Midlife Mayhem

The Dairy Dilema

My TIGHT28 Program is about to start May 25 - June 22 2024
 
The meal plans are all gluten, soy, sugar, and dairy-free - but why no dairy? is it really as bad as some people make it out to be?
 
For the purpose of the TIGHT28  program I have removed dairy from the meals plans because of its close association to gluten
50% of those with a gluten intolerance also have an issue with dairy!
When your body is reacting to a food, it is not reacting to a single protein, but to an amino acids sequence/pattern
and the amino acids pattern of gluten also looks similar to that of dairy, thyroid, brain tissue and even eggs!
TIGHT 28 is indeed a weight loss program, but the results go far beyond the scale.
Weight loss but at a faster rate than usual due to eliminating the irritants that keep bloat and water weight hanging on
Reduced pain! Joint pain, aches and pain, all reduced with this program
No more heartburn, indigestion, bathroom issues
Clearer skin
Better mood and clarity
Why I built this program.
I am constantly seeing people’s weight loss stall because of foods they were sensitive to
I am constantly seeing people sabotage their weight loss because of their relationship with certain foods
I am constantly seeing people’s weight loss progress trashed because of weekend weight gain, which is so pronounced that it negates all the progress of their week
I am constantly seeing people living with bloating, low energy, joint pain, and depressed moods because of their food.
9 live zoom coaching calls (all recorded)
Lots of pre recorded content on all topics
Workout
Meal plans (no gluten, dairy, soy nor added sugar) designed for weight loss
Full access to me for the entire length of the program
My app is free for you forever x
 
Zoom topics. 
How food sensitivities show up
What is a mitochondria anyway?
Sugar - added sugar, sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners
How to test for food intolerance or allergy (spoiler - not those home tests!)
Appetite regulators - how to control
Building mini habits for success
VO2 max, HIIT, anaerobic threshold and much more explained
Cardio or weights for fat loss?
Stubborn fat that seems diet resistant
Gluten & dairy - their connection 
GMO and soy - how our foods have changed
Weight Plateaus and rebounds
and I am sure a lot more as I tend to get carried away :)
WWW.TIGHT28.COM starts really soon (May 25 2024) Never miss knowing about a program - simply email me your email address and I will contact you when program dates are set.  Jo@theshrinkshop.com
 
 

Volume Enhances Muscle Building

Training to build muscle allow us a lot of variety with regards to reps, weights, sets and rest.
You can use just about any combination you want as long as it hits enough "volume"
 
Volume, in the context of muscle building, refers to the total amount of work performed in a workout, typically measured by the number of sets, reps, and weight lifted. It's a key factor in muscle hypertrophy, the process by which muscle fibers increase in size.
Here's why volume is important for building muscle:
Muscle Damage: When you lift weights, you cause micro-tears in your muscle fibers. These tears, when repaired, result in muscle growth. Higher volume workouts create more of these micro-tears, stimulating greater muscle growth.
Metabolic Stress: High volume workouts create metabolic stress, which is associated with the buildup of metabolites such as lactate and hydrogen ions in the muscles. This metabolic stress signals the body to adapt by increasing muscle size and strength.
Mechanical Tension: Volume allows for sustained mechanical tension on the muscle fibers during a workout. This tension is a primary driver of muscle growth. By performing more sets and reps, you provide more opportunities for the muscle fibers to be under tension, stimulating growth.
Progressive Overload: Building muscle requires progressively overloading the muscles over time. This means gradually increasing the stress placed on the muscles by increasing volume, intensity, or both. Without sufficient volume, it's challenging to progressively overload the muscles and stimulate further growth.
Volume and Intensity were topics of my Muscle Month Program
Up next is TIGHT28 may 25 - June 22 2024
Never miss a program!  email me at jo@theshrinkshop.com and I will add you to my email list (promise no spam!)

Young Muscle & Video Games

Although this podcast is for "midlife" and beyond, I feel compelled to discuss young adults, their desire to build muscle and their desire to play video games!
It makes me very happy to see so many teenagers and young adults interested in lifting weights to gain muscle and get stronger. 
Social media and its influencers are partly driving this (which I also think is awesome)
But on the other side of the coin is the passion for video games.
I dont have a dog in this fight because I dont have kids, so let me just shoot from the hip and tell it the way it is.
 
