#32 - Growing a New Future of Farming and Food Equity | Dr. Damien Thompson

#32 - Growing a New Future of Farming and Food Equity | Dr. Damien Thompson

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that steer the social stream of consciousness….Truly a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Each episode is a glimpse into the trends and patterns of human behavior and the underlying influences that navigate us into different directions. Whether we primarily focus on nutrition or the unconscious, guests share insights, thought-provoking lessons, the nuances of creativity, and the elements of being….us.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Damien Thompson, the co-founder of the organization, Frontline Farming, and director of the Center for Food Justice and Healthy Communities.

In addition to his training in anthropology, Dr. Thompson holds a certification in Permaculture Design and a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Teaching Certification. His interests center on the building of community food systems, small-scale urban food production, developing community, and cultural practices related to food and medicine, teaching and learning in education and permaculture. Dr. Thompson has a keen interest in how communities can utilize traditional and modern information and practices to build food systems that uplift marginalized and oppressed peoples, restore ecosystems, build biodiversity, support cultural diversity as well as provide individuals and families with the highest level of access to the means to support their own health (and we talk quite a bit about these topics today). I should mention that Dr. Thompson is also a mayor-appointed member of the Sustainable Food Council for the City of Denver, and a co-chair for the city’s Good Food Purchasing policy group. No doubt, he plays a significant role in the necessary trend of regenerative agriculture and our future connection to food.

The Elements of Being Podcast with Michael Moody featuring Dr. Damien Thompson

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In our interview, we bridge his education in anthropology to his farming practice and social work as the co-founder of Frontline Farming. Specifically, we geek out on the fundamentals of farming and the benefits of permaculture and a regenerative agriculture focus. We further dissected the social challenges surrounding food security, justice, and sovereignty as well as the equitable changes needed in our food system.

In this episode, we specifically discuss:

-Frontline Farming's mission.
-Advantages and disadvantages of regenerative agriculture practices with a focus on no-tilling/conservation tilling, water conservation, terracing, and cover crops.
-Inequality in our present food systems and the need for changes in food security, food justice, and food sovereignty.
-The connection between big data, food systems, and racial equity.
-The importance and repercussions of the language we use in our discussion about food systems and the policy that supports them.

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To learn more about Dr. Thompson, visit https://www.frontlinefarming.org/.

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Listen to all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, Castbox, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform!

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Bridal Bootcamp Exercise Program: Legs/Upper Body/Core (30-40 Minutes)

BRIDAL BOOTCAMP EXERCISE PROGRAM: LEGS/SHOULDERS/CORE (30-40 MINUTES)

Time to be your own personal trainer in LoHi! You still need to exercise outside of your personal training sessions, right??? Perform the exercises in this order. Note the descriptions next to each exercise (e.g., position of the bench or cables) and perform 16 reps for every exercise. Also, perform 16 reps on each arm if you’re performing a single arm exercise. Try to maintain a 140-160 HR (although it’ll fluctuate depending on the exercise). Don’t forget to answer the questions in the “Assessment Section” after your workout. Let’s get you ready for your wedding ceremony in Denver, Colorado!

SUPERSET 1

1st: Prisoner squat
2nd: Pushup with feet on medicine balls (failure)
3rd: Side plank

60-second sprint/30-second break

4th: Squat jumps with a medicine ball at your chest
5th: Pullups/pullup assist machine
6th: Plank with alternating plate lift (extend your arm forward and lift the plate before switching)

60-second jump rope/30-second break

7th: Split squat jump with a medicine ball at your chest
8th: Burpee pushups off of the bench (hands on the edge of a bench instead of the floor to start)
9th: Medicine ball toss at the wall while rotating

60-second Stairmaster/30- second break

10th: Alternating single leg squat with dumbbell hammer
11th: Pushups with your feet elevated on a bench
12th: Mountain climbers with a twist (30 seconds)

60-second break

Push yourself to new levels with a personal trainer in LoHi! / Photo: The Lazy Artist Gallery

SUPERSET 2

1st: Walking lunge with dumbbell press overhead
2nd: Pullup/pullup assist machine
3rd: Cable chopper with a step (alternating sides)

60-second sprint/30-second break

4th: Alternating step-up with medicine ball toss and catch
5th: Pushup with alternating dumbbell lift (see picture)
6th: Alternating toe-touch crunch

60-second Stairmaster/30-second break

7th: Alternating backward lunge with cable row
8th: Squat with the shoulder press while rotating
9th: Alternating leg lift while planking

60-second jump rope/30-second break

10th: Step-up from kneeling position with a medicine ball extension
11th: Pullup/pullup assist machine
12th: Bicycle crunch

Naptime!

