The Dr. Shannon Show

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 beyond post-baby.

2:48  What is the 4th Trimester?

9:23  The Neuromuscular Disconnect 

10:42  Diastasis Recti 

20:25  Preferred exercises for Diastasis Recti 

24:40  Guidelines for moms who had babies years ago

27:15  When to modify your exercise 

29:29  Realistic timeframe for recovery

31:00  Lashonda’s Program 

 Find Lashonda:
Instagram: @ptrainershonda
Free 5-day Diastis recti healing program: https://core-elevation-fitness-wellness.ck.page/free5daychallenge
8-week Diastis recti program: http://coreelevationfitness.com/diastasis-recti-repair-program/

Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram: @dr.shannon.dpt
Subscribe and watch on Youtube
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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: 

1. Breathwork before and after your workout
2. Mobility drills before and after your workout
3. Perceived effort
4. Bilateral deficit

2:25  What is the nervous system? 

8:12  Breath 

10:51  Mobility drills during warm up and cool down 

19:50  Perceived effort

26:50  Bilateral deficit 

Workout with Dr. Shannon: www.evlofitness.com

Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram: @dr.shannon.dpt

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

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  Myth #1: Balancing on unstable surfaces is great for your core 
16:20  Myth #2: Back pain comes from having a weak core 
20:47  Myth #3: The core should be worked every day
22:44  Myth #4: Planks are the best exercise for your core
23:52  My favorite core exercises 
24:55  Myth #5: All exercise will work your core 
25:54  Myth #6: Balancing while weight lifting works your core
28:10  Myth #7: Squats are great for your core 
31:08  Myth #8: Hanging leg raise are a great core exercise
33:45  Myth #9: Leg raises are great for your core
35: 01  Myth #10: You should never work your hip flexors 

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Shannon's Instagram: @dr.shannon.dpt

Study referenced: Augeard N, Carroll SP. Core stability and low-back pain: a causal fallacy. J Exerc Rehabil. 2019;15(3):493-495. Published 2019 Jun 30. doi:10.12965/jer.1938198.099

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"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 therapy 

7:16  Sublimation aka Defense Mechanisms 

19:39  Avoidance as a defense mechanism 

23:26  Emotional experiences after exercise 

28:24  The Change Triangle 

43:30  How to recognize if you are using exercise as a defense behavior 

Work with Jewel by visiting her website: http://www.jewelandersoncounseling.com/
Book referenced by Jewel: "It's Not Always Depression" by Hilary Jacobs Hendel

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

"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 mindset from "burn as much as possible" to "you've done enough" even with a gentle workout, and what it's changed in my life. 

I end the podcast with some thought work to try if you want to adopt this philosophy, but if you're struggling to internalize it. 

7:04  What does it mean when I say, “You have done enough.”

10:28  What has changed for me since adopting this mindset 

22:00  Learning how you can be fit and keep your body feeling good 

24:19  The mental and physical improvements I’ve seen in my life

29:30  What happened when I wavered from this mindset 

35:34  What to do when you are struggling with your mindset  

Join Evlo: www.evlofitness.com
Dr. Shannon's instagram: @dr.shannon.dpt 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

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 calories burned per day, despite activity level. 

So basically, your body has an energy bank that it pulls from every day. And whether or not you do a ton of activity, this energy expenditure will stay about the same. This theory completely de-bunks the idea that you can burn more calories/day by working out harder. 

0:12   Why exercise shouldn’t be your primary weight loss tool

2:39   Constrained Energy Expenditure 

9:57  The more tissue you have, the more calories you have to burn 

11:05  How exercise can help increase your lean tissue 

12:59  Is exercise needed for weight loss?

15:05  How exercise an be a benefit for weight loss

17:30  The importance of biomechanics for building muscle

19:30  Exercise for heart health 

Free week of Evlo classes: https://www.evlo-fitness.com/free-week-of-evlo-podcast

Dr. Shannon's IG: @dr.shannon.dpt

Join Evlo: www.evlofitness.com

Studies referenced: 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4803033/
https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202100242R

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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, why it’s been blamed (incorrectly, in my opinion) for joint issues, what is to blame, if you should add impact, and if so, what are the best ways to add impact. 

1:05  The Benefits of Plyometrics 

4:24  Why High Impact Gets a Bad Reputation

9:49  Knee Pain Associated with High Impact 

14:39  Why the Right Dose of High Impact is Important

15:41  Reasons Why You Might Not Want to Add Impact 

16:30  Situations When High Impact is Not Recommended 

18:42  Recommendations for Adding Impact to Your Routine 

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Follow Dr. Shannon on Instagram: @dr.shannon.dpt

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

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 permission to ditch the intense workouts, but it could change your relationship to your workouts for good. In this episode, I'll leave you with my suggestions for how to train your brain to love your workouts so they become a habit, instead of forcing yourself through workouts that you hate.