LACK OF SLEEP & MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY
Insulin, growth hormone, IGF1, testosterone, protien and optimal training are the growth factors we need to optimize is we want to build muscle at any age.
Lack of sleeep
Decreases testosterone
Decreases GH
Distrupts Insulin and IGF
Increases cortisol
Disrupts Ghrelin (an appetite regulator)
Moves us towards insulin resistance and anabolic resistance
Which can/will cause
Less muscle protein synthesis
Impair our ability to move amino acids in the muscle
Impair glucose tolerance
Reduce the hormonal growth factos needed to hypertrophy
Increase appetitie
Increase cravings and sweet cravings
Increase muscle breakdown (esp the extremities)
Increase fat storage generally, but esp in the midsection
It seems we are in an era where we expect to do whateve we want but also get the results we want.
It will not work, not even close.
I cant even sugar coat this. We must sleep to build muscle and preserve tissue health
The yound adults are creating an enviroment I would expect to see in a person my own age where the hormones arent working as well.
If you are going to train hard in the gym, why not optimize all the tools that youth has to offer you?
It is not about doing "what you can" it is about doing "what is necessary"
 
Feel free to forward this to any teenager or young adult that needs to hear this
MUSCLE MONTH starts this Sunday (march 31) www.musclemonth.com
Send me your email address to be put on contact list so that you will one of the first to know when my programs are available.
 
jo@theshrinkshop.com
 
If you ever want to bring my coaching to your small business please use the email above
 
 

Commodities vs Processed Food, an untold tale

Commodities are foods found in their natural raw state
Processed food or CPG (consumer packaged goods) are far from natural or raw.
Commodities fall under the jurisdiction of the USDA. CPG rather are governed by the FTC (federal trade commission)
 
Here lies a problem - a huge problem!
The USDA does not allow commodidies to compare themselves or make claims. An egg cannot say it is better than a keto bomb.
The FTC DOES allow comparison and it also allow some degree of claims. A processed food cant say it cures cancer but it can say "meat is bad" and our Impossible burger is heart healthy
 
Its a problem
Commodities cannot counter claim or offer evidence or their superiority, nor do they have the money to fund tha studies that the processed foods companies run.
This allows for false claims, inaccurate comparisons - meanwhile the commodities slighted cant do a thing about it - there is no recourse
 
Muscle Month starts on March 31 and in that program I will be discussing in depth protein and its essential role in muscle building.
Eggs, fish, poultry and meat are such commodities that have no voice.
It is no wonder that so many people have been swayed away from animal protein and towards "plant based" (which is usually PROCESSED FOOD)
In this episode of Midlife Mayhem I talk about the unfairness or it all, coupled with food preferences and the never ending cycle of food bias.
 
I hope you enjoy 
To find out more about Muscle Month please go to www.musclemonth.com
 
To find out more about me and my coaching www.theshrinkshop.com
To contact me directly jo@theshrinkshop.com
To find me on social media please look for @theshrinkshop
or Joanne Lee Cornish on Youtube
 
 

TRAINING FOR A LOOK

Do you have a goal for your training?
Many people feel frustrated (and bored) with their training efforts because they didnt set an actual "desired outcome"
 
The example I use a lot is the lady who wants to be "toned" and walks through the weight room in a gym to get to the cardio room?! In so doing, walking past the very equipment that would move her towards her goal.
 
The thought is that if we lose enough fat there is a 6 pack a cute butt and some cute delts under there - there isnt
Now the opposite is true. 
 
If you want to be fast but never run - that is also a tad futile :)
 
In this episode I expalin examples of how I train certain body types with certain visual goals
I describe what I would look for in a bikini competitor and how I would train that lady
I also explain how I would train a young professional guy that wants to get buff but also wears a collared shirt all day.
 
Matching what you want with your body type and with your workouts is a skill - a good trainer should be able to assess this in mere minutes of talking to you and looking at you.
 
