Thyroid Strong

Many people perceive self-care and recovery as a romanticized process. But it is a struggle that involves pushing through boundaries, focus, and determination. There is never one single trick or solution, but taking an adaptive and introspective approach is crucial. Today’s guest has not only lived this journey but helps others to do it too.

Maggie Rintala is a professional dancer, award-winning speaker, national and international coach of coaches, and personal trainer for professional athletes, millionaires, eighth-graders, and grandmas. She has transformed the lives of thousands of people all over the world with her expert coaching.

With her own experience with overcoming chronic pain, Maggie knows what it’s like to reshape your life to recreate purpose and restore health. She describes the many different avenues that she tried to heal from this pain, and also what it taught her about her own priorities and goals. 

As a trainer, Maggie strives to help her clients achieve more than just a physique. Instead, she helps them become fit for who they are so that they can experience the world in fulfilling ways. This has all led Maggie to develop a course and soon to be released book, Radical Authentic Fitness. As part of this, Maggie explains how people can achieve the results that they want by taking the appropriate actions without chasing a particular physical ideal.

How can you train in order to achieve more than just physical results? Let’s talk about it in the comments on the episode page!

• Healing yourself in the service of something greater
• Understanding how your body’s past traumas influence your current health
• Why best training goes beyond striving for measurable end results
• How Radical Authentic Fitness can help you become fit for who you are and what you want to achieve in the world
• Breaking through the disconnect between the mind and body
• Learning fitness for long-term health
• Inspiring children to take ownership of their own fitness and health

“When you come to fitness, you’re probably going to suffer physically. A lot of people don’t understand that they’re already suffering for something.” [3:05]

“I was suffering. So why not suffer for something that is going to push me into the next realization of who I am so that I can serve my people.” [10:19]

“The human body is resilient. I have come through incredible things… and I know that other people can as well.”  [38:00]

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Czech Get-Up video

Prague School of Rehabilitation

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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Conventional wisdom has it that women should get back to their usual life as soon as they can after giving birth. It turns out that that is so far from the truth. Doing so ignores the important postpartum period, something we dive deep into in this episode.

Today I’m welcoming back to the podcast Lily Nichols. Lily is a registered dietician and nutritionist specializing in gestational health. With the goal of helping women make use of holistic tools to live more healthfully, Lily has been spreading the message of getting the best diet to maximize health before, during, and after pregnancy.

Since we have both recently given birth to our second child, Lily and I chat about what we have learned about postpartum health. From accepting help from loved ones and getting the right nutrients to producing enough milk and addressing the underlying causes of postpartum depression, Lily and I discuss what it takes to support yourself and your child’s health after birth.

Have you faced challenges maintaining good postpartum nutrition? Tell me about it in the comments on the episode page! 

• The importance of accepting help after childbirth
• Why it’s crucial to have the right nourishing foods postpartum
• Why you probably aren’t getting enough protein after you give birth
• The challenges faced by vegetarians in maintaining a well-rounded postpartum diet
• The potential benefits of Vitamin D for you and your baby during and after pregnancy
• How to boost milk production through good nutrition and other means
• The benefits of iron-rich organ meat and how to easily incorporate it into your meals
• Taking good care of thyroid health during and after pregnancy

“You need those amino acids that are found in the connective tissues of animal foods.” [16:33]

“Supplement yourself. You’re probably going to help maintain your own Vitamin D levels and immune function and mental health. Also, the baby is getting enough and you don’t need to think about a separate product.” [28:32]

“It’s often one of the trickiest things postpartum - just eating and drinking enough. You’re just spread so thin.” [31:09]

“It is very wise to introduce some iron-rich foods because the baby’s iron stores can start to drop around four to six months.” [39:47]

“We just need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable for postpartum because your life does slow down.” [49:03]

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Muscle Medicine Episode 30 with Lily Nichols 

Real Food for Pregnancy

Real Food Postpartum Recovery Meals

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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Maintaining proper form is one of the most critical parts of strength training. If anything is off, from stance to breath, you risk working out at less than peak efficiency. Worse, you may even injure yourself. To discuss how you can work out with the best form possible, I’ve brought in an expert with years of experience helping people strength train better.

