A Closer Look At Women's Wellness with Meghan Barrington

What's up, coach? In today's video, I'm sitting down with Megan Barrington. We're talking about women's wellness through a different lens. What's up, coach? I'm super excited to get this episode out to you today. So if you are new here and you haven't already, please hit, like, hit subscribe and tap that bell to be notified when the next latest and greatest video comes out. So I sat down with Megan Barrington, who is stunning to be a physical therapist in Baylor. She's studying to get her doctorate of physical therapy at Baylor. And this is an incredible episode. So without further ado, let's go ahead and roll that interview. What's up, Megan? Thank you so much for joining me on the show today. How are you doing?

Yeah, it's absolutely my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. I am great. It's sunny here and I'm in Washington state, so hopefully that means it's going to stay sunny for a while.

That's so nice. I love that we're here. I'm in New York, and it's now getting in that season where the sun stays out just a little bit longer and it feels like, oh, summer is coming. Okay, let's just dive right in to sharing with us a little bit about who you are, who you serve and how you got there.

Yeah. So it's kind of a long story. I mean, I'm 30, so it can't be that long. But so I am currently getting my doctorate in physical therapy at Baylor University. And prior to that, I. Well, I still am a certified athletic trainer and a strength and conditioning coach. I got my master's in athletic training from the University of Arkansas. Woo. Pig. And prior to that, I was. I did my undergrad in physiology. I'm a science geek, which is really fitting for, I guess, a future physical therapist. But, yeah, so currently what I'm. I mean, I'm full time in school, so I am, you know, doing some, like, personal training on the side. But predominantly my time right now is spent during school because it's. My program is actually, it's a hybrid program, so it's only two years instead of three. And so it is drinking from a fire hose. But I've so far been so impressed with how Baylor has really just pivoted with, like, the current circumstances that we're in and just how they handle our education. Obviously, it's my only experience, but it's been pretty, pretty cool. And I think my background has kind of helped me with the learning curve a little bit, but there's definitely new things that I'm learning from a different lens. But yeah, that's, that's me kind of in a nutshell. I guess we can go from there.

That I definitely want to talk about the lens that you're learning from and what caused you to, you know, go there. But before that, just real quick, have you always been an athlete, like from a, from young age?

Yeah, I mean, I was always. My family, like growing up, my family's really active, like always hiking, you know, doing all sorts of outdoorsy stuff. Our family will typically like work out or cook together. So it's a pretty good mix. It's kind of like what I like to do now. Um, but I played volleyball pretty much year round growing up, and then I played tennis and did a little bit of track also, but predominantly volleyball. And I just, I think like, you know, sports are kind of like art. The way the body moves and all the different things that you can kind of apply through movement, which is actually more what I'm getting into now with my training. We can talk about that a little bit. But I also have a background in bodybuilding, so when I first got into like strength training or conditioning, all those kind of things, it was, I was just in high school. As a high school athlete, we're required to take, you know, a zero period weights class. And I was actually one of the few girls that actually really liked it and like, you know, would actually work hard, like actually wanted to come to class. And it was, you know, 5:30 in the morning. So that's kind of where I fell in love with exercise, to be honest. And then when I was in grad school, I think I really, I think it was just because I was in a gym where there are a lot of, you know, competitive bodybuilders that were at my gym and I got into competing, which is, it's so weird because like when you live something it's like, doesn't seem that weird. But then you realize like how few people do it and you realize how strange it is for like the rest of society to see someone like dieting hardcore for, you know, I mean, up to 20 weeks sometimes for people's preps. Um, and just like, you know, just, it just everything is planned to a T. You know, I. There's parts about, I'm not currently competing, it's not like off the table, but there's parts about it that I just, I will always apply the discipline that I learned through that to, to like all facets of my life. But what's interesting is, like, most bodybuilders, you know, it's very like segmental based with, you know, you're, you're targeting specific muscle groups. Obviously, you know, your hypertrophy is pretty simple in that regard. But I mean, it's not simple, but it's more straightforward than like, you know, training for a sport, I guess, where you're gonna have to perform a certain way. But what is interesting is like, I've always just liked more like, quote unquote, functional training, which I just made air quotes. I know nobody can see my fingers, but I just made air quotes just because it's, it's like, if you think about it like the human body, a bodybuilding physique is a symmetrical body, which is, you know, I mean, I would say if you're moving the way that the body was made to move, then you're going to probably grow the way the body was supposed to grow. Obviously there's like different proportions and things like that that you're looking for. But I've just always enjoyed like, functional training. I'm not talking like CrossFit, I'm talking like, actually, like, you know, bipedal alternating movements, those kind of things. Not like there's anything wrong with CrossFit. Sometimes people think I do CrossFit and I really like wads, so. But yeah, so I feel like my, my style of training is a little bit different. And then of course, like, I'm, I'm about like, you know, getting, getting stronger, not just like looking a certain way. So I don't know. I honestly don't feel like I fit in really any kind of a camp. Like, I'm kind of weird to the bodybuilding crowd, I'm most definitely weird to like, the rehab crowd because, like, I don't know, I feel like to a lot of physical therapists, I, I'm like too strength coachy. Like, I'm too, like, hardcore. But then to a lot of, like, strength coaches, I'm like, too fluffy, like, you know, rehabby. Like, this is too corrective. But to me it's the same, you know, and there's things that you can do, like even within one training session that can just. They can really add to each other. And I think with, I guess my entire point to this huge tangent is I, I started bodybuilding. I guess that was kind of where I, like, really, truly fell in love with, like, physique and just movement in general and then kind of branched off. Like, I know you probably know Katie St. Clair and I've had several mentors prior to her who, like, I've done my strong first SFG certification. So just really just mixing different modalities, you know, And I think that there's so much that you can gain from learning from multiple different sources rather than like going down one rabbit hole and like feeling like that's just, you know, you know, the epitome of everything. So it's very humbling to like learn from different people because you're like, nobody really knows anything. All these people are saying the same thing but with different words and like trying to sound smart by making it like newer or like more neurological based or whatever. So, yeah, I mean, I don't know. That's, that's kind of just me in a nutshell. I'm really excited once I get my doctorate, you know, knock on wood, that I pass my boards and everything in, you know, over a year. So I got, I got some time. But I would love to just kind of meld all these different things in addition to what I'm learning now. Like, the anatomy we're learning right now is like. I mean, it's insane. It's so intricate. We are so intricately made, it's ridiculous.

