The Optimal Body

Feel like you are too old to start exercising? Have an aesthetic goal, but trying to navigate body positivity? In need of tips for finding balance and flexibility with discipline and intuitive eating? Don Saladino, the celebrity trainer and fitness expert, offers a compelling perspective on aging, goal setting, body positivity, nutrition, and finding a balanced lifestyle for YOU. With an emphasis on individualization and intuition, Don Saladino shares what can resurrect when limiting mindsets about exercise and age are shifted and how he gets clients looking forward to movement again. Don shares how he approaches a friend’s goal and how they followed up with the magic words “What’s next.” Then, Don shares how he navigates aesthetic goals with an open and mindful approach, discussing discipline and addressing its fine line with dysregulated habits around eating. In addition to a discussion about setting goals, Don discusses the phenomena of metabolic flexibility and how to approach cravings, calories, and blood sugar. Finally, Don talks about his experience with 15 years of in-person coaching and expanding to a global community, and how his lifestyle transfers into his children’s lives.  Lean into wisdom with Don! Coba Board Home Gym Discount: Feeling your low back during glute exercises? Wanting to perfect that deadlift form for your body? As the holiday season approaches, we’ve got you covered with the Coba Board. Truly challenge your posterior chain and feel what that glute activation should feel like within your body every time you workout. Grab your own or gift one this holiday season using code ‘OPTIMAL‘ at checkout to get 15% off! What You Will Learn in this Interview with Don Saladino: 4:01 - Is age a limiting factor to movement progress & muscle building? 7:21 - How to navigate a limiting mindset associated with age and just start 9:14 - The magic words: “What’s next?” 12:36  - The impact of community & new year resolutions 15:59 - Navigating aesthetic goals with body positivity 21:43 - Recommendations on the fine line between discipline and a dysregulated mindset 23:45 - Goal setting with a “one thing a month approach” 27:00 - Exploring metabolic flexibility 30:50 - Curbing cravings, calories, and the importance of regulating blood sugar 25:10 - Coaching Online vs In person 43:11 - Honing in your YOUR process rather than someone else’s process 44:19 -  How does Don’s lifestyle transfer into their children 49:11 - How to get involved with Don To learn more about Don and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/161 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.

What is Breathwork? What makes it a hot topic? Let’s dive into the science of breathwork and how it relates to the autonomic nervous system. DocJen & Dr. Dom dive into stress and recovery and how breath can be one simple tool to access the different states. They describe the differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, how they related to principles of survival, and how these principles manifest in pain. By talking through the power of diaphragmatic breathing, and the differences between anaerobic and aerobic, they provide insight into their best techniques and tools to understand your own breath and how to determine what breathwork to use when. Tune in! 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 PT Pearl: 03:09 - How we breathe and why it's important 12:07 - How to diaphragmatically breathe 19:34 - Techniques and tools for breathing 21:28 - The differences between anaerobic and aerobic Watch Episode 160 on Youtube For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/160 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.

Wanting to fix your relationship with food? Had experience with an eating disorder? Wanting out of your eating disorder? Know that you are not alone! Kelsey Heenan, takes us through an emotional ride as she describes her eating disorder journey, her thoughts, and exactly how she was feeling as she tried to navigate her overriding, fearful, and anxiety-inducing thoughts around food and body image. As she dives into the social pressures associated with being a female and an athlete, she explains the miscommunication around what healthy eating consists of, the importance of fueling for performance, and how she re-orientated herself around triggering foods. As an athlete who had to quit because of her physical conditions from her eating disorder, Kelsey dives into how she felt after re-feeding, how she approaches disordered eating, and when she thinks calorie counting is beneficial. Through education, Kelsey provides her favorite way to get individuals to begin to approach their relationships with food and how movement can help heal your relationship with food and body image. Let’s lean with Kelsey! Free Week of the Jen Health Membership: Looking for a movement community that gives you the plan specific to your body? Need accountability and a plan that is specific to your restrictions?! Come grab a free week of our Jen Health Membership! You'll have access to 12 plans that were all currated by Doc Jen, Dr of Physical Therapy. We make sure you get set up with the plan that will be best for your goals and the rest is laid out for you to follow! Come check it out today! You can even get a discount on your first month using code OPTIMAL at checkout! What You Will Learn in this Interview with Kelsey Heenan: 3:50 - Kelsey’s Background 7:10 - Kelsey’s Anorexia Diagnosis 10:13 - Where was there miscommunication about what healthy eating is 11:29  - Was Kelsey the only one experiencing restriction 13:46 - How did Kelsey re-orient and eat triggering foods again 17:23 - Did Kelsey’s restriction affect her athletics? 18:35 - What changes did Kelsey feel after re-feeding? 20:52 - How to approach disordered eating 24:14 - Are “what I eat in a day” valuable? 28:10 - How to approach calorie counting and when is it appropriate? 33:59 - Does Kelsey still struggle with disordered behaviors and thoughts around food? 36:40 - How did Kelsey move into education through movement 39:32 - Where can you learn with Kelsey To learn more about Kelsey and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/159 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.