11:12  Why we are drawn to one type of exercise over another 

12:02  Endorphines can make some people feel more negative and exhausted 

12:55  Moderate intensity workouts correlate to more positive mood improvements 

14:32  How genetics can effect the types of workouts you prefer 

17:15  How to rewire your brain to enjoy exercise
 

Join Evlo: www.evlofitness.com

Article referenced: https://www.nature.com/articles/npp2017148

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

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  Muscle Activation and Protein Synthesis

15:54  Protein Variety and Quality

28:23  Timing Your Nutrition 

32:32  The Role That Fat Plays in Muscle Growth 

34:26  Pre Workout Meals 

39:18  Hunger Cues and Satiety 

46:27  The Importance of Knowing Your Own Body

Find Katherine at https://www.katherineandrew.com/

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

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.

She discusses why these four things can happen, and how to address them to ultimately see better results.  

1:49  How Muscle Mass Can Decrease Your Chronic Inflammation 

5:33  Acute Inflammation vs Chronic Inflammation 

9:35  Natural Inflammation Cycle After Workouts 

11:56  The Top 4 Inflammation Triggers

12:50  Stress

19:57  Overusing Your Muscles 

24:23  Physical Trauma 

24:52  Dehydration or Nutritional Deficits 

25:45  Symptoms of Chronic Inflammation 

26:37  Steps to Decrease Inflammation

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

There is a paradox that isn't well understood in the fitness industry, and it's that overtraining can lead to under-training. This can inhibit you from results from your workouts. 

When you are chronically inflamed from overtraining, muscles don't receive great input, and muscular results decline. If you feel like your results aren't matching the amount of effort you're putting into your workouts, you should listen to this episode. I give suggestions on how to know if you are overtraining, under-training, or a combination of both, and what to do about it. 

2:32  Overtraining 

6:40  Symptoms of Overtraining

12:12  Under-Training From Overtraining

16:45  Symptoms of Under-Training From Overtraining

21:53  Under-Training 

22:29  Symptoms of Under-Training 

26:33  What to Do If You Are Overtraining

29:34  What to Do If You Are Under-Training

36:16  What to Do If You Are Under-Training From Overtraining  

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

 Listen to this episode to learn about resistance curves, phase loading, levers, and how much to stimulate a muscle to see better muscular growth. 

Muscle is the most metabolically expensive tissue in your body. It burns more calories and takes more energy to maintain than any other tissue. Therefore, the more we have, the better our metabolism and the healthier many other processes in our bodies. We also resist aging, and are able to stay limber and fit and independent for much longer. We all need to be focusing on building muscle as we age, it’s extremely important for our longevity. 

We all want the time we are spending in our workouts to actually be doing something. So to do this, we need to select exercises that are the highest bang for your buck. 

The reason my workouts are so short but effective is because we cut out all the fluff, and we apply the principles that I’m going to talk about in this podcast to each exercise. This means you are getting better muscle stimulus in 30 minutes than you do in most hour-long workouts that choose ineffective exercises that make you feel “tired” and are burning calories, but aren’t going to move the needle for you long-term because they aren’t accurately stimulating your muscles. 

Levers are what will magnify the resistance of an exercise. The weight you’re holding is not the amount of force applied to the muscle. The amount  of force being applied to the muscle is the weight of the resistance multiplied by the length of the lever. So the magnification to the muscle, or how hard the muscle has to work, isn’t just about the weight you’re holding, but also how long the lever is. 

Exercise is physics, and not enough fitness professionals understand this which is why the work is there, but the results don’t seem to match the hard work and frequency you’re putting into your workouts.

1:14  Why Women Shouldn’t be Afraid of Gaining Muscle

5:28  Exercise Selection and Proper Muscle Training

7:20  Levers

16:43  Video Example of Levers on Instagram Reels (April 20th) 

20:25  Resistance Curve 

22:33  What Exactly is the Resistance Curve?

24:20  Phase Loading

40:25  Favorite Early or Middle Phase Loaded Exercises 

43:15  Favorite Late Phase Loaded Exercises 

44:23  Late Phase Loaded Exercises to Avoid

46:42  Why You Don’t Need to Feel Exhausted After Your Workout

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

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 my content, is to encourage people to get away from the damaging “grind yourself into the ground if you want to look good” mentality. Not only do I believe this is damaging to our body image, joints, and mental health, but it doesn’t work for most people long-term, and one of those reasons is related to cortisol.

3:04  What is Cortisol?

7:30  The Role Cortisol Plays in Your Body

12:04  Cortisol’s Relationship to Body Composition 

14:07  Insulin and Insulin Resistance 

19:27  How Lower Intensity Workouts Can Help Blood Sugar Levels

24:59  How Much Exercise Is Too Much? 

32:07  Symptoms of Elevated Cortisol 

36:14  Tips For Balancing Cortisol Levels 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

In this episode, Dr. Shannon discusses steady-state cardio. She speaks on how the body adapts to cardio, and some cardio can be beneficial, but how too much can blunt protein synthesis and inhibit results. She provides a framework on how to implement cardio, both steady-state and HIIT, into your routine. 

2:10  How the Body Adapts to Exercise 

6:50  What Happens When you Overwhelm Your Body 

10:57  What is Steady State Cardio?

