Fit Body, Happy Joints ®

Metabolic flexibility may be a term you've heard before. But what does it mean, and why is it important for overall health? Shannon breaks down the connection between metabolic flexibility and mitochondrial health and gives exercise recommendations for improving metabolic flexibility. 1:45: Introduction 2:45: Upward spiral 4:17: What is metabolic flexibility? 5:05: How to know if you’re metabolically flexible/inflexible 7:45: How to train to be more metabolically flexible 11:35: Types of fuel sources 12:12: How muscle mass affects metabolic flexibility 23:55: Gentle consistency + muscle building 27:15: Strength training for metabolic health 29:56: Zone 2 cardio 33:45: HIIT and SIT 38:45: Summary 14-day free Evlo trial Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

It is an illusion that more fatiguing workouts lead to better results. In fact, less fatiguing workouts can improve the quality of your workouts and, therefore, your results. Dr. Shannon breaks down why this happens and provides tangible takeaways to identify fatigue and what to focus on instead. 0:00: Introduction 1:04: Defining “fitness results” 3:11: How to train smarter, not harder 5:20: What drives muscle growth? 7:25: What does NOT drive muscle growth? 14:20: How fatigue can interfere with fitness results 16:25: How to know if your workout is causing unnecessary fatigue 19:08: Summary on how to limit fatigue Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Registered Dietitian Hope Brandt discusses how to eat before and after exercise. 0:00: Introduction 0:40: How to eat to build muscle 2:05: How to eat for body recomposition 4:14: How to eat before your lifting routine 11:16: Post-workout nutrition 13:36: Can you only digest 20g of protein at a time? 19:56: Final thoughts Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Have you ever met someone who seems to just LOOK at a weight and see results? Or someone who seemingly does everything right and doesn't see much change? We discuss some potential reasons for the variation in response to exercise and how to adjust your routine to fit your body. 0:00: Introduction 3:11: Framework for building muscle using the REPS framework 7:08: Super-responders and the effect of satellite cells 14:14: Average/low-responders vs. super-responders 16:19: Summary Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

In this episode, Dr. Shannon, Dr. Payton, and Dr. Jill discuss several Evlo stories, explaining why they may have experienced the results they saw and how you can too. 0:00: Introduction 0:35: “The gentle, low-impact feel of Pilates, with the results of strength training” 5:03: How you can improve pelvic health without doing kegels 10:50: Less work, better fitness results 15:41: Body recomposition Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Are you in a season where maintenance is a goal? Maybe you're training for a race or don't have the time to commit to much resistance training. Listen to this episode to learn about maintenance, when it's appropriate, and how to maintain muscle. 0:00: Evlo member story 2:34: Maintenance mindset vs. muscle building mindset 6:38: The importance of stimulating type 2 muscle fibers 9:12: Recommended volume for muscle building 10:00: Recommendations for maintaining muscle 12:18: Summary Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

The messaging around a certain form of exercise "snatching" you, which is the internet's newest word for "toning" or "tightening," is simply another marketing ploy from the fitness industry. Listen to this episode to learn why. 0:00: Why Pilates isn’t “snatching” you 4:09: How to determine if you’re workout is building muscle using the REPS framework 5:58: Why Pilates may make you feel “snatched” 10:55: Conclusion Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Modeling a healthy relationship to food and exercise is important to me as a new parent. In this episode, Registered Dietitian Hope Brandt and I discuss our strategies for modeling healthy behaviors around food and fitness for our daughters. 0:00: Introduction 3:02: Separating food from exercise 7:17: Diminishing the importance of outward appearance 10:09: How you show up for your workouts matters 13:56: Modeling Gentle Consistency™️ 23:44: “Neutralizing” food 29:40: Avoiding food as a reward or coping mechanism 33:40: Final thoughts Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