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Assessment Section

No fitness or personal training program is perfect. Let’s reflect and adapt! Answer the following questions:

• How would you adapt this training program?

• Which back and chest exercises would you swap out?

• How could you make this fitness program more challenging?

• How would you change the order of the exercises?

• Would you include more breaks in between the sets?

• Would you include an even ratio of back and chest exercises instead?

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#31 - Understanding our Emotional Regulation (and Self-Injury in Adolescence) | Research Scientist Dr. Whitlock

#31 - Understanding our Emotional Regulation (and Self-Injury in Adolescence) | Research Scientist Dr. Whitlock

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that steer the social stream of consciousness….Truly a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Each episode is a glimpse into the trends and patterns of human behavior and the underlying influences that navigate us into different directions. Whether we primarily focus on nutrition or the unconscious, guests share insights, thought-provoking lessons, the nuances of creativity, and the elements of being….us.

After reaching listenership in 101 countries last fall, I was pushed to examine my role in the world and the power of all of our voices as people climb out of nearly two years of pandemic uncertainty and amplified political states. It's fitting that this new season of The Elements of Being will continue to serve as an advocacy tool for mental health. What will be different is s higher level of dedication to environmental advocacy and the examination of climate change and environmental policy and its effects on our "being" globally.

This fight can no longer be ignored....and I argue that our social efforts to bring global warming to a drawdown will have a greater effect on all of our well-being more than any other action right now. By prioritizing our focus on climate change and instituting a multiprong slate of solutions, we will improve our physical health with cleaner water and air and minimize diseases and disorders while minimizing our dependence on healthcare. We will also retune our connection with nature and steer a new consciousness that elevates our emotional and mental well-being and bring new acceptance and appreciation for our diverse cultures and lands. Greater equity no matter race, gender, and income level is a heck of a byproduct of this agenda, as well. Our voices and efforts have never been more important. So, stay tuned for future episodes on these topics and more!

In today's episode, I examine emotional regulation and self-injury in adolescence with research scientist, Dr. Janis Whitlock. She has worked in the area of adolescent and young adult mental health, resilience, and wellbeing for over 30 years. She is dedicated to bridging science, practice, and lived experience wisdom in ways that inform, enhance and support the human capacity to thrive. She has experience as a frontline provider and program developer and, for the past two decades, as a researcher, educator, author, and public speaker in these and related areas.

The Elements of Being Podcast with Michael Moody featuring Dr. Janis Whitlock

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As the founder and director of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery and the co-founder of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury, she has deep expertise in areas of self-injury and related mental health challenges, including suicide, depression, and anxiety. She has also studied and written about connectedness, resilience, the role of social media in mental health and prevention, and sexual health. She earned a doctorate in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University, a Masters of Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill, and a BA from the University of California at Berkeley.

In this episode, we discuss:

-The call to understand our emotional selves.
-Common emotional regulation strategies.
-Learning the value of awareness and detachment when appropriate.
-The concept of emotional dysregulation and how it contributes to the cycles in our lives.
-Rethinking the role of controlling our thoughts and emotions.
-How emotional regulation strategies can vary among populations.
-Connection between emotional regulation and adolescent and young adult mental health challenges.
-Emotion as an allowable part of your life.
-Reasons for the classification of non-suicidal self-injury and suicide cases.
-Assumptions and reasons for self-injury among adolescents
-Patterns of adolescent self-injury and the likelihood of the same patterns in adulthood.
-The role of social media and other technological affordances in mental health and development.

To learn more about Dr. Whitlock, visit https://www.human.cornell.edu/people/jlw43 and check out her book “Healing Self-Injury: A Compassionate Guide for Parents and Other Loved Ones.”

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Listen to all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, Castbox, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform!

