Episode 362

Secrets to Elevating Mental Health Through Food and Sleep with Matt Salesio

Published on: 5th November, 2024

Are you longing for a healthier lifestyle that raises your mental and emotional wellness? In this episode, Matt Salesio, founder of RVIVE and host of the RVIVE Effect podcast, explores how nutrition, sleep, and self-talk can transform your life. Matt shares his personal journey of overcoming imposter syndrome and how he quit outsourcing his confidence, offering valuable insights on how to step into your personal power authentically. We chat about the often-overlooked connection between what we eat and our mental health, discussing how inflammation in the body can fuel anxiety and depression.

In this episode, you will be able to:

  • Discover the transformative power of food for improving mental health.
  • Unlock the secrets to enhancing your wellness through the impact of quality sleep.
  • Explore the calming effects of anti-inflammatory foods in managing anxiety.
  • Embrace the benefits of a diverse protein diet for overall well-being.
  • Learn effective strategies for managing sleep debt and achieving better health.


The key moments in this episode are:

00:09:22 - The Power of Intentionality

00:14:11 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

00:18:00 - Harnessing the Power of Self-Talk

00:20:55 - The Connection Between Nutrition and Mental Wellness

00:24:22 - The Impact of Inflammation on Anxiety

00:28:11 - Nutrition Tips for Men's Wellness

00:32:44 - The Critical Role of Sleep in Health

00:40:29 - Mindful Actions for Better Sleep


Connect with Matt Salesio

Website

https://www.rviveofficial.ca/


Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/mattsalesio


Connect with Mike Forrester

Podcast Website

https://LivingFearlessTodayPodcast.com

 

Coaching Website

https://www.hicoachmike.com/

 

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hicoachmike/

 

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/@hicoachmike

 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/hicoachmike

 

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/hicoachmike

Transcript
Mike Forrester:

Well, hello and welcome back, my friend.

Mike Forrester:

Well, this week, Matt Salesio is joining me, so Matt's joining me to share about

Mike Forrester:

like his journey, how he's made all these transformations as far as like his diet,

Mike Forrester:

the changed, how he showed up and what he was able to do with his mental health.

Mike Forrester:

We'll Um, Matt has also shown up as far as like the stress, the, you know, the,

Mike Forrester:

the imbalance that we can have in life and the pressure that we place on ourself,

Mike Forrester:

man, that can create so much pressure.

Mike Forrester:

If you just think about, Hey, I've got this expectation.

Mike Forrester:

I need to.

Mike Forrester:

Need to deliver this at this timeframe, man, that can just

Mike Forrester:

be overwhelming at times.

Mike Forrester:

And so I'm excited to jump in with Matt.

Mike Forrester:

Matt is the founder of, uh, RVIVE as far as, uh, wellness and clothing.

Mike Forrester:

And it's just a whole suite of things.

Mike Forrester:

And he's also the host of a RVIVE effect podcast.

Mike Forrester:

So Matt, how are you doing today, my friend?

Matt Salesio:

I'm fantastic, Mike.

Matt Salesio:

Thanks for having me on.

Mike Forrester:

Absolutely.

Mike Forrester:

So let's jump in.

Mike Forrester:

What does life look like on the professional side of

Mike Forrester:

things for you today, Matt?

Matt Salesio:

For me?

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Professional side.

Matt Salesio:

I am, uh, finding a lot of steam in my business RVIVE.

Matt Salesio:

We're at like fifth year now.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, we actually revamped the entire business model in January.

Matt Salesio:

Totally cleaned house.

Matt Salesio:

We shut the business down and then started it up again as a clean slate.

Matt Salesio:

So now we're getting more into the creative space with wellness programs,

Matt Salesio:

talking with psychotherapists, gut specialists, mindset coaches.

Matt Salesio:

So I am constantly interviewing people.

Matt Salesio:

I'm constantly doing talks, my own podcast.

Matt Salesio:

Um, I'm a very content heavy business.

Matt Salesio:

That's how we reach the masses.

Matt Salesio:

So a lot of it is podcasting, um, program creation, blogging, newsletters.

Matt Salesio:

Like I am just trying to be an advocate for my community and

Matt Salesio:

just show up like we are today.

Matt Salesio:

So a lot of it's very front facing and then as any entrepreneur can attest,

Matt Salesio:

it's once all the lights and the cameras go out, I'm there in the back end.

Matt Salesio:

I am editing.

Matt Salesio:

I am producing.

Matt Salesio:

I am calling cold calls.

Matt Salesio:

Um, it is a wonder where you say you wear all the hats.

Matt Salesio:

You really do wear all the hats.

Matt Salesio:

So it's, uh, it's, it's tons of fun, very, very laborious, but it is a great time.

Mike Forrester:

Yeah, there's a whole lot, a whole lot that you're carrying and

Mike Forrester:

those hats, uh, come with a lot of tasks.

Mike Forrester:

So I feel you, man.

Mike Forrester:

Well, what about on the personal side?

Mike Forrester:

What does that look like for you?

Matt Salesio:

So my personal life is actually pretty interesting because I've

Matt Salesio:

tried to shift it entirely a little bit.

Matt Salesio:

I was always very frazzled.

Matt Salesio:

I never felt grounded.

Matt Salesio:

You're doing a million things.

Matt Salesio:

You have to call this person, do this task, see that person.

Matt Salesio:

I felt like I wasn't just here.

Matt Salesio:

Ever.

Matt Salesio:

So I'm really being mindful of making sure I'm only doing

Matt Salesio:

very, um, impact driven work.

Matt Salesio:

So that way my personal life, I am able to do the things I like to do.

Matt Salesio:

So some examples, I love longboarding.

Matt Salesio:

I will usually try my best to do a nice skyline.

Matt Salesio:

I'm out here in Toronto, right on the lake shore.

Matt Salesio:

I'll do a nice early morning, a longboard ride.

Matt Salesio:

I hit the gym every day.

Matt Salesio:

If I don't hit the gym, I feel like I'm not going to perform well.

Matt Salesio:

So that's like my, that's my Holy space, man.

Matt Salesio:

Mike, I'm telling you, I love the gym.

Matt Salesio:

Um, I do that six, six times a week ish.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, and yeah, constantly seeing my friends.

Matt Salesio:

Those are the most important things to me.

Matt Salesio:

So I'm always trying to make sure if I can infuse friends and work, I do,

Matt Salesio:

but at the same time, sometimes we just kick it, have a few beers, hang

Matt Salesio:

out, um, and then lots of travel.

Matt Salesio:

I love traveling.

Matt Salesio:

I'm about to head out to New York and Barcelona over the next little bit.

Matt Salesio:

We got some good contacts there.

Matt Salesio:

I just try to infuse my life and business together.

Matt Salesio:

Cause they are kind of an extension of each other.

Matt Salesio:

So personal and business is very closely infused.

Mike Forrester:

What got you to that point where it's like

Mike Forrester:

now you're intentional, right?

Mike Forrester:

I'm, I'm doing the workout.

Mike Forrester:

I'm making space.

Mike Forrester:

I'm, I'm doing the things that fuel me like what got you to that point

Mike Forrester:

where that's your focus and you're making sure that you're in the gym

Mike Forrester:

six days a week because that's not something where most people are like,

Mike Forrester:

Hey, you know, I, I need to do this.

Mike Forrester:

You've got that drive for that.

Mike Forrester:

What, yeah.

Mike Forrester:

What brought that about for you?

Matt Salesio:

I think honestly, Mike is I'm at a point in my life where it almost

Matt Salesio:

feels like the closing of a chapter.

