One of the questions I’m often asked is: How connected are building muscle and building strength?
The short answer: they’re related, but not the same. You can increase strength without dramatically increasing muscle, and you can increase muscle without seeing proportional gains in strength. Res...
My latest conversation with Mel Robbins drops today, and it touches on many of the questions I’ve been thinking about as we head into 2026: how women can support metabolism, build muscle, and work with their hormones as they train, recover, and age in a landscape that’s often noisy, trend-drive...
As the calendar turns and we near the end of 2025, I wanted to take a moment to pause, reflect, and send a note of gratitude. I typically dedicate these newsletters to science-backed information for active women, but today I’ll break with the norm and share some of the highlights and challenges...
My mission is simple: inform and inspire women—and the people who support them—with science that actually matters. As we wrap up 2025, I’m highlighting the content you engaged with most: the articles, podcasts, videos, and posts that sparked curiosity and kicked off important conversations. You...
The holiday season can be a mixed bag: joyful, busy, fun, overwhelming, energizing, and exhausting—often all on the same day. If you’re an active woman trying to stay consistent with exercise while also juggling family, travel, social commitments, and extra mental load, you’re not alone. And yo...
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If you’ve ever been told you have PCOS, you’re not alone—and you’re certainly not the only one confused by what that diagnosis really means. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal conditions affecting women of reproductive age, yet it’s also one of the most misund...
Cold plunging has exploded in popularity, with everyone from elite athletes to wellness influencers posting their ice bath rituals. But long before it hit social media, cold-water immersion was a Nordic tradition—often paired with saunas—as a way to build resilience, reset the mind, and connect...
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When I talk about female athletes, hormones, and health, I always start from a simple but critical foundation: energy availability. It’s the balance between how much energy you take in (from food) and how much you expend (through training, daily life, and basal metabolic rate). When that bala...
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Perimenopause vs. Postmenopause: What Active Women Need to Know
With World Menopause Day happening tomorrow, it feels like the right time to address some key questions I’m often asked about perimenopause and postmenopause. I know only too well that navigating these changes can feel confusing,...
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Why We’ve Moved on from “Train by Your Phase.”
For years, the conversation about women’s training centered on the menstrual cycle: do high-intensity work in the follicular phase, focus on endurance in the luteal phase, and rest during your period. (And for transparency here, I was one of the ...
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Racing Kona Taught Me More Than I Ever Expected
In October 2000, I stood on the start line of the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. I had no idea that day would shape the rest of my career—not just as an athlete, but as a scientist.
Kona is brutal. It’s long, hot, humid, wind...
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Most active women love to move. Whether it’s running, riding, swimming, lifting, yoga, or simply chasing your kids around, we love to break a sweat and feel the physical and mental benefits that come from that. But there’s one form of training that too often gets overlooked: power training.
W...
