Lucy Mailing is a microbiome researcher, educator, and passionate scholar of integrative, evidence-based gut health. She received her Bachelor’s in Biology from Kalamazoo College and her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois. Lucy has authored several peer-reviewed journal articles related to the microbiome and health and was named an Emerging Leader in Nutritional Sciences by the American Society for Nutrition in 2017. On her website, lucymailing.com , Lucy shares content ...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 10 min
"The idea that CrossFit is dangerous is actually not supported in the scientific literature," says Amy West, MD. Her number-one tip for avoiding injury: "Check your ego at the door." Other suggested strategies include seeking out supervision to make sure you're moving properly, knowing your own limits, and paying attention to recovery. To learn more about CrossFit Health and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient, visit health.crossfit.com. If you like this episode, please subsc...
Nov 04, 2021•6 min
Healthcare practitioners, cancer advocates and a cancer survivor discuss the applications of CrossFit for individuals diagnosed with cancer. They share their personal connection to cancer, the impact of exercise on cancer prevention and treatment, and ideas on how we can build a bridge between fitness providers and healthcare to better support cancer survivors. The panel was part of a series of conversations hosted by CrossFit Health at the 2021 CrossFit Games. You can connect with the featured ...
Nov 02, 2021•49 min
Wearable devices can measure the variability between the beats of your heart and can indicate how relaxed you are-- "an objective measure of how chill you are," says Mike Mallin, MD. The more variability the better. Dr. Mallin and I discuss our top 5 tips to increase heart rate variability. Sleep- a regular bedtime & at least an 8-hour sleep opportunity every night Exercise- a consistent amount over time, and be sure to allow time for adequate recovery Avoid alcohol- more than one drink can ...
Oct 28, 2021•3 min
Nick Ortner is the creator and executive producer of the documentary film, The Tapping Solution, as well the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Tapping Solution: A revolutionary system for stress-free living. Tapping is also sometimes referred to as Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT. Nick began sharing this stress and anxiety-relieving method with others in 2007 after experiencing tremendous success using the protocol for his own personal pain relief. He has gone on to become a...
Oct 26, 2021•55 min
What is primary care? In theory, it’s a long-term relationship between a healthcare practitioner and a patient encompassing preventative health practices, acute illness, and chronic disease. In practice, the insurance system has created an environment where physicians are incentivized to see more patients in less time, and the doctor-patient relationship is suffering because of it. Julie talks with CrossFit CEO Eric Roza about the current state of primary care and why the direct primary care mod...
Oct 21, 2021•7 min
Healthcare practitioners and wearables experts provide insights on several different types of wearable devices for CrossFit and health, including trackers for workouts, sleep, recovery, and blood glucose. The panelists share the most useful metrics to track, why personalized data and experimentation are so crucial for improving health and performance, and actionable tips individuals can use to improve their biometrics. The panel was part of a series of conversations hosted by CrossFit Health at ...
Oct 19, 2021•52 min
“Are you waking up rested and without an alarm clock?” asks Dr. Matt Dawson of CrossFit Precision Care. His advice to get the rest and recovery you need? “Stick to the basics… cool, dark, and quiet.” PMID: 31759934, 33879784, 27611440 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 usi...
Oct 14, 2021•2 min
Healthcare practitioners and affiliate owners discuss limitations of the conventional healthcare system, the power of the CrossFit affiliate to transform health, and how we can make CrossFit more accessible to a broader population. The panel was part of a series of conversations hosted by CrossFit Health at the 2021 CrossFit Games. You can connect with the featured panelists via Instagram: Julie Foucher, MD - Family Physician @juliefoucher Pat Sherwood - CrossFit Linchpin Owner @sherwood215 Athe...
Oct 12, 2021•54 min
1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, and 84% don’t even know it. Family physician Tom McCoy, DO, describes the mechanism behind insulin resistance, how to investigate whether you have it, and steps to take to reverse it. To learn more about CrossFit Health and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient, visit health.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 #Pursui...