Matt Salesio:

I'm like, again, I'm in my late twenties.

Matt Salesio:

So a lot of my friends are definitely, they're moving out.

Matt Salesio:

Um, they're going to do their things with their significant others.

Matt Salesio:

People are moving jobs.

Matt Salesio:

Like every, everything just felt like it was coming to a close.

Matt Salesio:

So it almost like checked me to make sure like, Are you living in

Matt Salesio:

alignment as this chapter closes to show a better for the next chapter?

Matt Salesio:

So for me, I was like, well, am I skipping the gym?

Matt Salesio:

Am I not taking care of my health and eating the right foods every day?

Matt Salesio:

Because I'm putting my business first.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah, I got to fix that.

Matt Salesio:

That's in the next chapter.

Matt Salesio:

I want to show up and making sure that's going to be a main part of that chapter.

Matt Salesio:

Same thing with friends.

Matt Salesio:

Like if everybody's going to be leaving or everybody's going to be doing their

Matt Salesio:

thing, how are you going to maintain those, those relationships or at

Matt Salesio:

least enjoy them as they're here now.

Matt Salesio:

So that closing of a chapter was a really big slap in the face, almost

Matt Salesio:

like a wake up call to make sure I'm not just getting pulled by the tides

Matt Salesio:

of business or opportunities, or even materialistic superficial things that

Matt Salesio:

we all value in this world, check yourself for what was very important.

Matt Salesio:

So for me, that was my friends and family.

Matt Salesio:

That was the stuff I like doing, like the gym, eating healthy foods, reading books,

Matt Salesio:

taking a break, like just reading a book.

Matt Salesio:

Like, I can't even remember the last time I used to do that.

Matt Salesio:

So it's almost like refinding myself and what makes Matt, Matt and not

Matt Salesio:

get lost in that entrepreneurial journey or that career journey.

Matt Salesio:

Cause I know we're all so guilty of that.

Matt Salesio:

I didn't want to be just another one of those statistics going down that path.

Mike Forrester:

So when you were back in that last chapter, you

Mike Forrester:

know, when you and I were talking about like the stress and not having

Mike Forrester:

boundaries, not being able to say no.

Mike Forrester:

And, and, you know, if somebody came to you and said, Hey,

Mike Forrester:

Matt, let's take care of this.

Mike Forrester:

Or you saw an opportunity being open to it.

Mike Forrester:

What was the driving force?

Mike Forrester:

In that, and then how did you, you know, see consequences of

Mike Forrester:

pursuing that, um, during that time?

Mike Forrester:

Like, as far as mental, emotional, physical, how did that show up for you?

Matt Salesio:

I think the biggest thing there with that question is everything

Matt Salesio:

you decide has an opportunity cost.

Matt Salesio:

So when you're deciding you're going to go to the gym, that means you're

Matt Salesio:

going to forego Netflix, just as an example, same way, you know, I'm going

Matt Salesio:

to go out for dinner tonight with one of my friends, you can't go out for

Matt Salesio:

dinner with another one of your friends.

Matt Salesio:

Like you, everything has an opportunity cost.

Matt Salesio:

So making sure that you were very clear and concise on that

Matt Salesio:

opportunity cost, giving you the highest return on investment.

Matt Salesio:

And in return on investment, I mean, mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing.

Matt Salesio:

Does it light you up?

Matt Salesio:

Does it bring you down understanding the decisions you were making?

Matt Salesio:

So make sure that they were always in alignment.

Matt Salesio:

So I think one of the biggest things for me was when I, I jam packed my schedule.

Matt Salesio:

This is a personal story.

Matt Salesio:

I jam packed my schedule, all these things to do, all these

Matt Salesio:

things are all these places to go.

Matt Salesio:

And as I'm packing up, ready to get out and about and go do my thing, I saw my

Matt Salesio:

dog just sitting there, just lounging.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Not doing anything and looking so bored.

Matt Salesio:

And I, it was another moment where I go, I that's my dog and I'm totally

Matt Salesio:

neglecting that relationship.

Matt Salesio:

And that awesome are the awesome memories that can come along with

Matt Salesio:

those things that really matter.

Matt Salesio:

So as I'm out the door trying to do these things that I thought I really

Matt Salesio:

wanted to do or pack my schedule to the degree I wanted it packed.

Matt Salesio:

I wanted, it was like a, you need to remember what's important and make

Matt Salesio:

time for those like walking, like the other day I took my dog out for

Matt Salesio:

a night on Friday night and we just went to go get a pup cup, which is

Matt Salesio:

like a, uh, what do you call it?

Matt Salesio:

It's like whipped cream from Starbucks.

Matt Salesio:

I got an A& W burger and we just hung out.

Matt Salesio:

And as simple as that sounds, and as some people might listening right

Matt Salesio:

now going, that sounds so stupid.

Matt Salesio:

It could pack such a monumental.

Matt Salesio:

Um, pack for your energy, for your mental wellbeing, connecting with the

Matt Salesio:

things that truly make you, you, and that actually bring you value and enjoyment.

Matt Salesio:

So I know like when I make decisions now, I make sure that it's either going to

Matt Salesio:

be a really good opportunity, a really great way to connect, or I'll say no,

Matt Salesio:

if I go, I'd rather do something that brings me the feeling of being Matt.

Mike Forrester:

And I think dude, you're spot on with, as far as like,

Mike Forrester:

if you say yes, there's something else that you're going to say no.

Mike Forrester:

I know I found myself in the opportunities and stuff that comes along.

Mike Forrester:

I'm saying no more than I say yes, because I don't want to sacrifice

Mike Forrester:

that stuff that is so important.

Mike Forrester:

It's like, um, you know, like Jim Collins talked about good to great, right?

Mike Forrester:

There's the good stuff that comes along.

Mike Forrester:

And it's good, but I want to be there for the great things, like the memories

Mike Forrester:

with my wife, my kids, grandkids, being able to have time to recharge, refuel

Mike Forrester:

the stuff that gives me energy to be able to show up is that kind of like the, the

Mike Forrester:

thing that you've experienced as well.

Mike Forrester:

You know, like you talked about going to dinner tonight with a friend.

Mike Forrester:

Are there more things that you're saying no to, to be

Mike Forrester:

able to say yes to that dinner?

Matt Salesio:

Yeah, I think it's, I say yes to a lot of the things

Matt Salesio:

in my business, from podcasting to speaking events to new collaborations.

Matt Salesio:

I say yes, but I also, I don't say yes to the degree as in like double

Matt Salesio:

of what I would have said yes to.

Matt Salesio:

I just cap it and make sure we're going to move a little bit slower.

Matt Salesio:

Um, but even one, one.

Matt Salesio:

One great realization I had a couple of weeks ago, and your listeners

Matt Salesio:

will really resonate with this.

Matt Salesio:

It's very cliche to say, remember the things that matter, the

Matt Salesio:

things that really light you up.

Matt Salesio:

Like when I hear that myself, sometimes I'm like, dude, that's so cliche.

Matt Salesio:

I want you to live in alignment with that.

Matt Salesio:

But what was really impactful for me is one day I had a, like,

Matt Salesio:

I lived in such alignment with the life I wanted to manifest.

Matt Salesio:

We padded the books with lots of opportunities for money, AKA more clients.

Matt Salesio:

I signed two deals.

Matt Salesio:

I had multiple podcasts in the pipeline and opportunities.

Matt Salesio:

Like it was just a really good day in entrepreneurship for me.

Matt Salesio:

It doesn't happen all the time.

Matt Salesio:

It was just a really good day in entrepreneurship.

