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“[Rituals] will bring awareness to your body, your habits, and the self-sabotaging thoughts that we all tend to have—but it also empowers you.”

Dr. G

Mar 23, 2020

EFR 298: Empowering Yourself With Rituals and Healthy Habit Stacking with Dr. Christian Gonzalez

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How you begin your mornings can be the start of a domino effect that will impact your day. It is vital to consciously form positive rituals to empower and transform how you go about your life.

In this episode, Dr. Christian Gonzalez shares his everyday rituals and how it has helped him become more productive and more empowered. He lets us in on his practical tips and tricks on how he does it. We also talk about how men can take care of their prostate health, and the role of medical professionals in our overall health. If you're looking for a positive change in your life, then this episode will surely be of great help to you.

Tune in to the podcast and discover how you can empower yourself with rituals!

Follow Dr. Gonzalez @doctor.g_

Follow Chase @chase_chewning

Ever Forward Radio is made possible by our proud partners! Shop using the link/code below to save you money and to further support the show - THANK YOU! 

  • Save 15% on Cured Nutrition w/ code "EVERFORWARD" on nootropics like RISE, calming adaptogens like ZEN, full spectrum hemp oil, or any other CBD wellness product at https://www.curednutrition.com 

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

  1. Discover the power and effect of building positive rituals.

  2. Learn how important it is to know what you put in your body.

  3. How can the changes you make now transcend generations?

Episode Resources

Episode Highlights

Morning Rituals

  • Dr. G understands that it's hard to break habits and subconscious programs. Thus, he preaches the importance of 'me time' and rituals to his patients and clients.

  • When you take time for yourself, you start to get in touch with yourself—and everything follows.

  • It is essential to get under the sun 12 to 15 minutes between waking up and moving out.

  • After that, he does some joint movements. Another new ritual of his is to hang upright on a pull-up bar.

  • He drinks about a liter or a half of water before heading out to the beach while listening to music. 

Grounding and Wim Hof Breathing

  • The earth is layered with negative electrons, and your body is a conduit to them.

  • Grounding on any surface—dirt, snow, sand—is powerful.

  • Dr. G walks at the beach as part of his morning ritual. It helps him visualize his day, life, and his gratitude and affirmations.

  • He also practices Wim Hof breathing.

  • Shallow breathing activates our sympathetic nervous system. That's why when we take ten deep breaths, we feel good—because the parasympathetic system is active.

At Home

  • For him, a clean space is vital.

  • Instead of drinking coffee, he takes a 3-minute cold shower to wake himself up.

Evening Rituals

  • At night, he does contrast hydrotherapy, where he switches from cold to hot water in rounds.

  • That stimulus is vital for the nervous system. It activates and balances the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.

  • Finally, he meditates for about 20 minutes and reads for a while before going to bed.

The Biggest Eye Opener: Habit Stacking

  • It all started when he was dating a health coach with whom he talked about his trouble with meditating consistently. She suggested that he carve out time for habits.

  • The biggest eye-opener for him was habit stacking. He realized that he could build rituals around things that he was already doing

  • It brings awareness to your body, and it empowers you.

  • It is also a productive change because you decrease the amount of time you're on your phone.

  • Turning off your phone an hour before bed transfers all that energy and productivity to your mornings.

Snowball Effect

  • The things that cause you anxiety throughout the day tend to leak into your evening. It can mess up your sleep.

  • Follow a pattern where you're in a good place throughout the day.

  • Turning off your phone or Netflix can help you reflect on yourself and what happened in your day.

  • Find what is cathartic for you when you’re alone with yourself and your thoughts. For Dr. Christian, it was writing.

Finding Time for Rituals When Life Happens

  • Doing your rituals doesn't have to take that long. You can stack it and do it all at the same time when you're in a rush.

  • Touching your phone in the morning can be the most sabotaging thing.

  • Ritual stacking is a short-term hack for deviations in your schedule. The whole point is being present, and you can be present in doing anything.

Understanding Your Health: Prostate and Breast Cancer

  • When you urinate, make sure you have a normal, unchanging stream. Also note it should have no blood, and it's not bubbly.

  • Many things modulate hormones. One of the significant factors is what we put in our bodies.

