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The Ultimate Machine: What AI Still Can’t Do (Your Body)

Meet the Speakers

Nathan Dowling, PT
Program Coordinator
Carolyn Ford
Vice President Marketing
More About The Speakers

Episode Summary:We spend plenty of time updating our technology. How much attention do we give the bodies operating it? In this Halloween episode of Tech Transforms, Carolyn Ford goes off-script with her longtime physical therapist, Ned Dowling, director of the Cyclist Clinic at University of Utah Health. Together, they explore the remarkable machine that makes everything else possible: the human body. Ned explains his approach to balancing the demands placed on the body with its capacity to handle them and why sitting through back-to-back meetings or pushing every workout to the limit can upset that balance. Drawing on Carolyn’s own experiences with cycling injuries and rehabilitation, they discuss workplace ergonomics, why recovery rarely follows a predictable schedule, and how wearable technology can help put training and recovery into perspective. Along the way, they consider why standing desks still require movement, how small “exercise snacks” fit into a busy day, and what zombies are missing beyond decent posture. In this episode:

  • Why changing positions matters more than finding one perfect posture.
  • How physical therapy builds the body’s capacity to handle everyday demands.
  • Why recovery involves more than waiting for an injury to heal.
  • Where heart rate and heart rate variability fit into understanding effort and stress.
  • Why rest deserves a place alongside strength training and movement.

Ned’s parting advice is simple: change positions frequently. Preferably before you start moving like the walking dead. Episode Notes: Provider Profile: healthcare.utah.edu/find-a-doctor/nathan-dowling Podcast – The Health Benefits of Cycling: healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/…/health-benefits-of-cycling Podcast – First Gear: A Physical Therapist’s Advice on Getting Started with Cycling: healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/…/first-gear… Read Text Transcript

Meet the Speaker

Nathan Dowling, PT

Program Coordinator , The Cyclist’s Clinic

Nathan (Ned) Dowling, PT is the Program Coordinator of The Cyclist’s Clinic, which incorporates bicycle fit analysis with Physical Therapy evaluation and treatment to optimize cyclists’ biomechanics and alleviate adverse symptoms associated with cycling. Ned also treats a variety of orthopaedic and musculoskeletal injuries in the Physical Therapy department at the University Orthopaedic Center.

He received his Master’s in Physical Therapy from Western Carolina University and is certified by the International Bike Fitting Institute. Ned also has a special interest in cross country skiing, writing articles for Faster Skier and Nordic Team Solutions and working directly with the US Ski Team, US junior development, the Bridger Ski Foundation, the Utah Nordic Alliance, and the Professional Ski Instructors of America to optimize skiers’ technique, performance, and injury prevention.

Meet the Speaker

Carolyn Ford

Vice President Marketing , Owl Cyber Defense

Carolyn brings over two decades of experience as a marketing leader in global high-tech firms, with 15 years focused on public sector marketing. Carolyn entered the cybersecurity space in 2009 with Raytheon Cyber Products, where she held multiple roles and communicated the vision of secure information sharing and insider threat strategies to government agencies. Carolyn is the creator and host of the successful podcasts “To the Point Cybersecurity” and “Tech Transforms,” that engage with thought leaders in industry and government to discuss critical issues. “