Oct 07, 2021•4 min
CrossFit CEO Eric Roza and Wild Health co-founder and CEO Matt Dawson, MD join me to discuss the evolution of CrossFit Health and the inception of CrossFit Precision Care, a personalized medicine practice. We discuss why CrossFit is uniquely positioned to revolutionize healthcare, the importance of primary care visits, even for healthy individuals, what it will be like to experience CrossFit Precision Care as a patient, and how other practitioners can get involved. To learn more visit care.cross...
Oct 05, 2021•52 min
“You want food that goes bad,” says EC Synkowski, CF-L4 and founder of OptimizeMe Nutrition . “When we’re looking at nutrition for general overall health, you really want quality AND quantity. What happens with processed foods is we tend to have a mismatch of that.” To learn more about CrossFit Health and how to get involved as a healthcare provider or patient, visit health.crossfit.com. If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your fe...
Sep 30, 2021•6 min
When Tarryn Harvey was in her early 20’s, an unexpected heartbreak left her struggling with depression, anxiety, and the early stages of anorexia. A friend helped her recognize she needed help, and connected Tarryn with a personal trainer who eventually introduced her to CrossFit. As Tarryn began lifting weights, she started eating to fuel her workouts, and soon, she began to feel empowered and strong. Her depression started to fade, she reconnected with friends, and she discovered the power of ...
Sep 28, 2021•38 min
Healthcare practitioners speak on what drew them to CrossFit when their colleagues might have said it was dangerous, how the risk of injury in CrossFit compares to other sports, the risk vs. benefits of exercise, the most effective recovery modalities, how we can change the perception of CrossFit in the medical community, and more. You can connect with the featured panelists via Instagram: Sean Rockett, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon @321gomd Kelly Starrett, DPT, The Ready State Co-Founder @thereadystat...
Sep 21, 2021•58 min
After years of experiencing mysterious intermittent pain in his back, Scott Young was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory autoimmune condition that, over time, can cause the bones of the spine to fuse. In this episode, he shares how his physical therapist encouraged him to start CrossFit to improve his movement mechanics, and how, over time, that’s led to his realization that staying moving helps relieve some of the stiffness and pain he experiences as a result of his AS. We a...
Sep 14, 2021•35 min
Jenna Muri-Rosenthal is a speech-language pathologist, certified brain injury specialist, and a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer. As the founder of Fit to Function Recovery, she has blended these areas of expertise into a program that combines functional fitness with cognitive rehabilitation. Jenna works with survivors of brain injury and strokes, both one-on-one and in a community environment to help them progress their recovery beyond what is typically considered “good enough” in a traditional rehabi...
Sep 06, 2021•34 min
Jen Dudley shares her amazing story of personal transformation. Her struggles with career anxiety and the stress of nursing school had led to an 80 pound weight gain, and no matter how many times she told her friends and family she was ready to make a change, she always seemed to wind up back where she started, feeling embarrassed for her lack of success. She finally got the wake up call she needed when a family member became ill. Jen quietly committed to herself to start a health and weight los...
Aug 31, 2021•50 min
Dr. Shon Rowan is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He completed his medical training at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and continues to work there as an Assistant Professor. He is clinically active in reproductive medicine including infertility and In Vitro Fertilization, and recently led a research study exploring how monitoring pregnant women’s resting heart rate and HRV can provide insights to the fitness changes that take place during and after pregnancy. Jeff G...
Aug 24, 2021•54 min
Fran Whitfield is a London based personal trainer who, at age 25, learned she has breast cancer that had metastasized to her brain and was given a prognosis of 2 years to live. Unwilling to settle for such a grim diagnosis, Fran sought the help of a care team who was willing to fight the disease with her. She credits her hedge of fitness with helping her recover quickly from brain surgery, and her current fitness routine with protecting her mental and physical health as she manages the side effe...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Athena Perez is the owner of Scaled Nation CrossFit, the author of the book, Lifting the Wait, and is an advocate for the inclusivity of obese and overweight athletes in the CrossFit community. She has a remarkable transformation story, and she draws on her experiences to support others in need. A survivor of child abuse, Athena has struggled with her relationship with food since the age of 5, but with the help of CrossFit, she’s lost over 225 lbs and reclaimed her confidence. You can connect wi...
Aug 10, 2021•56 min
As a second degree black belt in Taekwondo, two-time New York City marathon finisher, and long-time CrossFit athlete, Vanessa Lew was shocked when she experienced a ruptured brain aneurysm while working out. Thanks to the quick thinking and fast reaction of her CrossFit community, she quickly received the appropriate medical attention, and within weeks was on the road to recovery. In this episode, we talk about the importance of undergoing regular medical screenings, even for healthy individuals...
Aug 03, 2021•29 min
Austin Malleolo and James Hobart have been leaders in the CrossFit community for over a decade. Austin is a 7-time CrossFit Games competitor, including two individual finishes inside the Top 10. James is an 8-time Games veteran, including two first place finishes as part of Team CrossFit Mayhem Freedom. Austin and James are also two of the most prolific CrossFit Seminar Staff Flowmasters, having been a part of hundreds of Level 1 and Level 2 Seminars, in addition to being experienced affiliate o...
Jul 27, 2021•57 min
Michael Asterino shares his journey from young lacrosse athlete managing a chronic stomach condition known as gastroparesis, to college sophomore struggling with alcohol and drug abuse. When Michael recognized that his addictions were damaging his relationships and preventing him from upholding commitments, he sought help from others who were sober. With their support, he started on a path to self-betterment. Along the way, fitness, spirituality and mindfulness played a key role in his recovery....
Jul 20, 2021•50 min
Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a functional medicine physician specializing in the concept of muscle-centric medicine, which focuses on the largest organ in the body, skeletal muscle, as the key to health and longevity. By using high-quality protein diets, supplements, and resistance training, she helps a variety of patients, from those suffering with sarcopenia or pre-diabetes to elite military operators, reduce chronic disease risk and improve longevity. Dr. Lyon received her doctorate in osteopathic m...
Jul 13, 2021•45 min
Scott Britton is the founder of Battle Cancer, a non-profit that uses functional fitness events to raise funds for cancer charities, as well as provides free training programs to help cancer survivors thrive post-treatment. Originally a small, personal fundraising initiative, Scott quickly recognized that when it came to creating a big impact, there is strength in numbers. He recruited others and worked hard to grow Battle Cancer into a huge movement that has raised over $1.4 million and hosted ...
Jul 06, 2021•35 min
Jackie Bowen is the executive director of the Clean Label Project, a non-profit with the mission to bring transparency to food and product labeling by using analytical chemistry and data investigations to research top selling products. Jackie has a Master of Science in quality engineering from Easterm Michigan University, a Master of Public Health in management and policy from University of Michigan, and has appeared on numerous media outlets including NBC, ABC, CNN, ‘The Doctors’, ‘Dr. Oz’, and...
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Samantha Briggs has been a staple athlete within the CrossFit community for over a decade. Her nickname, “The Engine,” refers to her incredible work capacity in longer events, but it now seems to apply to her longevity in the sport as well. Sam is a 9-time CrossFit Games competitor, the 2013 Fittest Woman on Earth, and in 2022, she has her sights set on becoming the fittest 40 year-old in history. It’s been over 3 years since Sam last joined me on the podcast, so I was excited to have the chance...
Jun 22, 2021•39 min
200 episodes of Pursuing Health, wow! To celebrate, I decided it was time for a long overdue Q+A style episode. Thank you to everyone who responded to my email request for questions; there were so many fantastic ones, and I wish I was able to cover them all! To make this Q+A session extra special, I enlisted the help of my friend Pat Sherwood. Pat was one of the first people to interview me when I began my career as a CrossFit athlete, so it was a huge treat to catch up with him now, over 10 yea...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and the only presidentially appointed director to serve more than one administration. In this role, Dr. Collins oversees the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, spanning the spectrum from basic to clinical research. A pioneer gene hunter, Dr. Collins led the Human Genome Project from 1993 until 2008. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, and the National Medal...
Jun 08, 2021•52 min
Jeff Livingston is a retired maternal fetal specialist who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the relatively young age of 36 after noticing a tremor in his finger. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative, progressive neurological disorder that leads to reduced dopamine production and can result in tremors, balance problems, stiffness, and even depression. For many years Jeff did very little to address his symptoms, but as his neurological symptoms increased and the condition grew more and m...
Jun 01, 2021•35 min