In my upcoming MUSCLE MONTH program (we start in 2 weeks March 31!) I will be doing this with a few program members.
Looking at their body, listening to their goal and giving realistic feedback and a spercific plan for their training.
 
MUSCLE MONTH www.musclemonth.com starts very soon March 31
 
To coach this program I need to be at home for a whole month (because I need the gym) for this reason I doubt I will be able to repeat this program this year.
 
Dont walk, RUN to muscle month :)
 
If you have questions please email me at jo@theshrinkshop.com
To find out more about programs and coaching please visit www.theshrinkshop.com
 
 

How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat - at the same time!

You’ve probably heard someone argue that achieving muscle growth and fat loss in the same day is physically impossible because of thermodynamics. The argument goes as follows.
To build muscle, you must store energy. To lose fat, you must burn energy.
When you are in energy surplus, your body stores energy. When you are in a deficit, your body loses energy.
Therefore, you must be in energy surplus to gain muscle and in a deficit to lose fat.
The first two points, the premises, are true. They refer to the first law of thermodynamics (‘movement of energy’), also called the law of the conversion of energy. This law means energy cannot just disappear. It has to go somewhere. Building new fat or muscle cells requires energy and breaking them down releases energy. However, point three, the conclusion, is false.
 
Why? Because muscle and fat tissue are different functional compartments in the body. As a result, your body directs calories towards muscle and fat mass independently. Researchers call this calorie partitioning and the resulting change in fat and muscle mass are expressed as a P-ratio.
 
The body does need other substrates to build muscle mass of course. You need building blocks to build a house. Let’s look at what exactly the body needs.  
 
So what do we need to build muscle mass?
Lots of water (H2O). You can drink plenty of that during a cut, so no problems there.
Several kinds of protein. Again you can eat a lot of protein on a fat loss diet, so no problems here either. For the DNA and RNA we also need nitrogen and phosphate, but those can be derived from dietary protein.
Glycogen (carbs) and triglycerides (fat). This basically just comes down to energy, because glucose and fat are non-essential nutrients that can be created by the body itself. We need a lot more energy too, because the protein synthesis for the muscle building process is an energy costly process itself.
 
In short, we need protein, water, and energy.
Where do we get the energy?
Easy. Your body has plenty of that – its that body fat you are trying to lose. They say an average woman has 2 months of fuel on her body in the form of stored body fat – so that is plenty of fuel! 
Thus, as long as your body has sufficient stimulus to build muscle mass, which it has if your training program is optimized, it has both the means and the will to build muscle mass while simultaneously losing fat.
 
Similarly, your body is capable of storing fat while burning muscle. The conservation of energy law only means that you must gain energy in an energy surplus and lose energy in a deficit. It says nothing about how these calories are partitioned or about how your body composition changes.
There is an awesome study that used overweight police officers, they were put on a low calorie diet but with surplus protein and they did resistance training for 12 weeks, On average they lost 9.3 lb of fat and gained 8.8 lb of muscle
This is what we call “recomp” (recomposition) when a bodyweight can stay pretty much unchanged but the composition changes. In this case the police officers weight did not change very much but they had tremendous fat loss and muscle gains at the same time.
Newbies often experience “recomp” but so too can experienced lifters.
Indeed more muscle can be built in a greater energy surplus and indeed gaining muscle in a deficit is harder for an experienced trainer, but with sufficient stimuli and enough protein you should expect to build muscle on a fat loss diet.
 
After all we know that the body can gain fat and lose muscle at the same time when in a surplus
Why not then for the body to lose fat and gain muscle in a deficit? The macros, training, rest and recovery just need to be inline and it will happen.
 
This is what MUSCLE MONTH is all about - building muscle and staying lean, or getting leaner.
I would never do a bulking program, so I would never ask that of my clients
 
But Muscle Month starts really soon March 31 - April 27
If you missed it, please send me your contact info and I will put you on my mailing list
jo@theshrinkshop.com
 
MUSCLE MONTH 
www.musclemonth.com
 
 

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