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Weight Loss Plan Phase 1: Examining Your Situational Experiences with Food

“Knowing is half the battle (I think that’s what someone said once....).”

— Michael Moody, regarding your new weight loss plan

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YOUR GOAL TODAY

Complete the "Situational Experiences with Food" questionnaire below. It’s that simple, right? Unfortunately, not. It actually requires quite a bit of reflection. Even armed with the perfect optimal or weight loss diet your ingrained social or cultural habits will influence you more than you realize. Today’s step may be the most important.

Who’s really in control when eat in different environments? / Photo: Cottonbro

SITUATIONAL EXPERIENCES WITH FOOD

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Your intent isn't to eliminate the eating experience from your life. It's to heighten it from day-to-day (not just on special experiences)! To do this, you must examine your relationship with food in various situations over the 1-2 weeks. While you may need to dig into the memory bank to answer a few of these questions, try to use present examples as often as possible (we are examining your current trends and patterns, after all). By the way, you'll notice reoccurring questions in each category (important for comparison).

Restaurant Eating
-What defines an enjoyable social dining experience IN A RESTAURANT with friends and/or family? Any particular elements? Do you typically order meals that you never make at home? Type of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.? Be specific when describing different scenarios. My example: I love sharing a dining experience in a new (neighborhood-size) restaurant with 3-4 other people (6 or more gets too cliquish to me). We order 5-10 different dishes and share them while we taste a variety of exquisite big red wines. No dessert is necessary to complete my experience.
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? E.g., Mama needs her Old Fashioned before the steak, and compound butter hits the table :) (there goes Mama and her Old Fashioneds again!) Sidenote: My great-grandmother (Nani) always drank a Manhatten before dinner with my great-grandfather.

At-Home Dinner Party Eating
-What defines an enjoyable social dining experience AT HOME with friends and/or family? Do you serve appetizers or other dishes you typically don't day-to-day? Any particular elements? Types of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what?

Vacation Eating
-What defines an enjoyable social dining experience ON VACATION with friends and/or family? Any particular elements? Types of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? My example: If I'm near a body of water, I'll most certainly order fish or seafood for many of my meals.

Day-to-Day Eating
-What defines an enjoyable eating experience DAY-TO-DAY? Any particular elements? Type of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? What determines the type of experience you create? My example: If my work schedule bleeds into the evening, the prep time for a meal will diminish exponentially.

In-the-Office/At-the-Laptop Eating
-What defines an enjoyable eating experience while working IN-THE-OFFICE or AT-THE-LAPTOP? And, yes, I said enjoyable. What would an enjoyable eating experience look like while professionally multi-tasking? Any particular elements? Type of setting, food, drink, people, environment, etc.?
-Do you have a typical eating routine that you follow in these experiences? If so, what? What determines the type of experience you create? My example: My meals tend to be served in a pyrex dish next to my laptop so that I can mindlessly fork my veggie mix into my mouth. Insert trough joke here.

When-I'm-Stressed/Tired Eating
-What do you tend to grab when you're stressed or tired?
-How do your portions vary when you're stressed or tired?

Eating with Particular People
-Do you tend to eat differently with different people? If so, describe the differences. My example: Ill eat more plant-based options with my friend Craig than with my buddy Jeff. I may consume more alcohol with Stu than I would with Erik.

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Weight Loss Plan Recap: The Game Plan / Immersive Experience

“Create a business plan for your life and you’ll find a clear direction on your path.”

— Michael Moody, regarding your new weight loss plan

Your New Beginning

I know what you're thinking - "Uh-oh, here's Michael with all of his words again. Words, words, words, etc., etc, nutrition this, nutrition that." Believe it or not, this email is really meant as a quick reference guide. Most important, it will steer our next sets of activities to rewire a new optimal you! Please review it with a careful eye, and then we'll discuss it. If you need motivation, check out The Evolution of My Personal Diet! Don't forget to review the quick resource guide at the bottom!

A sidenote: A diet full of vegetables has evolved from the typical side dish of asparagus next to your piece of Midwestern steak and the salad that was served in the local diner before the main course. Any pivot out of your status quo/routine may feel uncomfortable and you may also feel a bit of uncertainty and frustration. As a former player in the restaurant industry and a long-time food and drink enthusiast, I assure you that the plant options are now overwhelming with flavor and bursting with creativity. I'm not asking you to jump in 100% for the sake of your health. A pivot of 20% may offer incredible dividends, too. Be a researcher and seek out the best of what's out there (just as you may have done with your traditional meat preparations, soups, and stews).

PART 1: ESTABLISH THE WEIGHT LOSS GAME PLAN

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Here's our adaptable game plan for your diet over the next 4 weeks. Please note that many of the phases will overlap.

PHASE 1: Assessing the trends and patterns of you (Week 1)

-Complete the 3-day diet log

-Experiment with several quick and easy dietary changes/pivots
-Complete the taste and texture profile
-Complete the emotional association assessment
-Complete the situational assessment of food choices (e.g. social settings versus when stressed)

PHASE 2: Laying the foundation of eating (Weeks 1/2)

-Establish the dietary anchors based on your "needs" (the "wants" come later)

-Introduce the principles of diet and the science behind digestion and absorption as well as your biological clock and circadian rhythm

-Highlight Fuhrman concepts and principles that relate to your dietary approach.

PHASE 3: Testing (Weeks 2/3)
-Reframe anchors into a pyramid (not your parent's food pyramid)

-Introduction of the 10 phases of dietary change and reassess every 2 weeks (or sooner) based on progress
-Introduction of self-assessment/fostering dietary awareness

-Introduction of several meal plans

PHASE 4: Creating a new normal (Weeks 3/4)
-Create a base meal plan from our observations, tests, books, and many, many resources
-Assess the meal plan every 2 weeks

Time to plant the seed for a new approach to weight loss. // Photo by Ella Olsson

PART 2: IMMERSE YOURSELF

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We're building a new normal, and its time to pull from multiple resources and hold ourselves accountable. Joining vegan, plant-based, and fitness-related social media groups have added another layer of motivation and accountability, though. I'm more likely to choose a healthier plate because I take a photo and share it with the world.

I'm also more likely to maintain a healthier mindset when I'm consistently reading self-improvement and nutrition books. At times, these books are feeding me new information, but the real value is the reminder and the mental structure I maintain while digging in daily. My crazy mind, when tamed, is an incredible force that amplifies the enjoyment of experiences. It drives my endeavors. It could also be a wild beast if not contained. Think about how you want to tame your inner beast.

RESOURCES TO CREATE AN IMMERSIVE DIETARY EXPERIENCE

Indulge in these resources. You're more likely to stick to your path if you immerse yourself with the content and lifestyle!

* Cooking Websites: Cookie and Kate, The Minimalist Baker, Rainbow Plant Life

* The Elements of Being Instagram Page: Check the recipes that Sammy and I have made over the last 12 months!

* Eat for Life book: If you need science to back up alllllllllllllllll of my thoughts on nutrition.

* End of Dieting book: Breakdown on nutrition and meal plans and recipes in the back.
* Tools of Titans book: If you want to learn about the habits of successful people from different industries. Might help to see what other habits people wire to reach their goals.
* Redefine Yourself book: Hahahahahaha.....how did this get on the list? It's a simple guide to help you steer reflection and refine your cycle of awareness, acceptance, and adaptation. That's why!
* Listen to "The Elements of Being" podcast episode #10 with Dr. Fuhrman: If you find yourself saying, "Hogwash," you may want to explore the reasons. Do you wish to change or do want to continue your same habits because it's familiar and easier, though less comfortable?
* Cookie and Kate Cookbook (vegan and vegetarian options)
* The Minimalist Baker Cookbook (vegan and vegetarian options)

* The Game Changers documentary: The documentary dispels the common misconceptions about nutrition through the lens of the active person. I must emphasize an important point here: The principles apply to males and FEMALES.

* What the Health documentary: An excellent documentary that demonstrates the compromised nutritional influences on our life and the power of a plant-based approach.

* Whole-Food-Plant-Based-Diet.com Facebook Group: People posting food pictures, recipes, and inspirational stories.

* Chicago Vegans Facebook Group: Annnnnnnnd more people posting food pictures, recipes, and inspirational stories.

* Train with Michael Moody Fitness!!! Another shameful plug, yes.

Time to plant the seed for a new approach to weight loss. // Photo by Ella Olsson

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