Pursuing Health

Erin Donaldson is a board certified Family physician and graduate of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.  After starting her career practicing hospital medicine, she transitioned to her true passion, providing preventative care through wellness and disease prevention.     While working in the hospital system, Dr. Donaldson developed a deep respect for the capacity of our healthcare system to treat acute conditions, but she also constantly witnessed the devastation that chronic disease creates.   Dr. Donaldson’s personal journey with Lupus, a systemic autoimmune condition, also helped spark her passion for changing healthcare.  Since her diagnosis, she has made dramatic lifestyle changes to improve her nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and more, and today no longer requires the use of medication to manage her condition.   In Dr. Donaldson’s current practice, she combines her personal and clinical experience to help patients take control of their own health outcomes.  By using genomics, in-depth labs, and an understanding of each individual’s unique lifestyle, she’s able to formulate treatment plans that help her patients create sustainable change to optimize their health. You can connect with Dr. Donaldson via Instagram (@thedoctorerin) and her website. You can learn more about Wild Health and how to become a patient at wildhealth.com. Related Episodes: Ep 172 - Optimal Health through Genomics Based Personalized Medicine Ep 109 - All About Functional Medicine with Dr. Elizabeth Bradley, Medical Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

Fats and oils are important parts of a healthy diet and support functions such as vitamin absorption, brain function, and nerve function — but did you know not all fats and oils are created equal? When choosing the right oil for your meal, consider two factors: -The degree of processing the oil has undergone -Smoke point (the temperature at which the oil starts to burn and smoke) Seed oils such as sunflower, vegetable, and canola oil require a high degree of processing and can be pro-inflammatory. Better choices require less processing and include avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and grass-fed butter. Olive oil has a low smoke point and is best saved for dressings. Avocado oil and butter have higher smoke points and are more appropriate for cooking. By selecting minimally processed oils with appropriate smoke points, you can maximize the health benefits of including fat in your diet and minimize factors that contribute to the risk of chronic disease. Continue learning with the CrossFit Nutrition I Course. To learn more about CrossFit Precision Care and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient visit care.crossfit.com. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

Focusing on QUALITY food can have a huge impact on health, but many individuals reach a point where they hit a plateau. That’s when food QUANTITY comes into play. Stephane Rochet, CF-L3, shares a simple method to begin measuring food portions. At each meal, load your plate with: Protein: Between 1 and 2 palm-sized servings, depending on your size and goals Vegetables: Double the size of your protein serving Starch: Equivalent to the size of your protein serving Fat: Approximately the size of your thumb Ready for more precision? Start with between .8 and 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight and set a macronutrient ratio from there — 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat is a good place to start. The practice of measuring doesn’t have to last forever.   Once you do it often enough, you’ll have built the skill to look at your plate and generally know if you’re hitting the correct quantities, Rochet says. From there, you can return to measuring as needed when you find you need to recalibrate your eye. To learn more about CrossFit Precision Care and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient visit care.crossfit.com. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

You probably know it’s important to reduce stress for your mental health, but did you know stress can impact your body all the way down to the level of gene expression and immune system activation? Dr. Slavich recently joined me for a live Q&A-style webinar hosted by CrossFit Health with a focus on stress and its effects on health. Dr. Slavich is a leading research expert and the founding director of the Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research at UCLA. His area of focus is psychoneuroimmunology, which examines the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease.  By integrating tools from psychology, neuroscience, immunology, biology, genetics, and genomics, Dr. Slavich’s research has provided new insights into the body’s inflammatory response to social stress, paving the way for a new field of research called human social genomics.  You can join me live for next month’s webinar featuring Stephen Rollnick on February 17th at 1PM Eastern.  Keep an eye out on CrossFit.com for registration details. You can connect with Dr. Slavich via Instagram @uclastresslab Related Episodes: Ep 139 - Stress: The Elephant in the Room with Dr. George Slavich Ep 135 - Immune System Strength with Dr. Leonard Calabrese If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

Can giving birth increase your heart rate variability (HRV)? Research conducted by OB-GYN Shon Rowan, MD, indicates that it can! In a study following women who were already exercising and planning to become pregnant, Rowan used a wearable device pre-, during, and post-pregnancy to track HRV and resting heart rate. The results provided several fascinating insights: Several participants were able to detect conception prior to taking a pregnancy test. Women experienced a statistically significant increase in resting heart rate and decrease in HRV with each trimester. Approximately 56 days before delivery, those trends reversed. Resting heart rate began to decrease, and HRV increased with the approach of delivery. This trend continued into the postpartum period to the point that postpartum HRV exceeded the pre-conception state. To learn more about CrossFit Precision Care and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient visit care.crossfit.com. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

Friday, Jan. 21, and Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, CrossFit will host the 2022 CrossFit Health Conference, a virtual event that will bring together world-class experts in science, fitness, and healthcare for a series of lectures and panel discussions on ways to improve our health and quality of life.    The conference will focus on the latest scientific research and advances in areas such as nutrition, mental health, injury treatment and prevention, genomics, and more.    Healthcare Professionals, Physicians and CF-L3 Trainers can earn up to 8.5 CME or 8 CEU credits at this year’s CrossFit Health Virtual Conference.   See the full line-up of presenters and register at conferences.crossfithealth.com. Use code Julie15 for 15% off at checkout. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns

Jenn Hunter-Marshall is a CrossFit Level 4 Coach, and Seminar Staff Flowmaster, affiliate owner, and former CrossFit Games athlete. In this episode we discuss her struggle to find a diagnosis for celiac disease, her journey with infertility, the importance of advocating for yourself within the medical system, and why its so important for everyone, including fit-appearing individuals, to regularly checking biomarkers to catch underlying conditions before they become problematic. You can connect with Jenn via Instagram @yescoachgym Resources: Mother Wit Maternity Tanya Tringali Physio Detective Antony Lo Related Episodes: Ep 110 - Kara Saunders on CrossFit and Expecting Baby She-Bear Ep 180 - Putting Scleroderma into Remission: Katie Spilka If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

“Trying harder is usually not the answer” when you’re making changes to your nutrition, says CF-L3 Sarah Hopping Estrella. Instead, try these strategies to set yourself up for nutrition success. Adopt a positive mindset. Recognize the habits that aren’t moving you toward your goal. Set up your environment to support your goal. Identify challenges or barriers to success and plan ahead for those scenarios. Replace undesired behaviors with healthier options that support your nutrition goals. “When you have goals that are important to you, it’s much more rewarding if you’re sticking to things that are actually consistent with those goals than letting yourself fall victim to momentary pleasures,” Hopping Estrella says. To learn more about CrossFit Precision Care and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient visit care.crossfit.com. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

Making a lifestyle change doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Stephane Rochet, CF-L3, offers tips for getting started and overcoming plateaus. “There’s nothing harder than taking that first step,” Rochet says. His advice: Start small. Master the basics before moving on to more advanced steps. Once you get started, he emphasizes the importance of being patient and focusing on the process rather than the results. “If you focus on the outcome, it eludes you. But if you focus on the habit or the process, you end up getting the outcome you want,” he explains. To learn more about CrossFit Precision Care and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient visit care.crossfit.com. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice.  I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

Dr. Geoffrey Mire is a small-town family medicine practitioner who is using CrossFit to transform his life and the lives of his patients. Several years ago, Dr. Mire, a former Ironman, found himself out of shape and unmotivated. When an affiliate opened in his town, his passion for fitness was reignited.  He’s since become a CrossFit Level 1 trainer and now his passion for fitness with his patients. Dr. Mire developed a pilot program within his local affiliate, CrossFit Acadiana, and recruited 12 senior patients considered medically sick with multiple co-morbid conditions with the goal of improving their health through lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise. Dr. Mire completed his medical training at Louisiana State University.  In addition to his private family practice with MDVIP, he is a Certified Medical Director and is medical director of a local nursing home and local home health.  He volunteers as the team physician for his former high school and as an adjunct clinical professor for Tulane medical school.  He is a Fellow of the Academy of Family Physicians, board member and former president of the Louisiana Geriatric Society, member of the Society for Post-Acute and Long Term Care Medicine, member of the American Academy of Sports Medicine, and member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.  You can connect with Dr. Mire via Instagram @gmiremd Related Episodes: Ep 125 - Bridging the Gap Between the Hospital and the CrossFit Affiliate Ep 168 - Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng on Avoiding the ICU If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every week. Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice. I recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.