The Professor of the Dark Arts, Dr Emily Dow returns by popular demand. Emily has seen a huge surge in popularity, and for good reason. Her media is thoughtful, intelligent, and extremely well communicated.
Emily joins me to talk about:
Why "high cortisol" has become the new hormonal imbalance
What cortisol actually does, and why acute elevations in cortisol are not only not bad for you, but essential to normal physiology
Is there any validity to the claim that cortisol elevation from training stress is harmful, especially for peri-menopausal women?
Why chronically elevated cortisol is a problem and how it develops
Why the phrase "hormone balancing" is often a red flag for pseudoscience
What common traits we see among unqualified influencers promoting trendy health boogeymen
What the research tells us about exercise and mental health
Does your brain benefit more from higher-intensity cardio than Zone 2?
A nuanced discussion on the Zone 2 versus higher-intensity cardio debate
Is part of Zone 2's benefit simply that it replaces unhealthy sedentary behaviors?
Thoughts on research headlines like "Carbohydrate intake does not affect muscle growth"
What "scope creep" means when experts are pressured to comment outside their area of expertise, such as peptides
And much more
Instagram: @dremilydow
CHAPTERS
00:49 The Cortisol Myth
01:55 Why Cortisol Matters
03:45 Hormone Balancing Grifts
08:37 Fixing Chronic Stress
12:44 HIIT for Women
14:58 Fueling and Recovery
18:33 Exercise Guidelines
20:49 Is Overtraining Real?
24:20 Training Load and Injury Risk
26:22 Mixed-Modal Cardio
30:22 Exercise and Mental Health
36:32 Exercise vs SSRIs
40:02 Zone 2 and Brain Health
43:14 Exercise and Brain Blood Flow
43:52 Rethinking Zone 2
46:00 Steps vs Cardio
49:13 Heart Rate Zone Myths
50:07 Fiber and Colon Cancer
53:48 Carbohydrates and Muscle Growth
57:12 When Nothing Matters
01:00:54 Supplements and Rituals
01:04:49 Scope Creep and Expertise
01:12:15 Choosing Real Experts
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