Consistency, awareness, accountability/community, grace/compassion, individuality. Do these resonate with you? To DocJen ad Dr.Dom, these ideas mold the path to finding what’s optimal within your body and how you can truly begin to feel something different. They dive into The Optimal Body Membership and the Jen Platform, and how these concepts manifest through the toolbox they provide you and empower you with. Let’s tune in! Free Week of the Jen Health Membership: Looking for a movement community that gives you the plan specific to your body? Need accountability and a plan that is specific to your restrictions?! Come grab a free week of our Jen Health Membership! You'll have access to 12 plans that were all currated by Doc Jen, Dr of Physical Therapy. We make sure you get set up with the plan that will be best for your goals and the rest is laid out for you to follow! Come check it out today! You can even get a discount on your first month using code OPTIMAL at checkout! What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 1:38 - The umbrella of individuality 4:38 - Get 50% off The Optimal Body Membership 9:02 - Accountability & Community 14:58 - Breaking the stigma around working with your partner! 10:15  - Consistency 11:16  - Awareness 14:06  - Grace & Compassion 17:00  - The individuality of your journey may change! 19:46 - Final takeaways! Watch Episode 158 on Youtube For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/158 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.

Curious about baby development? Feel like your parent-worth is defined by the visible developmental stage of your baby? Wanting to optimize the physical and neurological development of your baby? Kailee, a pediatric physical therapist, walks you through her top tips in navigating self-worth as a parent and how it relates to baby development, as well as her approach to finding a balance between allowing natural exploration, nurture for your baby, safety-watch, and interference or control over the stimuli they are exposed to. Furthermore, Kailee shares the importance of crawling for physical and neurological development, and how different stages of baby development relate to spinal and joint maturation and innate reflexes. With a particular focus on tummy time and floor play, Kailee’s provides insight into appropriate levels of standing for babies and when baby containers may or may not be beneficial for babies. As she debunks common marketing promotions for baby containers, she discusses how baby containers may be affecting hip and spinal maturation, as well as independent walking. Finally, she explains how parents can create a more active environment through the idea of imitation, and the importance of spending more time outside. Let’s take a deep dive into baby development. Paleo Valley Discount: We also mention PaleoValley throughout the episode. En route to their next destination, currently, Doc Jen & Dr. Dom take these EVERYWHERE. PaleoValley is their go-to when they’re feeling peckish. For a complete protein, whole food, and all-natural snack. get your 100% grass-fed beef stick or superfood bar for a discount using code “OPTIMAL” at checkout. What You Will Learn in this Interview with Kailee Nolan: 2:16 - What drew Kailee into Pediatric Physical Therapy 5:29 - How Kailee navigates differences in google’s definitions of baby development 9:11 - Kailee’s recommendations on interfering with baby development 12:41  - Why is crawling so pertinent? 15:06 - Tips on progressing from crawling to upright play & inspiring confidence 18:52 - Is it okay for babies to stand a lot? 22:03 - Is there a benefit to using jumper/bouncer devices? 26:18 - Baby Containers Kailee does not recommend 33:04 - How can parents keep their kids active? 39:02 - The power of getting outside & how the pandemic influenced that! 39:57 - Kailee’s projects coming soon & her current guides 42:10 - Where you can learn more about Kailee To learn more about Kailee and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/157 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.

Worried about noises in your ankle? Can you stop bodywork if you improve mobility? Thinking about working with your significant other? Thinking about investing in a pair of Vivo Barefoot shoes? DocJen & Dr. Dom dive into it all, providing their insights on coaching beginners, the power of mobility, the pelvic floor, breaking stigmas around working with your partner, the noises from your ankles, and their favorite VivoBarefoot shoes! Tune in! Paleo Valley Discount: We also mention PaleoValley throughout the episode. En route to their next destination, currently, Doc Jen & Dr. Dom take these EVERYWHERE. PaleoValley is their go-to when they’re feeling peckish. For a complete protein, whole food, and all-natural snack. get your 100% grass-fed beef stick or superfood bar for a discount using code “OPTIMAL” at checkout. What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 3:53 - Ankle Popping- Should you be worried? 8:45 - Balancing cues and natural movement when coaching beginners 12:32 - Can you stop getting bodywork done by improving mobility? 14:58 - Breaking the stigma around working with your partner! 19:27  - Insights on Pelvic Floor 24:20  - VivoBarefoot - The different types & Favorites To Watch the PT Pearl on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3svxLZBUIf8 For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/156 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.

Commitment, Excellence, Respect. Resonate with these values? Luka shines a light on topics of identity, an individual’s narrative, self-esteem, and confidence as characteristics of cultivating a healthy mindset to build healthy habits.  To start off, Luka discusses the philosophy he currently lives his life by and shares four values that help him cultivate the unique culture that he embodies. In spite of his story, he shares the profound effects of collecting role models, and how to dig deeper into who and what those role models truly represent. Then, he dives into how building habits and changing your body influence your narrative, providing his top tips to diving deeper and truly discovering the truths within your narrative. Using a vote casting analogy, Luka describes how self-esteem, confidence, and commitment integrate to form your identity. Using his take on commitment, Luka shares 4 stages to optimizing your mindset: learning, doing, being, and becoming. Through the importance of awareness, he shares mindset shifts during the “becoming” stage. Let’s get to the depths of your narrative and identity to truly optimize your mindset and guide your healthy habits! VivoBarefoot Discount: Let’s get barefoot! Be the one who doesn’t have to kick their shoes off, with access to the ground and zero foot drop. Free your feet of the shoe prison they were previously living in and utilize your feet! These are the only shoes Doc Jen & Dr. Dom wear daily when walking and working out. They have drastically improved the function of Doc Dom’s feet and allowed Doc Jen’s toes to improve functional mobility and decrease the big toe from drifting into the other toes! Respond, get strong, and move better with your very own Vivos! Get 15% OFF using code “TOB” with VivoBarefootShoes at checkout and finally feel like to FREE YOUR FEET!!  **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 Luka Hocevar: 4:31 - The Philosophy Luka has been living by 10:1 - Values that Luka carries which cultivate the culture he embodies 17:03 - Collecting Role Models 20:43 -How does changing your body change your story 24:32  - How do you dive deeper into discovering your narrative 29:32 - Casting votes for identity & self-esteem 33:39 - Luka take on the commitment 35:50 - 4 stages to a healthy habits & mindset 37:04 - Becoming aware to build your narrative 40:07 - Mindset shifts in the “becoming” stage 50:50 - Luka’s Final Takeaways To learn more about Luka and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/159 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.

Shoulder popping left right and center? Hearing or feeling weird noises from your shoulder? Let’s combat your assumptions about what is happening in the shoulder in this episode! DocJen & Dr. Dom explain the medical diagnosis – shoulder crepitus- for noises in the shoulder. Explaining the anatomy of the shoulder, they break down the types of noises that could be associated with pathologies around the shoulder. Furthermore, Docjen & Dr. Dom dive into how rounded shoulders could be related to different noises occurring in the shoulder, and the importance of getting it checked out and assessed by a physical therapist in person.  Then, they describe their best tips to improving shoulder function, speaking into mobility and strength, and what to consider if there is no pain associated with the noises from your shoulder. Tune in! Manscaped Discount: Manscape Performance Package 4.0. Look forward to shaving again with the new signature lawnmower, an electrical trimmer with skin-safe technology. Prevent nicks and cuts, look, feel, and smell fresh throughout the day. Another gift checked off as the holiday season approaches. Use code ‘OPTIMAL’ to get your Manscape Performance Package! What You Will Learn In This PT Pearl: 2:30 - What is Shoulder Crepitus? 4:30 - Anatomy around the shoulder 5:57 - Noises with pathologies 7:20 - Are the crack sand pops bad? 8:51 - Get it checked out early! 10:09 - Diagnosis associated with shoulder noises 13:20 - Could rounded shoulders be related? 16:54 - Get it checked out with a physical therapy 18:44- How to improve shoulder function 24:09- What happens if you improve mobility around the shoulder? 25:21- What to do if you are having pain with your noises To Watch the PT Pearl on YouTube, click here: https://youtube.com/watch/ For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/154 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.

“You are an athlete if you have a body.” Kaisa, the co-founder of Just Move, spills the truths about movement, recovery, and how it all relates to finding your truth and freedom within the body. Kaisa goes way back to middle school and high school, sharing her journey with navigating body confidence, fitting in, and athletic ability as an adolescent. She shares how she overcame obstacles with body image issues and how she currently strives to look beyond aesthetics and towards performance. She gets vulnerable, sharing her story with injuries, and how it helped her reconnect, respect her body, train smarter, and recover harder. Furthermore, Kaisa shares her perspective on the body positivity movement and how she manages the discrepancy between her athleticism and her approach to beginners as a coach. Kaisa shares her insights on truly coaching at a “starting level,” a concept lost in the world of fitness, how the fitness world needs to change its priorities, and what it means to “just move,” touching base on fun, inclusive, and variety in movement. Finally, she discusses the importance of recovery, how to understand what type of recovery you need, her interests in dance, and how she uses movement as a tool to show up for herself, stay consistent, be real with herself, and comprehend that work-fun balance we all strive for. Learn how just starting to move can change the game for you! PaleoValley Discount: As DocJen & Dr. Dom are on the move, exploring America, they turn to PalleoValley to satiate them with their nutritious 100% grass-fed beef jerky and protein bars. Free yourself from that sugar crash and feel safe knowing you have a snack you can trust, all with natural ingredients you know and understand, in your household. Get powerhouse ingredients and nutrients without the extra additives and preservatives. Get 15% OFF your next purchase with PalleoVallley at checkout, using ‘OPTIMAL’. What You Will Learn in this Interview with Kaisa Keranen: 3:05 - How Kaisa found freedom in her body 10:08 - Kaisa’s post on Body Positivity vs Toxic Positivity 13:45 - How Kaisa’s injuries got her to look past the physical 17:23 - How does Kaisa approach beginners 24:04  - Defining ‘starting level’ & how the fitness world needs a new awakening 27:00 - Fun & inclusive movement, mobility, and meeting people where they’re at 29:34 - Variety in Kaisa’s program 30:45 - Kaisa’s recovery & mobility 33:50 - How do you know what type of recovery you need 38:44 - The importance of knowing who you are & setting yourself up for success 40:20 - Consistency & being real with yourself 42:42 - How Kaisa navigates work and fun 45:57 - How movement is a tool to reconnect 49:30 - Go check out “Just Move” To learn more about Kaisa and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/153 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 meniscus injury worrying you? Considering surgery but feel like there’s a way out? Dr. Jen & Dr. Dom dive into the anatomy of the Menisci, potential causes, and which populations tend to be of higher risk. Then, Dr. Dom shares his journey with his Meniscus injury, speaking into his mistakes and his post-rehabilitation. Dr. Jen & Dr. Dom discuss their perspective on surgery and the importance of attempting rehabilitation before surgery. In spite of rehabilitation, they take you through knee rehabilitation step by step, breaking down how mobility, muscle activations and stabilization exercises, and strength in the posterior chain are vital to the initial stages of injury rehabilitation. With a particular focus on hip-hinging movement patterns to offload their knees initially, they shift the paradigm in fearing knees over toes and speak into progressive overloading the knees to create healthy and resilient knees! Learn to train and rehabilitate the knees to tolerate all of life’s uncertainties! VivoBarefoot Discount: Improve your feet = improve your body! Free your feet of the shoe prison they were previously living in. These are the only shoes Doc Jen & Dr. Dom wear daily when walking and working out. They have drastically improved the function of Doc Dom’s feet and allowed Doc Jen’s toes to improve functional mobility and decrease the big toe from drifting into the other toes! Get 15% OFF using code “TOB” with VivoBarefoot Shoes at checkout and finally feel like to FREE YOUR FEET!!  **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: 01:45 - What is the Meniscus? 4:00 - Who tends to be more affected & causes! 5:12 - Dr. Dom's journey with Meniscus Injury 7:20 - Tools to build the Coba board 8:57 - Checking out how mobile your neighbors are! 12:32 - Explore your knee range of motion! 14:46 - Hip Stabilization & Activating Muscles Appropriately 16:57 - Do you have gluteal amnesia? 18:02 - Let's get hip-hinging first! 18:48- Progressing knee exercises 18:42- How to tolerate knees over toes a little bit more 20:55- Progressive Overload & Get Coordinated To Watch the PT Pearl on YouTube, click here: https://youtube.com/watch/ For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/152 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.