As a trauma therapist, I mostly focus on mental health. Yet, physical health is tantamount to mental health. For starters we have a gut and heart “brain.” Scientists believe we have more neurotransmitters in the gut and heart brain than in the enskulled brain. Neurotransmitters heavily impact mood. With this, it’s important to care for the body if you want to achieve mental health.
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 more about what this means about women in her famous Ted Talk.
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.
Women need health advice designed for women not men. But where to start? In this conversation with the “Let Them Theory” author Mel Robbins, Dr. Sims gives a great overview of her approach. Click here to learn how to access more efficient and effective training and eating.
After you watch the podcast I linked to above, 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. And we, as humans, have a hard time updating our beliefs. I will urge you to consider: just because it’s what you’ve “always done” doesn’t mean it’s the best way. And ask yourself if you are in perimenopause or menopause: is it working for you at this stage of your life?
I know for me it wasn’t. I noticed that working out an hour a day 5 days a week was leaving me ‘wired but tired’ as I put it. I wasn’t able to see muscular gains like I had in the past, I wasn’t sleeping well, and my hair was falling out. I took the exquisite risk to implement Dr. Sim’s approach for resistance training, jump training, sprint intervals and making sure I was in a “fed state” with specific timing of meals.
It was a HUGE shift for me. And it wasn’t easy. It takes effort to make changs. I won’t lie to you. But the results? I’m fitter now, as a late 50’s menopausal woman than I have ever been. And again, remember: I was an athlete. And All-Americal Soccer Player, a Division 1 College Athlete, and a marathon runner.
And yet, with Stacy’s guidance, I am healthier and stronger than ever. But it’s not just me: I hear and read a multitude of stories sharing the same outcome. What is even more impressive to me is I hear about women who were not athletes or even recreational exercisers take this approach and find amazing outcomes.
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 of Dr. Sims’ Approach:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 based on where you are in your cycle: menstruating, perimenopause, or post-menopause
- Check out this video for her advice about how to eat: Protein intake for fat loss for Women over 50? – Dr. Stacy Sims – Postmenopause – YouTube and What to Eat Before & After a Workout? | Dr. Stacy Sims – YouTube . Check out this one for specific protein and carb counts: Dr. Stacy Sims Explains What to Eat Before & After Training: Pre/Post Workout Meals for Women & Men
- There is a “window” for when women need to eat following workouts that is much different from men: Post-Workout Nutrition for Women: When to Eat After Workout? | Dr. Stacy Sims
- 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.