NHA Today Podcast

Strength Is Freedom

What do you want to still be able to do 10, 20 or 30 years from now?

Travel. Garden. Play pickleball. Carry your grandchildren. Get off the floor without help. Keep doing the things that make your life yours.

In this episode of the NHA Today Podcast, Dr. Stephan Esser sits down with physical therapist and world champion weightlifter Jen Dieter to talk about building strength for the life you want to keep living.

Jen is the founder and lead clinician of REAL Movement Physical Therapy, an 11-time CrossFit Games qualifier, five-time world record holder in Olympic weightlifting and two-time World Champion. But her message is not just for athletes. Jen did not begin CrossFit and weight training until she was 38, after years without intentional exercise.

She explains why muscle is an investment in your future and why strength training, balance, quick footwork and functional movement matter more as we age.

Most importantly, Jen encourages listeners to think beyond the scale or the mirror. Ask yourself what you want your body to be able to do years from now, then start training for that life today.

In This Episode

• Why muscle is an investment in your future
• Why it is never too late to get stronger
• What functional strength really means
• How balance and quick footwork support real-life movement
• Why fear of injury can lead to lost function
• How to start strength training if you are new to it
• Why fitness goals should go beyond weight and appearance

Jen leaves listeners with three practical places to start: lift something that feels heavy for you two or three times a week, give your cardiovascular exercise a purpose and test what your body can actually do.

About Jen Dieter

Jen Dieter, MPT is the founder and lead clinician of REAL Movement Physical Therapy. She has spent 28 years helping people move beyond pain and return to the activities they love.

REAL Movement Physical Therapy:
http://www.realmovementphysicaltherapy.com

Instagram:
@jensmash13

About Dr. Stephan Esser

Dr. Stephan Esser is a board-certified physician specializing in sports medicine and lifestyle medicine and the host of the NHA Today Podcast.

Connect with the National Health Association

Join the NHA:
https://membership.healthscience.org/join-membership?

Learn more:
https://healthscience.org

Upcoming events:
https://healthscience.org/events/

We may be living longer, but are we actually living healthier?

In this episode of the NHA Today Podcast, Dr. Stephan Esser sits down with Charlyn Black, MD, ScD, physician, public health researcher, educator and co-author of Plant Powered Seniors, to explore the growing gap between lifespan and healthspan.

Healthspan refers to the years of life spent in good health, rather than years marked by chronic disease, frequent medical care and declining function. Dr. Black explains that while lifespan has increased, the amount of time many people spend in poor health has also increased. In the United States, she points to recent data suggesting that this gap now exceeds 14 years.

But aging does not have to mean simply accepting a steady decline in health.

Dr. Black explains how our bodies and nutritional needs change as we get older, from changes in nutrient absorption and muscle response to hydration, appetite and caloric needs. She also shares how her own approach to nutrition and movement has evolved as she has aged and why even people who have followed a healthy lifestyle for years may benefit from making adjustments.

The conversation also goes beyond individual choices. Drawing on her career in public health, Dr. Black discusses how our food environments, institutions and public policies can either support healthier choices or make them much harder. She argues that improving population health requires both personal action and environments that make healthy living easier.

Above all, her message is an encouraging one: it is never too late to make a difference in your health. Whether you are already thriving or managing chronic conditions, changes in nutrition, movement and other lifestyle habits can still matter.

In This Episode

• The important difference between lifespan and healthspan
• Why living longer does not necessarily mean living healthier
• How nutrition needs and physical function change as we age
• Why a whole food, plant-powered diet may be especially valuable later in life
• The role of movement in maintaining strength, mobility and independence
• Why sleep, social connection, stress management and avoiding risky substances matter for healthy aging
• Why willpower alone is not enough to create healthier populations
• How our food environment influences the choices we make
• Simple ways to begin improving your health at any age

Plant Powered Seniors

Dr. Black is a co-author of Plant Powered Seniors with registered dietitians Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. Written specifically for adults 50 and older, the book explores how nutritional needs change with age and how plant-powered nutrition and other healthy lifestyle habits can support better health throughout the later decades of life.

Learn more and purchase Plant Powered Seniors:
https://plant-poweredseniors.com/

Connect with the National Health Association

Join the National Health Association:
https://membership.healthscience.org/join-membership?

Learn more about the NHA:
https://healthscience.org

Explore upcoming NHA events:
https://healthscience.org/events/

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the NHA Today Podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who wants to spend more of their years living with health, strength and independence.

Where healthy living meets unforgettable travel

Can you explore the world, enjoy incredible food and still stick to the healthy lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to build?

In this episode of NHA Today, Dr. Stephan Esser sits down with Wanda Huberman, Executive Director of the National Health Association, and Lisa McCarl, RN, MS, CTA, of McCarl Travel, LLC, to explore how NHA is bringing plant-based living and unforgettable travel together.

Lisa and Wanda take listeners behind the scenes of NHA’s plant-based cruises, including the work that goes into coordinating with cruise line culinary teams, arranging private dining and making sure ships are prepared for the way NHA travelers eat. On some voyages, NHA chefs even work alongside the ship’s culinary team to help bring the NHA approach into the kitchen.

But the food is only part of the experience. These trips give travelers the opportunity to explore destinations around the world while connecting with people who share their commitment to healthy living. Wanda and Lisa share how friendships formed during NHA trips often continue long after everyone returns home.

The conversation offers a look at cruises throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Lisa also explains why many trips are planned years in advance, how the wait lists work and why joining one can still be worthwhile when a trip appears to be full.

Wanda also shares a preview of NHA’s land-based adventures, including upcoming trips to Rwanda and Botswana organized with World Vegan Travel. From wildlife encounters and hiking to cultural experiences, these trips offer even more ways to see the world while keeping healthy food, adventure and community at the center of the experience.

If travel is on your wish list, discover what’s ahead and how NHA is making it easier to explore the world without leaving your healthy lifestyle behind.

Links & Resources

Explore NHA Plant-Based Travel:
https://www.healthscience.org/plant-based-travel/

Join the NHA Whole-Food, Plant-Based Travel Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nhaplantbasedtravel

Connect with Lisa McCarl, CTA, ECC, VTA | McCarl Travel, LLC:
https://www.thetravelinstitute.com/agent/25665/

Watch NHA Today on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@nationalhealthassociation

Follow Dr. Stephan Esser on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/esserhealth/

Learn more about the National Health Association:
https://www.healthscience.org/

What everyone should know about building strength and supporting pelvic health

Urinary leakage, chronic constipation, pelvic pain, painful sex, organ prolapse and changes after childbirth or with aging are incredibly common. But that doesn’t mean they’re something you simply have to accept.

In this episode of NHA Today, Dr. Stephan Esser sits down with Laura Bunso, PT, MTC, a physical therapist who has specialized in pelvic health, women’s and men’s health and spine care since 1999.

Laura explains what the pelvic floor actually does and why these muscles are so important for bladder and bowel control, stability, movement and sexual health. Like other muscles in the body, the pelvic floor can become weak, overly tight, injured or poorly coordinated after childbirth, surgery, menopause, aging, athletic activity and other changes throughout life.

One of Laura’s most important messages is simple: just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s normal. Urinary leakage, for example, may become more prevalent with age, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do about it.

The conversation also challenges the idea that better pelvic health simply means doing more Kegels. Some people need to strengthen their pelvic floor, while others need to learn how to relax and coordinate these muscles correctly. Even someone who is very active and physically strong can have pelvic floor dysfunction.

Laura and Dr. Esser also explore the connection between the pelvic floor and chronic constipation, postpartum recovery, pelvic pain, organ prolapse and changes that occur as we age. Laura explains why maintaining muscle strength and coordination matters and when working with a pelvic floor physical therapist may help.

Most importantly, this is a conversation about understanding your body and knowing that it’s okay to talk about symptoms that can feel personal or embarrassing. Laura shares practical ways to support pelvic health, from staying active and hydrated to learning how the pelvic floor should contract and relax.

Whether you’re experiencing symptoms now or simply want to maintain strength and function as you age, this episode offers an important reminder: your pelvic floor is part of your overall health, and it deserves attention too.

Links & Resources

Smart Body Physical Therapy:
https://www.smartbodypt.com/

Listen to Laura’s podcast, Pelvic Like It Is:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/pelvic-like-it-is/id1871478598

Follow Dr. Stephan Esser on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/esserhealth/

Watch NHA Today on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@nationalhealthassociation

Learn more about the National Health Association:
https://www.healthscience.org/

There’s always another diet, supplement or biohack promising better health. But what if we’re making it more complicated than it needs to be?

Dr. Asa Frey and Dra. Joanna Frey believe the fundamentals of human health haven’t changed. At their residential lifestyle center, Back to the Garden in Puerto Rico, they focus on seven foundational pillars: presence, whole plant foods, movement, nature, sunlight, sleep and healthy relationships.