How you exercise in your 30s can not only impact how you feel and look now but also will set you on a path to age well and avoid disease. 0:00: Introduction 0:58: How your body changes in your 30s and why building muscle matters 2:34: The anti-aging effect of satellite cells 4:45: What type of training stimulates satellite cells? 6:17: Why you shouldn’t wait to build muscle 8:55: REPS framework for building muscle 10:30: Conclusion Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Many fitness methods claim to "tone your arms" or "slim your thighs." This is false advertising, with the assumption that you can "spot treat fat." Shannon breaks down the science of spot-treating fat and the efficacy of using exercise to improve/reduce cellulite in this episode. Podcasts Referenced: Exercise and leanness Nutrition and leanness with Hope Brandt, RD Where is your calorie burn plateau? 0:00: Introduction 1:30: What is body recomposition? 3:42: Does HIIT reduce belly fat? 5:55: How can exercise affect cellulite? 7:50: Summary on spot treating fat and body recomposition 10:42: Two tips if body recomposition is a goal Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Squats have been deemed the gold standard for building muscle in the legs while improving functional strength. But what if squats don't feel good on your body or aren't enjoyable? Do you have to do them to be functional in your day-to-day life? Shannon breaks it down in this episode. Studies referenced: #1 #2 #3 0:00: Evlo member story 3:37: Introduction to why you don’t have to squat to be functional 4:36: Benefits of squatting 8:11: Reasons why you may choose squats over another lower body exercise 9:11: Why squats may not feel good in your body 15:14: Do I need to squat to be functional? 21:24: Exercise swaps that can replace squats 24:38: Summary Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

What is PCOS, what are the symptoms, and how can you exercise to improve symptoms? You'll learn all these things in this interview with Dr. Payton Busker. Tools to measure recovery blog post referenced 0:00: Introduction 0:58: Payton’s personal story with PCOS 4:33: Defining PCOS 8:43: Symptoms of PCOS 14:34: Influence of diet in treating PCOS 17:30: Link between PCOS and insulin resistance 19:40: Long term risks of PCOS 24:08: Exercising with PCOS 28:30: Indications that you’re not recovering 30:17: Exercise recommendations for PCOS 32:58: Exercising for fertility if you have PCOS 35:23: “Non-exercise” ways to manage PCOS 38:00: Payton's final thoughts Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

You may have heard that the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Is this true? If so, what is the extent of this effect? How does muscle influence metabolism? Study on metabolism throughout lifespan 0:00: Evlo member story 2:58: Introduction to the relationship between muscle and metabolism 4:02: Defining metabolism 9:33: Which body systems require the most energy? 12:40: How adding muscle mass improves your metabolism in more ways than one 19:38: Conclusion Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

0:00: Introduction 1:15: Working out less for better results 2:54: What is a hard set? 6:34: Optimal volume for muscle growth 11:05: Adding more volume does not have proportionate benefits on muscle growth 13:58: The importance of exercise selection on central nervous system fatigue 18:16: Study comparing low vs high volume workout 22:47: Why you may see better results doing Evlo 24:15: Can reducing volume produce higher quality workouts? 26:27: How to choose a track as an Evlo member for best results 28:27: Summary Study #1 referenced Study #2 referenced Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Your menstrual cycle has been considered a vital sign by some and can be an indication of your overall health. Shannon is joined by Dr. Payton, who shares the current research on exercising to improve menstrual health. They also discuss fertility, pregnancy loss, and more. Cycle syncing episode referenced 0:00: Introduction 1:20: Your menstrual cycle as a vital sign 3:20: Signs/symptoms that something might be off with your cycle 7:37: Can you still track your cycle while on hormonal birth control? 9:03: Why might someone lose their cycle? 13:37: Exercise recommendations for regaining your cycle 19:24: Exercising for fertility 26:05: TRIGGER WARNING: pregnancy loss is discussed after this time stamp 26:30: Payton’s experience with pregnancy loss 32:40: Are there risks with exercising during early pregnancy? 35:20: Parameters around exercise after miscarriage Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

