The Journey to Wellness

Katie Walter is a yoga instructor (check out our previous podcast episode!) and has consistently followed a vegan diet for over 5 years, including during her last couple of years at Miami University where she competed in track and field as a thrower. Although I am not a big proponent of the vegan diet, or most diets for that matter, I 100% believe it can be done in a healthy way with the right knowledge, effort, and time commitment. That's why Katie is on the show, to talk about her journey, the challenges she faced, and how she's been able to eat vegan for 5+ years...the right way! 0:52 - Introduction to Katie 2:00 - The Eating Habits of College Athletes 4:33 - How Health Professionals Can Help Athlete's With a Damaged Relationship to Food 7:52 - How the Day to Day Schedule of a College Athlete Makes Nutrition Difficult 10:26 - Katie's Journey to Eating Vegan 28:50 - Her Thoughts on Athlete's Going Vegan 33:30 - The Learning Curve with Going Vegan 38:08 - Ben and Katie Share Their Thoughts About When/If An Athlete Should Go Vegan 44:10 - What About Other Diets? (Carnivore, Gluten Free, Paleo, etc) 48:39 - Rapid Fire Questions to Debunk Vegan Myths Find Katie on Instagram @walterkt and as always thanks for listening!

Listen in to the conversation I had with Chase Jenkins, when he had me on his show: Fitness Made Simple University. I discuss the basics of good nutrition, important aspects of performance nutrition, protein timing, what's the deal with sodium, and a lot more!

Zack Zillner is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and the head performance coach for women's basketball at the University of Texas. He provides us with an inside look at sports performance at the collegiate level. We cover a lot including: A typical day in the life of a college strength coach How Zack's training philosophy has changed over the years  The importance of mastering the basics  Advice to high school athletes preparing for the collegiate level  What areas do freshman athletes typically need the most help in?  Why athletes, specifically basketball players, typically lack strength coming into college How Zack uses technology like the force plate, EliteForm, and Catapult to track his athletes progress and areas where they need to improve Getting athletes ready for tipoff Zack's Instagram and Twitter handle is @zszillner. He is a great follow if you are interested in seeing some of the specific training he is doing with his team. It is also the best way to reach Zack if you have any questions for him! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share!

Chase Jenkins is the owner of Uplift Fitness, a gym located in the heart of Appalachia, one of the unhealthiest areas in the entire country. He is also the creator of Fitness Made Simple University, an online brand and podcast that gives people the right steps so that they can thrive in fitness and in life. Here is all we cover: - Chase's journey in health and wellness  - How Uplift Fitness got it's start - Why context matters when it comes to fitness advice - The dangers of being physically weak - Don't step over dollars to pick up dimes - Hinderances to reaching your goals - How to decide on your fitness goals + make a plan to reach them Chase's personal Instagram: @uf_chase  Uplift Fitness Instagram: @upliftfitnessohio Fitness Made Simple University Instagram: @fitnessmadesimpleu Be sure to check out his socials, he is one of the best follows out there!

Tune into the first ever solo episode with your host Ben Miller. Reinforcement loops are when an action produces a result which influences more of the same action thus resulting in growth or decline. It can also be thought of as a domino effect or cycle. I illustrate how this works using three different examples, including one related to nutrition. These reinforcement loops are so powerful, and go to show how impactful just one small step in the right direction can be.

In this episode I speak with Rob Smaldino, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and the athlete program director at Peak Human Performance. Here is all we cover in the episode: - His journey to becoming a CSCS and working for Peak Human Performance (0:00) - How does he go beyond the surface level to find the real why behind his client's goals? (11:41) - Why is periodization so important? (25:54) - What are the differences in how he trains athletes depending on their age and sport? (31:19) - What are the most effective strategies for recovering well? (38:56) - How does he track and celebrate his athlete's successes? (49:04) Find Rob on Instagram @robsmaldinophp and Peak Human Performance at @peakhumanpeformance If you enjoyed today's episode please subscribe and share!

Grant Bennington and I both attended Indiana Wesleyan University together and now find ourselves living in Texas. He is a student at Parker University in Dallas and is over halfway done with the Doctorate of Chiropractic program. His knowledge and passion for this field is incredible.  Grant shares his personal story, involving two torn labrum, a change of major, and other events that eventually led him to choose chiropractic as the field he wanted to go into. We establish what exactly a chiropractor does, how they diagnose, the different treatments they provide, and the difference between physical therapists and chiropractors. Our conversation also covers the importance of our thought life and how that can effect even our posture, why foot health is so important, and how something as simple as walking can have some incredible and wide ranging health benefits.  If you're like me and don't know much about chiropractic medicine, especially the purpose behind, this conversation is a must listen. A lot of the knowledge he shared were things I had never heard before but make so much sense. If you want to get in touch with Grant, DM him on Instagram @grant_bennington 

Lakin Steedly is a dietitian at Cincinnati Children's Hospital where she works with eating disorders in the pediatric population. We talk about her day to day including how she helps both inpatient and outpatients kids, what leads these kids down the path of developing an eating disorder, and what parents, friends, and professionals can do to prevent this type of behavior. This episode was SO intriguing and some of her answers surprised me! Find Lakin on Instagram @lake.steeds.servings or email her at [email protected].

In today's episode I speak with my former college roommate, Brian Vance. He is currently at Northwestern University in their Doctorate of Physical Therapy program. We start off by discussing what PT school is like and what areas he finds especially interesting in the field. Brian takes us through the process that physical therapists take when evaluating clients. I ask Brian questions that I've been curious to know more about including common PT myths, his thoughts on the RICE method, the knees over toes guy that's been taking over social media, and how chiropractors and PTs view one another as professionals. Brian gives great research backed answers to all these questions. We finish up by discussing some practical applications for athletes to help with injury prevention, mobility, and general health from a body movement perspective. You'll be able to take so much interesting and practical information with you from this podcast!

Mallory Page is a registered dietitian who helps women who have "tried everything" transform their relationship with food and body image to finally achieve freedom. We talk about why new diets and fads, and restriction in general, doesn't work. And how we can move towards food freedom and the physical and mental benefits that come from that.  We also discuss why we can achieve a certain weight or physique but are still void of the fulfillment, confidence, or happiness we expected these physical changes to bring. Mallory gives great insight into why this is and how we can get those feelings of fulfillment that we are really desiring.  My favorite part of the podcast was listening to Mallory explain the changes that occur when her clients move from restriction to freedom, it really is remarkable. Give her a follow on all socials, her handle is @malloryjpage. She puts out incredibly great content and always keeps it real and authentic.