With Mother’s Day right around the corner (in most countries!), I thought now would be a good time to celebrate the strength of the women who raised us and just how far we’ve come when it comes to navigating menopause.
When I first started researching menopause for my book, Next Level, I knew we needed more education and awareness, but I had no idea how it would be received.
Back then, the “M” word wasn’t something people talked about openly. It was completely normal to go through menopause in silence because there was so much stigma about “the change of life.”
A 2019 study found that of 177 resident physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, and even obstetrics/gynecology, 20% received zero lectures on menopause during their training. Fewer than 7% reported feeling prepared to help manage the care of women through their menopausal years. And that’s the modern-day medical field!
So yes, if you’ve felt forgotten by science or misunderstood by your doctors, there’s a large chance it’s because they are simply unaware of the wide spectrum of symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause.
If you’re in your 40s and beyond, then your body is evolving—but it doesn’t mean you have to stop doing all of the things you love. With the right science and strategies, you can thrive, not just survive. Here are a few ways to do exactly that:
1. Embrace Menopause As a New Chapter
Reframe menopause not as an end but as a powerful transition. While our mothers were likely told that menopause was a time of frailty, I prefer to instead embrace this phase as an opportunity for growth and strength. Understanding more about the physiological and cognitive changes—such as hormonal fluctuations and metabolic shifts—can empower women to take control of their health and fitness. As my co-author Selene Yeager and I wrote in Next Level: “Menopause doesn’t have to be the end of you kicking ass at the gym, on the trail, in the saddle, or wherever you work out. Just bring your health and training to the next level as you reach this next level of life.”
2. Strength Training Is Essential
If you’ve been following me for a while, you might be familiar with the phrase “lift heavy $hit.” Incorporating low-repetition, high-intensity strength training into your weekly training/exercise routine is key to combating muscle loss, increasing your metabolism, and enhancing your bone density during your menopausal years. Of course, if you’re not currently doing any form of strength training then it’s certainly something you’ll need to progress gradually, but understand that maintaining muscle mass is crucial for overall health and longevity during menopause.
3. Sprint Interval Training (SIT) for Metabolic Health
SIT is a time-efficient method to trigger the performance-boosting body composition changes that our hormones helped us achieve in our premenopausal years. Adding short bursts of hard exercise followed by relatively short recovery periods can help:
- Improve body composition (which can get harder during menopause)
- Build (or maintain) lean muscle mass
- Improve aerobic fitness
- Improve your metabolic health/insulin sensitivity
- Reduce stress
For a SIT workout to be effective, it needs to be done at supramaximal effort (meaning your max, MAX effort!) for 30 seconds or less followed by 2-4 minutes of recovery. You want to completely recover before hitting the next hard effort. When you're just starting out with these, you'll want to begin with 2 or 3 efforts. Gradually progress up to 8 to 10 as you get fitter and stronger. They can typically be done running, cycling, rowing, on the elliptical, or in the gym with movements such as kettlebell swings or barbell lifts (if you're proficient at those). Just make sure they're hard and fast!
For those who love diving into the research, check out this 2019 study, which showed that SIT training increased total lean mass, decreased fat mass, and increased aerobic fitness after 8 hours of exercise over 8 weeks.
4. Nutrition Tailored to Menopausal Needs
It’s all about protein, people! While it might sound a lot to some, consuming ~1 gram of protein per pound of your current bodyweight (or 2-2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight) can be hugely beneficial during menopause in helping to preserve muscle mass and support metabolism. Check out this recent article on optimal protein intake to understand more about it. And despite what the internet might tell you, now is also not the time to experiment with intermittent fasting as it can lead to muscle breakdown and metabolic slowdown. We’ll have a newsletter on this coming soon.
5. Take a Personalized Approach to Wellness
Menopause is as unique as you are, so learning to track your symptoms and adjust your training and nutrition accordingly is huge. Symptoms to watch for can include:
- Irregular menstrual cycles (track cycle timing, length, and bleeding)
- Hot flashes (also called hot flushes in some countries)
- Night sweats
- Weight gain or body composition changes, especially muscle loss and fat gain
- Difficulty sleeping
- Mood changes, especially depression, anxiety, or anger
- Brain fog or forgetfulness
- Vaginal dryness
- Joint pain
- Headaches or migraines
Remember: you can take charge of your health, fitness, and wellness during menopause. It is not the beginning of the end—it’s your next level.
If you or someone you know might enjoy learning more about menopause, then you can gift them my Menopause 2.0 course, which is on sale for $240—normally $349—until May 18 (just select “send as gift” at checkout).
In Other News...
Be a Part of This Pioneering Menopause Fitness Survey
I'm excited to share that I'm part of a team that's created the first-ever survey to learn more about how perimenopause and menopause affect active women. You're invited to take part! We'd love to hear from as many active women as possible. You can find the survey here.
Hormones & Hunger
Feeling hungrier before your period? It’s not in your head. In the week leading up to your period, progesterone rises—which can increase protein needs by ~12%—and your body craves carbs to fuel the glycogen-rich endometrial lining. That’s ~150 extra calories a day your body actually needs! You can learn more about it in this Q&A with Loretta and me.
Next Gen: Supporting Active Girls
We launched my latest course, Next Gen, about a month ago, and it’s been great to see so many people jump into learning more about how puberty impacts active teenage girls. It’s designed for parents, coaches, trainers, teachers, and anyone who wants to better understand the changes that occur throughout puberty. You can learn more or sign up for the course here.
Latest Pod Drops
If you enjoy listening to podcasts on female physiology while you cook, work out, or drive the kids to school then here’s a round-up of some of the recent podcasts I’ve been featured on:
- Mikkipedia Podcast with Mikki Williden: Beyond Women Are Not Small Men—Evolving Science with Dr Stacy Sims
- The Macro Hour with Nikkiey Stott: This is Why Your 1200-Calorie Diet Isn’t Working—Dr. Stacy Sims Has the Truth
- The Body Pod with Hailey Babcock: Zone 2 Training, Rep Ranges, and Time-Restricted Eating for Women
Until next time—take care and be well, and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and mothers-to-be. Remember just how amazing the female body is—oh, and remember to call your mom too!
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