
I’m talking with Dr. Brian Stenzler today, the bestselling author of D.R.E.A.M Wellness: The 5 Keys to Raising Kids for a Lifetime of Physical and Mental Health. He’s also the co-founder of D.R.E.A.M Wellness and he’s owned and operated multiple wellness centers where he’s helped thousands of families. You’ll often find him guest speaking on these topics and he’s had leadership positions in many companies related to this as well.
So what is D.R.E.A.M? Dr. Stenzler created these five keys to a wellness lifestyle in response to how our current systems support disease, not optimal health. The acronym stands for diet, relaxation, exercise, adjustment, and mental wellness. He goes deeper into each of these topics, but I love how he has such a holistic view of what wellness means. It’s all about eliminating the harmful clutter in our foods, minds, and relationships and replacing them with things that nourish us.
And of course, we talk about how this can help kids and families. How we as parents can model these behaviors for our kids and help them embrace a lifestyle of wellness. Dr. Stenzler also talks about what he calls the 5 dealbreakers in his household, how discipline isn’t about deprivation but making empowering choices. We also talk a lot about nervous system health, why it’s not functioning optimally for many of us, and how to change that. Plus lots of other related topics.
This is a very wide-ranging episode so let’s dive right in!
Episode Highlights With Brian
- Why he repelled down a building to raise money for charity and help kids
- The common factors he sees as contributing to the rise in chronic disease in society
- Why the current system supports disease and not optimal health
- His 5 keys to the wellness lifestyle: DREAM- Diet, Relaxation, exercise, adjustment, and mental wellness
- Diet is everything that goes into your body from the outside world, including food, relationships, books, etc
- His 5 dealbreakers in his household: artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors or colors, no gossip
- Discipline is not about deprivation… it is about making empowering choices
- How nervous system health comes into play for health and how to improve it
- Why the nervous system is the master control system for the body
- If nervous system health isn’t optimal, no other aspect of health is going to line up
- Why the majority of people are living in sympathetic dominance and how to get out of it
- Steps to set your child up for nervous system health
- How to use HRV as a tool of monitoring nervous system health
- Factors to address stress and sleep
- Drop this saying from your vocabulary: everything in moderation
Resources We Mention
- D.R.E.A.M. Wellness: The 5 Keys To Raising Kids For A Lifetime Of Physical And Mental Health by Dr. Brian Stenzler
- Brian Stenzler – website
- Oura Ring
- Knowewell
- dreamwellnessbook.com
- Book: Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder
More From Wellness Mama
- 658: Stop Trying to Lose Weight and What to Do Instead With JJ Virgin
- 663: Mental Health, Time Management and Learning Together With Our Kids With Sara Olsher
- 650: Navigating Family Dynamics Around Food Choices and Health With Functional Medicine Coach Dr. Sandi
- 589: Shawn Stevenson on 80/20 of Health, His Non-Negotiables, and What He Will Compromise On
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