Finding Peace: The Overlooked Key to Health with Dr. Rob
Today’s episode is a bit different. This is a local lecture I did on Peace.
I explore the vital role of peace in our overall health and well-being. While many believe that diet is the single most important factor, I challenge that assumption by suggesting that effective stress management may actually have an even greater impact on health.
Drawing on tools from functional medicine, I explain how our autonomic nervous system influences our ability to find peace, emphasizing the need for a sense of safety and balance. I share insights into how practices like meditation and positive thinking can change our genetic expression, improve heart rate variability, and support both mental and physical wellness.
Elise Spofford joins us to guide a brief meditation exercise. We also discuss our upcoming wellness retreat in Costa Rica, a peaceful setting where we can deepen our connection to inner calm and vitality.
(01:17) Importance of stress management over diet.
(05:00) Autonomic nervous system impacts health.
(09:09) Benefits of rest-and-restore mode.
(15:42) Heart rate variability as a wellness tool.
(33:50) Guided Meditation and wellness retreat in Costa Rica
Learn more here <=
Elise Spofford
Elise completed her yoga certification in 2010 with the School Yoga Institute and finished her massage therapy studies at the Institute of Therapeutic Massage of Western Colorado in 2013. She is currently studying with San Francisco-based teacher, Jason Crandall for her Advanced Yoga Teacher Training qualification. Elise is a licensed massage therapist in Alaska and an active member of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. She is originally from Minnesota and has lived in Alaska for the past 10 years ~ first in the Bristol Bay area and now in Ninilchik on the Kenai Peninsula. Elise instructs yoga classes at the Ninilchik Health and Wellness Club and maintains a massage therapy private practice in Ninilchik as well.
Elise is an avid enthusiast of outdoor adventures ~ especially Kenai hikes, SUP outings on Alaska’s lakes, and in the wintertime, cross-country skiing the Tsalteshi Trails. In her spare time, Elise is a tour guide with Premier Alaska Tours, and with her family, Elise is learning more about the salmon fisheries in southeast Alaska aboard her husband, Jeff’s power-troller boat, the “Coho”. Elise and Jeff have an 12 yr. old daughter, Citori, who keeps them on their toes with her impish antics. Citori is a yogini in the making and has inspired Elise to volunteer in local schools as a guest yoga instructor.