The Code: A Guide to Health and Human Performance

Your plans may look perfect on paper, yet preparation is what determines whether your goals survive the moment real life hits.   In this short solo episode, Dr. Andrew Fix reflects on the gap between planning and preparation. Many people enjoy creating plans because they bring clarity and structure. Yet plans often fall apart when circumstances change. Preparation is what makes those intentions durable. It turns ideas into systems that hold up when life gets messy.   Dr. Fix explains that planning creates direction, but preparation removes friction. A simple example shows the difference. You may intend to eat healthy during the week. If lunch arrives and nothing is ready, convenience usually wins. Preparation removes that last-minute decision and supports the outcome you wanted from the start.   The conversation also highlights the value of action. People who begin doing often move ahead faster than those who spend endless time refining a plan. Experience grows through action, and momentum builds through small steps. Outcomes remain unpredictable, yet we always control the inputs.   So where do your goals live right now? On a list or in real preparation? Dr. Fix challenges listeners to move beyond planning and invest in the habits, systems, and actions that make progress possible.   Quotes “Plans are fragile and preparation is durable.” (02:11 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Convenience is king a lot of times.” (03:05 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Planning is more the idea creation. It's the logistical figuring out what the details could be.” (05:31 |  Dr. Andrew Fix) “Preparation is the action of putting those plans into place, like actually taking steps to put those plans into action and start making moves based on the plans that you had laid out.” (05:38 |  Dr. Andrew Fix) “We don't control the outcomes, we control the inputs and we can look at preparation as inputs that we are investing in what the outcomes going to be.” (07:49 |  Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Your mattress may be the most important performance tool in your life and most people are choosing it based on marketing instead of measurable impact on sleep, recovery, and long-term health.   Sleep drives everything. Cognitive sharpness. Physical recovery. Emotional regulation. Longevity. Yet most people approach mattress shopping with guesswork and brand promises rather than clear performance criteria. Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with Derek Hales, founder of NapLab, to unpack how better sleep starts with better decisions about what you lie on every night.   They move past hype and focus on outcomes. Are you waking up sore? Do you feel restored in the morning? Is your mattress actually supporting your body type and sleep position? Derek shares practical insights from testing hundreds of mattresses and consulting with thousands of sleepers, including why medium-firm works for most people, how couples can solve conflicting firmness preferences, and why mattress weight may be one of the simplest indicators of build quality.   The conversation also highlights overlooked factors such as foundation support, pillow height, and how different sleep positions affect spinal alignment. The bigger takeaway is clear. If sleep is the foundation of performance and health span, then your mattress is not a casual purchase. It is infrastructure.   Quotes “If we're not getting good sleep and the mattress is the cause, we need to get a solution.” (05:09 | Derek Hales) “I really don't think there is a sort of best mattress for everybody. There is the best mattress for you.” (07:11 | Derek Hales) “Sleep is the healer. It's how the body restores itself, and how the body recovers.” (12:48 | Derek Hales) “When you sleep deeper, longer, better, health outcomes are better, physical outcomes are better, emotional well-being is better.” (19:02 | Derek Hales) “Sleep is the foundation of our health.” (21:50 | Derek Hales)   Links Connect with Derek Hales: Visit NapLab's website Contact: contact@naplab.com Connect with Derek on LinkedIn Follow NapLab's content Insufficient Sleep Associated with Decreased Life Expectancy   Derek Hales is the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of NapLab.com. NapLab is a platform that tests and reviews mattresses using a battery of objective and data-driven tests. Derek's reviews and personalized mattress recommendations help his readers quickly find mattresses that are well-suited to their needs, preferences, and budget. Derek has over 11 years of mattress testing experience and has tested over 500 different mattresses in his career. SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most of your stress does not come from the situation itself. It comes from your refusal to accept what you cannot control.   In this episode, Dr. Andrew Fix sharpens the distinction between inputs and outcomes. You can prepare, act with integrity, and make thoughtful decisions. You cannot dictate how the market responds, how other people choose, or how circumstances unfold. Stress escalates when we pour energy into results that were never ours to command. A simple filter brings clarity: Is this within my control, within someone else’s control, or outside of anyone’s control? If it is not fully yours, the work becomes managing your response instead of chasing certainty.   Another thread runs through the conversation. Many of the things that spike our stress are inconveniences rather than true crises. Discomfort feels urgent. Uncertainty feels personal. Yet most of it is temporary and survivable. When you tolerate inconvenience and redirect your focus toward what you can control, resilience strengthens. Control the inputs. Release the outcome.   Quotes “We don't control outcomes. We control inputs.” (04:03 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “What's really hard is to remove yourself from that outcome and be what we call agnostic to it.” (04:46 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “What's the best case scenario? What's the worst case scenario? And is that worst case scenario actually that bad or is it just an inconvenience?” (05:23 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “If it's not something that is completely and utterly within your control, then we have to figure out a way to let the stress level drop on that particular thing because you can't control the outcome.” (13:31 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “You can only control how you treat the other person, how you show up and how you set yourself up for success every day.” (13:47 | Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

