x
Site Logo

Tag: women’s fitness

Mini Pause #68: Why Plyos Are Essential for Women Over 40

Posted on by stephanie-estima

🌸 SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY GUIDE

This Mother’s Day, I want to remind my fellow mamas and all of my Bettys of something incredibly important: you deserve to be deeply nourished.

With this in mind, I’ve put together a Mom’s Day guide that will show you how to give yourself the most luxurious day possible. I’m also including free goodies and extra discounts on my self-care favs so you can pamper yourself without guilt.

Whether you follow it step-by-step or are simply inspired to take a few moments for yourself, believe that you deserve ALL of it! Today and every day. Here’s your 24-hour guide for resting, recharging, and treating yourself like the Queen you are.

Why Plyos Are Essential for Women Over 40

TL; DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Plyometric exercises—jumping, bounding, explosive movements—are crucial for women over 40.

They enhance muscle strength, improve bone density, boost metabolism, and increase joint stability, helping you age actively and vibrantly.

In this issue, you’ll find a sample beginner, intermediate, and advanced plyo routine to suit you.

WHY THIS MATTERS

As we age, especially if we are not intentional during perimenopause and menopause, women will naturally experience declines in muscle mass, bone density, and joint stability.

Incorporating plyometric movements into your routine helps combat these age-related changes, making daily activities easier and reducing the risk of injury.

WHAT PLYOS DO FOR YOUR BODY

đź’Ş Muscle Strength and Power: Plyometrics build powerful muscles by targeting type 2B fast-twitch muscle fibers. These are primarily responsible for explosive, powerful movements.

  • These muscle fibers are the first to degrade with age, significantly impacting power, strength, and quick reaction times. Plyometric training has an anabolic effect, stimulating muscle growth and enhancing overall muscular strength and power.

  • Enhanced proprioception (body awareness) from plyometric movements further supports muscle strength by improving neuromuscular coordination, reducing the risk of falls, and promoting mobility.

🦴 Bone Health: Explosive movements stimulate osteoblasts, the cells responsible for bone formation, thereby enhancing bone strength. This action counters osteoclasts, the cells responsible for breaking down bone.

  • During perimenopause and menopause, women experience a shift favoring osteoclast (bone breakdown) activity, leading to decreased bone density and increased osteoporosis risk. By promoting osteoblast activity through plyometric exercises, women can significantly mitigate these effects and maintain stronger, healthier bones.

đź’Ą Metabolism Boost: High-intensity plyometric workouts increase calorie burn during exercise due to their demanding nature, and they continue to elevate metabolism afterward through a process known as Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). This mechanism helps the body recover by replenishing oxygen stores, repairing muscle tissues, and removing metabolic waste, resulting in sustained calorie burning even after the workout has ended.

HOW

Beginner Program (once a week):

  • Box or Step Jumps: 2 sets of 5 reps at a moderate height (this will depend on your height)

  • Jumping Jacks: 2 sets of 10 reps

  • Squat Jumps: 2 sets of 5 reps, focusing on a gentle landing

Intermediate Program (twice a week):

  • Box or Step Jumps: 3 sets of 10 reps, moderate height

  • Skater Jumps: 3 sets of 10 reps each side

  • Squat Jumps: 3 sets of 10 reps, increasing explosiveness

Advanced Program (2-3 times a week):

  • High Box Jumps: 4 sets of 8-10 reps at a challenging height

  • Skater Jumps with Speed: 4 sets of 15 reps each side

  • Tuck Jumps: 4 sets of 8 reps, aiming for maximum height

Increase intensity and reps gradually based on your fitness level and comfort.

NOW

➡️ Ease into It: Begin gently and focus on proper form to prevent injury. This step is everything, and the key is proper form. If you’re unsure, start with the beginner program, even if you have some experience with plyometrics.

➡️ Combine with Strength Training: Incorporate plyometric moves 1-2 times weekly, balanced with strength training. Remember, weightlifting should be the foundation of your fitness program.