In this episode of NHA Today, Dr. Stephan Esser talks with Dr. Asa and Dra. Joanna about why these basic principles can be more powerful than constantly chasing the latest health trend and why knowing what to do is only part of the equation.

They explore the role of presence in actually making healthy habits stick, simple ways to interrupt stress during a busy day and why getting outside, moving your body and protecting your sleep are non-negotiables in their own lives. They also discuss their medically supervised water fasting program, how they prepare patients before a fast and why fasting isn't meant to be a quick fix for the habits that contributed to poor health in the first place.

You’ll also hear how they bring these same principles into family life, what they’ve learned from raising their children with healthy habits and why lasting change often begins by becoming the example rather than trying to change everyone around you.

Better health may not require another hack. It may mean getting back to the things your body has needed all along.

Links & Resources

Back to the Garden:
https://www.backtothegardenpr.com/en

Back to the Garden en Español:
https://www.backtothegardenpr.com/

Get the Back to the Garden App:
https://www.backtothegardenpr.com/en/btgapp

Follow Dr. Esser on Instagram:
@esserhealth

Watch NHA Today on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@nationalhealthassociation

Learn more about the National Health Association:
https://www.healthscience.org/

What if getting older didn’t have to mean slowing down?

At 84, Vesanto Melina, MS, Registered Dietitian, is living proof that our later years can still be active, productive and full of purpose. She’s still writing books, speaking, counseling clients and hitting the gym for five fitness classes a week. And she has decades of science and experience behind what she teaches.

Vesanto is the author or co-author of 15 books on plant-based nutrition, including books recognized by the American Library Association as go-to resources in the field. Her latest, Plant-Powered Seniors, was written with Brenda Davis, RD and Dr. Charlyn Black. She also co-authored the #1 Amazon bestseller Plant-Powered Protein. Vesanto has taught nutrition at Bastyr University and the University of British Columbia, received both the Ryley-Jeffs Memorial Award and a lifetime achievement award as a dietitian and served as lead author of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ position paper on vegetarian diets across the life cycle.

In this episode of NHA Today, Dr. Stephan Esser talks with Vesanto about what she’s learned from more than three decades of vegan living and a lifetime spent studying nutrition. They dig into why she now emphasizes a well-planned plant-based diet, why legumes deserve a bigger place on our plates and the nutrients that become especially important as we age, including protein, calcium, vitamin D and omega-3s.

They also explore the other side of healthy aging: staying strong and independent. Vesanto shares how exercise supports bone health, balance and fall prevention, why small changes can make a meaningful difference and why it’s never too late to improve the way you eat and live.

Whether you’re already in your 70s or 80s or thinking about the health you want decades from now, this conversation offers a different vision of aging and practical ways to stay strong, active and engaged for the years ahead.

Links and Resources

Order Plant-Powered Seniors:
https://plant-poweredprotein.com/

Learn more about Vesanto Melina:
https://nutrispeak.com/

Follow Dr. Esser on Instagram:
@esserhealth

NHA Today on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@nationalhealthassociation

National Health Association:
https://www.healthscience.org/

Small Changes, Big Results: Taking Control of Your Health with Dr. Jeffrey Pierce

Better health doesn't require waiting for the perfect time or changing everything overnight. Sometimes it starts with one better choice today.

In this episode of the NHA Today Podcast, Dr. Stephan Esser talks with board-certified family and lifestyle medicine physician Dr. Jeffrey Pierce about the power of small, consistent changes and how much influence our everyday habits can have on our long-term health.

Drawing on more than 18 years of experience in family medicine, Dr. Pierce shares how his approach to patient care evolved beyond simply managing chronic disease with medications to helping people address its underlying causes through lifestyle.

The conversation takes a closer look at fatty liver disease, a condition Dr. Pierce says affects an estimated one in three American adults. He explains why fat can accumulate in the liver, how the condition is often discovered and four lifestyle approaches that may help improve it, including healthy weight loss, a low-fat whole food, plant-based diet, regular movement and certain approaches to meal timing and fasting.

Dr. Esser and Dr. Pierce also discuss the growing interest in testosterone replacement, what the research says about potential benefits and risks and why nutrition, exercise, sleep and overall metabolic health deserve attention before looking for a quick fix.

Finally, Dr. Pierce shares one of his own favorite prescriptions for health: gardening. For him, growing food brings together movement, nutritious food and time to slow down and reconnect.

The message throughout the conversation is refreshingly simple: don't wait for the perfect day. Start with what you can do today and build from there.

