We’ve long been told that health starts in the gut or the heart, but what if the key to ageing well begins with your muscles? This week I’m joined by Dr Gabrielle Lyon, physician, author of Forever Strong, and founder of the muscle-centric medicine movement. Gabrielle’s work reframes how we think about muscle not just as strength or aesthetics, but as a powerful metabolic, endocrine, and emotional organ that drives longevity, energy, and resilience. Whether you’re in your 30s trying to stay active or in your 60s building strength for life, Gabrielle is going to get you pumped about getting pumped! After recording this pod, I wanted to run to the gym and start working out with those kettlebells! Book: The Forever Strong PLAYBOOK: A Six-Week, Science-Based Plan to Sharpen Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Get Healthy at Any Age (Jan 26) https://drgabriellelyon.com/playbook/ In this episode, we discuss: 00:00 What is muscle-centric medicine? 02:24 How good muscle impacts blood sugar, fat burning and metabolism 03:50 What is metabolism? 08:45 Why metabolic flexibility matters more than weight 10:44 How to build meals without counting calories 11:45 How much protein do you actually need per day? 15:03 Why protein turnover slows with age 19:24 Is the current protein recommendation too low? 21:09 Plant vs animal protein for muscle health 23:18 Why strength predicts how long you live 25:27 Strength vs cardio 27:27 Erectile dysfunction as an early warning sign 29:11 Muscle health markers to track with your GP 31:10 Why walking after meals lowers blood sugar 33:33 Why body fat percentage misses the real issue 37:06 Can you be overweight but metabolically healthy 39:37 Should you cut carbs to improve muscle health? 40:51 The simplest plate model for muscle health 45:24 How many carbs do you need if you exercise? 57:14 Why motivation isn’t enough 1:07:12 Recovery is where the gains happen 1:08:27 Why sleep is essential for recovery 1:11:13 Favourite strength exercise for longevity---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEARNING TO EAT WELL EVERY DAY 🥗 Download a FREE 7 day meal plan: https://tdk.link/mealplan_yt 🔥 Learn about Inflammation - FREE 4 part mini-series here: https://tdk.link/infl_series_yt 🥑 Heal yourself with food: https://tdk.link/heal_yt 🎤 Listen to experts on the podcast: https://tdk.link/pod_yt 👨🏽‍💻 Browse articles on the website: https://tdk.link/web_yt 📚 Check out my cookbooks: https://tdk.link/books_yt LET'S BE FRIENDS 📷 Instagram: https://tdk.link/tdk_insta_yt 📹 Subscribe: https://tdk.link/ytsubscribe 🙋🏽‍♂️ Facebook: https://tdk.link/tdk_fb_yt 🐦 Twitter: https://tdk.link/tdk_tw_yt 👔 LinkedIn: https://tdk.link/tdk_li_yt