WEBVTT - Decoding Exercise Physiology with Robert Brace 0:00:17.130 --> 0:00:17.610 Pushkin. 0:00:24.290 --> 0:00:29.170 This show is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, 0:00:29.290 --> 0:00:33.769 or treatment. It is for informational purposes. Please consult your 0:00:33.770 --> 0:00:36.370 healthcare professional with any medical questions. 0:00:38.130 --> 0:00:43.010 The muscle has solutions for so many things, and so 0:00:43.210 --> 0:00:45.370 that's why it's so important to take it out of 0:00:45.650 --> 0:00:48.650 just oh, I'm working out to lose weight. There is 0:00:48.809 --> 0:00:50.889 so much more to it. 0:00:53.330 --> 0:00:56.610 Welcome back to Coding Women's Health. I'm doctor Elizabeth Pointer. 0:00:57.290 --> 0:00:59.930 Today on the show, we're talking about a different way 0:00:59.970 --> 0:01:03.090 to think about exercise, or as I like to think 0:01:03.130 --> 0:01:06.610 of it, movement, and how it connects to our mental 0:01:06.810 --> 0:01:11.970 and yes, even our spiritual health. I've invited my own trainer, 0:01:12.370 --> 0:01:16.130 Robert Brace, onto the show. He's been a key part 0:01:16.170 --> 0:01:18.890 of my journey to feeling stronger again after a recent 0:01:18.930 --> 0:01:23.490 surgery with significant complications, and he's totally changed my mindset 0:01:23.690 --> 0:01:27.570 when it comes to movement. I first discovered Robert's studio, 0:01:28.050 --> 0:01:32.930 Brace Life Studios about two years ago. When I arrived downtown, 0:01:33.130 --> 0:01:35.970 I was surrounded by the fairy lights of little Italy 0:01:36.650 --> 0:01:39.890 and when I walked in these beautiful, larger than life 0:01:39.970 --> 0:01:43.730 posters of strong, confident women on their fitness journeys were 0:01:43.730 --> 0:01:47.370 hanging on the walls. The place is just filled with 0:01:47.410 --> 0:01:51.490 the most amazing energy and community. I knew immediately it 0:01:51.530 --> 0:01:55.290 was somewhere that I wanted to train, and that Robert 0:01:55.530 --> 0:01:58.490 was someone that I wanted to work with. Now I'm 0:01:58.530 --> 0:02:02.930 at his gym nearly every morning. Robert has such a 0:02:03.050 --> 0:02:07.410 unique and incredible background. He was a professional dancer for 0:02:07.450 --> 0:02:10.410 many years, and then he actually worked as a minister. 0:02:11.450 --> 0:02:15.130 Now he runs his boutique personal training studio that caters 0:02:15.130 --> 0:02:19.770 to midlife women. I love Robert's approach to exercise and movement. 0:02:20.530 --> 0:02:24.329 He has what he calls a mind, body, soul approach. 0:02:25.489 --> 0:02:28.690 More than anything, I hope that you reach the end 0:02:28.730 --> 0:02:33.130 of this episode feeling empowered. Robert has helped hundreds of 0:02:33.169 --> 0:02:37.690 women transform their lives and most importantly, not settle for 0:02:37.769 --> 0:02:47.570 feeling like their best years are behind them. 0:02:47.810 --> 0:02:51.530 One of the things that the fitness industry, my industry, 0:02:51.570 --> 0:02:55.370 has done a very poor job at, is helping people 0:02:55.450 --> 0:03:01.490 make the connection between movement, exercise, muscle, mental health, spiritual wellbeing, 0:03:02.530 --> 0:03:05.410 and how we do move through life right. Because up 0:03:05.450 --> 0:03:09.250 until now it's been you move to lose weight to 0:03:09.290 --> 0:03:12.929 get in shape. Right, And yes, there's the narrative about 0:03:12.929 --> 0:03:15.530 health there, but that's what it's been for a long time. 0:03:15.929 --> 0:03:20.329 But when you start talking about movement affecting the mind. 0:03:20.929 --> 0:03:24.209 If we think about stress, how stress affects the body. 0:03:24.570 --> 0:03:27.609 It shuts down, goes into reptil in brain. Because you're 0:03:27.609 --> 0:03:31.690 in flight or fight mode, your executive function isn't working 0:03:31.810 --> 0:03:37.730 as well. Your anxiety increases. Right when you move your muscle, 0:03:38.290 --> 0:03:42.730 your muscle produces endorphins. End dolphins