2026 Body Reset: How to Get Stronger, Lose Fat, & Take Control of Your Health

29:01And so that was something that for me, I had to come to that realization that I have to make changes in my diet that is sustainable. I have to make changes in how I dedicate time to myself that is sustainable. And were there times where I did things that I had a setback, didn't work out for four weeks, that I go out and eat like Waffle House every day? Yeah. And that's okay. You know, you just have to keep going. Dr. Grunge, I am learning so much from you. So if you've already had one of those, wait, why has nobody told me this moments? Share this episode. Send this to somebody you love. Send this to your spouse, your parents, your best friend, your adult kids, because back pain isn't just common.

29:49It's the number one cause of disability in the world. And can't you just tell that Dr. Grunch is just getting started? I mean, I feel like we're just on the appetizer. We've not hit the main course yet. And what Dr. Grunch is sharing might just save someone you love from years of unnecessary pain. So don't go anywhere. We're going to hear a few words from our amazing sponsors and more with Dr. Grunch, including she has the most incredible advice about what to do if you are intimidated going into a gym. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

30:25Hey, it's your friend Mel, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you for making the Mel Robbins podcast the most followed podcast in the entire world. And as a thank you, I have a gift for you. I want to guide you step-by-step through the process of creating your best year yet in 2026. How? Simple. With a free 20-page science-backed workbook that I've created just for you. This workbook is designed using the latest research to help you get clear about what you want and empower you to create a plan so that you can take the next step forward in your life. Just sign up at melrobbins.com slash best year.

31:03It's quick to download and it's ready for you right now. As your friend, I'll tell you, you deserve to have the best year of your life, especially after everything you've been through this year. Here it is. I'm offering to help you. Why wouldn't you take it? Just sign up at melrobbins.com slash best year.

31:28welcome back it's your buddy mel robbins today you and i are learning how to do a total body reset with number one neurosurgeon dr betsy grunch so dr grunch what do you do specifically as a neurosurgeon and a busy mom can you walk me through a day i'm not talking about a day where you're on call for 72 hours but like what are kind of the general things because the the the folks that listen to this show and the person who's made the time to spend with us, Dr. Grunch, is like, okay, you sound like me and you're absolutely amazing. Tell me what you do. Like, what will you wake up? What do you eat?

32:08What do you exercise? Like, what is your routine on a day where you're getting 90 % of it right? I love those days. Those are the glory days, right? You feel so proud of yourself and you win. Those days are amazing. And every day is not going to be like that. But I wake up in the morning. I am not a morning person. Believe it or not, I went into a career in which I am born into being a morning person. I am not. So I actually don't work out in the mornings anymore. I tried really hard and I realized sustainable change. That is not for me. So wake up, have my coffee and get my kids ready. And I'll eat eggs and oatmeal with blueberries.

32:50Blueberries, antioxidant. So get a little anti-inflammatory in there and then, you know, go to work and I'll try to eat protein and some type of vegetable for lunch and dinner. And the best, the thing about chaotic life, which all of us can relate to, moms, work schedule, caregivers, whatever, you don't have time, is really like, I try my best at food prep because I don't have to think about it because if I'm left to my own means, it's dangerous. Yes. Yes. So, yeah. So, I try to kind of at least think about what I'm going to eat and plan that for the day. So whenever that decision comes up, I don't have the opportunity to make a bad decision.

33:28I've kind of planned that out for myself. And then I work out, you know, go to work, do my thing, assuming it's one of these 90 % glory days, feed my kids dinner. And then I'll work out at night. So yeah, I just take an hour for me. That way I don't feel pressured. The kids are asleep. I don't have to worry about this, what, and that. And then I can good. What I love about what you just said, Dr. Grunch, is you figured out how to make it work for you. And that's the secret to sustainable change. And I think especially for women, there's so much aimed at us in terms of doing it all perfectly. And you see a ton about morning routines.

34:10And for a lot of us, it just isn't going to work because you're not going to get up at four o 'clock in the morning and exercise before your kids get up. And so I also love that you are giving us an example that, look, you can do it at night. You can put the kids down and do a yoga class that you stream online. You could lift a couple of weights for 20 minutes. You'll probably sleep better. And then you're getting it in. Yep. It's all about getting it in. And most importantly, what fits in your schedule? Because I tried for many years of getting up early and like, oh, these other people online are doing it.

34:43And like, God, I'm so tired when I do that. And I just, that's not me. I'm better at night. And I think, you know, maybe some people are better in the afternoon. Maybe they have a lunch break. They can go do it. But just do it. Whatever it is, whatever, however it can fit into your schedule, just do it. So you mentioned, Dr. Grunch, that 80 % of us will experience back pain. And this is not just for people that are older. Like, a lot of younger people experience back pain. You experienced it when you were a new mom. And so let's start with what not to do. As a spinal surgeon, what are a couple things that you personally avoid in order to protect your back?

35:29So there are four things if I was talking to my best friend about what I would tell them that they could do for themselves that would help their back would be, number one, no nicotine. No nicotine? No nicotine. What? No zins? no nothing, no toothpicks that have nicotine, no cigarettes, no vapes? Nope. Why? I think that is one of the things. If I could get on the tallest mountain in the world, maybe not the tallest because I'm a little scared of heights, but if I could get up on the biggest soapbox and tell everybody it would be, nicotine is terrible for your spine, and we know it's bad for your heart, we know it's bad for your lungs, but I cannot tell you how many patients every single day that I tell them that and their mind is blown.

