How to Build Your Body and Mind (Alexa’s Playbook) | Ep. 82

How to Build Your Body and Mind (Alexa’s Playbook) | Ep. 82

In this episode, Andrew and Kat sit down with ALTA's lead functional nutritionist Alexa to unpack what it actually takes to build a body and a mind that lasts.  Alexa shares her journey from a kid growing up overweight in an Italian household, to bodybuilding competitor, to coaching clients through their own physical and mental transformations. You'll hear why she calls nutrition and fitness "the gateway drug" to deeper mindset work, what her SIBO diagnosis taught her about the limits of dialing in macros, and the practical playbook she uses with clients: train hard, eat your food, trust yourself, and stop trying to do it alone.  If you've ever felt like you're doing everything "right" and still spinning your wheels, this one's for you. 04:30 — Alexa's journey: Staten Island kid to bodybuilding stage 10:00 — How a SIBO diagnosis rewrote her relationship with food and fitness 17:00 — Why mindset beats macros (and the pyramid that explains it) 25:30 — Alexa's playbook: train hard, eat your food, trust the process Ready to make sense of your symptoms and hit your goals for life? Get more info on our Alta360 program here - https://altaforlife.com/alta360application [https://altaforlife.com/alta360application] Order a comprehensive functional lab here [https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview] - https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview (after checkout, you'll get a confirmation email and text. Mention this podcast in your reply and you'll get a free interpretation call with Kat) Get your free Gut Health Assessment [https://atosolutions.pro.typeform.com/to/Rd6BMH0q] - https://atosolutions.typeform.com/to/VhvLsjG2 to get a step by step plan to feel less stuck Follow Andrew https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/ [https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/] Follow Kat https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/ [https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/]

Can AI Actually Fix Your Health? (Where It Helps… and Where It Doesn’t) | Ep. 81

AI can build you a meal plan, calculate your macros, and even explain your lab results in seconds. So why aren’t people getting better results? In this episode, Andrew and Kat break down where tools like ChatGPT actually help when it comes to health and nutrition… and where they fall short. Because while AI is incredibly powerful, it’s still just giving you information. And information alone isn’t what gets people results. They walk through what AI does well, where it can mislead you, and why so many people end up stuck even though they “know what to do.” If you’ve ever used AI for your health, or are thinking about it, this will help you use it the right way. (00:00) Why more information isn’t leading to better results (04:26) Where AI actually helps with nutrition and fitness (11:42) Where AI falls short (and can mislead you) (19:48) Why information isn’t the problem, execution is Ready to make sense of your symptoms and hit your goals for life? Get more info on our Alta360 program here - https://altaforlife.com/alta360application [https://altaforlife.com/alta360application] Order a comprehensive functional lab here [https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview] - https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview (after checkout, you'll get a confirmation email and text. Mention this podcast in your reply and you'll get a free interpretation call with Kat) Get your free Gut Health Assessment [https://atosolutions.pro.typeform.com/to/Rd6BMH0q] - https://atosolutions.typeform.com/to/VhvLsjG2 to get a step by step plan to feel less stuck Follow Andrew https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/ [https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/] Follow Kat https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/ [https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/]

Brain Fog, Bloating, Sugar Cravings? It Might Be Candida | Ep. 80

Most people don’t connect these symptoms: Brain fog Bloating Skin issues Constant sugar cravings But when they show up together, it’s usually not random. In this episode, Andrew and Kat break down one of the most overlooked root causes behind this cluster of symptoms: Candida overgrowth. Candida is a yeast that naturally lives in your body. But when your gut environment shifts, it can overgrow and start driving symptoms that most people try to fix one at a time. That’s why you end up chasing solutions that don’t stick. They explain what causes it, why it’s often missed, and why things like cutting sugar or taking random supplements don’t actually fix the problem. If you’ve been told everything is “normal” but you’re still dealing with these symptoms, this will help you connect the dots. (00:00) Why your symptoms aren’t random (03:47) What Candida is and how it shows up (08:06) Root causes: gut imbalance and low stomach acid (14:49) Real client story and how fixing the gut changes everything Ready to make sense of your symptoms and hit your goals for life? Get more info on our Alta360 program here - https://altaforlife.com/alta360application [https://altaforlife.com/alta360application] Order a comprehensive functional lab here [https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview] - https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview (after checkout, you'll get a confirmation email and text. Mention this podcast in your reply and you'll get a free interpretation call with Kat) Get your free Gut Health Assessment [https://atosolutions.pro.typeform.com/to/Rd6BMH0q] - https://atosolutions.typeform.com/to/VhvLsjG2 to get a step by step plan to feel less stuck Follow Andrew https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/ [https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/] Follow Kat https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/ [https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/]

Why You’re Bloated Even After Eating “Clean” | Fix the System, Not the Food List | Ep 79

You cut out gluten. Then dairy. Then processed foods. Maybe you even tried low FODMAP. But somehow, you’re still bloated. And now even “safe” foods like chicken, rice, eggs, broccoli, or potatoes feel like they’re betraying you. In this episode, Andrew and Kat explain why bloating on clean, simple foods usually isn’t about the food itself. It’s often a sign that your digestive system isn’t breaking food down properly, which can lead to excess fermentation, trapped gas, distension, and a gut that feels reactive to almost everything. They also break down the role of stomach acid, enzymes, bile flow, motility, leaky gut, protein fermentation, and why simply cutting more foods usually makes the problem worse long-term. If you feel like your diet keeps getting “cleaner” while your gut keeps getting more sensitive, this episode will help you understand what’s actually happening.  (00:00) Why “safe” foods can still make you bloated  (06:51) Fermentation, trapped gas, and digestive dysfunction  (14:14) Leaky gut, protein fermentation, and what labs can reveal  (24:49) Simple fixes for bloating, motility, and sparkling water Ready to make sense of your symptoms and hit your goals for life? Get more info on our Alta360 program here - https://altaforlife.com/alta360application [https://altaforlife.com/alta360application] Order a comprehensive functional lab here [https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview] - https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview (after checkout, you'll get a confirmation email and text. Mention this podcast in your reply and you'll get a free interpretation call with Kat) Get your free Gut Health Assessment [https://atosolutions.pro.typeform.com/to/Rd6BMH0q] - https://atosolutions.typeform.com/to/VhvLsjG2 to get a step by step plan to feel less stuck Follow Andrew https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/ [https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/] Follow Kat https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/ [https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/]

Why You Feel Anxious (Even When Nothing’s Wrong) | The Metabolic Side of Anxiety | Ep 78

You feel anxious… but nothing is actually wrong. Your life is stable. Things are “fine” on paper. But your heart is racing, your chest feels tight, and your mind won’t slow down. Most people assume anxiety is purely mental. But what if it’s not? In this episode, Andrew and Kat break down the physical drivers of anxiety that almost no one talks about. Blood sugar crashes, under-eating, poor sleep, hormones, even how you train — all of these can create a stress response that feels exactly like anxiety. The key insight is simple. Your brain doesn’t distinguish between emotional stress and physiological stress. Low fuel and unstable energy can trigger the same response as a real threat. If you’ve ever felt anxious “for no reason,” this episode will help you understand what’s actually going on — and where to start. (00:00) Why you can feel anxious even when nothing’s wrong (05:42) Blood sugar, under-eating, and metabolic anxiety (16:32) Real client story: fixing anxiety by fixing physiology (21:02) The simplest way to reduce anxiety this week Ready to make sense of your symptoms and hit your goals for life? Get more info on our Alta360 program here - https://altaforlife.com/alta360application [https://altaforlife.com/alta360application] Order a comprehensive functional lab here [https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview] - https://app.altaforlife.com/labsoverview (after checkout, you'll get a confirmation email and text. Mention this podcast in your reply and you'll get a free interpretation call with Kat) Get your free Gut Health Assessment [https://atosolutions.pro.typeform.com/to/Rd6BMH0q] - https://atosolutions.typeform.com/to/VhvLsjG2 to get a step by step plan to feel less stuck Follow Andrew https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/ [https://www.instagram.com/andrewhayeslife/] Follow Kat https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/ [https://www.instagram.com/katbestwellness/]