What if the simplest way to build strength, improve endurance, and sharpen your mind is already sitting in your closet as an old backpack?   Rucking sounds almost too simple to matter. Add weight to a walk and head outside. Yet in this conversation, Dr. Andrew Fix and registered dietitian and RuckFit author Kayla Girgen make a compelling case that rucking may be one of the most practical tools for long-term health. It builds strength, supports bone density, elevates heart rate, and challenges posture without the joint stress that sidelines so many active adults.   The deeper insight centers on sustainability. How often do we abandon fitness because we cannot execute the perfect plan? Kayla shares how rucking helped her move beyond all-or-nothing thinking and build consistency. Weight and distance can scale with your season of life. A stroller walk becomes training. A short neighborhood loop becomes meaningful work. When paired with thoughtful nutrition and simple lifestyle shifts like better sleep and stress awareness, the results compound. What changes when we stop chasing optimal conditions and start valuing repeatable effort?   The conversation also explores metabolic health through continuous glucose monitoring and how nutrition choices, stress levels, and daily lifestyle patterns influence inflammation and energy. Awareness shapes behavior. Manageable discomfort builds resilience. Whether the load is physical or psychological, growth follows when we choose to engage.The takeaway is grounded and actionable. You do not need elite gear or ideal weather. You need a backpack, a little weight, and the willingness to step outside.   Quotes “Spending more time in nature, getting outside, and out of my head really helped calm a lot of anxiety that I was feeling at that time.”(04:00 | Kayla Girgen) “You don't have to carry obscene amounts of weight to get the benefits of rucking.”(14:11 | Kayla Girgen) “This is where I love rucking because it can help bring something like walking and help it feel like, for lack of a better term, like it counts.” (18:28 | Kayla Girgen) “Most everybody has what you need at home. So when I first started, I grabbed an old backpack. I wrapped a 10 pound dumbbell in a towel and threw it in the interior pocket.” (24:46 | Kayla Girgen) “I think the number one mistake I see with rucking is just not doing it.”(58:05 | Kayla Girgen) Connect with Kayla Girgen: Check Out Kayla's Book Visit Kayla's Website  Follow Kayla on Instagram  Subscribe to Kayla's YouTube Follow Kayla on TikTok Follow Kayla on Facebook Connect with Kayla on LinkedIn   KAYLA GIRGEN, RD, LD, CPT, is a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and founder of Sugar + Strength Academy—an online wellness community helping women balance blood sugar and build strength, one step at a time. She blends real-life tools, such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), with accessible movement, like rucking, to help clients break free from diet extremes and feel strong—both physically and mentally. Kayla’s approach centers on progress over perfection and creating results that work in real life. Her upcoming book Ruck Fit shares how rucking became a catalyst for reclaiming her physical and mental health, proving that fitness doesn’t have to be complicated to be life-changing. SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most people try to be more present by forcing focus when the real leverage comes from how you transition between moments rather than what you do inside them.   In this episode, Dr. Andrew Fix reframes presence as a skill built through transitions rather than effort alone. When work spills into home or one conversation runs straight into the next, stress builds quietly and attention thins out. The issue is rarely motivation. It is the absence of buffer time that allows the mind to reset before moving forward.   Dr. Fix makes the case for protecting small pauses that most people rush past. A minute in the car before walking inside. A breath before responding instead of reacting. A short buffer between meetings that creates space to listen rather than solve. These moments close one chapter before the next begins. What changes when you stop carrying mental residue from task to task? How might your relationships shift if you gave presence priority over speed? The message is simple and grounded. Transitions deserve intention because they shape how you show up everywhere else.   Quotes “What I want to encourage you guys to do is to not take for granted how powerful even just a small but really intentional period of time can be to transition from one activity to the next.” (03:28 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “People need you to listen to them. People need you to hear what they're saying and listen, not just to respond, but listen to hear them and listen to understand what they're trying to say.” (05:20 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Just pause for a beat before you respond to them. Just pause, that could be one breath, that could be two breaths.” (05:39 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “We need to protect that transition time. Because although it is short, it is extremely valuable. It is worth its weight in gold.” (08:00 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Come along with me on this practice journey and take just 30 to 60 seconds when you go from one activity to the next.” (09:04 | Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20 Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

A simple shift from “I have to” to “I get to” can change how you experience everything from daily obligations to long-term endurance in life and health.   Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with mindset coach and author Chris Cullen to explore how the words you use shape your mindset and influence the perspective you bring to everyday demands. What begins as a subtle language change opens into a broader conversation about choice, presence, and how people respond when life feels heavy or relentless. Chris shares how “I get to” emerged during some of his most challenging physical and mental moments and why it became a practical way to keep moving forward when motivation disappeared.   The discussion also unpacks why this shift can feel surprisingly difficult. Our brains are wired to scan for threat and rush ahead, which makes presence an intentional practice rather than a default. How often do you move through the day without noticing it? What changes when you pause long enough to choose a second thought that creates space for gratitude rather than frustration? Andrew ties these ideas to health, training, parenting, and recovery, where consistency, awareness, and perspective matter more than intensity or quick wins.   Chris is clear that this approach is not a universal solution. Grief still needs space. Toxic situations often require decisive action. Yet when used with care, “I get to” offers a way to reclaim ownership of your time, energy, and attention. The episode leaves listeners with a question worth sitting with: how might your days shift if you approached them with greater choice, perspective, and gratitude instead of obligation?     Quotes “If we don't follow our highest calling or our highest values, we will regret it. And that's the decision you have to make no matter how” (06:58 | Chris Cullen) “When we control the little moments, the mundane stuff that we don’t really want to do, that’s where I think “I get to” makes its biggest impact.” (18:46 | Chris Cullen) “If you want to experience a better life, you have to choose to experience time better.”(25:25 | Chris Cullen) “Our natural instincts are not meant to find opportunity. They're meant to scan for threats and keep us safe.” (27:10 | Chris Cullen) "I get to doesn’t take away the grief.” (40:45 | Chris Cullen) Connect with Chris Cullen: https://www.instagram.com/chriscullen_c3/?hl=en  https://chriscullen.com/  https://chriscullen.com/new-page   SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20 Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Fitness does not fall apart when routines change but it does reveal whether your habits are built on consistency or convenience.   Traveling has a way of exposing what really supports fitness and weight loss when normal routines disappear. This episode of The Code looks at how movement, food choices, and daily habits hold up when life feels full and unpredictable. Dr. Andrew Fix draws from a recent family trip to show how disrupted schedules tend to reveal weak points in routines rather than undo progress. Travel becomes a useful lens for understanding which habits still matter when time, energy, and predictability are limited.   The conversation clears up common misconceptions around fat loss and exercise, including the belief that working a specific body part leads to targeted weight loss. Andrew explains why full-body strength work, consistent movement, sleep, recovery, and food choices shape body composition far more than isolated exercises. He also challenges gym comfort zones and repetitive routines, then shares practical ways to maintain fitness while traveling through shorter workouts, smarter timing around meals and drinks, and realistic expectations. The takeaway is simple: fitness and weight loss depend on habits that hold steady even when routines feel optional.   Quotes “We don't lose fat in a spot treatment type of way. We lose fat throughout our entire body.” (03:56 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “When it comes to strength training, we want to use multi-joint exercises that move the majority of the body, the majority of the time, as opposed to focusing on small accessory, single joint movements.” (04:38 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “If nothing changes, then nothing changes, right? And what I mean by that is if you go to the gym and you just continue to frequent the exact same machines, the exact same exercises all the time, then you're not going to likely have a nice well-rounded training of your entire body.” (07:53 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “If this is part of your routine, if this is something that you're doing for yourself to help you look better, feel better, perform and function better, then I encourage you to keep it in your routine.” (16:59 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Consistency is typically the lever that's gonna win out more than any of the other ones.” (17:25 | Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