With her own gym in Portland, OR, Mira Gracia and all of her instructors are well-trained in StrongFirst as well as various martial arts. Mira currently works with all levels from novice to advanced in an effort to build lasting results, durability, and resiliency in her students.

Mira shares her journey into strength training excellence and what motivates her. A large part of it is a mindset that is built around setting one’s own goals rather than competing against others. Mira also describes how she transitioned from a gymnastics background to one of strength training and the challenges that that entails. 

As someone with a lot of experience training women, Mira explains many of the techniques she uses to help them train smarter, safer, and more efficiently. This includes rethinking what you’re doing with your stomach as you lift and even with the air you breathe. It also involves mindset, and Mira discusses how to think about the way you train in a whole new light.

What are some of your own personal goals when strength training? Share them with me in the comments on the episode page!

• Creating full-body stability when learning to strength train
• What you may be doing wrong with your abdomen as you lift and how to fix it
• How to take a proper breath during training
• Challenging capacity without compromising your form
• The similarities and difference between training with barbells versus kettlebells
• Where to look and what to ask when searching for a good instructor

“You complete something. You may be unsure what’s going to happen. You do it and afterward, you feel better.” [9:17]

“You don’t always have to push yourself to the point of failure. We never want to teach your body and your mind to fail.” [26:34]

“I never thought that it would literally save my life, and it has. It’s truly this really magical thing that happens with every single breath.” [45:12]

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Episode 33 with Brett Jones

StrongFirst

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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Anyone who’s been on a diet knows the struggles of losing weight and feeling strong and healthy through the whole process. It can even take a real toll on your mental health as there’s a real emotional side to eating. Today I’m sitting down with someone who is refocussing the way we can think about and approach our relationship with food to help people truly take control of their health.

Claire Siegel is a registered dietician who’s all about balancing her real food, veggie-heavy approach to nutrition with her deep love of cheeseburgers, chocolate, and red wine. She recently launched Nutritional Freedom as a nutrition and mindset coaching business in which she and her team have helped many women think about food in a completely different way.

We’re talking about the diet-binge-guilt cycle that many of us fall into. It’s why trying to lose weight through traditional dieting is so demoralizing and ineffective. Claire explains why many people end up in this cycle and how to break out of it. Claire has found that mindset is the key to successful dieting and we talk all about how to reframe this for success.

Have you noticed a connection between mindset and dieting? How do you address this? Leave a comment on the episode page!

• How eating and dieting is a real emotional activity
• Why we often focus on the wrong problem when dieting
• Addressing the behavioral and emotional sources of binging
• Why you should never rely on willpower to be healthy
• How to make healthy eating easy by removing restrictions to it
• The risks that come from trying to be too healthy
• Tools to help listen to your intuition rather than your craving

“We really want to understand what the underlying factors are that are creating the cycle. It’s not a lack of willpower, strength, or determination. A lot of it is biology, physiology, and what’s going on mentally.” [5:09]

“The root problem when it comes to binging is some form of restriction...When you remove that restriction, binging tends to be resolved quite naturally.” [6:11]

“Willpower is great when it’s there, but you don’t necessarily want to rely on it or base your entire approach to health on this necessity for willpower.” [9:50]

“You become more consistent in your health behaviors when they become easier and enjoyable for you overall.” [15:58]

“Your value and your worth extends so far beyond your body, shape, size, and what you look like. Health doesn’t have to feel so hard.” [32:05]

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Nutritional Freedom

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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In my clinic, I regularly see the negative results that happen to women when they overtrain. While it’s true that many of us think that more is better, this can ultimately lead to burnout and more problems down the road.

Jessica Drummond MPT, CCN, CHC, the Founder and CEO of the Integrative Women's Health Institute, is passionate about caring for and empowering women who struggle with women’s and pelvic health conditions. She is equally passionate about educating and supporting clinicians in confidently and safely using integrative tools to transform women's and pelvic healthcare.

Today, Jessica and I talk about how we can optimize our monthly hormonal cycles to make workouts more efficient and less dangerous. This involves really understanding what is going on with our hormones throughout the month and structuring your workout to maximize its benefits while reducing the risk of injury.

We discuss what overtraining looks like for women and how you can recognize its red flags. Being attuned to what your body is telling you, but also seeking professional guidance is crucial to staying fit without causing negative health effects. With that in mind, Jessica tells us how to train well, without pushing it too far.

Jessica has also worked extensively on studying endometriosis. She explains just what this condition is and its impacts. While it is common, it’s not normal. We talk about ways to treat endometriosis and why it’s important to do so.

Do you change your workout based on your monthly cycle? Has that helped you to reduce injury and maximize the benefits? Let us know in the comments on the episode page.

• The female-specific risks that come from overtraining
•  Understanding and optimizing your monthly cycle for the most healthy training results
• Addressing the mental health implications of overtraining
• The numerous warning signs that you’re overtraining
• The effects of endometriosis and new ways to treat it
• Understanding pelvic floor health and how problems with it can present
• Ways to literally nourish and feed resilience

Quotes

“For women, if you think of the month as a time to optimize your periodization of you’re training for performance, it’s really valuable because you’re not only protecting and nourishing your hormones and muscle, but you’re improving your longevity.” [2:42]

“We have to really emphasize rest and nourishment. Outsleep your competition, outeat your competition, just for recovery’s sake.”  [8:56]

“It not actually normal to have very bad cramps. It’s normal to have mild cramps maybe a day or two with a little fatigue. That’s it. You shouldn’t be sidelined by your period.” [23:48]

“Don’t be afraid to expose anything that you are worried is wrong. If anything is going on in your body, training, or health, unearthing it and optimizing women’s health and performance is part of a strong conversation.” [42:02]

Find Dr. Jessica Drummond at the Integrative Women's Health Institute

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Outsmart Endo

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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Highly stressful situations can lead to an inability to act and respond. These feelings have long-lasting impacts that affect people well afterward. However, as you’ll hear, this is not the result of some inadequacy, but an ancient neurological response.

Stephen Porges, Ph.D. is a distinguished university scientist at Indiana University, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. With more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, Dr. Porges pioneered the Polyvagal Theory which links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of the physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. 

Dr. Porges explains what Polyvagal Theory is and how it relates to all of us on a physiological level. According to this approach, stress has little if anything to do with our physical state, and everything to do with our emotional and psychological wellbeing. We talk about how Polyvagal Theory helps explain a state in between stress and unstress in which we actually disassociate from our surroundings as a result of trauma.

We then talk about how to handle the effects of this neurological response. It may lead to an inability to fully engage with people and feelings of shame and inadequacy. However, proper narrative framing, self-compassion, and even intentional breathing can help to make shifts towards recovery.

How might an understanding of Polyvagal Theory change the way you interact with other people? Let’s talk about it in the comments on the episode page.

• How trauma can trigger a reflex that leads to an inability to act
• The ways that stress and trauma impact future relationships
• How to cope with the lasting effects of trauma
• The power of breath for helping to regulate parts of the nervous system
• Ways to make others feel safe simply by using your voice
• The link between feelings of safety and creativity
• Technological innovations that may reduce inflammation of the vagal nerve

“I would say that the nervous system is much more rational in its decision-making properties and we have to be very careful about imposing a simplistic worldview on it and trying to make everything fit that simplicity.” [1:43]

“This whole act of going into immobilization or inability to recruit fight-flight is a powerful reaction that many people have experienced. But once they experience it, they don’t know how to make sense of it.” [9:47]

“Breath is really a wonderful gift because when we manipulate our breathing we can change the tone of our autonomic nervous system. And if we change that tone, even for short periods of time, we can experience the world differently for those moments.” [16:52]

“What we really want is to enable people to be better witnesses of their own body and to become more self-aware and compassionate to respect those bodily feelings.” [48:38]

Find Stephen Porges Ph.D. online

How to think clearly in beleaguered times

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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Soy is a popular protein source in the fitness world and in food in general. There are countless different soy-based products out there claiming that soy is a miracle food. However, there is also a lot of evidence that soy can lead to a whole host of medical problems. Perhaps, few people understand this better than today’s guest.

Dr. Kaayla Daniel, aka the Naughty Nutritionist, is an author and a nutritionist who earned her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and Anti-Aging Therapies from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. Her mission is to debunk myths surrounding much of what we commonly think is good for our health using humor and a down-to-earth approach.

Today, Dr. Kaayla Daniel and I discuss some of the lesser-known effects of soy. She explains the history of how soy has been marketed over the years and how this has led to its profusion in so-called health foods. However, we are becoming increasingly aware that eating too much processed soy can lead to many issues, from auto-immune disease to heart problems. To that end, Dr. Daniel tells us how to determine if we have a soy sensitivity and how to avoid it.

Have you cut soy out of your diet? What challenges has that created and how has it helped? Let’s talk about it in the comments on the episode page!

• The history of research into soy’s actual nutritional effects
• The links between soy and certain auto-immune diseases
• How soy can be enjoyed when consumed in moderation
• The challenges of avoiding soy for those with allergies and sensitivities
• The effects of heavy soy consumption on thyroid and gut health
• Why consuming a lot of soy during menopause can lead to particular health problems
• Ways to determine if you have a sensitivity to soy

“The problem is when people have a whole slab of soy instead of steak. That starts to add up very quickly if you’re doing that every day.” [13:49]

“With humans, there are so many factors. It’s never just one miracle food, a few miracle foods, or for that matter, a few devils like soy.” [18:22]

“Soy is in more than 60% of processed and packaged food. It’s in nearly 100% of fast foods. It’s hiding in a whole lot of restaurant foods where you might not even suspect it.” [19:13]

“With soy, certainly avoid it to excess, avoid the modern processed soy foods, like protein shakes, the energy bars, and soy milk.” [34:57]

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The Whole Soy Story

Nourishing Broth

Hook Line and Stinker

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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Whether you’re an athlete or not, proper movement is the key to preventing injury and staying fit overall. DNS is one of the many tools that is helping people properly find stabilization and operate at peak performance. Today’s guest is an expert in its application and is here to share how this movement system can help you too.

Dr. Michael Rintala is a San Diego based chiropractor who has specialized in rehabilitation and sports medicine for 17 years. His career has taken him to work with golfers on the PGA tour, professional surfers, and athletes of all sorts.

Dr. Rintala explains what it means to be a chiropractor for athletes. DNS (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization) is a large part of the work that he does. Dr. Rinalta shares how it has been instrumental in keeping high-performers in top shape.

If you’ve never heard of DNS and its role in rehabilitation, Dr. Rintala breaks it down in terms that any of us should be able to understand. It all hinges on deep stabilization which in turn permits better joint movement throughout the body. Dr. Rintala uses this throughout his practice and explains how it has helped many people, from professional to amateur athletes, manage their movement better and avoid injury.

How might you be able to apply DNS in your practice? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!

• The type of work that chiropractors do when serving athletes
• The role of DNS in improving the efficiency of movement
• Common biomechanical compensations and injuries of elite and amateur surfers
• What the Czech Get-Up is and why it is a good alternative to the Turkish Get-Up

“If we improve efficiency in our movement, we decrease potential for injury and we increase the potential for performance.” [6:45

“Ideal deep stabilization - that ability to create a fixed point through the trunk and the pelvis - also allows the joint centration throughout the whole chain of movement with the human body.” [10:43]

“If I can maintain the synergy and stabilization and joint centration through the transitions at each developmental sequence, that’s where the magic happens in integrating dynamic movement into the sport you do.” [25:23]

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Prague School of Rehabilitation

The Czech Get-Up

IntelliSkin

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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Pelvic floor health is too often ignored by women. Especially after childbirth, but throughout life, the pelvic floor needs loving care. The great thing is that it is well within your control to address the needs and wellbeing of this important group of muscles. 

Isa Herrera is a licensed physical therapist, as well as an expert in integrative pelvic floor therapies in the field of women’s health. With expertise in diagnosing and treating pelvic pain, she has helped over ten thousand women at her NYC-based healing center through a combination of integrative modalities.

Isa and I discuss how you can best keep your pelvic floor healthy and strong. Whether or not you just had a child, there are steps you can take to maintain a fit pelvic floor. Isa starts by sharing why Kegels alone aren’t the answer and how to balance them out with reverse-Kegels.

Isa also shares what she’s learned about helping women create counter-balance for their normal exercises. Certain workouts can inadvertently tighten the pelvic floor which can lead to problems during childbirth. With Isa’s counter-balance exercises, this risk can be mitigated.

We also talk about what to do after childbirth to avoid damaging your pelvic floor. Many women are told that they can resume normal workouts after only a few weeks, but this can actually lead to more problems. Isa shares some tips on how to ease back into your old routines without causing avoidable trauma.

What was your greatest challenge returning to a regular workout after childbirth? Let’s talk about it in the comments on the episode page!

• The effects and limitations of the kegel if utilized properly along with reverse-Kegels
• Why certain exercise routines can lead to pelvic-floor complications during childbirth
• Tips for safely returning to your old workout routine after giving birth
• Why many women experience leaking and why they shouldn’t accept it
• The importance of knowing your pelvic anatomy so that you can better listen to your body

“As you’re doing the breath-work, you have to do the visualization. Sometimes you need visualization, you need breath-work, you need positioning to accomplish the exercise.” [7:29]

“There are so many ways to train the pelvic floor. It’s only limited by experience.” [11:57]

“You can’t rehab the core after labor and delivery and a cesarean if you’re not addressing the trigger-points in the belly.” [31:09]

“The guru and the doctor lives within you. All you need is the right mentor and the guide to bring that guru forward. You ultimately hold the entire key to your healing.” [39:22]

The Ultimate Guide to Happier Lady Parts

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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There are many causes of chronic pain. Sometimes it’s not even entirely physical or connected to the place that’s hurting. Healing is complex and not always a straightforward process. My guest today knows this as well as anyone and has developed a fantastic method that we can all benefit from.

Sue Hitzmann is the creator of the Melt Method, a simple self-treatment technique that helps people get out and stay out of chronic pain. She is a nationally recognized educator, manual therapist, exercise physiologist, and founding member of the Fascia Research Society. As the author of the New York Times bestselling book The MELT Method, Sue has helped over 200,000 people lead a healthy, pain-free life.

Today, Sue shares the story of how her own experience with chronic pain drove her to find a better solution. By seeing the connection between fascia, trauma, and pain, she was able to develop a method of treatment that people can do together or at home.

We talk about what we can do, starting with gently addressing the needs of our fascia, to address pain and get it under control. Sue’s Melt Method is designed to look at the larger dynamics of fascia and how it helps the free nerve endings in the body send messages to the brain. Gently addressing this dynamic system as a whole can do wonders eliminating pain.

We also discuss the importance of mindset and being brave enough to face the causes of our trauma and pain. Without this, we are just treating the symptoms. True healing is a transformative process that takes courage and determination. 

Have you ever addressed the underlying root causes of trauma and chronic pain? Let’s talk about it in the comments on the episode page!

• How trauma can lead to a lifetime of physical pain if left unaddressed
• The role of fascia in pain perception
• The need for a gentle approach to treating trauma and pain
• The power of touch for truly sensing one’s self and healing
• Identifying the less obvious root causes of pain
• The transformative process that comes from introspection and staying rooted in the present

“I realized that trauma can actually cause more pain in the body than an accident.” [2:47]

“Touch, in general, is really an effective way to alter the brain’s pathways that we miss.” [13:54]

“Pain is just the brain’s way of alerting you that something is not right. Pain is the great motivator to take action.” [16:17]

“Sometimes we’re reacting to something right now, but actually we’re not. We’re reacting to something of our past and putting it in the present…. Focus on what’s happening right now. Just start right now and peel those layers of the onion back. Suddenly you’ll realize how not present you really are.” [33:24]

“Sharing vulnerability is one of the most courageous steps of healing. We don’t move on from it. We walk through it and walk through it together.” [44:12]

Find Sue Hitzmann online

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Fascia Research Society

The MELT Method by Sue Hitzmann

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Urban Wellness Clinic

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