Beyond GLP 1: How Body By Hannah Supports Your Journey

Being prescribed a GLP-1 medication can be an important step in caring for your health. But medication is only one part of the experience.

As your appetite, eating patterns, energy, and body begin to change, you may find yourself asking new questions:

Am I eating enough?
Am I losing muscle along with body fat?
Why does my energy feel different?
How should I exercise now?
What does healthy progress actually look like for me?

At Body By Hannah, we provide the coaching and support that happens beyond the medication.

Our role is to help you navigate the physical and practical changes that can accompany GLP-1 treatment so you can feel nourished, capable, strong, and supported throughout the process.

Your progress is more than a number on the scale

Weight loss may include a combination of body fat and lean tissue. Although research generally indicates that GLP-1 supported weight loss comes primarily from fat, some loss of lean mass may also occur.

That is why our goal is not simply to help you become lighter on the scale. We want to help you maintain the muscle, strength, energy, and physical capacity that allow you to live well.

We often refer to muscle as your “metabolic currency.” It helps your body manage glucose, supports your joints and bones, contributes to mobility, and gives you the strength to handle the demands of everyday life. It is also an important reserve for healthy aging and long-term independence.

Preserving muscle is not about appearance alone. It is about protecting the function and resilience of your body.

We use body-composition data to look beneath the surface

At Body By Hannah, we use the InBody body-composition system as part of our ongoing client check-ins.

Unlike a standard scale, an InBody assessment helps us look at estimated changes in areas such as:

• Skeletal muscle mass

• Body fat mass and body fat percentage

• Fat-free or lean mass

• The distribution of lean tissue across your arms, legs, and trunk

• Total body water and fluid balance

• Body composition trends over time

This information helps us have a much more meaningful conversation about your progress.

If your weight is decreasing while your skeletal muscle remains stable, that may indicate that your training, nutrition, and recovery plan is supporting a positive outcome. If your muscle estimate begins to trend downward or you are also experiencing fatigue, weakness, poor recovery, or declining performance, we can respond early and thoughtfully.

We pay attention to how you feel, not only how you measure

The scan gives us useful data, but you are never reduced to a data point.

During coaching, we also check in on:

• Your mood

• Your energy 

• Your strength and workout performance

• Your appetite and ability to eat consistently

• Your sleep + recovery

• Your hydration

• Your confidence and relationship with movement

• Your ability to manage work, family, and everyday responsibilities

These details help us see the fuller picture.

For example, the scale may be moving in the direction you hoped for, but you may be feeling unusually tired or struggling to complete workouts that once felt manageable. You may be getting full so quickly that it is difficult to consume enough protein or other essential nutrients. You may feel unsure about what to eat now that your hunger cues have changed.

These are simply signals that your support plan may need to evolve.

We help you build a fitness plan for the body you have today

Strength training is one of the most valuable tools available during intentional weight loss. It gives your body a reason to retain muscle while helping you build confidence, stability, and physical capacity.

At Body By Hannah, your program is built around your current experience, including your energy, training history, recovery, and any guidance provided by your healthcare team.

Your plan may begin with simple movements and light resistance, or it may involve a more structured progressive program. Either way, the goal is to create an appropriate challenge that helps you maintain or improve strength without overwhelming your body.

We adjust as your needs change. On days or during phases when your energy is lower, we can modify volume, intensity, or exercise selection. When you are ready to progress, we help you do so with intention.

We help you stay nourished when hunger becomes quieter

A reduced appetite can be helpful, but it can also make eating enough more difficult.

When meals become smaller or less frequent, each choice carries more nutritional weight. Protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, fluids, vitamins, and minerals all continue to matter, even when you do not feel as hungry as you once did.

Our coaching helps you develop practical strategies for:

• Prioritizing protein and other nutrient dense foods

• Building balanced meals from smaller portions

• Timing food around exercise and daily responsibilities

• Supporting hydration

• Identifying foods that feel manageable when appetite is low

• Recognizing when your intake may not be supporting your energy or recovery

Your doctor manages the medication. We help you build the habits, strength, awareness, and day to day structure that surround it.

The medication may open the door. We help you build what comes next.

If you have been prescribed a GLP-1 medication, you deserve support that goes beyond watching the number on the scale.

You deserve to know whether you are maintaining muscle. You deserve an exercise plan designed around your current capacity. You deserve help navigating quieter hunger signals, changing energy levels, and new nutritional challenges. Most importantly, you deserve coaching that respects your decision and sees you as a whole person.

We assess. We listen. We coach. We adjust.

At Body By Hannah, we help you pursue more than weight loss. We help you build strength, maintain function, support your energy, and create habits that can serve you for the long term.

Because the end goal is not simply a smaller body.

It is a stronger, healthier, more capable life.

If you are using a doctor-prescribed GLP-1 and want expert coaching beyond the medication, Body By Hannah is here to support you. Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about strength training, body composition tracking, and whole person coaching.

Ditch the Bathroom Scale.....Forever.

Investing in our clients is our number one priority….

and that’s why at the Body By Hannah Studio in Cleveland, TN, we just upgraded to the InBody 380 body composition device which includes insight on even more than our previous InBody 270 model!

How are you tracking your fitness progress?

If you’re like most people, you step on your bathroom scale when you want to assess your health.

But your bathroom scale is misleading. Ditch the scale.

Weight loss is not the same as fat loss. As we age, we naturally lose some of our heavy, dense muscle mass, and a lower number on the scale doesn’t always mean we’re in peak condition.

The key to physical fitness is losing excess body fat, not overall body weight. Instead of tracking how heavy you are, the InBody body composition analysis tracks how healthy you are.

You are much more than one standardized number. Your weight is made up of muscle, fat, bone, and water, and the proportions of these different elements are known as your body composition.

When you take a body composition test on the InBody 380, it shows you how many pounds of muscle, fat, bone, and water you actually have.

Armed with this data, you can make little adjustments that lead to major long- term improvements.

By learning about the balance of muscle mass, body fat, and body water in each of your limbs and your trunk, you get insight into:

• Your current health status

• Risk of chronic disease

• Which exercise and nutrition plans are most effective for you

  The InBody 380 analyses your body composition in just 30 seconds and provides you with a comprehensive set of data points that you can use to optimize your lifestyle. You’ll learn your:

• Skeletal Muscle Mass

• Percent Body Fat

• Body Fat Mass

• Basal Metabolic Rate

• Abdominal Fat Analysis

• ICW/ECW (insight around inflammation)

Book your FREE InBody Scan directly with your BBH trainer.

Not a client, yet? You are still invited to book a 20 minute InBody Scan and read with a member of the BBH team for just $35!! BOOK HERE.

Optimizing Your Health Might Be a Waste of Time (and Money!)

We live in an age where health optimization has become a booming billion-dollar industry. Supplements, gadgets, biohacking tools, and lifestyle trends promise to take our wellness to the next level. While the desire to improve health is certainly important, the truth is that most of the time, the health “optimization” many are chasing is a waste of time and money because your foundational components of health are not in place, first. The harsh reality is that no matter how many capsules or shakes you add to your daily regimen, they likely won’t yield noticeable results if the bedrock of your health is weak.

The Supplement Industry: A Billion-Dollar Distraction

In 2023, the global supplement market was valued at over $200 billion, and it's only expected to grow. It’s easy to see why: supplements are marketed as shortcuts to improved health, longevity, energy, mental clarity, and performance. Who wouldn’t want to take a pill or powder that promises to give them the energy boost they’re looking for or help them recover faster from their workouts?

First, realize the science behind most supplements is murky at best. Many are not nearly as effective as their manufacturers claim, and only few have been proven to provide the results they promise. In fact, many supplements are simply a cash grab, capitalizing on the fear of missing out on the latest wellness trend or the promise of a healthier life. So, do your research.

Don’t misunderstand me. There is a place for well studied supplements for optimizing health. For example, vitamin D for people who don’t get enough sun, or magnesium for muscle relaxation and creatine for brain and muscle health. But when we rely solely on (even good, well-researched) supplements to fix poor lifestyle habits, it’s like trying to build a house on sand. It won’t stand. 

Before you even need to think about trying a supplement or adding an expensive gadget to your routine, ask yourself: Do I do the basics well and consistently? These “basics” are the non-negotiable pillars of health that should be the cornerstone of any fitness or wellness plan. The basics include exercise, balanced nutrition and getting quality sleep.

The True Foundation of Health

1. Exercise

Building and maintaining muscle mass is crucial for long-term health. Not only does strength training improve body composition, but it also boosts metabolism, strengthens bones, and improves mental health. For the average person, strength training three to four times per week is the baseline.