36:11Nicotine is one of the biggest accelerators of degenerative disease in our spine. And I can look at two x-rays and I can tell you which one's a smoker. It's mind-blowing. And I want more people to know that. I've never heard that. Why does nicotine degenerate your spine? So nicotine is a vasoconstrictor. So that word means our blood vessels get bigger or get smaller. So if you're working out, your blood vessels dilate. So you get all flush. your skin gets red, you sweat, that's vasodilation. So that's when your blood vessels get big. Vasoconstriction is where the blood vessels shrink. So all of our blood vessels have little muscles on them.

36:50So they get bigger and smaller, bigger and smaller. So that's like when you get cold, you get clammy. We call it the fight or flight response, a sympathetic response. You see a bear, your hair raises up on your skin, you get really cold and everything tenses up. So that's what nicotine does. It's a vasoconstrictor. It narrows your blood vessels. It releases those sympathetic nervous system response. And what that does is it decreases the amount of blood flow to your spine. So let's say you go to bend over, pick something up, maybe have a little tweak in your back. Your body's going to heal itself.

37:24So your body's going to deliver blood and nutrients to that injury, to oxygen, to that area, and help your body heal from that little maybe tear that you had in your back or whatever the case may be. And if you consistently use nicotine, your body won't be able to heal itself. So you fast forward years of nicotine use and you'll get accelerated degeneration of your spine. Also, nicotine increases inflammation in your body. We know inflammation causes pain. So it's just, it's bad. And I wish everyone could stop. And I take it that if you have this sort of degeneration that happens because of that vasal constriction and the lack of blood flow to the spine and also the inflammation, that this is not a back injury that surgery can help with.

38:17This is like a long-term degenerative thing. Correct. It's a process over time, right? We've talked about change over time and change can be good, change can be bad. So if you do consistent things over time that are bad, the end result is going to be bad spine. Got it. Wow. So what is a second thing that you would avoid to protect your back? I would avoid sedentary lifestyle. So we've touched on exercise, but I would make sure that I move every single day. That movement doesn't have to be going to the gym and pumping weights, but it's getting your blood flow, getting your freedom. If it's a 15-minute walk outside during your lunch break, whatever it is, just stay moving.

39:02And what's the third thing, Dr. Grunge, to avoid in order to protect your back? Lifting properly. So we are all culprit of bending over and picking up objects with bad forms. and you want to bend over and really, we always teach, you know, pick up with your legs. Don't use your back, pick up with your legs. And it's so true because that's how we often develop back injuries is from picking up something within proper form. And that can just be the Amazon box on the side of the curb. You're trying to do it quickly. But if it's heavy, you know, you need to be really careful with how you do that because I've seen so many people just, you know, randomly doing something that they think is safe and they really hurt themselves.

39:47And then the last thing I would say is sleeping with proper form. Sleeping with proper form? Yes. We spend a third of our lives in the bed. That's crazy. Years and years of our life is spent laying in a bed. So why would you lay in a form or on a mattress or in a position that would hurt yourself? So I think learning how to really sleep better and sleep with higher quality and more protection of your spine will help ease the pain that you may have in the future. So Dr. Grunch, what is the best sleeping position for the spine? Not the stomach. Okay, so not sleeping on the stomach. Not sleeping on the stomach.

40:33Back and side sleeping is fine. I was a big time stomach sleeper and it wasn't until I could not sleep on my stomach when I was pregnant that I really changed. And I knew that stomach sleeping was bad, but I still did it anyway. But yeah, you want to just put your spine in a neutral alignment. So where your spine is natural, our spine has natural curves. So you want to support those while you sleep in a position in which will kind of maintain that natural shape of the spine. So if you're a back sleeper, making sure you have enough support for the back of your head, putting a little pillow between your knees to keep your knees a little flexed.

41:08Wait, hold on. What do you mean? Wait, what? In between my knees, I need a pillow? If you're a back sleeper, under your knees. Oh, so like if you ever got a massage and they put that nice pillow down there? So you should have pillows under your knees while you sleep? Why do you think they do that when you get a massage? I don't know. I have no idea. They do it because they know what they're doing. whenever you're in the, you know, whenever you're anywhere in the operating room, we put pillows underneath. And that's just to kind of keep a natural flex position for your pelvis and your lower back.

41:38It'll take some of the stress off of your lower back. Well, Dr. Crunch, I'm 57. How did I not know that I'm supposed to have a knee pillow, not just a head pillow? I'm here for you, Mel. You are here for all of us, Dr. Crunch. Okay. Okay. But let's talk about the side. Okay. So So if you're on your side, because I tend to start on my, okay, we're going to go TMI. Okay, so we're lying in bed. I tend to lay, start on my back, but now I'm going to have a pillow under my knees. And I think that this is going to help because I always roll to my right. You're rolling to your right because you're uncomfortable probably.

42:13What? Yeah. No kidding. Your brain is telling you that you need to shift positions because something is not right. So that natural. Okay. Okay, so if you're a side sleeper, knees up, legs straight, like pillow between the knees, what do you recommend? Pillow between the knees because you want to keep your pelvis, your legs aren't meant to be, this sounds a little weird, legs are not meant to be close, but equal distance apart. So a knee pillow, and you can take that same, if you're a shifter like you are, take that same pillow that you put under your knees and put it between your knees. It'll help your knees.