Oh, I'd love for you to share on that. I'd love for you to share on that. Like, you don't have to go into, like lecture us or teach us in that way. But what I guess I'm also really curious about is how do you plan as you move forward to blend what you know, blend your camps and your skill level and what you hope to bring to who. Right. And the other thing is interesting. You said two things when you were telling us about your bodybuilding world, because I think there's something really specific in there that a lot of people miss. I feel like a lot of people think of bodybuilding as, oh, they just want to look good. But it's more than that. It's more about press. It's. It's the mental discipline. The mental and the physical discipline. You guys, like push boundaries that most people can't do. I mean, y' all are like regulating water intake before you get on the stage, which is.

Yeah, it's not fun. Yeah. I mean, I think only people that have done it could really appreciate that statement. But it is the furthest thing from glamorous. The furthest? Yeah. Even, Even on stage when you're like in a sparkly thong bikini and like, you look glamorous if you get closer, it's really like not glamorous. It's Like Oompa Loompa tan, like, you know, makeup. So, yeah, I mean, I have the utmost respect for anyone at any level that competes, just because I know how much it takes. It takes guts, it takes grit, it takes, you know, mental fortitude, especially because your brain cells are, like, gone by that point in prep. But, yeah, so what I. What I was going to say was, so when I graduate, I don't want to, like, pigeonhole myself. I want to leave my mind kind of open to different opportunities. But if I could have my way. Right now I'm really interested in women's health just in general. Like, you know, not even just like, anatomical biomechanical stuff or like, anything pelvic floor related, which that is definitely a part of it, but just, like, educating women on their own body. And, like, what we should understand if we're, like, planning on having children someday or have had children or have a vagina, you know, like you have, and the hormones that we have, like, all those things are going to affect, like, you know, our athletics, our mind, our daily life, you know, So I would love to have, like, a collaborative practice where I worked with, you know, an MD or an ND and then dietitians, things, people who are specializing in different components of the health care system. Um, but then melding, you know, women's health, physical therapy with, like, strength and conditioning, because I feel like there's not a ton of, like, guidance for women or there's honestly not a lot of, like, physical therapy is really hard to do research in because it's like, obviously there's ethical. Ethical things with, like, okay, well, this person's gonna get placebo and this person's not gonna get anything or is gonna get, like, a certain care or whatever. And then there's so much subjectivity to it. So it's difficult to know, like, outcomes wise, like, what is the most helpful. But I do know at least little experience that I have is just like, educating. And if you can relate something that someone is going through to, like, something that they understand, like if they have a certain amount of pain somewhere or dysfunction, and then you can kind of like just create a picture in their mind that works. You don't have to use, like, big science y fancy words. But yeah, and even just. I mean, just women throughout the lifespan. But I don't necessarily only want to work with women, but I feel like that is the audience that I. Obviously, I'm a woman, so I connect most, and I'm very passionate about it because I feel like there were things That I wish I would have known when I was younger, that I've just learned now. And like, just, you know, seeing a lot of my friends are having kids now. Like, you have kids, obviously. I mean, anyone who has children. I don't have children yet. It's just crazy, like, what our bodies can do. Like, we grow humans. That's nuts. And I don't feel like we're educated on it.

