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Summary
On episode 719 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, Coach Allan sits down with award winning author and researcher Dr. Patrick Porter to talk about brain fitness and his book Brain Fitness Blueprint. Dr. Porter explains that you cannot get a pill without a skill, and that fixing the brain takes training rather than a quick fix. He walks through what he calls the three brains, the head, the gut, and the heart, and how they have to work in coherence for you to feel your best. He notes that most neurotransmitters are actually made in the gut, that the heart sends out far more signals than it receives, and that the head brain, no more educated than a fourth grader, is often the one causing trouble.
The conversation covers why all stress is brain stress, and how viewing life as a challenge rather than a threat changes how your cells respond. Dr. Porter lays out the Circle of Vitality and its eight areas, the three pillars of a vital life (nutrition, movement, and sleep), and why sleep is when the brain does its deepest work through the glial lymphatic cleanup in deep delta sleep. He shares three breath techniques for different times of day and his 30 day brain fitness action plan built on small daily changes. He closes with simple wellness strategies, including mineralized salt in water, adding olive oil and leafy greens, and remembering to breathe, all aimed at solving the two biggest problems he sees, stress and poor sleep.
Links
- Brain Fitness Blueprint (book links and bonuses)
- BrainTap (free trial)
- Brain Fitness Blueprint by Dr. Patrick Porter
- Get Brain Fitness Blueprint on Amazon
Key Takeaways
- Pill without a skill: You cannot just take a pill to fix the brain; brain fitness requires the skill to control your thoughts, since roughly 60,000 words run through your head daily and about 90% are negative.
- You have three brains: The head handles thoughts and beliefs, the gut produces most of your neurotransmitters, and the heart acts as the orchestra leader, sending out 2 times more signals than it receives.
- All stress is brain stress: Seeing an event as a challenge rather than a threat changes cellular response, and we grow only by using more of the brain’s capacity.
- Sleep is brain fitness: Aim for at least six and a half hours with about 1 hour of deep sleep and 2 hours of REM, because deep delta sleep activates the glial lymphatic system that washes waste out of the brain.
- Breathe for the time of day: Use a 4 in and 8 out breath before sleep, a sharp breath in the morning instead of immediate coffee, and box breathing in the afternoon slump.
- Small daily wins compound: The 30 day plan changes one small thing a day across diet, movement, and sleep, so each little achievement trains the brain to want more.
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 4 – Cardiovascular Health and Cognition
Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 719
Published: 2025-11-04
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): Dr. Patrick Porter, an award winning author, educator, researcher and speaker, Brain Fitness Blueprint: Integrating Ancient Wisdom and Modern Technologies for Peak Performance
Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube (audio only)