Matt Salesio:

And after all that amazing opportunity and money that was coming in.

Matt Salesio:

What I did that night, I just hung out with my friend in the backyard.

Matt Salesio:

We shared a bottle of wine and some olives.

Matt Salesio:

And I was like, regardless of how I wanted or how I thought I would want to

Matt Salesio:

live my life in that really high space of entrepreneurship, really successful

Matt Salesio:

or tons of great opportunities.

Matt Salesio:

I'm still going to do the same things I like to do every day.

Matt Salesio:

Connecting with a friend, hanging out with a homeboy.

Matt Salesio:

The bottle of wine was probably 15.

Matt Salesio:

Like you don't necessarily need the amount that you probably want or the

Matt Salesio:

lifestyle that you want to really live the life that you truly do want.

Matt Salesio:

If that makes sense.

Mike Forrester:

Yeah.

Mike Forrester:

So it's more, uh, it's, it's within reach, whereas we may feel like it's further out.

Mike Forrester:

It's actually closer, but it's just a matter of being intentional.

Mike Forrester:

And what we're doing is what I'm hearing from you.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

And sometimes it's not even closer.

Matt Salesio:

It's like right there.

Matt Salesio:

It's like right in front of you.

Matt Salesio:

And, uh, I think you don't necessarily understand that until you live kind

Matt Salesio:

of the experience I just said, where you got everything you wanted, but

Matt Salesio:

you were still like, I'm living in the same way I normally live.

Matt Salesio:

I don't need all that externality.

Matt Salesio:

Sure.

Matt Salesio:

It's nice, but really understanding what's important right from the get go.

Matt Salesio:

It's right in front of you.

Mike Forrester:

So when you're looking at different opportunities and things that

Mike Forrester:

come along, kind of filters, have you built out to say, yes, this makes sense.

Mike Forrester:

No, this doesn't.

Mike Forrester:

Um, you know, as far as like goals, vision, purpose, like is that part of

Mike Forrester:

it or is it stuff outside of that that helps you filter through to say yes or no.

Matt Salesio:

It's actually a very interesting discovery.

Matt Salesio:

Um, and I'm going to compare the way men usually do entrepreneurship and how

Matt Salesio:

I've seen women do entrepreneurships.

Matt Salesio:

And it's just like, this is just my personal experience.

Matt Salesio:

And it allowed me to understand how it filtered.

Matt Salesio:

I was once at a tech conference, it was collision in Toronto.

Matt Salesio:

And I was, it was just like swarmed with guys, not to say

Matt Salesio:

women weren't there, lots of guys.

Matt Salesio:

But the way they talked about doing things and seeking

Matt Salesio:

opportunities and raising funds.

Matt Salesio:

It was a very common pattern.

Matt Salesio:

It's really difficult.

Matt Salesio:

It's so hard.

Matt Salesio:

I'm stressed all the time.

Matt Salesio:

It's a dog eat dog world.

Matt Salesio:

I need to do everything for me and I got to put my head down and grind.

Matt Salesio:

Most guys will be attesting right now.

Matt Salesio:

That's exactly how I live my life.

Matt Salesio:

Cause I also do the same.

Matt Salesio:

So that was one.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, that was one way I thought business had to operate.

Matt Salesio:

That's how I thought everything just had to work.

Matt Salesio:

But then I went over to a party with, um, one of my women friends

Matt Salesio:

and she's, uh, a micro influencer.

Matt Salesio:

She's got some great businesses as well, but her and a lot of

Matt Salesio:

her friends, more women were also entrepreneurs at that party.

Matt Salesio:

And I heard the way they interacted with business.

Matt Salesio:

You know, if it feels right, I'll say yes.

Matt Salesio:

Or, you know, I don't really push like.

Matt Salesio:

Opportunities just come to me or sometimes I even heard women say,

Matt Salesio:

I would turn down a deal because it just, it didn't sit well with me.

Matt Salesio:

I didn't get a good vibe.

Matt Salesio:

And these women are making more money.

Matt Salesio:

They're more calm.

Matt Salesio:

They're living so much in alignment, way more than the guys.

Matt Salesio:

So that polarizing view, I go, there's, there's something here that I need to

Matt Salesio:

shift the way I'm making decisions.

Matt Salesio:

Cause I'm operating in that guy perspective, hustle,

Matt Salesio:

grind, dog eat dog competition.

Matt Salesio:

Like just put your nose to the grind and go.

Matt Salesio:

So now when I make decisions, I go based on, based on field, based on vibe.

Matt Salesio:

Obviously you look at the numbers, but if it doesn't sit well with me, like

Matt Salesio:

for lack of a better term, gut feeling, I'm not going to say yes to that.

Matt Salesio:

I've turned down deals or podcasts or opportunities where I go, you know what?

Matt Salesio:

It's just the energy coming here.

Matt Salesio:

It doesn't seem right.

Matt Salesio:

I'm going to, I'm going to have to respectfully decline maybe in the future.

Matt Salesio:

So for me, it's a lot more feeling and thinking about it rather

Matt Salesio:

than just like, go, go, go.

Matt Salesio:

Yes.

Matt Salesio:

Yes.

Matt Salesio:

Yes.

Matt Salesio:

Take on more.

Matt Salesio:

And this put my nose to the grind.

Mike Forrester:

Yeah, that makes sense.

Mike Forrester:

And, and it's, it's almost like there's pros and cons that you can

Mike Forrester:

see from different perspective.

Mike Forrester:

It's figuring out like, how do you stay in a healthy place mentally,

Mike Forrester:

emotionally, physically, um, and still satisfy and succeed and,

Mike Forrester:

and grow and, and keep moving.

Mike Forrester:

So I like that it's, it's not one size fits all.

Mike Forrester:

Um, You know, it's kind of like, Hey, just be self aware, right?

Mike Forrester:

Have that, uh, realization and understanding what you're

Mike Forrester:

doing and why you're doing it.

Mike Forrester:

Um, and as you're talking about everything, Matt, sometimes, you

Mike Forrester:

know, like I would sit back and I would look at people and just go, Oh

Mike Forrester:

my gosh, it's so fricking nice that, you know, Matt is totally successful.

Mike Forrester:

He's being able to travel, do all these things.

Mike Forrester:

I bet he's never had a problem.

Mike Forrester:

All I see is, you know, my, my failures, my struggles.

Mike Forrester:

Um, You've talked about, you know, Hey, this, this is your successful

Mike Forrester:

venture, but did you, you went through like building things up and it

Mike Forrester:

didn't always go the way you wanted.

Mike Forrester:

Like there was an issue with imposter syndrome and working through

Mike Forrester:

that and kind of your identity.

Mike Forrester:

Can you take me back to what did that look like for you when

Mike Forrester:

you were going like, who am I?

Mike Forrester:

And, you know, can I really show up?

Mike Forrester:

Like, is this where I'm supposed to be?

Mike Forrester:

Can you take me back to that?

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah, definitely.

Matt Salesio:

And one thing, when you said there, I'm just going to call out there.

Matt Salesio:

Everything looks perfect and glamorous.

Matt Salesio:

It is not perfect and glamorous.

Matt Salesio:

I promise you that, uh, for anyone, uh, social media is really good for that.

Matt Salesio:

But even just the way people speak, like they're never going to tell you their

Matt Salesio:

failures unless you're really close.

Matt Salesio:

So for me, it's perfect.

Matt Salesio:

It's it's still it's still here.