➡️ Consistency and Recovery are Key: Regular, moderate plyometric workouts bring sustained health benefits. When you first start, you may notice yourself feeling more tired afterwards, or your muscles, such as your calves, may be unusually sore—this is normal and expected! You might consider giving yourself a lot of recovery time in the first few weeks as your muscles are remodeling and building new type 2b fibers. Slowly graduate up from there. Pinky promise?

What I Recommend

HOW TO SUPPORT MIDLIFE GUT HEALTH CHANGES

Midlife hormonal changes can wreak havoc on your gut health. LvlUp’s Ultimate GI Repair combines powerful gut-healing peptides, including BPC-157, Larazotide Acetate, and KPV, with gut-nourishing natural ingredients, such as zinc L-Carnosine, EMIQ, Quercetin, and Tributyrin, to soothe your changing digestion.

Learn more about LvlUp peptides at https://lvluphealth.com/DRSTEPHANIE and use code DRSTEPHANIE for 15% off.

HOW TO GET MORE GREENS IN YOUR DIET

One of my favorite products just got a major upgrade! To help meet my nutrition goals, I regularly drink AG1 because it’s simple and effective. And now, the new AG1 Next Gen is backed by four new human clinical trials, which have been shown to address common nutrient gaps, increase healthy gut bacteria, and promote gut health.

AG1 Next Gen is optimized for absorption and impact, featuring added vitamins and minerals, and an enhanced probiotic blend. It’s more comprehensive than ever, helping to support your immune health, gut health, energy, and more.

If you haven’t yet tried AG1, it’s a great time to subscribe. When you use my link, you’ll also get a FREE bottle of AG D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, AND 5 of the upgraded AG1 travel packs with your first order! Go to DrinkAG1.com/stephanie to get started.

🌟 Love these recommendations? Find more resources to support your health in midlife in my Health Toolkit!

Mini Pause #63: 8 Weeks to Feeling Younger, Energized & Stronger

Posted on by stephanie-estima

TL; DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

If you missed it the first time around, I’m starting Cohort #2 for perimenopausal women in April.  I’ve designed an 8-week program to help you dial in nutrition, put muscle on in all the right places, and finally relax into your body.

WHY

I’m currently writing my second book with a focus on perimenopause. We are not really taught about the ebbs and flows of our hormonal landscape in midlife, and we most certainly are not educated on how to stack the deck in our favor in preparation for perimenopause.

With my focus and formal education in nutrition, exercise physiology, and biomechanics, I will once again be tailoring a program for women on nutrition, hormones, and building muscle.

WHAT

I’ve long been a fan of hormone replacement therapy, but I’m going to give it to you straight–you cannot rely solely on hormones to get you through perimenopause.

  • HRT is not going to lift the weights for you.
  • HRT is not going to build meals for you.
  • HRT is not going to set boundaries for you.

Only you can do that.

So, I’m going to teach you how to major in the majors:

  • The what and how of muscle building (with modifications!)
  • The what and how of nutrition for a perimenopausal woman (to suit everyone).
  • The what and how of stress management in midlife.

It’s going to be you, me, and a group of awesome women. It’s going to be glorious!

HOW

You’ll be joining YES: Younger, Energized & Stronger. I’ll be leading you through this eight-week program with weekly live coaching calls. The program pillars include:

Younger

I am going to teach you how to eat and exercise to help your cells act like younger versions of themselves. In many cases, we will be actively getting rid of old cells in favor of new ones. This pillar is all about mitochondrial health and is designed to reduce your biological age.

Energized

I am going to teach you the strategies to increase your energy and reduce brain fog so you can meet the demands of your day with ease. This pillar is all about metabolic health and how to improve your glucose and insulin regulation. I’ve also created a nutrition plan that can be adapted to your specific needs. We’ll be going over the particulars together.

Stronger

I am going to teach you female-specific biomechanics so you can squat, lunge, and deadlift properly. I have designed a weight lifting program that we will be going over during the eight weeks that will specifically target glute growth and the upper body muscles that create an hourglass figure.