Yes. I mean, I've shared before multiple times people have heard me say that. I, you know, I had a. My eldest was born in 2015. That's not that long ago. And I knew absolutely zero. I mean, when I say I knew absolutely zero, I'm telling you, my sister called me right before I was going to give birth and said, hey, just so you know, you're still going to look pregnant when the baby comes out. And I was like, baby's out, be fine.

And she.

Do you have any idea what's about to happen to you? Like, no, it's going to be fine.

It's crazy. Yeah. I mean, it's just, and then even just like I have a client who, like, I have clients that are going through menopause and that affects your body in a completely different way too. Like, it's just, it's kind of like, it's cool, but it's also kind of unfair, like how our body is like never the same body. Like, you know, you go through puberty and then all this weird stuff happens. Then you have kids and all this weird stuff happens and then you, you finally start to feel normal again and then all this weird stuff happens. Like, I just, it's. You have to be super adaptive, like mentally as a female, I feel like, not to say that men don't go through things as well. Plus they have to deal with us and they don't like what we're going through. So I can only imagine how hard that is. But yeah, so I'm very passionate about that. But I also, because I'm an athletic trainer and I've worked in like secondary school setting, I've never, I, I decided not to do the college route. So I've been working just secondary school for the last four years. And so I'm also really passionate about working with kids because I feel like they're so, like, they're so malleable and like, we have a huge problem with like kids specializing too early in sports and like just they're going like, you know, couch potato to like playing in a sport, which obviously activity is good. But I just think there's so much that can be added to, like, developing skills and understanding of their body that they can take with them past high school. Because there's so many high school athletes that, like, what, like, 2% go to college, and then after that, how many go to pro? Like, none of these kids are necessarily going to be athletes their whole life, at least not in the sporting setting. But if we can give them the habits that they. That they should have when they're in high school and even middle school or even elementary school, I mean, you can do tons of stuff with young kids, too. Like, actually, those are really fun because you get to play games with them. But just, I really want to meld physical therapy with, like, more strength and conditioning and preventative stuff. Like, you don't have to be an athlete to do strength and conditioning.

Right.

You have to be a human being with a body, in my opinion.

Okay, so you've said so many things. I feel like, oh, my gosh, this is amazing. We can go down in, like, 300 million different ways. Because I think it. It speaks to a little bit of what you were saying when you were talking about your story, because you. Because I feel like that was. It's similar to me when I was up and coming in strength and conditioning back in the day, I mean, two years ago, but when I was training is that we get into these camps, right? We get into a dogmatic lens of how we view fitness. And I even hear you talk about it when I hear you say that, you know, teenage kids are specializing in sports way too soon, and that what essentially is also happening is that they're getting into a very dogmatic approach into their training, and their context lens becomes very narrow, and then we are not building resilient humans. And so the fact that so many people. And I want to say so many people, because I feel like it. The industry's shifting, but I feel like we got a long way to go. Especially as a former. I was SFG as well. I just feel like my friends have now and the people that I associate with have now changed. So I feel like there's a lot of room for the industry to really just bust through some of their dogmatic approaches. And I get that it's human nature, but I think that it would serve us to fight against it.

Yeah, it really is human nature. Like, with anything, we just want to, like, belong to a club. Like, I mean, way beyond exercise, like, other things that have gone on in the past year. But, yeah, I mean, I don't. I don't know, I think, I mean, America in general just needs to move more. But if we were to, like, you know, start educating people earlier and not take away PE from school, like, I can't believe that's even happening.

But.