42:50It'll help your back. It'll help your hips. It'll help your back. And it doesn't matter if your legs are straight, legs are bent, one leg's bent, one leg straight. Whatever is the most comfortable, but just making sure. And the other thing is making sure that you have good support under your neck. So a lot of people, you know, we all think this big, fluffy, squishy pillow is going to be the best. But your head like sinks in some of these pillows, right? So you might fold it up, bunch it up, shove it in there because that feels better. Well, why does it feel better? It feels better because you need more support.

43:19So I personally use like a real firm pillow that maintains that space between my shoulder and my neck while I'm laying on my side. So you don't want your neck on a diagonal is what I'm... Not on a diagonal or not too elevated either. So you want it perfectly straight with your body so your spine is straight. And do you like those pillows that have like the cutout for the neck? Do you like the ones with it? Like anything that works that helps you keep your neck straight? I'm here for whatever people find it to be the most supportive. People are like, oh, what's your, you know, what pillow do you use?

43:52And there are many brands out there on the market. And I think I have purchased every brand of pillow known to man. But it's about whatever works for you to keep that neck in neutral alignment. So for me, it might be this pillow. And for you, it might be another kind. But whatever it is, as long as it's supportive to your neck is the most important. And if you wake up and you're shoulder sore or your neck sore, that means you're not doing something right. You know, what I love about these four things that you just talked about, that we should avoid nicotine. You got to avoid being too sedentary.

44:24So you got to move. You also have to avoid like lifting things and picking it up with your back instead of got to bend the knees, everybody. And the sleeping in a in the proper position. What I love about this is, first of all, it's all things you can do. Yes. But as you were explaining how you see as a spinal surgeon, so many people doing just ordinary things like picking up a cardboard box that's on your front porch and boom, that's what throws the back out. But what's interesting is that if you're somebody that is ingesting nicotine and your spine is deteriorating or you have a very sedentary lifestyle and you're not moving a lot and you have bad sleep position, you can see how over time your back is deteriorating to a point where a normal activity all of a sudden has you reach the breaking point.

45:18Yes. So it's not about that moment that injured your back. It's about everything that you did that led to that moment. Because you were weakening your back the entire time, even though you didn't realize it. Yes. Whoa. So if you wake up and you've got pain, you know, like a lot of people do wake up in the morning, they have stiffness. As a spinal surgeon, what does that mean to you? If you went to bed with no pain and you woke up with pain, then you need to analyze how you're sleeping. Is there something that you can do and where you can get more restful sleep with less pain? And that might be all the things we just talked about, the pillow, the support, the position that you're laying in, or it might be time for a new mattress.

46:06So you want to analyze, if I wake up in pain, like what is it? Is it my shoulder that's hurting? Let's look at the situation in which how I'm laying and how can I, is it my hips that are hurting? Maybe it's because I didn't get enough support down there. So just, you know, take in little things that you learn from what I'm telling you and then make those changes and see if you can do it better. So the average person sits for at least 10 hours a day. Can you talk a little bit about the role that sitting plays in back pain? And what can we do about it, especially if you have like a desk job or you're a long haul driver or you're somebody that sits a lot?

46:43Yeah. What you need to realize is that your back is not just your bones, your disc, your joints, your ligaments. It's mostly supported by your muscle. So when you look at, like, for example, if you look at a building, you might see this big, beautiful brick building. But if you look at the inside, there's, you know, rebar, there's concrete, all the foundation, all the structural support, and then all the outside stuff. And it's all, all that cumulative is what makes the building really strong. And so think of your spine as your foundation and the rebar in your body. but all your muscle around it is what supports it.

47:16So your abs, your back muscles, your pelvic floor, believe it or not, your diaphragm, that's something people don't realize. That really helps support your back too. And so all of these are the structural support to your spine. So that's where the sitting comes in, right? You don't need any strength to do that. So you do that 10 hours a day. Over time, change over time, those muscles atrophy, they get weaker. You're not supporting yourself. It's about what you can do to keep yourself moving, to keep the core engaged, to keep your pelvic floor engaged, to make sure that those support systems are firing, right?

47:48So what does that mean? That means getting up every 30 minutes, 60 minutes, walking, getting the standing sitting desk where you can do that. And it doesn't even have to be a full desk. I mean, they make those little things that you can just sit on your desk. I have one of those. Super affordable, right? Just pick it up. So every half hour, set your iPhone, change it to where you can stand up and then start to work. And what does that do? It helps your muscles move. Your joints are lubricating. You're pumping blood through different areas of your body. And not only that, you're engaging muscles that you're not engaging when you're sitting.

48:20So those are really, really important to help reduce your pain because you do that every day for 10 hours. Don't move. You're setting yourself up for failure. Is there a proper way to sit for the best spinal health? And I ask that because as you start, we're talking about sitting, I'm like, okay, I better uncross my legs. And then I noticed I kind of had slumped down like Jabba the Hutt in my chair. You notice that? Like you're not paying attention and all of a sudden your stomach's like, and your shoulders are kind of up at your ears like earrings. And I often wonder why do I slump down like that?

49:04And is there some tech, like, should we be doing something as we're sitting to support our spinal health? So what's happening when you're slouching down is all those muscles are just letting go. And then you all have looked over at your spouse or your kid at home. You're like, oh, why are they sitting like that? Like, straighten up, like pull the shoulders back. And then as I'm talking to you, I'm like, oh, my spine's already. But yeah, our brain just like we like we we defocus away from like how we're sitting until we like engage that mental strength. Oh, I need to, you know, so they sell so many ergonomic tears.

