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.
Learn how to access more efficient and effective training and eating. Get health advice for women not men, in this conversation with the “Let Them Theory” author Mel Robbins.
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.
First watch the podcast I linked to above, then sit with your thoughts about what you heard. Many women watch/listen and then come to me with “Yeah, but….” Why? Because she says things that are counter to what we always believed, like walking is great for you.
Watch this much shorter clip explaining why heavy weights and low repetitions help women far more than Zone 2 exercise (like walking). Avoid the trap of dismissing valuable information because it’s counter to what you believe. Remember to being open and receptive to updating our beliefs is a sign of mental health.
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. You don’t have to suffer with Perimenopause and Menopause. Dr. Sims helps women understand how to eat and exercise for this time in our lives.
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 how to eat and exercise for women across their lifespans. If you find you have trouble with the mental shift required to integrate this work, read my article exploring how to engage your mindset to affect change. Change isn’t easy; but, sometimes it is necessary for health and well-being.