← 10% Happier with Dan Harris

Rich Roll On: How To Pursue Health Without Becoming Unhealthy; How To Establish Motivation & Momentum; And Why People Hate Vegans

Jun 9, 2025 1h 28m 38 insights
<p dir="ltr">Simple and realistic strategies from an ultra-endurance athlete.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.richroll.com/">Rich Roll</a> is a vegan ultra-endurance athlete and full-time wellness & plant-based nutrition advocate, podcast host, public speaker, and inspiration to people worldwide as a transformative example of courageous and healthy living.</p> <p dir="ltr">This episode is part of our ongoing Get Fit Sanely Series. </p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode we talk about:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">How to harness the power of momentum </li> <li dir="ltr">The importance of intrinsic motivation</li> <li dir="ltr">What being "in shape" actually means </li> <li dir="ltr">Practical tips for people who aren't ultra-endurance athletes</li> <li dir="ltr">Why so many people hate vegans and why you should eat more plants anyway</li> <li dir="ltr">Unhealthy obsessions with being healthy and the dangers of orthorexia</li> <li dir="ltr">Addiction, recovery, and healing childhood wounds</li> <li dir="ltr">What Rich's exercise regime looks like now</li> <li dir="ltr">Psychedelics and non-duality</li> <li dir="ltr">And much more</li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">Paid subscribers of DanHarris.com will have exclusive access to a set of all-new guided meditations, led by friend of the show <a href="https://www.caralai.org/#/">Cara Lai</a>, customized to accompany each episode of the Get Fit Sanely series. We're super excited to offer a way to help you put the ideas from the episodes into practice. <a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/a-month-of-guided-meditationsjust">Learn all about it here.</a></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Related Episodes:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/the-anti-diet-evelyn-tribole-210?utm_source=publication-search"> The Anti-Diet | Evelyn Tribole</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/get-fit-sanely-0f2">Get Fit Sanely: the podcast playlist</a></li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">Join Dan's online community <a href="http://www.danharris.com">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Follow Dan on social: <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J">TikTok</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Subscribe to our <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD">YouTube Channel</a></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Additional Resources: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.richroll.com/all-episodes/">The Rich Roll Podcast</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.voicingchange.media/#home">Voicing Change Media</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.richroll.com/books/">Links to Rich's books</a> </li> </ul> <p><strong id="docs-internal-guid-241f5f69-7fff-b5b8-dc10-2cda8655a469"><br /> To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit <a href="https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris">https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris</a>.</strong></p>
Actionable Insights

1. Heal Generational Patterns

Shoulder the responsibility to heal generational hereditary patterns to interrupt their transmission to the next generation. This conscious effort prevents unconscious passing of unaddressed issues.

2. Actively Heal Childhood Wounds

Identify and actively work to heal early childhood wounds, as their impact can continue to show up in life in unhelpful ways. This deep work can improve relationships and parenting.

3. Cultivate Self-Love & Compassion

Actively practice self-love and self-compassion, especially if it doesn’t come naturally, to foster inner healing and well-being. This involves forgiving oneself and moving towards unconditional self-acceptance.

4. Practice Forgiveness (Self & Others)

Forgive yourself and others, including parents, in an open-hearted and honest way, recognizing they did the best that they could. This process helps heal personal wounding and resentment.

5. Leverage Suffering for Growth

When pain or suffering inevitably arises, rather than resisting it, leverage it as an opportunity for personal growth. View difficult moments as catalysts for positive change.

6. Heed Early Warning Signs

Pay attention to subtle ‘knocks’ or signs of misalignment in your life, such as discomfort or unease, and address them when they are gentle. This allows for change before circumstances escalate to extreme suffering.

7. Recognize Your Latent Potential

Understand that you are far more capable than you realize and possess reservoirs of untapped potential. This belief can empower you to pursue significant personal growth and change.

8. Live Authentically to Self

Figure out how to live in a way that is authentic to yourself, making conscious choices about who you want to be and where you invest your time. This commitment can unlock the foundation for everything that followed.

9. Honor Your Heart’s Yearning

When your heart has a certain yearning, honor it and trust that you will be guided, even if you don’t know what the outcome will look like. Get comfortable with not knowing the exact path.

10. Conduct Honest Self-Inventory

Regularly perform an honest self-inventory to understand the true motivations behind your choices, especially regarding health and self-optimization. This helps discern if choices stem from insecurity, past wounds, or genuine desire for well-being.

11. Develop Skill in Receiving Feedback

Actively work on your ability to receive feedback, especially when it’s critical, by listening without immediate deflection or defensiveness. Use meditation to cultivate receptivity and assess what is truly valuable.

12. Focus on Present Action in Recovery

In recovery, prioritize what you are doing right now and how you are moving forward, rather than getting stuck on why past issues occurred. This forward-looking approach is key to progress.

13. Act Without Waiting for Motivation

Develop the reflex to take action irrespective of how you feel, understanding that mood and motivation often follow action. Don’t wait to feel inspired; just start.