How does high-intensity cardio affect longevity? Is HIIT the only way to receive longevity benefits? How does strength training compare to HIIT at improving VO2 max? All these topics and more are discussed today. 0:00: Brief summary of episodes 148 and 149 2:50: Hypertrophy training 5:30: The bottom line when it comes to HIIT 11:30: VO2 max as an indicator of overall health and longevity 16:13: Utilizing HIIT to improve VO2 max and metabolic flexibility 19:22: Downsides of Zone 4/Zone 5 training 21:42: HIIT vs. superset training 24:50: How to add HIIT to your routine 26:50: Cardio zones 31:40: “Optimal” training week 35:30: Importance of individualization of your routine Try Evlo 14 days for free Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

We recommend a cornerstone routine of walking and strength training. But is walking "enough" cardio? Shannon discusses that question in this episode. 0:00: Zones of cardio 2:18: Recap of benefits of Zone 2 cardio 4:27: Recap of benefits of strength training 6:45: Energy expenditure 9:45: Benefits of a walking + hypertrophy routine 10:20: Does walking “count” as zone 2 training? 11:48: Should you do zone 3 cardio? 15:27: How to add zone 2 training to your routine Try the new Evlo Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Zone two cardio has received a lot of attention lately. Doctors and researchers tout the benefits associated with mitochondrial efficiency and longevity. But zone two cardio is time-consuming and may be difficult to realistically keep up with. At the same time, others are claiming that women naturally have a better ability to use fat as fuel and a higher composition of type 1 muscle fibers, so zone two cardio is unnecessary. Where is the "truth?" What SHOULD we be doing for our health and longevity? Dr. Shannon breaks it down in this episode. Studies referenced: https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/a-1664-8701 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28578612/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35599175/ 0:00: Introduction: the spectrum of zone two cardio recommendations 3:25: Is there a gold standard application for zone two cardio? 6:42: Are “optimal routines” realistic? 8:50: What is zone two cardio? 10:15: What is metabolic flexibility? 11:44: Why should we care about mitochondrial health? 15:00: How does zone two cardio affect metabolic flexibility? 18:40: Is zone two cardio the only way to improve metabolic flexibility? 20:10: Framework for muscle building 22:01: Lifting to improve mitochondrial density 23:35: How to improve aerobic capacity while building muscle 25:55: The effect of superset training for VO2 Max 27:18: Should you still do cardio? 31:52: How to include zone two in your routine 32:22: Conclusion Try the new Evlo Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

If you consume any wellness content, you may have noticed increased attention on insulin and blood sugar. What does it mean to be "insulin resistant," and what are the symptoms to look for? How can insulin resistance affect fitness results? How can we improve our insulin sensitivity with diet, lifestyle, and exercise? Katherine Andrew, Registered Dietitian, and I discuss these topics and more. 0:00: Introduction 1:44: What is blood sugar and insulin? 4:42: When does the body tap into the liver for stored glycogen vs. fat stores? 8:30: How do frequent, small meals affect blood sugar? 10:20: Insulin resistance 14:00: Why is insulin resistance a problem? 18:50: Can you be insulin resistant while being lean? 21:00: Symptoms of insulin resistance 25:18: How does insulin resistance affect fitness results? 29:21: What can you do to improve insulin resistance? 39:58: Physical factors that can affect blood sugar 42:50: The role of nutrition in improving insulin resistance 49:55: How do you know what the “right eating window” is for you? 53:00: How to know you’re on the right track Try the new Evlo Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram

Have you ever started a fitness challenge just to find yourself back at square one shortly after it ended? In this episode, we discuss why I'm not a fan of time-based, extreme fitness challenges and the metabolic adaptations that occur with extreme diets and exercise routines. 0:00: Introduction 3:00: Building muscle and time-bound challenges 5:00: Metabolic adaption 11:40: Do challenges help start new habits? 13:20: The benefits of following a gentle, strength-based program 16:06: How Evlo sets you up for sustainable success Episode #139 (referenced in episode) Get on our email list Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints on Instagram