Biohacker, Author, International Keynote Speaker, Coach, and World Record Holder
Book: “The IZOD Method-Unleash Your Superpower”
YouTube: “Arash’s World Interview with Biohacker & Coach Dr. Mike Van Thielen on IZOD Method and Optimal Health”
Podcast: “Attaining Optimal Health, Maximising our Potential and Unleashing our Superpower with Biohacker and Coach Dr. Mike Van Thielen”
In this episode, I have the great opportunity to talk with Dr. Mike Van Thielen about the Izod Method, attaining optimal health, and even going beyond by maximizing it and fulfilling our life's goals and dreams. Dr. Mike is the author of "The Izod Method - Unleash Your Superpower" and apart from being an international keynote speaker, he is also a physical therapist, a biohacker, a coach and mentor, and a world record holder!
We discuss the importance of not getting stuck and comfortable in the illusive safety of the comfort zone but stepping out of it to find meaning and purpose in our personal lives while visualizing and manifesting long-cherished dreams and goals. To do so, we must first reach optimal health and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This can be reached via various methods and could include meditation, breathwork, intermittent fasting, and regular daily practices.
It is essential to adopt a mindset that will push us forward toward our future as opposed to being held back and down by our past and previous experiences. In adopting a holistic approach that encourages overall and balanced healthy lifestyles in body, spirit, and mind, we can indeed upgrade our body, mind, and life by unleashing our unique superpowers into the world to the benefit of everyone, including ourselves!
00:25: Personal Intro:
Took a long journey, originally from Belgium. Was very competitive in sports. Went to University of Brussels in Physical Education. Came to USA as a physical therapist. Went back to school to study oriental medicine and acupuncture. Got frustrated with it because although alternative medicine less invasive than conventional medicine like drugs, injections and surgeries, it did not bring about long-lasting results. Got his PhD in holistic nutrition. Look at Mother Nature to help people regain control of their health and to optimize it. As a biohacker to reverse biological age. Now coach, mentor and keynote speaker.
03:15:
It's all about mindset. Dr Mike’s mindset: “I never lose. I win and learn.” There are no failures, but only stepping stones. Experiences to learn from. The more lessons we accumulate, the closer we get to our goals and dreams.
04:01:
Brain often keeping us in our comfort zone for safety. We may be content there but not living a life of fulfillment. Moving from fear zone to learning and then growth zone. Your loved ones and family will often tell you that you're crazy to step out of the established comfort zone. Expect those kinds of reactions from others. You're part of their comfort zone.
05:50:
Though it feels fearful and threatening. It's also where we find our purpose and discover ourselves and become extraordinary and unleash our superpowers. It becomes exciting. A productive step forward toward your goals and dreams. Being pulled forward by a future and not be held back and down by past experiences.
07:22:
Talking about book the “Izod method” and how to unleash your superpower. Suffering from different ailments had a common denominator. They do not have a purpose in life, often worried about the future. Fears translating into anxiety, depression and mental conditions. Scripting your life to get a sense of control and personal agency. Control creates clarity, which reduces our stress. No more need for drugs or therapies.
09:38:
How to deal with the unexpected? It can be a hurdle, but we cannot lose our focus on the finish line. A detour to deal with to get back on track, adjusting our plan, not losing sight of our ultimate goal and dream.
10:25:
Talking about biohacking. Doctor Mike's definition is upgrading the body, mind, and life. Reversing your biological age. Three categories of clients: Health issues or being in pain, overweight to regain control of health and get back to “normal”.
12:24:
Phase two and optimal health. Make modifications to feel fit and energetic and vital and strong again and being control of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Then we reach phase three of maximizing with biohacking strategy.
14:39:
Putting the seven foundations in place. We need a solid foundation first. No shortcuts or magic bullets. Work on them on a daily basis.
15:38:
A simple and cost-effective strategy: Intermittent fasting. It becomes a habit pretty quickly. Breakfast is the worst or the least important meal. Consuming food between 11:00 AM and 5:00 or 6:00 PM. Give the body chance to repair and regenerate. Give digestive system a rest. Getting rid of cancer cells. Cleaning up your body. Endless health benefits.
17:53:
What about exercise? We need to move because movement is key. We need to make sure that nothing stagnates. We need to hydrate. If you go to the gym once in a while but have a sedentary job, you are not healthy even though you exercise. We are not designed to sit down.
20:02:
What about meditation? A tool useful for working on our mindset. The mind controls our body even disease and outcome of diseases. Working with belief system, past labels and diagnosis. Overcoming doubt to tip the scale towards a strong belief system, whether overcoming a disease or being successful. With meditation we can tap into different brain waves, block out distractions, and visualize and manifest. Dr. Porter’s BrainTap. Device and technology to utilize. Facilitates to get us into meditative states. Breathwork and focus on one thing. Whatever works for you, it can become part of your power routine.
24:01:
What about wishful thinking and positive thinking? Better than negative emotions and thinking but we need to take a few steps, believe strongly that it will happen and assume the feelings that go with the end result. It's like we are already living in the dream and not just in our mind and vision board, but actually having the feelings of accomplishing them. Already part of manifesting and visualization. Incorporate other senses in great detail apart from looking at vision board with sensations and taste. Imagine reactions of other people, heartfelt etc. Just praying and wishing for it will have limited results.
26:11:
How the universe has the best interest of us in mind. How organized religion creates fear and mistrust instead. Love and fear are antidotes. It's impossible to love and fear God at the same time.
27:54:
Finding a balance with yin and yang. In sports, people often overtrain. Their bodies can't catch up resting and repairing. That's when you get injured. Always a delicate balance, getting rest and careful balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic system. To function optimally, overdrive creates stress, fatigue, exhaustion, and injury. We cannot take care of others if we don't take care of ourselves.
30:12:
What about influence of oriental medicine? Looking at the body as a whole. Conventional medicine focused on parts with all this specialist. Western medicine will not give you a solution but will keep you chasing. People getting more and more medications, so gradual progression of more and more issues because they look at things in compartments.
31:35:
No modalities can cure us, but only the body can heal itself. Our body is so complex and it knows what it is doing. Our job is to put it in the right conditions and give it the right tools. Looking at energy, vibration, and frequencies.
33:10:
What about holistic nutrition? Common sense to see what's healthy for us and what's not. One cause of all disease, toxemia. Toxins in the blood. We produce waste products and toxins. In a healthy organism, they are eliminated by our organs. In today's world, we ingest more toxins than the body can eliminate. They accumulate in our blood and body.
34:38:
Toxemia does two things. They form free radicals, which can cause oxidative stress on cellular level. Our body reaches a state of emergency leading to systemic inflammation. A cause of over 90% of all disease. We need to keep toxemia in check. Cut down on chemicals and cleaning products and man-made foods and drinks, beauty products, electromagnetic radiation from our devices to reduce exposure while increasing nutrients that fight systemic inflammation.
36:57:
What does IZOD stand for? “In the zone on demand”. Being in the zone, not just for athletes. We often think it happens by chance. The book teaches you the skill to get into the zone whenever you want, being focused and productive and realizing your goals and your dreams.