"Functional" Longevity Podcast

Do changing hormones mean losing strength after 40 is inevitable? Testosterone and estrogen matter—but they’re only part of the story.

In Episode 432 of the Functional Longevity Podcast, Chris Borda breaks down a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology that examined hormones and grip strength in about 4,300 men and women.

The research explored testosterone, estrogen, and menopausal hormone therapy. Yet hormone measures explained only about 5–11% of the differences in strength in the researchers’ analyses. What does that mean for adults who want to stay strong, active, and independent?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• When strength tends to peak and how it changes with age
• Why bioavailable testosterone and estrogen tracked with strength better than total levels
• What the findings about menopausal hormone therapy can—and can’t—tell us
• Why strength training matters before, during, and after menopause
• How to think about building muscle, challenging bone, and training power
• Where protein, calcium, vitamin D, and creatine fit into a strength-supporting plan

The takeaway: hormones influence muscle aging, but they don’t tell your whole story. There are meaningful steps you can take to support strength at 45, 55, 65, and beyond.

This episode is educational. Chris is a coach, not a physician. Discuss questions about hormone therapy or supplements with your doctor.

Ready to work on your Functional Longevity?

Schedule your FREE Functional Longevity Strategy Session at Y.E.S. Fitness. We’ll discuss your goals, your history, and what you want to keep doing in the years ahead.

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Follow the Functional Longevity Podcast and share this episode with someone who wants to stay strong and independent as they age.

The goal isn't just to live longer. It's to live better.

#FunctionalLongevity #StrengthTrainingAfter40 #Menopause #HealthyAging #YESFitness

Can exercise help prevent cancer, improve treatment outcomes, or reduce the risk of cancer coming back? And if exercise is so beneficial, why is it often so difficult to get started?

Research is revealing just how important physical activity may be before, during, and after cancer treatment. But knowing exercise helps and actually being able to do it are two very different things.

In this episode of the Functional Longevity Podcast, host Chris Borda breaks down the science behind exercise and cancer, including findings from the groundbreaking CHALLENGE colon cancer trial, and explains why having a structured plan and ongoing support may be just as important as the exercise itself.

You'll discover:

• 🔬 Exercise and cancer prevention: What research tells us about physical activity and cancer risk.

• ❤️ Exercise during treatment: How appropriately prescribed movement may support strength, energy, and quality of life.

• 💪 Exercise after cancer: What the CHALLENGE trial revealed about structured exercise following colon cancer treatment.

• 🧠 Why willpower isn't enough: The challenges of exercising when you're dealing with fatigue, uncertainty, or recovery.

• 🚶 Where to start: Why the right exercise depends on your health, treatment, symptoms, and current abilities.

• 🤝 The power of support: Why coaching, accountability, and a personalized plan can make exercise more manageable.

• 🌱 Healthy aging after 40: How maintaining strength, mobility, and physical function supports long-term independence.

The biggest takeaway? Knowing exercise is beneficial isn't the same as having the support to make it happen.

The goal isn't to push harder or simply tell someone with cancer to exercise more.

It's to help people find safe, appropriate, sustainable ways to move—with guidance, encouragement, and a plan that meets them where they are.

Because exercise isn't just about fitness. It's about maintaining the strength and ability to keep living your life.

Whether you're navigating cancer treatment, supporting someone you love, or simply interested in the science of exercise and longevity, this episode offers valuable insights into the relationship between movement, health, and recovery.

🎧 Want to stay stronger, healthier, and more independent as you age?

Follow the Functional Longevity Podcast on Spotify for weekly, evidence-based conversations about strength training, nutrition, recovery, disease prevention, and healthy aging after 40.

The goal isn't just to live longer. It's to live better.

💪 About Y.E.S. Fitness

For more than 35 years, we've helped adults 40+ get stronger, feel younger, and keep doing the things they love.

Ready to take the next step?

Schedule your complimentary Strategy Session at:
https://www.yesfitnessct.com/start-here

Or call 860-673-4293.

Important: Exercise complements cancer treatment; it does not replace medical care. Always consult your oncology team before beginning or changing an exercise program.

Research discussed:

CHALLENGE Trial — New England Journal of Medicine (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2502760

Exercise and Cancer Risk — JAMA Internal Medicine (2016)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27183032/

ASCO Exercise Guidelines During Cancer Treatment (2022)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35576506/

International Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors (2019)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31626055/

If this episode helped you, share it with someone who could benefit from hearing it.

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Have knee or hip arthritis? You may have been told to stop running, jumping, or doing anything high-impact. But what if avoiding impact isn't always the best way to protect your joints?

A large study involving 17,661 people with knee or hip osteoarthritis challenges the belief that high-impact exercise automatically leads to more joint damage or joint replacement.

In this episode of the Functional Longevity Podcast, host Chris Borda breaks down what the research actually found and what it means for staying strong, mobile, and independent after 40, 50, 60, and beyond.

You'll discover:

• 🦵 Is running actually bad for knee or hip arthritis?

• 🔬 What a study of 17,661 people revealed about high-impact activity and joint replacement

• 💪 Why muscle strength and the ability to absorb force matter for joint health

• 🦴 How appropriately dosed impact exercise may help maintain bone strength and physical resilience

• ⚡ Why power, balance, and reaction time become increasingly important as we age

• 🚶 How to think about running, jumping, hiking, and pickleball when you have arthritis

• ❤️ Why avoiding all impact may not be necessary—and how to approach it safely

The biggest takeaway? Don't just avoid impact. Build the capacity to handle it.

The study found that high-impact activity was not associated with increased knee replacement risk. In contrast, participants with hip osteoarthritis who reported high-impact activity had lower odds of hip replacement.

That doesn't mean everyone with arthritis should start running or jumping. Your strength, mobility, symptoms, and physical capacity all matter.

The goal isn't to push through pain or ignore your joints. It's to build a body that's capable of handling the demands of everyday life.

Because life isn't always low-impact.

Whether you want to hike, play pickleball, chase your grandchildren, or simply move with greater confidence, this episode will help you rethink the relationship between arthritis, exercise, and healthy aging.

🎧 Want to stay strong, active, and independent as you age? Follow the Functional Longevity Podcast on Spotify for evidence-based conversations about strength training, joint health, nutrition, recovery, and longevity after 40.

The goal isn't just to live longer. It's to live better.

💪 Learn more about personalized coaching at Y.E.S. Fitness:
https://www.yesfitnessct.com/start-here

Research discussed:
Liew BXW, et al. High-impact physical activity participation and 12-month risk of joint replacement: a longitudinal mediation analysis of 17,661 patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2026.

Can sitting in a sauna actually help you live longer, protect your heart, and slow the aging process? Or is the science being exaggerated?

Saunas, hot tubs, hot yoga, and exercising in the heat are getting plenty of attention for their potential health and longevity benefits. But can heat really mimic exercise? And which methods are actually worth your time?

In this episode of the Functional Longevity Podcast, host Chris Borda separates science from hype and explores what the research really says about heat exposure, cardiovascular health, muscle growth, and healthy aging after 40.

You'll discover:

• 🔥 Sauna vs. hot tubs: Do they offer similar benefits?

• ❤️ Can regular sauna use improve heart health and support longevity?

• 🧠 What does the research say about sauna use and dementia risk?

• 💪 Can heat exposure after strength training help build muscle?

• 🧘 Is hot yoga actually better than regular yoga?

• 🏃 What happens to your body when you exercise in the heat?

• ❄️ Should you use a sauna or cold plunge after your workout?

• ⚖️ Does sweating more actually help you burn fat?

• ⏱️ When is the best time to use heat—before or after exercise?

The biggest takeaway? Exercise first. Heat second.

Heat exposure may offer meaningful benefits, but it isn't a replacement for strength training, cardiovascular exercise, or regular movement.

If you're over 40 and want to stay strong, protect your heart, maintain muscle, and remain active and independent as you age, this episode will help you understand where heat exposure fits into your long-term health strategy.

🎧 Enjoying the science of healthy aging? Follow the Functional Longevity Podcast on Spotify for evidence-based conversations about strength, nutrition, exercise, recovery, and longevity—without the gimmicks or quick fixes.

Because the goal isn't just to live longer. It's to live better.

💪 Learn more about personalized coaching at Y.E.S. Fitness:
https://www.yesfitnessct.com/start-here

Turning 40 can change the way you think about your health.

In this episode of the Functional Longevity Podcast, I sit down with a Y.E.S. Fitness client to talk about why she decided it was time to make her own health and strength a priority.

Like many women, she has a lot competing for her time—work, two middle-school-aged children, and the responsibilities of everyday life. She had exercised at other gyms before, but realized she needed more than simply a place to work out.

She needed accountability, expert coaching, and an environment where she felt comfortable and confident exercising safely.

We talk about what has made Y.E.S. Fitness different for her: the welcoming atmosphere, supportive coaches and members, and the gentle push that helps her work harder without ever feeling intimidated or pressured.

We also discuss something many adults struggle with after 40—giving yourself permission to make your own health a priority.

You don't need to spend hours in the gym. You need the right environment, the right support, and the consistency to keep getting stronger and healthier for the life you want to live.

If you're over 40 and know you need to get stronger but aren't sure where to start, schedule a FREE Functional Longevity Strategy Session at Y.E.S. Fitness.

We'll talk about where you are now, what you want to be able to do in the years ahead, and how we can help you:

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What if one of the most overlooked parts of staying strong after 40 isn’t your muscle—but your tendons and connective tissue?

We spend a lot of time talking about maintaining muscle as we age, but that muscle still needs healthy connective tissue to transfer force and help you move, lift, walk, climb stairs, play golf, and stay active.

In this episode of The Functional Longevity Podcast, I share what I recently learned from exercise scientist Michol Dalcourt about tendon health and connective-tissue training.

We’ll look at how connective tissue changes with age, what sugar cross-linking can do to collagen, why stiffness doesn’t always mean you need more stretching, and how tendons respond differently to slow and fast movement.

I’ll also explain stress relaxation, end-range isometrics, and practical ways to train strength and control throughout your available range of motion—without completely changing your workouts.

The takeaway: Don’t just build muscle. Build a body capable of using that muscle.

The goal isn’t just to live longer. It’s to live better.

What if losing weight after 50 could actually make you weaker?

For years, we’ve been told that weight loss is simple: eat less, move more, and get the number on the scale down. But as we get older, there’s a more important question:

What exactly are you losing?

In this episode of the Functional Longevity Podcast, Chris Borda breaks down the research on calorie restriction, muscle loss, protein, and resistance training—and explains why losing weight and losing body fat are not the same thing, especially after 50.

You’ll learn why calorie restriction can make it harder to maintain muscle as you age, what anabolic resistance means, how resistance training can help protect lean mass during weight loss, and why getting enough protein becomes increasingly important.

Chris also explains why the bathroom scale can’t tell you whether your weight-loss program is actually making you healthier.

Because the goal isn’t simply to become a lighter 60-, 70-, or 80-year-old.

The goal is to become a stronger, healthier, and more capable one.

If you’re over 40 and trying to lose weight, this episode may change the way you think about dieting.

Instead of only asking, “How much weight did I lose?” start asking:

“What did I lose—and what did I preserve?”

Get Fit. Feel Younger. Live Better.

Could when you stop eating affect your health—even if you don’t change what you eat or lose weight?

A fascinating new study looked at what happened when middle-aged adults extended their overnight fast by finishing their last meal at least three hours before bedtime.

After roughly eight weeks, researchers saw improvements in several markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health, including lower overnight heart rate, improved heart-rate variability (HRV), reduced nighttime cortisol, better blood pressure regulation, and improved glucose handling the following morning.