Matt Salesio:

I'm still failing every single day.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, but to your question about imposter syndrome, uh, one thing that's really

Matt Salesio:

sticking out for me is when I first launched my podcast, I, uh, really

Matt Salesio:

just resonated with giving information back to the people, especially in the

Matt Salesio:

wellness space, cause that's where I am.

Matt Salesio:

I wanted to deliver something that was really insightful, impactful, inspiring,

Matt Salesio:

and just gave people like, you know.

Matt Salesio:

The grounds to do and get into alignment with their full healing,

Matt Salesio:

like kind of what we were speaking about at the beginning of the podcast.

Matt Salesio:

Now, when I first launched that, uh, obviously it was

Matt Salesio:

horrible, absolutely horrible.

Matt Salesio:

Um, but I think just stepping into the spotlight from having never educated to

Matt Salesio:

now I'm educating, it was like, who am I?

Matt Salesio:

To tell anybody how to eat.

Matt Salesio:

Who am I to tell anyone how to make their sleep better?

Matt Salesio:

Who am I to tell people how to live their lives?

Matt Salesio:

So I really struggled with that for a while.

Matt Salesio:

And then subconsciously, I really started pushing my podcast more towards guests.

Matt Salesio:

I would put my guests in the spotlight.

Matt Salesio:

I would very rarely launch a solo episode and very rarely would

Matt Salesio:

I ever share my opinion when I guess would come on the show.

Matt Salesio:

And it wasn't until I watched a new podcast with Colin and Samir.

Matt Salesio:

These guys are like content creators for content creators.

Matt Salesio:

One thing stuck out for me.

Matt Salesio:

Everything made sense for me.

Matt Salesio:

They said from their personal experiences, I would never put

Matt Salesio:

the spotlight on myself because I wouldn't think it would be valuable.

Matt Salesio:

I always had to outsource the value to my guests to make sure that people would

Matt Salesio:

say, you know what, that's a good episode.

Matt Salesio:

I might give it a watch.

Matt Salesio:

So technically when I heard that I go, I've been outsourcing my confidence, my

Matt Salesio:

drive, my podcast, my platform to all these other people with, because I was

Matt Salesio:

just so scared to step into the spotlight.

Matt Salesio:

I was scared that if I do step into the spotlight, people are

Matt Salesio:

going to find no value in it.

Matt Salesio:

So that imposter syndrome really hit me hard.

Matt Salesio:

And it wasn't until recently, maybe like two, three months ago.

Matt Salesio:

I was like, you know what?

Matt Salesio:

Screw this.

Matt Salesio:

I am going to get on the mic.

Matt Salesio:

I'm going to say my piece.

Matt Salesio:

I'm going to start doing speaking events.

Matt Salesio:

I'm going to start getting into the spotlight.

Matt Salesio:

I want to show up as how I wish people would show up for me.

Matt Salesio:

Authentic.

Matt Salesio:

In your power, ready to deliver and just genuine.

Matt Salesio:

So it was a really big shift for me, but it wasn't until I understood why I

Matt Salesio:

was experiencing that imposter syndrome.

Matt Salesio:

I was outsourcing my value and respect and charisma and all that other good stuff.

Matt Salesio:

So now it was time for me to call it back.

Matt Salesio:

And that's when I really overcame that imposter syndrome.

Mike Forrester:

How do you keep it at bay?

Mike Forrester:

Because it's like, you know, when you begin something new,

Mike Forrester:

there's that uncomfortably that lack of confidence, right?

Mike Forrester:

That you're like, Hey, I may not feel confident.

Mike Forrester:

This is something new or it's something I, I just don't feel like I'm supposed to

Mike Forrester:

show up, but you're continuing to show up.

Mike Forrester:

How do you.

Mike Forrester:

Tap into that, whether it's the gym, you know, getting back in there or

Mike Forrester:

doing something, a new activity.

Mike Forrester:

How are you tapping into, um, you know, continue in that

Mike Forrester:

level of confidence and show up.

Matt Salesio:

It's two words, Mike self talk.

Matt Salesio:

Self talk I recently discovered is everything it is.

Matt Salesio:

It is so much more than everything.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, you can talk yourself in and out of things in a matter of a moment.

Matt Salesio:

And I really understood that not only just those affirmations we say in

Matt Salesio:

the morning, everyone should do that.

Matt Salesio:

That's a baseline.

Matt Salesio:

However, what you do after those affirmations and

Matt Salesio:

how you go about your day.

Matt Salesio:

Can work, make a world of a difference and dictate your actions accordingly.

Matt Salesio:

So if you say you're confident in the morning and then you forget about it,

Matt Salesio:

and then you keep going and put yourself in scenarios where you don't feel

Matt Salesio:

confident and you reinforce that even more, those five minutes of affirmations

Matt Salesio:

in the morning are going to be nothing.

Matt Salesio:

So for me, it's a constant pursuit and a constant dialogue of making sure I'm

Matt Salesio:

always telling myself how I want to be.

Matt Salesio:

I want to feel calm or I am confident.

Matt Salesio:

I am masculine.

Matt Salesio:

I'm authoritative.

Matt Salesio:

I'm doing all these things constantly in my head, talking myself.

Matt Salesio:

Into not out of the scenarios I want to do.

Matt Salesio:

So a great example is like, before we got on this podcast, I could

Matt Salesio:

have shown up today and been like, Oh, I'm probably going to mess up.

Matt Salesio:

I don't know if I should do it.

Matt Salesio:

I should just cancel last minute.

Matt Salesio:

Like, I don't know Mike's audience.

Matt Salesio:

Like you can see there's like this, this scared, scarce energy, but

Matt Salesio:

instead I got in front of the mirror.

Matt Salesio:

I was like, I'm confident.

Matt Salesio:

I'm authoritative.

Matt Salesio:

I know exactly how to speak.

Matt Salesio:

I know what I'm going to say.

Matt Salesio:

Me and Mike are going to connect and now I'm in a different energy.

Matt Salesio:

Now I'm in a much different energy coming into the podcast and you can

Matt Salesio:

hear it through the way that my tonality is, you can hear it how fast I speak.

Matt Salesio:

It comes across much more confident because I have told myself I am

Matt Salesio:

confident for X, Y, and Z self talk is the name of the game every

Matt Salesio:

single day, all hours of the day.

Mike Forrester:

Yeah, we're talking constantly to ourselves.

Mike Forrester:

Uh, not just that five minutes.

Mike Forrester:

And so while the five minutes is great, there's 23 hours and

Mike Forrester:

55 minutes that it's like, what message are we telling ourselves?

Mike Forrester:

And so I like the fact of.

Mike Forrester:

You know, you're, you're being purposeful and going, all right,

Mike Forrester:

this is how I want to show up.

Mike Forrester:

This is who I am.

Mike Forrester:

Um, not just that five minutes in the morning, but you're checking

Mike Forrester:

yourself, uh, based on your activities, where you're at, how you're feeling.

Mike Forrester:

So dude, that's totally powerful and so accurate.

Mike Forrester:

There's so much more power in it than we give credit for.

Matt Salesio:

Oh, yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Oh, yeah.

Mike Forrester:

Um, one thing I wanted to touch on is you're

Mike Forrester:

coming from the wellness space.

Mike Forrester:

And one thing I for a long time that blew off was that what we eat supplements

Mike Forrester:

we take like the, just our overall.

Mike Forrester:

Intake, our physical side, what we, you know, consume didn't impact

Mike Forrester:

my mental or emotional wellness.

Mike Forrester:

Have you found that to be the case that, Hey, when I take better care of what I'm

Mike Forrester:

eating and the supplements and everything like that, that you show up in a better

Mike Forrester:

state and that they are tied together?

