Life's Best Medicine Podcast · Dr. Brian Lenzkes

Episode 286: Kayla Girgen, RD

February 25, 2026·1 hr 3 min·3 clips

A registered dietitian found her old patient handouts and realized she'd been giving terrible advice.

The show opens with its familiar disclaimer: this is not medical advice. The host then moves through sponsor talk before settling into the interview. The guest joins for a practical conversation about rucking. The framing stays simple. Rucking is presented as a way to carry weight while keeping the impact lower than running. The guest explains that pack fit matters more than people may realize. Weight should ride high and tight, not sag into the lower back. That placement helps the body handle the load better. They talk through shoulder straps and cinches, and how you can tighten or loosen them depending on whether you want to shift the burden a bit. They also discuss how a hip belt or weight belt can transfer some of the load downward. That adjustment can give the shoulders a break and make the whole carry feel more stable. The conversation stays practical rather than theoretical. The guest says they like Go Ruck gear and points to the brand's ability to support these adjustments. The host asks whether rucking is more like jogging, and the answer is basically that the two should not be mixed casually. The guest says they are a big proponent of either running or rucking, but not both, because the goal is to avoid injury and not add weight to sloppy movement. The episode closes with a push to get outside, see some sun, and enjoy the day, along with a final note of encouragement and kindness toward yourself and others.

As heard by us

A practical rucking guide with clear gear advice and a direct focus on technique.

Episode 286 with Kayla Girgen, RD, keeps its focus on rucking as a low impact way to train. The best section is the gear talk: how to keep a pack high and tight, why a hip belt or weight belt helps, and how small tweaks can shift some load off the shoulders and toward the lower…

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Why you'd press play

Need rucking advice that actually helps you carry the load?

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