Muscle Science for Women

In this episode Ashleigh shares her struggles with burnout, comparing her current self to her former self, and struggling with balancing her current goals and responsibilities with her training plan. She and Rachel dive into concepts like identity and fitness, the importance of training in an organized and progressive way, and how to move past boredom and even burnout.

They also answer questions about training with lower back pain, including which exercises may help and setting expectations around recovery time, and Rachel talks about her own struggles with back injury.

Finally, Ashleigh talks about a nutritional assessment test she's taking through Genova Diagnostics.

Send us your thoughts about today's episode or any questions you have to [email protected].

Check out our specialized program, the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

More info on our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women:http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

Genova Diagnostics is a direct-to-consumer testing company that allows you to order specific testing online that you can do easily at home and receive personalized recommendations based on the results.

Testing options include a GI Effects gut health test that provides insight into digestive function and intestinal inflammation; Metabolomix+ nutritional testing that can identify individual needs for certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; a hormonal health test that measures sex and adrenal hormones for men and women, and more.

Genova provides educational resources to help you understand results, and you can also work with your own healthcare provider to help further interpret and make use of your findings. Genova makes the testing process easier, so you can do your own research, advocate for yourself, and empower yourself to find the answers you’re looking for to improve your health.Learn more about the options at https://connect.gdx.net/ and use our code, MSW10 for 10% off any of the tests.

Thank you to our sponsor Purity Coffee! Quality coffee can be health promoting and help fight inflammation. Purity Coffee is certified organic and lab tested for pesticides, mold, and heavy metals. They use a proprietary roasting protocol that results (when tested) in up to 65% more antioxidants on average vs other organic coffees. It truly is the best of the best - and it tastes great, with a number of options for you to choose from - even a decaf and a 1/3 caffeinated option! Use our link or the discount code MSW25 to get a full 25% off your first order of the best coffee out there: https://puritycoffee.com/discount/MSW25

In this episode of Muscle Science for Women, Ashleigh and Rachel dive into a case study of a woman looking to start over again in her fitness and strength journey, after kids and taking time away from the gym. They provide practical tips on how to overcome obstacles and mental hurdles, identify small wins and how they add up to big change over time, and how much time and effort a busy person really HAS to dedicate to their workout program to see results. They also chat about Rachel's new part time job and a work trip Ashleigh is excited about!

If you've always wanted to test some things out and try a CGM, Muscle Science for Women is partnering with NutriSense to help you! Nutrisense combines cutting-edge technology and human expertise so you can see how your body responds to different food, exercise, stress, and sleep in real time. By pairing a CGM with their app and expert nutritionist guidance, you can help understand which foods impact your glucose levels and how you respond to foods, stress, exercise, and sleep changes. You simply pair a continuous glucose monitor with their Nutrisense app, where you can keep all your data around food, exercise and so on, and their subscription plan also includes a month of free nutritionist support.

Go to Nutrisenseio.com/MSW or use the code MSW at checkout to receive a $30 discount off your first month which includes 2 CGM sensors, free shipping, and a month of professional Nutritionist support.

If you have questions or topic ideas, send them to [email protected].

Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

Or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

In this episode, Ashleigh and Rachel talk about some of the ways their beliefs and behaviors around fitness and nutrition have changed over the past ten years; they discuss what may be missing from your plan if you seem to be doing everything right but just aren't seeing progress; and what the margin of error is when trying to determine your optimal macro ratio.

If you have any questions you want answered, send them to [email protected].

Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

Or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

We're excited about our new show sponsor: Genova Diagnostics is a direct-to-consumer testing company that allows you to order specific testing online that you can do easily at home and receive personalized recommendations based on the results.

Testing options include a GI Effects gut health test that provides insight into digestive function and intestinal inflammation; Metabolomix+ nutritional testing that can identify individual needs for certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; a hormonal health test that measures sex and adrenal hormones for men and women, and more.

Genova provides educational resources to help you understand results, and you can also work with your own healthcare provider to help further interpret and make use of your findings. Genova makes the testing process easier, so you can do your own research, advocate for yourself, and empower yourself to find the answers you’re looking for to improve your health.Learn more about the options at https://connect.gdx.net/ and use our code, MSW10 for 10% off any of the tests.

And shoutout to our show sponsor Active Stacks! They make high-quality collagen peptide powder in two delicious flavors, chocolate and vanilla. They're made with cocoa and vanilla paste, not that unexplained "natural flavoring" you see listed everywhere, so it tastes better and mixes well into your protein shakes or baking. The chocolate flavor literally tastes like chocolate milk - it's a great way to get a collagen boost in your daily diet.

