Episodes

When it comes to accomplishing big goals, you have to expect things to get hard. For example, losing weight takes time, and for some it can be a long and challenging road to get there. Yes, losing weight is hard, but so is becoming more overweight and more metabolically unhealthy. So you can choose the hard of losing weight or choose the hard of becoming sick and unhealthy. In this episode of the podcast, what it means to choose your hard, and some practical tips to help you choose wisely. ...

It’s that time of year when the days are getting shorter and colder, the holidays are upon us, and all you feel like doing is staying in and eating comfort food. I get it. I feel this too. And just so you know, I’m not opposed to eating comfort food, but I believe there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. I also believe there are a lot of misconceptions about using food to comfort ourselves so I want to address that here today too. In this episode of the podcast, the truth about comfort f...

The holidays can be a very difficult time of the year for a lot of people. Shopping for gifts, planning social events, spending more time with family, and the added end-of-year demands at work can all lead to feeling more stressed and overwhelmed. Not to mention the shorter days, colder temperatures, and lack of sunlight can make getting outside to exercise more challenging. It can be very easy to just say “F-it” and blow off all your diet and exercise plans, stay indoors watching Netflix wit...

I’ve received a lot of comments on my social media posts over the years basically saying that if you are a runner, you shouldn’t need help losing weight. Comments like, “If you want to lose weight, just run more”, or, “I lost all the extra weight when I did the ‘couch to 5k’ training program”, or, “If you’re a runner, you shouldn’t need to lose weight.” The main thought behind these types of comments is that if you run, you shouldn’t be overweight and that running, in and of itself, is all you...

Everyone wants to know how to lose weight, how to get healthier, how to run faster, and how to get there as quickly as possible. We have become a society of instant gratification, from instantly downloading any music or movie ever made, to having whatever we want delivered right to our door the very same day. Nowadays, people have no patience for anything, especially when it comes to something like losing weight which can take a long time for a lot of people. It’s not uncommon for it to take ...

Just about all of us will eventually engage in some type of self-sabotaging behavior. Most of the time though, you don’t know when you’re doing it. Self-sabotage is often confused with failure, being stuck, or even laziness. It’s actually pretty subtle sometimes, but knowing what it looks like is the important first step in eliminating it from your life. So in this episode of the podcast, I’m going to answer the question, “How do I know if I’m self-sabotaging?” so you can start making progre...

This past weekend I had the privilege to be a part of the 49th annual Marine Corps Marathon. Just to be clear, I did not run the race, instead, I was able to be a part of this amazing event from a very different perspective, one that most people don’t ever get to experience. It was a very emotional experience for me. I came away from the race feeling all the feelings and it really renewed my love of the sport of running. There were several other big takeaways too so I decided to organize my ...

When you think of discipline, what comes to mind? For some, it conjures up images of obeying rules and doling out punishment for anyone who disobeys. But when I think of discipline I think of training myself to do something day in and day out, usually something I don’t feel like doing. I never think of discipline as punishment, but rather a method of achieving whatever worthwhile goal that I want for myself. If there’s something big that you want for yourself, I’m telling you, there’s no mag...

If you’re a runner and you’ve ever dealt with a running-related injury, then this episode is especially for you. I recently sat down with Brodie Sharpe, a physiotherapist from Melbourne, Australia and host of the popular Run Smarter Podcast. In this informative conversation, Brodie shares his thoughts on a wide variety of topics related to running injuries and injury prevention. We discuss whether or not you should be stretching, the benefits of dry needling and shockwave therapies, when to u...

Have you ever felt like you just can’t seem to make any progress toward a goal? Have you ever found it difficult to get started eating right or exercising regularly? Have you ever made some progress toward a goal but then you hit a plateau and you just can’t seem to get things going again? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then congratulations…you are normal. It also means you’ve felt stuck at some point in your life and found it difficult to get unstuck. So in this episode, ...

It’s that time of the year when every weekend it seems there are a ton of races going on all over the world. And a lot of runners who’ve worked really hard over the last few months will inevitably make mistakes on race day. And making mistakes does not just apply to first-time racers. Whether you’re a brand new runner and doing your first 5k or you’re a seasoned athlete and running your 20th marathon, I know you’ll get something out of this episode. So today on the podcast it’s all about how...

If you want to lose weight and you’re finding it difficult – maybe you’ve hit a plateau and can’t seem to get the weight moving again – this episode is for you. Losing weight is never a linear process, there will always be ups, downs, and even stalls in your weight loss journey. All of this is perfectly normal. But if you’re really struggling to get the weight moving in the right direction again, you might want to consider whether or not you are eating too much. So in this episode of the pod...

