Check Out Episode 5 of Our Podcast, “Self-Hate and Female Rivalry”

Hi again, everyone!

While half of our dynamic duo is still on her hiatus (during which time, she’ll be creating and starting her own online nutrition-based education/coaching system – Go, Nikki!), the other half, Kate, is here to give you our fifth podcast episode, “Self-Hate and Female Rivalry.”

This podcast episode focuses on how we, as the female gender/sex, are taught to aspire to a particular body image and ideal weight, and the damage that we do to our own bodies and lifespans by pursing those ideals in an unhealthy way.

The episode also details the competitive and destructive nature of the female psyche when it comes to interacting with other women, whether it’s about hitting certain milestones “first,” being the very best mom/homemaker/spouse, being a superior female because you’re a working professional (as compared to a stay-at-home mom), and even between other women in your profession.

Kate spends the hour detailing how destructive these methods can be, not only to the women we direct our negative energy towards, but also to ourselves.

We need to be kinder and more loving, not only towards others, but towards ourselves. There’s no unlimited amount of happiness out there. We can all succeed without tearing one another down. Let’s lift each other up, and become better role models for the next generation of women/females out there.

As always, we hope you’ll enjoy this episode of the podcast, just as we hope that you’ll stay tuned for the next one. We’re still planning to ask some pretty awesome guest co-hosts to come in for the next few episodes, so make sure you’re following us via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, or Tumblr to keep up with us! Remember – our episodes are also available to stream on iTunes and Google Play.

We’d love to continue receiving your feedback as to past episodes, as well as suggestions for upcoming episodes. Feel free to hit us up via social media, or by sending us an email at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

Stay well, friends, and remember – be kind to each other, and to yourself!

Me at PSU home meet

Referenced resources:

  1. Roxane Gay, “Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body”
  2. Ashley Graham, “A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like”
  3. Jen Mann, “People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges” ***CORRECTION – Kate’s reference to Jenny Lawson and her hilarious and bravely honest books were in error – she meant to reference Jen Mann and her hilarious and bravely honest book. Her bad.***
  4. “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie” (available on Hulu)
  5. Gabrielle Union, “We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True”

Episode 4 – Being Your Own Health Care Advocate

Hey, everyone!

Well, half of our dynamic duo is here to give you our fourth episode, “Being Your Own Health Care Advocate.” In it, Kate talks about the power that medical professionals have over our lives, and the faith that we put in them for that reason. She discusses her own experience as a disabled person and a lifelong patient, as well as the need for you, as adults, to have some frank conversations and make some fairly morbid decisions in order to make sure that your intentions are followed in the case of an emergency, as well as to protect your children or those you take care of in case of an untimely death or incapacitation.

Kate also goes on to discuss just how important it is to do your own research about your health, and to feel confident and empowered enough to become your own health care advocate; to ask the questions you need answers to; to make sure that your health care professional hears what you’re saying and knows what you’re feeling.

Our health care system is far from perfect, but it’s far more advanced and effective than it was in years past. Just like the legal profession and the law enforcement field, there are incredible professionals working within an imperfect, sometimes broken system. It may not be the individual professional’s fault, per se, that the system needs repair, but that doesn’t change the fact that the system can fail you at times. That’s why we, as patients, need to be informed and proactive in trying to collaborate with our health care professionals, so that we can work together with them to ensure that we receive the best medical treatment available.

We hope you’ll enjoy this episode of the podcast, just as we hope that you’ll stay tuned for the next one. We plan to ask some pretty awesome guest co-hosts to come in for the next few episodes, so make sure you’re following us via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, or Tumblr to keep up with us! Remember – our episodes are also available to stream on iTunes and Google Play.

Also, as always, we’d love your feedback as to past episodes, or suggestions for upcoming episodes. Feel free to hit us up via social media, or by sending us an email at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

Stay well, friends!

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P.S. Kate wants to thank everyone who came to the hospital to visit her after her spinal surgery at the end of March, as well as everyone who sent her good wishes, positive thoughts and prayers for her recovery. You all helped her get through a tough time, and it’s so appreciated!

Stay tuned for Episode 4 of our podcast, “Being Your Own Health Care Advocate”

Hey everyone!

Kate is on the mend from her spinal surgery, and we are getting ready to record our next podcast episode, “Being Your Own Health Care Advocate.”

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Whether you’re a professional patient like Kate, or are a relatively healthy person (and thus, are fairly unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the health care system), it’s important to know some basic, yet helpful tips on how to be better prepared for emergencies, how to become a more informed, educated patient, and how to ensure that your questions and concerns are addressed.

Our next episode will focus on how to be your own health care advocate.