14. Observe Resistance, Then Act Anyway

Pay attention to discomfort, reservation, or resistance when facing a task or change, and then choose to act anyway. This practice builds self-esteem and alters your emotional state.

15. Prioritize Consistency in Change

Understand that real, meaningful, and sustainable change occurs through tiny, consistent micro-actions taken rigorously over time. Focus on showing up regularly, even if for a small amount of time.

16. Start Small with Exercise Habits

Begin new exercise routines with easily achievable, minute chunks, such as 10 minutes at the gym doing one thing. This makes the habit feel less burdensome and more sustainable.

17. Build & Protect Momentum

Create momentum by stringing together small wins, and then actively protect that momentum once it’s established. Momentum acts as a self-sustaining energy that moves you forward.

18. Find Enjoyable Movement

Seek out types of physical movement or exercise that you genuinely enjoy and look forward to. This makes consistency easier and prevents exercise from feeling like a chore.

19. Cultivate Intrinsic Motivation

Transition from external motivators for exercise to intrinsic ones by recognizing the ripple effects of self-care on your overall well-being. Viewing exercise as an act of self-compassion fosters a deeper connection to health.

20. Define Health Goals Beyond Aesthetics

Shift your motivation for exercise from achieving a certain aesthetic shape to prioritizing overall health, longevity, and feeling good to be useful to others. This mindset avoids the toxic effects of unattainable body standards.

21. Prioritize Overall Well-being Over Appearance

Make decisions about your body and health based on overall well-being, as indicated by blood work and how you feel, rather than external appearances or societal aesthetic standards.

22. Prioritize Strength Training for Aging

Incorporate more strength training into your routine as you age, recognizing its increasing importance for maintaining muscle mass and overall physical function. This helps with daily tasks and long-term vitality.

23. Diversify Workouts with Cross-Training

Mindfully cross-train by engaging in various types of movement (e.g., running, elliptical, weights, swimming, Pilates) to avoid repetitive motion injuries. This makes your exercise regime more resilient.

24. Utilize Sauna for Recovery and Health

Incorporate sauna use into your routine for improved sleep quality, recovery, and its positive impacts on heart health and brain degeneration. Explore local bathhouses or gym saunas if you don’t have one at home.

25. Practice Patience and Slow Progression

When starting new physical activities or recovering from injury, prioritize patience and slow progression. Allow your body, especially the musculoskeletal system, to adapt gradually over time.

26. Incorporate Stretching, Foam Rolling

As you age, consistently perform ‘annoying things’ like stretching and foam rolling to aid recovery and prevent injuries. These practices become more crucial for maintaining physical health.

27. Incorporate More Plants into Diet

Gradually increase the amount of plant-based foods in your diet to improve overall health and address chronic lifestyle ailments. Start with small, high-impact changes like reducing processed foods.

28. Practice Mindful Eating

Engage in mindful eating by being present for what you consume, rather than mindlessly eating. This helps you become more attuned to your body’s signals and make healthier choices.

29. Track Food Intake for Awareness

Use an app to log everything you eat for a period to gain objective awareness of your dietary habits. This can reveal surprising insights into your consumption patterns.

30. Embrace Dietary Flexibility

Allow for flexibility in your diet and avoid overly strict food rules to improve psychological well-being and reduce the ‘hardness’ associated with rigid eating. This fosters a healthier relationship with food.

31. Practice Intuitive Eating

Learn to listen to your body’s signals, eating when hungry and stopping when full, to develop a healthy relationship with food. This approach, when properly developed, promotes self-regulation.

32. Use ‘How Do I Feel?’ for Food

Govern your food choices by asking yourself ‘How do I want to feel right now?’ This question can help you make choices that align with your desired physical and mental state.

33. Mindfully Observe Hunger & Cravings

Confront and observe feelings of hunger or appetite in a mindful way, allowing them to pass without immediate reaction. This practice helps distinguish true needs from cravings.

34. Consider Supervised Psychedelic Therapy

For deep personal healing, consider medically supervised psychedelic experiences (e.g., psilocybin) with extreme caution, emphasizing set, setting, and rigorous post-integration. This is a highly individual and risky path.

35. Focus on Skill Development Post-Experience

After profound experiences (like psychedelics), leverage periods of neuroplasticity to focus on learning new skills or deepening existing practices, such as meditation. This optimizes the integration process.

36. Integrate Non-Dual Perspective

Bring the perspective of non-duality and lowered ego walls into your daily mundane activities. This helps to remember that ‘petty bullshit’ is not as real as it seems, fostering grace and compassion.

37. Actively Cultivate Joy & Gratitude

Consciously work on cultivating feelings of joy and gratitude, especially if they don’t come naturally. This enriches your own experience and benefits those around you.

38. Avoid Overcomplication & Paralysis

Resist the urge to overcomplicate goals or fall into analysis paralysis when seeking to up-level your life. Keep things simple and focus on taking action.