seem to it gets. They're getting more and more expensive and sometimes harder to get. What is your take on frozen fruits and vegetables?
Speaker 2:Oh, it's essentially the same You're going to get. In some cases it's even better, because with fresh vegetables and fruits you don't know how long they've been on that shelf of the store and how long it took it to get to the store Exactly, and so a lot of those nutrients can be diminished in time. Time just does that. But with frozen they take it fresh and they freeze it, and 95% of the nutrients are preserved in freezing. I actually have my own freeze dryer because then I can freeze my fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 2:But the bottom line is what you already said, it's just start doing it. And when you tell people to eat fruits and vegetables, you're telling them to eat real food. That's the bottom line. Just start eating real food. That's the bottom line. Just start eating real food. And if the food doesn't have a label, it's because there's only one ingredient. It doesn't need a label. But if the food label, if the ingredients, is a paragraph, then it's going to be inflammatory and really horrible for you, in most cases, to be inflammatory and really horrible for you in most cases.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll give you an example. My husband and I. I love drinking coffee, not because I think it's going to give me energy, I just love the taste of coffee, I just do. And we used to put cream in our coffee. And my husband was looking on the back of the creamer and he goes there's nothing on the label that says cream or milk or anything. And I and he goes, we now my husband's not the fitness person I am, but he's become more, you know, acclimated as we've been married. And and he goes we need to stop putting this.
Speaker 1:So I went from cream and sugar in my coffee to drinking my coffee black, and it's only because I understood that I didn't want those chemicals in my body. Now, as far as you know, you heard me say that. You know I love, I love a good cookie, a cupcake, ice cream. I will never and I'm saying this to you, pj, I will never give up ice cream. I love ice cream. I just don't have it every day, yeah, and when I do have it, I don't have the carton and a spoon and I'm doing this.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yeah. Well, there's lots of different varieties of ice cream. Now, yes, you can get the low carb ice cream. You can get the organic ice cream. You can get the low carb ice cream. You can get the organic ice cream. You can get a creamy machine and make it your own. There's a recipe on my website for that. So there's lots of options. There's nothing wrong with ice cream.
Speaker 1:Okay, I just thought I'd put that out there. Pj, what's next for you in X-Gen? What do you have coming up? What's next for you in XGEM?
Speaker 2:What do you have coming up? Well, you know we're continuing to develop our app and make that better every day and adding new exercises to it, and then also continuing to develop the brain type test. Nothing ever stays the same at XGEM because we're always doing experiments and studying the research, so we're constantly in a state of change. But our commitment is just to get better with the change, so we're always the best in those things and, yeah, just keep going and improving.
Speaker 1:Thank you, pj, for being on the Sisters in Service podcast. You guys, he just said something about changing and keeping things different, trying things in little baby steps. I think it's important that we just start somewhere. Start with movement, get used to. You know, like if every Saturday you're going for a long walk and you get to the point where it's Saturday and nothing interferes with that, you know the girls say, hey, let's go for a walk. You know, let's go out. You're like, nope, gotta get my walk in, I'll meet you guys at the ball afterwards.
Speaker 1:So I think it's just important to start understanding how everything you do affects your brain and everything you don't do affects your brain. So I hope, pj, I want you to come back and we can kind of dish about a little more about fitness and what's involved, because people just think it's so involved. But I just want, and I think PJ wants us, to just move, just move. So, pj, thank you so much for being here. Everyone else, you know what I'm going to say please stay safe, take care of each other until next time and please remember it is never too late to start your impossible. Thank you.