Imperfect Progress with Anne Guzman

You train hard and have a great plan, yet you're still not getting the results as an endurance athlete. Maybe you're feeling exhausted or battling mood swings? Something is off and the dots just aren’t connecting - but you don’t know why. It is frustrating! It could be your fueling strategy. In Episode 38, Dr. Kate Ackerman, Harvard professor, sports medicine doctor, and team physician for...

Welcome to Imperfect Progress!! We're talking all things KNEE PAIN today with Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Howard Luks who specializes in sports medicine. Dr. Luks was Chief of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy at New York Medical College for over 20 years, where he taught the next generation of Orthopedic Surgeons about the needs of athletes of all ages.  Inside the podcast I ask the burning question...

Have you ever pushed yourself to the limit in a ride or race, only to be held back because you're struggling to breathe? You're not alone - as many as half of athletes face respiratory issues. During this episode of the Imperfect Progress Podcast, Dr. James Hull, a pulmonologist and Professor at the ISEH- the Institute of Sport Exercise and Health at UCL unpacks what athletes may be strugg...

Osteoporosis, the "Silent Thief," erodes bones without a whisper. Whether you're an athlete or just cherish mobility, your bones are partners in every adventure. During this podcast we unveil the secrets of your skeletal strength, embracing aging gracefully and embracing life's potential. Your bones are always building and breaking down, shaping your strength, agility, and health...

Pro cyclist Haley Smith is no stranger to the cycling world. She's a force on two wheels, and vulnerability and her willingness to share her inner struggles is a super power in and of itself. If you struggle with confidence, are always comparing yourself to others, and obsess about watts per kilo or data, listening to conversation is guaranteed to help you loosen your grip a bit and enjoy the...

Are you tired of the frustration and disappointment of struggling to follow through on your habits? Have you ever experienced the pain of starting a new routine only to find yourself skipping days or abandoning it altogether? It's a disempowering cycle that leaves us wondering why we can't stay on track. During this podcast episode, I've had an enlightening conversation with renowned N...

How can under eating, over exercising, high stress events and losing your period as a result, potentially contribute to poorer heart health? The science is surprising and it isn't being talked about enough. My guest today sheds light on all of these. It's important information that's not getting out to many athletes and coaches. Today’s guest Dr. Chrisandra Shufelt is an expert in wome...

Welcome to episode 31 of the Imperfect Progress Podcast! On today's podcast I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Meagan Wasfy, a sports cardiologist and echocardiographer at the Mass General Hospital Brigham, Massachusetts. Dr. Wasfy completed her undergraduate degree is from Harvard College and medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She serves as team cardiologist for Harvard Athletic...

Welcome! Today's episode is about all things carbohydrates, insulin and blood sugar, at rest or during cycling and other endurance exercise. My guest Dr. Javier Gonzalez is deeply invested in research in the area of Nutrition and Metabolism and has over 159 papers published in the field. He's deepling interested in understanding human fuel use, specifically how we obtain fuel from our diet, how we...

Bone injuries can end your athletic season and even your athletic career - yet bone is often an after thought. If you're having repetitive bone stress injuries, there are likely other things going on with your nutrition and training that need further investigation. It's never too late to intervene with bone health. As a cyclist, poor bone health can often go unnoticed due to the non weight bearing...

Caffeine, America's most popular drug. More than 85% of Americans drink at least one caffeinated drink per day.  But for athletes, caffeine is a drug that's not restricted by WADA, which means athletes can use it and reap the benefits in their sports nutrition plan. I know what you're thinking, my coffee is a drug!? I know, that sounds strange, but indeed it is! Ever skip a few days? Withdraw...

Don't make the mistake of believing the hype.  It could cost you your bike race. Scroll Instagram for 5 minutes and you'll be inundated with diet and sports nutrition advice. Unfortunately a lot of it is BS. The reason I do this podcast is to bring you quality information from credible sources, so you don't have to learn everything the hard way. This conversation does exactly this. My podcast...