  • Epigenetics is the modulation of DNA to express specific proteins based on what goes inside our bodies and our internal stress. 

  • 90% of cancers, whether you have a family history or not, will come because of epigenetics.

  • It's never too early to start taking care of your prostate. At the top of the hierarchy is sleep.

Physiological Changes

  • We need to balance our hormones.

  • Our body needs consistency and routine. 

  • Rituals reduce stress. Make sure your morning and nights are stacked with things you love to naturally reduce your stress.

Prostate Cancer

  • Conventional thinking: Reducing testosterone will keep your prostate healthy.

  • However, when it comes to how aggressive prostate cancer is, what men need to focus on is estrogen.

  • Low testosterone over time is a bigger problem than having higher amounts of testosterone. Hence, we need to keep it at a robust level.

What's In Our Home

  • The chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs are sometimes 100 times more present indoors than outdoors.

  • Off-gassing is a phenomenon when chemicals in items, like household products, break down, and they release gas. In turn, we end up breathing in these gases.

  • Our beds are where most changes happen. Thus, investing in a good bed is also a massive investment for your health.

  • Make sure that you have a good-quality air filter in your home and office.

Integrative Medicine: An All-Inclusive Approach

  • The conventional medical model does well when it comes to emergent medicine. However, we need integrative medicine, and we have to look at the big picture.

  • Integrative medicine is vital because not all models can work alone and completely.

  • Nutrition is the foundation of health, along with sleep, movement, and stress control.

The Quantitative and Qualitative Side of Studies

  • The problem with dietitians is most of their evidence and information is coming from the industry. They need to be pushed to do more objective research.

  • Studies guide for safety and efficacy.

  • However, studies will not fit every single person. This is an essential aspect of health that we need to understand.

  • Be careful of the information you read and hear. Be in touch with your body to know what applies to you.

  • Getting in touch with your body ties back to having those rituals. Knowing this, you'll know how to make smart decisions.

Why Music Hypes Us Up

  • The science behind music is vibration, frequency, and our biochemical changes. We function at different vibrations all the time. Hence, when you listen to your favorite song, you feel better because of how it shifts your vibration.

  • Not everyone connects with music. There are some people with more developed parts of the brain who receive music better and hear tones a little sharper.

  • Your parents can pass on their epigenetics and stimulus of music to you. 

Transgenerational Effect

  • You can pass particular genetic changes to your child that create an environment in their body where they can't handle cortisol.

  • If you want kids, get yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually well.

  • Conscious parenting is knowing how you want to raise your children and what you want to instill in them.

5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode

  1. "Being alone is sometimes difficult, but it's actually sacred too."

  2. “[Rituals] will bring awareness to your body, your habits, and the self-sabotaging thoughts that we all tend to have—but it also empowers you.”

  3. "Getting in touch with your body is important because when you're in touch with your body, whatever influencer is pushing and you try it out, and you go, ‘Oh, hell no.’ Then you know, you are the person who's going to discern what you want."

  4. "The beautiful thing about music is that it resonates—music is vibration."

  5. "I think my ever forward is truly having the choice between love and fear, between everything. Every person I meet, every circumstance that comes in front of me, every everything that I see, every place I am, I can always act in a certain vibration, and that's the crazy part—we always have the ever forward choice."

About the Guest

Dr. Christian Gonzalez is a Licensed Naturopathic Doctor and a breast cancer expert. Dr. Gonzalez is also the host of the Heal Thy Self Show, which is a health and fitness podcast based on empowerment. Through his podcast, he helps his listeners make informed decisions.

You can reach Dr. Gonzalez through his Instagram. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn. Listen to the Heal Thy Self Show.

Enjoy The Podcast?  

If it's a resounding yes, feel free to like, share, and subscribe to the podcast.

Think we're a 5-star podcast? If you do, we'd love to see your review. Help us reach more people and cater to our audience better.

Do you want to share your everyday rituals? Join the EF Nation private Facebook group! Connect and engage with other listeners and expand upon this episode at https://www.facebook.com/everforwardradio.

FREE guide to podcasting! Learn more about starting your own podcast in Chase's free "Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Podcasting" at OperationPodcast.com.