have been shown to 0:03:42.850 --> 0:03:45.770 take the edge off of anxiety and help calm your 0:03:45.850 --> 0:03:49.290 mind and your body down. So when I talk about spirituality, 0:03:49.730 --> 0:03:53.610 these are two quote unquote spiritual qualities, right, sense of 0:03:53.730 --> 0:03:57.330 joy and a sense of calm. If anybody ever experienced 0:03:57.330 --> 0:04:01.809 the runners high that happens after typically after you move 0:04:01.890 --> 0:04:05.570 or do some intense activity for over twenty minutes, that 0:04:05.650 --> 0:04:08.570 produces in your body end or cannabinoids. And so your 0:04:08.730 --> 0:04:13.450 movement is affecting your move your blissful mood. And if 0:04:13.450 --> 0:04:15.290 you move in a group, if you've ever done Soul 0:04:15.410 --> 0:04:18.289 cycle or one of those group classes where you're moving 0:04:18.330 --> 0:04:20.890 and everybody at the end feels like this kind of 0:04:20.930 --> 0:04:25.330 euphoric feeling, right, It's been said that when you move 0:04:25.370 --> 0:04:28.210 in a group, the body produces more oxytocin, which is 0:04:28.250 --> 0:04:33.650 the love the bonding hormone, and so movement gives you 0:04:33.810 --> 0:04:37.969 all of these emotional, spiritual, whatever you want to call 0:04:38.010 --> 0:04:42.450 them qualities just from engaging with your muscles. So that 0:04:42.490 --> 0:04:45.250 feeling you get after you leave the studio or after 0:04:45.250 --> 0:04:49.289 you leave your workout is all of that combined. So 0:04:49.330 --> 0:04:54.089 it goes way beyond just changing your body losing weight, 0:04:54.450 --> 0:04:56.890 getting toned, and that's all great. We level of that, right, 0:04:57.010 --> 0:04:59.130 but it's so much more so. 0:04:59.650 --> 0:05:02.410 This is such an evolved view of fitness. You know, we, 0:05:02.650 --> 0:05:04.330 like you said, we used to look at fitness as 0:05:04.409 --> 0:05:07.569 just like losing weight or getting in a particular shape, 0:05:07.610 --> 0:05:10.690 that type of thing. You have this great background of 0:05:10.770 --> 0:05:14.089 dam and ministry. How did you say one day, I'm 0:05:14.130 --> 0:05:15.970 just going to put it all together in Brace Life 0:05:16.010 --> 0:05:19.050 Studios because I you know, I'm kind of I'm kind 0:05:19.050 --> 0:05:22.290 of addicted to Bracelefe Studios. I'm there every morning, guys, 0:05:22.330 --> 0:05:24.690 like almost every morning at like six o'clock. I mean, 0:05:24.770 --> 0:05:29.369 the dopamine is great, right, but I moved through my 0:05:29.490 --> 0:05:32.570 day with a different the different attitude and a different 0:05:32.610 --> 0:05:36.529 like connectiveness actually, right, So how did you evolve into 0:05:36.570 --> 0:05:38.210 developing brace life studios. 0:05:38.570 --> 0:05:44.489 Well it wasn't as it wasn't as seamless. Shall we 0:05:44.570 --> 0:05:49.290 say as it sounds right? I think for me, when 0:05:49.370 --> 0:05:54.530 I was dancing, I remember feeling that whenever I moved 0:05:54.650 --> 0:05:58.849 and danced, whatever emotional issues I was having, whatever stress 0:05:58.890 --> 0:06:01.650 that I was having, was just released. And so when 0:06:01.650 --> 0:06:03.770 I was younger, I just thought, well, that's just because 0:06:03.810 --> 0:06:06.570 I'm doing what I love to do, right, And then 0:06:06.810 --> 0:06:08.650 I went into I was in the ministry for a 0:06:08.690 --> 0:06:10.770 little bit, and I loved doing what I did then, 0:06:10.770 --> 0:06:14.570 but it was more just a mental application of spirituality. 0:06:14.570 --> 0:06:17.169 So I felt something was missing. And so when I 0:06:17.210 --> 0:06:20.529 came back to training and I started to move again, 0:06:20.890 --> 0:06:24.370 I was like, Okay, this is what's missing. And then 0:06:24.730 --> 0:06:28.970 through studying about embodied cognition and studying about how muscle 0:06:29.370 --> 0:06:32.929 informs how you feel, I started to say, okay, this 0:06:33.930 --> 0:06:36.969 is how we need to talk about movement. Yes, your 0:06:37.010 --> 0:06:41.770 body will change, your spiritual change, your mindfulness will change. 