My guest today believes that the single biggest problem with our health these days is not that we carry too much fat but that we don’t carry enough muscle. She believes that if we start to focus and prioritise our largest organ – our muscle – we can burn more fat, improve our body composition, decrease our risk of disease and increase our energy levels.

Dr Gabrielle Lyon has a doctorate in osteopathic medicine and is board certified in family medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois and completed a research & clinical fellowship in Nutritional Science and Geriatrics at Washington University. She is the founder of the Institute for Muscle Centric-Medicine™ and the author of a brand new book, Forever Strong: A New, Science-backed Strategy for Aging Well.

Dr Lyon first appeared on my podcast about 18 months ago. In that conversation, she made the compelling case that the quality of our lives is directly related to the health of our muscles. She explained how having more muscle can improve our metabolism, reverse insulin resistance, reduce our risk of disease, protect our skeleton and improve our mobility and balance. She also explained the critical role of resistance training and the importance of consuming adequate protein.

In this conversation, we pick up where we left off. We cover:

• the crucial importance of muscle mass for all of us
• the relationship between the health of our muscles and the health of our brains
• the role of mindset when it comes to implementing new health promoting behaviours
• how to make healthy habits stick
• her exact exercise recommendations for both the time pressed individual and the time rich individual
• how to reframe stress to make it work for us
• the impact of sleep loss on our ability to build muscle
• why Dr Lyon is not such a huge fan of goals!!

This is a truly empowering conversation, built on the idea that ageing well is a choice. It is jam packed with practical, real-world insights. I hope you enjoy listening.

Watch the video version of the conversation here: