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High Performance Health

High Performance Health

By: Angela Foster
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The High-Performance Health Podcast is all about optimising your body, mind and lifestyle for high performance. Packed full of actionable insights, strategies, bio hacks, lifestyle hacks, mindset strategies and expert performance advice, Angela Foster is on a mission to optimise your human potential. Featuring interviews with some of the top experts on the planet in the fields of health, performance and business, this show aims to inspire, educate and empower you to live an energetic, healthful and limitless life.2025 Angela Foster Alternative & Complementary Medicine Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Why Lifting Weights Alone Isn't Making You Lose Fat in Perimenopause (And What Actually Works)

    Why Lifting Weights Alone Isn't Making You Lose Fat in Perimenopause (And What Actually Works)
    Jul 2 2026
    In this Bitesize episode, we revisit a key conversation on why resistance training and fat loss need to be treated as two separate goals — and why blending them usually backfires. This short-form cut pulls together the core science on training for muscle/strength versus training for calorie burn, why "lifting to near failure" matters more than the weight on the bar, and a practical progression toward an unassisted pull-up. It also revisits the protein research: why menopausal women are commonly deficient, and how simply increasing protein intake can drive meaningful fat loss and lean mass gains — no calorie-cutting required. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why lifting heavy, moderate, or light doesn't matter for muscle growth — but matters enormously for building strength How to structure your resistance training if your goal is to build or maintain muscle versus increase strength Why treating your lifting sessions as a "calorie-burning workout" can undermine both your strength and muscle-building results A practical progression (band-assisted reps, then eccentric lowering) for working toward an unassisted pull-up Why menopausal-aged women are commonly deficient in protein, and what happens when protein intake alone is increased The optimal protein target (1.6g/kg or ~0.75g/lb of body weight per day) for maximizing lean mass and fat loss Where protein intake starts to hit diminishing returns KEY TAKEAWAYS Separate Your Training Goals: Muscle growth responds to sets taken near failure regardless of load; strength gains require heavier weights. Combining strength/muscle work with calorie-burning goals in the same session tends to produce lower-quality training on both fronts. Progression Over Perfection for Pull-Ups: Band-assisted reps followed by slow eccentric (lowering) practice is an effective, movement-specific path to an unassisted pull-up — though the strength requires ongoing maintenance to keep. Protein Is an Underused Lever: Many menopausal-aged women fall well below optimal protein intake (studies cite averages around 70g/day). Increasing protein alone — without cutting calories — has been shown to reduce body fat and increase lean mass. Diminishing Returns Above ~0.75g/lb: Protein benefits continue to accrue above the optimal threshold but with steadily smaller returns, so hitting "close enough" still delivers most of the benefit. BEST MOMENTS "Lifting heavy or light really doesn't matter if you're trying to build muscle... it does matter if you're trying to increase strength." "As soon as we start looking at our lifting programs as a way to burn more calories... that's when we start to say, 'I'm going to lift for two hours.' And those sets usually tend not to be very high quality." "The act of increasing protein resulted in a significant gain of lean mass and a significant loss of body fat." This episode is brought to you by Calocurb a natural appetite control supplement that helps you feel fuller, longer, without the jitters or crash of stimulant-based options. Head to⁠ calocurb.com/angela⁠ and use code ANGELA for 10% off your order. Follow Calocurb: Website:⁠ Calocurb.com⁠ Instagram:⁠ @calocurb⁠ YouTube:⁠ Calocurb⁠ LinkedIn:⁠ Calocurb
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    11 mins
  • The Natural Ozempic Alternative for Weight Loss | Sarah Kennedy