0:06:41.810 --> 0:06:44.089 So it's all embodied in movement. 0:06:44.409 --> 0:06:47.290 It's so interesting because I mean, now the wellness community 0:06:47.409 --> 0:06:50.650 is we're catching up to you, right, you are a forerunner. 0:06:50.690 --> 0:06:53.210 Are realizing now because we all talk about longevity. As 0:06:53.610 --> 0:06:56.729 you know, optimism, sense of purpose, all of these things 0:06:56.730 --> 0:07:00.170 that travel together and are so important in terms of 0:07:00.450 --> 0:07:04.050 movement as how it contributes to that. Let's talk about 0:07:04.089 --> 0:07:08.090 embodied cognition. Tell me about what does that mean and 0:07:08.250 --> 0:07:09.290 how do you apply that. 0:07:09.690 --> 0:07:12.570 So there's been a common duality, right, the brain and 0:07:12.610 --> 0:07:15.570 the body are two different things, and lever Twente meat 0:07:15.970 --> 0:07:19.690 some of it is grounded in kind of religious thinking, 0:07:19.730 --> 0:07:22.850 the temperance movement that the brain should have control over 0:07:22.850 --> 0:07:23.249 the body. 0:07:23.330 --> 0:07:23.530 Right. 0:07:23.650 --> 0:07:29.810 Embodied cognition says that the body informs the brain. And 0:07:29.890 --> 0:07:33.690 so for example, in its most simple state, you're hear 0:07:33.730 --> 0:07:34.730 in the studio all the time. 0:07:34.650 --> 0:07:35.890 Chest up, shoulder blades. 0:07:35.650 --> 0:07:41.010 Back right right, So mancha, if you are sitting with 0:07:41.170 --> 0:07:44.610 your shoulders rolled forward, if your head is down, if 0:07:44.690 --> 0:07:47.690 your shoulders are all the way up, it says you 0:07:47.770 --> 0:07:51.330 feel different in your body than when you open up 0:07:51.370 --> 0:07:54.650 your chest, open up your lungs, breathe into your lungs, 0:07:54.690 --> 0:07:58.689 sit with your backstraight. You immediately feel differently right, gestural 0:07:58.770 --> 0:08:05.290 postural change. So the body is informing how the brain feels. 0:08:05.850 --> 0:08:09.530 And so when we get to movement, let's just say 0:08:09.810 --> 0:08:12.530 like you're in a studio, so we have a real 0:08:12.610 --> 0:08:16.530 intense focus on form and posture. So you're doing it 0:08:16.610 --> 0:08:22.930 an exercise bicyccle. If we are asking you to stand 0:08:23.050 --> 0:08:26.809 with correct posture, make sure that your arms are moving 0:08:26.810 --> 0:08:30.570 through the right alignment and right range of motion. You've 0:08:30.610 --> 0:08:34.330 taken your focus from your brain inside your body. Right, 0:08:34.530 --> 0:08:37.050 Your focus has gone inside your body, and then your 0:08:37.090 --> 0:08:40.410 breathing is connected to it. You're muscleing is being engaged. 0:08:40.690 --> 0:08:45.010 As soon as that happens. Your movement is affecting what's 0:08:45.050 --> 0:08:50.050 going on cognitively, right, and you have to be present. 0:08:50.569 --> 0:08:54.410 The movement shuts out all the noise outside, So it's 0:08:54.450 --> 0:08:58.770 like a movement meditation like it's movement is mindfulness in 0:08:59.130 --> 0:09:02.610 motion because you're focusing inside your body. I love that, 0:09:02.689 --> 0:09:05.890 and that becomes a movement meditation. It brings you present 0:09:06.250 --> 0:09:10.330 to wherever you're at. And so embodied cognition says, you 0:09:10.370 --> 0:09:16.010 know when your body moves, it affects how your brain functions, 0:09:16.050 --> 0:09:18.730 and that then two are not separate. You don't have 0:09:18.890 --> 0:09:21.410 just a body. You have a body that works with 0:09:21.569 --> 0:09:25.810 your brain. So as you move, you become through movement 0:09:25.929 --> 0:09:27.610 because the two think together. 0:09:28.330 --> 0:09:31.010 Let's just talk about some really basic stuff because I'm 0:09:31.090 --> 0:09:33.210 lucky enough to be able to go into your studio. 0:09:33.569 --> 0:09:35.449 But I want to get some basics for our listeners 0:09:35.490 --> 0:09:39.530 because they should hear your view on how women should 0:09:39.569 --> 0:09:42.530 train differently during their cycles, or how women should train 0:09:42.569 --> 0:09:45.329 differently at midlife. So let's just start with midlife. So 0:09:45.450 --> 0:09:49.010 how should women train differently in midlife than when they 0:09:49.010 --> 0:09:52.130 were younger? Actually? Or how doom, how should women train 0:09:52.210 --> 0:09:55.010 differently than men? Because you have some big influencers saying 0:09:55.010 --> 0:09:57.330 that men and women should train the same, So give 0:09:57.410 --> 0:09:59.050 us your perspective on those two. 0:09:59.370 --> 0:10:01.650 I think what I want to do is give more 0:10:01.730 --> 0:10:04.050 the why, and I'll give some of the how. But 0:10:04.170 --> 0:10:09.170 what I mean is this midlife eeschras and decreases, right, 0:10:09.250 --> 0:10:12.210 so that means bone density decreases. That means you're more 0:10:12.290 --> 0:10:17.450 susceptible to osteoporosis. Right, Building lean muscle mass is going 0:10:17.490 --> 0:10:20.210 to stimulate the osteoblasts, which is going to help you 0:10:20.689 --> 0:10:25.290 build your bone density. So think of everything that you're 0:10:25.330 --> 0:10:30.090 doing and in our icons program, which is what we 0:10:30.330 --> 0:10:33.809 typically call this program, all of the signature movements are 0:10:33.850 --> 0:10:38.530 to build aesthetics, your overall health, and your longevity. 0:10:39.010 --> 0:10:41.729 So you're training women forty and on pretty much and 0:10:41.770 --> 0:10:44.130 I'm not going to say Indiana sixty because I'm over sixty. 0:10:44.210 --> 0:10:47.969 So I'm like, we're not going to yeah, we're not 0:10:48.010 --> 0:10:49.890 going to say forty to sixty. We're going to say 0:10:49.929 --> 0:10:53.650 forty and beyond, right, and give me some specifics, like 0:10:53.689 --> 0:10:56.410 how what are the specifics in terms of what is 0:10:56.410 --> 0:10:58.410 the mix of cardio, what is the mix of strength 0:10:58.450 --> 0:11:01.410 training hit? What is your what is I don't want 0:11:01.410 --> 0:11:02.890 to ask you for your secret sauce, but what's your 0:11:02.890 --> 0:11:03.849 secret sauce in terms of. 0:11:03.770 --> 0:11:06.250 Okay, So there's two different levels to this. The first, 0:11:06.370 --> 0:11:10.969 very basic level is that women on the mental respect 0:11:11.970 --> 0:11:13.569 need to build lean muscle mass. 0:11:13.970 --> 0:11:14.090 Right. 0:11:14.890 --> 0:11:19.170 Lean muscle mass has so many benefits, go into those later, 0:11:19.450 --> 0:11:22.290 but for the purposes of the technique, one of the 0:11:22.290 --> 0:11:25.290 fastest ways to build lean muscle mass is compound movements. Right, 0:11:25.530 --> 0:11:28.809 large movements that recruit a lot of different joints. 0:11:28.890 --> 0:11:30.569 Give us an example of a compound movement. 0:11:30.569 --> 0:11:34.810 So, okay, right, So a good squad with the knees 0:11:35.290 --> 0:11:38.650 in the right position, your hips receding in the right 0:11:38.650 --> 0:11:41.770 way so that you get a maximum amount of pressure 0:11:41.809 --> 0:11:44.570 through your thighs, and as you stand through it, standing 0:11:44.569 --> 0:11:47.850 through it with the right posture. Okay, so we want 0:11:47.850 --> 0:11:49.730 to get you to build lean muscle mass as fast 0:11:49.770 --> 0:11:53.530 as possible. At the same time for your brain and 0:11:53.610 --> 0:11:56.850 also for your posture, we want you to move within 0:11:56.890 --> 0:12:01.890 the right alignment. So our approach is very different in 0:12:02.010 --> 0:12:04.850 terms of if most trainers will tell you don't train 0:12:04.929 --> 0:12:11.170 the same body parts back to back, right, we take 0:12:11.210 --> 0:12:15.250 a dance philosophy because if you look at dancers or athletes, 0:12:15.809 --> 0:12:19.090 they typically train the same movement patterns, maybe in different ways, 0:12:19.090 --> 0:12:20.410 but over and over every day day. 0:12:20.650 --> 0:12:20.970 Right. 