49:39I think all that's marketing gimmicks for the most part. But really anything again, sitting and sleeping. We talked about the neutral spine position. It's the same thing. So our neutral position is, you know, our posture is keeping that back up, keeping our lumbar support. Or I love having just a little lumbar support pillow on any chair that I work at at home, at work, in my car. Just a little, and it depends on the person. Like some people have really flat backs. Some people have really sway backs. So anything to keep that like kind of alignment. Because that, if you have something pushing in your bag, it'll kind of, oh, I need to like pull my shoulders back a little bit.

50:13So yeah, yeah. And both feet on the ground? How do you feel about cross legs as a spinal surgeon? Yeah, both feet is the best position down. But, you know, as long as you change positions and kind of realign and have that mental set to pull your shoulders back and pull your neck back. And, yeah. You know, just that last thing you shared could change someone's life. And as you're listening, I'm sure you're like I am. There are so many people that are popping into your mind. I cannot wait for my mom to listen to this episode. I can't wait to send this to my Aunt Barb. Hi, Aunt Barb. There's so many people in my life that I want to share this information with, my three kids.

50:54I know you have people that are coming up for you. Share them the gift of Dr. Grunch. Help the people you care about take control of their health. And don't go anywhere. There is so much more we're going to dig into after this short break, so stay with me.

51:17welcome back it's your buddy mel robbins today you and i are learning how to do a total body reset and to take control of our health with number one board certified neurosurgeon dr betsy grunge So, Dr. Grudge, what is Technic and how is being on our phone all the time shaping our spine? So your head weighs anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds. So when we are sitting upright, we have 10 to 15 pounds pushing down on our spine. If you lean forward at an angle like you're looking at our phone, and we all do it, that force of weight becomes up to 60 pounds. 60? Six zero. Yeah. So you can imagine how much more pressure you're putting on your neck, your spine, your muscles, all of that when you lean forward.

52:09So simple changes to pull your phone up where your eye level doesn't look very cool, but or even just at your desk, like your monitor is here. So you're looking down like, can I bring it just a little like stand box? Maybe, maybe that Amazon box, shove it under your monitor. So you're looking straight ahead. But those little changes, if you look in your monitor all day for three or four hours, you could think of if I'm putting 10 pounds of pressure on my spine versus looking down on my monitor now, I'm putting 30 pounds of pressure all day, how much strain that'll cause over time of your neck.

52:43So that's what tech neck is. And it's a real thing. It makes our muscles weaker, gives us tension, arthritis in our neck, headaches. Headaches are so common. Wait, headaches come from tech neck? Yeah, there's so many causes of headaches. But as a generalization, people that have neck issues, 90 % of them have headaches as well. So those little changes can really even affect how you think. So, Dr. Grunch, as a spinal surgeon, as you look at society, and especially kids who are still growing and developing and everyone is slumped over with tech neck and you just said 60 pounds of pressure on your spine.

53:30If you roll the clock forward 10 or 20 years, are you concerned about kind of a chronic injury that you think we're going to be seeing a lot if we don't take this advice seriously around where your monitor is and just lifting your phone up so that you're not putting tech neck pressure on your spine? Yeah, I am concerned that over time, you know, we're in this decade of everyone has a phone. Even I had to hate to admit it, but my kids have phones. And then how will that look for them in 20, 30, 40 years? Yeah, I mean, you know, I didn't have a cell phone growing up so that my generation is not as many neck problems.

54:13I'm starting to see younger and younger people with disc issues, with neck pain, with migraines and all these things. And I hope that people can really take some of these little points home and just change maybe the way they hold their phone or, you know, laying down in bed. Like, don't look at your phone on the couch. Like, maybe recline back so you're taking that pressure off or whatever the case may be to make those changes. That's scary, but it's not surprising to me that you're seeing young people, even like I would assume in their 20s, like having issues with this. and late teens where you're already seeing these types of energies and you're like, yes, maybe sports, but it has a lot more to do with the tech neck and the pressure you're putting on your spine.

54:54I think it contributes for sure. And a lot of it's multifactorial. And, but I think also tech neck, I mean, what it's doing is it's like really not, you're not strengthening your neck as well. And so really, you know, getting in the gym and doing those activities where you're working on those extensor muscles and stuff like that, that's also going to help and then putting our adapting this posture can accelerate some of the pains that we have. So, you know, a lot of us have been told that aging means decline and that back pain and stiffness is inevitable. Is that actually true? Yes and no. Okay.

55:32So in some ways, back pain and back issues, I don't want to make it sound like everyone is going to make sustainable changes in their life and they're never going to have an ounce of back pain. I mean, a lot of it's, some of it's genetic. Those are things that we can't change. Some of it's an injury. Those are things that you can't change. But I can definitely see patients that I've seen, two 70-year-olds, one that's does, you know, has made different changes in their life. And then a 70-year-old that has not. And I can see myself in both of those people. And like, what did they do earlier in life that's led them to this position?

56:10And what modifications can I do to prevent myself from getting to maybe, you know, in this position? And that's really, you know, the point I want to drive home with this episode is that these sustainable changes, yeah, I mean, oh, yeah, well, I mean, I like looking at my phone when I'm doing that. Well, yeah, but, you know, let's talk about how your future may be. Let's talk about how your husband's future may be. What can we do for your kids to teach them these things where they can be better when they're older. And you're talking simple things. You were talking literally about holding your phone up so that you're not putting pressure on your spine.