Lots of factors go into whether or not you will successfully achieve a goal. How bad you want it, where you are in your life, your physical limitations just to name a few. But one of the most powerful indicators of success is a shift in your mindset. Most people do not consider their mindset when they set out to accomplish a goal like losing weight. They just start with, “what should I eat and not eat?” So in this episode, I want to talk about the mindset shift required in order to succeed ...

I talk a lot about carbs here on the podcast, mainly why it’s advised to keep your carbs low if you’re a runner who wants to lose weight and use body fat as fuel for running. I realized I haven’t spent much time talking about the other macronutrients – fat and protein. Fat and protein are essential nutrients that often get overlooked when it comes to low-carb diets and fat-adapted running. I’m hoping to remedy that here today. So this episode is all about the macronutrient that matters most ...

I talk a lot about losing weight and eventually getting to your “natural weight” but I’ve never really taken the time to explain what your “natural weight” is. Several people have been asking me about this lately so I thought it would be a good idea to dig into this topic here on the podcast today. Listen, losing weight is a very personal thing, and there’s not one right way to do it. Lots of different things work for different people. The same goes for what your natural weight should be – i...

If you have a big goal like losing weight and keeping it off, then you know it is going to take a while to reach that goal. One of the main reasons people don’t reach their weight loss goal is that they lose motivation. They do OK for a few weeks or a few months and then all that motivation they had at the beginning is gone and they give up on themselves. The interesting thing is that there are different motivation strategies that work for different people. Not everyone responds to the same ...

When it comes to weight loss tips, one principle stands out among all the others: counting calories. For decades, you’ve been told that the only way to lose weight is to make sure you count all your calories. Honestly, if this worked as advertised, we wouldn’t have a crisis of obesity here in this country, and no one would struggle with their weight. But the truth is, it doesn’t work. Today on the podcast, why counting calories doesn’t work and what you should probably do instead. Free Weig...

There is so much contradictory advice out there when it comes to losing weight. It’s really hard to know what’s right and what’s just BS. I’ve always taken the approach that you need to ignore most of the info spewed out there on the internet and social media and just figure out what works for you. We are all different and there’s simply not one approach that will work perfectly for everybody. With that principle in mind, for this episode of the podcast, I want to share with you my top 10 we...

A lot of runners believe that when it comes to exercise, running is more than enough. They love running, do it 6-7 days a week, and don’t feel the need to do anything else. Then there are those runners who believe in the power of cross-training. Some believe in it so hard that they find themselves doing some form of cross-training 6-7 days a week in addition to running! Wherever you fall on this spectrum, there are some forms of cross-training that provide more benefits to you as a runner. ...

When it comes to going after big goals like losing weight and keeping it off or running a faster marathon, it is pretty much a guarantee that you will experience setbacks, failures and disappointments. There’s no such thing as success without some level of setbacks and challenges along the way. The problem is that when most people experience these setbacks, they tend to see them as insurmountable obstacles, and oftentimes, they lead to giving up. So today on the podcast, how to handle setback...

There seems to be a lot of misleading information out there about intermittent fasting. People think it will mess up your metabolism, or it’s unsafe, or it’s just plain crazy. The truth is very different. Intermittent fasting is not only safe, but it provides some pretty amazing health benefits, especially when combined with a low-carb diet. Today, I’m going to separate fact from fiction and share all of the incredible positive health benefits that intermittent fasting provides. Work With Me...

When it comes to changing your diet in order to lose weight or just be healthier, most people feel like whatever they do is too restrictive. They feel like you should be able to eat anything you want as long as you don’t overdo it. Most people also feel that restricting any amount of food at all is not sustainable long-term. So what’s the answer here? Should you restrict certain foods or not? That’s the big question I am going to answer today in this episode of the Running Lean podcast. Wor...

So many people I talk to about losing weight or running faster tell me they just can’t seem to make any progress because they feel stuck. This is a really tough place to be because when you feel stuck, it’s like there’s nothing you can do to get out of it. You feel like nothing will ever work, you feel discouraged, and you feel defeated. And what do you do when you feel defeated? You give up. You quit. Why bother eating right if you’re never going to lose weight? Why bother doing the speedw...

Oftentimes when we take on a big challenge like changing how we eat or training for a marathon, we don’t get the results we want fast enough. The weight isn’t coming off as quickly as you want or the training isn’t getting any easier, running is still really hard. When you’re focused solely on the end result, and you’re not there yet, you can begin to hate the process it takes to get you there. This is not a very useful way to approach anything worthwhile. Today, I’m talking about learning t...