Episode 129: Metabolic Flexibility: A Lifestyle Approach with Brandon DaCruz

Listeners can find Brandon DaCruz at his/her website https://www.brandondacruzfit.com/, and on Instagram @brandondacruz_ 

Brandon DaCruz is an online nutrition and physique coach, sports nutritionist as well as the National sales manager of an internationally carried supplement brand. He’s also a National Level NPC physique competitor and an internationally published fitness model who’s written articles and filmed educational content for publications like Men’s Fitness Magazine and Bodybuilding.com. 

Brandon has spent the past 12 years working within the sports nutrition and fitness industries and has coached every type of client including Olympia Level professional men’s physique competitors, college athletes, MMA fighters, CrossFit competitors, and lifestyle clients. 

He believes in blending what’s been proven in the research with his own anecdotal and first hand "in the trenches'' experience to improve body composition, optimize performance and enhance health in order to help his clients achieve their goals whether that be building muscle, losing body fat, increasing performance and/or optimizing health and longevity. This is what he refers to as his health-centric coaching model as he believes that improving one's health is the cornerstone to optimizing their physical goals.

In this episode, Rachel and Brandon chat all about the ins and out’s of metabolic flexibility. They give tips on why a balanced diet is key for an individualized approach to optimizing fitness and nutrition goals, physique, and longevity.  Both Rachel and Brandon agree that diet protocols can be beneficial for periods of time but ultimately it comes down to pairing your nutrition and fitness with your overall lifestyle.

“We don't want a fast metabolism, we want a flexible metabolism, we want a metabolism that's going to adapt to the inputs and stressors that you put upon it.” Brandon DaCruz

Top Takeaways:

• Drawbacks of being metabolically IN-flexible
• Misconceptions when it comes to fasted cardio
• Signs and symptoms of being metabolically inflexible and how to test how metabolically  flexible your body is
• One of the key factors to increasing metabolic flexibility 

Show Notes:

• [0:00] Rachel gives a brief background of returning guest Brandon DaCruz
• [1:00] Welcome back to MetFlex and Chill! Rachel welcomes guest Brandon DaCruz 
• [1:30] Episode 112: Energy Flux: The Missing Piece To Your Fitness Journey with Brandon DaCruz
• [1:30] Question: Do you want to give us a little bit of background on who you are and what you're up to?
• [3:00] “We have to fit your nutrition to match your lifestyle and your activity levels, not the other way around.”
• [3:30] Question: So why don't you tell me how you define Metflex, or how you define metabolic flexibility from your perspective?
• [4:30] “It's important to be able to use the right fuel at the right time in order to optimize any goal you have, especially when it comes to body composition and then health.”
• [6:30] Question: Can we chat about how fats and carbs are used as fuel sources for different activities?
• [11:00] A Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet Combined with 6-Weeks of Crossfit Training Improves Body Composition and Performance
• [12:30] Question: What’s your take on CrossFit and being metabolically flexible?
• [15:30] “We don't want a fast metabolism, we want a flexible metabolism. We want a metabolism that's going to adapt to the inputs and stressors that you put upon it.”
• [17:00] Question: Can we chat about the drawbacks of being metabolically IN-flexible? 
• [17:30] Metabolic Syndrome 
• [24:30] Question: What are your thoughts on fasted cardio? 
• [26:00] Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise
• [28:30] Question: What are some signs of being very metabolically IN-flexible? And then what would your approach be to help someone get more metabolically flexible?
• [33:30] Question: Can you chat about some of the interventions you use with your clients for their metabolic health?
• [43:30] Question: Is there anything that you've seen within your own practice with, gender differences as it relates to metabolic IN-flexibility?
• [48:00] Keto For Women Program
• [54:00] Question: How do you maintain metabolic flexibility within your own training and traveling? 
• [58:00] Episode 114: Protein Sparing Modified Fasts (PSMF) with Robert Sikes
• [1:06:00] “Principles are few, methods are many.”
• [1:06:30] You can check Brandon out at his website https://www.brandondacruzfit.com/, and on Instagram @brandondacruz_, Episode 112: Energy Flux: The Missing Piece To Your Fitness Journey with Brandon DaCruz 
• [1:07:30] Thanks for listening to another episode! If you’re loving MetFlex and Chill and want to help grow the show, please head over to Itunes and leave a rating and review! How to Leave an Apple Podcast Review: First, Open the podcast app on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. Then, hit the “Search” tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the page and search for MetFlex and Chill. Select the podcast, scroll down to find the subheading “Ratings & Reviews”. and select “Write a Review.” Next, select the number of stars you’d like to leave. Please choose 5 stars! Using the text box which says “Title,” write a title for your review. Then in the text box, write the review itself. The review can be up to 300 words long, but doesn’t need to be much more than: “Love the show! Thanks!” or “Rachel provides wonderful content from a multitude of expert guests!” Once you’re done select “Send” in the upper right-hand corner.

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Rachel Gregory (@rachelgregory.cns) is a Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Author of the best-selling book, 21-Day Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Challenge. She received her Master’s Degree in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology from James Madison University and Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Miami.

Rachel helps her clients transform their lives by starting with the physical (body), realizing the power of the mental (mindset), and ultimately gaining massive confidence that bleeds into every aspect of their lives (family, relationships, work, etc.).