56:48You're talking about sleeping in the proper position. You're talking about bending your knees when you pick something up and moving more and not using nicotine, that those are simple changes. Nothing that you spent money. I'm actually saving you money. If you're not going out and buying them Zins, you're saving money. That's true. Talk to me about weight. Talk to me about weight and how that impacts your spinal health because you've already shared that, you know, when you hit that moment with yourself, you had 100 pounds to lose. So how does carrying excess weight impact the spine? That is really important because the more weight we carry on our bodies, the more stress we put on our spine.

57:30So, you know, if you're 150 pounds versus 250 pounds, you can imagine that every day walking, what that does to your, not only to your spine, but to your hips and to your knees and everything. And so that is something that will worsen all your joint pain. But if we specifically talk about the back and you talk about we've hit all the points of keeping your spine in that neutral position, keeping your core strong, all those things. But if you have obesity and you have a really heavy belly, that pull on your spine forward and that extra weight that's off-centered is really adding a lot more stress to your back.

58:11And then over time, it can worsen that. And then, you know, as we get heavy and look, I've been there. I know exactly what it feels like that is difficult to carry around like that. And you don't necessarily have the strongest core. And you're relying on those, like I said, the joints, the discs, and all those things that will just get worse over time. And at any point, you can look in the mirror at 20, at 40, at 70, and say, I can make changes that can make myself a better person. And that's achievable at any of these stages. If you have a patient that is coming to you for back pain and stiffness and they are carrying a lot of extra weight, are there one or two specific things you tell them to start doing now?

59:03I'm curious because I think when you get to a point where you've really let yourself go, there's so much discouragement and it feels like, is it really going to matter? Can I lose the weight? I don't even know where to begin. Are there one or two specific things that you tell somebody that is your patient to either encourage them or to say, just focus on this thing? Yeah. Yeah, I think most of us have been in that position. And the patients that I see in the office, it's so hard because they'll look at me and say, Dr. Grunch, I know I need to work out, but my back hurts. I can't work out because my back hurts.

59:44So what do I do? And 80 % of weight loss is not necessarily exercise. It's what you're putting in your mouth every day. And that is something that you control. your brain is telling your hand what to do. And so it's that mental focus and what we can do to change what we do. And so the biggest thing that I think is really important for people is understanding what they're eating because I'm fully culprit of that. Like I just, you know, snacking, we got stuff laying around, might walk out here and pick up whatever is laying out in your lobby and eat it, not even think twice about it, but keep a food log, right?

1:00:22Write it all down. What did I consume today? And then look at that and then calculate it up. You know, how much of that is, how many calories did I consume? How much of that was, you know, high, like, glucose, just pure sugar, stuff that if my body doesn't burn in that moment, it's just going to go to fat stores. And so what, did I really need those, you know, nerd clusters? Those things are so good. But like, no, I didn't really need that. I could just throw them in the trash can or left them there. But yeah, so that is something that I really encourage people to do is keep a food log. see what you're doing.

1:00:57What can I do to change it? And the hardest part is making the change. I love that. And the other reason why I love that is because there's so much research that shows that people that keep a food log versus people who don't, the people who keep a food log are way more successful at achieving their health goals because you're aware of what you're doing. Yeah. So much of it, you're right, is just mindlessly grabbing at that stuff. Yep. So do you have specific exercises that you recommend that people do to build the muscles that support your spine? Yes. So we've touched on the core. So, you know, I mean, doing biceps, triceps, all that stuff is important too.

1:01:40But the thing I think that people really don't think about is the core. And so the one exercise that I love the most that I try to recommend to everybody is a glute bridge. Do you know what that is? I do. But for the person who's listening who might not know what that is, you lay down. Well, you explain how do you do it. Yeah. Lay down and you put your feet on the floor and then kind of have your knees like bent and then thrust your hips. So you're thrusting your pelvis forward or lifting it off the bed. You can even lie on like back of a bench or something and do that. And that movement really works a lot of your core and your glutes.

1:02:22Our gluteal muscles like in our butt, basically what makes our butt juicy actually helps support your back. Then the bird dog. So for people who don't know what that is, it's kind of like on all fours. You're on your knees, on your hands, and then lifting one hand up and extending the opposite leg back and then alternating that. Not everybody can do that depending on their level of fitness. But those are... You can work up to it. You can, yeah. And most importantly, you know, it's intimidating to try to do these if you don't know what you're doing. I mean, there's great videos you can find online on how to do it properly.

1:02:56But don't be afraid to go see a physical therapist. I mean, I'm a healthy 45-year-old woman, and I'll go see my physical therapist. They can give you good guidance and you don't necessarily need to go on every single day for six weeks in a row. I mean, go once or twice, get some good tidbits on how to do things properly, make sure you got the good form. And then those little facts, little tidbits you can take and kind of go with, run with. If you've got a patient that's never lifted weight in their life and they're like, Doc, I'm ready, but I have no idea what to do. I feel intimidated and lost.

1:03:35I get the glute bridge. I get the bird dog. But do you have any recommendations for how to go to a gym and not feel completely lost? Yeah, I struggled with that myself, too. And I think as a society, we think that you're supposed to walk in and you see all these bros in there curling 50-pound dumbbells. And if you're that 50-year-old woman walking in the gym, you don't feel like you belong. And no one likes to feel and be in an environment where you don't feel like you belong. And that's intimidating. That's discouraging. And unfortunately, we built this culture, fitness culture, around what we think the gym is supposed to look like.

