The Habit Healers

Episodios

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  Getting Older Barely Lowers Testosterone. So What Does? 03.10.2026 12m

  Low testosterone isn’t just about age. If your lab results came back low, you’ve probably been told it’s simply part of getting older. In this episode, I break down what the research actually shows about what lowers testosterone in men, and which changes are tied to the biggest shifts.I count down five common suspects, from the smallest effect to the largest: exercise, a new diagnosis, age, short sleep, and body weight. The research I walk you through followed the same men over four years, which lets us see what happens when one man’s habits change instead of comparing different men at one moment. I also cover a sleep lab study where one week of five-hour nights dropped testosterone more than a decade of aging did. And you’ll hear why weight loss was tied to the biggest rise of all, including what happened when men lost weight on purpose through diet or surgery.If you’re weighing whether to live with low T or start testosterone replacement therapy, I want you to hear this first. There may be more in your control than you think.What you’ll learn:* Why age explains only a small part of declining testosterone in men* How one week of poor sleep can lower testosterone by about 10%* How losing 5% to 10% of your body weight can raise testosterone naturally* The difference between total testosterone, free testosterone, and SHBG* Why more exercise alone didn’t clearly raise testosterone in middle-aged men* A realistic first weight loss target for better men’s hormone healthDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/getting-older-barely-lowers-testosteroneCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Did Your Sugar Ban Accidentally Start the Binge? 02.10.2026 23m

  Is sugar addictive, or is something else driving your sugar cravings and binge eating? In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I look at the famous rat studies behind the idea of sugar addiction, and what they actually tested.Here’s the part most people miss. The rats that looked “addicted” only showed those signs when sugar and food came and went on a strict schedule. Rats with sugar available all day drank about the same amount and didn’t show the same pattern. I’ll explain why the toilet paper shortage of 2020 is a surprisingly good way to understand the restrict-binge cycle. I’ll also cover what the research in people shows, and why announcing a diet can make some of us eat more before it even starts. If you’ve ever tried to quit sugar and ended up bingeing the night before, this one is for you.What you’ll learn:* Why the rat research on sugar addiction depends on restriction and timing, not the sugar itself* How the evidence on food addiction in people compares, and why it is much thinner* Why a start date for a diet or sugar ban can set up a binge* How to stop binge eating at night by closing long gaps between meals* The Steady Shelf Protocol, a step-by-step plan to break the binge cycle without banning sweets* When binge eating may be binge eating disorder, and when to talk to your doctorDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/did-your-sugar-ban-accidentally-startCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  What Keeps a Butternut Squash Muffin Moist the Next Day? 30.09.2026 47m

  Thank you DrLinJo SHE HEALS, Olamide Amosu, Michal Tal, Anna Kilmurray, MB Parker, and many others for tuning into my live video with Chef Martin Oswald! Join me for my next live video in the app. Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Can Sitting by a Window Steady Your Blood Sugar? 30.09.2026 9m

  What if the health benefits of spending time outside reach all the way to your blood sugar? In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I count down five studies showing how daily time outdoors and natural light support blood sugar, sleep, stress, heart health, and connection.I start in an office with a wall down the middle. Older adults with type 2 diabetes spent days at a desk facing a window and days at a desk under ordinary lamps, with the same meals, the same medications, and the same bedtime. On the window side, their blood sugar stayed in the normal range almost two hours longer each day. From there, we walk through what nature does for your stress hormones, why walking outdoors with other people lowered blood pressure, and how looking for awe on a walk changed how people saw themselves. None of this comes in a bottle, and you don’t have to get it perfect. You just have to step outside.In this episode, you’ll learn:* How natural light and a window view helped people with type 2 diabetes stay in the normal glucose range longer* Why morning daylight is linked to better sleep and fewer insomnia symptoms* How outdoor walking groups lowered blood pressure and resting heart rate naturally* The nature break length that gave the biggest drop in cortisol for the time spent* What an awe walk is, and how it can ease daily stress and build connection* Why bright days and dark nights matter for your circadian rhythm and long-term healthDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/can-sitting-by-a-window-steady-yourCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  The 30 Day Bowl Challenge: Here Is How to Lose Fat Without Counting Calories 29.09.2026 23m

