Meet Graham Hawley In Denver

SPEAKER_02 0:03

Welcome to Hormone Heroes, where I share testimonials from real people who have experienced bioidentical hormone therapy. Men and women share the symptoms they have experienced and the difference proper hormone replacement has made. I'm your host, Dr. Kelly Hopkins, and I have been in the functional medicine space for over 30 years, with a focus on hormones for 20 years. Please keep in mind this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your physician or practitioner for medical advice. Let's get started with today's guest. Hello and welcome to the podcast. Today we have a wonderful guest. His name is Graham Hawley. He is a certified health and wellness coach, and he has a very big heart for type 2 diabetes. So we'll get to know Graham and then deep dive into type 2 diabetes. But welcome, Graham.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Well, welcome. Uh thank you, Dr. Kelly.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

And as everyone can tell from his beautiful accent, he's originally from the UK, and you've lived in Denver now for about 20 years.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

22, actually, yeah. Time flies.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

Yeah. Do you get to enjoy the outdoors that Denver provides?

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Oh, absolutely. You only have to go 45 minutes, and you're in some lovely parts of Colorado, and the mountains are only an hour away. And the sun shines, what they say, 300 days a year. So yeah, it's a lovely place. I'm very impressed with Denver.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

We have two of our boys that live there. They're 28 and 31, but they they love it. They're big snowboarders.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Yeah, if you're into the mountains, not even in winter, it's a great place to go in spring and summer.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Yes, yes. We've white water rafted, that's where I'll go.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

There's a lot of that goes on. Yeah, it's a great place, especially for, like you say, for the outdoor entertainment, if you're into that, mountain biking, there's trails everywhere. So yeah, it's a great place.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

And you're also a soccer player, is that correct?

SPEAKER_01 2:10

That's correct. I play with the uh over 60s league, if you want to call it. We get together three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sunday mornings, and there's usually, you know, 25, 30 of us show up. It's a lot of fun, it's great exercise, good camaraderie. It's great.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Running to me is I used to run track, but it's one of my least favorite things. And when I think of soccer, I just think of running up and down.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

I'll be honest, you won't get me just putting some shoes, uh, some running shoes and just go run for X amount of miles. That this never entertained me. But when you're playing soccer, there's stop start sprinting. Uh one, it's very beneficial, obviously. And I just have a passion for soccer and playing soccer.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

You're also a painter, is that correct?

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Well, I do a little bit of painting on canvas, yeah. I go through my I have a little spurts of that when I soak myself in it. In fact, last year, uh, I've been kind of painting on and off for years, and it's just been all stacking up in my studio. So last year I decided to do a couple of art shows locally. And I was quite impressed. I did okay, actually. I made quite a few thousand dollars.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Well, that's awesome. When your hobby can make you money, that's wonderful. Yeah. Well, tell us a little bit about your journey becoming everything that's taken you to the point you're in your life now where you you became a certified health and wellness coach.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Well, I got into this health and wellness deal with by default, one could say, after observing uh both my brother and my father become debilitated through other conditions caused by their type 2 diabetes. I mean, at that time I didn't even know if it was hereditary. Uh so I just as I started to delve into the research and studies, I quickly found out that type 2 is not hereditary. And I just went down this rabbit hole mainly to make sure that I wasn't heading in that direction. And I just took courses just about nutrition and and then I I took a six-month course, and at the end of that six-month course there was a certification, and even then, I'm not really don't think I was planning on moving in this direction. Obviously, I got my nutrition and my exercise and my sleep quality, my stress management, and I was consuming too much alcohol in those days, so I got that all in order, and I turned my life around, and then I started to just help friends, and then their friends were calling me, so and then I just I don't know, I did I guess I became aware of big food, big pharma, and really what's going on at the GP level of the medical industry, which is really managing disease rather than bringing people's health back. Yeah, so I just took me down this rabbit hole, and now it's my life, you know. From the minute I wake up until the minute I go to bed, I soak myself in educating myself because this is, you know, it's a serious subject. You're talking about people's health.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Yeah, it's very serious, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Traditional medicine is more sickness-based. You know, we we all need emergency help, or you know, if we're in an accident or we get nerd or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