1:04:16So you walk in there and you don't know what you're doing. It's really, really intimidating, especially for women, right? So we walk in the gym, see all these guys in there. And do I need, everyone's going to look at you? and you feel like, okay, I need to go get on the treadmill because that's what I'm supposed to do. Girls are supposed to do cardio. Boys are supposed to curl. And we need to change that mindset that, no, women can lift too. Lifting heavy weights is going to change your life. It's going to make you stronger. It's going to make your muscles stronger. It's going to help your bones.

1:04:52So many women develop weak bones, osteoporosis, and it's happening earlier and earlier. Because we're not lifting weights. And that is really important to changing the way we can live our life when we're, you know, 50, 60, 70 years old. Well, one of the things that I found, because that was me, and super intimidated, not quite sure what to do, not sure how to lift the bench up. Should I lift the bench? Should I not lift the bench on an angle? Am I standing? Am I kneeling? I don't know what to, what I've found with any gym you walk into is the people at the front desk are more than happy to walk you around and show you.

1:05:32And most gyms will give you a free training session so that you understand how to use things and simply asking somebody to help you adjust a machine to your body shape and type. What a novel, I went to a gym for a year and a half and didn't know how to use half the equipment. And finally I'm like, why don't I just ask somebody? Yeah, I think it's really important to realize that that's everybody, right? Unless you're like a gym pro, where most of us aren't. Go in there and to walk into an environment that you've never been in before, don't know any of the equipment, don't know the people, don't know what to expect, don't know what to do.

1:06:05You're like, oh, shit, I'm never coming back here again. I felt really dumb. No, go there, walk in. The first day don't work out. Just go explore. Look around. See what they got. That way you don't feel like you're feeling stupid or whatever. Go to the front desk. Ask for a tour. Like, what equipment do you have and how do you use it? Can you just give me a tour? I'm not really going to work out today. I just want to kind of learn what you got. Take pictures if you need to. Take that information. Go home. And then come back with a strategic plan. So when you walk in, you feel like you own it and you know what you're doing.

1:06:38And then go back and do it again. And then do it again. And then you know what? A couple weeks down the road, you're going to be the one teaching that person that's coming in that doesn't know what they're doing. Welcome them in. Show them how to do it. Show them how this thing works. So you're not propagating that intimidation. Dr. Grunch, you just changed my life. I'm going to admit something. I have been staying in the same hotel on the weeks that we tape episodes. And I've been there for six months. I only went to the gym for the first time the last production week. And I walked in and I thought, oh my, this is a beautiful gym.

1:07:17And I walked around and I was so intimidated because I didn't know the equipment. It never even occurred to me that I could go in and film it or take photos of it. There are so many hotel gyms that I've walked in and then just left. Yep. Because I'm not sure what to do. Yeah. So what I do every time, every hotel I go to, I check in, just go in there. I don't know if I'm wearing a suit. Walk in. That way no one knows that I'm coming in there. They see this woman in a suit. They know she ain't here to work out. Just walk. Walk around and then you don't have any expectations. I see what they got.

1:07:47Then I can go back. And when I'm in my own comfort zone and I feel confident that I can plan what I'm going to do. Yes. Yes. Oh my God. You're a genius. That's genius. Strategic planner. Strategic planner. I love that. Dr. Grunch, what foods should I eat for the best back health? Stay away from inflammatory foods. Okay. What are those? So things like gluten, I know we all love our bread, but things that promote inflammation in the body is going to propagate pain. And same thing with nicotine, right? It causes chronic inflammation. So we want to stay away from things that cause inflammation in your body.

1:08:26So that's going to be like the sodas, high fructose corn sod, the processed foods, which inevitably some of us have no choice, but reducing as much of that as we can. and then in focusing more on foods that are anti-inflammatory. I hate greens. My kids hate greens, but leafy green vegetables are good. But even berries, so blueberries. I love blueberries. It's about the only berry I really like. I hate raspberries. I hate all strawberries. I know that's probably controversial. I don't like them, so I eat blueberries. That's what I like. So that's a good anti-inflammatory, antioxidant. And then protein, protein, protein, protein.

1:09:01Why is protein important for your spine and your back health? Muscle. So our muscles are made of protein. If we don't consume it, our body still needs protein every day. So it will break down muscle to get that. So if you're not consuming it, you can't not only build muscle, but then you'll cause more muscle breakdown. So our body needs 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of body weight. So 150 pounds and 150 grams of protein per day. It's a lot of protein. It's a lot of protein. And most of us aren't consuming that. So as a neurosurgeon and a busy mom, how are you getting that much protein in? Eggs in the morning, my protein shake that I'll have in between my cases in the morning, if I'm in the OR, protein bar, however I can consume it.

1:09:52Meats are a great source of protein. If you're vegetarian, there are alternate sources of protein that you can get. But yeah, just kind of mindful consumption is the challenging part. And again, that food log can help you kind of keep up with that. There's free apps on the phone that you can download. There's even apps now that you can just take a picture of your food and it will, I mean, it's pretty crazy how it can like then tell you what it is. It is really cool. You know, I'd love to hear what is happening in a woman's back and in her spine when you're going through pregnancy and the postpartum period.

1:10:25Destruction. I think we all we've all been there if you've ever been pregnant but yeah I mean so you know your body goes from a form that you've lived your entire life maybe 20 30 years for me 38 years in this one form to then in nine months adding 50 to 100 pounds all abdominal everything's changing and that's a lot of change in your body if you are like even if you're unhealthy going into pregnancy. It's a lot of changes on anybody's body. So it increases the amount of blood that we have in our body, you know, the baby, all the water weight that we get, and then it stretches our abdomen. So we're carrying obviously the baby in our uterus.

