Smarter Strength w/ Dr. David Skolnik, DPT

Sleep deficiencies have both long term and short term impacts on your health. And while sleep is one of the most fundamental ways to improve our health and well being, it is also one of the easiest to overlook. In our modern world, full of endless entertainment and information, 33% of American Adults get less than 6.5 hour of sleep per night. As you'll learn in this week's Health & Fitness Friday mini-pod, habitual sleeplessness has both short and long term effects that are universally negative.

Today's mini-pod was inspired by a recent blog from Precision Nutrition, which you can find here - https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-sleep
The original post is FULL of information on how sleep relates to body composition, the concept of "sleep debt" and more.

I would love to hear from our listeners why Health & Fitness topics matter to YOU and what you would love to learn more about on future Health & Fitness Friday Podcasts. The best way to do this is to send us a message via Instagram, where you can find the podcast @essential.strength.podcast 

Hope you all find this episode valuable and that you GET SOME SLEEP this weekend!

Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt

Achievement lies on the other side of struggle.

Unfortunately, for almost all of us, our minds will persuade us to stop long before we find out just how much we can struggle and still overcome. Ultimately, that's what this conversation is about.

David & Mike start by talking about how they approach hard training sessions, and what years of repeated exposure to physical challenges has taught each of them about their bodies and minds. As the conversation progresses, the discussion moves well beyond just physical training and into a discussion of how often the limits we impose on ourselves are superficial and based on our mind's programming to seek comfort as a means to ensure survival.

The concepts of pre-determined failure and harnessing purpose in your training are discussed. You'll also get a glimpse into just how passionate Mike is about showing people how much greatness they are capable of, and how frustrating it is to hear people say, "Oh, I could never do that" before they've even begun to try.

We are all capable of more. This episode might just be the push you need to begin living up to your unlimited potential.

For more from David & Mike, make sure to check them both out on Instagram by clicking their names right here in the show notes!

Until next time, we wish you STRENGTH and GOOD HEALTH

Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt

Happy Friday Everyone!

David here to announce that we are launching a new component of The Essential Strength Podcast today called Fit & Healthy Friday!!

Every Friday you will get a bite sized podcast covering a health and fitness topic that you can apply to your own life. Think of it as a little gift at the end of a long week, and something to take with you into the weekend as motivation to keep moving in the right direction - THE HEALTHY DIRECTION!

Today, we're reviewing an article that was originally published in Outdoor Magazine's online platform titled - To Delay Death, Lift Weights (click the title to read the full article)

This article was also shared on the Reading List at https://www.strongerinmotion.com
which is the home of my personal training and nutrition business, Stronger In Motion.

In this mini-pod you'll learn about how two different research studies looking at large groups of adults found indicators that would suggest strength training and developing muscle strength may reduce your chance of death when compared to similar but untrained individuals. It definitely motivated me to get in the gym today, and I hope it motivates you to either keep hitting the weights, or to start training for strength as it appears to have some solid anti-aging benefits!

Hope ya'll have a GREAT weekend, and until next time - We wish you STRENGTH and GOOD HEALTH!

Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt

Addressing obesity isn't as simple as "eat less, move more".

On this episode we sit down with Dr. Cat Steele to learn how the food we eat literally changes our brain, why food cravings are so powerful, and what we each can do to support healthy eating choices.

Dr. Cat Steele has a PhD in Psychological Sciences from Kansas State University, and completed postdoctoral work in Clinical Nutrition. She will be starting as an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Texas A&M International University in August, where she will teach and conduct research in human psychology.

To learn more from Dr. Steele, follow her on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/steelephd/?igshid=12qdecze78l8u

To go straight to Dr. Steele's website and read her blogs and research, click right here - https://linktr.ee/steelephd

We sincerely hope you enjoy this episode! We know you will come away from this conversation with Dr. Steele owning a greater understanding of how what we eat, where we live and what we do are all deeply interconnected and all of it has direct impacts on our brain and our way of thinking and behaving.

Until next time,

We wish you STRENGTH and GOOD HEALTH

Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt

Get comfortable with your own mortality.

While many people seem to act as if they will live forever, this is simply not the way things work. No one in history has ever escaped the ultimate exit plan - death. Along with birth, it is the defining characteristic of human life which unites all people regardless of class, religion, or nationality.

Despite it's certainty, however, few people contemplate the reality of death because it's too grim. But what if something as certain and universal as mortality could be harnessed as a tool to build your strength and resolve? What if reflecting on your imminent death allowed you to fully engage in life? These questions are at the core of today's episode; how to use Momento Mori and reflection on your own mortality to eliminate excuses and clarify your actions. When you accept that the next breath could be your last, suddenly it becomes easier to quit those bad habits that aren't serving you, and double down on what you know to be your true calling!

A few resources that are mentioned throughout this episode:

1. Mike wrote an article on the topic of Momento Mori for Breaking Muscle - you can read it here: http://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/memento-mori-a-simple-practice-for-a-complex-time

2. If you want to learn more about the 12 Labors Project, and the physical tasks that Mike has completed while use Momento Mori as a strategy to keep moving forward even under inconceivable physical stress, follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mikemccastle/?hl=en

3. If you want to dive deeper into the history and cultural significance of Momento Mori, The Daily Stoic has a great piece which you can read here: https://dailystoic.com/history-of-memento-mori/

We hope you enjoy the show, and until next time - We wish you strength, and good health!

Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt

On Episode 2 of The Essential Strength Podcast, David & Mike sit down (virtually, of course) with Brian Buck, Director of Sports at Sparta Science.

The conversation starts with an exploration of Brian's path to his current position; his education, his time as an outfielder in the Major League Baseball system, his mentors in the field of sports science, and his work as a Strength & Conditioning Coach in the pro sports industry.

From there, the conversation shifts specifically to Sparta Science - what they do, and who they aim to serve. Sparta Science is a data collection company that creates predictive models for injury risk and performance enhancement. They work with professional and collegiate sports teams, the military, and the general population to advance our understanding of why we get hurt, how we get hurt, and what we can do to reduce our risk while improving our performance whether that be on the field as an NFL Linebacker, or off the field as a mom who wants to play with her kids pain free.

Mike and Brian discuss the future of Sparta Science, and sports science in a greater sense, where Brian sees people truly "owning their data" and being empowered to adjust their risk factors without the need of a coach in many situations.

Finally, as the first guest on The Essential Strength Podcast, Brian gets the be the first to answer the closing question - "What is one weakness you are currently working to improve?"

RESOUCES

For more on Sparta Science, check them out here - https://spartascience.com/

Brian was particularly excited about their blog, which is chalk full of resources primarily targeting the general population, those of us who aren't pro athletes - https://spartascience.com/resources

To connect with Brian, find him on Instagram and Twitter - @brianbuck6 on both platforms, or e-mail him directly at [email protected].

Enjoy the Show!

Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt

Welcome to the FIRST episode of The Essential Strength Podcast. 

In this episode, David & Mike introduce themselves and share their backgrounds, including the vital role that STRENGTH has played during challenging times in their lives as well as how they have found the strength to succeed both personally and professionally.

As the conversation evolves, David & Mike discuss the power of the mind to turn even the most bleak situations into joyful memories, the importance of finding footholds to climb out of despair, and how mental strength is a practice, not something that comes overnight.

Mike also makes an announcement about his upcoming 7th Labor, which will be his most challenging yet. You'll definitely want to stay tuned for that!

Hope you enjoy this inaugural episode of The Essential Strength Podcast.

Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt