A casual conversation on a flight from back to Austin from Newark led to an appearance on the Dr. Oz Show for Tim Fleisher, a Ph.D. candidate in exercise science in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education.
On an episode set to air May 16, 2018, Fleisher shares his research and exercise techniques to ease lower back pain and strengthen abdominal muscles.
“I sat next to Dr. Oz on a flight on the way back from working with the Harvard swim team at their Ivy League championships. He sat down next to me and we just started talking. I am the head of the BIO 446L anatomy lab, so I had my iPad that I teach from. He went to Harvard and his son is on the water polo team. We immediately hit it off and I pitched him on the idea of balloons to strengthen the abs. He loved it and here we are,” says Fleisher.
Fleisher does his research in the Neuromuscular Physiology Research Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin. He focuses on neuromuscular recruitment strategies of the deep hip muscles in healthy individuals versus women with postpartum stress urinary incontinence. Fleisher is also a STOTT PILATES instructor trainer and licensed massage therapist that focuses on post rehabilitative and “prehabilitative” strategies to help people with movement impairments.
Fleisher says he got the idea for his research when he was working in Brazil as a certifier for Pilates instructors. He pitched the idea to Associate Professor Lisa Griffin, of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, and thus became a part of the program.
Fleisher’s appearance on the Dr. Oz show will be May 16, 2018, at 1 p.m. CST on Fox (Fox 7 KTBC in Austin). Fleisher has produced a full-length video that demonstrates the exercise he presents on the show.
