Molly is the host of the Breaking the Bottle Legacy podcast, where she shares her own experience with changing her long-standing drinking patterns and creating a healthier and more peaceful relationship with alcohol.

In this episode, we dig into the science and mindset around how alcohol affects:

• Hydration
• Refuelling
• Performance
• Muscle building and maintenance
• Recovery and injuries
• Sleep
• And some specific information (or misinformation) about beer.

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Right off the bat, I am going to say this: the point of this episode is not to start some sort of measuring contest between me and you or you and your friends on social media. The point of measuring your fitness is more complex than that.

First, having an initial test result when you start a new exercise program or movement regimen can give you a baseline, so future testing can be compared to this and any changes you make can be quantified.

Second, establishing this baseline can be especially important if you are embarking on a new training regimen and have no idea where to start. Do you do 3 sets of 15 reps with 40kg or half that (or double that)? Having this insight into your own fitness level can help you avoid injury from the good old "too much, too soon" situation.

For added fun-with-data (who doesn’t love that?), you can repeat the tests at regular intervals, to see how effective your training program really is. The period between tests may range from two weeks to six months to maybe even yearly. Just keep in mind that it usually takes a minimum of four to six weeks to see a measurable change in any aspect of fitness so don’t do them too often or you may be taxing your body unnecessarily and get bummed out by the seeming lack of progress.

Visit https://www.brockarmstrong.com/how-fit/ to get a fill breakdown of my Second Wind Fitness Test

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Monica Reinagel has been helping people create healthier lives for more than 15 years through her Nutrition Diva podcast, books, online coaching programs, and in-person workshops. As a licensed and board-certified nutritionist, her approach is grounded in science but is also practical and realistic. Monica also co-hosts the Change Academy podcast (with me) and runs the sustainable weight loss program, Weighless (also with me).

In this episode, we dig into:

• What the heck is a calorie?
• How do companies measure the calories in food?
• How do our bodies use the fuel we give them?
• How is calorie expenditure measured?
• How accurate are calorie-in counters (like MyFitnessPal)?
• How accurate are calorie-out counters (like FitBit or Apple Watch)?
• Is there anything we can learn from tracking calories?
• What do we miss when we focus too much on calories?
• What can we do instead of counting calories?
• What is the best way to fuel your workouts?

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Buy Brock a coffee (and support this show) at https://BrockArmstrong.com/coffee
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Think of all the short 10-minute body blasts or 7-minute scientific workouts you have heard of. Or consider the huge focus on HIIT and how you can get “the benefits of a 60-minute workout in half the time.” Or all the electro-stim devices that you don’t even have to move your own muscles to “zap body fat” and “build muscles while you relax.”

What do all of these have in common? They all miss the fact that exercising and moving your body is fun and pleasurable - just like eating your favourite food.

That is to say that it can be fun if we pick the right movements and activities - just like we pick our favourite meals.

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The guest on this episode turned 56 in September and he has done what most people think can’t be done at his age - he is more fit than he has ever been in his life.

My guest on this episode is Dean Dwyer, author of the book, Make Shift Happen, creator of the Extraordinary Willpower course, and the host of The Mindset Show. He is a former educator who now spends his time teaching others how they can be successful in their own lives to change how they look, work and live.

In the episode, we discuss:

• The evolution of Dean's fitness program/plan and mine.
• What do we really want from our bodies?
• How does Dean measure his fitness?
• What role does consistency play?
• Doing activities and workouts that you don’t enjoy?
• How often does Dean truly push himself?
• What are Dean's top three “workouts?” Or perhaps mindsets?

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In my early coaching career, I specialized in marathon and triathlon coaching. I then went on to coach everyone from fitness models to previously sedentary seniors. But no matter what walk of life people came from, they consistently asked the same seemingly innocent question: How long will I need to “do this” to get fit? 

My answer generally alternated between either “as long as possible” or “it depends.” Obviously, neither of these was the answer people wanted to hear.

The reason for my somewhat unsatisfying answer is the topic for this, the first solo episode of my new podcast. 

Heads-up: before I get into the meat of that topic, I also share a little about myself and how I became an expert in fitness and movement.

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I have some amazingly knowledgeable and inspiring guests, interesting topics, cool tests, fun workouts, and mind-blowing information all coming your way in podcast form very soon. 

In this episode, I highlight a few of the episodes that are all queued up and ready to help you get your second wind. Including:

--Do You Want To Get Fit Fast?

--The Minimum Viable Threshold with Dean Dwyer (the Successful Body)

--Love the Process, Not Just the Outcome

--The Calorie Conundrum with Monica Reinagel (the Nutrition Diva)

--How Fit Are You?

--Alcohol and Fitness with Molly Watts (Breaking the Bottle Legacy)

--How You Can Avoid Doing Too Much, Too Soon

--Getting Physically Durable with Tim Waggoner (Endurance Planet)

--How Using a Treadmill Wrong Can Boost Your Genes

--What We Can Learn from Pro Athletes with Brad Kearns (B.Rad Podcast)

--How Flexible Do you Really Need to Be with Abi Carver (Yoga15)

--How to Last in Sport and Fitness with Craig "Crowie" Alexander (Ironman)

--How Exercise Can Benefit your Mental Health with Alex Wisch (wischfit.com)

And much much more to come!

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Buy Brock a coffee (and support this show) at https://BrockArmstrong.com/coffee
Start your Amazon shopping adventure at https://BrockArmstrong.com/amazon

Coach Brock Armstrong is not a millionaire. He is not genetically gifted. He's just like you, simply doing the best with what he has. he is an easy-going Canadian, who is easy to talk to, doesn't fall for fads or false hype, and focuses on non-intimidating but effective ways to get and stay healthy and fit. 

What you can expect from the Second Wind Fitness podcast in the next few weeks?

Weekly podcast episodes, alternating between:
- one 15 minute solo exploration of exercises and workouts, reviews of popular gyms and gear, plus deep dives into specific aspects of fitness 
- and one 45 minute conversation with an expert that I believe we all can learn from. 

All the episodes will focus on fitness and movement and how it supports our overall health and wellbeing - including physical health, mental health, emotional wellness, social connectedness, rest, stress, sleep, and more. 

So if you are ready to move more of your body, more often, in more and more interesting and satisfying ways, subscribe to the Second Wind Fitness podcast.