Midlife Mayhem

Muscle Loss with Age

I thought it could never happen to me.
A former pro bodybuilder, Ive been training and eating for hypertrophy (muscle gain) since I was 14!
In this podcast, I share my personal story and why muscle loss WILL happen to all of us!
If you enjoy this podcast you will really enjoy my MUSCLE MONTH program that starts very soon March 31.
 
Read on and I will expand on muscle loss with age, but first, here is who MUSCLE MONTH is ideal for
We know we need to build and maintain muscle with age
We may be hesitant because we are still trying to lose fat
We may be reluctant because we dont want to "get too big"
We resist because dont you have to "bulk" to gain muscle
We may feel that we're already training our muscles (but we havent changed, so what up with that)
We know it is important, but we're not really sure why
We know we need to build, maintain, protect our muscle but we have no idea where to start
We have been training for decades, but maybe Joanne knows something that we dont :)
 
MUSCLE MONTH has you all covered!
What to expect
A choice of 6 training programs, from beginner to home, to my workouts (an everything inbetween)
Custom meals for your goal type - you can still lose fat and build muscle (dont be told otherwise)
Coaching on all topics to do with hypertrophy (its fascinating)
You will understand how to build muscle, what results to expect
You will understand how to eat for hypertrophy without getting fat
You will (sadly) understand why most people are NOT building muscle in the gym
 
MUSCLE MONTH www.musclemonth.com
March 31 - April 27
 
Please dont hesitate thinking you might catch this program next time around, because that will be in 2025!
OK, plug over. 
Here is one reason why people lose muscle with age, whether they exercise or not!
 
There are two types of muscle fiber
 
WHITE (fast twitch) muscle fibers. These are our explosive muscle fibers, they create a lot of force but they tire within seconds (think heavy lifting)
 
RED (slow twitch) muscle fibers. These are our endurance muscle fibers, they create low level of energy but they are resistant to fatigue (think long distance running, hiking etc)
 
All muscles have both types of fibers and this explains partially why some people gain muscle easily and others are hard gainers. You see WHITE/FAST TWITCH muscle fibers can get denser and bigger (hypertrophy) whilst the RED/SLOW TWITCH fibers do not really grow. If you have more slow twitch fibers you wont gain "mass' than others (this is why most ladies need never fear getting "too" big)
Here is the kicker
With age we lose the WHITE/FAST TWITCH muscle fibers, not the RED/SLOW TWITCH fibers!
 
Let that sink in ....
 
I love running, I love yoga, hiking is such fun and you may feel that you are very active and that muscle loss wont happen - IT WILL, because you are not overloading the white/fast fibers to force them to adapt.
 
Even the gym rats fall prey to this because you still have to OVERLOAD the fibers.
There are many ways to overload a muscle, but most people are NOT DOING IT.
 
MUSCLE MONTH is ideal for the very beginner to the most advanced.
It is SO perfect for a newbie because we can create a fabulous plan from day one (and save you decades of time)
It is IDEAL for the more advanced because you already love lifting, lets sharpen the tools and make all the effort effective and efficient.
 
This is a big program for me to coach as I coach from my office, the teach the theory and nutrition and I coach from my gym to teach the practical.
 
I serisouly cannot see how I have time to run this program again this year (I have 5 other programs)
12 zooms (all recorded)
Custom meal plans and instruction on how to build out your own nutrition
6 workout programs to chose from (or fine tune your own)
Full access to me
Topics ranging from male/female training, muscle contraction, adaptation, anabolic resistance, protein and leucine, protein timing, do we need carbs, if so when, how many reps, how much rest, what about recovery, what can your blood work show you, how do I design workouts depending on body types and goal types, how do you design a workout, how to sequence exercises, how do you go to failure beyond using more weight, should kids train, can you gain muscle later in life - AND SO MUCH MORE
 
OK, if that doesn't convince you :)  
Before you walk throught the gym to get to the cardio, please listen to this podcast.
www.musclemonth.com
 
We start REALLY SOON 
MARCH 31 - APRIL 27
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Liver and Weight Loss

I have 6 online coaching programs. 
There is a progression to my coaching, from a program on mindset, to a simple 5 day diet, I move on the explain weight loss and then muscle building and then advanced weight loss and food intolerance, then my mastering midlife program.
The Mastering Midlife Program is the final and most advanced program, this is where I used to coach about the liver.
But now I am seeing so many people struggle with weight loss. They are doing the work, their bood work "looks" normal but their results are paltry.  
This has everything to do with the liver!
 