NOW

To be part of the new program, head over to yesprogram.co and register for the FREE first session on April 1,  7 p.m., ET. This is your opportunity to join me, learn what the program is about, and ask questions.

The first class is my gift to you with no obligation to continue.

If you’d like to join the first session, but can’t make that date & time, please go ahead and sign up at yesprogram.co, as we will be sending out the replay to everyone who registers!

Measure Your Metabolism, Get Better Results

Nutrition and strength are two foundations of my YES! Younger, Energized & Stronger program. That’s why I’m excited about the Lumen, a non-invasive handheld metabolic breathalyzer and app combination I’ve been using that supports these areas (and more) for my Bettys.

Lumen’s innovative technology–backed by science–identifies key factors affecting your body clock, such as dinner timing, workouts, and recovery, and provides recommendations to improve your metabolism. Lumen provides insights into how nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress levels impact your body’s ability to burn fat. Here’s how it works:

  • First, the device analyzes your breath to determine how your metabolism is functioning and gives you immediate feedback on whether your body is using carbs or fats for fuel.
  • Then, the app shows you in real time how your day-to-day actions (the meals you eat, your daily movement, your stress levels, and more) impact your metabolism.

With Lumen’s insights into what’s happening in your body, you’ll get personalized tips to help you align your daily activities with your dietary, fitness, and lifestyle goals.

Check out the Lumen metabolic breathalyzer at LUMEN.ME and use code ESTIMA to get 20% off.

Tickets on Sale Now! Health Optimisation Summit

It’s official! I’m speaking at the Health Optimisation Summit in Austin, Texas! I'll be talking about perimenopausal strategies like muscle, meals, and stress management.

Europe’s biggest health event lands in Austin on April 12-13. You'll hear game-changing health insights from nearly 40 industry-leading experts covering topics from biohacking and nutrition to functional and preventative medicine.

Spend two full days at the Palmer Events Center surrounded by Paleo-inspired wisdom, innovative health tech, and a community that feels like family.

If you purchase your ticket now and use code DRSTEPHANIE, you'll save 10% on VIP or General Admission.

Mini Pause #30: Muscle Failure & Heavy Lifting

Posted on by stephanie-estima

What Does Muscle Failure Look Like, Feel Like, and How Do You Know You Are Lifting Heavy Enough?

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

One of the most common questions I am asked is how heavy is “heavy?” And, how do I know I've done enough to stimulate muscle hypertrophy?

I answered a follower question on this in Mini Pause #25, which prompted me to write more on the topic.

Irrespective of the absolute weight we use, approximating muscle failure is going to have a few hallmark characteristics:

  • You will not be able to perform the rep at the same velocity as when you started.
  • The weights will begin to feel subjectively heavier as the set progresses.
  • Your form may start to degrade in order to complete the repetition.
  • You will start to feel the target muscle significantly more than when you started.
  • You will possibly start to feel more accessory and stabilizing muscles tiring, too.

WHY

In the age of Muscle Mommies and Queenagers, more and more women are moving into the weight room to get stronger, build beautiful muscles, and work towards squatting the equivalent of a baby elephant.

But I still see many women confused about what heavy even means and asking “how do we know that we have lifted enough times to approach muscle failure?”

This is specifically what I’ll address in this Mini Pause issue.

WHAT

Let’s start with what constitutes heavy. What feels heavy to you is entirely subjective and the longer you train, “heavy” will change. What was once heavy will now feel light as you gain more muscle and strength.

Choosing a weight that you can lift for a given set in a range of motion that you can own is the secret sauce.

Let’s say you start squatting with just your body weight, which is a perfectly respectful place to start. You might be able to rep your body weight 10 times before noticing your form starting to break.

But let's say next week, you stayed with 10 reps at your body weight, and the next week, and the next week after that. You are potentially missing out on progressing with either weight or volume to increase muscle gains.

So in order to understand your heavy, I’d like to discuss the concept of Reps In Reserve (RIR).

RIR is basically a measure of how many reps you have left in the tank. Imagine I was training with you, and you punched out 10 reps on your body weight squat. If I didn’t let you stop at 10, how many more reps could you do?

