The Optimal Body - podcast cover

The Optimal Body

Dr Jen Fraboni & Dr Dom Frabonijen.health
Join top-40 Physical Therapy Influencer, Doc Jen, and her Physical Therapy husband Dr. Dom, as they bring you the body tips and PT Pearls you need to help you understand your body, relieve your pains and restrictions, and answer your questions. Along with expert guests, the goal of The Optimal Body is to help you discover what optimal means in your own body.
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Episodes

353 | The Fundamental Pillars of Holistic Health with Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Mahboubeh

Diving into the pillars and levers of holistic health, Dr. Mahboubeh described why it is important to focus practice on holistic health and how you can begin to create the best environment to allow healing to occur. Then, she speaks about treating the body systemically and holistically, defining her phrase, "We are not what we eat but how we live." Then, she provides a guide to hydration, blood sugar regulation, how to optimize your plate, and finally, what it means to heal in layers. Let's peel...

Apr 22, 202443 minEp. 353

352 | Scapular Winging? What can you do!

Seen or been told your shoulder blade is in a funky position during exercise? Perhaps popping out a little bit? Heard that scapular winging will cause pain inadvertently? Dr. Jen and Dr. Dom have your back as they explore all things scapular and debunk the common myths surrounding scapular winging. Tune into how scapular winging occurs, how you can begin to explore scapular range of motion, and how your scapular moves in coordination with its neighbors. Through this podcast, you’ll develop an ap...

Apr 15, 202423 minEp. 352

351 | The 4 Pillars to Improve Foot Health and Preventing Pain with Functional Podiatrist, Dr. Emily Splichal

Stretching and strengthening may not be enough for Foot Health. Dr. Emily Splichal ⁠⁠⁠ dives into the missing piece: sensory awareness! Describing the 4 pillars of foot health, she provides insight into the importance of sensory input through the feet, potential causes of neuropathy, and tools you can use to gain awareness in the feet. With a simple test to gauge your risk of falls, she provides simple methods to improve your foot proprioception and, ultimately, balance! From flat feet to high a...

Apr 08, 202452 minEp. 351

350 | What Exercises Help to Improve Posture?

Your one-stop shop to addressing your posture! DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into all things posture and how you can change your movement game to address your posture. Tapping into mobility, strength through range, and core control, they hone in on their best tips! Let's dive in! Jen Health Discount: Try something different. If you’ve been told to “stay away,” “stop [x],” “try [x] and it has not worked,” we’re taking you back to the basics and back to the science. Jen Health was created so that you do...

Apr 01, 202418 minEp. 350

349 | Fitness Changes & Considerations During Pregnancy & Postpartum with Brianna Battles

Itching to exercise post-partum but have been told to wait? Or, wanting to exercise as a beginner and pregnant? We dive into how Brianna found passion in helping new mothers post-partum and through pregnancy with their fitness journeys. We dive into whether exercise is harmful during oreganacy and post-partum, post-partum expectations related to return to exercise, whether you need to avoid core exercises, and considerations related to running and jumping! Let's dive in! Jen Health Discount: Try...

Mar 25, 202447 minEp. 349

348 | Should You Do Cool Downs? What is the Best Technique?

Do you cool-down? At times, cool-downs feel unimportant or a waste of time, however, DocJen & Dr. Dom break the confusion in this episode. With a high emphasis on specificity, they explain the importance of strategically cooling down the body to prepare the body for optimal recovery, addressing how to appropriately use breath and movement after exercise to kickstart that rest, digest, and recovery state. Let’s dive in! LMNT Discount Code: Fuel every system within the body and the brain with ...

Mar 18, 202414 minEp. 348

347 | Fevers, Eczema and Poop with Naturopathic Pediatric Doctor, Dr. Elana Roumell

Struggling to navigate your kid's fever, eczema, or poop concerns? “If you’re putting that steroid cream on, that is just a bandaid.” We have Dr Elana Roumell, a doctor and naturopath specializing in paediatric, to address when to conventional and herbal medicine for fevers, specifically Tyenol and Ibuprofen, and her top herbal medicine recommendations. Then, she dives into the world of excema, discussing nutrition considerations and how to care for the manifestations of excema. Finally, Dr. Ela...