Matt Salesio:

Oh, a thousand percent.

Matt Salesio:

I'm going to answer your question with a question right back.

Matt Salesio:

If I were to give you a Ferrari, Mike, if I give you a Ferrari brand new right off

Matt Salesio:

the lot, and I gave you a tank of diesel gas, would you put it in a tank or you'd

Matt Salesio:

say, Matt, what the heck's wrong with you?

Matt Salesio:

They got to give me some premium octane.

Matt Salesio:

What would you say?

Mike Forrester:

I just look at you sideways sideways wait a minute here, bro.

Mike Forrester:

You're setting me up for failure on this one.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Mike Forrester:

That's exactly, yeah, accurate.

Mike Forrester:

That's what we do without realizing it.

Mike Forrester:

So can, can you explain like what the tie is?

Matt Salesio:

Oh, 1000%.

Matt Salesio:

I can geek out on this stuff all day, Mike.

Matt Salesio:

I love it.

Matt Salesio:

So, uh, like we just said, you're not going to put diesel gas in a Ferrari tank.

Matt Salesio:

I want everyone to understand your body.

Matt Salesio:

Your vessel is a Ferrari, no matter what shape size color it is.

Matt Salesio:

Like that is your vessel.

Matt Salesio:

That is your one vehicle to move through this life and perform and show up.

Matt Salesio:

And in the, whether that's relationships or career, you need to make sure

Matt Salesio:

that that thing has the proper fuel.

Matt Salesio:

It needs to thrive.

Matt Salesio:

Okay.

Matt Salesio:

Most of the time.

Matt Salesio:

And I've been so guilty of this is I just think food is just sustenance.

Matt Salesio:

I just need to eat food to keep the lights on.

Matt Salesio:

But like through the enormity of studies and research, you can see

Matt Salesio:

all my nutrition books in the back.

Matt Salesio:

Like food is so much more than just a fuel source.

Matt Salesio:

It is information for your body to show or to tell you most of it how to operate.

Matt Salesio:

Greatest example is, uh, let's say your gut microbiome.

Matt Salesio:

We're going to get into this.

Matt Salesio:

I talked about it almost.

Matt Salesio:

Every podcast I get into, there's like trillions of bacteria and

Matt Salesio:

fungi and species down there doing all different things for your body.

Matt Salesio:

Your gut microbiome affects your skin, your mental health levels of inflammation,

Matt Salesio:

your digestion, your weight loss, your weight gain, your muscle, your sleep.

Matt Salesio:

It affects everything.

Matt Salesio:

And because you have such a diversity of bacteria in there, if you're just throwing

Matt Salesio:

food on the back burner and eating your chicken and rice every day, as I have,

Matt Salesio:

I'm not saying I'm better than you.

Matt Salesio:

I've done that.

Matt Salesio:

You're you're missing all those essential nutrients your body and

Matt Salesio:

bacteria need to make sure that you show up as a top performer to make

Matt Salesio:

sure you show up actually energized and have the real information to take

Matt Salesio:

you from here to here for the listeners who aren't who are not watching.

Matt Salesio:

It was like baseline to like outstanding.

Matt Salesio:

So, uh, it really is being mindful of eating a nice,

Matt Salesio:

diverse spread of foods that are.

Matt Salesio:

Eat your vegetables, eat your complex carbs, eat your diverse ranges of protein.

Matt Salesio:

Don't just get tunnel visioned into the chicken and rice because now you're

Matt Salesio:

getting your protein and your carbs and then forgetting about the rest.

Matt Salesio:

If you don't fuel your body right, your business is going to suffer, your

Matt Salesio:

relationships are going to suffer, your everything's going to suffer because

Matt Salesio:

you're not at a hundred percent.

Matt Salesio:

Imagine going through life on 50 percent or imagine running

Matt Salesio:

a Ferrari with diesel gas.

Matt Salesio:

It's the exact same thing.

Mike Forrester:

And so a lot of guys are working their way through anxiety, right?

Mike Forrester:

That's something that's just dogging them at certain times.

Mike Forrester:

What are some things as far as like the diet nutrition that we can do to put

Mike Forrester:

that further at bay to kind of have that upper hand in the fight against anxiety?

Matt Salesio:

I love that you're bringing up anxiety and food, Mike.

Matt Salesio:

I, uh, this is, this is so good.

Matt Salesio:

I actually just did a talk at a consulting firm specifically on food and anxiety.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, and one of the biggest things was when we find there's more inflammation

Matt Salesio:

throughout the body, the higher levels of anxiety a person is likely to experience.

Matt Salesio:

Now for a quick example.

Matt Salesio:

Crash course on what inflammation is.

Matt Salesio:

Inflammation is your body's defense mechanism to toxins and pollutants and

Matt Salesio:

anything that's not supposed to be in your body, your body uses inflammation.

Matt Salesio:

Think about it like a little fire inside to go and kill that toxin and

Matt Salesio:

remove it and get it the heck out.

Matt Salesio:

And inflammation is very good, providing it does its job, does what

Matt Salesio:

it needs to do, and then leaves.

Matt Salesio:

The problem is when it stays and then we continue to put fuel on that fire.

Matt Salesio:

That's when we're going to really start to see a problem.

Matt Salesio:

And because there's more inflammation in the body, like I said, more inflammation

Matt Salesio:

or more anxiety within the brain.

Matt Salesio:

So with food back to your question about what can we eat to reduce that

Matt Salesio:

inflammation, a lot of it goes down to lots of fibrous foods, lots of fruits and

Matt Salesio:

veggies because they have antioxidants, they create short chain fatty acids,

Matt Salesio:

which again, without getting to nutrition or to sciency, it helps again,

Matt Salesio:

reduce that inflammation systemically in the gut and throughout the body.

Matt Salesio:

So if we're able to eat foods that have an inflammatory or anti inflammatory

Matt Salesio:

effect, you can Google a whole list.

Matt Salesio:

You can check out my website.

Matt Salesio:

I got a bunch there.

Matt Salesio:

But if you're eating an anti inflammatory diet, you are able to

Matt Salesio:

help reduce that inflammation and not feel so frazzled and fiery.

Matt Salesio:

And get that anxiety back down to at least a different level of calm.

Matt Salesio:

So, uh, anti inflammatory foods for sure.

Matt Salesio:

And one kicker here, very in particular, I always say this, don't just add

Matt Salesio:

in those anti inflammatory foods.

Matt Salesio:

The key is to have an anti inflammatory lifestyle.

Matt Salesio:

So yes, you can add in all those great things.

Matt Salesio:

You can add in the turmeric shots, you can add in the goji berries,

Matt Salesio:

but are you removing the seed oils?

Matt Salesio:

Are you removing the refined grains?

Matt Salesio:

Are you still drinking alcohol on a daily basis?

Matt Salesio:

These are all things that are going to spike inflammation in the body.

Matt Salesio:

And no matter how much.

Matt Salesio:

Water.

Matt Salesio:

You're trying to put on the fire.

Matt Salesio:

If you keep fueling the fire, you're going to get caught in this limbo.

Matt Salesio:

So anti inflammatory foods have that extensively every single day, but

Matt Salesio:

then find ways to also reduce that inflammation by removing the root

Matt Salesio:

cause and anti inflammatory lifestyle.

Mike Forrester:

And then does that also hold like the same case for depression?

Mike Forrester:

Do you see that kind of showing up wrong, wrong foods or wrong?

Mike Forrester:

Um, Input, you know what I mean?

Mike Forrester:

Is it, is it like what we're eating can also feed the depression to make it worse?