This podcast is available on Apple and Spotify. You may also connect with me through Instagram or my website. Thank you for listening!

Read More

EFR 298: Empowering Yourself With Rituals and Healthy Habit Stacking with Dr. Christian Gonzalez

How you begin your mornings can be the start of a domino effect that will impact your day. It is vital to consciously form positive rituals to empower and transform how you go about your life.

In this episode, Dr. Christian Gonzalez shares his everyday rituals and how it has helped him become more productive and more empowered. He lets us in on his practical tips and tricks on how he does it. We also talk about how men can take care of their prostate health, and the role of medical professionals in our overall health. If you're looking for a positive change in your life, then this episode will surely be of great help to you.

Tune in to the podcast and discover how you can empower yourself with rituals!

Follow Dr. Gonzalez @doctor.g_

Follow Chase @chase_chewning

Ever Forward Radio is made possible by our proud partners! Shop using the link/code below to save you money and to further support the show - THANK YOU! 

  • Save 15% on Cured Nutrition w/ code "EVERFORWARD" on nootropics like RISE, calming adaptogens like ZEN, full spectrum hemp oil, or any other CBD wellness product at https://www.curednutrition.com 

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

  1. Discover the power and effect of building positive rituals.

  2. Learn how important it is to know what you put in your body.

  3. How can the changes you make now transcend generations?

Episode Resources

Episode Highlights

Morning Rituals

  • Dr. G understands that it's hard to break habits and subconscious programs. Thus, he preaches the importance of 'me time' and rituals to his patients and clients.

  • When you take time for yourself, you start to get in touch with yourself—and everything follows.

  • It is essential to get under the sun 12 to 15 minutes between waking up and moving out.

  • After that, he does some joint movements. Another new ritual of his is to hang upright on a pull-up bar.

  • He drinks about a liter or a half of water before heading out to the beach while listening to music. 

Grounding and Wim Hof Breathing

  • The earth is layered with negative electrons, and your body is a conduit to them.

  • Grounding on any surface—dirt, snow, sand—is powerful.

  • Dr. G walks at the beach as part of his morning ritual. It helps him visualize his day, life, and his gratitude and affirmations.

  • He also practices Wim Hof breathing.

  • Shallow breathing activates our sympathetic nervous system. That's why when we take ten deep breaths, we feel good—because the parasympathetic system is active.

At Home

  • For him, a clean space is vital.

  • Instead of drinking coffee, he takes a 3-minute cold shower to wake himself up.

Evening Rituals

  • At night, he does contrast hydrotherapy, where he switches from cold to hot water in rounds.

  • That stimulus is vital for the nervous system. It activates and balances the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.

  • Finally, he meditates for about 20 minutes and reads for a while before going to bed.

The Biggest Eye Opener: Habit Stacking

  • It all started when he was dating a health coach with whom he talked about his trouble with meditating consistently. She suggested that he carve out time for habits.

  • The biggest eye-opener for him was habit stacking. He realized that he could build rituals around things that he was already doing

  • It brings awareness to your body, and it empowers you.

  • It is also a productive change because you decrease the amount of time you're on your phone.

  • Turning off your phone an hour before bed transfers all that energy and productivity to your mornings.

Snowball Effect

  • The things that cause you anxiety throughout the day tend to leak into your evening. It can mess up your sleep.

  • Follow a pattern where you're in a good place throughout the day.

  • Turning off your phone or Netflix can help you reflect on yourself and what happened in your day.

  • Find what is cathartic for you when you’re alone with yourself and your thoughts. For Dr. Christian, it was writing.

Finding Time for Rituals When Life Happens

  • Doing your rituals doesn't have to take that long. You can stack it and do it all at the same time when you're in a rush.

  • Touching your phone in the morning can be the most sabotaging thing.

  • Ritual stacking is a short-term hack for deviations in your schedule. The whole point is being present, and you can be present in doing anything.

Understanding Your Health: Prostate and Breast Cancer

  • When you urinate, make sure you have a normal, unchanging stream. Also note it should have no blood, and it's not bubbly.

  • Many things modulate hormones. One of the significant factors is what we put in our bodies.

  • Epigenetics is the modulation of DNA to express specific proteins based on what goes inside our bodies and our internal stress. 