Learn more athttps://activestacks.com/discount/MSW10and use the code MSW10 to save 10% on your purchase!

In this episode Ashleigh and Rachel discuss whether or not you can effectively grow your legs and glutes with a limited home gym (and give plenty of advice on how you can maximize your workouts no matter where you are or what equipment you have). They both recently invested in some of the trendy new walking office treadmills and talk about whether they think they're worth it; how their meal prepping has changed over time; the best way to prep for pregnancy; and they have their favorite "lifting straps vs. no lifting straps" debate, AGAIN. This one is a fun episode, and full of practical takeaways.

Here's a link to the Versa Gripps product Rachel loves.

Here's a link for a similar product in Canada.

If you have questions, comments, or topic ideas for us, send them to [email protected].

Thank you to our brand new Sponsor Purity Coffee! Quality coffee can be health promoting and help fight inflammation. Purity Coffee is certified organic and lab tested for pesticides, mold, and heavy metals. They use a proprietary roasting protocol that results (when tested) in up to 65% more antioxidants on average vs other organic coffees. It truly is the best of the best - and it tastes great, with a number of options for you to choose from - even a decaf and a 1/3 caffeinated option! Use our link or the discount code MSW25 to get a full 25% off your first order of the best coffee out there: https://puritycoffee.com/discount/MSW25

Check out our specialized program, the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

More info on our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women:http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

In this episode Ashleigh and Rachel dive into a variety of topics around nutrition, including understanding the difference between a food "sensitivity" and an actual allergy; they talk about whether foods that are widely touted as unhealthy (like gluten) should be avoided even if you don't seem to be sensitive to them; and they discuss their own recent experiments with continuous blood glucose monitors - including what raised their blood sugar and what didn't, how stress and exercise impacted their results, and some other surprising findings.

If you've always wanted to test some things out and try a CGM, Muscle Science for Women is partnering with NutriSense to help you! Nutrisense combines cutting-edge technology and human expertise so you can see how your body responds to different food, exercise, stress, and sleep in real time. By pairing a CGM with their app and expert nutritionist guidance, you can help understand which foods impact your glucose levels and how you respond to foods, stress, exercise, and sleep changes. You simply pair a continuous glucose monitor with their Nutrisense app, where you can keep all your data around food, exercise and so on, and their subscription plan also includes a month of free nutritionist support.

Go to Nutrisenseio.com/MSW or use the code MSW at checkout to receive a $30 discount off your first month which includes 2 CGM sensors, free shipping, and a month of professional Nutritionist support.

If you have questions or topic ideas, send them to [email protected].

Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

Or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

Some other links discussed in today's show:

US-based:

Walking Pad:https://amzn.to/48TRHNA Apple Watch Elastic Bands for tracking steps on walking pad:https://amzn.to/3SmcXEz Stainless Steel Water Bottle:https://amzn.to/3SmuVGY Canada-based: Walking pad, stainless steel water bottle, Versa Grips: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/themusclemaven/list/34JTH7DP3MJJ8?ref_=aipsflist_aipsfthemusclemaven

In this episode Rachel and Ashleigh discuss mindset and the do's and don'ts of staying healthy while traveling. Rachel has just come back from an epic three-week trip to Thailand, and Ashleigh is about to embark on an all-inclusive family vacation, so they chat about stuff like:

• How to approach exercise while on vacation - how much should you prioritize it? What's the most effective exercise to do while traveling? How much downtime can you get away with without losing your gains?
• How to manage eating while on vacation - should you still track your food? How easy is it to gain weight on vacation, or conversely how easy is it to maintain your current state even when taking a break from your normal routine?
• How much does jet lag and other travel factors impact your health, gut health, sleep, etc and how can you combat this?
• How can you best balance enjoying yourself, relaxing, and still sticking to your health goals?

All this and more in this episode - if you have any questions or comments, please send them [email protected].

We're excited to introduce a new show sponsor in this episode: Genova Diagnostics is a direct-to-consumer testing company that allows you to order specific testing online that you can do easily at home and receive personalized recommendations based on the results.

Testing options include a GI Effects gut health test that provides insight into digestive function and intestinal inflammation; Metabolomix+ nutritional testing that can identify individual needs for certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; a hormonal health test that measures sex and adrenal hormones for men and women, and more.

Genova provides educational resources to help you understand results, and you can also work with your own healthcare provider to help further interpret and make use of your findings. Genova makes the testing process easier, so you can do your own research, advocate for yourself, and empower yourself to find the answers you’re looking for to improve your health.Learn more about the options at https://connect.gdx.net/ and use our code, MSW10 for 10% off any of the tests.

Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

Or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women: http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

In this episode, Ashleigh and Rachel answer listener questions about:

• Why creatine may be making you sick;
• The fun of coming up with new workout challenges;
• Resources for overcoming hypothalamic amenorrhea;
• Why most people shouldn't try competitive bodybuilding;
• New experiences with therapy and how it can improve overall health

The ladies get personal in this one, we hope you enjoy it and learn something that helps you! If you have any thoughts, comments, or feedback, please send them [email protected].

Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for theGrow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women:http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

Shoutout to our show sponsor Active Stacks! They make high-quality collagen protein in two delicious flavors, chocolate and vanilla. They're made with cocoa and vanilla paste, not that unexplained "natural flavoring" you see listed everywhere, so it tastes better and mixes well into your protein shakes or baking. Learn more athttps://activestacks.com/discount/MSW10and use the code MSW10 to save 10% on your purchase!

In this episode, Ashleigh sits down with Halie Schoff, functional wellness and nutrition expert and coach who specializes in gut and hormonal health, to talk about how to best support digestive health during different phases of life. They also discuss certain controversial health practices (coffee enema, anyone?) and whether or not someone who practices a healthy lifestyle really "needs" additional detoxifying.

They discuss:

• Keys to optimizing gut health
• What are parasite cleanses and do we need them?
• How to prep for and optimize gut health around travel, and how to minimize any damage done
• Do we really "need" regular detoxing? Isn't our body supposed to do that for us naturally?
• Ashleigh asks skeptical questions about some health practices like castor oil packs, coffee enemas, and more.

And a lot more! If you have any feedback, questions, or other topics ideas send them to [email protected].

Thank you to our show sponsor, the Primal Health Coach Institute, an online health and fitness coaching certification school founded by Mark Sisson with a mission to develop highly skilled coaches who are proficient in guiding their clients toward lasting behavior change and excellent health outcomes. Ashleigh was one of the first 50 coaches certified through the program, and she has since developed her own Strength Training for Women Coaching Certification program for coaches through the PHCI. Head to https://www.primalhealthcoach.com/msw/

Use the code MSW25 at checkout to get 25% off the price of either the Strength Training for Women course or the flagship Primal Health Coach course.

Check out our specialized program, the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

More info on our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women:http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

In the LAST episode of 2023, Ashleigh and Rachel talk about goals and answer listener questions about:

• Training around injuries: how to keep training, how to avoid making injuries worse, and how to know when it's time to back off or keep going
• Reverse dieting - what it means, how to do it, and why your diet may be holding you back from your goals
• Running training (and how you can train for endurance and strength at the same time

All that and more! Email your comments, feedback, topic suggestions and questions to [email protected]

Get fit with us in 2024 - sign up for theGrow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

or our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women:http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com

Shoutout to our show sponsor Active Stacks! They make high-quality collagen protein in two delicious flavors, chocolate and vanilla. They're made with cocoa and vanilla paste, not that unexplained "natural flavoring" you see listed everywhere, so it tastes better and mixes well into your protein shakes or baking. Learn more athttps://activestacks.com/discount/MSW10and use the code MSW10 to save 10% on your purchase!

In this episode, Ashleigh speaks with Erin Power, the coaching and curriculum director at the Primal Health Coach Institute about the complex and layered relationship between a health/fitness/nutrition coach and their client. They dive into topics like:

• How to get the most out of your coach (and pick the right one)
• Goal-setting: when it's useful, when it's not, and how to feel good in between goals
• What does mindset mean? Can we really change our mindset to help reach our health goals?
• Why isn't there more attention paid to longevity and sustainability in the health industry? (spoiler, because if more coaches actually taught clients to be self-sufficient they'd be out of work!)
• Some tips on how to work smarter, not harder, on your health

And a lot more! This is like a brief mastermind into how coaching works, a behind-the-scenes look at the human beings who work to improve the lives and health of their clients - because we have failures and worries about it too.

If you have any feedback, questions, or other topics ideas send them [email protected].

Thank you to our show sponsor, the Primal Health Coach Institute, an online health and fitness coaching certification school founded by Mark Sisson with a mission to develop highly skilled coaches who are proficient in guiding their clients toward lasting behavior change and excellent health outcomes. Ashleigh was one of the first 50 coaches certified through the program, and she has since developed her own Strength Training for Women Coaching Certification program for coaches through the PHCI. Head to https://www.primalhealthcoach.com/msw/

Use the code MSW25 at checkout to get 25% off the price of either the Strength Training for Women course or the flagship Primal Health Coach course.

Check out our specialized program, the Grow Your Glutes Workshop: https://www.rgfit.com/glutes

More info on our flagship strength training program, Muscle Science for Women:http://www.musclescienceforwomen.com