Season 3, Episode 22 of the Medical Fitness Podcast is live, and it is an extremely insightful conversation.

In this episode, Thomas sits down with Courtney McCliment, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and manager of the Lifestyle Medicine Department at Valley Medical Center. Courtney oversees physical and occupational therapists, registered dietitians, cardiac and pulmonary rehab staff, and medical exercise personnel across a large multidisciplinary team. Her advocacy for exercise, behavior change, and patient empowerment is unmatched.

This conversation goes far deeper than standard discussions about nutrition or exercise. Highlights include:
1. Why “move more” is not enough.
Courtney explains why physical activity must be viewed as a prescription, not a hobby, and why relying on generic advice leaves patients stuck. She details how movement drives metabolic change, supports long-term disease management, and gives patients genuine control over their health.

2. Strength training as a cornerstone therapy for insulin resistance.
Courtney outlines how skeletal muscle drives glucose metabolism, why under-muscled patients face major metabolic limitations, and how resistance training is essential for improving type 2 diabetes outcomes.

3. The real story behind bariatric surgery preparation.
Courtney walks through the rigorous nutrition and behavioral requirements patients must meet long before surgery, and why expecting them to self-diagnose their own exercise plan often backfires. Her examples make clear why structured guidance matters, especially for medically complex individuals.

4. How continuous glucose monitors (CGM) can transform motivation.
She explains how CGM provides immediate feedback about the effects of meals, stress, sleep, and exercise, and why this real-time insight often increases patient engagement far more than traditional education. It is one of the most powerful behavior-change tools now available.

5. A practical look at motivational interviewing.
Courtney shares how true behavior change conversations differ from education or advice-giving, why fear-based messaging fails, and how eliciting a patient’s own motivations creates lasting adherence. Her examples are relevant to clinicians, coaches, and anyone trying to help people change.

This is one of those episodes that blends science, clinical wisdom, and real-world experience in a way that can reshape how clinicians and fitness professionals think about patient care.
If you work in medicine, rehab, fitness, lifestyle medicine, diabetes education, bariatric services, or health coaching, you will take something meaningful from this conversation.
Listen to Season 3, Episode 22 now and share it with colleagues who believe lifestyle change deserves a seat at the clinical table.

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🎙️ New Episode: Season 3, Episode 21 — “Bridging Lifestyle Medicine and Medical Fitness with Dr. Andrew Mock”

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Andrew Mock, physician, educator, and national leader in lifestyle medicine and medical fitness. Dr. Mock currently serves as Chair of the Fitness & Medicine Member Interest Group for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Chair of the MFA Physician Advisory Committee, and a member of the MFA Board of Directors. He’s also delivering a keynote presentation at the upcoming Medical Fitness Association Annual Conference in San Diego.

Dr. Mock shares his personal journey and his evolving vision for how medicine and fitness must merge to build a healthier society. Together, we explore five key topics shaping the future of medical fitness:

✅ The Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine in a Medical Fitness Context
Dr. Mock discusses how the six pillars—nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, social connection, and avoidance of risky substances—can be assessed and integrated into every medical fitness program. While nutrition and exercise often receive attention, he highlights sleep and connection as profoundly underutilized levers for improving health outcomes. He also emphasizes how substance use, while often overlooked in fitness settings, should be addressed through proper screening and referral systems.

✅ The Underrated Role of Sleep and Recovery
Sleep emerged as one of the most powerful yet neglected health determinants. Dr. Mock explains that inadequate sleep impacts every physiological system and is linked to billions of dollars in productivity loss annually. He and Jeff discuss how wearables and self-monitoring can help track improvements in sleep and recovery as patients progress through medical fitness programs. They also explore how progressive resistance training and structured recovery can coexist under the same “sleep” pillar, representing two sides of the same restorative process.

✅ Behavior Change and Habit Formation
Dr. Mock outlines practical methods for promoting sustained lifestyle change, including habit stacking, self-monitoring, and shifting from outcome-oriented to process-oriented goals. He explains how simple prompts (like linking daily activities to desired behaviors) and connecting patients to their deeper “why” can dramatically improve adherence. The discussion reinforces that long-term success depends not on willpower alone but on intentional structure, tracking, and meaning.

✅ The Role of Exercise Professionals in Clinical Integration
Exercise professionals, Dr. Mock notes, are essential to bridging the gap between medicine and wellness. Since most physicians receive minimal formal training in exercise prescription, fitness professionals with advanced education and credentials play a key role in guiding patients safely and effectively. He emphasizes the importance of two-way communication between clinicians and fitness specialists, data sharing, and referral quality control to build trust and continuity of care.

✅ Policy and Advocacy: Coverage Determination and the Path to Reimbursement
Dr. Mock provides an inside look at current efforts to secure insurance coverage for exercise services through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). He explains the ongoing work between the Medical Fitness Association, Physical Activity Alliance, and American College of Lifestyle Medicine to expand national coverage determinations and modify the Physician Fee Schedule so that preventive exercise interventions can be reimbursed. The discussion also touches on the need for standardized exercise reporting (CERT) and better data capture to strengthen the c

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🎙️ New Episode of the Medical Fitness Podcast

Guest: Dr. Michelle Segar, University of Michigan

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Michelle Segar, NIH-funded scientist, author of No Sweat and The Joy Choice, and internationally recognized expert on sustainable behavior change. With more than 30 years of research and coaching experience, Dr. Segar has advised organizations like the World Health Organization, Kaiser Permanente, and Walmart on how to create lasting lifestyle change.

What we cover:

• The “lightbulb” moment: Dr. Segar discovered early in her career that even cancer survivors who benefited from exercise stopped once a study ended. This sparked her life’s work—understanding why people quit and how to help them stick with movement for good.
• Why people don’t stay active: It’s rarely “lack of time” or “no motivation.” These are smokescreens. The real issues often include guilt about prioritizing self-care, choosing exercise they don’t enjoy, or linking exercise only to weight loss.
• A better approach: Her coaching model blends three pillars:

1. Pleasure & positivity – helping people actually enjoy movement.

2. Permission for self-care – reframing exercise as fuel for life, not a selfish act.

3. Flexible strategies – building a toolkit of options so people can adapt when life gets busy.

• The power of the “why”: Long-term motivation comes from immediate benefits like energy, stress relief, and feeling better now—not distant goals like weight loss.
• Changing mindsets, not just behaviors: Sustainable activity starts with shifting beliefs about what exercise means. Dr. Segar calls it liberating people from cultural “brainwashing” around exercise.

Key takeaway:
If we want people to sustain physical activity, we must help them discover ways to feel good while moving. Enjoyment, permission, and flexible strategies—not shame, rigid goals, or generic prescriptions—are what create lifelong habits.

📌 Dr. Segar will also present an MFA webinar on October 7th: Reframing Exercise: Why our approach to exercise counseling causes harm and what science shows is a better way. She will also be leading a pre-conference workshop at the ACLM annual conference in November.

Connect with Dr. Michelle Segar:

• Website & newsletter: michellesegar.com
• Email: available via her website contact page
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelsegar/

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🚨 New Episode Alert: The Brain Health Opportunity 🚨

We just dropped a powerful episode of the Medical Fitness Podcast featuring Ryan Glatt, Senior Brain Health Coach and Director of the FitBrain Program at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute Foundation.

Ryan’s path into brain health is anything but ordinary—starting with childhood concussions, video games like Dance Dance Revolution, and eventually pioneering how exercise, cognition, and technology can come together to improve brain health.

🎙 In this episode, Ryan shares:

• Why dementia rates are projected to double by 2050, and how exercise is the most powerful “neuro-polypill” we have
• How dual-task training and clinical exergaming are changing the way we approach medical fitness
• Success stories from senior living communities and medical fitness centers implementing brain health programs
• The new MFA Brain Health Program Accreditation and how it will empower facilities to lead in cognitive wellness

👉 Whether you’re a clinician, fitness professional, or simply want to protect your own brain health, this episode highlights the massive opportunity to bridge neuroscience and fitness.

📲 Connect with Ryan:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-glatt-ms-cpt-nbc-hwc-50ba3664/
• Instagram: @glatt.brainhealth

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🚨 New Episode of the Medical Fitness Podcast! 🚨

This week, we sit down with Simon Matthews, a psychologist and global leader in health behavior change coaching. Simon has nearly 30 years of experience helping people bridge the gap between mental health, physical health, and lifestyle medicine.

In this episode, we cover:
✅ Why clinicians often struggle when patients present with hopelessness and helplessness—and how to prevent burnout when faced with it.
✅ The Common Factors Theory and why the patient–clinician relationship and fostering hope often outweigh any single tool or method.
✅ Practical strategies clinicians and fitness professionals can use to strengthen trust, empathy, and coaching skills.
✅ How small affirmations and helping patients recognize their own resources can create powerful momentum for behavior change.
✅ What true interdisciplinary care could look like in the future—and why lifestyle medicine may be the key to breaking down silos in healthcare.

Simon also shares insights from research on empathy, his approach to coaching healthcare leaders, and a preview of his upcoming ACLM pre-conference workshop on supporting patients who feel “stuck.”

🎧 Tune in now to learn how to apply these lessons in your own practice and better support patients and clients in making meaningful, lasting change.

👉 Follow Simon Matthews:

· LinkedIn: Search Simon Matthews (the one connected to Jeff Young & Thomas Hammett)

· Website: www.simonmatthewsconsulting.com

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🚨 New Medical Fitness Podcast Episode!

We’re joined by Dr. M. Lucius Pomerantz—orthopedic surgeon, lifestyle medicine physician, and founding member of the MFA Physician Advisory Committee.

Dr. Pomerantz shares how he combines surgical expertise with lifestyle medicine to help patients not only recover but also thrive. From small, sustainable lifestyle changes to the role of exercise as “the best medicine,” his insights show how healthcare and fitness can truly work together to improve lives.

💡 Highlights include:
✔️ Bridging orthopedics and lifestyle medicine
✔️ Helping patients connect health goals to purpose
✔️ Building collaborative care teams (PT, nutrition, fitness)
✔️ His vision for the future of medical fitness

🎙️ Listen now and get inspired by Dr. Pomerantz’s approach to redefining patient care.

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🚨 NEW PODCAST EPISODE ALERT! 🚨
🎧 Medical Fitness Podcast | Powered by the Medical Fitness Association + MRFi

🔥 This one’s a must-listen for anyone serious about bridging the gap between healthcare and fitness.

We sat down with Carly Headd, Director of Programming at Pinnacle Lifestyle Medicine, to unpack what real medical fitness looks like in action—from behavior change coaching and chronic disease programming to building powerful referral pathways from PTs and RDs into long-term fitness care.

🏥 Carly shares:

· How she moved from exercise physiologist to leadership

· Why behavior change is often more important than the exercise prescription itself

· How to build confidence and credibility as an EP in clinical settings

· What she looks for when hiring fitness professionals in a medical model

· How Pinnacle’s Lifestyle 365 program leverages standardized assessments, education, and collaboration with PTs and RDs to drive outcomes

· How they track referral effectiveness by provider, not just clinic

⚠️ Key message: You can design the best program in the world—but if the patient isn’t behaviorally ready, it won’t matter. Carly reminds us that health coaching skills are not optional anymore—they’re essential.

And yes—we talk data too. You’ll hear how Pinnacle tracks referral patterns, uses CGMs in pilot programs, and avoids overwhelming patients with metrics they don’t understand.

💥 Whether you're a clinician, exercise physiologist, or just someone working to build a bridge between medicine and fitness—this episode delivers.

🎙️ LISTEN NOW — Available on all platforms.

📬 Connect with Carly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-headd-4a3589a6/

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🎙️ New Episode: Redefining Cardiac Rehab—How One Team Is Disrupting the Status Quo

📍 Season 3, Episode 14 | Guests: Ashan Korala & Alex Cannon
🎧 Listen now on all major podcast platforms

For decades, cardiac rehab has followed the same outdated script: light aerobic work, RPE-based guesswork, minimal resistance training, and low adherence. The result? Underwhelming outcomes and missed opportunities.

In this episode, we spotlight a cardiac rehab model that challenges all of that.

Ashan Korala, Director of Wellness Services at Pinnacle Lifestyle Medicine, and Alex Cannon, Lead Exercise Physiologist at Valley Medical Center, join us to break down how they’ve rebuilt cardiac rehab from the inside out—shifting from subjective, nurse-led monitoring to a progressive, data-driven, exercise science-based program that delivers real outcomes.

🚨 Highlights from the conversation:
✅ Objective Testing Over Guesswork
Patients now undergo baseline submax VO₂ testing and 1RM assessments. VO₂ estimates are used to guide aerobic prescriptions, while strength training is periodized using real metrics, not assumptions.
✅ Resistance Training Is No Longer Optional
Forget light bands and 5-pound dumbbells. Their program integrates structured, progressive resistance training using Technogym’s BioCircuit system—allowing for safe eccentric overload, objective progress tracking, and meaningful improvements in lean mass and strength.
✅ Quantifiable Outcomes
•35.5% increase in VO₂ (vs. national average of ~10%)
•12% increase in grip strength
•27 average visits per patient (vs. 15 national average)
•Seamless transition into a structured, self-pay phase 3 program with high continuity rates
✅ Built-In Safety, Structure, and Oversight
This model isn't just scalable, it's smart. Safety features in the equipment, team-based staffing models, and consistent reassessments allow for aggressive progression when appropriate, and conservative dosing when necessary.
✅ Patient Retention Through Smart Handoffs
The “Vitality Visit” and integrated phase 3 transition model ensure patients don’t fall through the cracks post-rehab. Instead of handing them a generic home exercise program and hoping for the best, they’re walked directly into their next step—with purpose, planning, and accountability.

💬 “This isn’t just cardiac rehab. It’s a clinic-wide systems shift—fusing medical oversight with the best of exercise science. And it’s working.”

Whether you're a clinician referring to rehab, an exercise specialist working in a hospital, or a fitness pro hoping to collaborate across disciplines—this episode is a blueprint for what cardiac rehab should look like.

🧠 Data-driven.
💪 Strength-integrated.
🔁 Patient-centered.
📈 Outcome-focused.

This is how we bridge the gap.

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