Take Charge with Sid Garza-Hillman
Oct 25, 2019
Welcome back to Take Charge!, a series of interviews with some of our favorite health and wellness thought leaders. Each post features advice on topics like longevity, nutrition, exercise, and physical optimization. You'll also receive guidance on how to follow through with your goals and work through feelings of fear and doubt. Plus, we compiled the best tips in this free ebook - click here to download it.
Today we're featuring Sid Garza-Hillman, the author of Approaching the Natural: A Health Manifesto and Raising Healthy Parents: Small Steps, Less Stress, and a Thriving Family. He graduated from UCLA with a BA in Philosophy, is a public speaker, podcaster (What Sid Thinks Podcast), certified nutritionist, and Small Steps Coach–teaching his unique approach to healthy living at smallsteppers.com. He is the Stanford Inn Eco-Resort’s Wellness Programs Director, co-creator (with No Meat Athlete, Matt Frazier) of Health Made Simple, and Race Director of the Mendocino Coast 50K ultramarathon.
We first met Sid while visiting Stanford Inn in early 2013. He brought us on a walk through the entire property, highlighting their myriad wellness initiatives including their dedicated on-site herbal apothecary and plant-based restaurant called The Ravens. His energy, positivity, and wisdom are truly inspiring and we felt an immediate kinship with him.
It was at that time he gifted us a copy of his book Approaching the Natural and we found it to be accessible, clear, edgy and humorous. Sid distills his years of research into a book that readers will want to carry with them as a quick reference when negotiating our most unnatural world – especially Gen-X and Gen-Y’ers for whom there is a substantial lack of result-oriented health books that are this easy and actually fun to read. Here are some of our favorite quotes from the book:
- On living well: "Approaching a natural lifestyle is a gift, not a struggle."
- On eating well: "Enjoy healthier foods in the same way you enjoyed unhealthy foods in the past."
- On changing habits:
- "Just because our species has a history of doing something does not necessarily mean it is natural to us."
- "The human body is way more intelligent than the human mind."
- On weight loss: you can "assess the amount of stress on an individual just by checking out their waistline."
- On eco-friendly living: "In our effort to outsmart Mother Nature, we pay a heavy price."
As we approach the end of 2019, it felt like the perfect time to reconnect with Sid to hear his current advice on topics like longevity, goal setting, habit creation, doubt banishing, business monetization, and world travel. We gave him a few prompts and he had some wonderfully thoughtful responses.
Sid's Tips on How To Take Charge Of Your Life:
-
Living and acting on principle is key to longevity
-
Stay in an 'adaptive stress' state will help you stay committed to your goals.
- For example, poor food and fitness choices can be reactions to stress. When you learn how to manage stress effectively you can make better and easier choices.
-
Keep your actions in a 'small step' state allows you to incorporate new habits, learn new information, take on new adventures.
-
Have a very clear idea of who you are and what you stand for enables you to push through doubt, fear or negativity. This will ensure that you always have a firm ground on which to stand.
-
Work hard above all else. Make honing your craft and talents your main priority, especially if you're trying to monetize them as a business. Then you can focus on marketing, social media, and in-person networking.
- Be discerning about business opportunities, especially when they involve traveling. Time with family is too important to sacrifice unless a gig is really worthwhile.
Want more tips to help you take charge of your life?
Click here to receive a free ebook with advice from health and wellness thought leaders who want to help you thrive. Uplevel and get more consistent with a balanced diet, impactful fitness routine, and positive mental health practices. Find the motivation to achieve your goals and release feelings of doubt, fear, stress, and anxiety. Gain clarity, a sense of purpose and the drive to follow through so you can take charge of your life like never before!
Get more from Sid on his website sidgarzahillman.com and Vimeo channel. We're big fans of this video:
Well, this is uncomfortable. from Sid Garza-Hillman on Vimeo.
disclosure: when books and other resources are recommended, we may use affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something after clicking on it, we may receive a small financial commission (at no additional cost to you). This is a great way for you to support us, so thanks for trusting our recommendations!