It’s All About Health for
MARK NEMISH elieve it or not, the path to a healthier life is paved the same whether it’s a professional athlete or not an athlete at all. That’s something Mark Nemish knows after 16 years working as the Performance Director/Head Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Washington Capitals. And these days, you don’t have to be a professional hockey player to benefit from his expertise. Nemish owns and operates Precision Health Performance (PHP), a health consultation business based in Round Hill that offers a personalized approach to improving his clients metabolic state. Before its launch, Nemish served as a strength coach for college and pro hockey teams, working with a physicians, therapists, and nutritionists to make certain players were “in the best shape possible.” His interest in the field was sparked during a period of his own injury. “I was in my 20s and so involved with being fit and lifting weights, and I went through a six-year period
where I was injured,” he said. “Bouncing around to different therapists to try to figure out how and why this injury was not going away made me realize there’s a real science behind this that I wasn’t paying attention to.” Nemish, a native of Winnipeg, Canada, earned a masters degree in exercise science from the University of North Dakota in 1995. Following graduation, he spent two years as a strength and conditioning coach for several colleges, including Vanderbilt University. While there, Nemish benefitted from a four-team National Hockey League expansion in 1998, including the creation of the Nashville Predators. ]The new team was looking for a strength and conditioning coach and “I was like ‘I might as well knock on the door.’” he said. “I got the job and we were there for six years.” Nemish then moved to Northern Virginia and began working with the Capitals, including the 2018 season when the team won its only Stanley Cup title. Nemish often left his home at 5 a.m. and on game days, didn’t return until after midnight. Then came Covid and it “struck a chord.”
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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024
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By Ali Patusky
“Those who were very unhealthy, who had preexisting conditions and were diabetic... overweight, obese...had cardiovascular disease... were really getting hit hard,” he said, adding that he realized people needed help with goals set for them by their physicians. “The doctor spends 10-15 minutes with them, tells them they need to lose 30 pounds, their cholesterol is high, they need to drop it and then they leave the office going ‘what do I do?’” he said. “Very few doctors have training in nutrition...and that’s what I’d been doing for 30 years. I really had a desire to try and help people manage their health because they don’t have the support network I’ve become accustomed to with professional athletics.” Nemish launched PHP in May, 2023, and he offers prospective clients a free consultation. From there, he collects data on stress level, fatigue, nutrition, exercise, and sleep. He also examines blood work to determine various health markers and does a body scan to identify the amount and location of fat and muscle. After compiling the data, he creates a