Cardiovascular exercise is vital for heart health, lung capacity, and overall endurance. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week to improve heart health. Your overall daily movement should be at least an average of 7-10k steps. Simple activities like walking or gardening can make a world of difference towards better health and longevity. 

2. Balanced Nutrition

No supplement can fix a bad diet. A balanced eating pattern that meets your macronutrient (protein, carbs, fats) and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) needs is essential. Protein, in particular, is crucial for muscle repair, growth, and immune function, while fiber is key for digestive health. It’s important you prioritize getting these macro and micro nutrients from a variety of whole foods FIRST and then we can explore what supplements might be right for us to be able to successfully fill in the gaps.

3. Sleep

Recovery modalities like cold plunges, infrared saunas, and cryotherapy are all the rage right now. But no amount of high-tech recovery can meet your recovery demands like adequate sleep. Sleep is arguably the most critical aspect of recovery and health optimization. Chronic lack of sleep—defined as less than 7 hours per night—has been linked to a host of health problems, from obesity and heart disease to decreased cognitive function and mood disorders. While a sauna or a cold plunge can help alleviate soreness, improve circulation, and enhance the recovery process, they are not miracle solutions and cannot compensate for poor sleep habits. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, consolidates memories, and regulates hormones.

Start with the Basics, Then Optimize

Health optimization begins by focusing on the fundamentals that pack the biggest punch towards your best health. Exercise, balanced nutrition and adequate sleep is that foundation. Before you chase the next big thing in the wellness industry, take a step back. Ask yourself if you’re covering the essentials. If not, start there. It’s the only way to truly optimize your health in a sustainable and meaningful way. Once you know you have a solid foundation, you can truly take inventory of what health optimization strategies might be a best fit for you.

Everyone Should Care About Pelvic Floor Health

Many women (AND MEN) experience pelvic floor problems, but often they ignore them, think it’s just a part of aging, or may be too embarrassed to talk to a professional about them. The specific issues can vary and may involve injuries or damage to muscles in the pelvic area, the bowel, bladder, or uterus. Getting help early usually means better treatment results. If you do think you have issues, we recommend seeing your doctor who can do an exam to diagnose and figure out the best treatment. Treatment options range from medications to surgery, laser treatment, or physical therapy, depending on what's going on and where.

With our clients at the Body by Hannah Studio, we believe that proactively training the pelvic floor just like all of our other muscle groups is a great way to prevent weakening of the pelvic floor muscles over time. Creating mindfulness around many of our exercises to properly breathe and engage/relax these muscles is our first defense from future issues.

Let's break down five common problems when the pelvic floor isn't working properly. But first, think of the pelvic floor like a hammock made of lots of connected muscles that support your bladder, bowel, and other organs. These muscles help with things like controlling when you pee or poop, keeping your posture in check, and even sexual function.

1. Needing to pee a lot or urgently: If you're constantly running to the bathroom, it might be due to something called overactive bladder. Basically, the muscles in your bladder contract too much, making you feel like you gotta go all the time. Strengthening your pelvic floor can help calm down your bladder, reducing those urgent feelings.

2. Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, or laugh: This is called stress urinary incontinence. It happens when the muscles supporting your bladder and urethra are weak or damaged, often from childbirth. Even simple movements like laughing can make you leak a little.

3. Trouble with pooping: Weak pelvic floor muscles can mess with how well you poop. Sometimes it leads to constipation or feeling like you can't fully empty your bowels. The process of pooping is pretty complex, and when those pelvic muscles aren't doing their job right, it can cause pain or discomfort.

4. Back or pelvic pain, or pain during sex: Your pelvic floor muscles play a role in a lot of daily activities, like keeping you upright and moving smoothly. But if they're weak or damaged, they can cause pain in your back or pelvis. They can also make sex uncomfortable, especially during orgasm, when those muscles contract strongly.

5. Feeling like things are falling down there: Damage to the pelvic floor can cause organs like the uterus or bladder to sag or bulge into the vagina. This is called prolapse. It's more common as women get older and their bodies change. You might feel pressure or heaviness in your pelvis, especially when standing for a long time or lifting heavy things.

We created a FREE pelvic floor introductory series with Dr. Kat Hamblin that will help you understand better what the pelvic floor is and how to begin to activate it and strengthen it! Download the BBH Fit App and search for Pelvic Floor Series to get started at home!