Now I have to coach about the Liver in my intro program because it is so relevant to so many people.
This podcast is a tad complex and probably better discussed in my coaching programs with images - but follow along and at the very least I hope to explain how weight loss plateaus start with liver health and with a few simple (but consistent) changes we can still succeed.
We have to become healthier on the inside before it shows on the outside
 
My Muscle Month program starts on March 31 - April 27
Oh boy! this is a lot of coaching for me (but I love it)
3 (THREE!) coaching calls per week
4 workout programs to chose from
Meal plans for muscle building without any fat gain (no bulking here!)
Plus all the theory regarding muscle building, nutrition, recovery and so much more
 
www.musclemonth.com

WEIGHT REBOUND

There are multiple reasons for this, lets start with the obvious and move on to the less known.
 
1. Compliance - the weight loss program they used was not sustainable
2. The program they used was too time-consuming (meal prep, hours of gym time, carrying Tupperware everywhere, having to log every calorie)
 
 These first two reasons meant that the person had nowhere to go but back to their usual eating pattern
 
3. Muscle Loss - muscle loss happens with every diet. Indeed, fat is 13% protein, so if you lose fat, you ARE going to lose muscle, but if you lose most of the weight from muscle, then this reduces your metabolic rate, and if you go back to eating as you did prior, it will now be an excess and weight rebound will occur.  This will happen with low protein programs or those that require a huge amount of exercise without the nutrients to fuel it. 
Totally unnecessary + the person will actually lose less lean :(
 
4. LPL Lipoprotein Lipase is an enzyme that, when excited, causes fat storage. It is also a huge part of fat patterning and belly fat, which is explained in the 21 day program .  Two things REALLY excite LPL, Insulin and restriction.  The scenario is a person who has been on a prolonged, very restricted diet. They lose a ton of weight, and LPL gets very excited and starts to store as much fat as it can. Then the person caves on a diet and eats high carb - causing high insulin, which also excites LPL - a double whammy for very fat weight regain.
 
5. Leptin and Ghrelin (appetite regulators - also discussed in the 21 day progam. If a person crashes the weight off, leptin will recognize the rapid loss of "future fuel." Leptin tells the brain, and the brain slows expenditure (burns fewer calories) and increases the hunger of the host. 
I saw this a lot in the bodybuilding/fitness world.  After a competition diet the competitor would eat an insane amount of food, sadly this is normalized by the sport, but it was Leptin doing its thing.
Ghrelin is our hunger hormone; it goes up before a meal and comes down afterward. With restrictive dieting Ghrelin stays up, this person is hungry all the time. Ghrelin is also high in those who dont sleep enough.
 
But the #1 reason that people regain the weight is because they dont understand weight loss
 
When have you ever been good at something you didn't understand?!
 
If weight loss were coached as the skill that it is, people would not have to stay in the torrid cycle of weight gain and weight loss.
 
Weight loss is a science - the way the body burns fat does not change depending on the bias of the day or the foods of today.
The science of weight loss does not bend due to our food preferences or our need for instant gratification.
The science of weight loss does not adjust to what we think we deserve or how hard we think we have worked.
 
Weight loss is a very well-studied and fascinating subject
Being on a "diet" is like being given a piano without any lessons - you might figure it out, but very very doubtful. Is the piano at fault? are you at fault?  or did you not have the coaching necessary to learn the skill.
 
THE 21 DAY SIGNATURE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM  FEB 11- MARCH 2
REGISTRATION CLOSES ON FRIDAY
 
It may or may not be back this year.
If it does return it will be in the fall
 
I am very passionate about this program. It has changed countless lives and has freed them from the anxiety of weight loss.
 
Questions - lmk 

TRAINING FOR YOUR BODY TYPE

There are 3 standard body types.
 
Ectomorph – finds it difficult to gain weight and oftenhas a pouch of belly fat that drives them crazy.
Ectomorphs are usually very high-energy people who loveendurance-style workouts. They usually have fine hair, long digits and are muchstronger than they look
Mesomorphs are athletic in stature. They gain muscleeasily, and when they behave themselves, they can stay quite lean with not toomuch effort. The mesomorph, however, can become unhinged in midlife and notknow how to regain their former glory.
 
Endomorphs are heavier people, they have gorgeous skin,and shorter digits, and they carry a lot of muscle, but they also carry a lotof fat
But most of us are somewhere in between – an ecto-meso or ameso-endo.
When it comes to training and nutrition, knowing your bodytype is very important.
Ectomorphs are constantly trying to lose the belly pouch,and their love for cardio pushes them In that direction. However, in doing sothey lose muscle and the pouch looks bigger.
Encouraging an endomorph to do HIIT training is alsomisguided because their extra weight makes safety an issue, and it is harderthan is necessary to do. Steady state cardio is a far better approach alongwith circuit-type training in the gym
 
What about nutrition?
That Ectomorph doing fasting for weight loss and eating nocarbs, makes no sense at all.
The Endomorph, however has the fat stores to use fasting andlow carb as very effective weight loss tools.
 
Do you know your body type?
 