0:12:21.170 --> 0:12:24.050 A ballet dancer does peers every day, right, just tondus 0:12:24.050 --> 0:12:27.530 every day, right. Because what happens is it allows the brain. 0:12:28.130 --> 0:12:30.489 The first couple of times you do it's like, oh, 0:12:30.610 --> 0:12:33.490 they're going to be sore, like hold back that movement, 0:12:33.530 --> 0:12:36.730 make them tight. But the more that you do it, 0:12:36.850 --> 0:12:41.170 your brain begins to ask your body to adapt to 0:12:41.250 --> 0:12:44.370 the new demand that's placed on it. Now, that's important 0:12:44.370 --> 0:12:48.890 because for our population, we want to build lean muscle mass, 0:12:49.170 --> 0:12:52.610 but we also want them to really learn movement patterns 0:12:52.809 --> 0:12:57.050 so that they accelerate more quickly, their joints are stronger, 0:12:57.530 --> 0:13:01.329 and you know it helps with that long lean aesthetic. Right, 0:13:01.890 --> 0:13:07.690 So we call it rift, repetition, interval intelligence. That's interval training. 0:13:08.050 --> 0:13:11.689 So for the most part, it depends on where you're 0:13:11.730 --> 0:13:15.610 at in your cycle. Interval training can be the best 0:13:15.929 --> 0:13:18.410 or not so much the best, right, But in those 0:13:18.610 --> 0:13:24.329 phases of the filliqular ovulatory stages, right, that's when you're 0:13:24.490 --> 0:13:28.890 pushing right. So in those stages, that's when we'll use 0:13:29.010 --> 0:13:31.969 interval training. And the particular kind of interval training we 0:13:32.130 --> 0:13:36.050 use is to barts and then it's attention to detail 0:13:36.290 --> 0:13:40.449 in a single joint movement like a bicep, but making 0:13:40.450 --> 0:13:43.730 sure that you're supporting cast your core, your back is 0:13:43.770 --> 0:13:45.210 supporting your biceps. 0:13:45.250 --> 0:13:47.010 So it's still a full. 0:13:47.010 --> 0:13:52.010 Bodied movement, right, and meticulous attention to form an alignment 0:13:52.090 --> 0:13:52.730 and posture. 0:13:52.970 --> 0:13:53.210 Right. 0:13:53.850 --> 0:13:59.010 So you're training pretty much the whole body every session. Correct. Yes, 0:13:59.130 --> 0:14:02.450 And so let's talk about interval training. Tell us what 0:14:02.450 --> 0:14:04.210 that is. What do you mean by interval training. 0:14:04.530 --> 0:14:09.130 So interval training is when you have a big burst 0:14:09.850 --> 0:14:14.690 of energy exercise, high velocity, high speed, high power exercise 0:14:15.090 --> 0:14:17.730 followed by a period of rest right or slowed down. 0:14:18.330 --> 0:14:20.250 So we use a lot of different ones, but the 0:14:20.250 --> 0:14:23.210 ones that we are really part of the program. It's 0:14:23.210 --> 0:14:26.290 about us which means you push as hard as you 0:14:26.330 --> 0:14:28.690 can for about twenty seconds and then you'll rest for 0:14:28.770 --> 0:14:32.250 ten seconds. Doctor Zuomi Tabarta, he was the trainer for 0:14:32.290 --> 0:14:36.170 the Japanese speed Speeds getting team, and he figured out 0:14:36.330 --> 0:14:42.130 the twenty seconds on ten seconds off boosted long cardiovascular capacity, 0:14:42.450 --> 0:14:44.250 boosted the metabolism, and. 0:14:44.210 --> 0:14:46.250 Then so in terms of interval training, in terms of 0:14:46.290 --> 0:14:49.410 the sessions that you do with your clients, how much 0:14:49.450 --> 0:14:52.690 of the session is interval training? Is it scattered throughout sessions, 0:14:52.690 --> 0:14:56.170 scattered throughout the week, how do you put that in? 0:14:56.650 --> 0:15:02.170 Typically, what we're building towards is we want everybody to 0:15:02.210 --> 0:15:05.250 be able to do two full interval set, two full 0:15:05.290 --> 0:15:08.330 to barter sets, so that's twenty seconds on, ten seconds off, 0:15:08.410 --> 0:15:11.370 eight times for four minutes. We want people a bill 0:15:11.450 --> 0:15:13.570 to be able to do in two of those. You 0:15:13.610 --> 0:15:16.970 have to modify it to the individual, but typically that's 0:15:17.490 --> 0:15:21.210 what we're trying to do within the hour session. In 0:15:21.290 --> 0:15:25.850 terms of cardio, there's also a lot of evidence that 0:15:26.930 --> 0:15:30.250 endurance training is very advantageous to women. 