E78: From Couch to Confidence, Dr. Sara Ionescu's Guide to Fun and Easy Exercise

The Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast

Welcome to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast with Dr. Kerry Reller! This week, I am joined by Dr. Sara Ionescu, a board-certified family medicine physician and exercise enthusiast. In this episode, Dr. Ionescu shares her journey from a competitive swimmer to balancing exercise with a busy professional and personal life. She emphasizes the importance of redefining what exercise means, shifting from vigorous, lengthy sessions to more manageable, shorter intervals. Dr. Ionescu provides practical tips for maintaining consistency, including having a backup workout plan and celebrating small wins in movement.
We discuss the significance of giving yourself grace on days when exercise isn’t possible and the benefits of active recovery, such as stretching and deep core exercises. Dr. Ionescu also highlights the importance of incorporating strength training for maintaining overall health, especially as we age. Finally, she encourages listeners to find joy in different forms of exercise, whether it’s running, dancing, or any activity that brings excitement.
Dr. Sara Ionescu is a board certified family medicine physician, wife, mom of 4, and exercise enthusiast. She is passionate about wellness, preventative care, and exercise and loves to inspire others to move. She strives to stay physically active daily as she sees massive physical and mental health benefits with this and wants to help, inspire and encourage others to do the same!
00:00 - Introduction
00:28 - Welcoming Dr. Sara Ionescu
02:40 - Transition from Competitive Athlete to Busy Professional
04:55 - Reframing Exercise: From Vigor to Manageable Intervals
09:00 - Celebrating Small Wins in Exercise
12:50 - Practical Tips for Consistency
17:10 - The Importance of Giving Yourself Grace
19:33 - Active Recovery and Stretching
21:52 - Incorporating Strength Training
24:53 - Final Advice and Encouragement
Connect with Dr. Sara Ionescu
Instagram: @drsaraionescu
YouTube: @DrSaraIonescu
Facebook: facebook.com/drsaraionescu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drsaraionescu
Website: drsaraionescu.com
Connect with Dr. Reller
My linktree: linktr.ee/kerryrellermd
Podcast website: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterFamily
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterfamilymedicine/
Clearwater Family Medicine and Allergy Website: https://sites.google.com/view/clearwaterallergy/home
Subscribe to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, iheartradio, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Pandora.

Chapters

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Welcoming Dr. Sara Ionescu (00:00:56)

3. Transition from Competitive Athlete to Busy Professional (00:03:08)

4. Reframing Exercise: From Vigor to Manageable Intervals (00:05:23)

5. Celebrating Small Wins in Exercise (00:09:28)

6. Practical Tips for Consistency (00:13:18)

7. The Importance of Giving Yourself Grace (00:17:38)

8. Active Recovery and Stretching (00:20:01)

9. Incorporating Strength Training (00:22:20)

10. Final Advice and Encouragement (00:25:21)