If you want more energy, faster recovery, and better performance in the gym and in daily life, the way you fuel your body deserves as much attention as the way you train it.   This conversation looks at nutrition through a performance lens, with insights that apply whether you are training for the gym, long workdays, or full days of skiing in the mountains. Dr. Andrew Fix is joined by Katie Hardie, a board-certified holistic nutritionist and functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, to talk about how food choices shape energy, recovery, focus, and consistency, and why many people struggle to see results even when they believe they are eating well. The discussion moves beyond calorie counts and into how digestion, stress, and food quality quietly influence how your body shows up day after day.   Katie shares a grounded approach to performance nutrition that prioritizes meals you can repeat and enjoy. They explore why food has to taste good to be sustainable, how to learn what balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates works best for your body, and why lingering soreness or low motivation can be signs of under-fueling rather than overtraining. What changes when you start listening to how your body responds instead of following rigid rules? How might your workouts improve if recovery and fueling finally support each other?   This episode reframes nutrition as a practical performance tool that supports strength, stamina, and clarity, with ideas you can apply immediately without turning food into another source of stress.   Quotes “If you don't love the food, the taste of it, or worse yet, it doesn't even contain the building blocks, you're behind the eight ball.” (13:03 | Katie Hardie) “We got sold the story of calories in calories out. It's not incorrect. It's just incomplete.” (13:49 | Katie Hardie) “Each skipped meal is a missed opportunity for repairing or building.” (22:40 | Katie Hardie) “Nutrition is what we eat and it's also what we digest and absorb. That piece gets missed.”(25:31 | Katie Hardie) “When people talk about sports nutrition, so many people think sports nutrition is game day nutrition. Sports nutrition is the whole season, just like trainings the whole season.” (51:56 | Katie Hardie) Connect with Katie Hardie: Visit the My Peak 365's Website Follow Katie on Instagram SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

When life blows up your routine with sickness, sleepless nights, and missed workouts, this episode reframes resolutions and habits as practical commitments you protect on your calendar rather than promises you hope to keep.   Dr. Andrew Fix shares a simple truth most people avoid. Consistency does not come from perfect conditions or endless motivation. It comes from deciding what matters and building habits that can survive real life. When routines fall apart, the answer is not guilt or starting over. It is choosing structure that works even when things feel messy.   Why do healthy habits disappear when life gets busy? What changes when your resolutions stop living in your head and start living on your schedule? The episode challenges the idea that routines need to look impressive to work and makes the case for habits that fit the season you are actually in.   If you are tired of feeling off track every time life gets chaotic, this episode offers a grounded way forward. Decide what matters, put it on the calendar, and keep moving without waiting for everything to calm down first.   Quotes “How do we get back on track? Well, I'm a big believer in putting things on the calendar that are priorities for you.” (05:01 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “It doesn't matter what it is. It just matters that it happens and that you're prioritizing it for yourself, that you are making a point to make it important to you, important enough to put it on the calendar” (05:56 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “We are so used to conquering and overcoming hard things because of the physical training that we do that we can do that in the other areas of our life as well.” (08:28 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “You need to find the routine. You need to find the cadence that works for you.” (09:29 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “If you want something to be accomplished, if you want to reach the goals that you have set for yourself, if something is important to you, it will be important enough to hold a place on your calendar.” (09:54 | Dr. Andrew Fix) SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Many high performers blame stress or burnout for feeling off when the real drain on their sleep focus and relationships is hiding in plain sight inside their nightly drinking habits and the broader lifestyle choices tied to alcohol.   James Swanwick joins Dr. Andrew Fix to question the belief that alcohol only becomes an issue at the extreme. He reflects on years of socially acceptable drinking that slowly eroded his energy clarity and presence until the cost could no longer be ignored and a lasting shift felt necessary.   The conversation explores what alcohol does beneath the surface, starting with sleep and rippling into mood focus cravings and connection at home. When recovery suffers everything else follows. How often do we point to work pressure or discipline when the issue starts the night before? What changes when rest, clarity and patience return?   Rather than prescribing rigid rules Swanwick encourages awareness, experimentation and choice. Track the data. Notice the patterns. Pay attention to how you show up with the people who matter most. This episode invites listeners to stop normalizing feeling less than their best and to consider what becomes possible when alcohol no longer compromises daily life.   Quotes “Drinking is just attractively packaged poison.” (15:05 | James Swanwick) “You’ve just clocked out of a day’s work from your job, the moment that you put your head on the pillow, you’ve just clocked in for a whole night’s additional work, the moment that you chose to drink that red wine or that beer or that seemingly innocent gin and tonic or vodka at the end of the night.”  (19:08 | James Swanwick) “We're positioning alcohol as the fun and the reward, and not drinking alcohol is the pain and the suffering. It's ridiculous. It should be the other way around.” (28:17 | James Swanwick) “If you could have reduced or quit alcohol on your own, you would have. You haven't, so you probably can't. So try a different way.” (54:46 | James Swanwick) “I’ve had a life with alcohol and a life without and without as far superior.” (58:00 | James Swanwick) Connect with James Swanwick: Visit Alcohol-Free Lifestyle CLEAR by James Swanwick   James Bio James Swanwick is an Australian-American investor, entrepreneur, and speaker, and a former SportsCenter anchor on ESPN. He is the founder of Alcohol Free Lifestyle, a company that helps high achievers change their relationship with alcohol, and the host of the Alcohol Free Lifestyle podcast. James is also the creator of Project 90, a neuroscience-based program designed to help high performers gain lasting control over alcohol, and the founder of Swanwick Sleep, maker of Swannies blue-light blocking glasses to support better sleep. Over the course of his career, he has interviewed notable figures including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kobe Bryant, David Beckham, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.   SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most exercise and fitness plans fail the moment real life gets in the way, but training around how the body is built to move creates strength that holds up no matter how busy the gym or unpredictable your schedule becomes.   Better results in training do not come from more complicated programs or chasing the perfect lifting routine. They come from understanding how the body is meant to move and training those patterns with consistency. When squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, carrying, rotating, and absorbing force become the focus, workouts stop feeling fragile and start working in the context of real life.   The perspective here is long-term. Smart lifting and strength work support bone health, muscle mass, energy, and the ability to respond when life demands quick or unexpected movement. What gets lost when those capacities are no longer trained? What quietly fades when movement becomes narrow or cautious?   The takeaway is steady and practical. When plans fall apart, the answer is not starting over or doing more. It is returning to the fundamentals and letting them guide your choices. That shift turns training into something you can sustain across seasons, schedules, and decades.   Quotes “I want to help you not become one of those numbers of the statistics where you start something and you fall off the wagon just a few weeks into the new year.” (01:55 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Continue to live a healthy, active life, regardless of how old you are and as you age, continue to be that way.”  (02:59 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Focus on the movement pattern, not on the exact exercise.” (17:16 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “You can easily replace a squat with a leg press, a leg press with a squat. You can do the same movement a different way because exercises are just ways that you accomplish movement patterns, not the other way around.” (17:28 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “We definitely think more about the movement patterns as it relates to the function of our own bodies and being able to continue to move and do things for years and years in the future.” (17:43 | Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Waiting for the new year to take your health seriously is a quiet gamble with your future that too many people make without realizing what it costs.   This conversation challenges the way we think about health, resolution culture, and the pressure to set big goals tied to a date on the calendar. Dr. Andrew Fix makes a clear case for starting now rather than postponing meaningful health decisions until January. When resolutions become delays, even the best goals lose their power before they ever begin.   The episode reframes health through the lens of health span rather than longevity alone. What does it mean to stay capable and clear for as many years as possible? How do small choices around sleep, movement, and nutrition shape that outcome? The focus stays practical and realistic without extreme plans or rigid routines.   At its core, this episode links personal health to the people who matter most. Taking care of yourself protects your ability to show up for your family and your life. If your health determines how much time you get to be present, why wait to choose it?   Quotes “We shouldn’t wait for the new year or for a date on the calendar to do something that we want to do or to do something that we know we should do or need to do.” ( 00:59 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Take care of yourself now while you still have the chance.” ( 01:59  | Dr. Andrew Fix) “All of us are going to age. All of us are going to have our health decline. We want to fight that off as long as we can. And that's what we call health span.” ( 03:06 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “You’ll either choose to pay for your wellness now, or you’ll be forced to pay for your sickness later.” ( 04:28 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “What is a better gift that you could give them than you taking care of yourself so that you can provide for them and gift them more of that time for as many years as you possibly can. That is the gift that they want. That is the gift that's going to keep on giving.” ( 08:03 | Dr. Andrew Fix) Links https://www.netflix.com › Kevin Hart: Acting My Age   SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Walking can become a cultural force for better health when the Black community is given tools that make prevention visible, shared, and rooted in daily life.   Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with Kwame Terra, founder of bEHR Health, for a conversation that reframes health as something you can understand, track, and take ownership of in real time. Kwame shares why bEHR Health was built around a live health score, how health literacy shapes long-term outcomes, and why prevention has to feel relevant to everyday life rather than abstract medical advice. The discussion moves beyond individual behavior to examine how access, stress, and environment quietly shape health over decades, especially within the Black community.   