    The Natural Ozempic Alternative for Weight Loss | Sarah Kennedy
    Jun 29 2026
    Sarah Kennedy of Calocurb explains why food noise spikes in perimenopause: falling estrogen raises cravings while the hindbrain overrides forebrain willpower under stress or poor sleep. She contrasts natural appetite hormones (GLP-1, GIP, CCK, PYY) with pharmaceutical GLP-1 agonists, which run at roughly 3,000% physiological levels versus the body's natural 300% rise - explaining rebound hunger after stopping injectables. Calocurb, a hops-derived bitter compound, stimulates a 600% natural hormone rise for an 18% average calorie reduction. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why food noise isn't a willpower problem, and what's actually happening in your hindbrain versus your forebrain when cravings take over How declining estrogen in perimenopause changes your calorie needs even as cravings increase What GLP-1, GIP, CCK, and PYY actually do in your body, and how they differ from each other How pharmaceutical GLP-1 agonists compare to your body's own natural hormone levels, and what that gap means for nutrient intake Why coming off a GLP-1 medication can trigger intense rebound hunger, and what's happening hormonally during that transition How bitter taste receptors throughout your gut influence appetite signaling, and why this evolutionary mechanism matters What role the luteal phase, travel, and sleep deprivation play in cravings, and how timing strategies can offset them TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:58 - Willpower vs. Biology: The Hindbrain-Forebrain Battle Driving Cravings 04:58 - GLP-1 Explained: How Natural Appetite Hormones Actually Work 10:21 – Supraphysiological Dosing on GLP-1 Drugs and Nutrient Sufficiency Risks 14:03 – Bitter Taste Receptors: The Gut-Brain Mechanism Behind Appetite Suppression 16:58 – Managing Mindless Snacking, Grazing, and the "Licks, Sips, and Dips" Problem 22:06 – Using Appetite Support Strategically During Weight Loss Plateaus 26:26 – Onboarding, Dosing, and Managing Digestive Side Effects 28:13 – Blood Sugar Regulation and New Clinical Research on Weight Loss Outcomes 30:51 – Why You Must Transition Off GLP-1s Strategically to Avoid Rebound Weight Gain 36:53 – Mood, Motivation, and the Liberating Effect of Quieting Food Noise 39:44 – Closing Thoughts VALUABLE RESOURCES• Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it. 👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/ *** This episode is brought to you by Calocurb a natural appetite control supplement that helps you feel fuller, longer, without the jitters or crash of stimulant-based options. Head to calocurb.com/angela and use code ANGELA for 10% off your order. Follow Calocurb: Website: Calocurb.com Instagram: @calocurb YouTube: Calocurb LinkedIn: Calocurb ABOUT THE GUEST Sarah Kennedy is the Founder and CEO of Calocurb, a natural appetite-management company built around years of scientific research and clinical trials that brought Amarasate, a natural GLP-1 activator derived from New Zealand bitter hops, to market. She brings more than 20 years of experience leading health, nutrition, and consumer products companies, including executive leadership roles at Fonterra and Healtheries/Vitaco NZ. In 2010, she completed a Sloan Fellowship Program in Global Leadership and Innovation at MIT. Sarah's own lifelong struggle with weight and complicated relationship with food became the personal driving force behind Calocurb — when the product worked for her where nothing else had, she made it her mission to bring that option to others looking for a natural, non-injectable way to manage cravings and support healthy weight management.
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    45 mins
  • Dr. Stacy Sims on Zone 2 Confusion, HIIT vs Sprint Training & The Truth About Wearables

    Dr. Stacy Sims on Zone 2 Confusion, HIIT vs Sprint Training & The Truth About Wearables
    Jun 25 2026
    Most of us have heard that we need to exercise more, but today, exercise physiologist Dr Stacy Sims digs into what kind of training actually moves the needle for women — and why longer, slower workouts may be leaving results on the table. We get into the real difference between high-intensity interval training and sprint interval training, why the Norwegian 4x4 is one of the most efficient tools for building VO2 max, how to structure a full week of training across just three days, and why your wearable's heart rate zones are probably misleading you more than helping you. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why high-intensity and sprint interval training are not the same thing — and why the distinction matters What the Norwegian 4x4 actually is and why it's so effective for VO2 max How to combine strength, sprint, and cardio work into just three sessions a week Why resistance training and high-intensity work should be prioritised over Zone 2 if you're short on time The truth about BDNF, brain health, and why you need both a seed and the miracle grow Why wrist-worn heart rate monitors consistently fail during high-intensity efforts What Zone 2 actually is — and why most people are training too hard to be in it Why 10,000 steps is a marketing figure, not a science target Why "Zone Zero" has no basis in exercise physiology VALUABLE RESOURCES Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/2SWU8_KDFmc Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it. 👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/ A BIG thank you to our sponsor who makes the show possible: • MitoQ - Support your cells at the source with MitoQ NAD+ Dual Action, designed to boost NAD levels and help your cells actually use them for steady energy and sharper focus 👉 https://www.mitoq.com and use code ANGELA for 10% off your first order.
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    15 mins
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