Mar 11, 202452 minEp. 347

346 | Should You Be Doing Warm Ups? What's Effective? What's Not?

Do you warm-up? At times, warm-ups feel unimportant or a waste of time, however, DocJen & Dr. Dom break the confusion in this episode. With a high emphasis on specificity, they explain the importance of strategically warming up the body to prepare for the upcoming movement, how to appropriately activate the body before exercise sessions, whether stretching is really that bad before movement, and how you can optimize your warm-ups for injury prevention. Let’s dive in! Join Our Move 2 Improve ...

Mar 04, 202425 minEp. 346

345 | Female Nutrition and Training from Puberty to Menopause

#womenarenotsmallmen Wondering how to optimize your nutrition & training as a female? Lost a period? Struggling to figure out nutrition and exercise around menopause? Dr. Stacy Sims dives deep into hormones, nutritional, and training considerations during the menstruating phase of life, perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. Dr. Stacy explains Amenorrhea, nutritional considerations during and post-exercise, and how eating times affect hormones and recovery. Dr. Stacy deciphers nutriti...

Feb 26, 202451 minEp. 345

344 | Mobility During the Trimesters of Pregnancy

In this episode, we delve into essential exercises and tips tailored to each trimester of pregnancy to support optimal mobility, stability, and overall well-being for expectant mothers. In the first trimester, we empower you with the hallmarks of mobility, as well as the importance of breathwork with pelvic floor awareness. In the second trimester, we address how you can work around the new sensations you are experiencing and what it means to focus on strength and stability as a signal of protec...

Feb 19, 202430 minEp. 344

343 | Let us Re-Introduce Ourselves

Welcome to our re-introduction. We're diving into where it all started, describing DocJen and Dr. Dom's paths to physical therapy and how they met! With fun facts, they expand beyond the initial dates and how their relationship flourished. Speaking into the impact of COVID, they hone in on how they navigated their business and how they paved the path towards creating their app - Jen Health. Let's dive in! VivoBarefoot Discount: Flat, thin, wide and flexible. VivoBarefoot Shoes are made to optimi...

Feb 12, 202448 minEp. 343

342 | Does Electrical Stimulation for Pain Help? A Look Into TENs Units

Have you tried TENs? DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. They dive into how it affects the body to reduce pain in the short-term, potential contraindications, and critically analyze the research that has been done on TENs. Finally, they discuss its use during labour and how it can facilitate pain management temporarily. Let's dive into all things TENs! VivoBarefoot Discount: Something that can surprisingly affect the health of our hamstrings is what we wear ...

Feb 05, 202418 minEp. 342

341 | The Power of Breathwork to Release Stress, Relieve Pain and Heal with Samantha Skelly

Struggling with anxiety? Feeling overwhelmed? - What if something as simple as breathwork self-healed? A tool constantly overlooked, but within us, is our breath. Samantha dives into her story about breathwork and how her first experiences changed her mental and bodily state. In addition to diving into the science of how breathwork can be a primary determinant of the state your nervous system is in, Samantha provides you with solutions to integrate breathwork when you're busy or stressed, types ...

Jan 29, 202445 minEp. 341

340 | Our Top Tips to Improve Wrist & Elbow Health & Reduce Pain

Tune into optimal health where DocJen and Dr Dom dive into all things wrist health! DocJen and Dr Dom dive into the potential causes of wrist pain, the role of the elbow in wrist health and the best exercises to help optimize that wrist-elbow complex, considering compensation, the nervous system, and the range of motion. By providing your solution with exercises, they discuss the relevance of mobility and strength to build awareness and resilience in the wrists! Jen Health Discount: Try somethin...