Matt Salesio:

I would imagine my, I haven't dove too deep

Matt Salesio:

into the research on depression.

Matt Salesio:

However, I will say this when I do see studies talking about inflammation

Matt Salesio:

and anxiety, depression is usually a point, um, that they're trying to make

Matt Salesio:

as well within that realm of research or within that body of research.

Matt Salesio:

But again, like without even getting sciencey, how do you feel if you

Matt Salesio:

eat a really nourishing meal versus if you eat a really bad meal?

Matt Salesio:

Like sometimes we don't need to dive too deep into the science and just

Matt Salesio:

look at the absolute base baseline.

Matt Salesio:

If we're eating foods that make us feel good, great.

Matt Salesio:

Keep doing that.

Matt Salesio:

But if you're eating foods that make you feel tired, give you brain fog, just

Matt Salesio:

steal your energy, stay away from those.

Matt Salesio:

So yes, science is really key as well, but make sure you check in

Matt Salesio:

with how you feel too, because that's a really big indicator for you.

Mike Forrester:

Yeah, I totally get that, man.

Mike Forrester:

And it's, I think being aware.

Mike Forrester:

Of how you feel rather than just like you talked about, just seeing it as

Mike Forrester:

nourishment and just consuming stuff, it was just like, fork it over calories.

Mike Forrester:

I just need something.

Mike Forrester:

It's like, no, no, no.

Mike Forrester:

They don't all act the same, you know, going back to like the Ferrari.

Mike Forrester:

Not all meals are Ferrari some are, you know, like a dump truck and

Mike Forrester:

just leave you in a worst state.

Mike Forrester:

Well, so what do you see as far as like guys are doing?

Mike Forrester:

That either they're not doing enough of, you know, that's, that's being

Mike Forrester:

harmful, um, or something they're doing too much of that can be detrimental.

Mike Forrester:

Like what would you say, Hey, these are a couple things as far as like the wellness

Mike Forrester:

kind of specifically around nutrition, um, that, that we could do that would change

Mike Forrester:

it, you know, like hydration or the food or like, what would you, you suggest Matt

Matt Salesio:

specifically around nutrition?

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Let me think about that.

Matt Salesio:

I would say number one.

Matt Salesio:

Here's a good one.

Matt Salesio:

Here's a good one.

Matt Salesio:

And then we'll, we'll keep tacking it along.

Matt Salesio:

Guys tend to overeat.

Matt Salesio:

Guys tend to overeat because more food, more calories means bigger muscles.

Matt Salesio:

That's just what we've been taught.

Matt Salesio:

It's like embedded into our code or into our brain.

Matt Salesio:

So eating to the point where you're content, Is fantastic because when you

Matt Salesio:

start overeating, that's when the, uh, what do you call acid reflux gets in.

Matt Salesio:

That's when your gut isn't able to digest properly.

Matt Salesio:

You're going to feel lethargic and tired and just fatigued.

Matt Salesio:

Your gut is a nice, holy space to fuel your body.

Matt Salesio:

Don't bombard it like an employee that you would just tack everything on.

Matt Salesio:

So number one is watching that overeating and understanding where

Matt Salesio:

that overeating is coming from.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, sometimes it's just, you know, for egotistics, you want to, or egotistical,

Matt Salesio:

you want to build on that muscle.

Matt Salesio:

At the same time, it could come from, you're procrastinating.

Matt Salesio:

You're not dealing with trauma.

Matt Salesio:

You're not dealing with, uh, the demons in the closet.

Matt Salesio:

It's just an escape for you.

Matt Salesio:

So overeating can stem from a lot of different things.

Matt Salesio:

But once you remove that overeating, it allows you to see other

Matt Salesio:

areas of your life to focus on.

Matt Salesio:

So that's number one.

Matt Salesio:

The number two is, um, chill on the protein, especially from the animals.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, look, I.

Matt Salesio:

I used to be heavy into the gym.

Matt Salesio:

I used to eat way too much steak, way too much eggs.

Matt Salesio:

And a lot of the times, again, this is a very polarizing view.

Matt Salesio:

Most people won't agree with me.

Matt Salesio:

The degree to which we are eating animal protein is a

Matt Salesio:

little too high for my liking.

Matt Salesio:

I'm not saying you need to be a full blown vegan, however, diversify your

Matt Salesio:

protein sources because number one, if you're eating beans and legumes.

Matt Salesio:

Those are fantastic sources of protein that also help reduce that inflammation.

Matt Salesio:

They have fiber, which nourishes your gut bacteria.

Matt Salesio:

And they also have this specific, or it really targets a specific bacteria

Matt Salesio:

in your gut called bifidobacteria that increase the diversity of

Matt Salesio:

your back of your gut bacteria.

Matt Salesio:

And more diverse your gut is, the healthier you are, the healthier

Matt Salesio:

your brain will feel, the healthier your mental health will feel.

Matt Salesio:

Hallmark to a good health or a healthy body is diversity.

Matt Salesio:

So beans and legumes have some tofu.

Matt Salesio:

You'll be fine.

Matt Salesio:

I promise.

Matt Salesio:

I eat tofu every single day and people always ask me in the gym, how, how

Matt Salesio:

were you the way you are without eating a stitch of animal protein?

Matt Salesio:

It's because a lot of the conventional ways that men have been taught to eat.

Matt Salesio:

You're overeating animal protein.

Matt Salesio:

Some of those things can really throw us a wrench because we're just

Matt Salesio:

mindlessly and blindly accepting them.

Matt Salesio:

So diversify those protein sources.

Matt Salesio:

That would be number one.

Matt Salesio:

And then number two, guys, eat your fricking veggies, eat your veggies.

Matt Salesio:

I, we always are chicken and rice guys.

Matt Salesio:

I know all my friends just do chicken and rice and we always forget that vegetables

Matt Salesio:

and fruits, those things are the information information our body needs.

Matt Salesio:

Um, and I know it sounds so simple, eat your fruits and vegetables, but whenever

Matt Salesio:

I get clients or whenever I get new people telling me, Oh, do I need to do

Matt Salesio:

this specific thing or this supplement or this and that it's like, are you

Matt Salesio:

doing the baseline first, we're talking about an elitist mentality when you're

Matt Salesio:

still playing at the rookie level.

Matt Salesio:

I always make sure the foundation is in play.

Matt Salesio:

And if the, if you're eating fruits and vegetables, you have your diverse sources

Matt Salesio:

of protein, you're not overeating, then if you still feel bad, okay, let's,

Matt Salesio:

let's dive in a little bit deeper.

Matt Salesio:

But majority of people don't even set the foundation before

Matt Salesio:

they start going super granular.

Matt Salesio:

So that's why I always say, do the basics, establish a great

Matt Salesio:

foundation as simple as it is.

Matt Salesio:

And sometimes you're already fine just by doing the basics.

Mike Forrester:

Well, I'm going to touch on a different thing.

Mike Forrester:

That's a basic and something I think that we overlook Matt and I used to discredit

Mike Forrester:

man was getting four hours of sleep a night, not understanding what long term,

Mike Forrester:

you know, harm and damage that did.

Mike Forrester:

And a lot of us are like, You know, you talked about netflix earlier, man, we

Mike Forrester:

just binge netflix or scroll tiktok, you know, whatever kind of mindless

Mike Forrester:

medicating that we're doing to, you know, kind of forget about the challenging day.

Mike Forrester:

How important is sleep?

Mike Forrester:

To like that healthy lifestyle that's going to be energized and

Mike Forrester:

just, you know, in the direction that we want to go instead of

Mike Forrester:

slothful, lethargic, just kind of,

Mike Forrester:

you know, just, man, how important is sleep in that?

