Better software makes for better functioning hardware. In this episode, we're discussing how to improve your body's software (inputs via your visual system) to improve the hardware (your muscular system). Improving our visual and vestibular system can make it easier for us to see results from our workouts and will allow us more freedom of movement along the way. 3:00 Nervous system input 7:10 The cause of muscle tightness 9:33 Visual and vestibular input 13:05 Proprioceptive system 17:42 How the...
Feb 03, 2022•29 min
Today we are adding another layer of understanding of our bodies: female hormones. Our guest, Krista Chernoff, is a nurse practitioner who discusses what hormones are, how they cycle as females, how to track those cycles, and how to exercise based on the phase of your cycle. 2:20 What are hormones and what do they do? 5:06 Why should women adapt their workouts to their hormones 8:34 What are the female cycles? 13:32 How to track your cycle 19:54 What can happen when you ignore where you are in y...
Jan 27, 2022•47 min
The more connected you are to your muscles, the more effective your strength training workouts will be. You can use external resistance like weights and gravity to stress muscles, but you can also use internal resistance like recruiting motor units by flexing. In this episode, I walk you through what a motor unit is, how they are recruited, and a tool you can use to improve the recruitment of your glutes. You can use this tool for any muscle, and it will improve your results. Glute max anatomy v...
Jan 20, 2022•29 min
Dr. Natasha is a medical doctor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She discusses the anatomy of the nervous system and how injury to the brain or body can affect your fitness routine. Follow Dr. Natasha on Instagram Follow Dr. Natasha on Tiktok Start your Evlo 14 day trial (limited time only) To take our free 35-minute Upper Body Build class taught by Dr. Shannon, visit portal.evlofitness.com ....
Jan 13, 2022•29 min
Today we’re going to talk about something specific when it comes to aging - and that’s the tendency to develop insulin resistance as we age. Insulin resistance is widespread, with some doctors claiming that most of the population has some level of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is linked to many "age-related" diseases like heart disease and even dementia. Gaining muscle is one way to improve our insulin sensitivity, which can help us age healthier. The five basics podcast Cardio podcast ...
Jan 06, 2022•19 min
Gentle consistency is the recipe to fitness success for your lifetime, but many people want results fast. This leads to burn-out and isn't sustainable. Here are four mistakes to avoid in the new year: Ramping intensity too quickly Doing workouts that cause too much overall fatigue, rather than specific fatigue to muscles Trying to use exercise as a fat loss tool Not having a plan These things are very normal and common, but you want to avoid them if sustainable fitness is your goal. Foundations ...
Dec 30, 2021•32 min
Shannon is addressing some frequently asked questions in today's episode: How much cardio should I add? How much should I stretch? Can I gain muscle without lifting super heavy? Tune in to hear her take on these FAQs! Sign up for our Evlo Foundations program (free for two weeks) Resources: Cardio podcast: HIIT Cardio podcast 2: steady state How to measure your recovery Study on HIIT dosage To take our free 35-minute Upper Body Build class taught by Dr. Shannon, visit portal.evlofitness.com ....
Dec 23, 2021•32 min
Consistency is the currency for results if you follow five basic principles. The five basics for exercise results are: Programming Exercise selection Progressive overload Nutrition Recovery If you get those things down, your body will get stronger. I explain each one of them in detail in this episode. Many people don't apply these things, and therefore they don't stay consistent, get injured, or don't see their bodies adapt and improve. In this episode, I gave the most common reasons why people ...
Dec 16, 2021•43 min
We spend a lot of time talking about what to do IN your workouts for great results without wearing down your joints. But what should we be doing outside of your workouts to make sure your workouts are creating the strongest impact? It turns out, the time outside of your workouts is equally as important as the workouts themselves. Recovery is 50% of the equation. So that means the efficacy of your workouts is only as good as your ability to recover from them. This episode is all about recovery. I...
Dec 09, 2021•28 min
In this episode, I'll talk about how using your nervous system to recruit more fibers can improve your results, even if you aren't adding more resistance. For the general fitness community - and what I recommend to my clients - is to set a goal of hypertrophy in their workouts. This means your muscles are increasing in size, which helps improve all sorts of health measures like insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, and body composition. I always encourage people to get to a certain muscle ...
