The Dr. Shannon Show
Whether it's a research-based solo episode, a detailed expert interview, or a casual coffee chat, you'll learn what is true (and what isn't) regarding fitness, nutrition, mental health, skincare, and more. Join Shannon Ritchey, Doctor of Physical Therapy, fitness trainer, and founder of Evlo Fitness, each Thursday and occasional Fridays for science-based tools to improve your health.
The Dr. Shannon Show
#109: How to train your nervous system
We train our muscles and our cardiovascular system. We can also train the network that we don't see: our nervous system.
In this episode, Shannon focused on the autonomic nervous system. She talks about sympathetic and parasympathetic activation and how each influences your fitness results. She provides tangible tools and takeaways to start training your nervous system more effectively.
0:00: Intro
3:16 Breaking down the different parts of the nervous system
6:27 How your nervous system heals your body post-exercise
11:27 How does the act of exercising affect your autonomic nervous system?
13:05 How to know whether your workout activated your parasympathetic nervous system or your sympathetic nervous system
15:00 How the nervous system is activated with strength training
17:25 Is stimulating your sympathetic nervous system necessary to see results?
22:00 How to know if you’re in a chronic state of sympathetic nervous activation
22:45 What to do if you identify you’re in a chronic sympathetic state
25:20 How to assess if you aren’t recovering
28:37 How to train you autonomic nervous system
29:31 How to train your nervous system in your warm-ups
34:35 How to train your nervous system in your cool-downs
38:57 Summary
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