Ever been told that reformer footwork is the equivalent of a barbell squat? Or that adding a dumbbell to your Pilates workout counts as strength training?  In this episode, Nikki is joined by mechanical engineer and Pilates teacher Kaleen Canevari to discuss the physics of Pilates spring resistance and the potential applications of Pilates and strength training through the lens of exercise science.  Topics covered: Why springs get heavier the longer they're stretched and how that resistance will change based on the height of your client and the exercise being performed. The math behind a reformer spring vs a free weight (e.g. a dumbbell or barbell) and how that influences the amount of weight that you're moving during an exercise. The difference between progressing movement complexity and progressing in how much weight you can move during an exercise.  Why new movers often make strength gains early in their Pilates practice and how this may change as they become more advanced. Why standing on a reformer with a dumbbell is not a good replacement for strength training if your goals are to increase bone density, strength, or muscle mass. Why it's difficult to track Pilates based metrics and what that might look like in the future. Connect with Kaleen Canevari Instagram:@kaleenc_ Website: Pilatesphysics.com Connect with Nikki Instagram: @naablevyfitness Website: naablevy.com Get your FREE personalized strength plan! Naablevynaablevy.com/free-strength-plan Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide: NaablevyMacros Made Simple - NaabLevy  

In this episode, Nikki is joined by PA and nutrition coach Stormy Weather to talk what it's like to be a hypermobile competitive athlete and navigating the medical system with hypermobility, POTS, and MCAS. Topics covered: Why being high-functioning and athletic often works against you when you're trying to get support from medical providers. The mindset shifts required to train at a high level while also accommodating the symptoms and limitations that hypermobility presents with. Why it's so difficult to get treatment and care within the medical system when you have symptomatic hypermobility. Connect with Stormy Weather Stormy's Instagram: @stormywtr Show Your Work Nutrition Instagram: @showyourworknutrition Website: https://www.showyourwork.net/ Connect with Nikki Naab-Levy Instagram: @naablevyfitness Website: naablevy.com Get your FREE personalized strength plan! Naablevynaablevy.com/free-strength-plan Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide: NaablevyMacros Made Simple - NaabLevy Episode Timestamps: 00:00 | Stormy's background: PA, nutrition coach, and competitive masters athlete  05:38 | Modifying your training goals as a competitive athlete with symptomatic hypermobility and long Covid  08:39 | The boom-bust training cycle: managing flares without losing your fitness  16:17 | Experiences with MCAS, dysautonomia, and potential medication options for hypermobility comorbidities  30:34 | Low dose naltrexone: How it works and why it's gaining traction for hypermobility  38:07 | Getting care on the fringes when the standard system has nothing for you  40:08 | Navigating the medical system with hypermobility  53:35 | Options to managing rib subluxations   

In this episode, Nikki is joined by a roundtable of coaches and movement teachers to unpack the America's Next Top Model documentary and how it applies to the fitness industry.  They discuss: The impact of America's Next Top Model on body image and beauty standards How harmful industry norms are justified and perpetuated under the guise of "that's just how it is" Parallels between reality TV and the fitness industry, including transformation culture and exploitative marketing The influence of early 2000s media vs modern social media on shaping our beliefs around our bodies, food, and "success" Why as fitness professionals we should challenge misinformation and create better standards for marketing Connect with Adrienne Johnson Instagram: @thelionesstouch Website: https://www.thelionesstouch.com/ Connect with Steph Gaudreau Instagram: @steph_gaudreau Website: https://www.stephgaudreau.com/ Connect with Greg Sutton & Vanessa Zingaro Instagram: @evolvetoexcel Website: https://evolvetoexcel.com/ Connect with Nikki Naab-Levy Instagram: @naablevyfitness Website: naablevy.com Get your FREE personalized strength plan: Naablevynaablevy.com/free-strength-plan Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide: NaablevyMacros Made Simple - NaabLevy #ResultsNotTypical, #FitnessMyths, #ANTM, #BodyImageIssues, #HealthAndFitnessIndustry, #ToxicBeautyStandards, #Hypermobility, #FitnessPodcast, #RealityTVCritique, #StrengthTrainingForWomen

What if the advice you've been getting on Instagram about body neutrality, body positivity, and "just love yourself" is making it harder to foster positive body image? In this episode, Nikki is joined by behavior change and nutrition coach Sarah Tierney to unpack what body image actually is from an evidence based standpoint, why the pop culture version of it often misses the mark, and how to foster positive body image - even if it feels inaccessible to you right now Topics covered:   What body image is from an evidence based perspective Body neutrality vs positive body image and why it's important to understand the difference Why positive body image doesn't mean loving yourself 24/7 How to handle body image disruptions without spiraling into unhelpful eating behaviors What autonomous weight loss actually looks like How to build body appreciation when chronic illness makes "appreciate what your body can do" feels patronizing or not possible Connect with Sarah Tierney   Instagram: @sarahmichelletierney Website: https://hardhousenutrition.com/   Connect with Nikki   Instagram: @naablevyfitness Website: naablevy.com Get your FREE personalized strength plan: Naablevynaablevy.com/free-strength-plan FREE Macros Guide: https://naablevy.com/macro-guide/  

