Front Page Fitness

MASS Research Review
  • 4.8 (84)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Having trouble staying up-to-date with the newest health and fitness information? Confused or overwhelmed by the constant flood of contradictory health and fitness information? Look no further. In Front Page Fitness, Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple and Dr. Eric Trexler discuss the hot topics dominating the headlines to provide reliable, accessible, and actionable information you can trust.

  1. 22h ago

    Ep 73 - 7 Ways to Curb Appetite

    Today's opening chatter is all about lobster rolls. After that, Lauren and Eric get into this week's headlines. They start with a National Geographic piece on seven science-backed ways to curb appetite without weight-loss drugs, working through the individual tips and the "glucose goddess" framing of natural GLP-1 claims, fiber, and ultra-processed foods. That leads into a broader conversation about the longevity and "optimization" content culture. Two walking headlines follow: one on a walking habit said to boost longevity, and one on the "lymphatic walking" trend and claims about flushing toxins. A listener question from CJ covers the U.S. Army's switch from height-to-weight tables to a waist-to-height ratio for body composition, and its new Army Fitness Test (deadlift, hand-release push-ups, sprint-drag-carry, plank, two-mile run). They close with a listener question from Nicole on the minimum weekly cardio and strength needed to stay healthy on a tight schedule. Join us for a live recording of Front Page Fitness at 5:30 pm eastern time! Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 0:00 Intro: the lobster-roll contest 6:57 Seven ways to curb appetite 27:58 The longevity & optimization content trap 31:05 Does this walking habit boost longevity? 37:20 "Lymphatic walking" & detox claims 45:28 Listener Q: the Army's waist-to-height standard 51:17 The new Army Fitness Test 1:02:23 Listener Q: minimum cardio & strength per week 1:08:19 Wrap-up

  2. Sep 9

    Ep 72 - Hydration (Beyond Water)

    Trexler and Lauren open with Lauren's return after a mystery 18-hour illness and her travels, followed by a callback to their running guilt-tipping saga — this time being asked to tip at a Canadian grocery-store self-checkout — plus some beverage talk and listener feedback. From there they get into the week's science. The main thread is hydration beyond plain water: an article on water-rich foods and whether you really need to chase a giant-water-bottle hydration goal, and how much fluid we get from food and other sources. They then look at a New York Post story on Eight Sleep's mattress that claims to track your "biological aging" via in-bed sensors, and debate whether it offers anything over a ring or watch, the limits of sleep-tracking wearables, and the health-tech habit of re-solving already-solved problems. Dr. Drew's endorsement of a C15 (pentadecanoic acid) supplement gets an extended breakdown of the marketing claims and how you'd actually design a study to test them. The episode closes on a listener question about fasted training, where they separate fasted training from low energy availability and discuss the topic through an evolutionary lens before wrapping up. Join us for a live recording of Front Page Fitness at 5:30 pm eastern time! Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 0:00 Intro: mystery illness & travels 5:02 Guilt-tipping at the self-checkout 12:45 Beverages & listener feedback 15:16 Hydration beyond water 19:34 A mattress that tracks your aging? 36:26 Dr. Drew & the C15 supplement 50:05 Listener Q: is fasted training bad?

  3. Sep 1

    Ep 71 - Is BMI Legit?

    In this solo episode, Eric Trexler discusses the latest headlines on health and fitness, focusing on fiber intake, testosterone testing, the utility (and pitfalls) of BMI, and sleep support strategies. Join us for a live recording of Front Page Fitness at 5:30 pm eastern time! Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:25 The rise of fibermaxxing and its importance 04:48 Why fiber intake is linked to chronic disease risk 06:10 How much fiber is enough and recommended guidelines 08:04 The role of different fiber types in health 09:30 Fiber for constipation and gut health 14:55 Testosterone testing: when is it necessary? 16:21 Threshold effects of testosterone levels on symptoms 20:38 Belly fat versus BMI in predicting health risks 22:05 Different fat depots and their health implications 26:13 Limitations of BMI and alternative measures 32:45 Diet strategies for better sleep 36:30 Supplements and ingredients for sleep support 43:59 Other dietary factors influencing sleep quality 45:54 Emerging research on sodium, potassium, and sleep 47:44 Live chat interaction & closing remarks

  4. Aug 26

    Ep 70 - A New "Exercise Pill"

    In this episode, Eric & Lauren explore a wide range of topics from the latest trends in influencer culture, new culinary creations from Mountain Dew, the science of sauna bathing & heat shock proteins, the impact of resistance training at any age, the concept of exercise mimetics (or "exercise in a pill"), the effects of vegan diets on weight loss, and much more. Join us for a live recording of Front Page Fitness at 5:30 pm eastern time! Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction 03:48 Mountain Dew ice cream 09:00 Gen Z's new insult: Polyester as a pejorative 13:13 Brides and fitness trackers at weddings 18:41 Women doing pull-ups 26:25 New exercise pill that "mimics exercise effects" 40:02 Low-fat vegan diet and weight loss insights 50:29 Heat shock proteins and sauna benefits 01:03:31 Women’s strength training across the lifespan

  5. Aug 20

    Ep 69 - "Chic" Fitness Wearables

    Lauren shares that the New York Post contacted her about the viral claim that "women can't do pull-ups," which opens a discussion of the data behind it and the factors that go into training for a pull-up. After a detour into "skeleton news" (the first confirmed death by trebuchet), they turn to the headlines: viral Christian men-only gyms, and the growing trend of health-tracker jewelry like smart rings and earrings. The back half leans into the science stories. They look at a conference abstract on AI photo-based calorie tracking and how well these apps estimate calories from a meal, followed by an extended discussion of a Cell Press review on protein intake, aging, and longevity, and how to interpret research drawn from cells, flies, and rodents. They wrap with listener mail — a hippo-themed follow-up to last episode's carnivore-diet segment, and a question about yoga, flexibility, and the claims that surround it, ending on the backstory of Joseph Pilates. Join us for a live recording of Front Page Fitness! We're live every Monday at 5:30 pm eastern time. Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 0:00 Intro & the "women can't do pull-ups" story 6:11 Skeleton news: death by trebuchet 13:27 Christian men-only gyms go viral 20:51 Health-tracker jewelry gets fancy 33:48 Can AI photos count your calories? 44:00 Does less protein slow aging? 1:04:05 Listener mail 1:08:30 Yoga claims based on science and/or tradition 1:15:45 Wrap-up

  6. Aug 12

    Ep 68 - A Brain-Shrinking Habit?

    Lauren is back in the US, which kicks off a tangent about her new (third) phone number and the newest "Dunkers" in the donut/soft drink industry. After that, they get into the headlines of the week. First up is "boy kibble," then a Shake Shack guilt-tipping controversy sparks a full rant about tipping culture creeping onto self-service kiosks and app-dependent businesses. After that, a New York Post piece on returning to the gym earns rare praise, followed by a less praise-worthy headline about active recovery. The back half covers a Huffington Post story on a study linking midlife TV watching to later brain shrinkage — interesting but with plenty of potential confounders and limitations. The top headline is a famous doctor (the same "alpha" physician advising RFK Jr. and JD Vance) claiming that toilet paper becomes unnecessary when you adopt his preferred diet. They close with a listener question about protecting your eyesight through a PhD. Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 0:00 Intro 4:42 Dr. Pepper Dunkers 8:07 "Boy kibble" 12:18 Guilt-tipping and app-dependent businesses 25:13 Returning to the gym the right way 31:04 Active recovery 38:31 Does midlife TV shrink your brain? 44:04 The carnivore diet & the toilet paper claim 52:07 Protecting your eyesight in a PhD

  7. Aug 5

    Ep 67 - Eric's Research

    Lauren interviews Eric about his research on metabolism and energy expenditure. He describes turning down a tenure-track job to move into science communication and then evolutionary anthropology, studying how humans regulate their energy budget. He explains why people get metabolism wrong in both directions — treating it as mysterious and stretching the real person-to-person variation to impossible extremes — and walks through metabolic adaptation, why reverse dieting usually backfires, and the evolutionary logic of the body's "low-power mode." They get into why resting metabolic rate doesn't crater at menopause (the real changes from 20 to 60 are mostly behavioral), how non-exercise activity works and its limits, and what hunter-gatherer and subsistence populations reveal as a kind of "control group" for modern health. He closes with simple public-health advice — sell people on physical activity, find a sustainable calorie-appropriate eating pattern, get enough fiber from whole food sources — and discusses the ongoing debate over the constrained energy expenditure model. Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 0:00 From supplements to energy expenditure 7:56 What everyone gets wrong about metabolism 10:12 Metabolic adaptation & reverse dieting 14:13 The evolutionary logic of the energy budget 16:19 Evolutionary head-scratchers 18:25 Metabolism, sex differences & aging 22:35 Non-exercise activity & step counts 28:19 What hunter-gatherers teach us 31:04 The simple public-health message 35:14 The constrained energy model debate 38:26 Wrap-up

  8. Jul 29

    Ep 66 - Lauren's Research

    A special interview episode: Trexler interviews Lauren about her research at the intersection of exercise, muscle physiology, and women. She explains how she backed into menstrual-cycle research after realizing it was a perceived barrier keeping labs from studying women at all, and why her finding that cycle phase doesn't much affect training adaptations should have opened the door to more research — before the internet "slapped her in the face." They cover which sex differences actually deserve attention (menstrual symptoms, PCOS, endometriosis, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause) versus the over-complication that markets special protocols off single-hormone claims. The heart of the episode is three practical questions — how to train around your menstrual cycle, how to think about hormonal contraceptives, and what to actually do at menopause — with the same nuanced answer each time: track your own response, adjust reactively rather than proactively, and match the tool to the goal. Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review massresearchreview.com Chapters 0:00 Why study exercise & women's physiology? 9:12 Which sex differences actually matter 12:28 The single-hormone trap 19:49 When bone & DEXA expectations mislead 22:16 Actionable Guidance: training & your menstrual cycle 26:36 Actionable Guidance: hormonal contraceptives 30:39 Actionable Guidance: menopause 35:04 Wrap-up

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4.8
out of 5
84 Ratings

About

Having trouble staying up-to-date with the newest health and fitness information? Confused or overwhelmed by the constant flood of contradictory health and fitness information? Look no further. In Front Page Fitness, Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple and Dr. Eric Trexler discuss the hot topics dominating the headlines to provide reliable, accessible, and actionable information you can trust.

Information

  • Creator
    MASS Research Review
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © MASS Research Review
  • Show Website
    Front Page Fitness

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