Are you training and eating for your body type
 
Ladies, are you estrogenic or androgenic (or somewhere inbetween)?
 
What about the blessed Mesomorphs, how can that all unravel?Mesomorphs are usually lean and muscular, they are strong and conditioned, andthey don’t have to concern themselves too much about their body composition –until – midlife kicks in.
 
The mesomorphs lifestyle may change, their sporting daysbehind them and a few added trips around the sun. Their weight starts to creepup, and for the first time ever, they have a few pounds they want to lose.
 
This is where an educated endomorph can overtake themesomorph. At the time that the mesomorph feels challenged the endomorph, bythat same time, has decades of experience in weight loss.
 
Do you fast, do you cut carbs, do you train heavy and slow,or fast in circuits?
It really depends on your body type.
 
Body Type and Fat patterning are two of the manytopics explained and discussed in the upcoming
 
21 DAY SIGNATURE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM
 
My goal is to provide you with a plethora ofinformation on weight loss and body composition.
My goal is to educate you to the point that youare making informed decisions rather than living under the direction of others.
My goal is to find the sustainable place thatlies between “restriction” and “recklessness”
 
In that place, we find an ease
Knowledge is power
 
The 21 Day Signature Weight Loss Program starts on February 11 - March 2 2024
If you are considering the program, please do not hesitate too long. I run this program twice a year and it will not return until the fall
If you have questions email me jo@theshrinkshop.com
www.21daysignature.com
We start soon
 
Jo
www.theshrinkshop.com
 
 

NEGATIVE LUMPING

You have heard of the "all or nothing" mentality, but what about "negative lumping" 
It is a similar concept that I do see with a lot of my clients
It is when they dismiss their efforts because they do not hit their target/goal
For example
Someone eats really well all week, but they mess up over the weekend (this happens a lot)
So they dismiss the ENTIRE week, even when their weekday eating was FAR BETTER than usual
or 
The person that decides to train 5 x  a week for a month - but they only average 4 x and they are bummed at 
their "failure" when in fact they did 8 more workout that usual!
Being able to recognise the progress in the "near misses" is vital.
This also couple nicely with the "optimal failure rate"
If we set a target behavior and hit it 100% of the time (zero failure) the bar was set too low and we will likely become bored.
If we only hit the behavior target 50% of the time we can become very discouraged. We set the bar too high.
The optimal failure rate is 15%, in this (very short) podcast, I do the calculation for you
 
My 21 Day Signature Weight Loss Program starts on Feb 11 - Mar 2
I only run this program once (maybe twice) per year
In 21 days you will understand weight loss and you will understand why you may have struggled in the past
Click the link for more info
 
https://theshrinkshopshop.com/products/copy-of-6-week-signature-weight-loss-program-september-30-november-11?variant=40622022623330
 

Alcohol and Weight Loss

"Can I still drink wine and lose weight?"
Questions like this come up all the time - can I drink alcohol and lose weight/
Often I will ask clients what is the one thing they know they "should" do to help with their weight loss and probably
50% of the time that person will say "stop drinking"
But are they willing to do it?
Not usually
Do they need to stop drinking to lose weight?  In this podcast (as an English alcohol drinker) we explore :)
 
In this podcast I explain how alcohol drastically reduces "Lipolysis"
"Two vodka slow lipolysis by 75% for 4 hours" - is the quote I like to repeat
Lipolysis the the release of fatty acids from their storage site into the blood
From the blood if we use those newly released fatty acids, we lose weight
 
Lipolysis then is the first step to weight loss and alcohol drastically reduces it for a prolonged 
amount of time
All is not lost - listen on
 
If you like this sort of information my 21 Day Signature Weight Loss Program starts on February 11 - March 2
Click the link for more details
https://theshrinkshopshop.com/collections/course-programs/products/copy-of-6-week-signature-weight-loss-program-september-30-november-11
 
For more coaching options visit www.theshrinkshop.com

Rapid Weight Loss

We all want it, but deep down we know it is not the answer - or is it?
In todays podcast I explore the power of the "Quick Fix" diet and how they can play a productive part of your weight loss plan.
We all know them , the "Cleanse" the "Detox" the "Lose 20 in 20" you may have even signed up for a few of the programs that promise instant weight loss. Maybe you bought the pill, or the cream or the belt.
Instant results are part of selling any product. The first few pages of a book have to grab you, the first few minutes of a movie, or is it that energy drink or that skin cream.  
When we experience immediate results we are highly motivated to continue on the path or continue in the program.
This episode in an unashamed plug for my own quick fix program, my PEAK WEEK 5 DAY SHRED where on average people lose 7-10 lb in 5 days (the record is 16 lb) The results at first sound unbelivable (which is probably why FB banned me from advertising the program), but let me explain my program to you. You will see how the results really arent that crazy, indeed they should be explected.
A quick fix diet to be powerful needs 4 things
1. A workable strategy (setting people up to fail is not cool)
2. Support
3. An explaination on how to continue
4. Results
If the program you are looking at does not offer you all 4 then it really is a money grab.
 