Matt Salesio:

Honestly, I would put sleep above nutrition and it's going to

Matt Salesio:

sound much, or it's, it's a little bit different than most people say, because

Matt Salesio:

sleep is always the first thing we put on the back burner work gets busy.

Matt Salesio:

You want to see your girlfriend.

Matt Salesio:

You want to just take back time in the day.

Matt Salesio:

What's the first thing to go sleep when we, everyone knows what it's like

Matt Salesio:

when you wake up the next morning on four hours of sleep, you feel like.

Matt Salesio:

Garbage.

Matt Salesio:

Now, when you start sleeping back to seven hours, you will be surprised

Matt Salesio:

how fast your mood clears up.

Matt Salesio:

The irritability goes away.

Matt Salesio:

Your digestion can improve.

Matt Salesio:

Your body's systemic inflammation can actually reduce a little bit because if

Matt Salesio:

you think about sleep, Mike, Sleep is the only time when you're not doing anything.

Matt Salesio:

Sleep is designed for your body to rest, digest, repair, and heal.

Matt Salesio:

And if you're giving it such a short window to do that, obviously

Matt Salesio:

you're not going to heal.

Matt Salesio:

Obviously you're not giving it the space and the container it needs to do so.

Matt Salesio:

So, just that sheer understanding, like that's your body's healing period.

Matt Salesio:

Prioritize that if it really is important for you to improve your digestion,

Matt Salesio:

heal, heal that skin, lose that weight.

Matt Salesio:

Prioritize that sleep.

Matt Salesio:

Number one.

Matt Salesio:

And what's really cool about sleep deprivation as well.

Matt Salesio:

And this really gets into habits and consistency and is why people can't

Matt Salesio:

stay consistent is we see that after just one night of sleep deprivation,

Matt Salesio:

the logical part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex shuts off.

Matt Salesio:

It just stops.

Matt Salesio:

But the cool thing is that your reward center, your limbic brain responsible

Matt Salesio:

for seeking pleasure and dopamine and all those other bad things, it

Matt Salesio:

gets lit up like a Christmas tree.

Matt Salesio:

So now we have all these people walking around sleep deprived, wondering

Matt Salesio:

why they can't stay consistent with their meal plan, why they can't stay

Matt Salesio:

consistent with the gym, why they're always reaching for the cake, why

Matt Salesio:

they're always watching the Netflix and why they're not engaging in the habits

Matt Salesio:

that are actually beneficial for them.

Matt Salesio:

for them.

Matt Salesio:

You're going to get stuck in this negative cycle of sleep deprivation, bad habits,

Matt Salesio:

bad actions, and then it keeps going.

Matt Salesio:

So prioritizing sleep again allows your brain to start functioning in a way

Matt Salesio:

that's going to have it on your team rather than you trying to play against

Matt Salesio:

it because you're battling dopamine, you're battling that reward center.

Matt Salesio:

So you're much more in a place of consciousness versus just disconnect

Matt Salesio:

and living your day on autopilot.

Matt Salesio:

So sleep is very good for And the fact that your brain is going to work better.

Matt Salesio:

You're going to make better actions and decisions.

Matt Salesio:

You're going to feel more refreshed and that all ties into that as well.

Matt Salesio:

And it gives your body the space to heal.

Matt Salesio:

Sleep is it's monumental.

Matt Salesio:

It's so monumental.

Matt Salesio:

I used to do the same thing six hours a day.

Matt Salesio:

I used to sometimes do four because I, when I was a kid, I heard the

Matt Salesio:

rock did four and I was like, I'm going to be like the rock.

Matt Salesio:

I'm going to do that.

Matt Salesio:

I'm going to wake up at 4 a.

Matt Salesio:

m.

Matt Salesio:

Stupid idea.

Matt Salesio:

It's horrible.

Matt Salesio:

I now sleep seven hours.

Matt Salesio:

I get more work done.

Matt Salesio:

I feel much better.

Matt Salesio:

I'm much more present in my relationships with my friends

Matt Salesio:

or whether it's my girlfriend.

Matt Salesio:

I'm able to stay awake and engaged and present in it.

Matt Salesio:

So it really does have a spillover effect, providing you give your

Matt Salesio:

body the space in the breathing room during that sleep for you

Mike Forrester:

and I can think of So many instances, Matt, where it was

Mike Forrester:

like, made it through the week, Friday night, up late, Saturday night, up late.

Mike Forrester:

So it's not just one night of sleep deprivation, but it was two nights

Mike Forrester:

back to back, whether it was, you know, Gaming or going out with friends or

Mike Forrester:

whatever the case was, or just being, you know, Netflix and chill, dude,

Mike Forrester:

there were so many times of that.

Mike Forrester:

How long does it take us to recover from even like one night of sleep

Mike Forrester:

deprivation to get back to that baseline?

Matt Salesio:

Oh, the exact number.

Matt Salesio:

I'm not too certain.

Matt Salesio:

I will have to follow up with you on that.

Matt Salesio:

But what's really interesting.

Matt Salesio:

What you said with the back to back sleep deprived nights is we can

Matt Salesio:

accumulate what we call sleep debt.

Matt Salesio:

So like a great example for a new family just had a baby.

Matt Salesio:

They're not going to be sleeping for a while.

Matt Salesio:

That sleep debt can be accumulated in a compound interest.

Matt Salesio:

If you're sleep deprived seven nights a week, it's not just, you're not

Matt Salesio:

just sleep deprived from Thursday, you're sleep deprived from Thursday,

Matt Salesio:

Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday, and that all builds up to a really big sleep debt.

Matt Salesio:

So it is very dangerous and it's very important that we understand.

Matt Salesio:

What we are doing when we are putting that sleep on the back burner, don't accumulate

Matt Salesio:

this debt that you don't want to pay off.

Matt Salesio:

If that makes sense.

Mike Forrester:

Yeah, that totally makes sense.

Mike Forrester:

And it's one of, you know, some debts you can't really get out of very quickly.

Mike Forrester:

That is not a debt you want to get into.

Mike Forrester:

And I'll say that from personal experience, because it's like, I'm,

Mike Forrester:

I'm working on reclaiming my health.

Mike Forrester:

And that was a large part of it because like you talked

Mike Forrester:

about, that was the first cut.

Mike Forrester:

Was I want to fit this stuff in, or I just want to medicate or whatever

Mike Forrester:

sleep was the first thing to go, man.

Mike Forrester:

And, uh, yet, like you've talked about, it's the bedrock there.

Mike Forrester:

What are some things that I can do, Matt?

Mike Forrester:

Now that you've said, Hey, this is, this is vital.

Mike Forrester:

What are some things that I can do to improve my sleep?

Mike Forrester:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

The best piece of advice that I would give you right

Matt Salesio:

now is a good night of sleep.

Matt Salesio:

Starts from the moment that you wake up and let me explain that now, when

Matt Salesio:

we wake up, if we are constantly on our technical devices from the moment

Matt Salesio:

we open our eye to the moment we shut our eye, you are giving your brain a

Matt Salesio:

constant barrage of dopamine and super stimulation that is a massive indicator

Matt Salesio:

of how well you're going to sleep if you're in the digital world, continually

Matt Salesio:

stimulating your brain all the way till you go to bed, you're telling your brain

Matt Salesio:

to go from 100 miles an hour to zero.

Matt Salesio:

It doesn't work like that.

Matt Salesio:

We need to find ways to detach from the digital world and step

Matt Salesio:

into the analog world and AKA the real world before we go to bed.