Tired of feeling like a failure because you can't stick to your macros? What if the problem isn't your willpower, but the shit advice you've been given? In this episode, Nikki is joined by strength and nutrition coach Natalie Guevara to talk about why rigid tracking and "bounce back" culture often backfires for busy parents.  Topics covered: Navigating mom guilt and unrealistic expectations about who we're "supposed" to be. Why flexible dieting and macro tracking often miss the point if you're struggling with exhaustion, emotional eating, or burn out.  How living in flight or fight affects our decision making and impacts our ability to change our behaviors PCOS, infertility, and the medical system's long history of dismissing women's health concerns Connect with Natalie Guevara Instagram: @nataliebrookeguevara Connect with Nikki Sign up for the FREE 5 day nutrition challenge: naablevy.com/free-nutrition-challenge Instagram: @naablevyfitness Episode Timestamps: 00:00 | Intro and why rigid fitness plans fail busy moms 06:54 | Debunking "bounce back" culture 10:20 | The impact of the invisible load of motherhood 12:08 | The role of your nervous system in nutrition choices 15:31 | Why macro tracking may not be the best solution for health or fat loss goals 25:07 | How to move through perfectionism and all or nothing thinking 47:22 | How to balance fitness and nutrition goals with being a parent

Are you worried that your diet is harming your mental health or have you been told that cutting out gluten will cure your depression or ADHD?   In this episode, Nikki welcomes Nicole Lippman-Barile, Ph.D, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in OCD, anxiety, and depression to talk about what the current research suggests about the role of nutrition in mental health.   They discuss:   How unscientific nutrition claims are spread and monetized on social media. What the current literature can tell us about the impact of dietary interventions on depression and anxiety. Myths surrounding sugar, gluten, gut health, and ADHD. Why elimination diets may be harmful to mental health if not approached thoughtfully.   Connect with Nicole Lippman-Barile, Ph.D. Instagram: @feedyourmental Website: feedyourmental.com Webinar: Diet and Mental Health: Evidence, Implications, and Clinical Applications   Connect with Nikki Instagram: @naablevyfitness Website: naablevy.com Get your FREE personalized strength plan! https://naablevy.com/free-strength-plan

Have you been told you shouldn't lift weights because of your hypermobility or EDS? Are exhausted by all the conflicting information about what's safe for your joints and what isn't? In this episode, Nikki chats with Dr. Taylor Goldberg, a chiropractor turned virtual hypermobility coach who specializes in working with people with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD). Together they dig into how to build strength, manage flares, and move with less fear. In this episode, you'll learn: Why the advice to "avoid heavy weights" often makes hypermobility symptoms worse How to use flare tracking to identify triggers and warning signs When manual therapy helps vs. when it may create more instability Why hEDS is not a progressive disorder and why that's important to know. How to start strength training if you have symptomatic hypermobility and are concerned about pain and injury. Pilates vs strength training and why understanding the differences matters. How to find a tolerable entry point for exercise. Episode timestamps: 00:00: Intro to Dr. Taylor Goldberg and episode overview 05:13: Considerations for hypermobility, manual therapy, and neck adjustments 10:53: Best practices for navigating tightness and flare-ups 26:16: Hypermobility fitness myths & Pilates vs strength training 34:12: How to start strength training safely when you're concerned about pain and injury 48:21: Resources, building a care team, how to connect with Taylor Connect with Dr. Taylor Goldberg: Instagram: @thehypermobilechiro Website: https://thehypermobilechiro.com Hypermobility Clinician Course: https://thehypermobilechiro.com/clinicians/ Connect with Nikki: Instagram: @naablevyfitness Website: naablevy.com Take this quick quiz to get your FREE personalized strength plan: https://naablevy.com/find-your-perfect-strength-plan-quiz/ Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide: https://naablevy.com/macro-guide/

In this episode, Nikki chats with nutrition, exercise, and behavior change coach Sarah Grajeda about the intersection of food, politics, and body image and how the online culture of food wars and nutrition misinformation have made it harder to take care of ourselves.    They discuss:   What you should know about processed foods when it comes to your health. Why the social determinants of health matter more than food dyes.  The predatory nature of influencer marketing and supplement sales. Why nutrition can often feel so overwhelming and complicated. Perimenopause, brain fog, and why habits matter. Skinnytok and the influence of social media on how we view ourselves.   Connect with Sarah Instagram: @sarah.grajeda_ Website: https://sarahgrajedafitness.com/ Connect with Nikki Instagram: @naablevyfitness Website: naablevy.com Learn more about nutrition coaching and save $300 + get your early action bonus! https://naablevy.com/nutrition-coaching-black-friday/

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.   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 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