0:15:30.370 --> 0:15:33.130 Explain endurance training. 0:15:32.330 --> 0:15:35.490 Training is you get on a you get on a treadmill, 0:15:35.770 --> 0:15:38.930 you put the incline up to five and you know 0:15:39.090 --> 0:15:42.490 you walk for twenty minutes. It's intense. It's not interval training, 0:15:42.970 --> 0:15:46.210 but it's endurance training that over time is going to 0:15:46.450 --> 0:15:50.010 help you build mong capacity, burn body fat. 0:15:50.130 --> 0:15:54.010 And also that's beyond zone too, right, yes, three zone four. 0:15:54.210 --> 0:15:59.090 Yeah, so you're you're pushing, you're stressing your cardiovascular in 0:15:59.130 --> 0:15:59.770 a different way. 0:16:00.410 --> 0:16:03.690 So women should aim. You know, we have our guideline 0:16:03.690 --> 0:16:06.050 recommendations right for one hundred and fifty minutes of cardio 0:16:06.170 --> 0:16:09.250 zone two each week and three days of strength training, 0:16:09.530 --> 0:16:11.610 and we, like I said, we typically tell people like 0:16:11.690 --> 0:16:13.930 no more than that every forty eight hours. I always 0:16:13.930 --> 0:16:16.130 wondering swimmer because I swam every day. 0:16:17.130 --> 0:16:20.690 But that's what I'm saying you, Okay, For example, you're swimming, right, 0:16:20.730 --> 0:16:23.770 You swam every day yea, And so you learned how 0:16:23.810 --> 0:16:26.810 to use your muscles in a certain movement pattern which 0:16:26.850 --> 0:16:30.650 created a certain body type, and your your muscles conformed 0:16:30.690 --> 0:16:34.330 to what you were doing. Yes, And there's so many 0:16:34.370 --> 0:16:36.770 different ways, Like one hundred people here, one hundred and 0:16:36.770 --> 0:16:41.090 fifty minutes of of cars like a lot, and they 0:16:41.090 --> 0:16:44.170 freak out right, yeah, So that's why I'm like, okay, 0:16:44.730 --> 0:16:47.930 do the interval training instead. It takes four minutes right, right, 0:16:48.090 --> 0:16:49.810 so you can do it in eight minutes as opposed 0:16:49.810 --> 0:16:52.770 to one hundred and fifty. And so that's where I 0:16:52.890 --> 0:16:55.210 just think when you've got to be careful whenever anything 0:16:55.250 --> 0:16:57.610 is an absolute right, right, you have to have one 0:16:57.650 --> 0:16:59.850 hundred and fifty minutes, you have to have ten thousand steps. 0:16:59.970 --> 0:17:00.729 You have to know. 0:17:01.090 --> 0:17:03.850 You've got to adjust it to the individual, and there's 0:17:04.250 --> 0:17:08.210 different ways to get there. For example, with my clients, 0:17:08.490 --> 0:17:11.810 nutritionally we don't count calories. Many other places do, and 0:17:11.890 --> 0:17:15.369 obviously there's benefits to it, but I'm like, get the 0:17:15.410 --> 0:17:18.889 right amount of protein, get the right amount of vegetables 0:17:18.930 --> 0:17:22.210 that are going to help you be nutritionally sound, eat 0:17:22.290 --> 0:17:24.730 to feed the muscle, and eat to feed your energy. 0:17:24.970 --> 0:17:25.210 Right. 0:17:25.810 --> 0:17:29.689 And some people love the data of looking at the 0:17:29.690 --> 0:17:34.369 calories that they consume, which is great. Most people don't 0:17:34.369 --> 0:17:38.770 have the bandwidth to follow. Mark down, put it in 0:17:38.810 --> 0:17:43.409 the app, take the picture. So let's give people what 0:17:43.609 --> 0:17:46.530 they can do in a way that they can sustain 0:17:46.570 --> 0:17:47.609 within their life. 0:17:48.090 --> 0:17:51.929 Meeting somebody where they're at. Yeah, so I'm getting connectivity 0:17:52.410 --> 0:17:59.369 right embody cognition and meeting somebody where they're at. I 0:17:59.450 --> 0:18:02.689 was an athlete growing up, but I've never experienced the 0:18:02.770 --> 0:18:06.530 kind of positive and supportive community that I found at 