Walking becomes an unexpected centerpiece of the episode, both as a practical entry point to better health and as a catalyst for connection and culture change. Kwame reflects on setting a world record for steps in a month and what surprised him most about the physical and mental impact. How does something so simple shift behavior at scale? Why does community matter more than motivation alone? And what changes when health becomes something people do together rather than something they are told to manage alone?   The conversation challenges the idea that health progress requires extreme solutions. Instead, it points to a more durable path forward, one where walking, shared accountability, and clearer health signals help people reconnect with their bodies, their communities, and a stronger sense of purpose.   Quotes “60 % of black people have low health literacy. Most of us aren't aware of our current health status, or the short and long-term implications of our lifestyles, and the consequences that obviously come with that.”  (08:27 | Kwame Terra) “The cool thing about the score is that as you change, so does your score.” (09:20 | Kwame Terra) “We don't want health to feel like this additional chore that people have to do to be healthy. Like how do we design their life to where it creates health?” (47:46 | Kwame Terra) “Public health is the art and science of prolonging life. That's the definition of public health.I've added a mental health component to my definition of public health, which is now the art and science of prolonging the desire to live.” (01:08:38 | Kwame Terra) “If you aren't all that you can be, You suffer more than you have to. And so does everyone else.” (01:13:14 | Kwame Terra)   Links Connect with Kwame Terra: Visit bEHR Health Systems Instagram Follow Kwame on Instagram   SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Training only moves forward when you know how to pivot on the days your body feels off, and smart adjustments matter more than any single heavy lift.   Dr. Andrew Fix uses a real morning in the gym to unpack a familiar question for anyone who follows a training plan: what do you do when back pain or tightness shows up right as you’re trying to stay consistent with your fitness goals? He talks through judgment calls that keep progress intact without forcing painful reps or drifting into avoidance.   The message lands on a simple truth. Consistency wins. One perfect session never matches the value of showing up again tomorrow. So how do you decide when to scale or swap movements or shift the intention of the work you planned? How do you stay honest about discomfort without letting it take over the whole day?   Andrew brings a grounded mindset that supports long-term training and everyday life. The reminder sits at the core of his story. Movement still matters on the days that feel inconvenient, and the athletes who grow are the ones who adjust with purpose rather than force.   Quotes "I'm not going to avoid the movement, but I'm going to modify how I'm implementing it, and how I'm performing the workout." (04:34 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "If you're just haphazardly doing random workouts at random times on random days of the week, you're likely going to get random results.” (06:30| Dr. Andrew Fix) "The most important lever we can pull when it comes to making progress is consistency." (07:38 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "If something's bothering you, don't skip it, modify it. Listen to what your body's telling you to do and adjust accordingly." (07:58 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "Doing something is always better than doing nothing." (10:24 | Dr. Andrew Fix) Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

That first jolt of pain can throw anyone off, and knowing where to start can be the difference between a quick fix and a lingering problem.   Dr. Andrew Fix takes a closer look at what really happens in that early moment of pain and how a thoughtful approach to injury can shift everything. He explains why your own observations often hold the first clues and how simple steps can help you understand whether the issue needs light attention or a more structured plan. What can the timing of the discomfort tell you? How often do we focus on the sore spot when the real problem sits somewhere else entirely?   Andrew also talks about the value of asking the people who see you move every week since they often notice patterns you miss. And when discomfort refuses to fade, he makes a strong case for getting help from someone who understands true management of movement and load rather than relying on quick fixes that never reach the root. The episode centers on one idea: pay attention early and seek guidance that actually supports how your body is designed to work.   Quotes “How do you know where to start? When you have all these options, there's so much information out there. You could watch YouTube videos, you could go on the internet, you could go to your physical therapist, physician's office, chiropractic office, I mean, you name it, the list is endless, but it's extremely long, right? There's a lot of options of things you could do. But what should you do? (03:38 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "Sometimes we have symptoms in an area where that area is not the actual root cause of the problem.” (05:30 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "That doesn't do anything. That does not fix your musculoskeletal problem that you're dealing with. And we're in the business of trying to help people fix issues, not mask symptoms." (07:38 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "This is the time where you need to get that extra set of eyes from somebody that really knows what they're doing and knows how to help you rectify this, not tell you to go RICE it (rest, ice, compress, elevate).” (09:22 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "We do not wanna get to the point where pain starts to become more irritating, more debilitating, causing you to modify your function, causing you to compensate, causing you to avoid things, causing you to skip the activities that you love to do with the people that you love to do them because something hurts." (12:30 | Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Midlife health takes on a whole new meaning as Dr. Mona Fahoum breaks down what really happens to women’s hormones and how to stay strong, clear headed and resilient through every shift.   