And it's second to none, it's wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Right, right. But wellness is not as focused on in our medical community, but it's becoming more and more so. Everybody's getting a clue. So your brother and father, you were watching them get diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and you watch their course of treatment, which was medications, medications being thrown at them.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Well, they'd already, by this time, I think give it, they'd already been type 2 diabetics for maybe 15 years. So roughly they were diagnosed within a year of each other, I think, which was years ago. I think my dad was the biggest impact. The last 10 years of his life, because you know, my brother and my father live in England and I reside in America. And every time I'd go home, I would see a decline in both of them, actually.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

And then the last five years of my dad's life, we had to take his car keys away, get rid of his cars. He said, Started losing his mobilities. I had to get him a chairlift, he refused to go into a home. He couldn't take care of himself, but he refused to go into home. So we had to get him a shopper, a dog walker, somebody to come in, make sure he got up on a morning, he went to bed on a night. And he well, it was sad.

SPEAKER_02 7:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

It was sad, it was really sad. And then he became bedbound and finally passed away riddled with gangrene. Oh, I'm so sorry. It's a horrendous disease. It is. And to me, when I look at it, really, is it really is hard work to manage type 2 diabetes. And if people were just educated, because certainly my brother and my father weren't educated, their doctors didn't educate, they were both on 12 medications, and I think it's a lot of work. I think it's less work just to understand lifestyle changes and slowly adapt to these lifestyle changes. Because what I've also found is when you stop feeding the disease, the disease slowly goes away.

The Five Pillars Of Health

SPEAKER_02 7:58

That's right. So that brings us to your five pillars of health. Can you describe those for us?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Yeah, so look, these five pillars of health, they don't operate independently. When one of them's weakened or ignored, well, the others will eventually pay the price. Right. Right. And uh, let's just go through these five pillars of health again. I mean, there's probably more than five, but I think if you would really concentrate on these five, they make a huge difference: nutrition, exercise and movement, sleep quality, stress management, and just being mindful of alcohol consumption. Right. And I think when it comes to making lifestyle changes, it can be overwhelming. Let's say you have three pillars to work on, it can be overwhelming. And I think here's where most people go wrong is that they try to fix everything at once. New diet, uh, start exercising, looking at the sleep routine, managing the stress. And I think more often than not, that can lead to burnout. So I say begin with one of the five pillars and just make small daily, weekly changes, and then move to another of the pillars. Look, there's no rush for this. Because if you look at maybe people who are have gained some weight or they might be on high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, it's taken years to develop that. Right. Right. So you're not gonna wake up and in two weeks, it's like, oh, look at this, it's all gone. It does take time, but based on some of my clients, you know, within three months, well, first of all, within even maybe uh a month to six weeks, you start to feel and see some changes. And then once you start getting three, four months into it, yeah. I've had clients where they've had to go back to the doctors to have their medication reduced, not only reduced, but eliminated in most cases.

SPEAKER_02 9:57

That's fantastic, and that's a huge win for people. When you're working with someone and you do this virtually, you help people globally. Your website is simply healthconscious.com. Very easy to remember. That's where people can contact you, get to know you. Walk us through the process of how someone reaches out to you on your contact page, what happens next?

Baseline Labs And Daily Tracking

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Yeah, okay. Can I just say something which I think is very important here? Sure. If you're listening to this and you're considering making lifestyle changes, and you are currently on high blood pressure, a type 2 diabetes, or any other chronic medication, it's important, it's more than important, it's imperative that you start off, you go visit your doctor, I would say have your blood work done so that three months down the road you will have a reference. And also just to let your doctor know you're making small changes, because once you start to make these small daily, weekly changes, your blood pressure and your blood sugar levels will just naturally start to regulate. So you have to lock them down in a diary, lock them down three times a day, let's say your blood pressure or your blood sugars, so that when you go back to the doctors at some point and you know where they are, you can see them coming down. Then when you go back to your doctor, that you have a clear reference point to share with your doctor.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Right? So you can say, here's where I was week one when I started, and here I am now, week seven. I mean, again, you the doctors don't really have a choice but to say, hey, well done. And uh let's start by reducing your medication. And if you keep on this path, you'll be going back to your doctor to eliminate your medication.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

Yes, and that would be the goal for sure. So walk us through the process of working.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

Yeah, so somebody comes to me, uh, well, we look at the five pillars first. You know, some people have well, all five pillars to work on. Some people maybe only have one or two. They may not be dealing with stress, they might not drink alcohol. And it seems to be the best to just start with nutrition. Right. And again, I don't overwhelm, I don't uh disoverwhelming my my clients. I I try and avoid that. So I think in maybe the first session is just educating them a little, what to become aware of. And I think here's a great place to start is just becoming aware of some of the ingredients that are used in you know, fast food, processed food, and sugary drinks. And these are the ingredients that seem to be causing the problem. Things like refined sugar, white refined flour and starches, high fructus corn syrup, and let's not forget all these industrial seed oils: corn oil, canola, rapeseed, safflower, sunflower, soy. All these ingredients are heavily used and cleverly hidden in food that people consume on a daily basis and really just not aware of it. Processed foods and snacks, along with the sodas and sports drinks and energy drink, even fruit juices is a sugar bomb.

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

In the beginning, is just educating them why they've gained weight, why they might have these conditions, because it really does go back to, well, more than nutrition, but just to start with nutrition.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Yes. And I'm sure you recommend eating whole foods and cutting out the food.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Oh, yeah, we'll get we'll get into that. It's the only if you want to be healthy, yeah, you've got to move into whole foods. So that is part of what we do. Well, first of all, the food environment has changed dramatically over the past 30, 40 years, and we've slowly become a culture of convenience, quick fixes, and instant gratification. That's become the norm. Right. And again, what people I think don't realize is that these conditions uh they can take years, even decades, before symptoms appear. Yes. So even if you haven't gained weight and you feel okay, I encourage everybody to get a little bit more serious about the health and have the blood work done twice a year, not once a year. And learn how to read your blood work, know what to look for. There's lots of markers out there that can give you an indication if you're heading in the wrong direction, then you can make some changes.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

And do patients share their blood work with you?

SPEAKER_01 14:46

They do, yeah. Because obviously things like your triglyceride in your HDL ratio, I mean, that's I'm led to believe that is super important. It's an indication of whether you're developing fatty liver, indication uh whether you've got the large particle or the particle A or particle B within the LDL?

SPEAKER_02 15:11

Breaking down those particles is more important than people realize.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

I think so too, yeah.

Sleep As Your Metabolic Reset

SPEAKER_02 15:17

Because like apolipoprotein B, for example, causes more placking. And if you know that you have the genetic propensity for that, it helps you to know how to mitigate it. So, how would you recommend someone improve their sleep quality?

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Sleep. Well, I think as one of these pillars, I think that sleep is overlooked by many.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

And I'd say don't oh, it's it's so important. So don't underestimate your sleep quality. Sleep quality is your metabolic reset. Sleep is when uh your body's like the cleaning crew goes to work, clearing out all the metabolic and pathogenic waste. So to get a good sleep quality, you have to look at your evening routine and your morning routine. So when you naturally in the morning when we wake up, our bodies naturally release cortisol, the stress hormone. And that's normal, right? That's normal. But if you're immediately reaching for caffeine, scrolling on your phone, or rushing into some stimulation of some sort, well, you keep that cortisol elevated and your nervous system is on edge, and it's just not a good start to the day. So ideally, you need to first, when you wake up, hydrate. Don't go for the caffeine. Hydrate with some water, maybe put a squeeze of fresh lemon in there, or a squeeze of fresh lime, maybe a pinch of Mediterranean sea salt for some electrolytes. Then, second, is just move your body, nothing extreme. Maybe just do some push-ups off your counter, do some stretching, just do some body squats. I'd say, even better, or ideally, is to just step outside, just look into the vast array, get some light in your eyes. If you have a dog, what a great time to walk your dog before you reach for coffee, before you're reaching for your phone.

SPEAKER_02 17:16

Dogs usually demand that anyway.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Well, well, that's true, yeah. But even if you don't have a dog, at least just step outside, even if you just stood at your door for a couple of minutes in the beginning, and then maybe just the following day, just walk around the block.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Again, I I call it small steps, big results, because don't overwhelm yourself with this, just take the small steps, and then equally as important is our evening routine for the first three hours before bedtime. No caffeine. Well, so I'd say afternoon caffeine, you should avoid after late afternoon caffeine and avoid food and alcohol at least three hours before you go to bed.

SPEAKER_02 18:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

Because when your body is busy digesting food and and processing alcohol, well, you can't fully focus on deep rest and recovery. That's right. Now, if this feels difficult for people, maybe they're used to watching TV until they go to bed. I say don't try and do that first three hours all at once. Start with an hour before you go to bed the first week.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Even half an hour the first week. The following week, move it to an hour. The following week, move it to an hour and a half until you reach that three-hour period and you won't it won't feel as dramatic.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

Yes, blue light is so damaging to our cortisol levels. I mean, what you don't want to do, you want to respect the circadian rhythm, like you were mentioning. Cortisol is highest in the morning, and then as you go throughout the day, it gets lower and lower. And it's supposed to be really low right before bedtime, which is usually nine or ten o'clock.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

But you have to help it get there though.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

That's right. And if you're looking at your screen, all this blue lights coming into your eye, it really does increase cortisol again.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

I would say at least an hour before bedtime, turn the TV off, shut your computer down, put your phone away, and ideally dim the lights, just relax. Right? Dim the lights. You can read a book, you can listen to a podcast or some calming music, even your favorite comedian, you can even play cards or a board game with your partner. What you're doing there, you're signaling to your body that you're winding down.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

And as you do this consistently, your body will naturally begin to release melatonin. Right. The sleep hormone. And that's just a great way to those that morning routine and the evening routine. Well, that really does set your circadian rhythm. Right. And make sure that your bedroom is uh dark, my blackout blinds, my bedroom's pitch black. And it should be cool. Quiet. If you have a TV in your bedroom, get it out of there. Right. If you'd sat in bed watching TV and then you fall asleep, you wake up, your TV, I mean, you're just disrupting your sleep.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

And these small adjustments over time, and I'm gonna keep saying over time, it can dramatically improve your sleep quality. And when your sleep quality improves, everything improves.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

That is so true.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

Your energy, your focus. So I say protect it, prioritize it, build your life around creating quality sleep.

Alcohol Habit Versus Intentional Choice

SPEAKER_02 20:54

Yes. And I do know that alcohol can disrupt sleep because let's move to alcohol consumption. You mentioned that as one of the five pillars of health to delete it or lessen alcohol consumption.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

Just lessen it. You don't necessarily but yeah, look, alcohol disrupts your sleep and your recovery because it affects your hormones, uh your blood sugar, and insulin, and it'll increase inflammation. And over time, this it'll slow your metabolism down, it'll increase uh fatigue, it can contribute to alcohol, fatty liver, weight gain, high blood pressure, cardio. I mean, I could go on and on. And I think for many people, including myself, years ago, alcohol becomes a default way to unwind, to manage stress or to socialize. And like I said, I get it, I've been there. But when alcohol becomes habitual instead of intentional, it really does start to work against you.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

