Dr. Stacy Sims is a renowned exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist specializing in female physiology and its impact on training, performance, and health. Her groundbreaking work emphasizes that women are not small men, advocating for gender-specific approaches to exercise, nutrition, and recovery. As an athlete and an avid exerciser enthusiast for over 35 years, this information blew my mind. I learned I had been doing it “wrong” for most of my life. Why? Because the “experts” advised me to train based on what would benefit a man.
This advice is not about being skinny. It’s about being healthy. Working smarter, not harder, to build the strength in our muscles, bones, and minds! I can’t recommend this information enough. Life changing. Watch the videos I link to below.
Key Focus Areas:
- Hormonal Influence:
- Explores how hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause impact exercise performance, recovery, and metabolism.
- Recommends tailored training strategies to align with these physiological changes.
- Meaning, you work out differently based on the time of your cycle.
- Female-Specific Training:
- Advocates for strength training, sprint interval training (SIT), and strategic endurance work based on menstrual cycle phases.
- Addresses the unique needs of perimenopausal and menopausal women to counter muscle loss and metabolic shifts.
- Nutrition for Women:
- Highlights the importance of protein timing, adequate fueling, and hydration specific to women’s physiology.
- Disputes restrictive diets, focusing instead on energy availability for performance and overall health.
- Shows you how you need to eat, not fast, to lose weight, build strength, lose fat, and even sleep better!
- Performance and Recovery:
- Provides insights on optimizing recovery through strategies like heat acclimation, stress management, and sleep, tailored for women.
Dr. Sims’ work empowers women to understand their bodies, improve performance, and maintain health across their lifetimes. Her book “Roar” serves as a practical guide for women athletes. Click here to listen to Dr. Sims speak with Mel Robbins. I love this interview. My second favorite is with Dr. Andrew Huberman. Click here to listen . Finally, you can find her all over the internet.