This Is A Lesson I Wish I Learned Earlier

In the early 1990s I was anchoring the news in Oak Hill, West Virginia. Several times a week, I taught step aerobics at the Holiday Inn in town.

In an attempt to “get physical” enough to burn off the low-fat SnackWells Devil’s Foods cookie cakes I’d eaten the night before, I’d step on and off the low plastic benches for about an hour. I anticipated leaving the class with sculpted bodies and buns of steel.

No matter how tired I was, I always made it to that step class.

For most of my 20s and 30s, this was my mindset: work out harder. Burn more calories. I treated exhaustion like a badge of honor and spent hours in the gym on the elliptical. But no matter how hard I pushed myself, nothing was really “working” how I wanted it to. My energy dipped, my body wasn’t responding the way I thought it should. I felt like I was failing.

Looking back, I don’t blame myself for having this mindset. As a journalist, I spent hours reporting on the different food and health studies that came out on a weekly, and at times daily, basis. One week eggs were healthy, the next they were bad for you. High fat diets were trending one month, only to be replaced by low fat diets the next. It was confusing and I was left frustrated just trying to keep up.

It wasn’t until I stopped following the latest trending diet and workout plan that I was able to develop the confidence to tune out the noise and start listening to what my body was telling me. With the help of experts, I began to understand the importance of strength training for women and started incorporating it into my routine.

I swapped endless cardio for three days of resistance training each week and started nourishing my body instead of depriving it. I’ve come a long way in how I feel about, fuel, and treat my body, and I can honestly say resistance training has been one of the best things I’ve done for my physical and mental health. I just wish I started it sooner.

Which is exactly why I asked my friend Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a board-certified physician leading the global shift in how we think about aging and health, to come on the podcast.

​In this episode, she breaks down the science behind protein, skeletal muscle, and metabolic health and shares an actionable playbook you can use to build strength, slow decline, and take control of your future. She tells us exactly what to eat and how to train so that we can feel mentally and physically stronger at every stage of our lives.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• How much protein do I really need?
• What are the best protein sources for muscle growth?
• Do I need supplements like collagen and creatine?
• Will lifting weights make me bulky?
• How much resistance training is enough?
• Do I need a gym to see results?
• Where do I even begin?

…Then this is the episode for you.

It’s one of the most practical, science-backed episodes we’ve had on protein, muscle growth, and longevity for women. After listening to this conversation, you’ll have the discernment you need to stop chasing trends and start building real, lasting strength.

Listen here.

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