Ali Fitness Podcast

“Breath work is a body practice. Through that we can change the chemistry of our body. We can change our physiology. We can change our immune responses. We can change even our brain waves … and our nervous systems.” Marco Tesi is a breath and movement coach based in Sydney. He teaches a holistic approach to retraining the body and mind to achieve better health. To date, Marco has employed breath work to guide hundreds of people through recovery from recurring injuries and relief from chronic pain as well as stress- and anxiety-related autoimmune diseases. Marco has a bachelor’s in sport science and a master’s in sport and human health development. Today, Marco joins us to explain how he discovered breath work and share the benefits of the practice. He discusses the science behind breathing techniques, describing the connection between our breath and the body’s physiological response. Marco walks us through his morning and evening breath work routines, explaining how the breath can be used to raise responsiven

In the absence of accountability, it is very difficult to break bad habits or develop positive ones. You may want to stop smoking or start eating healthy, but without immediate consequences for falling short, you fall back into old patterns. What if you knew a zap was coming if you didn’t get off your seat and follow through? Would you be more inclined to get out of bed and actually DO what you said you were going to do? Maneesh Sethi is the founder and CEO of Pavlok, a startup leveraging aversion therapy to build wearables that change habits. The company’s core value is to help people commit to tasks—and follow through. Maneesh is also the editor-in-chief of Hack the System, a blog that offers readers unconventional approaches to succeeding in the realm of fitness, travel, business and productivity. His work has been featured in Zen Habits, The Four-Hour Workweek, and NPR, among many other media outlets. Today, Maneesh joins us to share the science behind the Pavlok, explaining how he got the idea for the pr

30,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest in Australia each year. In the US, SCA claims an estimated 325,000. If someone has a heart incident in your workplace, at your gym, or in your home, do you know what to do? What if CPR isn’t working and first responders can’t get there in time? An SCA victim’s chances of survival increase exponentially when a defibrillator is available, and the devices are easy to use. Guy Leech is known as Australia’s #1 Fitness Guy. He won the world’s first professional Ironman race in 1984 and stayed at the top of the sport for the next decade, winning multiple titles including that of 1988 World Ironman Champion. Guy has trained a wide range of athletes, from surfing champion Layne Beachley to Olympic gold medalist Kerri Pottharst. In 2016, a personal tragedy led Guy to his current mission of making defibrillators widely available and training people to use them confidently when faced with SCA. Today, Guy joins us to share the story of the day he could not resuscitate his close f

What inspires you to work out and eat right? We know there are long-term health benefits to exercise and good nutrition, but sometimes that’s just not enough to keep us engaged. What if you knew you could use your strength, your proprioception and even the social skills you are developing through your wellness practice to embark on epic adventures? What if good health allowed you to expand what’s possible—and live a totally badass life? Adam and Vanessa Lambert are the cocreators of Bee the Wellness, an innovative personal coaching company based in California. The pair has 10 years of experience in ancestral nutrition and training, and they are passionate about educating and empowering clients on their journeys to optimal health. Bee the Wellness offers one-on-one and group coaching as well as transformative retreats in Machu Picchu, New Zealand, Montana, Costa Rica and Africa. Today, Adam and Vanessa join us to share their take on living a badass life. They discuss how Bee the Wellness leverages adventure to

Our 100th episode! Dr Ross interviews Ali and how she got to Ali Fitness and then Primal Health and where to from here. A special 50% discount on the 28 day lifestyle program just for Ali Fitness podcast listeners.  Click here to purchase at 50% discount (now until March) - https://programs.primal.health/offers/bnL2ULoj?coupon_code=ALIFITNESS100 Click here to find out more about the 28 Day Lifestyle Liberation and enter coupon code ALIFITNESS100 (valid through 31st Mar 2019) Please reach out and tell Ali who you want to hear from and what topics you are interested in?  Email Ali@ali.fitness