1:11:11So those abdominal muscles split, they stretch, they get super destroyed. And then not only that, we're trying to like compensate for this arching our back a lot because now we got this big baby so then we start pulling our back back then you got the hormones the leg the laxity of the ligaments so not only do you have no muscle it's all this weight you have ligaments that are stretching that never stretched before because that's why we have a pelvis is an SI joints is because it needs to open up to deliver this baby unless you're like me and just had it cut out so that's fine too but uh but yeah so So all of those things contribute to massive changes in your body and massive chaos to what you previously knew was your back.

1:11:58So then you got to have the baby and then somehow get it all back. It's crazy. Well, you're giving us the roadmap to get it all back. We got to take better care of ourselves, get sleep in the proper position, and lift weights to get our muscles back and eat a lot of protein and good nutrition. and give ourself grace because we can't always do it. We can, it seems achievable, but a lot of days it's very chaotic and it's overwhelming, especially in that newborn phase for some of us. So what about if you had your kids decades ago and you feel like you never got your body back? What is your message to that person?

1:12:41We usually don't just have one kid. We have one kid, and then we try to get back it. We reel it back, and then we have another one. Then we have another one. So you have decades of your life where you're not only going through pregnancy and those changes, but then you're raising a small human. You're changing diapers. You're bending over. You're carrying them on your hips. And so this cycle propagates itself. And then the whole not putting ourselves first because we're taking care of our children. But if you are that person that you realize, okay, well, yeah, she's right. Like it's now I'm, you know, my late 40s and I'm really, I need to make a change.

1:13:16That's where I was. That's exactly where I was. And you can make changes that can get back. Your body is designed for success. And so we can do things at any point that we can change the clock. So, you know, all the things that we've talked about with sustainable change, with getting your core back, none of this is like, is a do it now or it can never happen again. And that's a good thing about the human body. That's why I love it. I love what you just said. Your body is designed for success. What do you mean by that? Your joints, your spine, your brain is all designed in a way to get yourself around every single day to heal through injury.

1:14:01We have modern medicine that we can change even the way we can replace body parts. We can replace organs. And so we can get ourself in a better situation through a multitude of things, whether things that we do ourselves, these changes that we've talked about during this episode, you know, reaching out to your physician to help along the way with different things. It's incredible. The human body is incredible. You know, one of our team members, Jessie, is seven months postpartum, and she's experiencing a lot of sciatica pain. Can you explain what sciatica pain is? and is it normal for moms in particular to experience it?

1:14:41I want to normalize that pain is not normal. Wait, hold on. Wait, what? So people often think that, oh, it's just, I just, you know, I have that pain that everybody has. I have that pain my mom had that when I was pregnant. So we need to normalize that pain is not normal. That's a signal to your body to make a change. So, for example, sciatica. I mean, something is telling your brain that your leg hurts. And so we want to figure out why that is. What is going on? Is it inflammation? Is there something, you know, irritating it? Is it pinched for some reason? You have a disc issue. And so just thinking that that is the normal part of being seven months postpartum, we need to understand that that's not the case.

1:15:30And what exactly is sciatica? because I've heard it a lot. I experienced it. Well, I experienced pain, but I called it sciatica, so I'm not sure that's what I experienced. But what is that exactly? Sciatica is a really common word that people throw around. It can mean a multitude of things. I've learned in my career that people will call sciatica almost everything. Some people say, I have sciatica, and they're pointing at their back. I'm like, that's not sciatica. So sciatica comes from the sciatic nerve. It's a large nerve in our body that goes from our back, joins up from several nerve segments, and then goes down our legs.

1:16:02So oftentimes people describe sciatica as pain in their back that shoots down their leg. And that is nerve firing is how our body communicates with, our brain communicates with our body. So us just standing up from this chair, me waving my hands in this motion is my brain communicating to my muscles through nerves. And so whenever that is, it can be movement, it can be sensory, and it can be pain. And that pain sensation, that pain pathway is because there's something firing in that nerve that's telling your brain that it hurts. While we're talking about nerve pain, I would love to dig a little deeper because it can feel very mysterious when it's happening.

1:16:42I've had some issues with this nerve running across my elbow and then my fingers are tingling or you feel pinch, like a zap of it. So what exactly is happening in the body when that type of nerve sensation or pain shows up? I think anybody that's experienced nerve pain would call it hell instead of mysterious.

1:17:10So joint pain, your muscle might be stiff. You know, you might have like kind of intermittent pain, but nerve pain is something that is really something that can be life-changing. I have talked about my back injury, but I've actually a couple of years ago injured my neck doing a surgery. You're kidding. No, no. I was in the middle of doing a case and a herniated disc in my neck trying to get something out of the spine, an instrument out of the spine. And yeah, it is the most excruciating pain. It's like fire in your body, but you can't put it out no matter what. What is the difference between pain that's something that you can manage at home and the type of pain that you should really go talk to a doctor about?

1:17:55Yeah, those are what we call the red flag symptoms. And those are really important to know because most back pain we talk about, 80 % of people have back pain. Most back pain can be managed at home. You know, that injury that I had where I was army crawling to my chair, I ended up managing it at home and I did just fine. So, you know, it's the symptoms where you might feel bowel or bladder issues. That's an automatic red flag. Can't go to the bathroom, go in the bathroom by yourself. can't feel down there, that's a medical emergency that you need to go to the ER. Pain that shoots down the arm or leg, that's not necessarily normal.

