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Welp, that's Season 1! We had a blast, and if you listened to the previous episodes, you know what we mean. In this wrap up, we discuss each episode, what we enjoyed about the guests, and the workouts we took. Shout out to all that have listened, and to those who have helped make this podcast great! Look out for Season 2 coming in the next few months!

If you've listened to past podcasts, Anna had asked us multiple times to come to her pole dance class, and finally we were able to sync up schedules and go. Talk about getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new! Hosted at Sweat716, there were many poles to choose from and we went right front and center. Anna started us off with some very basic moves, and we progressed from there. It was not easy, and that was what was fun about it. Would we do it again? You'll have to listen to find out. Give this one a listen to hear our thoughts about the pole dance class and more, and thank you to Anna for coming on for a third time!

Vestibular... That's one term among many others that we learned from the amazing Dr. Kelsey Fink of Muscle Up Wellness & Recovery, as we interviewed her a second time, following an assessment she did on Dan right before recording. She also gave us a taste of Integrated Kinetic Neurology, and showed us what happens when you utilize cupping therapy and Graston techniques for recovery. We were glad to have Dr. Fink back on to give Dan some pain relief, and to give you listeners some food for thought about your potential strengthening and recovery efforts. Following his evaluation and treatment Dan's neck has been pain (and cracking) free for 3 days and counting! Give this podcast a listen and if you want to optimize your function, contact Dr. Fink today! Be sure to also follow her on Facebook & Instagram. Dr. Fink primarily practices out of Crossfit Ambition and Perform Athletix, each in Rochester NY. She also can do virtual sessions if you live in New York or West Virginia.

We welcomed Dan Dominguez on to share his expertise in acupuncture as it relates to fitness, but we received so much more. Quite the story, and an amazing journey for Dan Dominguez as he has reached an amazing career milestone, all stemming from a sports tragedy. He's now soon to be opening up his own clinic downtown, Buffalo Orthopedic + Sports Acupuncture aka BOSA 716, and becoming the Buffalo Bills Team Acupuncturist. Find the time to listen to this podcast, as you'll really enjoy the ride, hearing how passionate and dedicated Dan is to his acupuncture craft, and how blessed he feels to be where he is today. He was a great guest and we think you'll feel the same!

We couldn't live with ourselves if we just interviewed to Dr. Jacob and Dr. Monica Harden once. They have so much more information about fitness, and ways to improve your health that they needed to share! In this episode, we catch up with both good doctors; their new clinic opening this month, parenting a toddler while still working on their own fitness, more about RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion), the current deadlift controversy and more. There is a lot to learn and the docs were happy to explain, so take a listen as we are sure there is something for everyone in this podcast.

We sat down with some folks at the 2019 Eat Rite Foods Sports Expo in Buffalo, NY and did some shotgun questions! It is one of the largest fitness and nutrition Expos on the East Coast. We hope you enjoy listening to the following guests, in order: Meghan Arnold - The Bird's Nest Circus Arts  Mark Williams - GeeksThatLift / Follow on Instagram: @geeksthatlift Leo Rivers - WNY MMA Beth Greenwald - Orangetheory Fitness / Follow on Instagram: @bethg315 Jacob Levinson - Jada Blitz Fitness / Follow on Instagram: @jadablitzfitness Scott Abraham - American Strength Foundation / Follow on Instagram: @american.strength.foundation Timothy Lidge - WNY Mustangs  Marybeth Nugent - Buffalo State / Follow on Instagram: @buffstate_wbb Mike Del Zoppo - Eat Rite Foods / Follow on Instagram: @mikedelzoppo Solomon Renfro - Professional MMA Fighter Follow on Instagram: @infamousoneking Jacob Fey - BuffaloCryo Follow on Instagram: @buffalocryo

As we've discussed in some of the other episodes, sometimes fitness isn't all about the physical. There's a good portion of mental to figuring out what can motivate you at the gym. Meet Sarah Bertollini, founder and President of TYPEd Group, and a certified practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, DISC, and other models of social psychology coaching. She recently came on to discuss personality differences and how discovering your "wiring" can help you discover what motivates you at the gym. It could be variety, could be structured programs, it could be knowing what you're doing or finding out on the fly... or shades of grey in between. Take a listen and you might learn something about yourself to help you along your fitness journey, and set or achieve the goals you are after. For more information about Sarah and her services visit her company website, TYPEd Group LLC.

Everybody goes through rough times in life. Whether it be stress from your job, family issues, or how you feel about your physical appearance, sometimes you need to find a way to release that stress. After having them on separately, and enjoying their talks, we invited Anna Alvarado and Jordan Marwin back on to talk to us together and have them share their insight into physical fitness as it relates to body and mind. As we discuss, fitness can be just as beneficial for your physical health and almost more important in your mental health and wellbeing.  Welcome Anna and Jordan back, and listen as the couple discuss their struggles, perseverance, and how as a fit couple they overcome their differences in unique ways.

The infamous New York Yankee legend, Yogi Berra once was quoted as saying "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical." Now we might not be math majors, but we know he was 100% right in his assessment. Which goes into why fitness isn't always about the physical, there's a mental aspect to it as well. Duke University Doctorate of Physical Therapy Student, Josh Allen, sat down with us to talk about his current studies, what he's seen as a PTA, Kinesiophobia or the "excessive, irrational and debilitating fear of physical movement and activity resulting from a feeling of vulnerability to painful injury or reinjury", and more. If you've suffered a big injury or maybe just aren't feeling the same after a small one you sustained while being active, this podcast is for you. Take a listen!

If you’ve listened to past episodes you may have noticed we like to learn from different experts and experiment with different workouts and diets to see what works for us. And in turn help you find things that might work for you. In this episode we review of some exercises and workout ideas that we’ve been playing with this year, from a sampling of our favorite experts. For the best experience with this episode, visit the accompanying page from our website: https://herofitpodcast.com/episode/recent-influences/

We learned very quickly in our interview Naturopathic Doctor, Tamara Kung, about the recipe to Urban Foraging, ways to optimize our health, and she gave us a lot to "chew" about when it came to diet and nutrition. Growing up in Vancouver, and seeing how her grandfather was treated by his physicians - not feeling a connection to the patient, gave her the idea to pursue medicine. Coupled with her love of cooking for her friends, she took a dive into alternative medicine and found naturopathy! In this episode, we discuss how not every diet is the same for everyone, how to eat, sleep, breathe, move, and discuss her Urban Foraging project. Plus what she looks forward to doing in her old age (hint: it's kite surfing!).

In this episode we began by attending a class at Boxstar Training (think High Intensity Interval Training with a focus on Boxing and Kickboxing movements) with co-owner Drew Graziadei and then sat down with him to discuss his background, the gym, and more. At age 18 Drew started his fighting career training at Empire Academy in Rochester. He later returned to Buffalo and dabbled in both MMA, Kickboxing, and Boxing. He had winning records in all three fighting arts, winning the super heavyweight NYS Golden Gloves Open Class Championships in 2012 and 2014. As the co-owner and founder of Boxstar Training on Elmwood Ave in Buffalo, Drew uses the conditioning routines, drills, and training experiences from his various coaches and influences to design fun, engaging, heart-pumping workouts for people of any age, gender, experience, or fitness level. Most recently he's invented a "workout truck" or mobile pop-up gym that you can look out for this Summer. We had a blast doing 12 rounds (HIIT style) and then interviewing Drew, and we think you'll love listening! Follow Drew and his gym on Instagram @unkledewy and @boxstartraining

In this episode we tackled questions about diet and exercise from our listeners. This is our first podcast that did not include a guest or one particular topic but we think you will really enjoy it. We received amazing questions that many of you undoubtedly share, and tried to give practical and actionable advice! Some of the questions you'll hear us respond to: How Much Protein Do I Need? How Sore Should I Feel After A Workout? What Makes Keto Different Than Atkins, And Different Than Paleo? How Do You Stay Motivated/Disciplined To Go To The Gym? How Do You Set New Goals? ...and more... For more content like this please subscribe, and follow us on social media. Find all the links you need for that at herofitpodcast.com The article we discussed at the end is at: https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/9-things-registered-dietitian-wants-you-know-about-weight-loss-ncna777231

Move Better. Feel Better. Live Better. - is the mission statement of Long + Lean Pilates, and its owner, Hayley Sullivan. And she showed us that statement is true, not only with the private Pilates session she gave us, but also in the interview. Hayley really loves and is passionate about Pilates, and enjoys giving people fun, challenging workouts. With a main focus of restoring people's bodies to their natural alignment and abilities, at L+L, their goal is to keep all of their clients doing whatever physical tasks they want to do for the rest of their lives and then some. Take a listen as we go through Hayley's background, her Pilates journey, our session, and more!

It's not everyday you can get your strength, endurance, and cardio tested in one workout, but when we stopped at Quarter Deck Athletics, we certainly got it all.  We took a class with coach, Shana Maldonado, who took us through the CrossFit paces - stretches, deadlifts, running, and more. By the end, we were definitely sweating profusely and had a great workout. Then we sat down with Shana and owner/coach Dr. Dennis Lesniak to talk about our experience, what it takes to be successful in CrossFit, and how the QDA community stays strong. Shana and Dennis also talked about how important nutrition is to their workouts, as Shana has developed her own food prep service, Built Without Guilt. Looking to dip your feet into CrossFit, maybe try it out and see how it can improve your fitness, then take a listen to this podcast today!

Nick & Dan learned there's more to Strongman than lifting big weights. Katie Dundas has experienced that mentality first hand. She has a very extensive background in fitness that we felt needed to be shared. From dancing to bodybuilding, to Strongman competitor (looking to go Pro), trainer, and now studying to become massage therapist - she's had quite the journey and is still going strong. Press play to hear about her passions in Strongman, her training philosophies, and how she practices positivity and self-confidence for her athletes to grow mentally as well.

Had the pleasure of sitting down with Barre Centric co-owner, Rachael Jarosz. With an extensive dancing background, Rachael brought the energy and zest you'd expect from a Barre instructor and entrepreneur, describing how her and her partner Gia fell in love with barre in other cities and knew they had to bring it to Buffalo for others to enjoy. Afterwards, Nick & Dan got their 'grippy socks' and took a class, which they discuss at the end. Play this podcast, meet Rachael and find out what a barre centric class can do for your fitness!

We had the pleasure of sitting down and talking to the incomparable Dr. Jacob Harden, Doctor of Chiropractic and creator of Prehab 101 - an education company to help spread evidence based information on injury risk reduction and management. He began teaching seminars on Prehab and had his first world tour last year, continuing this year, where we met him in Toronto. We discuss the seminar, autoregulation in training, and becoming a social media fitness influencer. We really think you'll enjoy this one and are looking forward to talking with him again, take a listen!

Dr. Monica Harden is a practicing chiropractor, competitive powerlifter, and instructor for Prehab 101, a preventive physical therapy designed to optimize movement and physical strength while reducing the risk of injury and pain. While traditionally prehab was termed to prepare patients for recovery after surgery, Dr. Jacob Harden, Monica’s spouse and founder of Prehab 101, recognized that anyone could benefit from the core principles of this therapeutic approach. Monica’s involvement with this approach began after her own injury and recovery. She now facilitates teaching this interdisciplinary technique to health and fitness professionals around the world, while preparing to open a practice in Orlando. In this episode, Monica shares her personal journey from athlete, to student, to injured doctor turned powerlifter, and now a mother and entrepreneur. You can follow Dr. Harden on Instagram @quaddoc. Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of this amazing guest by interacting with us on social media!

Buti Yoga. We had never heard of this Yoga practice before but for the sake of the podcast, our thirst for fitness knowledge, and the spirit of trying something new, we decided to take a class anyway! This episode starts off with your hosts musing about what their Buti Yoga class will be like, and not sounding ignorant at all while doing so... Then we talk with the informative and entertaining Megan Castlevetere, owner of Raw Renewal Yoga in Buffalo NY, where we discuss our experience at the class as well as the philosophy behind Yoga, and the Buti practice specifically. Get your throat chakras ready with a couple of asanas then take a listen! If you want to learn more about Megan and her studio follow @mcastlevetere and @RawRenewalYoga on Instagram.