#TTGSparked with Dr. Emily Kiberd

This week, #TTGSparked spoke to beautiful Urban Wellness Clinic founder, Chiropractor Dr. Emily Kiberd who filled us in on her successful UWC mission for wellness, how our future U.S Open players can get the best from their bodies and what it's like to balance your personal fitness and nutrition goals with a new baby!

Why did you decide to start Urban Wellness Clinic?
I started Urban Wellness Clinic in 2007 with a mission to get my patients back to doing what they love, faster. As a young athlete I suffered from frequent sports injuries and discovered my fascination with the body’s biomechanics after an old sprained ankle was the root cause of my headaches as a teenager.  I later discovered yoga as a practice of optimized alignment and movement to maintain a supple body while staying active.

Can you tell us about Urban Wellness Clinic therapies or treatments that you have created and are you most proud of?
Urban Wellness Clinic offers an innovative combination of physical therapy, chiropractic, strength training, yoga therapy, nutrition, acupuncture and active release technique to heal the body from all aspects. We have a unique looking for compensations in the body, if one area is strained or tight then we go beyond labeling it a muscle strain, we want to know why we have a muscle strain, what is that muscle overworking itself for and what in a client’s movement is not optimal. We get to the root cause of people’s pain and go above and beyond by offering our 'Doctor in the House' service where we work with client’s to their favorite workout and see how they can optimize their movement. We love when client’s say in astonishment, "Wait, my doctor comes and works out with me to see what I’m doing wrong?"


Who are some of your fitness and health inspirations?
I love the biohackers of the world that push and redefine the accepted norms of nutrition and fitness. Rhonda Patrick, Tim Ferris, Tom Bilyeu who is the host of Inside Quest and Co-founder and President of Quest Nutrition, Bill Hartman of iFast university, Artemis Scantalides of Iron Body Studios, Mark Fisher Fitness for the great fitness community they created and Urban Wellness Clinic trainer Matt Semrick - watching his consistency in his training and daily movement while raising his daughter Ruby Rose is so inspiring! And my mother who fell in love with moving her body and working out at 60 years old. All our patients that run, train and push their physical and mental boundaries of what they thought was possible. We’ve had people not want to get on hands and knees because of wrist pain now doing planks and kettlebell swings daily.


Congratulations on your new arrival! How do you still focus on your own personal wellness goals while caring for a new baby?
You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first. Everything I do is so I can be my most present with my baby. Since having Baby Elvis I had a flare up eczema and headaches, had extensive blood work done and have dialed in my eating habits and cut out diary and gluten. I used to work out at night. Now mornings are bonding time with Baby Elvis and I try to work out midday. I strength train so I can pick him up as he grows without hurting my back. I do cardio to boost endorphins so I can beat any baby blues. I am religious with my sleep routine now - black out curtains, an eye mask and getting to bed by 10pm to hit the sleeping sweet spot between 10pm-2am.


You used to be a state ranked tennis player! Are you a two-hand or one-hand backhand player? How do you incorporate what you've learned as a tennis player into treating other athletes that are patients of Urban Wellness Clinic?
2 handed backhand! We treat lots of tennis players, understanding that if they have pain in their legs or arms, tennis elbow, knee pain or plantar fasciitis or shoulder injuries from serving then we check their core stability. If they are generating strength from there, the rest of their body will compensate. Tennis is also rotational strength - we love working this pattern in different positions. Think of a rubber band. It can’t launch if it isn’t stretched to build tension, same with rotational movements in the body.


Who are your top 3 favorite tennis players? What do you like about their game/form?
Serena Williams of course - her serve is unreal and she stepped up her net game at Wimbledon. Novak Jokovich - his mental toughness on focus is so inspiring. I love his wide return of service stance and how he hits the corners so beautifully to run his opponents corner to corner across the court. Sloane Stephens - she has an amazing running forehand. Milos Raonic - wicked serve, love how we trains with techniques outside of the general tennis training with Dr Andreo Spina.


What wellness advice would you give young junior high or high school tennis players in training? What are your thoughts on wellness in the schools?
Play with players that are better than your level to take your game to the next level. Do anti-rotation core strength to prevent injuries. So many schools are cutting out gym time and increased the time that students are sitting - no wonder all these kids have ADD and ADHD, they need to move! Get those kids moving to burn off that excess energy and then teach them to meditate to steady their thoughts and teach them how to communicate effectively in a loving kind way.


It can be really difficult to switch-off, de-stress and focus on our wellness these days with the fast-paced digital world constantly at our fingertips, even after we leave the office. What therapies and treatments do you use to help your clients relax and take care of their mind?
We believe there are 4 pillars to your physical and mental health: stress, movement, sleep, and nutrition. Think of these like 4 wheels of a car - if one is off balance, you can’t get to where you want to go. We dial in nutrition to decrease anxiety and help people keep their energy levels high and minimize brain fog. We give specific breathing techniques to relax and keep anxiety at bay. We give clients 3 moves to do each day from our Essential 7 which is our functional version of the 7-minute workout - either body weight or move with weights to get their blood pumping and their body strong. We are our patient’s partner in health so we are always available via email to help them stay on course and accountable. My favorite meditation app is wildflowers meditation.


How would you describe your style outside of work? Is there any brands you’d love to work with?
Bohemian chic sporty spice. Brands I'd love to work with are Michi, Alexander Wang, Bella Lux, Dannijo Jewlery.


What has been some of Urban Wellness Clinic highlights thus far?
In 2007 it was just me doing my thing. Now we have a team of 5, best of the best of what they do collaborating and communicating constantly to help patients elevate and amplify their lives out of pain. Creating a program that takes people out of pain and into a solid plan and strength program through our classes, workshops and 6 week transformation program has been so rewarding to see the transformation in our patients. We have worked with some elite runners, consistent top 10 ones in Boston and NYC marathons. Their internal engine to churn out miles and their dedication is inspiring. Every overly flexible hyper-mobile yogi that has dedicated themselves to balancing their flexibility with strength makes me glow with happiness.

For more on Dr. Emily Kiberd and the amazing Urban Wellness Clinic, you can visit www.UrbanWellnessClinic.com and follow on Instagram @urbanwellnessclinic, Twitter @DrEmilyKiberd and over on Facebook.

Popular Posts