Are you constantly being told to fix your posture, but still dealing with chronic pain?

Do traditional physical therapy exercises feel ineffective or even make your hypermobile joints feel worse?

What if joint instability was only part of the story, and your nervous system was the key to finding pain relief?

If so, that's exactly what we get into in this episode where strength and nutrition coach Nikki Naab-Levy chats with Kate Bacigalupo, a physical therapist who specializes in hypermobility and scoliosis and co-founder of the Elements Collective about navigating pain with hypermobility and scoliosis.

00:04:46 | Why the Traditional PT Model Fails Hypermobile Bodies

00:08:50 | The Problem with Only Focusing on Joint Stability for Pain

00:10:01 | How to Progress Exercise with Symptomatic Hypermobility

00:13:39 | Strategies to Create a Sense of Safety in the Nervous System

00:16:17 | Understanding the Correlation Between Scoliosis and Hypermobility

00:21:50 | Understanding the Contributing Factors to Chronic Pain Beyond Alignment

00:30:11 | Common Myths around Posture and Pain with Hypermobility and Scoliosis

00:34:15 | Why Forcing "Perfect Posture" Can Actually Create More Dysfunction

00:46:01 | The Role of Strength Work in Managing Pain with Hypermobility

Topics covered:

• Why the "traditional" physical therapy model is often poorly suited for individuals with complex chronic pain and hypermobility.

• The role of proprioceptive feedback, closed-chain exercises, and strength work in creating a sense of safety and stability in hypermobile bodies.

• The difference between a hypermobile joint and an unstable joint, and why treating hypermobility as solely instability often fails patients.

• The correlation between hypermobility and scoliosis and what we currently know.

• Why pain management with scoliosis is more than trying to achieve "perfect" posture.

• How central sensitization and medical trauma contribute to the chronic pain experience and strategies to support your body if you have chronic pain.

Connect with Kate

• Name: Dr. Kate Bacigalupo, PT, DPT

• Instagram: @thehyperphysio_kate

• Website: https://www.elementscollectiveny.com/

Connect with Nikki & Resources Mentioned

• Instagram: @naablevyfitness

• Website: naablevy.com

• Take the 1 minute quiz to get your free personalized strength workouts

• Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide

Are you worried about ruining your progress during the holidays? Do you get stuck in the cycle of starting over every January? Want to enjoy holiday treats without feeling out of control?

If so, then this episode is for you.

In this episode, Nikki chats with fitness and nutrition coach Brooks Hurbis about different ways to approach fitness, nutrition, and fat loss over the holidays without falling into the common traps of over restriction, over indulgence, or feeling like you have to start over in January.

They discuss:

• How to recognize the most common all or nothing holiday mindset traps of giving up until January vs. white knuckling abstinence and what to do instead.
• Strategies to enjoy Christmas cookies and holiday treats without feeling like you've been bad or are "off plan."
• Why moments of "failure" are opportunities to learn and make more supportive choices in the future.
• The importance of eating for real life versus having a dieting mentality even when you have a fat loss goal, especially during the holidays.
• The benefits of eating at maintenance during the holidays and alternatives to tracking for making goal and health supportive choices.
• The role of your environment on nutrition choices and ways to manage your surroundings so follow through feels easier.

Connect with Brooks

• Follow Brooks on Instagram @sweat.simple
• Visit Brooks's website sweatsimpleco.com

Connect with Nikki

• Grab your free personalized macros calculator & guide!
• Take the 1 minute quiz to get your free strength plan based on your results.
• Follow Nikki on Instagram @naablevyfitness
• Visit Nikki's website naablevy.com

Links mentioned

• Listen to the Biggest Loser Podcast episode

Are you confused about heart rate zones? Is walking actually cardio? Should women in perimenopause avoid high-intensity workouts? Are you trying to lift weights faster to skip dedicated cardio sessions?

In this episode, Nikki chats with nutritionist and coach Jamie Scott about how to best approach cardio based on your fitness level and goals as well as common myths and misinformation, including:

• Why the parameters for elite athletes often aren't applicable to individuals looking for general fitness and health benefits from cardio.
• Applying the FITT principles (Frequency, Intensity, Timing, and Type) and how to determine training volume based on your life's schedule.
• The concept of tissue capacity versus cardiovascular conditioning and why preparation needs to be involved when taking up running.
• When walking counts as a beneficial cardio stimulus, and when it may not be enough to drive adaptation.
• Whether doing exercises like Pilates or strength training faster is a true substitute for dedicated cardiovascular work.
• How to approach cardio in perimenopause

Connect with Jamie Scott

• Instagram: @athletica.coach
• Website: https://athletica.coach

Connect with Nikki & Links Mentioned

• Instagram: @naablevyfitness
• Website: http://naablevy.com
• Take the 1 minute quiz to get your free personalized strength workouts
• Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide