fitness · stretching

Get to know Doctor Jo (or at least her YouTube channel)

Christine Hennebury

I have a few spots that give me a bit of trouble at Taekwondo or during other exercises.

My right hip and the side of my right knee give me a bit of grief. My wrists misbehave a little from time to time. And I apparently like to carry tension in my shoulders and neck (A novel and shocking situation, I know. No one else does that. 😉 Ha!)

Yoga helps with a lot of that but sometimes I need to give those areas a little extra attention with some focused stretches/movements. Since my chiropractor isn’t on call 24-7, and since I prefer to follow along with a video than overthinking about how many reps to do, I have become a big fan of the Ask Doctor Jo channel on Youtube.

Dr. Jo, a woman with dark hair who is wearing a dark-coloured Supergirl T-shirt. She is surrounded by three large dogs, one black and two brown.
Here’s Doctor Jo with Remy, Kali, and Bear. Photo from Instagram – Ask Doctor Jo

Doctor Jo is calm, friendly and casual, often appearing in a tshirts with a funny saying on them. The sets for her videos are minimal (sometimes just her on a chair with a white background) and her advice and instructions are really clear.

She can also be delightfully goofy and seems like someone I could be friends with – which is always fun. (Anyone who includes audio of themselves saying ‘Disclaimer Alert! Disclaimer Alert!’ over their disclaimer alert is my kind of person.)

And, as an added bonus, she often has one of her dogs with her in the video. (For example, Remy is featured in this video of neck stretches.)

This Dr. Jo video on neck pain is a great example of all of the things I like about her approach – useful, well-explained exercises, a visit from her dog, some goofiness, and a Wonder Woman t-shirt.

In addition to her videos that just demonstrate the movements and tell you how long to hold them, she also has a variety of ‘real time’ videos (Here’s an example of one of her ‘real time’ full body stretch videos) in which she keeps you company for the stretches. I particularly enjoy those because they make it easier for me to stick with the program.

I also really like the videos in her ‘Top Ten’ series that demonstrate her 10 favourite exercises for a variety of frequently searched issues.

Exercises for knee pain AND a T-shirt that says ‘Dog Hair is my glitter’ ? I am HERE for this.

Obviously, if you are having major or chronic issues with specific muscles, you need to see a medical professional in person, if at all possible.

But, if you are having a small issue with one body part, if you need a refresher on how to do the exercises that were recommended to you, or if you just need some video company while you work out a few tough spots, give Doctor Jo a try.

I’m tempted to say ‘Tell her Christine sent you.’ but since I don’t actually know her, that would be weird.

Published by Christine Hennebury

I'm a writer/storyteller/director/creativity & lifestory coach with a black belt in ITF Taekwon-do. I read voraciously and I write like my fingers are on fire. I'm the founder and Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl and I'm a former president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.