Totum Wellness Podcast

Tim and Stacy Irvine close out Season 3 by revisiting the most impactful insights from this season's health experts. Topics covered include foot function and injury prevention, lifestyle medicine and habit building, HRV data and wearable technology, movement variety in youth and adult athletes, gut health and nutrition, personalized health approaches, diaphragmatic breathing and spine stability, functional capacity, HIIT training, and the role of carbohydrates in athletic performance.

00:00 Intro

03:07 Foot Function & Why It Matters for Performance

04:37 Lifestyle Medicine: The 5-Minute Walking Story

07:05 HRV & How to Actually Use Wearable Data

09:35 Movement Variety in Youth & Adult Athletics

12:36 Gut Health: Eat More Red Foods

15:37 The N of One Philosophy: Personalized Health

19:22 Breathing Into the Back of the Rib Cage

21:27 DNS & Functional Capacity Explained

25:12 HIIT Training & The Mile Repeat Workout

27:00 Cooper Institute Study: Mile Time Predicts Longevity

30:44 Why Carbs Are Not the Enemy for Active People

33:36 The Bowl Meal Strategy for Athletic Performance

35:28 Season 4 Preview & What's Coming Next

Dr. Waj Hoda is a chiropractor at Totum Life Science who specializes in Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) and the connection between breathing mechanics and injury prevention. He explains why most people breathe incorrectly, how shallow mouth breathing causes low back pain, and how retraining the diaphragm creates automatic spine stability without extra effort.Waj breaks down why nasal breathing produces nitric oxide that improves oxygenation, how the diaphragm creates intra-abdominal pressure that stabilizes the spine (the volleyball analogy), and why mouth breathing in children changes the shape of their jaw and increases anxiety. He explains how to assess your own breathing quality, why belly breathing cues are often wrong, how box breathing reduces acute pain and muscle guarding, and the simple 5-10 breath exercise done three times a day that retrains diaphragmatic function. This episode reveals why breathing is free medicine for chronic pain, performance, anxiety, and recovery.

00:00 - Intro

01:04 - Why Breathing Is Taken for Granted

03:26 - Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Why It Matters

05:05 - Nitric Oxide, Vasodilation & Oxygen Intake

07:24 - Why Mouth Breathing Changes Jaw Shape in Children

09:42 - Stacy's Daughter: How Mouth Breathing Affects Kids' Behavior

11:48 - The Diaphragm Explained: How Breathing Stabilizes Your Spine

14:04 - Intra-Abdominal Pressure: The Volleyball Analogy

17:02 - The Difference Between 2cm and 10-12cm Diaphragm Excursion

18:12 - Box Breathing for Acute Pain & Muscle Guarding

22:05 - How to Assess Your Own Breathing Quality

25:43 - Why "Belly Breathing" Cues Are Often Wrong

29:01 - The Diaphragm Is a Muscle You Can Train

33:19 - How Sedentary Life & Devices Weaken the Diaphragm

40:39 - The Best Exercise to Retrain Diaphragmatic Breathing

Nikki Fraser holds master's degrees in kinesiology and health psychology. She explains why high-intensity interval training targets visceral fat better than moderate cardio, how the 10x1 protocol works (one minute hard, one minute rest, 10 times), and why even 3-4 minutes of vigorous activity per day reduces mortality risk based on VILPA research.

Nikki covers how often to do HIIT without overtraining, why consistency matters more than perfection, how to track workouts for accountability, and why recovery capacity changes with age. This episode reveals practical ways to add intervals into busy schedules and how community-based training helps maintain long-term consistency.

00:00 - Intro

01:35 - HIIT Research: Visceral Fat & Cardiorespiratory Fitness

02:50 - The 10x1 Protocol & How to Start (3 Intervals First)

07:07 - Mile Repeats vs. Short Intervals: What Works

11:55 - How Often to Do HIIT (2-3x/Week, But 1x Still Works)

13:49 - VILPA Research: 3-4 Minutes of Daily Vigorous Activity

18:05 - When to Skip HIIT (The Hangover Test)

20:48 - Consistency Over Perfection & The Long Game

23:30 - Wearables & Paper Calendar Tracking for Accountability

28:29 - Balancing HIIT With Strength Training

33:50 - Community Makes Hard Workouts Sustainable

42:47 - Adding HIIT to Endurance Training Programs

44:44 - Recovery Becomes Critical With Age

She fed Canada's Olympic beach volleyball team at the Rio Games — and she says most athletes are getting nutrition completely wrong.

Nicole Springle is a Registered Sport Dietitian who has worked with Olympians Sophie Bukovic and Heather Bainsley. In this episode she breaks down what elite athletes actually eat, why iron deficiency silently destroys performance, and the one supplement she recommends to literally everyone.

Whether you're a competitive athlete, a sports parent, or just trying to eat smarter — this one's for you.

00:00 Intro

03:08 Feeding Olympians at Rio (& What They Actually Ate)

07:35 The Biggest Nutrition Gaps in Young Athletes

10:20 How Much Protein Do Athletes Actually Need?

15:50 The Athlete Plate Method (& Why Carbs Win)

21:45 Practical Meal Prep for Busy Athletes

23:03 Iron Deficiency: The Silent Performance Killer

36:06 Vitamin D: The One Supplement Everyone Needs

Dr. Keenan O'Young is a chiropractor at Totum who specializes in foot function and injury prevention. He breaks down why most people have weak, deconditioned feet, how poor foot function creates injuries up the kinetic chain, and the key exercises that build strength, mobility, and control in your feet.Keenan explains why the big toe is the most important joint in your foot, how to test if you can isolate your toes independently (most people can't), what the "short foot" exercise does for your arch, and why walking barefoot can be a training stimulus if you've been wearing padded shoes your whole life. He covers how bunions develop and how function can be restored through dedicated training, why flat feet alone aren't the problem (it's about strength and mobility), when to use orthotics vs. when to strengthen, and how limited ankle dorsiflexion causes plantar fasciitis and Achilles issues. This episode reveals the foot-ankle connection, why vacation injuries happen, and how to build the foundation that prevents knee pain, hip pain, and the shuffling gait that happens when foot strength disappears with age.

00:00 - Intro

01:52 - Why Foot Function Isn't Talked About Enough

03:28 - Foot as First Link in the Kinetic Chain

04:13 - Foot Strength & Speed in High-Performance Athletes

05:01 - The 4 Key Foot Function Tests

08:11 - Short Foot Exercise: Doming Your Arch

10:31 - Walking Barefoot as a Training Stimulus

13:04 - The Vibram Shoe Disaster (Don't Do This)

15:24 - Keenan's Bunion Story & Recovery Timeline

18:07 - Born to Run & What Feet Are Capable Of

20:30 - Big Toe Extension: Why It Matters & How to Train It

22:41 - The Ankle Break That Changed Tim's Foot Function

25:19 - Most Common Foot Issues: Plantar Fasciitis & Achilles

28:03 - Favorite Foot Exercises for Injury Prevention

32:36 - Orthotics, Inserts & Footwear: When to Use Them

Zack Kelly is a performance coach and psychophysiologist who specializes in helping clients interpret and apply performance data. His master's research focused on heart rate variability, and he works with athletes and everyday clients to optimize training using metrics like HRV, force plate testing, and VO2 max assessments.

Zack discusses what heart rate variability actually measures and why wearable devices often misinterpret the data. He explains why high HRV isn't always a sign of good recovery, how blunted HRV responses can indicate underlying health issues, and why tracking trends over time matters more than daily scores. The conversation covers force plate testing for detecting asymmetries and injury risk, the psychological pitfalls of becoming too data-dependent, and how to build a healthy relationship with wearable technology. Zack shares practical strategies for using metrics effectively, including focusing on one variable at a time, looking at big-picture trends rather than daily fluctuations, and knowing when to trust your body over the numbers.

00:00 - Intro

01:37 - What Is HRV and Why Does It Matter?

03:33 - Why High HRV Isn't Always Good

05:34 - Blunted HRV Response in Clinical Populations

07:46 - Addressing Asymmetries With Force Plate Testing

12:55 - The Danger of Over-Interpreting Data

19:05 - When to Actually Pay Attention to Your Numbers

22:56 - Understanding Zone 2 Training

28:00 - How to Use Wearables Without Obsessing

35:24 - Preparing for VO2 Max Testing

40:06 - What Performance Coaches Actually Track

Dr. Amanda Marrone is a family medicine physician and lifestyle medicine practitioner at Optimal U in Toronto. She focuses on using behavioral interventions and lifestyle factors to prevent and treat chronic disease at its root cause.

Dr. Marrone discusses why the conventional healthcare model works well for acute disease but struggles with chronic conditions, and how lifestyle medicine addresses the root causes of disease through six core pillars: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, avoidance of harmful substances, and social connection. She explains the importance of specific blood tests that many doctors don't routinely order, how personalized testing can detect metabolic dysfunction years before disease appears, and why lifestyle medicine works alongside conventional treatments rather than replacing them. The conversation covers her "one thing" approach to sustainable habit change, why feeling better is the most powerful motivator for lifestyle shifts, and how patients can take control of their health through individualized testing and evidence-based lifestyle interventions.

00:00 - Intro

00:43 - What Is Lifestyle Medicine?

03:34 - Why Time Matters in Healthcare

08:12 - Blood Work as a Window Into Metabolic Health

13:15 - The 4 Critical Tests Your Doctor Isn't Ordering

17:37 - Sleep Apnea: The Undiagnosed Epidemic

21:13 - Why Normal Blood Sugar Doesn't Mean You're Safe

24:12 - How Testing Drives Behavior Change

28:19 - Lifestyle Medicine + Conventional Medicine (Not Either/Or)

31:03 - The "One Thing" Approach to Habit Change

36:15 - Movement Snacks & Longevity

40:02 - Why Weight Loss Should Be a Side Effect, Not the Goal

Kris Robertson is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Raptors 905 (NBA G-League) and Sport Scientist with the Toronto Argonauts (CFL). He previously served as Head Coach of Strength and Conditioning at Simon Fraser University and is a former professional athlete drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2013.

Kris discusses what separates winning teams from talented teams that fall short, including the role of luck, continuity, and teamwork in championship success. He shares insights from the 2017 Grey Cup Champion Argonauts, where Coach Marc Trestman's philosophy of making everyone feel important created a winning culture. The conversation covers the specialist versus generalist problem that creates silos in organizations, why self-awareness is critical for leadership, how understanding your biases changes the way you communicate, and why over-communication prevents team breakdowns. Kris explains why winning can cover up broken systems until it's too late, how to get comfortable with discomfort, and why personal accountability is foundational to success in sports, business, and life.

00:00 - Intro

00:49 - Why Some Teams Win: Talent, System & Luck

04:14 - Making Everyone Feel Important

05:40 - The Silo Problem: Specialist vs. Generalist

10:58 - What Athletes Tell Strength Coaches (That Coaches Never Hear)

13:05 - Why Winning Covers Up Broken Systems

15:32 - Understanding Your Biases to Lead Effectively

19:21 - Applying Self-Awareness to Parenting & Personal Life

21:03 - Over-Communication: The Championship Difference

23:31 - Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

26:57 - Accountability: Doing the Self-Work

Kyle Buchanan is a certified nutritional practitioner who breaks down why gut diversity determines everything from your energy levels to how badly hangovers hit you. He explains the 30-plant-foods-per-week benchmark that creates a healthier microbiome, why most people are digesting protein poorly, and how supporting digestion before meals changes absorption entirely. He discusses which peptides show real promise for tissue repair, which ones are unregulated Wild West territory, and why foundational habits still outperform quick fixes.

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• Website: totum.ca

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• Instagram: @totumwellness

FOLLOW KYLE:

• Website: kylebuchanan.ca

• Podcast (feelgoodery): Apple Podcasts | Spotify

• Instagram: @itskyleb

00:00 - Intro

03:43 - The 3 Nutritional Must-Haves: Variety, Protein, Digestion

15:08 - How to Support Digestion Before, During & After Meals

21:22 - Stomach Acid Declines With Age

23:12 - The Truth About Probiotics: Personalized vs. Generic

28:32 - Prebiotics: The Missing Piece Everyone Ignores

Mike Kessel, the CEO of Cleveland Clinic Canada, reveals that we aren't just passengers in our own health journey since 90% of our health after age 60 is determined by lifestyle, not DNA. He advocates for a "50/50" ownership model where individuals use handheld diagnostic technology to monitor their own heart, lungs, and throat to bypass the E.R. and stay ahead of a field where medical knowledge doubles every 73 days. Because chronic stress can subtract 42 years from your life, Mike focuses on closing the 10-year "quality gap" by choosing "fun" over boring routines—a philosophy that took him from a childhood table tennis champion and founder of the Cardiac Smash tournament to a qualifier for the 2026 US Open Pickleball championships.

00:00 - Intro

08:45 - The 90% Rule: Lifestyle vs. Genetics after 60

11:30 - The 10-Year Gap: Healthspan vs. Lifespan

15:40 - Medical Knowledge is Doubling Every 73 Days

18:20 - Fixing High Cholesterol: Data-Driven Life Changes

21:15 - Distributed Healthcare: Moving Beyond Bricks & Mortar

26:00 - Why the Canadian Healthcare System is Aging

31:30 - Public vs. Private: Accessing Cardiology & Sports Med via OHIP

35:00 - Live Demo: The $400 Handheld Diagnostic Device

45:00 - Fun as a Health Metric: Finding Your "Strain"