Labs & Health Episodes

A guy in your gym dropped thirty pounds since spring, and your brother-in-law is on it too. You haven't touched a GLP-1 or called your doctor about one, but you're starting to wonder if you're missing out. Underneath that sits a real worry. If it costs you muscle, does that make it even harder to lose weight later? (Wondering if you need a GLP-1 to lose the weight, or if there's another way? See what makes this time different at www.thecalltorise.com) This episode runs seventeen questions back...

One listener eats nuts and trail mix as a healthy snack and still can't explain why the scale won't move. A third of a cup runs about 180 calories. Two handfuls can add up to almost a full meal without him noticing. (Ever eat something you call healthy and still can't explain why the scale won't move? See what actually works at www.thecalltorise.com) Coach Brian breaks down simple fixes for better fat loss, stronger workouts, improved energy, steadier blood sugar, lower blood pressure, better ...

You started a GLP-1 to lose the gut. The scale moved and your doctor is happy but then your shirt started fitting strange. Your arms look smaller and squat dropped. (Are you losing weight on a GLP-1 but watching your strength go with it? See how to protect your muscle at www.thecalltorise.com) Coach Brian Parana breaks down what these drugs do for fat loss, what they cost you in muscle, and the 2 moves that stop the muscle loss. If you care about fitness, nutrition, energy, and long-term heal...

Neal's got a box sitting on his bathroom counter. His doctor wrote the script 3 days ago. It's still unopened. His buddy at the gym won't stop talking about the one he's on. His wife lost thirty pounds on hers in four months. Neal's labs aren't where he wants them either. Part of him wants this box to be the answer. Part of him doesn't trust it yet. (Have you got a script sitting unopened because you don't trust it yet? See what the real research says at www.thecalltorise.com) If that's you t...

An A1C above 6.2 makes you diabetic, by definition. Plenty of men running six and seven figure businesses cross that line years before a doctor ever says the word out loud. This episode is for that man, the business owner who builds his whole calendar around everyone else and never blocks time for his own health. This is men's health built for men who run things and rarely slow down. (Doctor flag something on your last blood panel? See how men are moving those numbers in the right direction at ...

Coach Brandon Day says most pain is not aging. It is a signal from your brain trying to protect you. In this episode he breaks down why stretching and rehab alone rarely fix pain that keeps coming back. (Have you been told your pain is part of getting older? See how driven men are getting their bodies back at www.thecalltorise.com) Brandon Day is a neuro trainer and coach who connects the brain and body to help people move without pain. He explains why pain often comes from dehydration, poor p...

This episode is for driven men with type 2 diabetes who want steady energy, better blood sugar and clear data they can act on. Your A1C gives you a three month average. It does not show what your blood sugar does during a stressful work call, after Tuesday night dinner, or between 4 and 7 AM while you are asleep. (Do you know what your blood sugar is doing while you sleep or during a stressful day? Get the free scorecard at www.thecalltorise.com/improveyourbloodpanels) A 2025 study in Nature S...

Paisley Palmer was nine months old and battling leukemia when Andy Shepard's team at Project Outrun found out she loved shoes. They designed two matching pairs so she could wear one and hold the other while she ran the halls of the children's hospital. Paisley is a leukemia survivor now, five going on six. (Do you know a family that could use a fast friend during a hard season? See how Project Outrun shows up for kids fighting cancer at projectoutrun.org.) Coach Brian talks with Andy Shepard, ...

More than half of men with type 2 diabetes develop erectile dysfunction. A 2018 meta analysis found men with ED and no other heart symptoms carry 44 percent more risk of a future cardiovascular event. Almost none of them ever connect the two. (Has something changed in the bedroom that you have not mentioned to your doctor? See what your body might be telling you at www.thecalltorise.com.) Coach Brian breaks down why erectile dysfunction is often the first visible sign of artery damage. The blo...

Brian's grandmother lost both legs to type 2 diabetes. She spent her last decade in assisted living after going from the matriarch of the family to someone the world moved past. If you just walked out of the doctor's office with an A1C of 8.3, a pamphlet, and a prescription, this episode was made for you. (Are you staring at a diabetes diagnosis with zero idea what to do next? Grab the free Blood Panels Scorecard below to build your starting plan.) Coach Brian walks through exactly what a type...