Are you doing all that you can to advocate for yourself with medical personnel? Have any of you felt dismissed or unheard when you tried to voice your concerns? Has anyone been caught off-guard when a medical emergency happened and you weren’t prepared to make such a huge decision in so little time? Do you have the proper legal documents prepared to explain what kind of life-sustaining measures you’d want performed on you if you weren’t able to voice them yourself?

We’d love to hear your stories, positive or negative, about being your own health care advocate. Please feel free to leave a comment below, send us a message via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Google+, or write us an email at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

And as always, we’d love to hear your suggestions for future episode topics.

Wishing you and yours nothing but health and happiness!

Best,

Nikki and Kate

Listen to Episode 3 of our podcast: “Exercise For All! Workouts for Moms with Postpartum Pooches, Bedridden Diabetics and Anyone Else with a Few Spare Minutes a Day”

Check out our third episode of the podcast, entitled: “Exercise For All! Workouts for Moms with Postpartum Pooches, Bedridden Diabetics and Anyone Else with a Few Spare Minutes a Day.” In it, we talked about our backgrounds in nutrition and fitness; Nikki’s qualifications in personal training and kinesiology; Kate’s experiences living with Type I Diabetes, and more!

And for those Moms who’ve been diagnosed with Diastasis Recti (i.e., what we call “Postpartum Pooch”), if you want to learn more about the “Moms Gone Strong” workout Nikki mentioned during the podcast, feel free to check out http://girlsgonestrong.com for more information.

As always, stay tuned for new blog posts and info on upcoming episodes, and feel free to comment below or reach out to us via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Tumblr, or by sending us an email at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

Nikki and I laughing

COMING SOON: OUR THIRD PODCAST EPISODE, “EXERCISE FOR ALL! WORKOUTS FOR MOMS WITH POSTPARTUM POOCHES, BEDRIDDEN DIABETICS AND ANYONE ELSE WITH A FEW SPARE MINUTES A DAY”

With one of us being a lifelong Type I Diabetic and a disabled person with recurring tethered spinal cord, and the other a Veteran and former military firefighter who’s now faced with the postpartum pooch many moms develop after their ab muscles separate during pregnancy, you’d think we’d have just about given up on exercising.

Thankfully, with our background in NCAA Division I athletics and Olympic development training in track and field, as well as Nikki’s graduate-level education regarding physical fitness and the human body, we haven’t gone down without a fight!

Stay tuned later this week for our third podcast episode, where we’ll discuss how difficult it can be for anyone to maintain their physical fitness, never mind once you reach a certain age, have a physical disability or have given birth. But have no fear! There are ways to be able to maintain an exercise regimen, even for those constantly on the go or with very limited mobility.

In Episode 3 of “Hammer Time with Nikki and Kate,” we’ll give examples of workouts we’ve done over the years in order to stay physically fit. Kate will explain how she’s had to be mindful of her nutrition, her insulin intake, as well as the type of exercise she’s doing (i.e., aerobic versus anaerobic) in order to keep her diabetes under control. She’ll also explain how she’s recently had to significantly alter her exercise in order to keep her circulation going and her muscles from atrophying. For her, isometrics and deep stretching have become essential to her weekly routine.

Nikki will discuss the exercise involved in taking care of two very active girls under the age of three, when “free time” can be quite the novel concept. She’ll also explain how she has modified her workouts to address her Diastasis Recti, a condition many moms face after pregnancy. She’ll talk about her frustrations adjusting to her postpartum body, especially as a woman who has focused on physical fitness for her entire life.

No matter who you are, what your body looks like or what your physical abilities are, there are things you can do to maintain physical fitness. We’ll talk about how important exercise has been in our lives, and how important it is to one’s self-care. Exercise can increase one’s metabolism, lower one’s stress levels, produce more sound sleep and increase feelings of happiness. Unless you are completely incapacitated, there are a variety of creative ways to maintain your physical fitness. Tune in to learn a few!

And as always, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or send us a message as to what’s worked for you in the past, what questions you may have about fitting exercise into your life, or suggestions for future episodes.

Wishing you and yours nothing but health and happiness!

Best,

Nikki and Kate

Me and Nikki on podium 2

Welcome to our site!

Welcome to “Hammer Time with Nikki and Kate: A Disabled Lawyer and a Personal Trainer Walk Into a Podcast….”

As two former All-American hammer throwers, we’ll be discussing a wide range of topics on our podcast: dating, marriage, having kids, not having kids, having a professional career, making your career as a stay-at-home mom, how to feel feminine while squatting 400 pounds, how two fierce competitors became sisters from two misters, and more!

We’re so excited to hear from you about our upcoming topics and our opinions on things. Please feel free to use the comment section below, or to email us at hammertimewithnikkiandkate@gmail.com.

More to come soon!

All our best,

Nikki and Kate

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Hammer Time With Nikki and Kate: A Disabled Lawyer and a Personal Trainer Walk Into a Podcast….