Olympic cyclist Ruth Winder knows a thing or two about bike racing, cycling culture and what it takes to be one of the best cyclists in the world. Ruth has won stages and the GC in some of the most prestigious races on the World Cup circuit. Like most athletes, she's no stranger to adversity . In today's podcast Ruth shares some important lessons she's learned over the last 15 years on the road an...

Everyone's talking about creatine and rightfully so. As the most proven sports nutrition supplement on the market, it holds a lot of clout and can be an asset to both your performance and health span. It may even benefit your road biking or gravel cycling! There's a lot of new research around creatine, and I wanted to make sure you were up to date, so I invited expert Dr. Scott Forbes onto the pod...

There are a lot of devices and apps measuring your body's physiological data on the market, but can they really help you recover and perform better?   Heart rate variability (HRV) is getting a lot of attention these days, as are metrics that measure 'recovery' and stress. I wanted to get clear on the differences between these data, how athletes can use them, how accurate they are and what the...

Turmeric, it's more than just a spice to add flavor and color to your cuisine. In fact the evidence is starting to accumulate that turmeric reduces inflammation, improves  athlete recovery and can be as effective as Tylenol (paracetamol) in reducing osteoarthritis pain.   I started using turmeric after a good friend recommended I try turmeric ginger shots a year ago. I was admittedly ske...

Every year athletes drop out of races because the heat beats them down. It's a hard pill to swallow after all of that training you've put in, to have to DNF. But it doesn't have to be that way. Heat adaptation is a powerful performance tool that even the best in the world aren't implementing, but they should be. The proof is in the science and the many Olympians who have put it to the test. In thi...

Over the last decade, more research has focused on the benefits of exercise in alleviating and treating depression and anxiety. I had the incredible opportunity to speak with Neuroscientist Dr. Jennifer Heisz about this topic today. Dr. Heisz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University and directs the Neurofit Lab. She received her Ph. D. in Cognitive Neurosci...

Ever wonder why you're not recovering as quickly as you used to, why your joints feel a bit more "crickety," and why your training routine isn't bringing you the returns it used to? With age, our bodies change and our muscles change. We must understand what to tweak to best manage our changing bodies and keep them strong and resilient. I reached out to Dr. Stuart Phillips to discuss the topic of m...

"As ketone levels go up, ketones themselves inhibit their own production. When you drink an exogenous ketone and you elevate the ketones in the blood, you're going to be in the short term, blunting that fat release, that lipolysis component."   Dr. Brianna Stubbs If you're an endurance athlete on the internet, there's little doubt you've stumbled across a conversation about ketogenic diets an...

You're a runner or triathlete and you‘re putting in all the miles, but are you spending any time strength training? If you're not strength training should you be? Why? And importantly, HOW? It’s easy to get lost in a Dr. Google search about this question, flustered with the endless contradictory opinions and recommendations. I felt it was important to make sure you were getting the correct informa...

Why can't you stop that negative chatter in your mind? Would you ever talk to someone the way to talk to yourself? On that note, how should you talk to yourself, in the first person or third person? Hold on, do you even recognize your thought patterns? If not, how do you cultivate the awareness that you have negative self talk running like a reel in your mind? So many questions and so many great a...

For athletes looking to conceive during their lifetimes, understanding the potential impacts of exercise on reproductive health is paramount. I noticed that there was very little media attention given to the effects of exercise on reproductive health. After having met many athletes who have struggled with fertility and reproductive health, I wanted to learn more about the topic and share this info...

Are you an athlete wondering if CBD oil can help you, if it's safe and whether it can help with pain, recovery or sleep? Well if you ask Dr. Google about it, you’ll get a surprising amount of claims telling you it will definitely help with sleep, recovery, inflammation and mental health and many of these sound very credible and “sciency.” But what if you ask an actual scientist who has spent years...

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why should I track my menstrual cycle?” If so, I’m sure you’re not the only one, but it turns out, this is a pretty empowering thing to do. Are you suffering from cramps and bloating? Is your energy, mood or libido fluctuating? Do you have heavy bleeding some months and not others? When asked to explain this with your physician or coach, are your answers vague? Can y...