Optimal Health Uncovered

Whether you are pregnant, postpartum or just struggling with daily discomfort, Jen Morgan, DPT, is here to discuss the importance of optimizing your health through your pelvic floor. On this episode, she and Mike discuss the importance of raising awareness about pelvic health physical therapy, normalizing the conversations, and proactively advocating for your health. As a women's pelvic health specialist, Jen is passionate about making pelvic health care more accessible for both men and women and provides tips and resources that can help you determine if you could benefit from pelvic health treatment. Pause your kegels and give this episode a listen!

To conduct a self-screening of your pelvic floor health, you can check out the COZEAN screening tool.

To learn more about Jen Morgan, you can find her on Instagram @doc_jenmorgan or at centralitywellness.com and indigowellnessgroup.com.

In this episode, Mike is joined by physical therapist Ashley Moriarty to discuss why working from home can have a negative impact on your physical health. They dive into desk ergonomics, screen time, blue light and more. Ashley also provides exercises and tips to improve posture and ways to take a step back from your desk!

For more, you can find our article on how to achieve proper workspace ergonomics here.

Find us on Instagram and Facebook to see Performance trainer Adam demonstrate three simple exercises to help improve your posture during the work day.

In this episode, Mike and Todd are joined by one of Performance's very own strength and conditioning coaches, Megan Kudrick. Meg came to us after working with Division 1 athletes at Quinnipiac University and is a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach who focuses on recovery and injury prevention for athletes. They discuss different types of weight training programs, including those centered around strength, power and mobility. Each program produces different results, but can be optimized for anyone — from beginners to long-time athletes. Whether you're just starting out in the weight training world or want a leg up, you'll learn something new. 

This week, Mike and Todd dive into the lifestyle and habits of seven-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady. From nutrition to sleep habits, they discuss longevity and how Tom Brady has been able to perform at such an elite level for over 21 years due to his lifestyle that prioritizes the Four Pillars of Optimal Health. They analyze the TB12 Method and give you key takeaways that can be applied to your own life, whether you are a high-performing athlete or just trying to improve the quality of your life.

This week, Mike is joined by toxicologist Dr. Joe Nieusma, CEO of Superior Toxicology & Wellness.  For the past 30 years, Dr. Nieusma has been involved in toxicology research, focusing on empowering his clients to take control of their medications and advocate for their own health. Rather than relying on prescriptions, he is a proponent of incorporating hydration, nutrition and quality sleep to optimize wellness. He also discusses the importance of understanding the environments in which we live and provides simple tips to eliminate common toxins, from water filtration systems to air ionizers. 

If you would like to learn more check out his website https://superiortoxicology.com/

In this episode, Todd is joined by Kevin Cota, Heather Pech, and Ridgefield Running owner Megan Searfoss. They discuss all things running, including how training has changed during the pandemic, how to get fitted for proper running shoes and making the most of your training.   

You can find Heather on Instagram at @_knighttraining. If you want to read more about training with Heather, visit her coaching profile or read her profile on our blog.

If you're looking for the right shoes or want to schedule a virtual running evaluation, visit ridgefieldrunning.com or check them out on Instagram at @Darienrunning.

In this episode, Todd and Mike are joined by Riley Fitzgerald, a Sport Psychology Service Coordinator at Boston University.  Over the past six years, Fitzgerald has worked with numerous teams and organizations helping athletes develop their mental game in order to compete and perform at their best on a consistent basis. He has provided mental performance services to competitive athletes in the collegiate setting and beyond, including those at BU, Tufts, Endicott, and in the East Coast Hockey League.  Riley discusses his journey to working with athletes at the collegiate level, the challenges of blazing the trail in his field, and how his services impact the athletes and clients he sees everyday. 

Resources: https://appliedsportpsych.org/

To contact Riley directly, you can reach him at [email protected].

In this episode, Mike takes the host mic solo in Todd's absence as he is joined by Francine Blinten, a nutritionist at Performance. Francine works with a unique segment of the population including oncology patients, substance abusers and generally sick individuals to get them back to healthy state. Mike and Francine discuss specific diseases and ways to reduce the risk through what you eat and drink. Francine also gives listeners some great advice that can be applied to your everyday nutrition. 

If you have a question for Francine, want to learn more about her or schedule a nutrition consultation, you can find her bio and contact info here.

It's time to revolutionize the way we move, and Director of Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Sales at Hyperice Eric Fernandez is doing just that. He joins Todd & Mike this week to discuss the importance of body maintenance and how percussion and thermal vibration can help soft tissue movement. This in turn helps speed up recovery, improve range of motion, decrease stiffness, accelerate a warmup and more. They also cover Hyperice's other products such as the vibrating Vyper foam roller, Hypersphere, & the Venom series, the last of which adds variable heat and vibration to a certain area to enhance muscle performance. Eric reviews Hyperice's new bluetooth capabilities as well as the ability to set goals through the app in order to gather data to measure activity. 

Learn more about Hyperice.

In this week's episode, Todd and Mike are joined by dietician Jacqueline Ballou Erdos, who specializes in weight management, sports nutrition and pediatrics. Jackie works with a range of clients, from working adults to high performance dancers at the Juilliard School in New York City. In this episode, Jackie discusses the "non-diet" approach to nutrition, how to develop realistic goals in weight management and dealing with the female athlete triad.