Jan 22, 202423 minEp. 340

339 | Reshaping the Wellness Landscape to Improve Your Health with Dr Jonathan Leary

Here's a different date idea - What if you and your partner got together to optimize your physiology? Join us as we explore Dr. Jonathan's career and how he birthed the world's first social health club. We dive into the concept of integrative wellbeing and shed light on the Social Wellness Club. We confront the question of why healthy activities often carry a stigma, and what it means to challenge societal perceptions and explore the barriers preventing positive lifestyle choices. By ensuring ac...

Jan 15, 202452 minEp. 339

338 | Our Top Tips to Improve Foot & Ankle Health & Reduce Pain

Tune into optimal health where DocJen and Dr Dom dive into the Foot and Ankle! DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the potential causes of foot and ankle pain, the role of footwear in foot health and the best exercises to help optimize that foot-ankle complex. By providing your solution with exercises, they discuss the relevance of mobility and strength to build awareness and resilience. VivoBarefoot Discount: Something that can surprisingly affect the health of our hamstrings is what we wear on our fe...

Jan 08, 202419 minEp. 338

337 | Optimizing Food Choices for Better Energy, Focus, and Fat Loss with Thomas DeLauer

Here’s a full debrief on the science behind metabolism, weight loss, and conflictive function from the perspective of food and nutrient consumption. In this episode, Thomas DeLauer breaks down the science behind how to eat for optimal cognitive function and between stressed and relaxed states. Then, DeLauer explains the science behind fast and slow metabolism, the principle of energy flux and how metabolism changes with chronic movement compared to being sedentary. Furthermore, he discusses the ...

Jan 01, 202452 minEp. 337

336 | Our Top Tips to Improve Knee Health & Reduce Pain

Tune into optimal health where DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the knees! DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the potential causes of knee pain, the role of posture with regard to knee health, as well as the best exercises! By providing your solution with exercises, they discuss the relevance of mobility and strength to build awareness and resilience in the knees! Low Back Challenge: Let's help your Lower Back Pain! 80-90% of individuals experience low back pain at some point. Join us as we start, provide...

Dec 25, 202320 minEp. 336

335 | Why Whole30 and How to Set Healthy Boundaries with Melissa Urban

Is Whole30 for you? In this episode with Melissa Urban, Co-Founder of Whole 30, we embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, exploring the intricate details of the Whole30 diet and beyond. We engage in a thought-provoking conversation on the self-experimentation versus elimination mindset, as well as the re-introduction phase of the diet taking centre stage. We dissect this crucial aspect, shedding light on the importance of reintroducing foods and the impact it can have on your ove...

Dec 18, 202350 minEp. 335

334 | Our Top Tips to Improve Shoulder Health & Reduce Pain

Tune into optimal health where DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the shoulders! DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the potential causes of shoulder pain, the role of posture with regards to shoulder health and the the best exercises to help optimize that shoulder-shoulder blade-upper back complex. By providing your solution with exercises, they discuss the relevance of mobility and strength to build awareness and resilience. Vital Proteins Discount: Do you love coffee? Why not add a scoop of collagen to co...

Dec 11, 202316 minEp. 334

333 | Individualizing Yoga to Fit Your Own Body & Life with Brett Larkin

"When you realize anatomy is a limitation, it becomes a liberation." We have invited Brett Larkin onto The Optimal Body Podcast to discuss her evolution with the Yoga practice and to share what Yoga means for her. From setting the path with how she started Yoga, she speaks about how the principles of Yoga apply to everyday life and uses the history of Yoga to explain what Yoga intended to be and how it can be defined for you. Finally, we dive into Anatomy and what it means to advance a Yoga prac...

Dec 04, 202344 minEp. 333

332 | Our Top Tips to Improve Hip Health & Reduce Pain

Tune into optimal health where DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the hips! DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the potential causes of hip pain and how compensatory or coordination defects play a role in the risk of the pain experience. By providing your solution with exercises, they discuss the relevance of mobility and strength to build awareness and resilience. JEN HEALTH SALE: ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP @ 50% OFF It is Cyber Monday! 11 different plans. Pure Education. Day-by-day calendar. It’s time to address an...

Nov 27, 202320 minEp. 332

331 | The Ideal Ergonomic Office Chair to Improve Posture & Relieve Back Tension with Dr. Ashley Williams, PT, DPT

Is sitting the new smoking? Is standing better for us? We have Dr. Ashley Williams, the sitting expert, on to discuss all things sitting, standing, chairs and posture. We're getting to the root of the truths behind article claims on sitting, standing desks, treadmill desks, and how posture relates to it all. Dr. Ashley dives into how you can become good at sitting and how to support sitting to prevent tension and allow you to move optimally throughout the day. She provides perspective on standin...

Nov 21, 202347 minEp. 331

330 | Our Top Tips to Improve Upper Back Health & Reduce Pain

Tune into part 3 of our back pain series where DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the neck! DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the anatomy of the upper back and what may be contributing to upper back pain. They explain the mobility-stability continuum and what it means to develop control over the body. By providing your solution with exercises, they discuss the relevance of mobility above and below the upper back, as well as, using external load and building resilience. Let’s dive into posture & core st...

Nov 13, 202331 minEp. 330

329 | Applying Body Building Principles to Optimize Health for Everyone with Justin Mihaly

“There’s a very fine line between bodybuilding and just complete neglect of health," says Justin Mihaly. In this episode, Bodybuilder, Justin Mihaly dives into where his interest in bodybuilding stemmed from. By mapping out the toxic culture around body-building and mental health, Justin hones in on the benefits of bodybuilding principles that can be carried over into normal life. He touches base with the aesthetic conversation as it ties into the body positivity movement and why heavy lifting i...

Nov 06, 202343 minEp. 329

328 | Our Top Tips to Improve Neck Health & Reduce Pain

Tune into part 2 of our back pain series where DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the neck! DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the anatomy of the neck, what may be contributing to neck pain, as well as the current research on degeneration around the neck. They explain the mobility-stability continuum and what it means to develop control over the body. By providing your solution with exercises, they discuss the relevance of mobility above and below the beck, as well as, using external load and building resil...

Oct 30, 202332 minEp. 328

327 | Understanding Hormone Health & Regaining Balance with Julia Glanz

Feel like you’ve tried everything, from working out to eating healthy, and still have little to no results? Listen to the interview with Julia Glanz – registered dietician, strength and conditioning coach, speed and agility coach, and former D1 athlete for soccer – as she enlightens us on what might be the true cause and what it means to balance hormones. Tune in as Julia explains how stress levels can affect your weight loss progress as well as the power of dialling back. Lastly, Julia goes ove...

Oct 23, 202357 minEp. 327

326 | Our Tips to Avoid & Improve Low Back Pain

Tune into part 1 of our back pain series where DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into the most aggravated and common pain point in the back - Low Back Pain. DocJen and Dr. Dom dive into what may be causing your recurrent lower back pain, whether all your lower back needs are stability and the biopsychosocial model with emphasis on what the biological aspect includes. Through anatomy, they explain the mobility-stability continuum and what it means to develop control over the body. By providing your solutio...

Oct 16, 202332 minEp. 326

325 | How Float Therapy Helps Improve Stress, Chronic Pain and Mineral Deficiencies with Maxwell Casa

Ever heard of Float therapy? Sensory Deprivation? In this episode, we unravel the mysteries surrounding float therapy, its benefits, what it means to open up your magnesium stores, and the intriguing impact of sensory deprivation on our health with Maxwell Casa. Imagine immersing yourself in a tranquil, weightless space where you float effortlessly in a high-density magnesium solution. We explore its potential to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being. Uncovering the e...

Oct 09, 202339 minEp. 325

324 | Peroneal Tendinitis: Pain on the Outside of your Ankle?

Been diagnosed with Peroneal Tendinitis? Or experiencing pain on the outside of your ankles? DocJen and Dr. Dom have got you covered in this episode explaining what the peroneals are, their function within the feet and ankle complex, who is affected most by Peroneal Tendinitis, and what is actually contributing to your symptoms. Believe it or not, it may not be what the 'itis' suffix suggests! Therefore, tune in to learn more about how it is a tendinosis injury as well as how you can begin to ad...

Oct 02, 202324 minEp. 324
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