Yeah, it's funny because obviously, like, I will. We both kind of live in a bubble where we, like, love the body and think it's so cool. And, like, we're constantly. Or at least I'm constantly thinking about it and, like, thinking about movement and, like, wanting to take care of this, like, meat sack that I live in. But I know that's not everyone's reality. And so it's, like, hard to, like, want to, like, impose your passion on someone else who. Maybe they're just in pain and they don't want to be in pain, or maybe they just want to, like, like how they look more, which I don't know. I feel like anyone who, like, wants to like how they look, I feel like I could get them and, like, help them have, like, a better connection with themselves and just, like, a better relationship with, like, their body rather than just, like, wanting to look a certain way. Like, if you can just understand or, like, get stronger, that's a little easier person to connect with. But the people that just have, you know, no interest in it, it's. It's hard to, like, connect with them. And I don't really know how I'm going to help future clients in that way, but I guess I'll figure it out.

You know, it's interesting, right, Because I'm. I'll tell, you know, I'll share and I'll be transparent. I've talked about it a little bit in my social. Is that, you know, you've heard the phrase, you know, sleep beget sleep. Right. The more you. You end up, every time you don't get sleep, you end up waking up later and your insomnia stays, you know, longer, and it starts to get worse. Right. Outside, you know, and I'm speaking about this generally. I know that there's, like, lots of. This is a nuanced conversation, but I'll say that I notice with my children, oh, no, if we go to bed late, they're going to be up early tomorrow. Always happens that way. Right. So I feel like that has happened with my own habit, my own habits in terms of working out. Like, it's almost the less. The more busy I get and stop working out, the more I have no time to do it.

Yeah.

You know, and what ends up happening, which I think happens to so many People is that we think that we're okay, but we're really just in self deception and we don't really have a full understanding of what it would be like to be running like an optimal human. We think that we're running like an optimal human, but we just don't know what that would feel like. And then therefore start thinking it's not possible for us. Oh, that's only for athletes or. Oh, that's only for the. You know, I have to. It has to be hard to live there.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, what I really like about what I'm, I'm learning in school or like some of the curriculum that we're covering is, you know, we have like a health promotion class which um, I'm glad that at least my program is going that direction. Like the very like, you know, kind of preventative type side rather than just like whole person side rather than just like, okay, this bone and this joint isn't moving properly. Let's like massage it and whatever. But anyway, so they, I mean we've touched on a lot of like sleep and nutrition. Like we actually one of our professors, which I'm just gonna put a little plug for Baylor, it's pretty cool that they can have their faculty from literally all over the country. They can literally get the best people from all different realms of PT and have them, you know, add to our education, which I think is pretty cool. But Anyway, we have Dr. Berner, he is a dietitian and a physical therapist, which is a pretty cool mix. Like, honestly, because I feel like so many clients and patients, I mean their sleep hygiene and their nutrition are probably two massive things that are impacting, you know, their, their injury or their condition or their, even their perception of their condition. But yeah, so I mean, our health performance class, or health promotion class rather, you know, we're talking about sleep hygiene. And what I think is really funny is I'm super snobby with my sleep. Like, I think that's, that is I think one of the most important things that I just keep in like my sleep and my, my training, whether it's in whatever capacity, like even if it's like a 20 minute workout, I feel like those two things really help fill my cup. And so I feel like I can do more for other people when I keep those things in check. Which I know that's not always everyone's reality, but that's what my reality can be right now. So I'm going to just keep doing it. But anyway, so I've noticed like a lot of my classmates, they, like, say their sleep hygiene isn't really that great. And, like, I forget how, like, in undergrad I would be so inconsistent with my sleep and how I don't know how I functioned, to be quite honest. But maybe I'm just older now, and so I'm more of a wuss. But, yeah, I don't know. I mean, it's just, like, I can feel like if I get two days of, like, crappy sleep, like, I can. I can feel my mental state. I'm just, like, really not with it. I'm physically obviously more tired. I have more cravings. Like, you feel, like, puffier. I mean, it's just we could fix so many things with just, like, sleeping better and then just improving nutrition just a little bit. Like, we don't have to, like, overhaul. We can just improve it a little bit, you know?

And I love that you go there, because I think that's also another thing, is that I think that our industry, you know, teaches people that, oh, it has to be hard. You have to overhaul. You have to go and grind yourself into the floor. Do peloton, do things.

Oh, God, don't get me started.

So people are taught that they need to grind themselves into the ground in an already. In a society that's already grinding. Like, we're all grinding.

Yeah, yeah, totally. Actually worked less.