Mt.Taylor Functional Medicine,Nutrition &Muscle

04/16/2026

Exercise 🍩 snack..🙃

04/16/2026

Stop guessing your nutrition after perimenopause—your physiology has changed.

After perimenopause, I do not recommend a strictly plant-based or plant-only diet for most women. Here’s why 👇

As estrogen declines, you are at a higher risk for:
• Loss of lean muscle mass
• Reduced bone density
• Increased frailty and injury risk

And this is where most women get it wrong…

👉 Muscle is not cosmetic. It is protective.

Muscle acts as a mechanical and metabolic shield for your body:
• It stabilizes joints and protects bones from fractures
• It allows you to carry groceries, get off the floor, and stay independent
• It improves insulin sensitivity and metabolic health

If you fall, your ability to get back up is not luck—it’s muscle.

⸻

Protein becomes non-negotiable.

For every woman I work with, my baseline recommendation is:
👉 At least 100 grams of protein per day

And clinically speaking, animal protein is the most efficient way to achieve this.

Why?
• Complete amino acid profile
• Higher bioavailability
• Critical nutrients like B vitamins, iron, and zinc
• Direct support for muscle protein synthesis

Can you survive on plant protein alone? Yes.
Will you optimize muscle, bone, and brain health that way long-term? In most cases—no.

⸻

Now let’s talk brain health 🧠

I actively study cognitive decline because I have zero interest in developing Alzheimer’s or dementia.

What does the research consistently show?
• Adequate protein intake supports neurotransmitter production
• Amino acids are required for brain signaling
• B vitamins play a role in cognitive preservation

👉 You don’t protect your brain in your 70s.
👉 You build it now—with nutrition and muscle.

⸻

Clinical reality:

If you are under-eating protein, avoiding animal foods, and not strength training…
you are accelerating the exact outcomes you’re trying to avoid.

⸻

Bottom line:
Build muscle. Eat sufficient protein. Support your brain.

Because the goal isn’t to be smaller—
it’s to be stronger, more resilient, and fully capable at every age. 💪

#💪

04/15/2026

Cheap. Fast. Easy.
That’s exactly what created the dysfunction.

Most people didn’t end up with hormone imbalance, gut dysfunction, fatigue, or metabolic issues overnight.
They got there through years of convenience decisions:
• Low-quality supplements
• Processed, nutrient-poor food
• Chronic under-eating or starvation diets
• Skipping foundational support (sleep, stress, muscle, micronutrients)

And then they expect healing to be… quick, cheap, and effortless.

That’s not physiology. That’s wishful thinking.

Your body already has the innate ability to heal—
but only when you create the right environment:
• Adequate protein and nutrients
• Targeted, clinical-grade supplementation
• Hormonal support when indicated (thyroid, adrenals, s*x hormones)
• Consistent resistance training
• A protocol you actually follow

I can give you a protocol backed by research.
But here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear:

The protocol only works if you do.

When people go back to:
• Eating out constantly
• Ignoring nutrient density
• Skipping supplements
• Avoiding structure and discipline

They don’t just stall…
they regress right back to where they started.

You don’t get optimal health from convenient habits.
You get it from consistent, intentional standards.

Your body reflects what you repeatedly do—
not what you occasionally try.

04/15/2026

At Mt.Taylor Functional Medicine, this counts as ♻️ trash not food🥩

Not all protein shakes support your health the way you think they do.

Many popular “high-protein” drinks are built on a foundation of processed additives that can work against the very systems you’re trying to improve—especially gut health, metabolic function, and inflammation balance.

Here’s what to look closely at:

Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame potassium may disrupt the gut microbiome and negatively influence insulin signaling. For individuals working on metabolic health, this matters.

Carrageenan, a common thickener, has been associated with gastrointestinal irritation and may contribute to inflammation in sensitive individuals.

“Natural and artificial flavors” are often proprietary chemical blends, not whole-food derived ingredients, and lack transparency.

Seed oils such as sunflower or soybean oil—even in small amounts—add to the overall inflammatory load when consumed regularly.

Gums and fillers like cellulose gel and cellulose gum can contribute to bloating and digestive discomfort in some people.

Additionally, many of these products use lower-quality, synthetic forms of vitamins and minerals (such as cyanocobalamin for B12 or folic acid instead of methylfolate), which are less bioavailable and not ideal for cellular or mitochondrial support.

While these products may help you reach a daily protein number, they may not support gut integrity, recovery, or long-term metabolic health.

Clinical takeaway:
Protein quality is not just about grams—it’s about the delivery system. If the goal is to support muscle, hormones, and overall physiology, the ingredient profile matters.

When choosing a protein source, prioritize:
• Minimal ingredient lists
• No artificial sweeteners
• No gums or carrageenan
• Higher-quality protein sources (e.g., clean whey isolate or beef protein)

Your body doesn’t just respond to protein—it responds to everything that comes with it.

04/13/2026

BUFFALO HUMP: Cosmetic… or a Metabolic Red Flag?

That “hump” at the base of your neck is NOT just posture.
It’s often a sign of deeper dysfunction.

👉 What it can indicate:
• Chronic elevated cortisol (stress physiology)
• Insulin resistance
• Hormonal imbalance (low testosterone, estrogen dominance)
• Adrenal dysregulation
• Medication effects (like long-term steroids)
• Chronic inflammation + fat redistribution

This is commonly referred to as a “buffalo hump” or dorsocervical fat pad.

Is it dangerous?

⚠️ It can be.

Not because of the hump itself…
But because of what it represents:
• Poor metabolic health
• Higher risk of type 2 diabetes
• Increased cardiovascular risk
• Hormonal dysfunction
• Catabolic state (breaking down muscle while storing fat)

👉 Translation:
Your body is storing fat in the wrong place and losing muscle where you need it most.

Why you CAN’T just “massage it away” or spot reduce it

This is NOT a local fat problem.
This is a systemic issue.

If cortisol is high and insulin is dysregulated, your body will CONTINUE to store fat there no matter what you do locally.

How to actually FIX it (root-cause approach)

✔️ Balance cortisol
• Sleep is non-negotiable (7–9 hours)
• Stop fasted high-intensity workouts if you’re already stressed
• Manage stress physiology (nervous system work)

✔️ Build muscle (this is critical)
• Resistance training 3–4x/week
• Muscle = improves insulin sensitivity
• Muscle = pulls fat OUT of storage

✔️ Eat for your metabolic type
• Adequate protein (you already know this matters)
• Stabilize blood sugar (no constant spikes/crashes)

✔️ Correct hormones
• Check testosterone (yes, even in women)
• Evaluate thyroid + adrenal function
• Use bioidentical support if clinically indicated

✔️ Reduce inflammation
• Gut health matters here more than people think
• Address yeast, dysbiosis, endotoxins

✔️ Review medications
• Especially long-term corticosteroids

Bottom line:

That hump is not your body “failing”…
It’s your body adapting to stress and dysfunction.

👉 Fix the metabolism.
👉 Build the muscle.
👉 Regulate the hormones.

…and the body will start to redistribute fat the way it was designed to.

04/10/2026

PICK YOUR FUTURE WISELY.

At 55+, your internal dialogue becomes a physiological driver.

If you repeatedly say:
“I’m too old to exercise.”👵👴
“I’m too old to carry this.”🎒🛄👝
“I’m too old to move.”👵👴

You are conditioning your nervous system for decline.
Reduced demand → reduced adaptation → loss of function.

This is not aging.
This is deconditioning.🥵

Clinical reality:
Muscle, tendon, bone, and neurological output respond to use or disuse.

Even small decisions matter:

If you have a handicap placard but you can walk,
park farther away 1–2 times per week.

Why?

Because when you remove demand,
you accelerate dependency.

And eventually…
you won’t have the option.

You’ll be dropped off.
You’ll rely on assistance.
You’ll lose autonomy.

The new “old” is your 90s.
55–80 is your adaptation window.

Train your system now:
Load your muscles.
Challenge your balance.
Carry your own weight.

Because independence is built—
or it is lost.

— Mt. Taylor Functional Medicine

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

You’re not broken—you’re leaking.
If you don’t fix the holes (sleep, nutrition, muscle, stress),
no supplement, peptide, or protocol will hold.”

04/09/2026

You see this tear?
This isn’t just “bad luck.”

👉 This is undernourished tissue under load.

Everyone wants to:
✔️ Lift heavier
✔️ Build muscle
✔️ Look strong

…but they forget one critical piece:

👉 You have to FEED the tissue you’re asking to perform

Clinically speaking:

Muscle and tendon are living tissue.

They require:
• Amino acids (protein) → for repair + growth
• Minerals (magnesium, zinc, copper) → for tissue integrity
• Vitamin C → collagen formation
• Adequate calories → energy to actually rebuild

What happens when you don’t?

You train hard… but:

❌ Collagen is weak
❌ Muscle fibers don’t repair properly
❌ Tendons can’t handle load

So when force is applied—

👉 Tissue fails.

Not because training is bad…
But because your structure wasn’t supported.

This is what I see often..
• Women under-eating protein
• Training fasted with high cortisol
• Trying to “tone” instead of build

…and then:

➡️ Shoulder tears
➡️ Tendonitis
➡️ Chronic pain

Bottom line:

If you don’t nourish your muscle…

👉 It will break under pressure.

Muscle is the organ of longevity.
But only if you build it AND feed it.

MT Taylor Functional Medicine
Train hard. Recover harder. Fuel the system.

04/08/2026

@

Building muscle to loss weight👌

04/07/2026

You fixed your hormones.
You’re trying to lose fat.
You want to build muscle…

…but you skipped the one thing that determines if any of that actually works:

👉 Tendon integrity

Most people are focused on the muscle.

But clinically, that’s incomplete.

Muscle is the engine.

Tendon is the transmission.

You can build a powerful engine all day long…
…but if the transmission can’t handle the load?

➡️ Power doesn’t transfer
➡️ Strength stalls
➡️ Injury shows up

Here’s what I see in practice:
• Women finally get hormones optimized ✔️
• Protein intake improves ✔️
• Training starts ✔️

…and then:

❌ Elbow pain
❌ Knee pain
❌ Achilles issues
❌ Plateau in strength

That’s not a hormone problem.
That’s a tendon adaptation problem.

Clinical reality:

Muscle adapts fast.
Tendon adapts slow.

If you load muscle faster than your tendon can adapt:

👉 You will plateau
👉 Or you will get injured

What this means for you:

If you want real strength, real longevity, and a body that actually performs—

You don’t just train muscle.

You train the system:
• Muscle (force production)
• Tendon (force transfer)

Because if the tendon doesn’t adapt…

👉 The muscle can’t scale.

Muscle is not just cosmetic.
It’s metabolic.
But tendon is structural insurance.

And if you ignore it, your progress will always have a ceiling.

*xy *xyaf