The Dr. Shannon Show

Every year, Shannon releases a "Thanksgiving" episode centered around exercise and food. This year, she's speaking to something that is common around this time of year - using exercise as a tool to "burn off" your food. She discusses why this isn't possible and how to re-wire your relationship to exercise and food. She also discusses how to add gentle movement to mana...

In last week's episode, we talked about habits necessary for body recomposition. We discussed the importance of sleep and how fitness results are more difficult to attain without proper sleep. But what if you're in a season of life where sleep deprivation is unavoidable? Can you still see fitness results? Short answer: yes. Dr. Shannon and Registered Dietitian Hope Brandt speak on how to...

Since body recomposition requires slow and steady changes, it requires lifestyle and habit changes. In this episode, Shannon discusses the habits necessary for body recomposition and discusses the basics of forming habits.  0:00: Introduction  5:45: Important factors for body recomposition  6:40: Sleep and body recomposition  9:50: Nutrition and body recomposition  14:00: Exercise and body recompo...

Enjoy this Q&A podcast episode with Shannon, where she addresses some common question from Evlo members!  0:23: What is the best time of day to work out? 1:30: Should I prioritize exercises where I can “feel” my glutes over other exercises? 8:09: How can I apply the principles from this podcast to any group exercise class? 12:14: Is the 4X per week Evlo track as effective as the other tracks?...

Carb cycling is a nutrition method for body recomposition. In this episode, Shannon interviews Esosa Osagiede, a Registered Dietitian, to discuss what carb cycling is, how to do it, and when it is and isn't appropriate.  0:00: Introduction 2:50: What is carb cycling? 4:55: What if people are afraid of eating carbs? 6:00: Importance of including carbohydrates  8:15: An example week of carb cyc...

You may have heard that exercising too much can affect your hormones. But how exactly does this happen? Listen to today's episode to learn. 0:00: Introduction 3:35: Hormones affect our behaviors  6:30: What is overtraining? 9:29: Hormones affected by overtraining  14:10: Listening to the signs of overtraining Previous episode: Where is your calorie burn plateau? Free workshop link Free Evlo 1...

What are the physiological differences between men and women, and how does that influence how they should train? 0:00: Introduction 0:45: Differences in muscle recruitment 4:37: Muscle fiber composition 9:44: Hormonal cycles in men and women 17:50: How are men and women similar? Free workshop link Free Evlo 101 class 14 day free trial Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram Follow Fit Body, Happy Joints o...

Is building muscle during pregnancy possible? Or should it even be a goal? Dr. Shannon discusses this in today's episode.  0:00: Introduction 0:43: Evlo Prenatal Program  4:14: Benefits of exercise during pregnancy  6:01: Changes during the 1st trimester 12:15: Changes during 2nd trimester 13:25: Changes during 3rd trimester  14:50: Is it possible to build muscle during pregnancy? 17:17: Shou...

Stress is an issue many of us can relate to. But stress isn't always bad. In fact, stressing your body in the right ways and amounts can be productive. In today's episode, Dr. Shannon and Dr. Payton will help you learn when exercise stress is productive and unproductive. 0:00: Introduction 1:35: Emotional vs. physical stress response 3:22: Stress as it relates to cardio 7:22: The importa...

You may have heard testimonials about low-impact workouts being more effective than high-intensity workouts. Is there validity to this? Can you workout in a way that is less stressful on your body but still effective?  0:00: Introduction 2:50: What makes a workout “effective”? 6:40: Excessively high rep ranges 8:50: The transition to low-impact workouts  10:30: High-impact workouts 11:42: How to p...

The way we burn calories is constrained, not additive. This means that at a certain level of activity, our overall energy expenditure starts to plateau. What is the amount of activity in which doing more doesn't contribute to an increase in calorie expenditure? Shannon breaks that down in this episode.  0:00: Introduction 1:30: How we burn calories 5:10: A plateau of energy expenditure  6:18:...

Body recomposition means losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. This is a slower process than weight loss or building muscle alone, but we like this as a goal because it makes you slow down and create sustainable habits and lifestyle changes. In this episode, Dr. Shannon and Dr. Payton discuss what to expect in the first 0-3 months, 4-6 months, 7 months-1 year, and beyond one year. They d...