Dr. Mona joins Dr. Andrew Fix for a grounded conversation on Menopause and the years leading up to it, shedding light on symptoms that often feel confusing or disconnected. She explains how Naturopathic Medicine gives women a fuller view of hormone health, linking estrogen, progesterone and testosterone to the energy dips, sleep changes and joint issues so many women struggle to name. The question that sits underneath much of the episode: how do you stay rooted in your life when your body keeps shifting the rules?   They talk through her “three legged stool” of nutrition, movement and hormone support as a steady framework for long term strength. Mona also breaks down Hormone Replacement Therapy in a clear, non-sensational way so women can understand where bioidentical hormones fit and when other approaches make more sense. The result is a practical, reassuring look at midlife health that encourages women to ask what this stage could feel like with the right tools, the right conversations and the right care.   Quotes “We are going to live a long time. We don't want chronic disease…So we have to shift that focus into how we are going to live well in these older years postmenopause? Because we're probably going to spend 40 % of our lives in postmenopause now.” (19:36 | Dr. Mona Fahoum) “Our hormones are helping us with our fertility…Menstrual cycle, fertility, that's what they're there for. But estrogen and testosterone both also support the immune system. They support energy production in the cell. They support tissue recovery. They support collagen production.” (26:46 | Dr. Mona Fahoum) "I love to say there's kind of a three legged stool and you got to have all of it: the nutrition, the exercise, and the hormone optimization." (29:40 | Dr. Mona Fahoum) “Our bodies are healthy. Their baseline is healthy and they know how to fix themselves. They are resilient if we give them the right tools.” (56:09 | Dr. Mona Fahoum) “There is nothing wrong with us in menopause and in our forties. It is a normal process…I love that we're all talking about this more, but there's this push to pathologize it too. And I don't want any gal thinking that there's something wrong with her. Your hormones are doing what they're supposed to do.” (56:17 | Dr. Mona Fahoum)   Connect with Dr. Mona Fahoum: Visit Dr. Mona Fahoum’s Website Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Growing pains shape every meaningful goal and this episode challenges you to step toward the discomfort that signals real progress.   Andrew takes a simple moment with his toddler and turns it into a clear look at growth in everyday life. He highlights how personal development rarely moves forward without challenges and how each stage of improvement asks for new habits, new choices, and a willingness to face discomfort. What do you do when you feel that tension that shows up right before a breakthrough?   He invites listeners to look closely at one area where progress feels slow and ask whether the resistance there is actually a signal to keep going. Growth often appears at the edge of uncertainty, yet many people mistake that edge for a warning instead of an opening. What shifts if you approach that moment with curiosity rather than avoidance?   This episode encourages you to name the challenge in front of you, recognize it as part of your personal development, and choose the next small step toward the version of yourself you want to build.   Quotes “If you want to achieve anything great, whether that is from a physical fitness standpoint, whether that’s from a career standpoint, whether that is from a relationship standpoint... you’re going to have to go through some growth phases in that realm.” (03:12 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “You’re going to have to put in some hard work. It’s not going to come easy to just continue to improve something from a physical fitness standpoint.” (03:54 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “It’s going to be uncomfortable when you start because you’re having to make this big change.” (05:09 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “You have to go through some discomfort in order to get to these places. Growth is not comfortable.” (06:02 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “How can you continue to lean into that discomfort that you’re feeling? Don’t shy away from it.” (07:05 | Dr. Andrew Fix) Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Therapy stops being mysterious when you realize it’s less about fixing your thoughts and more about learning to feel safe in your own body.   Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with psychotherapist Lauren Goldberg, LCSW, for an honest look at psychotherapy and what actually helps people feel better. They talk about mental health beyond labels, how the body plays a crucial role in healing, and why anxiety isn’t a flaw to eliminate but a signal to understand.   What if success at work has been your safest place to hide? What if your body already knows what your mind keeps avoiding? Lauren shares how curiosity, consistency, and a grounded therapeutic relationship can turn those questions into real progress.   