Matt Salesio:

So that way we know it's okay.

Matt Salesio:

Let's slow down the brain a little bit.

Matt Salesio:

Let's slow down the thinking a bit.

Matt Salesio:

Let's be present.

Matt Salesio:

Let's make our eyes rest a second.

Matt Salesio:

And that's the other thing with blue light, as everyone

Matt Salesio:

talks about blue light, that is absolutely so key to sleeping well.

Matt Salesio:

Even if you're in a dark room, but you're on your screen, that blue

Matt Salesio:

light is triggering serotonin and cortisol in your body, telling

Matt Salesio:

you to wake up and stay awake.

Matt Salesio:

So even if you shut it off 10, 20 minutes, those, you just confuse

Matt Salesio:

the circadian rhythm in your body.

Matt Salesio:

They think it's daytime.

Matt Salesio:

It just got sunlight.

Matt Salesio:

It thinks it's ready to go.

Matt Salesio:

So that's, so, um, the stimulation of tech.

Matt Salesio:

That's one of the first things you can understand as you go throughout your

Matt Salesio:

day, from the moment you wake up to you go to bed, make sure you check it.

Matt Salesio:

And you're living as much in the analog world, if not more than the digital world.

Matt Salesio:

And when I say analog world, that's like conversations with people

Matt Salesio:

at lunch, reading a book, just going out and enjoying nature.

Matt Salesio:

That's analog world.

Matt Salesio:

That's important for sleep.

Matt Salesio:

The other thing is understanding your circadian rhythm.

Matt Salesio:

Your circadian rhythm is the biological clock that us humans have evolved with,

Matt Salesio:

with the universe or with the world.

Matt Salesio:

We wake in the morning when the sun's out and we sleep in the night when

Matt Salesio:

the wolves and the bears and all that other stuff is out and we can't

Matt Salesio:

see because they have night vision.

Matt Salesio:

We want to be in our homes.

Matt Salesio:

So the problem is though, in our day and age, our circadian

Matt Salesio:

rhythm can get really wonky.

Matt Salesio:

It can get really confusing.

Matt Salesio:

There's certain things that trigger our body to act in alignment

Matt Salesio:

with our circadian rhythm, like sunlight and like moonlight.

Matt Salesio:

Like light and dark that tells our body what hormones to release, which is really

Matt Salesio:

cool to see your body is designed to trigger cortisol and serotonin in the

Matt Salesio:

morning to get you up and go find food.

Matt Salesio:

But at night it's designed to trigger melatonin and GABA to make

Matt Salesio:

sure that you can sleep and repair.

Matt Salesio:

So if you're taking actions that confuse that rhythm, drinking caffeine late in the

Matt Salesio:

day, you're eating food at 10 PM at night.

Matt Salesio:

Those things are not supposed to happen at night.

Matt Salesio:

Cause your body's not, it's not designed to take that.

Matt Salesio:

Find out what ways to live in alignment with that circadian

Matt Salesio:

rhythm is absolutely huge.

Matt Salesio:

So don't eat in the middle of the night.

Matt Salesio:

Don't drink coffee super late.

Matt Salesio:

Don't, um, super stimulate yourself all the time.

Matt Salesio:

Look in your day throughout the entire day and understand that as

Matt Salesio:

you're doing certain actions, it will affect your sleep to a certain extent.

Matt Salesio:

So it's really be to really be mindful of that, I think is a huge

Matt Salesio:

thing for improving that sleep.

Mike Forrester:

So you're saying don't drink a monster and scroll.

Mike Forrester:

Before I go to bed.

Mike Forrester:

Is that what I'm hearing, Matt?

Matt Salesio:

Roughly, Mike, you captured roughly what it was.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Mike Forrester:

I love that.

Mike Forrester:

But that is, I know so many people that do that kind of thing where it's just, yep.

Mike Forrester:

I drink caffeine or whatever.

Mike Forrester:

Any, the stimulation, you don't think about it and it just becomes this

Mike Forrester:

constant wave where it's like the debt that you talked about that sleep debt

Mike Forrester:

and the deprivation and then it impacts.

Mike Forrester:

Everything, but we just become so used to that being our norm rather than

Mike Forrester:

looking for, how do I want to show up?

Mike Forrester:

How can I show up and making those changes?

Mike Forrester:

So Matt, dude, I appreciate you sharing all that stuff, the action steps that

Mike Forrester:

we can take to, you know, show up in our best position with all the wisdom

Mike Forrester:

and the knowledge that we have and the energy and everything by making nutrition

Mike Forrester:

changes and, and sleep habit changes.

Mike Forrester:

Dude, it's.

Mike Forrester:

Amazing.

Mike Forrester:

I appreciate that.

Mike Forrester:

Um, would you mind sharing how guys can connect with you

Mike Forrester:

outside of the podcast here?

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Yeah.

Matt Salesio:

Mike, thank you for honestly, number one, having me fantastic.

Matt Salesio:

Oh, this was a great conversation.

Matt Salesio:

I, uh, I genuinely enjoyed it, uh, for guys looking to connect, uh,

Matt Salesio:

the best place to see everything I got going on is my website,

Matt Salesio:

rviveofficial.ca - R V I V E official.

Matt Salesio:

ca.

Matt Salesio:

That's where I got my podcast, my social handles, my YouTube, all the

Matt Salesio:

programs that we offer at RVIVE.

Matt Salesio:

So that is like my main hub.

Matt Salesio:

Check that out.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, but other than that, my Instagram is where I'm most active.

Matt Salesio:

Uh, M A T T S A L E S I O.

Matt Salesio:

It's my name everywhere on social media.

Matt Salesio:

And yeah, shoot me a DM, shoot me a comment.

Matt Salesio:

I will answer.

Matt Salesio:

I'm always involved and, uh, can't wait to connect.

Matt Salesio:

But yeah, Mike, thanks again, man.

Matt Salesio:

This was fantastic.

Matt Salesio:

, Mike Forrester: my pleasure, my friend.

Matt Salesio:

And, uh, thanks for all the wisdom that you've shared today.

Matt Salesio:

I really appreciate it.

Matt Salesio:

Anytime.

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About the Podcast

Living Fearless Today
Helping men live fully alive, boldly and courageously
Do you feel overwhelmed when making decisions? Struggle to take action in your personal life or career? Think you're alone in these situations? You're not! In fact, you're in good company. 
 
I'm Mike Forrester, host of the Living Fearless Today podcast. Join me as I interview other men who triumphed over their own adversities, learn how they did it and where they are today. So that whatever you're facing, know others fought the same battle and have conquered those challenges. They are now encouraging you and me to live our life boldly and courageously alongside them.
 
Let's disprove the lie that we're the only one who's going through this situation, that no one knows what it's like. You're not alone in the struggle you're working through. As men, we have more in common in our journey than you might want to believe.
 
Join me here each Tuesday for the interview and then again on Friday as I spotlight the lessons learned. How we can apply them to become the confident and courageous man we're wanting to be - for ourselves, our wife and our children.
 
Be sure to give a follow to the Living Fearless Today podcast on your favorite platform. I look forward to being with you during the next episode.

About your host

Profile picture for Mike Forrester

Mike Forrester

Mike Forrester is a men's transformation coach, founder of the Living Fearless coaching programs, and host of the Living Fearless Today podcast. His insights, methods and stories of overcoming childhood trauma, dyslexia and loss of loved ones have been featured on various podcasts, including Hanging Onto Hope, Extreme Health, Own Your Life Own Your Career and Think Unbroken.