Yeah, that's an interesting way to put it. It's habitual and not intentional. That is a telltale sign that it may be a problem. And also for people interested in weight loss, because I know that's a big part of your clientele as well. When you're processing alcohol, it takes about 24 hours to go back into fat burning mode. So if you're drinking, they oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Well, well, and plus you look, your liver uh what is it does like over 500 functions or something. Yes. If you put alcohol in your body, now your liver is just focusing on dealing with this alcohol. You're not allowing your liver to do its job. Right. Excess alcohol is absolutely disrupting. Now, I'm not suggesting necessarily that everybody needs to quit alcohol, but you do need to be mindful of it. I say sometimes it's as simple as having a few alcohol-free evenings during the week.

unknown 22:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

Just becoming a little bit more mindful about when, and more important, why are you drinking? Because it's about being mindful of how much you're drinking and maybe how you want to feel the next morning. We've all been there. You wake up, you have too many drinks, you disrupt your sleep, you wake up in the morning, your next day's shot. I mean, you're just dragging your ass around. Right. And look, it's ethanol. So, whatever way you want to glamorize it, as it is on advertisements, oh, you're having a good time, it's party time. Just be mindful. And if you do have a problem, then you really need to uh dig deep and go seek professional help. It's very disrupting. And for me, again, I took the small steps to look, I grew up in England where it's a drinking nation, and I carried that on through my 30s, 40s, 50s until I reached my 60s. I'm 68 now. So when I got to around 60, I'm like, wow, because even people were saying, Well, you drink a lot, you drink, you drink a lot. I go, well, I do. So, and for me, it was yeah, just having these alcohol-free evenings during the week, and then just minimizing it, where I'm at a point now I will only drink. Uh, let's say I go out to a nice restaurant for dinner, I'll have one glass of wine. I can do that now. I couldn't do that before. I would have three glasses of wine come up and home and often another bottle of wine.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

And let's say when I go out with all my English mates now, you know, there might be eight or ten of us, and we go out for three hours, sometimes four hours. I can make two glasses of wine last me three hours, four hours.

SPEAKER_02 24:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

That's I don't want any more than that because I know that one, even the two, but by the time I go home or by time I leave this establishment, I'm not really well, I'm not feeling any effects of alcohol. Right. And and I'm proud of myself.

SPEAKER_02 25:13

I would be proud of you too. Yeah, especially growing up, how old are you when you go to a pub in England?

SPEAKER_01 25:21

I was getting in pubs at late 15 in England because you only have to be 18 to get in a pub. Okay. So yeah, that was good. Um 16. Well, first of all, I was had a full-time job at 16 in those days that when I was a teenager back in the early 70s, uh-huh. It was the norm to go get a trade. So I became an apprentice carpenter. I was working uh at 16. I tell you, the pubs in England in the early 70s on the lunchtime were packed.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

Everybody drinks beer at lunch.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

Yeah, at lunch. Even me is an apprentice carpenter. Uh-huh. In with machinery, uh, would go to the pub with all my co-workers and we'd have some lunch and I'd have a couple of pints of beer.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Yeah. It don't even make sense.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

And I know things have changed in England now. I know the pubs are not busy, or I'm led to believe, should I say, that the pubs are not busy on a lunchtime anymore, and you can't go back to work smelling a babooze anymore.

SPEAKER_02 26:25

Right.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

In the 70s, I just grew up like that. So drinking was just it was just the norm for me. It was just the norm. Then when I came to America, well, that's when people say said to me, boy, you drink a lot. Yeah, you drink every day. Oh, yeah. So, yeah, it's it's a tough one as alcohol because it's pushed, it's legal, right? But it's very damaging to your overall health. And at some point you have to say to yourself, or at least I said to myself, I can't keep drinking like this through my 60s, my 70s, and my 80s. I just can't.

SPEAKER_02 27:00

Right. How did you overcome your desire for alcohol?

