July 4, 2019

Kyle Kingsbury: Sleep Tracking, Hot and Cold Immersion, and the Power of Walking – The Genius Life

Check out The Genius Life Episode Page & Show Notes

Key Takeaways

• One of the best things you can do for yourself – take frequent walks outside throughout the day
• “Sleep is for sure the best biohack on the planet”
• The sun radiates the highest amount of UV light at midday – this increases the amount of vitamin D we produce
  • At the beginning and end of the days, the sun radiates more red and infrared (near and far) light
• There are many benefits to exposing yourself to heat stress post-workout
• Hack your environment
  • If you’re trying to lose weight, get rid of all the unhealthy foods in your pantry
  • If you’re having trouble making it to the gym, just put a kettle bell in your garage – it’s all you need
• One of Kyle’s favorite quotes of all time from Paul Chek – “Sooner or later your health will be your number one concern”
  • It’ll either happens on your death bed or for the less fortunate, earlier
  • Why not get ahead of the curve?

Supplements and Products Mentioned

• Kyle has found the Onnit Alpha Brain and New Mood supplements will significantly increase the amount of time he spends in REM sleep
• Kyle follows a cyclical ketogenic diet and will frequently supplement with MCT oil and exogenous ketones
• One of Kyle’s favorite high-intensity interval training workouts done on an Assault Airbike:
  • Warm up for 2 minutes (all nasal breathing), go for 30 seconds all out, and then take 90 seconds to cool down
  • Repeat for 8 rounds with a 2-minute cool down period
  • “That workout is 20 f*cking minutes and it will annihilate you”
• Kyle recently started using the Joovv after having the founders on his podcast

Books Mentioned

• Unplugged Evolve From Technology to Upgrade Your Fitness, Performance, & Consciousness by Brian MacKenzie, Dr. Andy Galpin, and Phil White
• Check out The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs by Nicolas Pineault – a few takeaways:
  • Some people are more affected by EMFs than others
  • EMFs are changing us whether we can perceive them or not 
• Kyle read Becoming a Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett a few years back when he began to focus more on his mobility
  • Note from Podcast Notes – this is a must read, along with Dr. Kelly Starrett’s Deskbound

Intro

• Kyle Kingsbury (Twitter, Instagram) is a retired MMA and UFC fighter and host of The Kyle Kingsbury Podcast
  • Check out the Podcast Notes from his appearance on Ben Greenfield Fitness
• Host – Max Lugavere (Twitter, Instagram) author of Genius Foods

One of Kyle’s Favorite “Biohacks” – Walking Outside

• The biggest bang for Kyle’s biohacking buck? – Walking outside and moving more throughout the day
• Mark Bell actually has a short 10-minute podcast which he records for people to listen to on their walks
  • Or you can just listen to the sounds of nature (the idea of listening to the sounds of nature is discussed more in one of Kyle’s favorite books – Unplugged)
• Kyle will walk outside for about a mile 3-4 times a day 
• Contemplation is done best while moving
  • “If you’re walking and it’s not super taxing, you can get some of your best thinking done”

Sleep – The Best Biohack on the Planet

• Kyle wears a WHOOP watch to track his sleep (he thinks it’s better than the Oura Ring, particularly because you don’t have to take it off when deadlifting or boxing)
  • Purchase an Oura Ring using our link for a $50 discount applied at checkout
• “Sleep is for sure the best biohack on the planet”
  • It doesn’t matter if your goal is fat loss or to boost your strength/performance – it all comes down to sleep
• “The best nootropic on the planet is a good night’s sleep”
• Kyle has found the Onnit Alpha Brain and New Mood supplements will significantly increase the amount of time he spends in REM sleep
  • Alpha Brain is a plant-based nootropic (it’s not a stimulant – which is why it aids sleep)
    • You can also take it prior to a workout or any cognitively demanding activity
• Kyle has found that sleeping in a room which isn’t completely dark (from something like open shades) causes him to wake up much more frequently during the night
  • Even dim light in a room (from something like a smoke detector) can have an adverse effect on your sleep quality

Red Light Therapy and Sun Exposure

• Kyle recently started using the Joovv after having the founders on his podcast and says he feels the beneficial effects
  • The Joovv has been shown to increase testosterone after long-term use (which is why if you’re a man, you’d want to expose your testicles to the light)
• Research has shown red and infrared light exposure increase the rate at which the body detoxes
  • You don’t need a Joovv for this though – you can get the same wavelengths of light from the sun
• When the sun is at its peak (midday), that’s when it radiates the highest amount of UV light 
  • This increases the amount of vitamin D we produce (so if you want to increase your vitamin D levels, go outside midday for 15-30 min.)
  • Contrary – at the beginning and end of the days, the sun radiates more red and infrared (near and far) light