Ideally, it would be no more than 3. Anywhere from 0-3 reps in reserve indicates you have chosen the right weight for you, for this set.

If you could punch out 5, 6, or more reps – the weight is not heavy enough.

Continuing with our example of bodyweight squats – if we decide the weight is too light for you – you could either increase the reps from 10 to say 15, or you could pop a pair of dumbbells on your shoulders and try 10 reps for the next set. If you can still punch out the set with no problem, we can continue to tinker until we find a weight or rep range where the last 3 reps become difficult to complete.

HOW

How do you know if the set was difficult?

A few clues to look for [*]:

  • You will not be able to perform the rep at the same velocity as when you started.
  • The weights will begin to feel subjectively heavier as the set progresses.
  • Your form may start to degrade in order to complete the repetition.
  • You will start to feel the target muscle significantly more than when you started.
  • You will possibly start to feel more accessory and stabilizing muscles tiring, too.

With a squat, you might notice yourself slowing down on the ascent (coming back to standing). Or, you might notice your affinity to do the full range of movement is lowering and your fear of getting stuck at the bottom is increasing. You will start to feel your legs and glutes working more, and even accessory muscles like your back working, too.

I’m a fan of going to failure on occasion to really know what it feels like, but it isn't necessary [*]. And it can cause unnecessary fatigue and a longer recovery time [*].

As long as you are coming within one to 1-3 reps of failure [*], there is not a big difference in terms of muscle stimulation vs. growth.

But the kicker is the closer you get to failure (i.e., those last 1-3 reps) seem to be the MOST important for muscle growth. So like Mohammed Ali used to say, “I only started counting once it starts hurting.” Those are the reps that really count.

NOW

You don’t need to change up whatever routine you have now, but what you can and should evaluate is how hard you are actually working.

The next time in the gym, ask yourself:

  • If Dr. Stephanie and I were working out together, does this weight selection and rep selection represent me working at my hardest?
  • Am I 1-3 reps from failure?
  • Is my speed slowing down on my last few reps?
  • Is the weight getting heavier the more I lift this?
  • Is my form starting to degrade?
  • Am I less willing to do the full range of motion on this?
  • Am I feeling the target muscles more?

Question of the Week

Q: I’d like to maintain my current muscle mass and spend less time lifting (I do three days). How many days a week does a woman need to lift to maintain her gains?

Well, here’s the fantastic news for follower Felicity who asked this question and any of my Bettys curious about the same thing. The research suggests that once you HAVE the muscle, it takes about one-third of the stimulus to maintain it. Isn’t that incredible?! So if you’ve been training three times a week and have built sufficient and desired muscle, you only need to lift 1x/week to maintain the muscle you have built.

YOUR TURN!

I’ll be answering your questions every week right here in the Mini Pause! Let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll be checking for both questions and feedback at support@drstephanieestima.com.

What I Recommend: Living Libations

Thank you to Doris for asking this thoughtful question!

“I am curious if you wear perfume and/or have any recommendations for a brand that isn't harmful. I went on the EWG site, but can't find those brands in Canada. I know it sounds silly, but I like smelling “pretty.” Unfortunately, all I ever hear about perfumes is that they are toxic hormone disruptors.”

I typically do not wear perfumes, and opt for essential oils instead. My favorite (Canadian!) brand is Living Libations. I use their grapefruit essential oil on my wrist as perfume, or one of the petal perfumes as my perfume. In the winter I use Vanilla Velvet Chocolate cologne as my perfume. I actually want to try their whole line! Next on my wish list is Moccasin Flower Perfume!

Visit Living Libations here to take a look at their “Perfumes + Colognes” section and read about their product philosophy. This direct link auto-applies a discount at checkout. Enjoy!

Mini Pause #29: Travel Tips for Jet Lag, Sleep, Fitness & Food

Posted on by stephanie-estima

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Adjusting to local time for me is switching my watch as soon as I board the plane, getting in a workout first thing in the morning, and taking an early afternoon nap.

I savor each meal and eat what I want (including all the bread and pasta I desire). I chalk it up to a diet break and walk a lot.

After all–life is about pleasure and experience!

WHY

If you’re traveling this year or planning a staycation, here are some strategies I employ and have found to be incredibly useful when acclimating to a new time zone and being thrown off my regular comforts of home.

WHAT

Jet Lag
Depending on the degree of time change, you can start slowly shifting your internal time clock up to a week before your flight. As the saying goes, flying “east is a beast” and flying “west is the best.”

When I fly to the West Coast, it is incredibly easy for me to wake up early in the morning (sometimes TOO early in the morning!) and have a hard time staying up late. This works well for my lifestyle though, and I don't often struggle when flying west.

When I fly east it is often to Europe where there is a minimum of a five or six-hour time difference. If I’m not able to change my sleeping patterns the week leading up to the flight, there is a small but mighty trick I do.

HOW

Sleep
As I’m boarding the flight, I change my watch to the local time of where I’m flying.

I don’t know why this works. But it does. Without fail and every time. If someone has the science to explain this to me, I’m all ears. I don't even know how I stumbled upon this trick, but here we are, wondering together.

I try to sleep as much as I can on the plane and bring a few travel items with me to sleep well:

  • I take Qualia Night as soon as I board so I’m ready to sleep a few hours later. (Use code STEPHANIE for a discount.)
  • An eye mask to shut out the lights from the plane
  • Noise-canceling headphones
  • Extra pair of woolly socks (What can I say? My feet are almost always cold.)

When we arrive at the local destination, it’s often still too early to check into our room, so we drop the bags off and immediately go get a strong coffee and head to a local gym to work out. I always research local gyms beforehand so we know exactly where we are going.

After the gym, I’ll find a local market and buy bottles of water, and snacks for our hotel room, like yogurt, fruits, and usually a tub of protein powder.

Once the room is ready, it is usually early afternoon by this point. I unpack, put the water and snacks in the hotel fridge, and take a nap.

I set a timer and do not let myself sleep for more than an hour, and never past 4 p.m. local time. This nap (both the timing of it and the length) is crucial to adjusting to the new time zone I’m in.

This first-day routine works like a charm for me every time:

  • Exercise first thing upon arrival.
  • Take an early afternoon nap.

Fitness
While I’m on vacation and depending on where I am, I will join a local gym, usually with day passes or a week pass). It’s super fun to work out in a new environment, with new people, and even more humbling when you have to switch lbs to kgs! More often than not, the hotel gym will be mainly cardio equipment and a few weights. For me, it is always worth looking into gyms with weights. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just machines, a variety of weights and I’m good!

The last time I was in London, I joined a gym called The Gym Group and it was awesome. They ticked off all the boxes I was looking for:

  • Easy to sign up.
  • Easy to cancel.
  • Great hours of operation.
  • All the weights and machines I needed to get the job done.

I get all my cardio in by walking. I rack up easily double, sometimes triple my baseline of 10-12K daily steps. This requires packing comfortable clothes, and of course, comfortable footwear that doesn’t give me blisters.

I opt for some cute workout outfits or summer dresses with sneakers. I’ve linked my favorites from Amazon here.

Food
I usually don’t fret too much about food while on vacation and generally eat what I want. I look at it as a diet break. I eat until I’m just about full, and I try to eat slowly and savor the food.

My only overarching rule is to try to have protein with every meal.

The only time this presents a challenge is breakfast. Europeans love their croissants, cornettos, and other sweet morning treats! I don't usually find it too hard to source eggs, or cured salmon and if all else fails, I have my backup tub of protein powder to mix in water.

For lunch and dinner, if we are near the water, I usually opt for fish, and if we are more inland, I get steak.

Many people, including myself, find that wheat products like pasta and bread are less inflammatory outside North America, so I enjoy bread with almost every meal. I also take advantage of pasta if the mood strikes me. I love to walk after dinner to aid in digestion, especially if I’ve had a particularly rich meal.

My only other concern on vacation is staying hydrated. Walking or even lounging at the beach can be dehydrating so I make sure I bring my LMNT electrolytes with me.

NOW

Planning ahead can be a game-changer for vacations.

  • Pack your necessities for the plane ride itself (eye masks, headphones, and download the latest Better! With Dr. Stephanie podcasts ahead of time).
  • Search online ahead of your trip for local gyms near your hotel.
  • Search for local grocers and markets to pick up items like water and snacks when you arrive!
  • Pack your supplements.
  • Opt for some cute but functional clothing; summer dresses are always my fave and I pair them with sneakers.

Question of the Week

Q: Why do you also need BEAM Minerals if you're drinking LMNT throughout the day? Isn't this doubling up?

I got this question about supplements from Christi in response to Mini Pause #27. Since I also mention LMNT in my travel routine this week, it’s a great time to offer some clarity.

The short answer here is both are necessary as they do different things.

While they are both minerals, they serve different purposes. If you listen to my conversation with Caroline Alan from BEAM Minerals on the BETTER! podcast, you’ll see how she speaks about humic and fulvic acids being important as antioxidants, helping with nutrient assimilation, and also being natural detoxifiers.

Salt, on the other hand, is very tightly regulated by the body. It’s lost in large quantities when we work out and physically exert ourselves, especially when it is humid.

Salt helps us stay hydrated by helping the body hold onto water. This is why if you are working out, it isn't enough to simply drink water. Whenever you sweat, you also lose salt and other electrolytes.

YOUR TURN!

I’ll be answering your questions every week right here in the Mini Pause! Let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll be checking for both questions and feedback at support@drstephanieestima.com.

What I Recommend: Qualia Night

Between changing hormones, busy work schedules, and taking care of family, my Bettys often struggle with sleep. Knowing what you’re juggling, I’ve searched for options that can help you get to sleep and stay asleep.

Qualia Night is a different kind of sleep support. You take it at dinner time and it helps your nervous system naturally wind down at night. And, it doesn’t make you drowsy. When I take it, I can feel myself getting calmer, not groggy.

Because so many of you are high performers during your waking hours, you’ll like that Qualia Night enhances your sleep performance, too. Qualia Night’s unique blend of ingredients enhances BDNF, promotes GABA, and balances cortisol levels.

This means you get deeper sleep that helps your body systems heal, recover, and regenerate. (I mention Qualia Night as part of my travel favorites, too, and take advantage of these same benefits while I’m out of my regular routine.)

Since I’m getting better quality deep sleep regularly, I wake up feeling recharged and refreshed. I want you to start sleeping better, too, so you can show up in your life with vibrant energy.

Visit Qualia Night to learn more about how you can improve your sleep. Use code STEPHANIE to get 15% off.

P.S.

Here in the Bettyverse, we focus on Meals, Muscle, Mindset, and (Peri)Menopause. When an opportunity comes along that I know will offer you benefits that complement the content I provide, I always want to share that with you.

I’d like you to consider joining my friend and world-leading brain coach, Jim Kwik, at his upcoming FREE live virtual event, August 5-7, 2024: The Limitless Learner Virtual Summit

Jim’s bringing in a superhero team of high-performers and world-leading entrepreneurs to guide you and share their wisdom. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll learn:

  • The brain-first approach to becoming a top performer: How to solve challenges with your memory, focus, and concentration so you can perform at the highest level possible.
  • How to unlock the power of your memory and overcome forgetfulness (because your memory makes you money).
  • The secret to overcoming procrastination and distraction, so you can stay focused in an information-overloaded world.
  • How to read faster, comprehend, and remember more of what you read so you can catch up, keep up, and get ahead in your industry.
  • Accelerated learning strategies to help you learn anything faster, master new skills, and take control of your future (no matter where you’re starting from).

Click HERE to claim your exclusive invite to Jim Kwik’s FREE Limitless Learner Virtual Summit.

About Jim Kwik: He’s the author of the best-selling book “LIMITLESS” and host of the #1 brain performance podcast, Kwik Brain. He is the world’s leading expert in speed reading, memory improvement, brain performance, and accelerated learning.