SPEAKER_01 27:06

I think once I delved into my research because of my brother and my father, and then when I started to understand the five pillars, when I started to look at this research, my goal was my health.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

And at this point now, there is nothing more important than my health, and that's how everybody should be doing it. Because the question is: look, it's easier now than ever to slide into metabolic dysfunction. Easier than ever. Children are now being diagnosed with fatty liver, type 2, diabetes, weight gain, teenagers are getting diagnosed with high blood pressure. What next? Heart attacks amongst teenagers? I think it's coming personally.

SPEAKER_02 27:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

So, again, for me, that was it. I'm like, all right, mate, come on, you've had enough of this now. Uh, I dug deep. Why am I drinking so much? Why do I need to drink so much when I'm socializing?

SPEAKER_02 28:08

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

I think that was the main thing. Is like, all right, mate, you're doing all this because you want to be healthy. Well, you've got to do something about your alcohol.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

And just like the food, and just like alcohol, when you start to eat real whole food and you're making quality meals, I mean, I'm eating the best food I've ever ate in my life. I haven't been in a fast food restaurant in I don't know, six years. I just don't want it. Because of the misinformation, disinformation, and deceptiveness going on within the food industry.

Simple Whole Food Meal Prep

SPEAKER_02 28:43

Yes, yes. Do you enjoy cooking?

SPEAKER_01 28:46

I'm like most people, can't be bothered cooking, don't want to spend time in the kitchen. I love cooking now, but I've learned to prep meals. I can make this meal in 10 minutes steak and eggs, mixed vegetables, and half an avocado. And the way I do it, I go put my steak on the barbecue. While I'm doing that, in my fridge, and this is a great tip, in my fridge, 24-7, I always have a big dish of mixed vegetables, which usually consists of red pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper, onions, mushrooms, fresh garlic, and some broccoli sprouts. Wow. Always in there. So what I do is I put my steak on the barbecue, put a knob of butter in my frying pan, scoop some of these vegetables, get them going, get my other pan out, couple of fried eggs in there, peel my avocado, go check on my steak. Within 10 minutes, I've got steak, eggs, avocado, and vegetables.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

Wow, that sounds really good.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

Exactly. And I've got the three essential macronutrients: quality protein, good healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates slash fiber, which they call them essential because that's what the human body needs to thrive. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 30:08

That's right. We've got to intake those.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

And let's talk about your book. You've written a book called Small Steps, Big Results. Tell us a little bit about your book.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

This is it here. Small steps, big results. Well, I wrote this book for a few reasons. One of the reasons was the results my clients were getting. I'll be honest, in the beginning, not only did it surprise and shock them, it surprised and shocked me. Uh-huh. And I'm like, wow, is it this easy just to focus on these five pillars of health to eradicate your disease? So yeah, I thought, well, I'm gonna write a book. So I wrote a book. It I think it got published in January. Congratulations. Thank you, thank you. And yeah, look, I'm just trying to get my message out there, Dr. Kelly, uh, to as many millions as I can. Another reason I wrote the book is the same reason I joined Toastmasters National Speakers Association, and it's another reason I'm doing a three-day speaker boot camp. Because I want to move into the presentation arena.

SPEAKER_02 31:19

Yeah, so you'd be available for speaking engagements, or you probably already are.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

I'm doing a few. Well, what I've actually just branched into is a 30-minute keynote presentation.

SPEAKER_02 31:31

A 30-minute keynote.

SPEAKER_01 31:33

A 30-minute keynote, which I'm doing, uh I did live on Facebook. I'm doing that for now. And again, I'm just if you want to be a speaker, I don't think there's many natural speakers out there, from what I'm led to believe. You have to you have to learn to be a good speaker. So this is why I'm taking all these classes and courses. Uh so that when I do venture out there, I'm doing a good job and I'm getting my message across.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

Yes, it it's a skill that needs to be learned, even though that are natural in front of crowds. There are processes, yes. All right, so the book is small steps, big results. You say no extreme diets, no gym memberships required, no complicated meals, just simple.

