In this episode of the Iron Lab Podcast, Coaches Jo and Kim explore the profound impacts of wine, stress, and soft tissue injuries on fitness goals, especially for women aged 35-55. They explain how chronic stress raises cortisol levels, leading to fat storage and muscle breakdown, while alcohol worsens this effect by disrupting deep sleep and fat metabolism. Jo and Kim highlight how hormonal changes in this demographic contribute to soft tissue injuries like tendonitis and bursitis, emphasizing the importance of self-care and adjusting lifestyle habits to support long-term health and fitness.

Our coaches also share practical strategies for managing stress and recovery, such as prioritizing sleep, incorporating sauna sessions, and reducing alcohol intake. Jo and Kim encourage intentional self-care practices, including regular massages and strength training, to support injury prevention and muscle gains. They remind listeners that lasting fitness success goes beyond workouts, requiring intentional lifestyle choices that foster overall health and resilience.

The main takeaway is that if you’re not seeing the results you want, it’s time to take a closer look at your lifestyle, not just your workouts. This episode offers a wealth of actionable advice for anyone looking to balance the demands of fitness with life’s challenges.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Joely Churchill and Kim Berube | Iron Lab:

Transcript

Coach Jo 00:09

Welcome to Perfectly Unfinished Conversations, the Iron Lab podcast with Coach Jo…

Coach Kim 00:14

…and Coach Kim…

Coach Jo 00:15

Where you ride shotgun with us as we have raw, real, unfiltered, and unfinished conversations about trying to eat, sleep, train, and live with some integrity in a messy, imperfect life.

Coach Kim 00:27

We're all about creating a strong support system, taking radical personal responsibility, having fun, and being authentic. And one of the most common themes you're going to find in this podcast is the idea that we create positive momentum in our life, by doing what we call b-minus work.

Coach Jo 00:45

We’re making gains and getting ahead and loving life without self-sabotaging our goals by striving for perfection. We get it done by moving ahead…

Coach Kim 00:55

…before we're ready…

Coach Jo 00:56

…when we aren't feeling like it…

Coach Kim 00:58

…and without hesitation.

Coach Jo 1:00

Be sure to subscribe now on Apple or Spotify, so you don't miss a single episode. It’s good enough. Let's go.

Coach Jo 1:10

Welcome back to the show, friends. It's me, Joe, and we are gonna be chatting all about the real reasons you're not seeing any results. So, we're gonna deep dive and talk about wine, we're going to talk about stress, and we're going to talk about some soft tissue injuries and what they have to do with your results specifically. Currently, I have two young boys running me ragged most days. The gym is my Saviour. It's my peace zone. And believe me, when that stress hits, I can hear the cookies calling me from the pantry: Jolie, Jolie, just one bite, babe.

Coach Kim 01:45

And for those of you who are new, thanks for joining us. I'm Coach Kim, and I am 54 and am just embarking on this menopause journey. So, forget stress. Stress isn't my real issue right now. I'm not suffering with any of the like conventional menopause symptoms, yet like hot flashes or insomnia, but I do feel like a bit of a stranger in my body right now, like I wish I could resort to drinking as a solution for this, but if I'm gonna have a hot flash, alcohol will totally be the thing that brings it on, alcohol and sugar.

Coach Jo 02:20

Yeah, for sure. So today we're going to talk about something that many people deal with. You know, they train regularly, or they walk regularly, or they run regularly, but they are not seeing any real results. So, we want to chat about the sneaky ways that wine stress and soft tissue injuries are affecting our fitness gains.

Coach Kim 02:40

Yeah, and they sort of go hand in hand, actually, and that's what we kind of want to highlight. So, like I've said numerous times, our demographic here are super pro at eating less and exercising harder. Like we are products of diet culture, where it was, like, you know, if you just eat little less calories or limit your calories and you work out harder, you're going to get all the gains. You're going to see all the results. You'll have this tone, sleek, lean body and you know, our clients, they're doing all the things, they're hitting the weights, they're sweating it out, but the body fat is not budging, or the muscle mass is just not showing up. And on top of that, then you've got these nagging injuries that keep coming back and we see inflammatory type conditions like tendonitis, bursitis and planter fasciitis that linger on. So does any of that sound familiar?

Coach Jo 03:36

Yeah, so stick with us. We're going to dive into how alcohol, stress and injury recovery, they're really all connected, and we've got some science, we've got some personal stories that we're going to share, and, yes, we're going to give you some strategies turn this around. So let's kick things off with stress. Whether you've got a like, little ones like I do that are pulling at your leg or, well, they're not that little anymore. They're getting a lot bigger, but they do like to pull…

Coach Kim 03:58

They're pulling at your schedule.

Coach Jo 04:01

They're, they're pulling on me. They're pulling on something.

Coach Kim 04:03

Duke, hey, just, you just said, for like, you know, to put it in perspective, Duke was on Jo's office floor yesterday, all day well, and maybe the day before too, for a half a day sick with the stomach flu. That's the stage of life you're at.

Coach Jo 04:15

Yeah, I got no work done. But whether you've got, you know, like that, or you're navigating menopause like it's no secret that stress can be absolutely relentless on you.

Coach Kim 04:27

Yeah, absolutely and, and as women in this you know 35 to 55 year old age bracket, so perimenopausal to through menopause, to e...