The Optimal Body

Going through pelvic organ prolapse? Considering surgery? Thinking about pregnancy? Katie Goss takes us through her story with multiple pelvic organ prolapses and her experience with the healthcare industry. As she educates more in an online space, through Whealth, she speaks to changing the realms within the healthcare industry and the importance of valuing child care. Furthermore, she describes her prolapse symptoms, providing insight into her initial experiences with pelvic floor physical therapy, and how it took time for her to find the right one. Providing the physiology behind prolapse and the different stages, she dives into what she did to return to running and lifting. Moreover, Katie discusses how pelvic organ prolapse is diagnosed and whether or not repercussions of her surgery persist. She gets vulnerable about pelvic pain and her decision to choose surgery, ultimately sharing the purpose behind Whealth! Tune in! 30 Days of Strength and Mobility: 30 Days of Strength and Mobility! We’re focussing on Strength & Mobility this time around. DocJen is going to show up with you every day for 20 days to open up your mobility, build consistency, re-coordinate your core, and build some true strength. We’re getting to the roots of form and the body, moving you forward to feel something different. Through these shownotes, you'll still be able to get a special discount using code OPTIMAL20 at checkout! Come Join Our Community and Get Strong! What You Will Learn in this Interview with Katie Goss: 3:23 - Katie’s background - changing realms within the healthcare industry 7:16 - Educating more in an online space 11:57  - Valuing Childcare 13:11 - Valuing Childcare 17:52 - How did Katie return to running & PT 20:36 - What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse & the different stages 23:27 - Examinations & Diagnosis 25:40- How did Katie work on her prolapse 28:16  - Katie’s experience with surgery for her prolapse 31:20 - Did surgery help Katie’s symptoms 33:36 - Has Katie felt any repercussions after her surgery? 39:38 - The purpose behind Whealth 42:15 - Pillars of Whealth Items mentioned: Whealth Website Whealth Instagram To learn more about Katie and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/181 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Been through a miscarriage? Perhaps, loss? Are hospitals too generalized? Is the medical institution set up to treat trauma, the individual? DocJen & Dr. Dom get real about their recent experience with miscarriage. Loss, pain, trauma, healing – they discuss it all. From start to finish, Jen dives into her how her symptoms progressed and how she advocated for herself through her experience in the hospital. From lack of communication to an overwhelming and unnecessary amount of tests that repeatedly confirmed the loos of her baby, DocJen and Dr. Dom provide insight into the operations behind the medical system, insurance, finance, and the lack of general humanization when approaching patients. With an overarching emphasis on asking better questions, they express their concerns with the lack of patient-doctor communication, treatment protocols, and navigating choices in addressing a miscarriage. As DocJen gets vulnerable with her physical and emotional traumas throughout the experience, Dr. Dom faces the anger and frustration with the repercussions of feeling helpless with hospital orders. Finally, as they find their way through the healing process, they reveal the true realities of miscarriages and loss. Optimal Body Therapy Kit: Grab your Therapy Kit now! It’s a portable home therapy equipment kit with 12 pieces of professional physical therapy equipment for improved flexibility, stability & strength to reduce pain & improve muscular activation. This kit includes: 4 resistance band lengths, 4 resistance band loops, 1 pull up band, 1 jump rope, 2 sliders 2 towels and a mesh bag. And, when you purchase this kit, you will also get access to Dr. Jen Esquer’s 7 Day Back Pain Program for absolutely free. These are low-impact exercises that you can do anywhere you’re at with the use of your Optimal Body Therapy Kit. Grab an extra discount using code OPTIMAL10 at checkout! What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 01:35 - Communities as an initial resource 02:50 - Options, Risks & figuring out your doctor’s language 06:15 - No matter where you are in the journey, it’s still a loss 10:49 - Miscarry & its done? The true impact on your body as a miscarriage 16:14 - Navigating repetitive confirmation of miscarriage 19:06 - Advocacy for yourself: Testing & financial communication 21:31 - Advocacy for yourself: Asking questions 23:12 - Insurance & the medical system‌‌ 24:13 - Doctors need to communicate the pros and cons of every treatment‌‌ 27:17 - Labor with miscarriage‌‌ 38:20 - The importance of positions & how it affects examinations 44:27 - A miscarriage is not a day - how necessary is a DNC surgery?