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Summary
On episode 405 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Denis Wilson, a metabolism and thyroid expert of 30 years, and his daughter Allison Roberts, to discuss their book The Power of Fastercise.
Dr. Wilson built Fastercise around hormonal signaling research: short bursts of muscle activity that tell the body food is easy to obtain, which curbs hunger and encourages fat burning without long workouts.
Allison shares how she used the method to lose about 30 pounds of baby weight in three months, and the two explain why long, slow cardio can sometimes work against fat loss.
Links
- https://www.fastercise.com
- https://www.chelseagreen.com
Key Takeaways
- Fastercise treats exercise as a hormonal signal, not just calorie burn. Dr. Wilson built the program on research into hormonal signaling, arguing you can trigger the right hormone response at the right moment instead of grinding through more cardio.
- The body cycles between a fed (storage) state and an unfed (forage) state. Insulin rises even from small snacks eaten every few hours, which blocks fat burning; staying in the unfed state longer is what allows stored fat to be used for fuel.
- Short bursts of Shivercise and Tightercise curb hunger without eating. Shivercise, rapid alternating muscle movement, and Tightercise, brief isometric muscle clenches, send a signal that food is easy to obtain, which Dr. Wilson says reduces hunger the way eating would.
- Allison lost about 30 pounds of baby weight in three months using the method. She shivered before meals to delay hunger and did about two minutes of muscle tightening after eating, cycled two to three times a day, while working full time with a newborn.
- Long, slow cardio can backfire for fat loss by increasing appetite. Dr. Wilson contrasts this with Fastercise's short, intense signals, arguing extended cardio can tell the body food is scarce, prompting it to conserve energy and store more fat.
- Fat loss and muscle gain can happen at the same time, not just in separate cutting and bulking phases. Given exercise stimulation, available amino acids, and energy, Dr. Wilson says the body can build muscle in the same moment it is burning fat, aided by processes like gluconeogenesis that restore glycogen even on a low carb diet.
- Consistency beats intensity over the long run. Adaptations from any diet or exercise program can take months to build but can be lost in as little as two weeks off, so Dr. Wilson emphasizes finding a routine simple enough to sustain for life.
- Allison and Dr. Wilson's three strategies to get and stay well: Allison's picks are finding daily joy, staying intention focused rather than feeling focused, and staying close to natural foods and movement; Dr. Wilson's are growing the size and number of mitochondria through Fastercise, sticking to natural foods and activity, and choosing habits sustainable enough to keep doing for life.
“It's not the diet and exercise that you can do that makes a difference. It's the diet and exercise that you can keep doing.”
Dr. Denis Wilson
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