This conversation reframes therapy as practice, not performance—a clear, human reminder that growth comes through presence, honesty, and small moments of awareness that build lasting change.   Quotes “As therapists, our personal work is very congruent with our work with clients. So, I use my own self-exploration to become a better tool for my clients” (10:53 | Lauren Goldberg) “We expect there to be this beginning, middle and resolution to what we are going through. And there isn't always. What it often is, is we're dealing with something and then the resolution is actually how to be with it in a different way.”(23:40 |  Lauren Goldberg) “What I don’t do is tell people what they should do. I don’t give advice. It’s a very open-ended dialogue. I do a lot of educating, particularly about the nervous system. But I think for any good therapist, you’re doing a lot of educating about why one is now doing things the way that they’re doing based on their history.” (29:05 |  Lauren Goldberg) “The coming up and coming down is what builds resiliency. And that's what we want to build in therapy. That's what we want to build in PT.” (48:11 |  Lauren Goldberg) “If you’ve tried therapy before and it did not feel like a good fit, please try again. It truly is like dating. You have to figure out who’s a good fit for you.” (49:51 | Lauren Goldberg) Connect with Lauren Goldberg: Visit The Secure Base Mental Health, LLC  Follow Lauren on Instagram Follow Lauren on Facebook Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20     Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The secret to your life is hidden in your daily routine.   In this episode, Dr. Andrew Fix unpacks how habits create the foundation for who you become and where you end up. Success rarely comes from one big breakthrough; it’s the result of small, consistent actions that compound over time. Every decision—what you eat, how you move, how you spend your time—quietly shapes your future self long before you realize it.   He reframes goal setting as the starting line, not the finish. Setting intentions gives direction, but it’s your habits that move you forward. The real question is whether your daily routine reflects the goals you claim to care about. If your actions don’t match your ambitions, something needs to shift.   Your priorities are revealed in two places: your calendar and your bank account. Where you invest your time and money tells the truth about what matters most. This episode challenges you to look closer, make adjustments, and build a routine that actually leads you toward the future you want.   Quotes “The secret to your life is hidden in your daily routine.” (01:04 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Daily habits stacked on top of one another, whether for the good or for the bad, ultimately dictate where your future self is going to be.” (01:37 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “The goal is not how you get there. It’s the small micro habits every single day.” (03:32 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “If you show me your calendar, I’ll show you where your priorities are.” (04:02 | Dr. Andrew Fix) "What is the future self that you are looking or hoping to become? And how can you set up your daily tasks and your daily habits to help you get there in the most efficient way possible?" (06:53 | Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most of us don’t procrastinate because we’re lazy, we hesitate because of fear. Fear of failing, of being judged, of not knowing how things will turn out.   In this episode, Dr. Andrew Fix unpacks how procrastination quietly stalls progress, and why waiting for certainty keeps us from building momentum. He shares a story about his son standing at the top of a playground slide—hesitant at first, then overjoyed once he finally let go—as a reminder that confidence comes from action, not overthinking. Drawing from Harvard research showing that people who start early outperform those who wait by 40%, Andrew reframes progress as something created through movement, not mastery.   This episode is a call to stop overplanning and start doing. Because when fear drives hesitation, the real cost isn’t failure, it’s the progress you never make.   Quotes “There is gonna be fear that most of us have associated with doing something new, associated with doing something that we've been putting off, but we're never gonna reap the benefits of what could happen.” (03:30 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Even if they're less talented, the person that starts sooner and gets going and does what we call learning by doing, the person that starts first is going to outperform the other individual, even if they're more talented by 40%.” (05: 13 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “We are going to learn by doing much more than by preparing and planning. You're going to receive and find much more clarity by doing something than by planning ever will.” (07:17 | Dr. Andrew Fix) “Action is going to teach us more than planning ever can. Action is going to provide us with more clarity than planning and preparation ever can.” (09:03| Dr. Andrew Fix) “It doesn't need to be perfect. You're going to learn from your failures and you're going to wind up way farther ahead by just getting started and taking that first step. than if you continue to wait.” (13:35 | Dr. Andrew Fix)   Links How to Stop Procrastinating | Harvard Business Review   Stop Procrastinating and Tackle That Big Project | Harvard Business Review   SideKick Tool   Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board 15% off Promo Code: DRA15   RAD Roller   Revogreen   HYDRAGUN    Athletic Brewing 20% off: ANDREWF20   Connect with Physio Room: Visit the Physio Room Website Follow Physio Room on Instagram Follow Physio Room on Facebook Andrew’s Personal Instagram Andrew’s Personal Facebook     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm