Mindful Wellness Project

01/09/2026

3 non-negotiables for a truly successful lift
1. Mechanical tension from start to finish – full ROM, constant control, no momentum cheating. Feel every inch of the rep.
2. Progressive overload – if you’re not gradually doing more (weight, reps, better form), you’re just maintaining.
3. Intensity – push close to (or right up to) failure with focus and fire. Half-effort reps build nothing.
Master these and the gains follow. What’s the one you’re dialing in this week? Drop it below 👇

01/05/2026

Calgary, it’s January 4, 2026, blizzard season is here, the oil patch is ramping up, and the holidays are officially in the rearview.

No time for fluffy resolutions that die by February.

If you’re tired of midday crashes, nagging soreness from weekend hockey, or dragging through long days, check out my latest post: “Setting a Mindful Wellness Intention for 2026 – No Resolutions, Just Results.”

It’s straight talk for real Calgarians:

• Pick one anchor word (Discipline, Resilient, Strong, Own It) that keeps you locked in
• Three dead-simple habits that actually stick (2-min morning anchor, upgraded fuel meal, quick evening wins review)
• Built for -30 commutes, overtime, and family life—no excuses, no drama

These are the same tools my clients use to build energy, recover faster, and show up stronger at work and home. Evidence-based, low-effort, high-return.

Read it here and grab your one-word focus before the week gets away from you:
https://www.mindfulwellnessproject.com/setting-a-mindful-wellness-intention-for-2026

What’s your anchor word for 2026? Drop it in the comments—let’s see what Calgary’s carrying into the new year. 💪❄️

(Pro tip: Pair that morning anchor with a post-sauna cold shower—game-changer when it’s -15 out.)

The calendar flipped to 2026, and if you're like most folks here, balancing oil-patch demands, family life, winter commutes, and Stampede-level grit, you're probably already thinking about how to level up without wasting time on fluffy trends or unrealistic resets. No 30-day challenges that fizzle b...

12/25/2025

Holiday stress hitting hard? Extra food, family chaos, disrupted routines… it’s spiking cortisol for EVERYONE right now, and that means more belly fat, slower recovery, and feeling wiped out in the gym. 😩

But you DON’T have to derail your progress. As a bodybuilding coach who’s helped clients come out of December leaner and stronger than they went in, here’s the no-BS, evidence-based game plan to stay lean, strong, and sane through the holidays:

💪 Training — Keep showing up 3-5x/week. Stick to compounds (squats, deads, bench, rows, OHP). Travel? Hotel bodyweight or full-body sessions still count. Add short walks or HIIT to blunt cortisol — missing weeks is what kills gains.

🍽️ Nutrition — Eat like an athlete: 1.6-2.2g protein/kg bodyweight daily (blunts cortisol + preserves muscle). Fill up on protein + veggies first, save carbs for post-workout or big meals, limit booze (it tanks recovery). Track loosely — aim for maintenance or tiny surplus, not a free-for-all.

🛡️ Supplements that actually work (backed by studies in athletes):
• Ashwagandha (KSM-66, 300-600mg) → 20-30% cortisol drop
• Omega-3 (2-3g EPA/DHA)
• Magnesium glycinate/threonate (300-400mg)
• Phosphatidylserine (400-800mg)
• Bonus: Vitamin C + Creatine

Stack a couple, sleep hard, and control what you can. Most of my clients end January looking better than expected!

What’s your biggest holiday struggle, sticking to training or not going overboard on food?
Drop it below 👇 or DM me.

Full guide with all the research + practical tips here:

https://www.mindfulwellnessproject.com/managing-holiday-stress-evidence-based-strategies-for-mental-physical-and-emotional-regulation

Stay strong this season 💪🎄

Mindful Wellness Project

The holidays hit hard, extra calories everywhere, disrupted schedules, family obligations, and social pressure. All of this spikes cortisol, the hormone that promotes fat storage (especially abdominal), breaks down muscle tissue, impairs recovery, and tanks your energy for training.

11/30/2025

Retatrutide – The Triple Agonist Poised to Redefine Midlife Metabolic Health

As the conversation on therapies for perimenopause and menopause evolves, retatrutide (LY3437943), Eli Lilly’s investigational triple agonist targeting GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors, deserves attention. Phase 3 trials are ongoing through 2025–2026, and phase 2 data already show mean weight loss of up to 24 % at 48 weeks—outcomes that surpass most dual-agonist benchmarks.

For women in midlife, its mechanism maps directly onto menopause-related metabolic disruption. Here’s why it’s generating strong interest among endocrinologists, OBGYNs, and menopause specialists:

1. Superior visceral fat reduction

The added glucagon receptor agonism drives hepatic lipolysis and greater abdominal fat loss than GLP-1/GIP dual agonists alone—an important advantage when estrogen decline shifts fat distribution centrally.

2. Robust glycemic control and insulin sensitization

Triple agonism produces deeper improvements in fasting glucose, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR. Stabilizing glucose excursions may indirectly reduce vasomotor symptom triggers and hypothalamic inflammation.

3. Potential neurocognitive benefits

Enhanced blood-brain barrier pe*******on and broader receptor coverage appear to improve cerebral insulin signaling and reward pathway modulation, offering possible relief from brain fog and mood instability.

4. Marked suppression of appetite and food noise

Glucagon’s central effects amplify satiety signaling, leading to sustained caloric reduction and less of the emotional eating often amplified during the menopausal transition.

5. Broad cardiometabolic improvement

Significant reductions in triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, liver fat (up to ~80 % resolution in NASH cohorts), blood pressure, and systemic inflammation address the accelerated CVD and NAFLD risk that begins at menopause.

6. Lean mass preservation when combined with resistance training and adequate protein

Early data suggest better retention of muscle compared with calorie restriction alone—an important consideration for long-term bone and metabolic health.

Safety signals remain consistent with the class (primarily transient GI effects), with no new red flags in the published datasets to date.

Retatrutide is not hormone therapy and will not replace menopausal hormone therapy when vasomotor or genitourinary symptoms predominate. It does, however, offer a powerful tool for women whose primary burden is refractory weight gain, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysregulation during the transition.

Phase 3 results expected in 2026 will clarify the final risk–benefit profile and timeline to approval.
Colleagues—how are you thinking about retatrutide in your midlife patient population?

Incorporating into trials now, counseling interested patients to wait, or already seeing off-label enthusiasm? Grateful for your perspectives.

www.mindfulwellnessproject.com

11/20/2025

5 weeks post umbilical hernia surgery and I’m already back to feeling like a weapon.
Incision? Barely a scar.

Pain? Gone.

Core? Stronger than before surgery.

How? BPC-157 + Mot-C (myostatin inhibitor).
• BPC flooded the site, grew new blood vessels, sped up healing like crazy.

• Mot-C shut down myostatin locally → zero muscle loss, actually gained abs while “resting.”

Docs said 8-12 weeks before light training.

I’ll be squatting & deadlifting in under 7.
That’s not ego. That’s peptides + discipline.

But the mental side… holy s**t.
25+ years of daily iron, gone cold turkey.
Living like a civilian is straight-up depressing.
I catch myself judging everyone now:
“You’re healthy and you’re skipping the gym? Do you even get how lucky you are?”

Being forced to sit out rips your identity away. You feel small. Soft. Mortal.
Never again.

When I’m cleared I’m coming back meaner, hungrier, and more grateful than ever.

If you’ve ever been injured and had to watch from the sidelines…

Drop a 🔥 below. I see you.

DM for coaching

11/14/2025

AZELAPRAG: The “Exercise in a Pill” Bodybuilders Are Talking About 🔥

Cutting for stage? You know the struggle:
GLP-1s like tirzepatide melt fat — but 40% of what you lose can be hard-earned muscle.

Now imagine preserving your gains while still dropping body fat like crazy.

That’s Azelaprag (BGE-105) — an oral drug that mimics the effects of endurance training at the cellular level.

Mouse data:
✅ Tirzepatide alone = 16% weight loss
✅ + Azelaprag = 39% weight loss
✅ Lean mass fully restored to healthy levels
✅ ↑ VO2 max, ↑ fat burn, ↑ energy
Human trial (bed rest):
✅ Kept muscle volume & protein synthesis
✅ Better muscle quality vs placebo

For bodybuilders:
💪 Stack with tirzepatide → keep 10–20% more muscle on a cut
💪 Recomp: lose fat, stay full, recover faster
💪 No pins. Just a pill.

The catch?

Phase 2 trial paused in Dec ‘24 due to mild liver enzyme bumps (asymptomatic). BioAge is fixing it — update coming 2025.

Bottom line: Not out yet. Not magic.
But when it drops? Could change contest prep forever.

Would YOU use this on a 1–2 lb/week cut?

Drop a 🔥 if you’re watching this one.

Research compound only. Not FDA-approved.

👉 DM me for Peptide + Hormone Optimization Coaching