  Want to lose weight without counting calories or feeling hungry all the time? On this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and I’m walking you through a simple 30-day volume eating challenge: one bowl, filled to the rim, three meals a day, plus strength training twice a week.It all comes down to calorie density. Vegetables, fruit, and beans are full of water and fiber, so a full bowl fills you up on far fewer calories than the same bowl of granola or anything drenched in oil. I share a year-long study where women who ate more water-rich foods lost weight faster, ate more food by weight, and felt less hungry. Then we get into the part most people miss: when you lose weight, some of it is muscle. I explain why extra protein alone didn’t protect muscle in the research, and why strength training preserved most of it.You’ll hear exactly how to build your bowl, which plant-based proteins to reach for, why fat is the only thing you measure, and a home workout you can start with just a chair and a wall. You don’t have to get this perfect. You just have to start.What you’ll learn:* How volume eating helps you lose weight without counting calories* Why calorie density matters more than portion size* How to build a high-protein, plant-forward bowl in three simple steps* Why strength training, not just protein, preserves muscle during weight loss* A five-exercise strength workout at home that grows with you* Why your waist measurement tells you more than the scaleDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/the-30-day-bowl-challenge-here-isCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  The Guide to Spotting Junk Science 27.09.2026 11m

  Why do health studies contradict each other so often, and how do you know which headlines to trust? In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m teaching you how to read health research like a scientist, starting with the correlation vs causation trap that fooled some of the best researchers in medicine.It begins with beta-carotene. Observational studies suggested this antioxidant protected against lung cancer, so researchers tested it in heavy smokers in a large randomized controlled trial. The trial was stopped early because the people taking the pills were getting more lung cancer, not less. The problem wasn’t bad math. It was the healthy user effect, a form of selection bias that makes a healthy lifestyle look like a miracle supplement.From there, I walk you through the hidden biases in medical research that most people never hear about, including recall bias, publication bias, and sponsor bias. Then I share the nine Bradford Hill criteria, a simple checklist you can use to decide whether a claim about food, supplements, or disease really holds up. You don’t need a PhD to spot bad science. You just need to know which questions to ask.What you’ll learn:* Why correlation vs causation matters every time you read a nutrition study headline* How the healthy user effect and selection bias can make a supplement look protective when it isn’t* How recall bias creates links between food and disease that aren’t real* Why publication bias and industry funding can tilt the evidence* How to use the Bradford Hill criteria to judge whether X really causes YDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-spotting-junk-scienceCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Do you really need heavy weights to build muscle, or can light weights and bodyweight work? 26.09.2026 17m

  Can lifting light weights build muscle? If you’ve been doing three sets of ten with the same small dumbbells for years and seeing no change, this episode is for you. I’m walking through what strength training research actually shows about light vs heavy weights, and the one number most people never count.Here’s what surprised me. When sets are taken close to failure, lighter loads built as much muscle as heavier ones. But that only holds to a point. Go too light and the gap opens back up, and stopping a light set too early costs you more than stopping a heavy one. I explain why, using how your muscles recruit help in a fixed order, a little like fire crews answering a second alarm.We also talk about what changes for strength training after 50 and around menopause, and why building muscle and building bone density are two different things. Light weights can grow muscle, but they haven’t been shown to protect your bones.If you’re doing strength training at home with dumbbells or bodyweight, you’ll leave with a simple way to know whether your workouts are working.What you’ll learn:* Why lifting light weights can build muscle as well as heavy weights, and where that stops being true* How to use reps in reserve to know when a set is actually hard enough* Why heavier lifting still wins for maximal strength* What menopause and bone density mean for your strength training plan* How to progress bodyweight exercises at home without buying new equipment* A simple three-week plan to start tonightDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/do-you-really-need-heavy-weightsCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Your Muscles Are Not Sore From Lactic Acid. So What Is Making Them Hurt? 25.09.2026 18m

  Sore muscles two days after a workout? That delayed ache, known as DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness, isn’t caused by lactic acid, and it isn’t proof your workout worked. I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and on this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m walking you through what the science actually says about muscle soreness and how to prevent most of it before it starts.If you’ve ever finished a hike feeling great, only to take the stairs sideways a couple of days later, this one is for you. We’ll look at how lactic acid became the go-to explanation, and why it clears from your muscles within about an hour, long before the ache shows up. Then we’ll get to the real culprit: eccentric exercise, the braking work your muscles do when you walk downhill, head down stairs, or lower a weight slowly. You’ll hear why the amount of muscle damage is a poor guide to how much it hurts, and how the nerve endings in and around a worked muscle become more sensitive in the days that follow.Most importantly, I’ll share simple, research-backed ways to ease into new exercise, recover well, and keep training even when you’re sore. You don’t have to get this perfect. You just have to start.What you’ll learn:* Why lactic acid doesn’t cause muscle soreness the days after exercise* How eccentric exercise, like walking downhill, triggers delayed onset muscle soreness* Why soreness isn’t a reliable sign of a good workout or of building strength* A quick preview session to prevent sore legs before a big hike, moving day, or first strength class* How to start a new exercise routine gradually over three weeks* What helps sore muscles recover (gentle movement, massage) and what does little (stretching, extra water)Dr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/your-muscles-are-not-sore-from-lacticCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  If Your Family Won’t Get On Board With Eating Better, Stop Asking Them To 24.09.2026 11m

  Trying to eat healthy when your family doesn’t want to change? If you’re cooking two dinners every night or giving up on your own goals to keep the peace, this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast is for you.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and today I’m walking you through what the research says about weight loss, your spouse, and the family dinner table. It turns out that getting your partner on board doesn’t work the way most of us assume. In one trial of 231 couples, training partners to support each other added no extra weight loss for the person trying to lose it. The partners who showed up, though, lost weight themselves. We also look at why pressure tends to push eating habits out of sight instead of changing them, and why the person doing most of the cooking has more power here than it feels like.Then I share the simple strategy I want you to try tonight: cook one meal everyone eats, and make your change at the very last step, in your own bowl. No arguments, no second pan, no extra hour at the stove.What you’ll learn:* Why trying to change your spouse’s diet rarely helps your own weight loss* How pressure and criticism affect healthy eating habits at home* The “split it at the bowl” method for family meals without cooking twice* Why adding healthy foods works better than cutting foods out* A simple portion control habit that starts before you sit down to eat* What to realistically expect from picky eaters in your houseDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/if-your-family-wont-get-on-boardCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  How Do You Turn a Basic Lentil Soup Into Something You’ll Want to Make Again? 23.09.2026 46m

  Chef Martin Oswald put onions and carrots into a dry pan, let them begin to brown, then added just enough water to lift the browned bits from the bottom.He let that water cook away and did it again.That was the first useful surprise in this week’s live. A basic lentil soup does not have to begin with oil, and it does not have to taste flat. The flavor comes from what happens in the pan, and the rest of the soup is a series of small choices.It also gave us the perfect first look at something Martin and I have been working on together. We are developing a new book about cooking with blood sugar and heart health in mind. The book is still in progress. This bowl showed exactly why we want to make it.Build flavor in two passesMartin began with a dry pan, chopped onions, and carrots. He added a small splash of water, let it evaporate, and allowed the vegetables to brown again. Then he repeated the process. Each pass deepened the flavor without covering the vegetables in liquid.If you want to use garlic or spices, Martin suggested adding them during a later pass. Thin pieces of garlic can burn if they stay in the dry pan too long. Whole spices such as fennel seeds need only a brief moment in the hot pan before the liquid goes in.Then he added a light vegetable stock, whole sprigs of thyme, bay leaves, and soaked yellow lentils. He normally uses brown lentils for this soup, but his larger point was more useful than a rigid ingredient list. Use the lentils and vegetables you have, then adjust the cooking time to match them.The whole thyme sprigs were another small chef’s trick. The leaves came away as the soup cooked, while the stems were easy to pull out before serving.Let tenderness set the timingDifferent lentils soften at different rates. Martin did not ask the clock to make the final decision. He tasted the lentils and looked for the texture he wanted.For this soup, he wanted them completely tender. Only then did he add vinegar and make the final seasoning adjustments. That gave him control over the brightness after the broth had reduced and the lentils had softened.The zucchini had to wait too. Martin added soft vegetables such as zucchini near the end so they could warm through without losing their color and texture. I translated his warning for everyone. These vegetables deserve gentle care. Do not abuse the vegetables.That timing gives you freedom to use what is already in the refrigerator. Celery, leek, squash, or another sturdy vegetable can help build the soup. Zucchini, asparagus, or tender greens can join during the final few minutes.Choose the texture at the endOnce the lentils were tender, Martin changed the soup with an immersion blender. You can leave it brothy, blend part of it for a thicker base, or keep blending until it is as smooth as you like. If you do not have an immersion blender, a regular blender works. Martin also suggested a potato masher when you want a more rustic texture.Then came the finishing layers. Coarsely cracked pepper created an occasional burst of heat instead of making every spoonful taste exactly the same. A small spoonful of lemon cashew butter added a cool, creamy finish.I told Martin that two teaspoons for the whole pot did not sound very generous. He stood his ground.Martin published the measured soup and lemon cashew butter recipes in his companion article. It also explains the larger idea behind the book we are creating together.One method can become many soupsThe useful lesson was not one perfect lentil soup. It was the sequence.Build flavor with the onions and carrots. Add the lentils, broth, and sturdy herbs. Let the lentils become tender before you finish the seasoning. Add delicate vegetables near the end. Then decide whether you want the soup brothy, chunky, or creamy.From there, you can change the personality of the pot. Smoked paprika and caraway can take it in one direction. Cumin, rosemary, sage, or a Moroccan spice blend can take it somewhere else. The basic method stays familiar while the flavor changes.That is what excites me about the book. We do not want to leave you with a list of foods and no idea what to do at the stove. We want to connect the health question with the kitchen decision that comes next. We are still working on it, and we will share more when it is ready.PS. If you want more science translated into practical habits, join Chef Martin and me inside The Habit Healers on Skool.References:* Martin Oswald. The measured lentil soup and lemon cashew butter recipes Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Why Is Your Cholesterol Still High When You Are Eating Right? 23.09.2026 31m

  Why is my cholesterol still high after changing my diet? If you’ve cut saturated fat, eaten more plants, and your LDL cholesterol barely moved, this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast is for you.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and today I’m walking you through what your cholesterol number is really measuring. Your body makes most of its own cholesterol, and your LDL comes down to a balance between what your liver sends out and how many LDL receptors are pulling it back in. Saturated fat, thyroid function, menopause, your genes, and even rapid weight loss can all shift that balance. Once you see it this way, a stubborn lab result stops feeling like a failure and starts making sense. Then we get practical: the foods and fiber with the strongest evidence for lowering cholesterol naturally, the supplements I’m cautious about, and when it’s time to talk with your doctor about your real heart disease risk.What you’ll learn:* Why saturated fat matters more than dietary cholesterol for most people’s LDL* How LDL receptors in your liver set your cholesterol number* How thyroid issues, menopause, and familial hypercholesterolemia raise LDL cholesterol* Why rapid weight loss can temporarily raise cholesterol, and how to read that result* The tests worth asking about: apoB, lipoprotein(a), and TSH with free T4* How to lower LDL naturally with soluble fiber, nuts, soy, and ground flaxseed, plus my honest take on berberine and red yeast riceDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/why-is-your-cholesterol-still-highCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  What Should You Change First to Protect Your Memory? A Clue From 102 Nuns’ Brains 20.09.2026 18m

  High blood pressure may be the most overlooked risk factor for dementia, and it’s the one you can actually check at home. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through what the research shows about blood pressure and brain health, and why the first step toward memory loss prevention isn’t a puzzle or a supplement.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and I start with a remarkable study of nearly 700 Catholic sisters who agreed to yearly memory testing and donated their brains after death. What the pathologists found surprised almost everyone: many women carried a heavy load of Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles yet still ran their own lives. The difference often came down to small, deep strokes, the kind driven by years of uncontrolled hypertension. Dementia showed up when more than one kind of brain damage stacked together. Then I take you through two large trials that lowered blood pressure on purpose, including one across 326 villages where dementia was 15% less common in the treated group. And because so many people have white coat hypertension or masked hypertension, I explain exactly how to check blood pressure at home so you get numbers you can trust. If your pressure is already where it belongs, we talk about what comes next: hearing loss and dementia risk, physical activity and cognitive decline, and why a popular memory supplement fell flat in a six-year trial.What you’ll learn:* Why Alzheimer’s damage alone doesn’t always cause dementia, and what small strokes have to do with it* How high blood pressure damages the small arteries deep in the brain* What two large blood pressure trials found about dementia and mild cognitive impairment* How to do a seven-day home blood pressure monitoring record the right way* What your average reading means and what to ask your doctor* Where hearing aids, exercise, and diet fit into a brain health planDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/what-should-you-change-first-to-protectCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  If Heart Disease Runs in Your Family, Do Your Habits Matter? 19.09.2026 18m

  If heart disease runs in your family, does changing what you eat even matter? In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I share my own family history of early heart attacks and walk through what the research says about genetics, LDL cholesterol, and lifestyle, including a 2026 diet trial in people with familial hypercholesterolemia and a study of more than 51,000 adults.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, a lifestyle medicine physician, and this question is personal for me. My father had his first heart attack at 38, and my grandfather died of one at 46. So I take you back to the Dallas laboratory where two physicians discovered the LDL receptor and explained why inherited high cholesterol can start damaging arteries in childhood. Then we look at what happened when adults with a confirmed genetic cholesterol disorder switched to a plant-rich diet, why their results were encouraging and still not enough, and what that means if you already eat well or take medication. I’ll give you the single food swap that does the most to lower LDL cholesterol naturally, a realistic way to fit movement into your day, and the questions to ask your clinician about lipoprotein(a), a coronary calcium score, and heart attack prevention when your family history is the reason you’re worried.What you’ll learn:* How the discovery of the LDL receptor explains why familial hypercholesterolemia raises risk so early* What a plant-based diet did to LDL cholesterol in adults with an inherited cholesterol disorder, and why an 18% drop still needed treatment* Why a favorable lifestyle was linked to 46% fewer coronary events even in the highest genetic risk group* The fat swap and fiber changes that help lower cholesterol naturally* When to ask about lipoprotein(a) testing, a coronary calcium scan, and an LDL of 190 or higher* How to use the Family Heart Health Worksheet to prepare for your next visitDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/if-heart-disease-runs-in-your-familyCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Does Your Blood Sugar Really Need to Stay Below 140 All Day? 18.09.2026 11m

  Is a blood sugar spike above 140 after eating actually a problem if you don’t have diabetes? If you wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and feel a little sting every time the line climbs, this episode is for you.Welcome to The Habit Healers Podcast. I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, and today I’m untangling one of the most misunderstood numbers in metabolic health. The 140 mg/dL cutoff comes from the oral glucose tolerance test, a very specific lab test with very specific conditions. It was never meant to grade your CGM reading forty minutes after lunch. I walk you through what a normal blood sugar range for non-diabetics really looks like, including a study where healthy people without diabetes or obesity still spent about half an hour a day above 140. We talk about why a single post-meal glucose reading can’t tell you whether sugar just arrived or has been sitting there for hours, using an airport baggage carousel to make it click. Then we get into what does matter: repeated elevations, your fasting blood sugar, your A1C, and a newer study linking more time above 140 with later diagnoses like prediabetes and high blood fats. Finally, I explain why blood sugar targets for people with diabetes are different, and why “just stay under the number” misses the danger of going too low.What you’ll learn:* Where the 140 blood sugar rule actually comes from, and why it doesn’t apply to every CGM reading* What normal blood sugar spikes after eating look like in healthy people without diabetes* Why a single glucose reading can’t show insulin resistance or metabolic health on its own* The lab categories for fasting glucose, A1C, and the glucose tolerance test, and what they mean* When repeated high glucose readings deserve attention and a conversation with your clinician* How blood sugar targets differ if you have diabetes or are pregnantDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/does-your-blood-sugar-really-needCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Why Do Healthy Food Swaps Sometimes Leave You Unsatisfied? 17.09.2026 50m