In This Episode

• What Dr. Pierce learned about health and nutrition from practicing medicine in the U.S. and abroad
• Why lifestyle can have such a powerful influence on chronic disease
• What fatty liver disease is and why it deserves more attention
• Four lifestyle approaches that may help improve fatty liver
• What to consider before pursuing testosterone replacement
• How sleep and other lifestyle factors can affect hormonal health
• Why small changes can be more sustainable than waiting to make one dramatic transformation
• How gardening can support physical, nutritional and emotional well-being

Connect with Dr. Jeffrey Pierce

Book an appointment with Dr. Pierce through Lifestyle Telemedicine:
https://lifestyletelemedicine.com/find-your-doctor/jeffrey-pierce/

Follow Dr. Pierce on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drjeffpierce/

Connect with the National Health Association

Join the National Health Association:
https://membership.healthscience.org/join-membership?

Learn more about the NHA:
https://healthscience.org

Explore upcoming NHA events:
https://healthscience.org/events/

If this conversation inspired you, follow the NHA Today Podcast, leave a review and share this episode with someone who might be waiting for the "perfect" time to make a healthy change. Sometimes the best time to begin is simply today.

Plant-Based Travel: Safari Adventures, Incredible Food and the Trip of a Lifetime

Explore the world without leaving your healthy lifestyle behind. In this episode of NHA Today, Dr. Stephan Esser sits down with Wanda Huberman of the National Health Association and Brighde Reed of World Vegan Travel to explore the NHA’s upcoming whole-food, plant-based travel adventures.

From getting remarkably close to lions, elephants, hippos and giraffes on safari in Botswana to trekking to see mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in Rwanda, Wanda and Brighde share what makes these trips unforgettable. They also reveal what travelers can expect from the food, including abundant whole-food, plant-based, SOS-free meals, and why these small-group adventures can be a great option even for solo travelers.

Plus, hear what’s ahead for NHA Plant-Based Travel, including upcoming adventures in Botswana, Rwanda, France and Tuscany.

Links and Resources

NHA Plant-Based Travel: https://www.healthscience.org/plant-based-travel/
Follow Dr. Esser on Instagram: @esserhealth
NHA Today on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationalhealthassociation

What does it really take to create lasting health?

In this episode of the NHA Today Podcast, Dr. Stephan Esser sits down with longtime educator, researcher and lifestyle medicine pioneer Dr. Frank Sabatino for a thoughtful conversation about the principles that support lifelong health.

Together, they explore why lasting wellness is about far more than calories or willpower. Dr. Sabatino shares his compassionate approach to weight management, the importance of whole food, plant-based nutrition and how factors like sleep, stress, purpose, community and self-compassion all work together to influence our health.

Whether you're just beginning your health journey or looking to strengthen the habits you've already built, this conversation offers practical wisdom and timeless principles to help you create a healthier, more meaningful life.

In This Episode

• Why lasting health is about more than diet alone
• The difference between weight loss and true health
• How whole food, plant-based nutrition supports long-term wellness
• The role of stress, sleep and movement in healthy living
• Why community and purpose matter for lasting behavior change
• How self-compassion can transform your health journey
• Practical advice for building sustainable lifestyle habits

Resources Mentioned

🌿 Balance for Life Florida Retreats with Dr. Frank Sabatino
https://HealthfulLivingOceanRetreat.com

🌿 Join the National Health Association
https://membership.healthscience.org/join-membership?

🌿 National Health Association
https://healthscience.org

🌿 Upcoming NHA Events
https://healthscience.org/events/

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the NHA Today Podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who is looking to build a healthier life through evidence-based lifestyle medicine.

Type 2 diabetes has become one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, but research continues to show that lifestyle can play a powerful role in preventing and even reversing the disease.

In this solo episode of the NHA Today Podcast, Dr. Stephan Esser explores the science behind insulin resistance and shares five evidence-based lifestyle strategies that have been shown to dramatically reduce diabetes risk and improve blood sugar control. You'll learn why excess body fat, inflammation, nutrition and physical activity all play critical roles in metabolic health, and how small daily changes can lead to meaningful long-term results.

Resources

🌿 Join the National Health Association: https://membership.healthscience.org/join-membership?
🌿 Learn More: https://healthscience.org
🌿 Upcoming Events: https://healthscience.org/events/

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the NHA Today Podcast, leave a review and share it with a friend or family member. Your support helps us continue bringing evidence-based education on nutrition, lifestyle medicine and true health to people around the world.