Mini Pause #77: The (Totally Free) Fix for Low Energy
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Your circadian rhythm controls sleep, energy, mood, and metabolism and it gets thrown off easily. Simple daily habits like getting morning light, eating within a 10-hour window, and dimming lights at night can reset your internal clock. These changes are free, easy to implement, and have a big impact […]
Mini Pause #74: Sports for Longevity
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) I am all about a life well-lived. I have been intrigued recently about sports that increase and improve longevity, and delightfully, sports like tennis, pickleball, badminton, squash, and cross-country skiing are among this list. They can significantly boost longevity by improving cardiovascular health, enhancing cognitive function, supporting muscular strength, […]
Mini Pause #73: Pelvic Floor Health in Midlife
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Pelvic floor health significantly impacts midlife women’s quality of life, affecting issues like urge, stress, and fecal incontinence. It is the number one predictor for entrance into a nursing home. More than sarcopenia, osteoporosis or any other health risk we typically think of for women. WHY The pelvic floor […]
Mini Pause #72: Resting For Gains: It’s Not Lazy OR Optional
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Proper recovery isn’t lazy, and it certainly isn’t optional—it’s essential for women in perimenopause and menopause. Especially if you are chasing muscle. Understanding muscle repair and prioritizing rest will help you train smarter, harder, and healthier over time. I find this is often the final piece to a woman […]
Mini Pause #44: Program Design for Women’s Strength Training
Physiology & Psychology: Why Women Need to Train Differently TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Women have differing physiological and psychological preferences when it comes to training. We don’t want big pecs and biceps the way the guys often do! To quote the Spice Girls, what we want, what we really really want is big juicy […]
Mini Pause #43: Stressed? How to Calm, Soothe, and Find Peace
Call on the All-Loving Mother Within You TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) There’s distress (GAH) and then there’s eustress (Ahhh). In perimenopause, you’re going to experience both. Call upon the gentle mother within you to calm, soothe, and reach for what you need in each moment. Your nervous system will thank you. WHY In the […]
Mini Pause #42: Push. Pause. Repeat. Then Add in Recovery.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Less pushing. More pausing. Like, in perimenopause. The recovery is literally baked into this time of your life! WHY Maturing in life is realizing that, as women, we are not meant to push ourselves off a cliff with our to-do lists or productivity binders, or that we have to hustle […]
Mini Pause #18: Deload Weeks & Physical Breaks: Rest=Progress
You Must Squat Before You Jump: Deload, Take a Break, and See Even More Gains TL,DR (too long, didn’t read) Deloads are a necessary part of training hard [*] when you are chasing all those gainz. They are often a welcome relief when you have accumulated sufficient stress and fatigue in your training regimen. This […]
Mini Pause #13: Adopt Recovery Practices to Manage Your Energy
Ways You Can Better Manage Fatigue and Recovery During Perimenopause and Menopause TL,DR (too long, didn’t read) You deserve to recover. Not half-assed recovery. Full ass recovery. Using techniques like walking, thermal manipulation, and sleeping are mostly low-cost or no-cost ways to upregulate your capacity to recover. I’ve included some options I personally use, as […]
Mini Pause #9: Focus on Muscle Movement Patterns to Avoid Injury
How to Prevent Injury While Lifting Weights TL,DR (too long, didn’t read) Injury prevention and muscle hypertrophy science surprisingly have a lot in common. Most of us are leaving the most effective parts of our weightlifting regimen on the table and losing out on potential progress while simultaneously setting ourselves up for injury. Doing sport-specific […]