  Thank you Luanne Novak, David Hawkins, Catherine G, Karen Frye, K Nauman, and many others for tuning into my live video with Chef Martin Oswald! Join me for my next live video in the app. Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  10 Ways to Protect Your Independence, Built Into Your Everyday Routine 17.09.2026 15m

  Functional fitness for older adults is really about one question: what do you want to keep doing on your own? In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk you through ten everyday activities of daily living, from getting out of bed to carrying groceries home, and the simple strength, balance, and mobility exercises for seniors that protect each one.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, a lifestyle medicine physician, and what I see in my practice is that “get more exercise” rarely sticks because it’s too vague. So we get specific. I share what the LIFE study found when researchers followed over 1,600 inactive adults in their seventies and eighties, and why preserving walking ability is only part of healthy aging and staying independent. Then we go task by task: sit-to-stand practice for the toilet, supported step-ups for stairs and curbs, wall slides for reaching a cupboard, grip work for opening jars, and a walking progression you can start at two minutes. You’ll also hear how the LiFE trial reduced falls in older adults by building balance and strength training into ordinary routines, and how habit stacking, attaching a practice to breakfast or getting dressed, makes fall prevention exercise something you actually remember to do.What you’ll learn:* Ten everyday activities that support independent living and the movement each one requires* Simple strength and balance exercises for seniors you can do at home with a chair, counter, or wall* What the LIFE study tells us about exercise and mobility after seventy* How to build fall prevention into daily routines the way the LiFE trial did* When to use adaptations like a raised toilet seat, sock aid, or reacher while you build strength* How to progress safely from small repetitions toward your weekly exercise targetsDr. Marbas Substack Articles: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/10-ways-to-protect-your-independenceCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Your Smoothie Was Breakfast. Why Are You Hungry an Hour Later? 16.09.2026 21m

  Why am I hungry after a smoothie? If your healthy breakfast smoothie leaves you standing in front of the pantry an hour later, this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast is for you. I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and today I’m digging into the science of satiety: why liquid calories don’t keep you full the way solid food does, and how to build a filling breakfast that actually lasts until lunch.Most people blame the blender for destroying fiber. It doesn’t. So I take you back 200 years to a surgeon who could watch digestion happen inside a living stomach, then walk through the modern research on whole fruit versus smoothies, how fast juice and puree leave the stomach, and why a thick 100-calorie shake felt fuller than a thin 500-calorie one. We’ll talk about how your expectations change your appetite, what happened when people added liquid or solid calories to their diet for weeks, and where a high protein breakfast shake fits in. Then I give you four practical changes, a simple protein smoothie recipe, and a ten-morning test to find the breakfast that keeps you satisfied.What you’ll learn:* Why blending doesn’t destroy fiber, and what really changes when you drink a smoothie instead of eating a meal* How gastric emptying and food thickness shape hunger and fullness* Why eating whole fruit before your smoothie can reduce how much you eat at your next meal* How eating slowly and making your smoothie thicker can help you stay full longer* How much protein a filling breakfast needs and easy ways to get there* A ten-morning comparison worksheet to test one change and keep what worksDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/your-smoothie-was-breakfast-why-areCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  How to Know If a Treatment Is Actually Worth the Side Effects 15.09.2026 8m