As endurance athletes, we are good at goals. We know what it takes to prepare for a race, building a step-by-step plan to achieve a certain result. But what happens if you fall short? Do you see the experience as a failure? Or can you make the mindset shift to treat life like an adventure and truly enjoy the journey—whether or not the execution was perfect? Monika is a speaker, author and entrepreneur. She runs RAD Potential Coaching, a practice that focuses on authenticity and natural strengths. Monika combines the lessons learned from her unique experience as an IT management consultant and successful cyclist to empower her audience to reach their potential. She is also a multiple academic and athletic scholarship recipient, former Division I Volleyball player, and professional cyclist and adventure racer. Perhaps most notably, Monika set a world record in cycling, becoming the first female in history to complete the Vuelta a España. Today, Monika joins us to share her experience as the first woman to ride

So, you’ve spent your whole life working to become a professional athlete. But you’ve signed 8 contracts with 6 different teams in 4 years, and you have yet to play in a game. What do you do? Most of us would get discouraged and call it quits. Andrew East just kept showing up, and though things didn’t happen on the timeline he had planned, he did achieve his dream of playing in the NFL—and discovered a meaningful life off the field in the process. Andrew is a long snapper for the NFL’s Washington Redskins. He played college football at Vanderbilt, serving as team captain for two years and playing in multiple bowl games. Andrew is also the host of the Redirected Podcast and the creator of Side Hustle Social, a social media marketing platform designed to support aspiring influencers in learning to make money through social media. Today, Andrew joins us to discuss the bittersweet way he got a scholarship to play Division I college football and how he achieved his NFL dreams—on an unexpected timeline. He describe

Why is it so hard to incorporate new, healthy habits into our lives? Why is it even more difficult to eliminate bad ones? The problem is, we are wired to make decisions based on immediate reward. Bad habits provide this instant gratification, while the reward of good habits is based in the future. Is there a way to shift the balance and give ourselves an immediate reward for doing the right thing? Or build in a cost to making a poor choice? James Clear is the author of New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones and the creator of The Habits Academy, an elite training platform for building better habits in your business and personal life. His work has been featured in Entrepreneur, TIME and on CBS This Morning, among many other national media outlets. James also happens to be a talented travel photographer and accomplished weightlifter. Today, James joins us to explain how results serve as a lagging indicator of the habits that preceded them. He

Are you looking to make a positive change in your life? We’ve been taught to focus on external factors in building new habits, relying on the latest diet or a traditional gym regimen to help us slowly but surely make a lasting change. But James Fell argues that shifting attention to our core identity can bring about a sudden awakening—a lightning bolt of insight that automatically changes our behavior to sync up with the new way we see ourselves. James writes for the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Guardian and TIME Magazine, among many other publications. His blog, Body for Wife, boasts millions of readers, and he is the author of two popular books, The Holy Shit Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in an Instant and Lose it Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind. A highly-regarded motivator for lasting change, James is on a mission to help people achieve sudden insight around what inspires them to live their best lives. Today, James

Are you working a stressful day job that doesn’t light you up anymore? Are you thinking about making your commitment to health and fitness a career, but not sure where to start? Are you interested in helping people make transformational change in their lives? If so, pursuing a health coach training certification may be the right first step. Laura Rupsis serves as Sales Manager and Erin Power is Product Manager at Primal Health Coach Institute, an elite coaching certification program that supports health advocates in building careers that inspire others to live lives of vitality and lasting wellness. The curriculum not only educates students around the principles of ancestral health and the science of physiology, but also teaches strategies for marketing and building a successful health coaching business. Today, Laura and Erin join us to discuss the role of a health coach, explaining how they go beyond WHAT to do and teach people HOW to implement a health plan in their daily lives. They describe what a day-in-

We know that exercise is good for our hearts, yet we hear story after story of endurance athletes dying suddenly—almost always due to heart disease that has gone undetected. Just how common are fatalities at endurance races? What are the warning signs of heart disease? And what can we do to keep our hearts healthy and prevent any kind of cardiovascular event? Dr. Larry Creswell is a thoracic surgeon affiliated with the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. Dr. Larry received his medical training at Johns Hopkins University, and he has been practicing for 20-plus years. He is also an endurance athlete, currently training to swim the English Channel in 2019. Dr. Larry specializes in helping recreational athletes with heart issues, and he regularly shares content online through his blog, Athlete’s Heart. Today, Dr. Larry joins us to share the warning signs of heart disease in endurance athletes. He explains the different types of heart arrythmias, offering his take on why atrial fibrillation i

The quality of your sleep has a profound impact on your overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, we live in a world filled with artificial light that fools our bodies into thinking that it’s always daytime—and ultimately disrupts our sleep. What can we do to minimize our exposure to blue-light and make our nights more restful and restorative? James Swanwick is a health coach, speaker, investor and entrepreneur. He is the creator of Swannies blue-light blocking glasses and the cofounder of Swanwick Sleep. James is also a former SportsCenter anchor and host of The James Swanwick Show podcast. He was honored as one of Forbes Top 25 Networking Experts. Today, James joins us to offer his best advice around achieving optimal sleep. He explains how he developed an interest in the science of sleep and shares his personal health journey. James also discusses what he learned about peak performance from high-level athletes as an ESPN anchor. Listen in to understand how eliminating alcohol led James to other healthy

We understand that food is fuel but figuring out what fuel is best for us can be challenging. Should we follow a keto diet? Or would paleo be best? What’s the difference? And what are the benefits to being in ketosis? Diane Sanfilippo argues that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to nutrition, and she encourages a focus on real food rather than getting dogmatic about a single ‘right way’ to eat. Diane is a Certified Nutrition Consultant who specializes in paleo nutrition, blood sugar regulation, food allergies and intolerances and digestive health. She is also the founder of Balanced Bites, an online resource designed to help people live a better life through real food nutrition, and cohost of the Balanced Bites Podcast. Diane is best-known as the New York Times bestselling author of Practical Paleo, The 21-Day Sugar Detox, and coauthor of Mediterranean Paleo Cooking. Her new book, Keto Quick Start, will be released in January 2019. Today, Diane joins us to clarify the difference between the paleo a

 ‘How do you get faster by slowing down?’ Today’s guest enjoyed a 15-year career as an elite triathlete – and improved year after year – because he learned to train smart, avoid injury and burnout, and build a deep level of fitness.  Mark Allen is one of the most decorated triathletes in the history of the sport. He is a six-time champion of the Ironman Triathlon Hawaii, a ten-time winner of the Nice International Championships, and the only triathlete to have a 20-race winning streak. Mark was named Triathlete of the Year six times, he is a member of the Ironman Triathlon Hall of Fame, and he was voted ‘The Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time’ in a worldwide poll conducted by ESPN in 2012. Today Mark runs MarkAllenCoaching, a global online training community which serves athletes at all levels, from beginners through elite triathletes. He is a sought-after speaker and consultant, as well as the co-author of Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You. Mark joins Ali to share his wealth of knowl

So, you’ve mastered the art of physical fitness. But are you financially fit? There’s no getting around it: Money is an important tool we need to function in the world. The problem is, most of us were never taught the money methodology necessary to achieve financial freedom. What if we could learn how to spend wisely, investing as much in building wealth as we do in our fitness and health? Krisstina Wise is a real estate mogul, millionaire coach and successful serial entrepreneur. She has founded several multimillion-dollar businesses including her current venture, Wealthy Wellthy Life, an educational platform at the intersection of financial wealth and vibrant health. Through her coaching practice, podcast and online courses, Krisstina teaches people the mindset, tools and systems that she used to transform her own life and achieve financial abundance AND peak health. She is also a sought-after international speaker and the author of Amazon bestseller Falling for Money. Today, Krisstina joins us to share her

Lifestyle-driven chronic disease accounts for 86% of healthcare costs in America, but the current system was not designed to address the issue. So, how do we build a new operating system that is proactive rather than reactive? That focuses on lifestyle rather than medication? That is built on empowerment and community rather than disease and risk and fear? James Maskell is the founder of KNEW Health, a payer solution for chronic disease reversal, and the host of the Functional Forum podcast and flagship show, the world’s largest integrated medicine community. A sought-after international speaker, he has appeared on TEDx, TEDMED and HuffPostLive. James is passionate about creating the structures necessary to evolve humanity beyond chronic disease. Today, James joins us to discuss the numbers around chronic disease, explaining why people living in the Blue Zones are much healthier than the general population. He shares the KNEW Health approach to healthcare, discussing how the cost sharing model differs from tr

There are a number of different health and fitness professionals who can help you reach your goals, each of whom will see your situation through a different lens. But what if you had a team of experts who could look at your health from many angles and leverage their own experiences with body image, the psychology of eating, nutrition and fitness training? What if you had a community to help you achieve health and fitness for the long term? Julie Ralston ran a successful natural pet store for 15 years before expanding her interest to include human health and wellness. Now she is a Primal Health Coach, certified Primal Play Instructor and a student of the Psychology of Eating. Julie is passionate about helping real women make solid choices that bring more vibrance into their lives, and to that end, she is teaming up with Ali and Jen Zetterstrom to found Primal Health, a program that provides personalized coaching to help women implement sustainable changes for lasting health and wellness. Today, Julie is taking

Most endurance athletes come to yoga because we are in recovery from an injury or surgery of some kind, or perhaps even an addiction to exercise. And the physical benefits are many, helping practitioners gain flexibility and strength and affording them the opportunity to stay active while they heal. But what surprises many of us is the spiritual aspect of the practice, the self-awareness and mental clarity that we can then apply to other areas of our lives. Whether your pain is physical or emotional, embracing yoga as a way of life has the potential to help you heal—and navigate life’s ups and downs with grace. Stephanie Spence is an internationally-acclaimed yoga instructor, activist, author and entrepreneur. She has been published online and in print magazine OM Lifestyle, Yoga UK and Yoga Guide. Stephanie writes the award-winning yoga blog One With Life, and she is the author of Yoga Wisdom: Warrior Tales Inspiring You On and Off Your Mat. Stephanie has been practicing yoga for nearly 40 years, and she is

Though the field of research around the gut microbiome is brand new, the latest understandings are changing our definition of the optimal human diet. We are also learning how factors like activity, stress and sleep impact the microbiome. So, what foods promote the growth of beneficial strains of bacteria? And how can we make better lifestyle choices that will increase diversity in the microbiome—and improve our health overall? Medical biophysicist Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD, is the creator of The Paleo Mom, an award-winning online resource that distills the science behind how diet and lifestyle impact health. She also serves as the co-host of the syndicated Paleo View Podcast and architect of the premier Autoimmune Protocol Lecture Series. Sarah has a background in academic research around critical care medicine, gene therapy and cell biology, and she is the author of a number of bestselling books on the nutritional approach to optimal health. Sarah’s path to becoming an internationally-recognized health advoc

If something seems to good to be true, it probably is. But we may have discovered the one exception to that rule, red-light therapy. Not only do light treatments eliminate skin issues like eczema, the therapy has been proven to reduce joint pain and inflammation, stimulate muscle recovery, improve thyroid function and boost testosterone levels, just to name a few of its many health benefits. Justin Strahan is the Cofounder and Research and Development Lead at Joovv, the premier LED light therapy device company. The Joovv product line helps you reach your health and fitness goals via red and near infrared light therapy for targeted or full-body treatment. An engineer by trade, Justin managed design and development teams in the construction industry for 16 years prior to pursuing Joovv full-time. Today, Justin explains how his wife’s search for alternative health therapies served as the inspiration for Joovv. He discusses the specific benefits of red and near infrared wavelengths, the differences between light