Neal is a 45 year old sales director, husband, and father of two. He thought he was doing fine until he checked his labs mid-workday and saw an A1c of 8.3. (Have you told yourself your numbers are good enough for now? See what Neal found when he stopped saying that.) Coach Brian breaks down Neal's story and what most men and even most doctors get wrong about blood sugar. He covers why "manage it" with medication alone rarely fixes the real problem, how blood sugar issues show up as brain fog a...

The U.S. just released a new food pyramid for 2026. Coach Brian breaks down what it gets right, what it gets wrong, and why public nutrition guidelines rarely translate into results for men with demanding lives. (Have you followed every piece of nutrition advice and still felt stuck? See what the new food pyramid still misses.) Coach Brian covers the good and the bad of the new food pyramid, and why food pyramids keep changing while obesity and chronic disease stay the same. He explains how pr...

Drake was 29 years old, building and selling businesses, when his doctor told him his blood pressure of 160 over 110 meant medication for life unless something changed now. (Have you been told your numbers will only get fixed with a pill? See what Drake did instead.) Coach Brian tells Drake's story, a young entrepreneur carrying real stress and responsibility whose blood pressure hit dangerous levels at 29. Drake joined The Call To Rise and used strength training, personalized nutrition, and r...

Twenty extra pounds does more than change how your clothes fit. It spikes your cardiovascular risk and can push a heart attack bill past 20 thousand dollars. (Do you leave your checkup with a new prescription and vague advice? Here are 13 questions that get real answers instead.) Coach Brian lays out 13 must-ask questions to bring to your next doctor's visit, covering weight loss plans, blood work targets like A1c, cholesterol, and blood pressure, realistic timelines, and long-term health risk...

Victor needed to lose 43 pounds. He lost 21, then hit a four-month stall that made him feel like he was starving all the time and started wrecking his work and home life. (Does fat loss feel harder now than it used to? Your hormones may be the reason, not your discipline.) Coach Brian breaks down the real fat loss equation and the seven hormones that most directly affect hunger, cravings, energy, and where your body stores fat: GLP-1, cortisol, thyroid, leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and testostero...

Bad blood work can rattle you fast, especially when your doctor just says to watch your numbers with no clear next step. (Have you looked at your lab results and felt confused about what to do next? Get a plain-language scorecard to decode them.) Coach Brian breaks down what it means when your blood panels start trending the wrong way and how to take action before chronic illness becomes the default. He walks through the key markers men over 40 need to understand: A1c, fasting glucose, blood p...

Why am I not losing weight when I barely eat? Why do I blow it every night after 9 PM? These are two of the 26 real questions men sent Coach Brian in DMs and emails, the ones you think about late at night but rarely say out loud. (Do you have a health question you have never said out loud? See if it made the list of 26.) Coach Brian answers 26 real questions from men over 40 instead of another New Year pep talk. He covers late-night eating, belly fat, motivation, soreness, and whether cardio i...

Brian Nase was waking up five to six times a night with unquenchable thirst. A blood sugar reading of 374 turned one late-night bathroom trip into a full wake-up call. (Have you brushed off warning signs as just getting older? See what Brian's body was actually telling him.) Coach Brian sits down with Brian Nase, a former restaurant operator who spent 30 plus years working long hours before a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis changed everything. Brian shares the early warning signs most men shrug off,...

Andy, a 45-year-old husband, father of three, and sales manager, came home from a weekend trip just as tired as when he left. He was 35 pounds overweight and dealing with high blood pressure and constant exhaustion. (Have you ever come back from vacation just as tired as before you left? See what was really behind Andy's fatigue.) Coach Brian breaks down why quick breaks like vacations or naps do not fix long-term fatigue. He shares Andy's story and how years of hard work had left him drained ...

The same drive that built your career can quietly work against your body. Coach Brian calls it Entrepreneur Syndrome, where ambition and neglect of the body grow side by side. (Does your ambition ever come at the cost of your body? See the hidden risks most driven men miss.) Coach Brian breaks down Entrepreneur Syndrome and the hidden health risks men over 40 face when ambition outpaces self-care. He covers why high blood pressure and cholesterol often show no symptoms until it is too late, an...