  How to Read a Medical Study and Actually Decide: Number Needed to Treat, the 10-Minute Triage, and Your ValuesYour doctor says a new treatment looks promising. Before you say yes, there is one number you should ask for: the Number Needed to Treat. In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I’m walking you through how to read a medical study in ten minutes or less and turn the results into a real decision about your own health.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, and this is the final piece of our series on evidence-based medicine. We talk about why a treatment that “reduces risk by 20 percent” can still leave 99 out of 100 people with no benefit at all, and why the same Number Needed to Treat that makes a cheap aspirin reasonable makes a six-week surgical recovery a bad trade. Then I give you the five-checkpoint triage I use to sort a strong study from a weak one: the question, the design, the validity, the importance, and whether the people in the study are anything like you. And we finish with the part most people skip, which is that evidence-based medicine rests on three legs, not one. Best evidence, clinical expertise, and your own values. A treatment can be proven and still be the wrong choice for the life you want.What you’ll learn:* How to calculate the Number Needed to Treat and decide whether it is worth the cost* Why relative risk reduction makes small benefits look enormous* The 10-minute triage for evaluating a study without reading all 20 pages* Red flags in study design: no blinding, no randomization, high dropout rates* Why a statistically significant result can still be clinically meaningless* How to weigh treatment options against what actually matters to youDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/how-to-know-if-a-treatment-is-actuallyCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  She Reversed Prediabetes With 6 Habits That Don't Require a Gym, a Diet, or a Doctor's Visit 14.09.2026 15m

  Can you reverse prediabetes naturally and lower your fasting blood sugar without medication? One of my Substack readers went from a fasting glucose of 116 to 91 in four months using six small daily habits, and I’m walking you through every one of them.If you’ve seen a fasting blood sugar reading land somewhere in the prediabetic range of 100 to 125, you already know that particular kind of quiet panic. Most people respond by trying to change everything at once, and most of them quit within three weeks. In this episode I share the story of a 64-year-old reader who did the opposite. She built a system so small and so portable she could run it in a hotel room, at a holiday dinner, or on a Tuesday in February. We talk about what’s actually happening in your body when insulin resistance starts to build, why your muscles are the largest glucose disposal system you have, and how a habit that takes 45 seconds can pull sugar out of your blood without insulin at all.What you’ll learn in this episode:* What a fasting blood sugar of 116 really means and why the prediabetic range is a warning, not a verdict* How walking after meals and simple movement activate GLUT4 transporters to lower post-meal blood sugar spikes* Why protein at every meal flattens your glucose curve* What the Arizona State research on apple cider vinegar and blood sugar actually found* How berberine activates AMPK, and why you should talk to your doctor first* Why three meals a day with no snacking improves insulin sensitivity overnightDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/she-reversed-prediabetes-with-6-habitsCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe
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  Why Do the Earliest Signs of Parkinson’s Show Up Outside the Brain? 13.09.2026 11m

  What if the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease show up in your gut, years before the first tremor? In this episode of The Habit Healers Podcast, I walk through what the research on the gut brain connection, diet, exercise, and sleep is telling us about how Parkinson’s actually begins.I’m Dr. Laurie Marbas, a board certified lifestyle medicine physician, and this is one of those topics where the science has quietly shifted underneath us. We’ll look at why constipation, loss of smell, and acting out dreams can precede a diagnosis by decades, what alpha-synuclein and mitochondrial stress have to do with it, and why the neurons hit hardest by this disease are the most energy hungry cells you have. Then we get practical. I’ll share why Mediterranean style and plant forward eating patterns keep showing lower Parkinson’s risk and slower progression, what happened in the high intensity exercise trials, how deep sleep clears metabolic waste from your brain, and which environmental toxins are worth taking seriously.What you’ll learn:* Why the gut microbiome and intestinal inflammation may be where Parkinson’s disease starts* How a Mediterranean, fiber rich, plant based diet supports brain health and lowers inflammation naturally* What high intensity exercise did to motor symptoms in people with early Parkinson’s* Why sleep quality drives the brain’s overnight cleaning system* How chronic stress and cortisol worsen Parkinson’s symptoms day to day* Which pesticides and solvents are linked to higher Parkinson’s riskDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/why-do-the-earliest-signs-of-parkinsonsCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe