HNL Movement Podcast

In this episode, Andrew welcomes Kupono Fey, a professional volleyball athlete from Hawaii, as he shares his story and some of his greatest memories as an athlete.  Kupono played a wide range of sports growing up, always knowing that he wanted to be a professional athlete.  It wasn’t until high school that he chose volleyball as his primary sport.  Having a late start did not slow him down.  He learned quickly and went on to develop a storied career at the University of Hawaii.  Beginning with his freshman year in college, he took on a leadership role with his teammates, influencing the development of the team’s culture.  He was able to find his court presence, which had been encouraged earlier by a former coach of his.  He learned to bring more fire and confidence to the court, which came full circle when an iconic moment was captured from one of the biggest games in his collegiate career.  From the snapshot, taken of him in his big moment, a mural of him has been painted in the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.  After college, Kupono went on to play professional volleyball in Italy.  Kupono shares many great stories and experiences in this episode.  He is truly insightful and talks about how he prepares his body for a higher level of performance and his mind for mental toughness.  Listen in on this inspiring episode, with Andrew and Kupono Fey, and learn what it takes to go the extra mile and follow your passion. Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

How do you listen to your body?  Can you recognize the signals your body is giving you?  Why is this important?   In this episode, Andrew describes the importance of listening to your body while explaining how to do it.  Being able to tune into your body is a practice, and Andrew provides the information necessary to learn how to tune into this practice.  Learning to recognize the signals your body is giving you is a powerful skill.  Our bodies are always giving us internal signals, such as hunger, pain, muscle tightness, and emotions, to name a few.  There are certain factors that play a part in lowering our sensitivity to these signals.  We must be aware of these so that we can adjust and realign to create a clear signal to the brain.  Fad diets can be a cause for lower sensitivity, and so can unaddressed injuries.   Poor sleep patterns, stress, moods, and mindset can all play a part.  In this episode, Andrew provides information about the importance of listening to our bodies, as well as the tips that will get us back into coordination with our internal signals.  When we’re in tune with our bodies, we know when we’re hungry, we sleep better, and we’re better at knowing what to eat.  Practicing consistent behaviors to build awareness of our internal state will elevate our performance in life.  What behaviors are affecting your overall life?  Where could you be more consistent?  Tune into this episode and learn step by step how to tune into your internal self. Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

In this episode, Andrew interviews Neil Santiago, a certified athletic trainer, and strength and conditioning coach for military personnel and athletes of all types.  For over a decade, Neil has been working as a human performance program specialist at the US Army Schofield Barracks Health Clinic.  Neil works with servicemen and women daily, applying innovative and effective techniques for elevating their performance.  As an athlete growing up in Hawaii, he was introduced to athletic training after an injury during fall camp his senior year of high school.  From this experience, and through what he learned, he was inspired to become an athletic trainer himself.  He pursued athletic training at Oregon State University and then went on to continue his studies as a certified athletic trainer graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii.  Neil and Andrew share a lot of the same philosophies and talk about blending the worlds of athletic training and strength & conditioning.  In this conversation, they dive into the subject of approaching rehabilitation from a different perspective.  Neil takes a very personal and multi-dimensional approach to training and rehabilitation.  He believes in looking at all aspects of each client’s life.  Most people focus on three main categories for optimal performance, which include activity, sleep, and nutrition.  He addresses the importance of these areas, but he takes a further approach to include social aspects, professional development, and emotional health of each person.  He believes in being a personal resource for each client, instead of giving them a plan and sending them off.  He encourages his clients to pay attention to their physiological responses, something major that he learned himself while in the military.  This is a useful skill to develop a preventative mindset, which saves time, frustration, and injuries.   This episode is packed full of great advice, strategies, and of course, stories.  Listen in for some knowledge and inspiration from these two experts! Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

Are you religiously icing parts of your body because of aches, pains, and poor recovery? Believe it or not, utilizing ice is not as popular as you would think around the world. Yet, in the US, we tend to slap ice on everyone, everything, and anything that has performed something active. To be clear, I am not saying that ice as a modality is useless. Ice causes specific effects that have its place in sports medicine, which is to reduce local circulation, cellular communication, and overall metabolism as well as being very effective in controlling pain. Unfortunately, many people who consistently ice after every outing are putting a band aid over more complex issues that are negatively affecting recovery and performance. Listen in to this episode where I share some of my experiences and thoughts with icing and helping each athlete return to optimal levels of performance. Learn to listen to your body, tune it up, and get better everyday. Enjoy the episode! Aloha!Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

This episode is filled with many great stories from Ronley Lakalaka, former San Diego State University linebacker.  Andrew sits down with Ronley, covering his background, experiences, and his take on developing mental and physical toughness.  Growing up in Hawaii with a big family in athletics, Ronley played a wide range of sports, and football took hold at a fairly early age.  He speaks about the transition into college football and his experience playing on some of the biggest stages in college football as the middle linebacker at SDSU.  Ronley talks about playing through injuries and also how he stayed focused in school while playing at the collegiate level.  This is a great episode for aspiring athletes, as Ronley shares his journey through college and into where he is now, pursuing his dreams of playing in professional football while working to make a difference in the world with his degree in Political Science.  He hopes to serve his local community and make the voices of others heard.  This is a truly captivating episode, a conversation not to miss! Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

Have you ever done certain exercises or strength training where you didn’t feel the right muscles turning on?  In this episode, Andrew talks about enhancing neuromuscular activation.  Making sure that the right muscles are turned on during any movement or exercise is crucial for injury prevention.  An indication of not having the right muscles firing during an exercise can be soreness or joint discomfort in other areas of the body that were trying to compensate for the intended muscles you were trying to strengthen.  This is highly common amongst athletes at all levels, from the elite to the beginners who are just starting their fitness journeys.  Andrew dives into detail about what you can do to enhance your neuromuscular activation, no matter what level you are at.  Listen in on this episode as Andrew shares the key concepts and strategies for enhancing the muscle-to-brain connection to help you move well and perform optimally.  Tune in and listen to Andrew’s expert tips on how to feel and execute exercises better, which will help you to maximize the benefits of your training.  Enjoy!Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

This week’s episode features the one and only Tony Silva, from Da Braddah’s and Friends!  Da Braddah’s and Friends is a local comedy show in Waikiki, led by Tony and James Roche.  Tony is not only full of hilarious stories and great insight, but he is sure to make you laugh.  In this episode, Tony shares his background and his journey with sports and professional entertainment.  His performance experience began with dancing.  Being a natural comedian, his backstage pranks in between performances are partly what led to his career in comedy.    For the past 4 years, Tony has been an avid marathon runner.  One of his stories includes an incident where nearly avoided getting seriously injured while filming a sketch on a scooter.   He shares some tips and tricks here about how he’s learned to prevent injury so that he can continue to run marathons.  Andrew and Tony have teamed up together recently and are launching an online course very soon.  Stay tuned to hear more about this jam-packed online course that is geared to the working-age professional who is looking to elevate their health, fitness, and performance in activities and life.  Sit back and enjoy this conversation between and Andrew and Tony on life, activities, and elevating performance.  https://dabraddahs.com/IG: @dabraddahsDid you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

Listen in to this basic breakdown covering the common mechanisms of hamstring strains, considerations for rehab and training after injury, and how to return to sports safely with optimal performance. If you have suffered a hamstring strain before, you very well understand what a nagging issue it can become. Functional disruptions and compensations contribute to the increased risks of subsequent hamstring injuries following the initial strain. This episode explains the neuromuscular disruptions and factors that I investigate to effectively restore functional and sport specific movements. I also mention how I just heard of emotional regulation training and plan to do more research with the actual clinical practices that entails. The best part of making these solo episodes is that it helps me to continually learn and share my experiences with all of you. Listen in and share the episode with anyone that has gone through hamstring injuries. Enjoy the episode!Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

This episode features Matt Kwock, a physician assistant and good friend of Andrew.   Listen to this conversation between Matt and Andrew about what it means to play it smart while living big.  Matt talks about setting specific goals while staying in line with your values.   Matt has some great stories from growing up as a lifetime student in Punahou, playing a wide range of sports, and falling in love with football.  Along with his love of football, came some injuries along the way.  He learned a lot about mental toughness and the growth through his own injuries.  One of his experiences healing from injury is what inspired him to go into the field of healthcare, which led to his career as a physician’s assistant.  Matt is also a photographer and has done some daring photo shoots while surfing.  Matt and Andrew agree that being an active person includes certain risks, but building awareness and minimizing risks is a practice important for every athlete.  Fitness is a way of taking care of yourself and having certain goals in mind.  This conversation is infused with a lot of great knowledge and advice, especially for those who want to go deeper into their goals. IG: @mmkwockDid you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio

This is a very informative episode and one not to miss if you’ve ever experienced any issues with IT band tightness or have felt any sort of knee pain.  The common solution for people is to grab a foam roller and roll out the IT band, but this approach is very broad.  IT band tightness is being caused by something else, so Andrew explains in this episode how to address these issues from a multi-faceted approach.  Why is the IT band tight?  What causes this issue?  Andrew goes into depth about the function of the IT band, which is a thickening of fascia that works as connective tissue, working to stabilize the hips and the knees.  The IT band connects to the hip musculature and complements the workload of the glutes.  Andrew describes what contributes to IT band tightness and how to address the actual cause.  For example, dysfunctional movement, a change in equipment, and core imbalances can all be contributing factors to this issue.  Tune in and learn more about the functions of this highly important connective tissue, the ways that it supports other joints and muscle groups, and how you can use this information to train more effectively.  Enjoy this episode!Did you enjoy this episode?Please subscribe and leave a review on:AppleSpotifyGooglePandoraiHeartRadio