Insulin Spikes And Weight Gain

SPEAKER_01 32:20

The whole food diet. It's based around the whole food diet. And can I just suggest something, Dr. Kelly? Because what really changed for me is when I understood a little bit more how the human body works regards blood sugar and insulin, because that really seems to be the trigger.

SPEAKER_02 32:41

Yes, it sure is.

SPEAKER_01 32:43

Right? It really, yeah, it seems to be. So just for your listeners, is when you eat anything, your blood sugar rises. And it it's insulin's job to move that sugar from your bloodstream into your liver and muscle cells as quickly and as efficiently as it can, where it's then stored and used for fuel and energy. Now that's normal and that's healthy. However, when blood sugar and insulin spikes repeatedly, hour after hour, day after day, week after week, from ingredients like refined carbohydrates, which we find in processed foods and sugary drinks, then this is where the problem starts. Because constantly elevated insulin will lead to weight gain, right? Because insulin is known as the fat storage hormone. You're not gaining weight if you're not producing excess insulin. It'll lead to non-alcohol, well, it can lead to non-alcohol, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and more. So if you're struggling with weight gain, then it's a clear sign that you're producing too much insulin because insulin is known as the fast storage hormone. And once I understood how damaging that was, again, it made it easier for me to slowly move away from all these products I was consuming in boxes, tubs, packet cartons, and wrappers.

Free Consult And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 34:18

Yes. So in order for someone to get a hold of Graham Hawley, you go to simplyhealthconscious.com and he has a wonderful contact page. I see that you offer a free consultation. Is that true?

SPEAKER_00 34:32

Yes, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 34:33

And from there, he will guide you through the five pillars of health and make you accountable, which is a big piece of this, because what you're asking people to do is a little bit harder than just popping a pill for insulin regulation and things like that. But what's important about Graham Hawley's work is what he's telling us as a people is that all of these health issues or a lot of them can be reversible. This is not a death sentence by any means if you've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and heart disease and things like that. If you follow his plan, you are very likely to become healthy again and be able to get off a lot of your medications. So, Graham, I really appreciate your time today. Is there any last comments you'd like to make?

SPEAKER_01 35:27

Look, I mentioned it earlier, but try and look at your health as number one and understand that sugar is highly addictive and it's hidden in everything out there.

SPEAKER_02 35:39

Yes, it lights up the brain like cocaine does.

SPEAKER_01 35:42

Oh, yeah, yeah. They say it's more addictive than heroin. I don't know how true that is, but we're so addicted to sugar. Also, if you go to my website, there's lots of information on there. There's a free download to uh nutrition and meal plans, recipes. It's a free download. Just start to make some meals from real whole food. Uh there's all the other pillars, there's including a little bit of strength training, stress management. That's another big one. What's throwing people in the wrong direction? So, again, the five pillars of health, just be conscious of them: nutrition, exercise and movement, sleep quality, stress management, and being mindful of alcohol. Slowly work on them, turn your life around because you know what's the point of working so hard and building a life and a family and a business and equity if you're not going to be around to enjoy the fruits of all that.

SPEAKER_02 36:41

That's right. Health is a commodity that cannot be wasted. Thank you so much, Graham. And to reach Graham, all his social connections and things will be in the show notes. So thank you so much, Graham. I appreciate your time.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Well, lovely. Well, I do appreciate it, Dr. Kelly. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

Thanks for listening to Hormone Heroes. Take a moment to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss the next episode. While you're there, help us spread the word by leaving a rating and a review. If you would like to share your bioidenticone story or need help finding a physician in your area, please email us at drkelly at hormoneheroes.org. That's D-R-K-E-L-L-Y at H O R M O N E H E R O E S dot org. We want you to be a hormone hero.