#149 Noom and Weight Watchers

This week we’re breaking down two diet services that are being marketed to millenials: Noom and Weight Watchers (oh, I’m so sorry, “WW”). What do they claim to be? What are they, actually? Why don’t we need them, and if we find their offers compelling, what can we do instead? Be warned, sneaky diets that are trying to pretend they aren’t diets: Daphnie and Joanna are coming for you!

Links in this episode: Christy Harrison on Weight Watchers, Information about orthorexia from the National Eating Disorder Association, Health coach Holly Toronto, Isabel Foxen Duke’s blog, Food Psych episode on the problems with weight science, Smitten Kitchen, NYT Cooking

#148 Shoulders

We carry a lot on our shoulders these days: giant purses, laptops, and the consequences of bad computer posture and hours of cell phone use. It’s no wonder that a lot of us have shoulder pain! Daphnie helps explain what our shoulders are made of, what causes all that pain, and what exercises we can do to strengthen our body’s biggest and most complicated joints. Plus, we go taco crazy in “Best Choice”.

Links in this episode: How to find a PT near you, Dr. Laura’s website if you need a chiro in NYC, Joanna’s grown woman backpack, Popsocket phone grip, Our episodes on Chest Muscles, Triceps, Arms, and Back Muscles

#147 CBD

Everyone is talking about CBD. It’s exciting because it’s...weed...kind of? It feels a little illicit? But what is it really? It gets promoted as a miracle cure for everything, but is it even legal? Is it safe? Is it all just placebo effect? Daphnie and Joanna dig into the current research to try and clear the air.

Links in this episode: Articles Joanna used for research from the Harvard Kennedy School, NPR Shots blog, WebMD, and The New Yorker, Code Switch on marijuana and race, The New Republic on AA’s objection to using drugs to help drug addicts recover, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Our episode about inflammation

#146 Lunch

Lunch is the meal you eat in the middle of your day, but that means different things to different people. It can be at noon or 4pm, a frozen burrito on a “15” at your retail job or an expensive salad scarfed at your desk between meetings. We hear lots of ideas about how to be “good” at lunch, but Daphnie wants to talk about making lunch work for your lifestyle so that you leave lunch satisfied physically and emotionally.

Links in this episode: Joanna’s Pinterest board of packable lunches, Our episode on meal planning and grocery shopping, Great container for packing lunch, Or this one has an ice pack if you don’t have a fridge, Reusable straws, Travel silverware

#145 Calves

The more times you say it, the less it sounds like a word. Calves. Callllllvvvves. Caffs? The point is, we’re talking about the muscles of your lower leg. Daphnie explains the anatomy of the calves, why they’re important, how to strengthen them, and whether or not we can really change how they look. Plus: injury prevention tips!

Links in this episode: The anatomy of the calf, Video instruction on how to do calf raises, How to foam roll your calves and how to foam roll for shin splints

#144 Listener Questions

You asked for it! This week, Joanna and Daphnie answer questions from listeners, covering everything from avocados to spinning to what to do when you can’t motivate yourself to do any exercise besides yoga. Plus, Daphnie gets posh in “What Your Trainer Eats”.

Links in this episode: Two episodes from our archives that we mention: “Is it OK to Want to Lose Weight?” and “Building a Workout”, Fitness Blender free online workout videos

#143 Surviving Brain Injury with Mimi Hayes

You know that feeling when you’re 22 and just out of college and you start your first job and you aren’t feeling well and it turns out you have a brain hemorrhage and have to have brain surgery? Comedian and author Mimi Hayes knows that feeling! Mimi tells the story of her diagnosis and recovery in her new book I'll Be OK, It's Just a Hole In My Head, and she has great advice (and jokes!) for anyone dealing with brain injury or supporting someone going through it.

Links in this episode: Buy Mimi’s book from her publisher or on Amazon, Mimi’s website, Mimi and the Brain podcast

#013RR Top 5 Tips and Tricks

This week we’re keeping it short and sweet with Daphnie's Top 5 Tips and Tricks for living your healthiest, most balanced life. What do pizza demons, Bugle fingers, and weight room dudes have in common? This episode, that’s what. Plus, Joanna tries to wiggle out of exercising with her “Excuse of the Week”.

Links in this episode: Free online Tabata timer, Article from the Washington Post about the benefits of a cut-off time, Buy a wide mouth Nalgene for power water, Get a mouthpiece too so your fruit doesn’t hit you in the face

#142 Therapy with Psychotherapist Lindsey Pratt

We’ve told our listeners to consider going to therapy a million times, but how do you figure out if therapy might be helpful to you? Psychotherapist Lindsey Pratt, LMHC, joins us to talk about signs that therapy might be useful, how to find a therapist that’s a good fit, how to break up with a therapist that isn’t working out, and (let’s be real) how to pay for it.

Links in this episode: Lindsey's individual practice website, Intuitive Healing Psychotherapy Practice website, Find a therapist anywhere in the country on Psychology Today, Find low-cost therapy options ($30-$50) on Open Path, NYC Mental Health resources

#049RR Inflammation

Talking about inflammation has gotten trendy recently. Is it really the cause of all of our problems? Daphnie explains the different kinds of inflammation, what the deal is with anti-inflammatory diets, and how we can use reducing inflammation to our advantage. Plus we talk about delicious nutritious olive oil in Power Foods.