  • 90% of cancers, whether you have a family history or not, will come because of epigenetics.

  • It's never too early to start taking care of your prostate. At the top of the hierarchy is sleep.

Physiological Changes

  • We need to balance our hormones.

  • Our body needs consistency and routine. 

  • Rituals reduce stress. Make sure your morning and nights are stacked with things you love to naturally reduce your stress.

Prostate Cancer

  • Conventional thinking: Reducing testosterone will keep your prostate healthy.

  • However, when it comes to how aggressive prostate cancer is, what men need to focus on is estrogen.

  • Low testosterone over time is a bigger problem than having higher amounts of testosterone. Hence, we need to keep it at a robust level.

What's In Our Home

  • The chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs are sometimes 100 times more present indoors than outdoors.

  • Off-gassing is a phenomenon when chemicals in items, like household products, break down, and they release gas. In turn, we end up breathing in these gases.

  • Our beds are where most changes happen. Thus, investing in a good bed is also a massive investment for your health.

  • Make sure that you have a good-quality air filter in your home and office.

Integrative Medicine: An All-Inclusive Approach

  • The conventional medical model does well when it comes to emergent medicine. However, we need integrative medicine, and we have to look at the big picture.

  • Integrative medicine is vital because not all models can work alone and completely.

  • Nutrition is the foundation of health, along with sleep, movement, and stress control.

The Quantitative and Qualitative Side of Studies

  • The problem with dietitians is most of their evidence and information is coming from the industry. They need to be pushed to do more objective research.

  • Studies guide for safety and efficacy.

  • However, studies will not fit every single person. This is an essential aspect of health that we need to understand.

  • Be careful of the information you read and hear. Be in touch with your body to know what applies to you.

  • Getting in touch with your body ties back to having those rituals. Knowing this, you'll know how to make smart decisions.

Why Music Hypes Us Up

  • The science behind music is vibration, frequency, and our biochemical changes. We function at different vibrations all the time. Hence, when you listen to your favorite song, you feel better because of how it shifts your vibration.

  • Not everyone connects with music. There are some people with more developed parts of the brain who receive music better and hear tones a little sharper.

  • Your parents can pass on their epigenetics and stimulus of music to you. 

Transgenerational Effect

  • You can pass particular genetic changes to your child that create an environment in their body where they can't handle cortisol.

  • If you want kids, get yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually well.

  • Conscious parenting is knowing how you want to raise your children and what you want to instill in them.

5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode

  1. "Being alone is sometimes difficult, but it's actually sacred too."

  2. “[Rituals] will bring awareness to your body, your habits, and the self-sabotaging thoughts that we all tend to have—but it also empowers you.”

  3. "Getting in touch with your body is important because when you're in touch with your body, whatever influencer is pushing and you try it out, and you go, ‘Oh, hell no.’ Then you know, you are the person who's going to discern what you want."

  4. "The beautiful thing about music is that it resonates—music is vibration."

  5. "I think my ever forward is truly having the choice between love and fear, between everything. Every person I meet, every circumstance that comes in front of me, every everything that I see, every place I am, I can always act in a certain vibration, and that's the crazy part—we always have the ever forward choice."

About the Guest

Dr. Christian Gonzalez is a Licensed Naturopathic Doctor and a breast cancer expert. Dr. Gonzalez is also the host of the Heal Thy Self Show, which is a health and fitness podcast based on empowerment. Through his podcast, he helps his listeners make informed decisions.

You can reach Dr. Gonzalez through his Instagram. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn. Listen to the Heal Thy Self Show.

Enjoy The Podcast?  

If it's a resounding yes, feel free to like, share, and subscribe to the podcast.

Think we're a 5-star podcast? If you do, we'd love to see your review. Help us reach more people and cater to our audience better.

Do you want to share your everyday rituals? Join the EF Nation private Facebook group! Connect and engage with other listeners and expand upon this episode at https://www.facebook.com/everforwardradio.

FREE guide to podcasting! Learn more about starting your own podcast in Chase's free "Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Podcasting" at OperationPodcast.com.

This podcast is available on Apple and Spotify. You may also connect with me through Instagram or my website. Thank you for listening!