In this week’s episode of Healthspan Academy, I was joined by EC Synkowski, the founder of OptimizeMe Nutrition LLC. We chatted about the importance of reaching a minimum critical daily dose of fruits and vegetables for optimizing health and performance. We talked about how to determine your ideal protein requirements to suit individual health and functional needs. EC explained her 10 principles of nutrition and how to apply them to improve health and longevity. EC and I also discussed some of the limitations and biases in common educational and research materials to be weary of. 

EC has extensive education in the life sciences with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Engineering, a first MS in environmental sciences (with a focus in genetics), and a second MS in Nutrition & Functional Medicine. She has also trained others since 2000 and holds the Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach (CF-L4) credential. Her professional experience includes working as a Program Manager for CrossFit Inc (2011-2017) authoring their training course materials and serving as a subject matter expert for their certifications.

Eventually, after doing her master of science degree in nutrition and functional medicine, Synkowski resigned from CrossFit to become an entrepreneur and nutrition coach, eventually starting her own company in 2018.

EC is the developer of the 800-gram challenge, a nutrition protocol that focuses on consuming 800 grams of fruits and vegetables a day. She also spent several years working for CrossFit HQ, designing their nutrition course materials. EC has accumulated more than 600 hours of public speaking teaching fitness and nutrition all over the world. With more than 20 years of experience and academic training, EC translates the evidence-based scientific data into practical solutions for everyday success.

To learn more about EC, you can check out her website at OptimizeMeNutrition.com and follow her on Instagram @optimizemenutrition.

*** Please note that the content discussed in this podcast is intended for self-education and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:32 — 28.4MB)

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In this week’s episode of Healthspan Academy, I chatted with Jackson Clark, who is an osteopath for professional athletes. Jackson discussed how his career as an osteopathic practitioner begin and developed. He chatted about some of the principles of osteopathic treatments and how to scale them to practical self care methods. We discussed the rehab, training, prehab continuum and how to successfully transition from injury back to training and performance optimization. 

Jackson is an osteopath and strength and conditioning coach who has worked with professional athletes. In 2012, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Science from Victoria University in Australia, and in 2014, he earned a Master of Osteopathic Medicine from the same institution. In addition to his osteopathic studies, Jackson graduated from his Masters of Strength and Conditioning degree at Edith Cowan University by 2021. His education process and experience have developed his holistic movement-based approach to the human body incorporating both traditional osteopathic table-based skills and gym-based applications of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics to achieve individual health and performance results. His passion for combining hands-on approaches with exercise therapy inspired him to pursue more training in Advanced Myofascial Dry Needling and Electrotherapy, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization exercise prescription, and Titleist Performance Institute.

Throughout his career, he has gained invaluable international experience working at a multidisciplinary clinic in Canada, as well as on tour with professional athletes in the Association of Tennis Professionals and the LPGA. Jackson is an incredibly versatile and well-rounded practitioner at Kinematics Strength + Recovery (K2) due to his extensive experience dealing with the general population, as well as professional athletes.

Outside of Kinematics, Jackson is involved in clinical supervision within the osteopathy program at Victoria University and provides ergonomic consultations. Away from work, Jackson enjoys downhill snow skiing, supporting the bombers, and any form of social sport.

For more about Jackson, you can visit his profile at Kinematics.com.au and follow him on LinkedIn.

*** Please note that the content discussed in this podcast is intended for self-education and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.

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In this week’s episode of Healthspan Academy, I chatted with Mindset Coach and former co-host of HSA, Kyle Freiburger.  We discussed some of our favourite stories and interviews from the past year. We dug into the archives of episodes discussing key lessons, health habits, and coaching tidbits shared by world-class health experts, medical professionals, scientists, coaches, and athletes. We also chatted about some of our newest interests in the field of longevity, including blood-flow restriction, resonance therapy, and much more.

Kyle is mindset coach with Grow2Gold. He helps his clients find a winning mindset to improve their lives. They run multiple group calls per week and discuss the core principles and applications of self-improvement. You can learn more about their programs at grow2gold.com.

*** Please note that the content discussed in this podcast is intended for self-education and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:16 — 40.1MB)

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In this week’s episode of Healthspan Academy, I chatted with Greg Everett, who is a world-renowned coach in the sport of weightlifting. Greg and I discussed the key elements of weightlifting for slowing or reversing the aging process, some of the barriers for getting started, as well as the technical aspects of improving the lifts. We talked about programming, mobility, and injury prevention. Greg also passed on some key golden nuggets from his latest book, Tough, which is a fantastic read for developing a winning mindset and finding greater success in life. 

Greg Everett is the owner of Catalyst Athletics, coach of the USA Weightlifting National Champion team Catalyst Athletics and author of the books Olympic Weightlifting and Tough. He is also the director/writer/producer/editor/everything of the documentary American Weightlifting, a co-host of the Weightlifting Life Podcast, and publisher of The Performance Menu journal. As a USA Weightlifting international coach, he has trained over 30 senior national level or higher lifters, including multiple national champions and national record holders.

For more about Greg, visit his website at CatalystAthletics.com and follow him on Instagram @catalystathletics.

*** Please note that the content discussed in this podcast is intended for self-education and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:15 — 44.6MB)

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In this week’s episode of Healthspan Academy, I chatted with 7x Elite CrossFit Games Competitor Kari Pearce. Kari talked about her athletic background and the transition to CrossFit. We chatted about her CrossFit games experience, including her training, diet, recovery, and mindset approach. We also chatted about her post-CrossFit career and her initiatives for helping her clientele find better health and function. 

For many years, Kari Pearce has been considered one of the best CrossFit athletes on Earth. She began her athletic career 18 years as a gymnast at the age of 3. She competed for the Michigan Varsity Gymnastics team from 2008 to 2011 where her team won 4 Big Ten Championships. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Movement Science at the University of Michigan, she continued to fuel her competitive nature and began exploring CrossFit.

Kari competed at the CrossFit Games 7 times, including 5 top 10 finishes. Her top finish was 3rd fittest in the world in 2020. Kari was also crowned as America’s Fittest Woman four times in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. 

As a former CrossFit Games Athlete, Kari inspires and encourages her followers by sharing personal experiences in one of the most physically demanding industries. In addition to being an athlete, she has developed her own training program and personal training company called PowerAbs program where she teaches thousands of people how to build a strong core. She is also a nutrition expert and has a strong focus on mental performance.

You can find more about Kari at karipearce.com and on Instagram @karipearcecrossfit.

*** Please note that the content discussed in this podcast is intended for self-education and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:17 — 41.9MB)

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In this week’s episode of Healthspan Academy, I sat down with entrepreneur and Former Elite Gymnast, Carl Paoli, as we spoke about a range of fitness topics and their impact on longevity. We discussed aesthetic vs functional gymnastics and working through progressions. Carl also detailed his take on emotional fitness as the foundation for developing health and longevity. 

Carl Paoli is a Swedish-American Life Teacher who grew up in Spain as an Elite gymnast, where even as a kid, his passion for physical activity led him to delve into action sports such as snowboarding and wakeboarding. It was gymnastics, however, that shaped his discipline for hard work, determination, and now his professional career. Throughout his career, he trained and competed on the national circuit for over fifteen years as an Elite Gymnast and achieved various honors, including a National Gold Medal for Vault.

After retiring from gymnastics, Carl graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche specializing in Genetic Engineering and Coral Reef Ecology. Afterward, he pursued a career in Marine Biology. Even though he found work relevant to his studies, his mind was never far from sports and fitness. It was Carl’s entrepreneurial spirit that brought him back to the US in 2004 where he pursued his passion for coaching, led him to find CrossFit, and launched GymnasticsWOD in 2010. Together with Jami Tikkanen, he assisted in coaching Annie Thorisdottir to win back-to-back CrossFit Games titles in 2011 and 2012. Carl also became a member of the Ownership Group of STRIKE MVMNT, a footwear and apparel brand where he currently serves as their Global Ambassador. Shortly thereafter, he used his background in gymnastics and fitness to write his New York Times Bestselling book “Free+Style”. 

Since the launch of GymnasticsWOD, Carl has virtually and physically coached thousands of athletes around the world through the website and by way of his Freestyle Connection seminars. He is also the founder of Freestyle Connection – a Media and Digital Learning company based in San Francisco, California established in 2012 dedicated to helping people design a life worth living through fitness and personal development.

You can check out more about Carl through his website and his bestselling book here.

*** Please note that the content discussed in this podcast is intended for self-education and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:25 — 46.6MB)

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In this week’s episode of Healthspan Academy, I chatted with Dr. Patti Galvin about the world of sports medicine. Patti discussed some of the common injuries she sees clinically. We chatted about the range of cutting edge treatment options, including viscosupplementation and stem cell therapy. Patti also outlined some key preventative measures to minimize the risk of sports and training injuries. 

Dr. Patti Galvin is a physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), a subspecialty in Internal Medicine. She started her academic career with a Bachelor of Science in Honours Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo in 1981 and went on to earn a master’s degree in Kinesiology in 1986. By 1989, she completed her Doctor of Medicine from McMaster University. Dr. Galvin has also served as the Team Physician for Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team for four years since 2006 and for the Canadian Amputee Hockey Team attending World Championships and Olympic competitions. 

Later, she obtained a Sports Medicine subspecialty with the American Board of PMR and Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine in 2010, providing care to adult and pediatric patients. Since then, Dr. Galvin has worked with high-level athletes. Her clinical expertise includes Platelet Rich Plasma and Viscosupplementation injections, osteoarthritis and joint disease, orthotics, general musculoskeletal/sports medicine injuries, and electromyography (EMG). Currently, she also serves as an Associate Professor at McMaster University.

To learn more about Patti Galvin and her services, you can check out Wellington Ortho & Rehab.

*** Please note that the content discussed in this podcast is intended for self-education and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:56 — 22.4MB)

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