Dec 02, 2021•28 min
It's all too normal to feel guilty about enjoying your favorite holiday treats and try to "burn it off" the next day in your workout. In this episode, I'll discuss why this isn't recommended or effective. I'll talk about why it leads to burnout and how it actually isn't likely to increase your overall deficit and make a dent in burning extra calories. Let's re-write fitness norms. Let's use our workouts to build ourselves up, not punish ourselves. Join our email list to be in the know about our ...
Nov 24, 2021•12 min
Free week of Evlo classes Dr. Shannon's IG Start your Evlo membership trial If you feel like you’re doing everything right - putting in work at the gym, you’re trying to eat less, and still not seeing results - it COULD be because of cortisol imbalance. In this episode, I want to explain how too much exercise and too little eating can have the reverse effects that you’re hoping for because of potentially messing with your cortisol and hormonal balance. One of my goals, which I hope is evident by...
Nov 18, 2021•47 min
Shannon always preaches how vital nutrition is and that you shouldn't rely on your workouts to burn off what you ate or even be your primary weight-loss tool. Workouts should build your muscle and improve your cardiovascular system, but without proper nutrition, your workouts can't be as effective at creating a fit, strong body. There is a nutrition program on the Evlo membership that we just wrapped up. It is built by a functional registered dietitian, Katherine Andrew. Today, Shannon will shar...
Nov 11, 2021•37 min
I know fitness watches can be very beneficial for some. But for many exercise enthusiasts, they can cause unrealized issues. Today, I'll discuss those issues and why to consider ditching your fitness watch. Here are three reasons to consider ditching your fitness watch: Tracking calories burned from your workouts isn't as effective as we think Fitness watches can potentially mess with dopamine and motivation Fitness watches don't measure the most important thing in your workouts: how you load an...
Nov 04, 2021•33 min
Different workouts can have different effects on our bodies. Today, I'll discuss how different muscle fibers are called into action and how stimulating these fibers affect your body composition. Your type one fibers are your endurance fibers. They are smaller, and although important, are less likely to improve body composition. Your time two fibers are larger and more powerful but only engaged under a certain amount of load. These fibers are very important to stimulate as we age, as we are more ...
Oct 28, 2021•41 min
In this episode, Dr. Shannon was interviewed on the Happy Nervous System Podcast with Kendra Delahooke. She talks about how fitness marketing has made us believe un-true things about what our workouts need to look like. 6:33 How marketing has affected the fitness industry 14:03 Top exercise myths 19:15 Counting calories 24:07 Pushing through the pain 26:02 Getting started with a new fitness program Try 7 Evlo classes for free: https://www.evlo-fitness.com/free-week-of-evlo-podcast Follow Dr. Sha...
Oct 21, 2021•35 min
A reset week can be exactly what you need to kick a plateau. A reset week is when you take a full week off your workouts. It can be extremely effective at allowing your muscles to fully heal, and you'll come back to your workouts stronger. Here's how to know it may be time for a reset week: You've been consistently strength training for 12 or more weeks, BUT you feel like you're weaker or not getting stronger. You also may feel constantly sore, tight, moody, and may even be experiencing weight g...
Oct 14, 2021•36 min
Why am I not a fan of running as a form of exercise? Well, first, it depends on why you're running. Are you running because it clears your head, is meditative, makes you feel good and accomplished? Amazing, carry on. I don't want to discourage you from running if these are your reasons. But many pick up running because they want to improve their fitness, burn off what they ate, or lose weight. In this episode, I talk about why running isn't effective if those are your goals. Here's what we talk ...
Oct 07, 2021•25 min
You won't see a lot of heavy squats and deadlifts in Evlo, and it's for a few specific reasons. In this episode, Dr. Shannon breaks down the physics of squats and deadlifts and provides examples of how step-ups are more effective for the glutes and less risky for the spine. 3:36 The Gluteus Maximus connection to metabolism 5:30 Why we don’t do deadlifts and squats 9:07 Why we do bodyweight step-ups 10:35 Breaking down a step up 13:58 Why squats are less effective than deadlifts 14:53 Why functio...
Sep 30, 2021•20 min
Stress can affect how your body recovers and benefits from exercise. When you're particularly stressed, that is NOT the time to switch things up, avoid moving altogether or ramp up the intensity. All those things will backfire. In today's episode, Dr. Shannon discusses how the neuroendocrine system responds to stress and best practices for exercising during a particularly mentally stressful time. 2:50 Physical pain associated with mental/emotional stress 6:46 How moderate exercise can help with ...
