The Balanced Bodies Blueprint

Scope of practice is one of the most ignored, and most dangerous, issues in modern fitness and health coaching. In this episode, we break down what doctors, registered dietitians, nutritionists, personal trainers, and health coaches are actually qualified to do, and where crossing the line puts clients at risk. We discuss how fear-based marketing, anti-medicine narratives, and “do-everything” coaching models have blurred professional boundaries, leading to misinformation, missed diagnoses, and real harm. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who values ethics, evidence, and client safety over clout. Coach VinnyEmail: vinny@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodiesFacebook: Vinny Russo Dr. ErynEmail: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodiesFacebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODEGo to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

In this episode, we dive into the nuanced and often misunderstood topic of testosterone use in women. Dr. Eryn leads the conversation, breaking down what testosterone actually does in the female body, when its use may be appropriate, and where misinformation commonly derails the discussion. We explore clinical context, benefits, risks, dosing misconceptions, and why individualized, evidence-based care matters, especially in a space dominated by extremes and social media hot takes. Coach VinnyEmail: vinny@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodiesFacebook: Vinny Russo Dr. ErynEmail: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodiesFacebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODEGo to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

In this episode, Dr. Eryn and Coach Vinny break down the top health trends you need to carry into 2026, not based on hype, but on clinical evidence, real-world nutrition, and sustainable lifestyle strategies. Dr. Eryn brings the medical and physician perspective, highlighting health priorities that matter most for long-term wellness, disease prevention, and metabolic health in 2026. Coach Vinny covers the nutrition, fitness, and behavior side, focusing on the habits and strategies that actually produce measurable results without gimmicks or misinformation. Together, they explain why these trends should be prioritized, how they improve health and body composition, and how to apply them realistically in everyday life. This episode cuts through influencer noise and short-term fixes to focus on evidence-based health principles that deliver the biggest return on effort. If you're looking for practical, science-backed health advice heading into 2026, this episode lays out exactly where to focus your time, energy, and attention. Coach VinnyEmail: vinny@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodiesFacebook: Vinny Russo Dr. ErynEmail: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodiesFacebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODEGo to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

In this episode, Dr. Eryn and Coach Vinny break down their top fitness and health pet peeves of 2025 that need to be left behind as we move into a smarter, more evidence-based approach in 2026. Coach Vinny tackles the coaching and fitness industry side — calling out trends like coaches playing “renaissance men,” self-proclaimed biohackers, and the misuse of genetics to sell protocols that have no real scientific backing. Dr. Eryn brings the medical and clinical perspective, addressing common misconceptions around health, overdiagnosis, scope-creep in coaching, and how misinformation spreads when medical topics are oversimplified or misrepresented online. Together, they explain why these trends are harmful, how they confuse consumers, and what should replace them if people actually want better health outcomes, better body composition, and long-term success. If you're tired of fitness gimmicks, influencer medicine, and misleading health advice — this episode is a must-listen. Coach VinnyEmail: vinny@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodiesFacebook: Vinny Russo Dr. ErynEmail: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.ioInstagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodiesFacebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODEGo to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

Creatine is the most researched, most effective, and most misunderstood supplement in fitness. In this episode, Vinny and Dr. Eryn break down exactly what the science says about creatine — muscle growth, strength, ATP energy regeneration, cognitive function, loading vs. maintenance dosing, safety, myths, and who actually benefits the most. We cover: • How creatine actually works to regenerate ATP • Whether timing matters (before vs. after vs. whenever) • Why most lean mass increases are intracellular water — and why that's a good thing • What 100+ randomized controlled trials and multiple meta-analyses show about strength & hypertrophy • Cognitive benefits backed by RCTs (memory, reasoning, mental clarity) • Safety in healthy adults and considerations for kidney disease • The truth about hair loss, dehydration, and “creatine is a steroid” myths If you lift weights, want to build muscle, or care about brain health — this is your guide to creatine done right. Coach Vinny Email: vinny@balancedbodies.io Instagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodies Facebook: Vinny Russo Dr. Eryn Email: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.io Instagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodies Facebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODE Go to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

In this episode, Coach Vinny and Dr. Eryn sit down with Dr. Ashley Dwyer, PharmD, a former pharmacist turned coach who's holistic without the nonsense. She blends holistic coaching, western medicine, anecdotal data, and clinical data to help women optimize their health without falling for the pseudoscience, overtesting, or fear tactics that dominate the functional coaching space. They dive into: Why she left pharmacy to help women through education, not endless prescriptions How she applies evidence-based strategies to her coaching The red flags that separate real health coaching from functional fluff Her personal journey from NPC competitor to a balanced, sustainable approach to fitness and life If you're tired of influencers selling “detoxes” and hormone “fixes,” this conversation will restore your faith in what real coaching looks like. Coach Vinny Email: vinny@balancedbodies.io Instagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodies Facebook: Vinny Russo Dr. Eryn Email: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.io Instagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodies Facebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODE Go to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order! About our Guest:Dr. Ashley Dwyer is a licensed Pharmacist, ACE Certified Health Coach, and former NPC athlete who, after going through a slew of her own health issues due to extreme lifestyle habits, left the traditional western medical model to start her own company and really help others through holistic healing. Her team, TeamBDN coaching, specializes in holistic nutrition, macro tracking, hormone optimization, individualized fitness plans, accountability, and community, helping women eat more and reach their health goals. Dr. Ashley is also certified in plant-based nutrition, Health Mindset Coaching, Prenatal & Postpartum Coaching, and Functional Nutrition and Metabolic Science. Her goal is to help as many women as she can feel their best and reverse years of metabolic adaptation + hormone disruption! Website: www.teambdncoaching.com Instgram: @dr.dwyer

You may not want to hear this, but your habits are hurting you way more than your genetics ever will. In this episode, Coach Vinny breaks down one of the biggest excuses in fitness, blaming your genetics for why you can't lose fat, build muscle, or look a certain way. Yes, your DNA matters. Yes, your genetics influence how your body responds to training, diet, and recovery. But the reality is this: your habits decide how those genes are expressed. Coach Vinny explains why comparing yourself to others destroys motivation, how to play the best hand you were dealt instead of blaming the dealer, and why habits, not heredity, are what shape your long-term body composition and health. He shares real client transformations from people who thought they had “bad genetics” until they optimized their nutrition, training, and mindset, unlocking the best version of themselves. If you've ever said “my genetics suck” or felt stuck with your body type, this episode will give you a powerful mindset shift, one that turns resentment into appreciation and frustration into action. By the end, you'll understand that you can't change your DNA, but you can change your decisions, and that's what creates lasting transformation. Coach Vinny Email: vinny@balancedbodies.io Instagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodies Facebook: Vinny Russo Dr. Eryn Email: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.io Instagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodies Facebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODE Go to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

Most people think informed consent is just a signature on a clipboard—but it's so much more. It's the foundation of medical ethics and your right to know exactly what's being done to your body, why it's being done, and what your real options are. In this episode, we break down what informed consent really means, why it's not just paperwork, and how it empowers you to make confident decisions about your health. We'll uncover the fine print of modern medicine—from vaccines and procedures to the ethical tug-of-war between personal autonomy and public health. Whether you're a patient, parent, or healthcare professional, this episode will challenge the way you view “consent” in medicine and make you think twice before ever saying, “Yeah, go ahead.” Coach Vinny Email: vinny@balancedbodies.io Instagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodies Facebook: Vinny Russo Dr. Eryn Email: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.io Instagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodies Facebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODE Go to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

Everyone talks about calories and macros, but almost nobody talks about micros. In this episode, I break down why your diet's nutrient density is the difference between thriving in a fat loss phase and feeling like absolute garbage. You can hit your macros and still be undernourished if most of your food is ultra-processed. That means lower energy, higher cravings, slower recovery, and worse results. I'll walk you through why vitamins and minerals are the real drivers of performance, metabolism, and consistency, and how to build a diet that supports your hormones, mood, and metabolism instead of fighting them. If you want to feel great while getting lean, this is your blueprint: calories set the stage, macros build the body, but micros determine how well that body performs. Coach Vinny Email: vinny@balancedbodies.io Instagram: vinnyrusso_balancedbodies Facebook: Vinny Russo Dr. Eryn Email: dr.eryn@balancedbodies.io Instagram: dr.eryn_balancedbodies Facebook: Eryn Stansfield LEGION 20% OFF CODE Go to https://legionathletics.com/ and use the code RUSSO for 20% off your order!

“Eating for results” and “eating by intuition” are not the same thing. In this no-BS episode, we break down why you can't be in a calorie deficit and call it intuitive eating. We'll unpack what intuitive eating was actually designed for (healing chronic diet fatigue and rebuilding hunger/fullness cues), why fat loss requires intentional energy manipulation, and how hunger hormones (leptin ↓, ghrelin ↑) make “intuitive dieting” a contradiction. Tracked → Informed → Intuitive. Building plate-awareness, portion-eyeballing skills, protein anchoring, and pattern recognition help the results become sustainable autopilot later. Use intuition in the right phases (post-diet recovery, maintenance, long-term lifestyle) and use structure when you're changing your body. Guessing is not knowing; awareness is earned.