Links in this episode: Chronic stress in kids, EWG guide to household cleaners, New Yorker article about inflammation, How strong is the link between inflammation and depression?, More info on probiotics in food, 4-7-8 breaths , Harvard's list of foods that fight inflammation

#141 Ankles & Sprains

Most of us have sprained an ankle at some point, but not all ankle sprains are alike. Some seem to heal overnight; others can put you on crutches for weeks. Daphnie explains what causes ankle sprains, why some are worse than others, how to handle recovery, and what exercises we can do to keep them from happening.

Links in this episode: Anatomy of the ankle. Form videos: side lunges, curtsey lunges, calf raises

#140 Caffeine

We all have a friend who is giving up caffeine and is sooooooo pleased with themselves, but do we really need to do that? What IS caffeine and what is it actually doing to us? Daphnie gives us the information we need to make our own choices. Please, please, please, Daphnie: don’t take away our coffee!

Links in this episode: More on whether or not caffeine can be addictive, Caffeine amounts in different drinks

#139 Chest Muscles

Like pushing doors open? Picking up groceries? Getting up from the ground? Then you LOVE your chest muscles! Daphnie explains how our pecs work, how we can strengthen them, and how to know if you may have hurt them opening a sticky window. Plus, we talk pancakes in “Best Choice”!

Links in this episode: Punky Brewster bust clip, Our episodes on Backs and Building Functional Strength, Video on foam rolling your pecs, Form videos: Push Up, Dumbbell Chest Press, Tricep Dip, Chest Fly

#138 Get Creative with Katherine Jaeger-Thomas

Creative career and business coach Katherine Jaeger-Thomas says we’re all creative beings, whether we’re professional actors, amateur painters, or parents inventing a new way to handle bedtime. We talk with her about how we can work on being more awesome by fostering creativity in our daily lives, even if we don’t have 15 (or even 5) minutes to spare.

Links in this episode: Katherine's website: KJT Coaching, Create Space Facebook group, International Coaching Federation

#137 5 "Healthy" Ideas to Ignore

Ideas about health and fitness change fast. Sometimes the science gets better; other times, corporations just want to sell you new stuff. This week we make a list of things that were, or are, advertised as “healthy” that you should feel free to ignore completely. Plus, Daphnie works the lats in “Daphnie’s Favorite Exercise”.

Links in this episode: Intuitive Eating book, Food Psych podcast, Kellogg brothers book, Steel cut oats recipe, Breakfast quinoa recipe, Science against diet soda/artificial sweeteners

#045RR 10 Small Steps to Being More Awesome

Feeling overwhelmed by the idea of making a change in your life because your ideal is so far from where you are? We know that feel. This week, start with one of these 10 small, super not scary changes and start becoming more awesome RIGHT NOW! #NoExcuses Plus, Daphnie talks us out of a detox in “This is Crazy, Right?”

Links in this episode: More info on Tabata and HIIT, Online Tabata Timer, Wide Mouth Nalgene, Mouthpiece for Wide Mouth Nalgene, Meditation App

#136 Hamstrings

Hamstrings aren’t just sitting there waiting for dads to pull them while playing touch football at Thanksgiving. They’re one of our biggest muscle groups! Learn how they work, when we use them, why we injure them so often, and what to do to prevent it. Plus, Daphnie gives us her current favorite smoothie recipe in “What Your Trainer Eats”!

Links in this episode: More about hamstrings including some good images, Our episode on headaches with Jan Mundo, Daphnie's current favorite protein/collagen powder.
Form videos: deadlifts, bridges, hamstring curl, foam rolling your hamstrings.

#135 Changing Negative Self-Talk

The way we talk to ourselves matters. Whether it’s about our bodies, our jobs, or our relationships, negative self-talk feels productive but actually keeps us from the things we want out of life. Daphnie brings us tools for changing our negative self-talk into thought patterns that are productive and healthy, while still acknowledging the pain that fuels those harmful thoughts in the first place.  

Links in this episode: Heart and Brain comics, Free meditation app, Jezebel on how to find a therapist, Radiolab episode about VR Freud

#134 Eating Out

Eating out can be fun, relaxing, and exciting. It can also be overwhelming, guilt-inducing, stressful, or boring. We ask Daphnie how she balances thinking about nutrition and eating for pleasure when she’s dining out, and we offer some practical tips for travel, business dinners, office lunches, and fun meals with friends.

Links in this episode: Support us on Patreon! Past episodes we mention in this episode: Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping, Love Your Body with Holly Toronto, Stay Fit at the Office, Work Meals & Business Travel, Stop Wasting Food with Hannah Jastram Aaberg

#133 Sexual Health with Kim Kaiser, LPN

There’s one thing that affects nearly all of our listeners that we haven’t covered at all: sex! Public health nurse Kim Kaiser, LPN, joins us to talk about how to care for the parts of our bodies that might be involved in sex. We also talk about the most common sexually transmitted infections: how to recognize them, what the tests are like, and how they’re treated. Get the information you need to make informed choices (and laugh a lot, too!)

Links in this episode: Kim's website and Instagram, One Medical info on how soon you can test for STDs, Info on the HPV vaccine, Herpes Handbook, Find a place to get tested near you