1:18:34So Jesse, experiencing that pain down her leg, that's not necessarily normal. So may want to go talk to a doctor about that. Weakness or numbness are definitely signs that something is not right. So I mentioned a herniated disc in my neck. I had triceps weakness. I couldn't extend my arm. That's not normal. Just need to see a doctor. And then if you are managing your pain at home, let's say, and you're like, okay, it's been four or five, six weeks and my pain's not going away. You probably should go just get it checked out if it's not resolving on its own. What should someone do if they feel dismissed by a doctor when it comes to their pain?

1:19:13Oh, my gosh. Medical gaslighting, yes. man, I wish I could be in the office with every patient because I see it happen so much, particularly in women and in young women where we feel dismissed, like you're too young to have back pain or you shouldn't be here because you can't have chest pain and you're 20 years old. If you feel that way, you're in the wrong office. So you need to find someone else. You need someone that's going to listen to you, to believe what you're saying, and to take steps to figure it out. And if you're not getting that, you need to walk out and you need to find someone else.

1:19:59Don't think that any symptom that you're having should be dismissed. And if you're experiencing that, then know that that should not happen and find someone that'll listen. We've all been there. What do you think out of all the incredible things that you've taught us today is the most important thing that the person who's with us right now should prioritize and do to improve their health? The biggest thing that I would stress is to know that you're in the driver's seat. You're the driver of your body. You're the driver of your life. We often get weighed in by what people think of us or what we're being judged by or all the extraneous things we have to do today or our kids that we have to take to school or the person we have to.

1:20:48And so we just become so flooded with responsibility that we don't take that on ourself. And so realizing that you're the driver of the ship and that you need to make decisions that are going to make you happy. And then when you are presenting yourself as your best self, then you can help others monumentally more than what you can do when you're not being the driver and you're just being the passenger yourself. And most importantly, to know that it's okay to fail. We've all been there. We've all failed that we pick ourselves back up. You have setbacks and you just go back at it five times harder.

1:21:24You know, one of the things I've been wondering is your mom. How is she? I mean, what is the did she ever get any movement back? Like what happened? Yeah, she's. What's her name? Betty. Betty. Betty and Betsy. She is 65. She's still, she's my biggest social media fan. You'll find mama in the comment section. I have to sometimes occasionally restrict her. But yeah, she's sitting, she's probably sitting at home right now listening to this and the biggest smile on her face. And she has never regained any movement, but still completely paralyzed. but finds really gives me inspiration because she's been like that for 30 years now and almost has lived as much life in a wheelchair that she has before her accident.

1:22:13And she finds ways to find joy and enjoyment out of the life that is now hers. And I just admire her. Watching her these last three years, what has her example in terms of how she's lived her life after experiencing this devastating injury. How has that changed the way you live yours? It made me realize that anything can happen in a blink of an eye. She didn't get in that car that night and think that she was a bodybuilder. I mean, she was incredible, best shape of her life. And to think that in one moment that can happen. And so I just try to live my life by that philosophy that anything could change.

1:23:00And so what did I do today? Is that, am I enjoying life to where, if it were taken away from me tomorrow, that, that I feel fulfilled and that's, that's all we can do. Dr. Grunch, what are your parting words? Find joy, find joy. And most importantly, Mel, I've learned from you. Let them. Right. What do you mean? Right. So like I have found being a physician, being a woman in medicine, being so, I mean, kind of like the outsider that so many people want to judge you. So many people want to feel like they know you and to pass whatever their thoughts on you are. And if you let that flood you and you don't trust your own instincts, your own behavior, your own self, then that can really overcome.

1:23:52We are our own worst enemy. And so the second that you do exactly what you teach, just to realize that you can't control anyone on the outside, the only person you control is you, that is the moment where your life can change. Well, you've changed my life today. This has been one of my favorite conversations ever. there is so much that I love about you. And I am so excited to know you. I'm honored to have learned from you today. I know the person that's with us and all the people in their life that they're going to share this with, that their life can change for the better because of everything that you have shared with us and taught us.

1:24:39And all I can say is, please, please, please keep doing what you're doing. Thank you. Well, thank you. Thank you for being here. And thank you for being you. And I also want to thank you for making the time to listen and to watch something that can truly help you improve your life. And I agree with Dr. Grunch. You are the driver. And you are in control more than you may feel right now. And I know if you really take to heart the things that she taught you today, that you can not only improve your health, but you can improve your life. And I really hope you share this with people that you care about because we all need more Dr.

1:25:21Grunch in our life. We do. And in case nobody else tells you today, I wanted to be sure to tell you as your friend that I love you and I believe in you and I believe in your ability to create a better life. Now, take everything you learned today and go do that. And I'll be waiting for you in the very next episode. I'll welcome you in the Money Hit Play. I'll see you there

1:25:45okay here she is Dr. Grudge in the house yes you know could you speak a little bit to you know the person listening whoops sorry oh I don't care oh do we need a towel that's all right good now I can suck down some of my protein shakes there you go there you go I'm gonna go back to my paper real quick yes you can you're doing dynamite by the way really dynamite How are you feeling? I'm good. I'm good. This is great. So that's... Hold on one sec. Do we think this is done? Because we're about to get into it and I don't want to have a huge crash happening. Boom. You are absolutely so fantastic. I can't even handle it.

1:26:32Oh, and one more thing. And no, this is not a blooper. This is the legal language. You know what the lawyers write and what I need to read to you. This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. I'm just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist. And this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I'll see you in the next episode. Sirius XM Podcasts