‌‌‌‌ 49:31 - True aftermath of miscarriage‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ Watch Episode 180 on Youtube For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/180 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thinking about pregnancy? Curious about getting pregnant and how to stay pregnant. Tasha Blasi, the fertility consultant, provides us with a holistic approach to fertility. Utilizing science, space, energy, and support to form her unique approach, Tasha explains where her passion for fertility came about and the importance of root cause over science. Then, she discusses what she wishes she knew when during her IVF journey and the role mental clutter plays in physical illness. She dives into how you can begin to de-clutter the mind with one simple tool. Furthermore, Tasha provides insight into understanding the education behind fertility-specialized doctors, and the role of integrative medicine for fertility. Finally, Tasha discusses the role of stress and fertility, how you can optimize sperm and egg health by approaching your environment, the emotional vibrational stage, and how you can optimize your biological age to preserve fertility at an older age. Let’s dive in. PRX Gym Equipment Discount: Looking for gym equipment? PRX performance has got you covered with a variety of gym equipment that you can easily store in a compact and easily accessible manner. Grab your PRX equipment now! Use code OPTIMAL at checkout to get a discount! What You Will Learn in this Interview with Tasha Blasi: 3:38 - Where did Tasha’s passion for fertility come from 5:00 - 10 rounds of IVF - did anything change throughout the process? 8:07  - Root cause over 11:03 - What Tasha wishes she knew during her journey? 12:26 - The best mental tool to address your emotions 12:26 - Conventional shoe vs minimalist shoes 18:36 - Fertility-specialized doctors & their role in integrative medicine 21:34- Relax & get pregnant? 26:15  -  Optimizing sperm & egg through your environment 29:42 - Emotional vibrational scale 33:25 - Getting pregnant at an older age 37:08 - Last tip bit from Tasha & where you can learn more with her Items mentioned: Tasha’s Website Tasha’s Instagram To learn more about Tasha and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/179 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Abs vs Core? Is there a difference? DocJen & Dr. Dom dive into the anatomy of what we know as the abs and how that differs from the true core. They provide insight into the transverse abdominal activation, how it may relate to back pain, and where belts for lifting should be considered. Furthermore, they discuss the importance of midline stability, providing cues and descriptions of their 3 favorite ab and core exercises. Let’s dive in! What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 01:09 - Anatomy of the abdominal region 02:04 - TV activation & core 03:22 - Anatomy of true core & midline stability 06:00 - Belts, the core, and lifting 07:33 - Fundamentals of ab exercises 14:40 - Core exercises 20:40 - Learn with Jen about the core! Watch Episode 178 on Youtube We think you’ll love: FREE Week of the Jen Health Membership FREE Low Back Pain Course! Jen’s Instagram Dom’s Instagram YouTube Channel For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/178 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Want to transition into barefoot shoes? Dr. Laura, doctor of physical therapy, preaches optimal foot functionality by spending time barefoot, but with safety and slow progression. As a gymnast, she spent much of her upbringing barefoot, however, with several foot fractures, she briefly speaks into how combining the use of the minimal shoe and conventional shoe can be beneficial in transitioning to going fully barefoot! She provides insight into why your feet may be in pain after wearing barefoot shoes, and how minimalist shoes differ from the conventional shoe. Furthermore, she speaks about how the physical therapy industry is evolving and becoming more popular amongst athletes, how in-clinic experiences differ from online physical therapy sessions, and whether physical therapy can be for everyone. She speaks about movement diets and the importance of introducing variety and reflection in approaching movement and health! Let’s dive into the world of optimal foot health and physical therapy with Dr. Laura! VivoBarefoot Discount How may VivoBarefoot shoes be beneficial? Through building strength in the foot and teaching the foot to accommodate your own body! A study showed a 60% increase in foot strength by wearing VivoBarefoot shoes for 6 months consistently, and you a little over 3 months to return your shoes. Try them out and invest in your health. Use code ‘TOB‘ to get 15% off!  **Vivo offers a 100-Day trial period. If you are not completely satisfied, you can send the shoes back and get a refund. What You Will Learn in this Interview with Dr. Laura 3:00 - What drove Dr. Laura’s passion for physical therapy 4:13 - Is physical therapy becoming popular amongst athletes? 5:22  - Where does the “paradigm of perfection” come from? 6:48 - Physical therapy in clinic vs online 10:16 - Can physical therapy be for everyone? 12:24 - Conventional shoe vs minimalist shoes 15:30 - Why your feet may be hurting wearing barefoot shoes? 17:47 - Navigating the transition to barefoot shoes 20:06  -  Explaining movement diets 21:13 - What exercise can look like for YOU 23:08 - How to add exercise to reduce aches/ injuries 24:14 - Starting movement assessments & maintaining consistency 26:14 -  Differentiating between soreness & pain 27:27 - Improving range of motion vs reducing stress 28:20 - How do you know if you’re drinking enough water 30:30 - Do you need to self-assess? 32:57 - Learning more with Dr. Laura Items mentioned: Dr. Laura's Website Dr. Laura's Instagram To learn more about Dr. Laura and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/177 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dealing with soreness? Concerned about your soreness? DocJen & Dr. Dom dive answer frequently asked questions about the science behind soreness. Diving into what delayed onset muscle awareness is, where you might feel it, and why soreness occurs, DocJen & Dr. Dom describe the types of exercises that might elicit a greater soreness response and what other factors could be contributing to the degree of soreness felt. As an adaptation mechanism, they provide insight into whether or not soreness is bad and how you can distinguish between pain and soreness. Finally, they provide their best tips for managing soreness and discuss soreness in relation to heat, ice, foam rolling, massage guns, and massages! Let’s dive in! What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 02:21 - What are DOMS? 04:54 - Why we get DOMS 05:47 - Types of exercise that might 06:18 - Other factors contributing to the degree of DOMS 09:46 - Brain Protection: Are DOMS bad? 10:55 - Pain indicating damage vs pain indicating adaptation 14:19 - Management of DOMS 17:45 - Heat vs Cold for DOMS 20:47 - Foam rolling & massage guns for DOMS Watch Episode 176 on Youtube For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/176 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Struggling with back pain? Feel like your back pain is never getting better? Tim Reynolds and Bryan Guzksi, physical therapists, take you from PT school to clinical practice as they hone in on how their curiosity drove their career path. Then, they discuss the psychology behind back pain and how you can trust that your back pain will resolve. In the name of research and clinical experience, Tim & Bryan share how physical therapy can support back pain and the best ways in which you can address your back pain as you navigate the world of physical therapists to find your optimal one. As they provide tips in finding a physical therapist, they discuss the importance of shifting language around the medical diagnosis and how language plays a role in instilling fear in patients. As psychology plays an immense role in pain perception, they provide their best tips to navigating the fear around back pain, how to set yourself up for success at your medical appointments, and how education about pain science should be consensual and on the patient’s terms. Finally, they share the purpose behind their book and how practitioners and the general public get educated now! Let’s dive in! PRX Gym Equipment Discount: Looking for ways to work out at home or create your own at-home gym? DocJen & Dr. Dom used PRX performance to build their at-home gym. With innovative designs to t store and set up your gym to make a small space feed big, smash your next product with quality-conscious PRX Performance equipment! You can also grab and extra discount using code OPTIMAL at checkout! What You Will Learn in this Interview with Tim Reynolds and Bryan Guzski 3:54 - How and why did Tim specialize in the spine? 5:08 - What is the benefit of residency? 10:58  - Did residency help imposter syndrome? 11:54  - How can you trust that your back pain will resolve 14:55 - How physical therapy supports back pain 18:05 - How to find YOUR PT? 22:29 - Shifting the language around medical diagnosis 24:46 - Navigating fear around back pain vs what’s really happening 30:21 - How to get the most out of your medical appointments 40:04 - Inspiration behind the book 43:36 - Purpose behind the book 39:57 - Is there an easy method to calculating caloric needs 47:13 - Where you can find the “Movers & Mentors” book Items mentioned: Movers & Mentors Website Movers 6 Mentors Podcast Movers & Mentors Instagram To learn more about Tim &  Bryan and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/175 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do you warm-up? Cooldown? At times, warm-ups and cool-downs feel unimportant or a waste of time, however, DocJen & Dr. Dom break the confusion in this episode. With a high emphasis on specificity, they explain the importance of strategically warming up the body to prepare for the upcoming movement and cool down to truly downregulate the system and facilitate recovery. After explaining the RAMP protocol, explaining neuromuscular coordination and proprioception, they provide examples of an optimal warm-up for running, lower body strength, and HIIT workouts. Then, they dive into how you can optimize your cooldowns, and Dr. Jen explains why she loves to use mobility flows and core at the end of her workouts to downregulate the system gradually. Let’s dive in! VivoBarefoot Discount Allow your toes to breathe, and give your foot the space and environment to move through its full range, gain mobility, and strength from within. Gain functionality back in your feet as you give back to the environment with VivoBarefoot Shoes! As a listener of the podcast, get 15% off using our code at checkout using code “TOB“. **Vivo offers a 100-Day trial period. If you are not completely satisfied, you can send the shoes back and get a refund. What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 03:36 - When are warm-ups important? 05:13 - RAMP Protocol 09:34 - Why do you need to warm-up 12:16 - Warming up for a run 14:47 - Warming up for the deadlift 17:47 - Warming up for HIIT workouts 19:10 - How to optimize your cooldowns? 22:30 - Mobility & core at the end of workouts 24;09 - What the research says. Watch Episode 174 on Youtube For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/174 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lose weight by eating more or less? Jason Philips takes us back to his teens as he shares his perspective on dealing with Anorexia Nervosa. With his story inspiring his passion for nutrition education, he simplifies the rabbit hole of fat loss and nutrition, explaining caloric maintenance, restoring biofeedback, and true stress management. Through his triangle of awareness approach, he speaks about how you can set yourself up for your most optimal fitness journey and how to approach dieting according to your goals. Furthermore, he explains body signals that may arise when disordered habits have a physiological effect, clarifies the theory behind eating more to lose weight, the quality of nutrition and explains the nuances in physiological adaptations to caloric deficits for weight loss. Immerse in the simplified truths around our physiological adaptations! Paleo Valley Discount: Dr. Jen & Dr. Dom swear by Paleovalley because they know everything that is in their beef sticks and can trust the ingredients list. There’s no vague labeling or words they don’t understand on the packaging! Stack them up in your pantry using code ‘OPTIMAL’ to get a 15% discount at checkout. What You Will Learn in this Interview with Jason Philips 4:13 - Why Jason is passionate about nutrition education 6:45 - Was Jason diagnosed with an eating disorder? 6:11  - How did Jason heal his relationship with food? 14:58 - Triangle of awareness and aligning your fitness journey 18:22 - Starting blocks to creating YOUR triangle of awareness 22:20 - Dieting for fat loss? 26:15 - How to set up yourself up 29:03 - Eat more to lose weight? 33:23 - Body signals that something may not be right 35:55 - Exercise & managing nutrition for fat loss 39:57 - Is there an easy method to calculating caloric needs 42:55 - Is the fast food calorie = whole food calorie 48:21 - Where can you learn more with Jason Items mentioned: Jason's Nutrition Program Jason's Instagram To learn more about Jason and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/173 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is a weak core giving you back pain? Feeling your low back during core exercises? Will core workouts rid your back pain? DocJen & Dr. Dom debunk common myths surrounding the relationship between core exercises and back pain. Clarifying the possible roots of back pain, they explain the how the biopsychosocial model in relation to expectations, mindsets, and beliefs surrounding interventions and pain perception. Furthermore, they dive into the anatomy of the core and what it encompasses, how movement can inhibit pain, the perks of strength training for overall back health, and how to begin and progress core exercises to truly optimize integrity and coordination throughout the body. Let’s get the fact straight about core & back pain! Coba Board Discount: Feeling your low back? Grab your Coba Board. We hear our community share their stories about how using the Coba Board has changed their low-back pain game. How? By truly activating your glutes. it’s time to feel something different. Work with different resistances and a specially shaped board to help you activate your glutes, safely load your spine, and prevent your low back or quads from overcompensating.  Use code  ‘OPTIMAL’ at checkout . What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 02:32 - WIll core exercises cure your back pain? 05:00 - Is all back pain a consequence of a weak core? 08:04 - Why core exercise may be helpful for some individuals? 10:33 - Research on Strength training 13:55 - 4 Types of Core Movements 15:48 - Is there bad movement? Is it always correlated with pain? 16:36 - Move in different ways to build core integrity 17:56 - How the biopsychosocial model is related to pain 22:22 - How to start addressing the core 24:56 - How to progress core exercises 17:56 - Relieving symptoms to relieve symptoms Watch Episode 172 on Youtube For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/172 Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.