Temperature Extremes

• Aim to live in sync with the seasons (AKA live in tune with the climate)
  • In the summer, let it get a little warmer inside your house
  • In the winter, just bundle up more instead of blasting the heat
• Children have a much higher brown fat percentage (which regulates body metabolism and temperature)
  • Adults have far less brown adipose tissue and much more white adipose tissue (the fat we don’t want)
  • Why is this the case? – This develops over time, as adults tend to expose themselves to a narrower temperature region
• There are many benefits to increasing your level of heat shock proteins post workout (through heat stress – like using the sauna)
  • What specifically? – Delayed onset muscle soreness, increased recovery time
• Cold exposure prior to bed can reduce the time it takes you to get to sleep
  • Quite a few people in the fitness community have turned large chest freezers into cold tubs
    • Home Depot sells a quite a few large chest freezers (you want one > 21 cubic feet)
      • Just add a little silicon caulking to the cracks to prevent water from leaking
      • Then add food grade hydrogen peroxide (~2 cups) and a couple of bags of Epsom salt to prevent anything “nasty” from growing in the water
    • Kyle changes the water every few months with a simple water pump you can buy on Amazon

Hack Your Environment

• If you’re trying to lose weight, get rid of all the unhealthy foods in your pantry
• If you’re having trouble making it to the gym, just put a kettle bell in your garage – it’s all you need

Kyle’s Current Diet and Exercise Regimen

• He’s working his way back into ketosis
  • (Kyle recently spent a week in Costa Rica for an Ayahuasca retreat at Soltara – the prep for taking the Ayahuasca involves eating a diet high in starches and legumes)
  • Typically, Kyle follows a cyclical ketogenic diet where and allows himself to eat 150-200 grams of carbs ~1 day a week
  • Why does he follow a ketogenic diet? – Mainly the cognitive and body composition benefits
  • Kyle will frequently supplement with MCT oil and exogenous ketones
• He always intermittent fasts (he usually keeps a maximum of an 8-hour eating window and will often drop it to 6 or 4 hours)
  • “I think intermittent fasting has huge benefits for longevity, huge benefits for cognitive function, and huge benefits for body composition”
• Kyle lifts 2-3 days a week
  • He doesn’t follow any sort of split – his workouts are based on feel
    • Some days he’ll just deadlift
    • Others he’ll do a full-body workout which might include a mix of rows, snatches, bench presses, overhead presses, front squats, and kettlebell swings
    • “Having that flexibility keeps in fun and fresh… I’m always enjoying my time in the gym”
  • Kyle will typically use the sauna after he lifts
• He’ll do a high-intensity interval training workout 1x a week, usually on an Assault Airbike – here’s what it looks like:
  • Warm up for 2 minutes (all nasal breathing) , go for 30 seconds all out, then take 90 seconds to cool down (aka active recovery)
  • Repeat for 8 rounds with a 2 minute cool down
  • “That workout is 20 f*cking minutes and it will annihilate you”
• 1-2x a week, Kyle will throw in some lower-intensity cardio – a nose breathing walk, a conversation-paced jog, or a nose breathing row on a Concept 2 rower for a 10k

What does living a genius life mean to Kyle?

• “Being mindful about everything”
  • “Mindfulness to me is paying attention – paying attention to what I put in my body…  paying attention to how I sleep… and paying attention to how I operate during the day”

Additional Notes

• Kyle has experimented with Modafinol in the past
• Check out The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs by Nicolas Pineault – a few takeaways:
  • Some people are more affected by EMFs than others
  • EMFs are changing us whether we can perceive them or not 
• Kyle read Becoming a Supple Leopard a few years back when he began to focus more on his mobility
  • Note from Podcast Notes – this is a must read, along with Dr. Kelly Starrett’s Deskbound
• One of Kyle’s favorite quotes of all time from Paul Chek – “Sooner or later your health will be your number one concern”
  • It’ll either happens on your death bed or for the less fortunate, earlier
  • Why not get ahead of the curve?
• Podcast are a great:
  • Way to break down complex health topics to the public
  • Way to network
  • Excuse to reach out and connect with people you admire and are curious about
  • Way to continue your own education
  • Way to share your wisdom with the world
• Kyle is a fan of Chris Ryan’s work, particularly his new podcast
  • Check out Chris’ classic book – Sex at Dawn
• When you’re dehydrated, you experience a drop in mental and physical performance