The Optimal Body

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.

Wondering what the hype is around nasal breathing?  Brian Mackenzie is on for the second time to explain the science behind breath and how it can modulate panic, anxiety, and pain. Brian discusses how we can control our breathing to upregulate or downregulate the body, and the power in-breath, and how it can potentially take you off pharmaceuticals. In light of his Nosevember challenge, Brian dives into the anatomy and physiology of nasal breathing and how it plays into deviated septums, snoring, pain, and switching on the parasympathetic nervous system. Finally, Brian provides breathing techniques to get you started on your journey to breath awareness. Let’s dive into all things breath! 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 Brian Mackenzie 4:30 - The real importance of breathing 6:37 - How does breath relate to pain 10:51 - Techniques to access parasympathetic 12:43 - Can you come off pharmaceuticals using breath? 15:38 - How to use breath to become more alert or more relaxed? 18:28 - Nosember - why is the nose important for breathing> 26:35 - How to address your deviated Septum? 29:27 - The importance of extending exhales & breath holds 34:40 - Snoring & Nasal Breathing 37:18 - Nosevember 40:50 - Trimming the hair in your nose 42:23 - Learn more about Brian About Brian Mackenzie: Brian is a human performance expert, educator, author, and public speaker. Brian is a coach with more than two decades experience of in innovating new protocols for training Olympians, professional athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers in numerous realms on the use of mechanical and breathing tools to achieve maximum output in training, competition, recovery, and stress. He is the author of the New York Times Best Seller Unbreakable Runner, CEO/Chief Creative Officer of SH//FT, co-founder of The Art of Breath, and also co-founder of XPT Life. He has also run and managed programs in the California State Correctional Institution; San Quentin State Prison. His clients have included and he has consulted for: Ari Emanuel, Kelly Starrett, Tim Ferriss, US Military and Special Forces Units (Navy, Army, Marines), Tia Clair Toomey, Rich Froning Jr., Dr. Andrew Huberman (The Huberman Lab) & Stanford University, Dr. Andy Galpin & Cal State Fullerton, Dr. Jimmy Bailey & San Francisco State, San Jose State, San Quentin State Prison, and many others. To learn more about Brian and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/151 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 get cortisone injections for pain? Thinking about cortisone injections for pain relief? DocJen & Dr. Dom let the truths ring free about cortisone injections. They dive into how cortisone injections work, simply describing how it affects pain and inflammation. They break down cortisone injection categories and provide insight into how glucocorticoids metabolize in the body.  Moreover, they present current perspectives on cortisone injections through research. Finally, they present their final takeaways that revolve around using the effects of injections to move more!  Learn all about whether you truly need to pursue cortisone injections! 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: 3:30 - What do Cortisone injections do? 6:04 - Why do we get cortisone shots? 7:29 - Cortisone shots categories 9:48 - Glucocorticoids 13:07 - Research on cortisone injections 18:25 - How the medical industry gets crafty with injections 20:09 - Adding in movement with your injection 22:27 - Key Takeaways To Watch the PT Pearl on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZP_yTkEZxw For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://jen.health/podcast/150 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.

Feeling a need to be inspired with confidence? Olympian, Samantha Peszek, shares her journey with confidence and self-talk through her Gymnastics Career. As a high-level and young athlete, specifically, the beam event in gymnastics presented several obstacles that Samantha had to overcome through confidence and the support of others around her. She dives into how one’s environment and parental support influences a young athlete’s ability to approach difficult decisions and navigate a sport as precision-based and skill-based as gymnastics. Touching base on how she coaches through burnout in athletes, Samantha shares her insights on how she preaches goal setting and helps athletes deal with perfectionism in sport. Speaking to the illusion of being perfect, she discusses how skills formed through sport are transferrable to other aspects of life and career pathways, sharing her story with reporting. Learn more about Samantha’s coaching and how she addressed the mental obstacles in Gymnastics. Vivobarefoot Discount: Free up your world by freeing up your feet! VivoBarefoot shoes help you build strength in the foot and teach the foot to accommodate your own body! By learning to adapt to all the different terrains in your surrounding, the feet, and the feet, brain, and body remain happy. 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! 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 Samantha Peszek 3:21 - Where does Jennifer's passion come from? 5:25 - Samantha’s story 8:26 - Is Gymnastics the hardest sport? 10:03 - What it feels like to compete at the highest level? 18:03 - How does the environment affect your confidence? 21:19 - Navigating Burnout 25:24 - Goal Setting 29:40 - The illusion of being perfect 32:30 - How to coach passions in other careers 36:07 - How did Samantha have the confidence to keep exploring? 44:29 - Samantha’s podcast 47:45 - Find more about Samantha & her boot camp About Samantha Peszek With her passionate energy and engaging demeanor, Samantha Peszek has quickly established herself as a bright young star both as a sports broadcaster and entrepreneur. Having been a gymnast for 22 years, she loves still being connected to the sport as a coach and founder of Beam Queen Bootcamp and an analyst for the PAC-12 Networks and ESPN. Starting gymnastics at the age of 2, Samantha has always been a sports fanatic. She also played soccer and danced, but her gymnastics continued to excel, making her the youngest member of the national team at age 12. Traveling the world competing for Team USA, Samantha was on the Pan American Games team that won gold in Rio and the World Championship team that won gold in Stuttgart. To learn more about Samantha and view full show notes, please visit the full website here: https://jen.health/podcast/149 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.

Feeling pain around the outer hips? Been diagnosed with hip-related bursitis/ tendonitis/ tendinopathy? DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into current perspectives on inflammation-related diagnosis in the hips. With shifts in understanding towards tissue adaptations and tissue arrangement dysregulation, they explain the differences between the different diagnoses and what is happening when symptoms are elicited chronically. Explaining the anatomy surrounding the glutes, they explain the difference between “itis” and “osis,” and the different bursas in the region. Steering away from approaches that target inflammation, DocJen & Dr. Dom offer tools on how loading the tissues, strength, and working on muscular coordination will get you on track to pain-free movement optimally! Tune in to learn how you can begin to address your lateral (outer) hip pain! 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 PT Pearl: 2:56 - Tendinopathies 4:35 - The butt muscles 6:39 - “Bursitis” 7:36 - From ‘itis’ to ‘osis’ 8:45 - What are bursa? 9:58 - Current research on Gluteal Bursitis? 10:38 - Will tools to decrease inflammation fix your pain? 12:20 - Spectrum of diagnosis & why Function matters 14:40 - Strength & pain perception 16:02 - It takes time 17:30 - Tests for glute strength 19:30 - Exercises for the side of the hip 21:30 - The power of Active range of motion 22:30 - How to move and learn with Dr. Jen 26:13 - Muscle Primers 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/148 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.