0:18:06.570 --> 0:18:10.970 Brace Life Studios, and I really have never encountered it. 0:18:11.090 --> 0:18:15.290 Training regimen so tailored to women, I wanted to talk 0:18:15.290 --> 0:18:18.369 to Robert about how hormones and where you are in 0:18:18.410 --> 0:18:22.050 your cycle can influence the way you approach training. That's 0:18:22.129 --> 0:18:43.449 coming up next after the break, Let's go back to 0:18:43.810 --> 0:18:47.170 training at different parts of your cycle. Right, For menopausal 0:18:47.170 --> 0:18:50.649 individuals like myself, it's great, it's just always the same right, right, 0:18:51.050 --> 0:18:54.530 so it's easy, But what about a client who's still cycling. 0:18:54.810 --> 0:18:57.169 Right in terms of minstrel cycles. 0:18:56.690 --> 0:19:01.649 So the follicular of your laterary stage, that is when 0:19:02.330 --> 0:19:07.489 we tend to push because the tesosterone is there, and 0:19:07.609 --> 0:19:12.129 during that phase women can lift heavier. And but during 0:19:12.129 --> 0:19:15.330 the lutail phase, when it's the more intense part of 0:19:15.369 --> 0:19:17.690 your cycle, cortisol is up and you don't want to 0:19:17.810 --> 0:19:21.610 keep spiking cortisol because and when I say you don't 0:19:21.609 --> 0:19:24.689 want to keep spiking cortisol interval training, the stress of 0:19:24.730 --> 0:19:27.449 interval training could do something like that. The stress of 0:19:27.490 --> 0:19:32.610 a really intense weight lifting session could spike cordsol even more. Right, 0:19:32.930 --> 0:19:34.609 So during that time, that's when you want to do 0:19:34.650 --> 0:19:37.090 things that are going to reduce cortisol. Maybe you're doing 0:19:37.090 --> 0:19:41.570 more stretching, maybe you're adding to breathing exercises there, meditation there, 0:19:42.050 --> 0:19:46.609 and doing the movements that you have to focus more 0:19:46.650 --> 0:19:49.930 inward for your posture and for the movement pathways. Right, 0:19:51.290 --> 0:19:54.730 things that are going to allow you to regulate your 0:19:54.770 --> 0:19:59.090 breathing so that you're calming the system down and reducing cordisol. 0:19:59.490 --> 0:20:03.449 So it's very important to understand, you know where you 0:20:03.530 --> 0:20:06.810 are in the cycle and adjust accordingly. 0:20:07.210 --> 0:20:09.730 So how can she know whether she's in the flicular 0:20:09.770 --> 0:20:13.010 phase or that ovulatory phase where you know she's going 0:20:13.050 --> 0:20:15.969 to train harder, and that luteal phase where she's going 0:20:16.010 --> 0:20:18.930 to take it at sounds like a little easier on herself, correct. 0:20:19.210 --> 0:20:21.570 I think the best way to do it instead of 0:20:21.650 --> 0:20:24.650 having remember the numbers and count the days and there's 0:20:24.690 --> 0:20:26.770 so many apps out there. 0:20:26.730 --> 0:20:28.929 Well put some Yeah, we'll put some resources out there 0:20:29.090 --> 0:20:32.449 in the in the show notes for everybody, talk to 0:20:32.490 --> 0:20:36.770 me about shifting hormones and as our hormones or estrogen 0:20:36.850 --> 0:20:40.770 levels are declining. Many times, androgen levels and testosterone the 0:20:40.810 --> 0:20:45.090 particularly challenges that older women or women midlife women also 0:20:45.250 --> 0:20:47.649 would have in terms of building muscle. What are the 0:20:47.690 --> 0:20:49.970 tips and tricks to get around that well? 0:20:50.410 --> 0:20:57.369 As you go over forty, testosterone is decreasing, which means 0:20:57.410 --> 0:21:00.410 it's harder to put on lean muscle mass. So if 0:21:00.410 --> 0:21:04.850 your testosterone is decreasing and your lean muscle mass is decreasing, 0:21:04.890 --> 0:21:09.210 which helps with your bone density, your metabolism because as 0:21:09.210 --> 0:21:12.290 you go through the menopause spec it's easier to gain 0:21:12.410 --> 0:21:16.770 body fat, especially around the mid section due to estrogen drops. Right, 0:21:18.290 --> 0:21:23.530 your progesterone is dropping, which has an effect on your sleep, 0:21:23.609 --> 0:21:26.169 has an effect on yours, your stress resilience. 