Here’s what makes this especially interesting: participants didn’t significantly cut calories, lose more weight, or meaningfully change their body composition. The biggest change was when they stopped eating relative to bedtime.

In this episode of The Functional Longevity Podcast, Chris Borda breaks down the research behind the so-called “3-Hour Eating Rule” and explains why eating too close to bedtime may interfere with your body’s natural transition into recovery.

You’ll discover why meal timing may affect heart rate, HRV, cortisol, blood pressure, and blood sugar; how melatonin may change the way your body processes food at night; and why the benefits of eating earlier may have more to do with circadian alignment than traditional intermittent fasting.

Chris also explains why he doesn’t personally follow a rigid three-hour cutoff—and how you can experiment with earlier meal timing without turning it into another restrictive diet.

For adults over 40, small habits that support better metabolic health, cardiovascular function, sleep, and recovery can add up.

The goal isn’t just to live longer. The goal is to live better.

🎧 Listen now to learn whether moving your final meal a little earlier could be one of the simplest changes you make for better nighttime recovery.

Want to stay strong, active, and independent after 40?

YES Fitness helps adults over 40 improve strength, mobility, cardiovascular fitness, and the healthy habits needed to keep doing the things they love.

Schedule your FREE Functional Longevity Strategy Session.

📞 860-673-4293
🌐 yesfitnessct.com

Get Fit. Feel Younger. Live Better.

If you have chronic low back pain, you may have been told you have a bad back, weak core, tight muscles, poor posture, or a damaged disc. But what if some of what you believe about back pain is actually making it harder to recover?

In this episode of the Functional Longevity Podcast, Chris Borda breaks down the modern science of low back pain and explains why pain does not always equal tissue damage.

Most low back pain is considered non-specific, meaning there often isn't one identifiable structural problem responsible for your symptoms. An MRI may show disc degeneration, bulging discs, or other changes—but those findings don't always explain how much pain someone experiences.

You'll learn why avoiding movement can contribute to the fear-pain cycle, how constantly protecting your back may reduce your strength and confidence, and why gradually rebuilding your physical capacity can be an important part of recovery.

We also discuss how strength training, core stability, motor control, and graded exposure can help people with persistent back pain return to movements they've been avoiding, including bending, lifting, carrying, and everyday activities.

You'll also discover how the brain and nervous system influence chronic pain and why fear, stress, expectations, previous experiences, and beliefs about your back can affect what you feel. This doesn't mean your pain isn't real. Pain is real—but it is much more complex than simply measuring tissue damage.

The goal isn't to find one magical back exercise or spend the rest of your life protecting your spine. The goal is to progressively build a body that is stronger, more capable, more confident, and more resilient.

If you're over 40 and want to stay strong, active, independent, and healthy as you age, follow the Functional Longevity Podcast with Chris Borda for practical strategies on strength training, healthy aging, injury prevention, mobility, and functional longevity.

#LowBackPain #BackPain #ChronicBackPain #StrengthTraining #HealthyAging #Over40Fitness #FunctionalFitness #PainScience #CoreStrength #InjuryRecovery #Mobility #Longevity #FunctionalLongevity #FunctionalLongevityPodcast

Strength training after 50 does more than protect muscle and bone—it may also protect your heart.

In this episode of the Functional Longevity Podcast, Chris Borda breaks down a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of 60 studies involving 1,931 postmenopausal women. The research found that resistance training improved resting heart rate and blood pressure—using programs as simple as 2–3 strength workouts per week.

You’ll learn why strength training becomes even more important after menopause, why walking and cardio alone aren’t enough, and how strength training, cardio, protein, and creatine can work together to help you stay strong, healthy, and independent as you age.

Strength training isn’t just about muscle. It’s about protecting your ability to keep doing the things you love—and potentially protecting your heart at the same time.

Ready to get stronger after 40? Schedule a FREE Functional Longevity Strategy Session at YES Fitness.

Call 860-673-4293 or visit yesfitnessct.com.

Get Fit. Feel Younger. Live Better.