The "afterburn effect," or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, is the temporary increase in metabolism that occurs after exercise. What is the validity of this phenomenon, and how much does it actually affect metabolism? Shannon breaks it all down with research in this episode. 0:00: Introduction 1:00: Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) 1:58: EPOC following HIIT vs. stre...

If you feel bigger after embarking on a muscle-building routine, there are two primary reasons. Shannon discusses this and how to lose fat while gaining muscle.  0:00: Introduction 2:00: What contributes to leanness? 4:10: What happens in a caloric surplus  6:45: Muscle building without nutritional considerations 9:15: Impact of being in a slight caloric deficit while prioritizing protein  10:55:...

Strength training has endless benefits: stronger muscles, better body composition, stronger bones, better mental health... but did you know it can also improve your skin? Tune in to learn how.  0:00: Introduction 3:00: Anatomy of the skin  5:07: Why does our skin change? 8:03: How overexercise plays a role in skin aging 11:55: How cardio and strength training affect your skin differently  14:20: G...

It's no secret I'm not a big fan of fitness watches, but I think newer wearables show promise and can be helpful. In this episode, I break down what I recommend (and what I don't recommend), tracking and measuring with fitness wearables.  0:00: Introduction 3:24: Where fitness watches get it wrong  8:40: How to judge effectiveness of a workout  10:50: Other factors that contribute t...

Soreness may not be related to muscle damage or an effective workout. It may be related to an entirely different tissue and explain why soreness is not a reliable indicator of an effective workout.  0:00: Introduction 1:01: Factors for muscle growth  1:22: Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) 3:15: Unaccustomed movement and soreness 4:00: What is happening on a mechanical/cellular level to cause D...

Genetics are a reality that we all work with. But how much of your response to exercise is genetically predisposed? And how much do exercise and lifestyle influence your results? Shannon discusses how to train given your genetic predisposition.  0:00: Introduction 2:25: Figuring out what you value  5:23: Genetic predisposition for muscle fiber composition  10:00: How to assess which fiber type you...

Dr. Julie Fratantoni educates us about how to keep our brains healthy as we age. We talk about neurochemicals that affect our brains, how to improve working memory, and how to keep your brain young as you age.  0:00: Introduction 2:35: The different chemicals released with exercise 7:55: Effects of these different neurotransmitters 8:40: Over-exercise and cognitive health  12:44: Brain fog and wor...

Can you cycle sync while still building muscle? The answer is YES, but not in the way social media is recommending. In this episode, Shannon talks about why to consider cycle syncing, how hormones fluctuate throughout your body and how that affects recovery, social media myths, and how to cycle sync whether or not you are on hormonal birth control. 0:00: Introduction 1:08: Why should we cycle sync...

Metabolic flexibility may be a term you've heard before. But what does it mean, and why is it important for overall health? Shannon breaks down the connection between metabolic flexibility and mitochondrial health and gives exercise recommendations for improving metabolic flexibility.  0:00: Introduction  1:00: Upward spiral 2:32: What is metabolic flexibility? 3:20: How to know if you’re met...

In this episode, Evlo instructor, Dr. Payton, discusses her recent diagnosis with Hashimoto's, which is one of the most common autoimmune disorders in women. She talks about what she's doing to improve hormone balance and how she has improved her thyroid and hormone levels within a few months. 0:00: Introduction 2:22: What started the process to Payton getting diagnosed 4:43: Cycle track...

The "interference effect," otherwise known as the concurrent training effect, is controversial in the academic literature. Shannon discusses the AMPK pathway that is hypothesized to interfere with strength/muscle gains. 0:00: Introduction  3:30: Interference effect 5:08: AMPK pathway  10:35: Chronic effects of too much cardio  14:20: Keep your HIIT sessions short  16:55: Periodize your H...

We think about working HARDER to see better results. But what if managing fatigue better could have a bigger payoff than just doing MORE? In this episode, I teach you why managing fatigue can improve results and give tangible takeaways to start managing fatigue in your workouts right away. 0:00: Introduction  1:41: Stimulus-to-fatigue ratio 5:14: Important elements of managing fatigue 5:54: Reset...

Chronic inflammation is common in the fitness industry and can affect fitness results. Dr. Shannon discusses what inflammation is, how your body is affected by inflammation in your workouts, how to assess your chronic inflammation, and steps to take to resolve it. 0:00: Introduction 3:36: what is inflammation? 5:38: how does inflammation work during and after a workout? 15:24: importance of recove...