0:21:27.530 --> 0:21:28.210 Here's the thing. 0:21:28.450 --> 0:21:32.010 The way to look at it is there's medicine in 0:21:32.050 --> 0:21:33.410 the muscle, right. 0:21:36.530 --> 0:21:37.250 In the muscle. 0:21:37.450 --> 0:21:40.050 Because we're saying we're almost repeating the same thing. 0:21:40.170 --> 0:21:40.410 Right. 0:21:41.170 --> 0:21:44.449 Estragen decreases we talked about bondensity, increase, your lean muscle 0:21:44.490 --> 0:21:48.770 mass activates us to your blast. Your bone density increases. 0:21:48.930 --> 0:21:55.010 Testopsterone decreasing during the menopause spectrum, progesterone is decreasing, Harder 0:21:55.050 --> 0:21:58.250 to sleep, harder to deal with stress. You work out, 0:21:58.450 --> 0:22:01.490 your lean muscle mass gives you the serotonin, gives you 0:22:01.530 --> 0:22:04.649 the endorphins to deal with some of the anxiety and stress. 0:22:04.850 --> 0:22:08.169 And also as you build more lean muscle mass, it 0:22:08.250 --> 0:22:11.409 helps regulate your arcading rhythm. And So the thing that 0:22:11.450 --> 0:22:14.330 I really love about what's happening now with the work 0:22:14.369 --> 0:22:17.410 that you do with HRT, I think we're in this 0:22:17.690 --> 0:22:22.530 really exciting place where women I get in touch with 0:22:22.650 --> 0:22:25.290 what's going on with their bodies through people like yourself 0:22:25.369 --> 0:22:28.810 understanding more about hormones getting to the stage in life 0:22:28.850 --> 0:22:30.850 where at the height of their careers, the height of 0:22:30.890 --> 0:22:34.890 their resources, height of their connections, they've got whatever wisdom 0:22:34.930 --> 0:22:37.730 they've had throughout life, right that get to that place, 0:22:38.450 --> 0:22:41.010 and then their bodies start to portray them. 0:22:41.090 --> 0:22:43.490 Yeah, it's interesting. One of my patients, who was actually 0:22:43.490 --> 0:22:45.290 a friend, said to me one day was, so she goes. 0:22:45.330 --> 0:22:47.810 I spent my entire career in life trying to get 0:22:47.850 --> 0:22:50.290 to the head of the boardroom table, and by the 0:22:50.369 --> 0:22:53.170 time I got there, I felt so awful. I felt 0:22:53.170 --> 0:22:56.610 physically bad. I couldn't remember my name, my memory was off, 0:22:56.650 --> 0:22:59.290 I lost my self confidence. And so it's a very 0:22:59.290 --> 0:23:03.369 interesting intersection of when we have all this power and 0:23:03.490 --> 0:23:06.250 force behind either anything that we've done in life, whether 0:23:06.290 --> 0:23:10.490 it's building our character, whether building, our career, our families, 0:23:10.730 --> 0:23:13.250 and and then all of a sudden we're there and 0:23:13.290 --> 0:23:17.690 then kaboom, like physiology throws us a curveball and says, 0:23:17.690 --> 0:23:20.290 why you're here? And you don't feel so great? Right, 0:23:20.330 --> 0:23:23.010 So it's this great intersection. I mean, what I love 0:23:23.050 --> 0:23:25.570 about you is like you were sitting at that intersection 0:23:25.730 --> 0:23:29.930 right now, really helping women like rock the second half 0:23:29.970 --> 0:23:31.970 of their lives or they're the it's not even the 0:23:31.970 --> 0:23:34.929 second halves, it's like the two thirds, you know. So 0:23:34.970 --> 0:23:37.010 what do you see as the future of that intersection. 0:23:37.369 --> 0:23:44.050 I think that we have separated medical and fitness, right, 0:23:44.609 --> 0:23:47.930 and they haven't really intertwined except for your trainer tells 0:23:47.930 --> 0:23:50.290 you to see your doctor something's wrong. Your doctor tells 0:23:50.330 --> 0:23:56.530 you go to go exercise, right, the two. Really, I 0:23:56.530 --> 0:24:00.330 think the two are going to come together. And what 0:24:00.369 --> 0:24:04.209 I mean by that is once people are able to 0:24:05.369 --> 0:24:14.810 understand the connection between health tricks you know, bone density, 0:24:15.690 --> 0:24:20.369