The Peak Week 5 Day Shred  January 21 - 27 2024
dm me your email to be notified when it returns
www.5dayshred.com
 

Water Retention & Bloating

If I had a dollar for every time a client has complained about "bloating" I would be doing this podcast from a Yacht off the Maldives
This is an extensive topic that I have summarized into under 30 minutes :)
The main causes of water retention, the hormones that govern the water in our body and what we can do about the extra pounds it can cause.
First off, I get a little ticked when people say that their weight loss was only water weight
1. On average 7% of your body weight can be EXCESS water weight
2. Water weight looks just like fat 
3. Water weights more than fat by volume (bucket of fat vs bucket of water)
4. Excess water retention means higher blood pressure
5. It can be incredibly easy to lose that excess water.
 
Aldosterone triggered by stress, lack of sleep, insulin, inflammation, cortisol. Aldosterone means that you can not pee out sodium, water follows sodium, so if sodium isnt leaving, neither is the excess water
Anti Diuretic Hormone (ADH) will be triggered if your body senses even the slightest amount of dehydration
Pre Menopause and estrogen dominance can cause annoying water retention for the ladies
Enjoy the podcast as I explain each of these and suggest solutions for all
My PEAK WEEK 5 DAY SHRED  is coming up Jan 21 - 27 and water retention is fully explained in one of the coaching call. Click the link for information about this group coaching program. If you missed it, simply email me and I will add your name to my contacts so that you will be first to hear when the program comes back around.
https://theshrinkshopshop.com/collections/course-programs/products/d-peak-week-6-day-shred
For all upcoming programs please visit my main website www.theshrinkshop.com
be sure to email me if you want your email to be added to my list (I promiise no spam) jo@theshrinkshop.com
Joanne 
Questions?  book a free discovery call, link on the homepage of my website www.theshrinkshop.com
 
2024 coaching program dates
 

Should Women Train Like Men?

Muscle is muscle right? - not exactly.
In this podcast I try (very hard) to dispel the myth of "Accidental Muscle"
No body EVER gained a huge amount of muscle on accident.
Thankfully the fashion has changed away from the thigh gap and more towards and strong healthy physique, and yet still the fear exists of getting "too big"
Ironically this usually comes from ladies over the age of 35 at which point the chance is gaining too much muscle is right up there with a lottery win
In todays podcast I will explain 
The different muscle fibers
Fast gainers vs hard gainers
How I train ladies differently than men
Which muscle fibers are lost with age
How to bring joy to any workout
The information in todays podcast is expanded upon in my Muscle Month program and in my Mastering Midlife Program.  Details on my website at www.theshrinkshop.com
I only run my programs once a year, so dont walk, run to check out the dates of my upcoming programs
If you have any questions you can always book a discovery call (link on home page of my website) or contact me at jo@theshrinkshop.com
 
COMING UP
Victory Vault a one week program of accountability and goal setting January 12 - 20
The Peak Week 5 Day Shred January 21 - 27 - The results are so good that FB banned me for posting them
21 Day Signature Weight Loss Program Feb 11 - March 2
Muscle Month March 10 - April
Tight 28 April 28 - May 25
Mastering Midlife June 16 - July 14
GROUP COACHING SCHEDULE
 

Discipline vs Self Control

Do you feel that you lack discipline or that you used to have more self control?
Indeed some people enjoy living a very structured life, they enjoy the planning and knowing every detail, but discipline is not limited to only those people. Discipline is something all of us can have more of and all it takes is a littl time.
Self Control is a real issue for many and a huge part of that is because of the world we live in today
You see, boredom triggers the need for change. The very second that we are bored, we do something to change our situation. 
Its the reason I started this podcast. On instagram the posts have to be shorter and shorter because people stay only a few seconds before they scroll on.
The televison remote control has a lot to answer for. When I was a kid if you were bored with a show someone had to get up and change to one of the other (2) channels.
Boredom causes an immediate shift - It can be good or bad, but without deliberate intention it is usually bad.
In todays world of over stimulation self control becomes a huge obstacle for many
Enjoy this podcast as I explain how to bring discipline into your life and how to gain self control - neither are difficult to do, it simply an being aware of how both principles work.
My online group coaching programs start very soon.
My accountability and goal mastery program VICTORY VAULT starts on January 12 - 20
If discipline is something you want more of, then that is the program for you.
If you want to find your inner self control then definetly join THE PEAK WEEK 5 DAY SHRED that starts on January 21 - 27
And as always, if you have questions about any of my services, book a complimentary discover call - the link is on the homepage of my website www.theshrinkshop.com
 
Joanne
jo@theshrinkshop.com