Sep 23, 2021•25 min
If you've given birth in the past or plan to in the future, this podcast is for you. Lashonda Jones is a PT, personal trainer, and corrective exercise specialist. She talks about the 4th trimester, diastasis recti, and how to take care of your body after baby so you can exercise and do the things you love. She explains that it's never too late to start healing post-natal. Listen to this podcast to learn exercise and foundational principles so you can be successful in your fitness routine and bey...
Sep 16, 2021•39 min
The nervous system is ultimately in charge of creating results from your workouts. In this episode, I teach you how you can work WITH your nervous system to create faster, more sustainable results from your workouts. I explain these four hacks that you can use in every workout to drive better, faster, and SAFER results: Breathwork before and after your workout Mobility drills before and after your workout Perceived effort Bilateral deficit 2:25 What is the nervous system? 8:12 Breath 10:51 Mobil...
Sep 09, 2021•30 min
If you're wondering the best ways to work your "core" with minimal back pain/joint damage, this is your podcast. We chat about ten core myths and the most effective ways to train your trunk muscles. We also talk about an important concept crucial for developing muscle, called opposite position loading. Enjoy this technical, information-packed episode! 2:30 Some common beliefs I want to challenge about core work 4:18 Marketing and performance enhancing drugs 8:20 Opposite Position Loading 14:30 M...
Sep 02, 2021•38 min
"Exercise is my therapy" is a common phrase. Today, Jewel Anderson, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Kansas City area, discusses why you could be using exercise as a coping mechanism. She discusses how exercise is often a "defense" against things of our past or uncomfortable emotions. She leaves you with a powerful tool, called the Change Triangle, that can help you dig a layer deeper to uncover what you could be avoiding and defending against using exercise. 2:55 Using exercise as thera...
Aug 26, 2021•51 min
"You've done enough" is something I've said at the end of nearly every class for over a year. But what happens when you can't really believe that? What happens when there's a strong urge to do more, more, more in your workouts? What happens when you have a conflicting voice in your head that knows you shouldn't do more, but also is afraid that you haven't done enough? In this podcast, I'm sharing the softer side of exercise and my philosophy. I share my story behind how and why I transitioned my...
Aug 18, 2021•40 min
We have been marketed to believe that more exercise will be the secret to losing weight. And today's discussion will break down a theory that totally debunks this. I don’t recommend focusing on calorie burning for your workouts to lose weight. If you have a lot of weight to lose, killing yourself in workouts is not necessary, and in fact, not recommended. Constrained energy expenditure, discovered by Dr. Herman Pontzer, says that the human body stays within a narrow window of total number of cal...
Aug 12, 2021•22 min
In my opinion, impact takes the blame for what overuse and joint-stressful exercises does to your joints. Today’s podcast might come as a little shock for some of you since I’m all about joint-friendly workouts. I still have my opinions and don’t think it’s appropriate for everyone, but I’m actually a fan of adding some impact exercises in certain ways and certain doses for certain people. Tune in to hear my opinion about high impact exercises like plyometrics and jumping, what the benefits are,...
Aug 05, 2021•22 min
In this episode, I'm giving you permission to skip the high-intensity workouts if you hate them. You can still be fit with more moderate intensity strength-training routines. Because consistency is much more important than intensity. I explain how the endorphins from high intensity can have a negative effect on some people, and why that could trigger the reward systems of your brain to avoid them and develop a negative relationship with your workouts. I may be the first person to give you permis...
Jul 29, 2021•21 min
Building muscle is extremely important, especially as we age. Nutrition is a big part of how we recover and build our bodies stronger after workouts. Katherine Andrew is a Functional Registered Dietitian who gives some education and tips on how to fuel your workouts to build muscle. We talk about amino acids, when to eat after your workout, the importance of carbs, how under-eating can backfire, protein powder, and more. 3:00 What Katherine Recommends For Building Muscle 6:55 Amino Acids 9:53 Mu...
Jul 21, 2021•52 min
If you're choosing effective, early-phase loaded exercises, not over-training or under-training, and you're STILL not seeing muscle growth, chronic inflammation could be why. Chronic inflammation can lead to muscle wasting, fatigue, pain, and more. It could be a reason why you're working out, but not seeing great results. In this episode, Dr. Shannon discusses what contributes to chronic inflammation in the musculoskeletal system: stress, overuse, trauma, and dehydration/nutritional deficits. Sh...
Jul 15, 2021•36 min