12:45  LISS (Low Intensity Steady State Cardio) 

14:17  MISS (Medium Intensity Steady State Cardio)

17:56  Basil Metabolic Rate 

20:37 HIIT vs Steady State Cardio 

23:30 How to Incorporate HIIT and Steady State Cardio 

32:45  How to Incorporate Running 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

Dr. Shannon discusses the research behind how much high-intensity cardio is good for you and how much could be negative for your health. She discusses how exercise can either aid in improving insulin sensitivity or reduce insulin sensitivity and the consequences to your overall health and fitness. Shannon provides a framework for how to implement cardio based on your body's needs. 

0:40  What Types of Exercise are Typically Considered Cardio? 

3:33  Focus on HIIT Cardio 

4:16  What is Mitochondria? 

5:57  What is Insulin Resistance? 

8:54  The Upper Limit of HIIT (How much is too much?)

10:40  Neuromuscular Adaptation

14:55  Overuse of Your Muscles 

16:35  Short Intense Exercise vs Longer Gentle Workouts 

20:04  What the Right Amount for You?

23:10  Why Cardio Has Been Recommended For Weight Loss 

26:36  A Framework For How Much Cardio to Add Into Your Routine  

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

It’s the norm in the fitness industry to try to fit your body into a certain exercise. I often get asked “can you help me with my deadlifts” or “how can i do planks without shoulder pain” or “how can I strengthen my core so squats don’t hurt my back.” 

There are so many fitness professionals and PTs out there who will help you achieve these goals. And there ARE ways to improve your form and strengthen/stabilize muscles to feel more effective and safe in an exercise. I think if that’s your goal to do that one exercise, KEEP ON KEEPIN ON. 

And that perspective is this… Why don’t we choose ANOTHER exercise that feels better on your body? Why don’t we consider selecting an exercise that fits your body, rather than fitting your body into an exercise?

Dr. Shannon has another HOT TAKE for this week's episode. You don't HAVE to do exercises/workouts that you hate. This will either frustrate you or relieve you. Shannon discusses her perspective on this and breaks down three exercises specifically in this podcast. She offers that you can take these exercises out of your regular routine and STILL be balanced, strong, and fit. 

2:30  Choosing Exercise Variations That Feel Better on Your Body 

4:27  Making Your Body Stronger While Keeping Your Joints Intact 

6:17  The Difference Between Replacing an Exercise That is Uncomfortable and Avoiding Working a Muscle Group Completely 

6:48  Exercises That Are Most Commonly Uncomfortable and Variations For Them

7:37  Burpees 

9:23  Planks/Push Ups

16:37  Lunges 

22:17  Picking Exercises That Are More Comfortable and More Satisfying 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

This interview is with Justin Prier, a physical therapist and personal trainer from BioFit KC. BioFit was Shannon's first job out of physical therapy school, where her eyes were opened to a new fitness philosophy that has shaped her method now. Justin talks about the nervous system and ways to use neural inputs to improve your fitness results. You can work with Justin by visiting www.biofitkc.com.

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

The amount of time you spend in your workout isn't necessarily an indicator of the effectiveness of that workout. In this episode, Shannon will guide you on her principles for getting a more effective workout in less time. 

1:18  Working Smarter Not Harder

2:50  Catabolic State and Anabolic State 

4:06  Ways You Might be Overdosing Your Exercise Routine

7:39  Running For an Hour vs Lifting for 30 Minutes 

13:26  How to Use Mechanics to Your Advantage 

17:27  Low Volume with High Weight vs High Volume with Low Weight

19:12  Signs That You Are Overdosing Your Workouts and 4 Ways to Avoid It 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

Dr. Shannon breaks down where and why the philosophy of muscle confusion came about, if it is effective, where this philosophy could potentially have a place, and the best way to see results from your workouts. 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

You want to make sure the time you're spending in your workouts is actually going to make a difference in your body. You want to make sure your workouts are moving the needle for you and creating the highest payoff. This podcast will teach you some basic principles behind what makes an exercise "productive" and what types of exercises are "just hard," but maybe not as productive. 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

Exercise can be anti-aging, but it can also accelerate aging. Find out how this happens and Shannon's three suggestions for creating a routine that is anti-aging.

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

If you're working out consistently, eating well, and STILL not seeing results after several months, it could be for one (or all) of these three reasons. Shannon discusses how these three common workout elements can cause plateauing or declining results, and eventually cause frustrating joint pain.

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

Dr. Shannon speaks on why she has decided to take stretching out of her regular routine and why she doesn't recommend regular stretching for her clients. 

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com

To have a lean, fit body that isn't falling apart, you have to be wise with your workouts. In this episode, Dr. Shannon discusses some common workout mistakes that can actually decrease your metabolism and lead to less desirable long-term results. She also discusses how you can use exercise to IMPROVE your metabolism using four training concepts.

Shannon's Instagram

Evlo Fitness (14-day free trial)

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Dr. Shannon Ritchey, PT, DPT explains how exercise that is too frequent and too intense can lead to undesirable results over the long-term. She describes how long it takes to see visual results from strength training, and how we've internalized soundbites from the fitness culture that are damaging to our bodies.

Links:
14 day free trial

Article referenced:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30155804/

To try Evlo for 2 weeks free, visit www.evlofitness.com